Saksey’s Lounge is opening to the public this Friday in the basement of Gilly’s Clubhouse in downtown Detroit. The lounge is named after a Detroit bar once owned by Sam Gilbert, the late father of Rocket Mortgage co-founder Dan Gilbert.
It’s the latest collaboration between Luke Ostrom and Josh Pickard of NoHo Hospitality Group, the partners behind San Morello and Evening Bar, along with other restaurants and culinary services in New York City and Nashville.
One of its signature drinks is a Dirty Snow Cone, described in a press release as “a frosty grown-up nod to summer nostalgia.” Other cocktail offerings include a Root Beer Negroni and a series of miniature martinis, dubbed Teeny ’Tinis.
The drinks menu was created by NoHo bar director Darryl Chan and head bartender Tara Wong. Chan has led the drinks programs at several NoHo properties in New York City. Wong’s resume includes Detroit’s Freya/Dragonfly and The Apparatus Room.
Chef Adrian Estrada (previously of Blue Llama Jazz Club) created the dinner menu in collaboration NoHo Hospitality. It features many sharable plates like Caviar & Bugles and Pretzel Tots. Dinner options include the Bar Burger and Cornflake Chicken with Dynamo Sauce; desserts include a Cap’n Crunch Berry Sundae.
Finding Inspiration in the Original Saksey’s
Daniel Caudill of DTM Consulting designed the interior. Originally, a press release from last year listed Pophouse — the firm owned by Dan Gilbert’s now ex-wife and business partner Jennifer Gilbert — as the designer for Saksey’s. A spokesperson for NoHo Hospitality confirmed Pophouse was not involved in the final design.
DTM’s interior features dark cherry wood paneling, a brass back bar, and green velvet banquettes. There are also custom mahogany tables and vintage lounge pieces from the 1960s and 1970s — the heyday of the original Saksey’s.
“When we started shaping this new bar, we wanted to honor that spirit while making it entirely our own. It’s not about recreating the past; it’s about carrying its energy forward, the sense of belonging, the humor, the craft, and letting it live in a new way,” said Ostrom in a press release.
The original piano bar was owned by Sam Gilbert, his partner Irving Sacks, and their wives, Millie and Shirley. It operated on Woodward just a block south of 7 Mile, across from Palmer Park. While the interior of the new Saksey’s is a nod to the original, certain aspects of the original Saksey’s presumably won’t be reflected in its revival. In a 1976 opinion from the Michigan Court of Appeals, a trial court found Saksey’s “was being used by prostitutes for accosting and soliciting,” and the owners “had knowledge of such use.”
Originally slated to open in spring 2024, Saksey’s is located at 1550 Woodward Ave, Detroit. Its hours are Tuesday through Thursday from 5 p.m. to 12 a.m. On Friday and Saturday, it’s from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. For more information, visit sakseysdetroit.com.
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