mercury burger bar

great burgers and shakes. atmosphere is fun too. thisplaceis one of my regular stops whenever i visit detroit. service is friendly as well.

best burgers! very unique but delicious. i love coming to thisplaceit has a great vibe and very fun. tasty sides and hot dogs as well. don't forget to check out their drinks/beer selection. milkshakes are amazing too!

terrible area, never returning!. i was born there in 1957 and live in the suburbs about 15 miles away. i have always been one to "stick up" for detroit and it's revitalization.

no longer. my conclusion is that it is a hopeless pit that i will make great efforts to stay away from.

this sunday evening after a long day of yard work i was craving a couple of good coney dogs and had heard that the mercury bar was a goodplaceto relax and get just that. my wife and i decided to pay it a visit. it is on michigan avenue across the street from sloe's, near the old train station. we arrived and drove around a couple of minutes to try to find a parking place. after a couple of loops we parked in a goodyear auto service lot one block away. it was closed, there were some spaces and no signs saying we could not park there.

we got inside and were seated in the basement but after about 15 minutes (we still hadn't even received a drink) the restroom smell chased us upstairs to the bar. i must admit the coneys were exactly what i wanted and my wife said that her burger was very good also. after about an hour we finished our meal and left. as we approached the parking lot we saw that our vehicle was gone. it was locked and there were also some personal items in it. we noticed broken glass where it had been parked and came to the conclusion that it had been stolen. we returned to mercury bar to contact the police and wait for a ride. i was on hold with detroit police for at least 15 minutes. while we waited the barmaid told us that someone had also broken in to her car recently so we came to the conclusion that these things happen often in this neighborhood.

i do not believe the b.s. about what a great little neighborhood corktown is ...or detroit for that matter. the government/business leaders that preach how we should all come down and enjoy detroit largely have special parking areas where they don't have to be exposed to the problems that the average detroit visitor is. they do business, have dinner, see a game and go home while their vehicles are in guarded or enclosed areas.

i am 57 years old and have had my first vehicle stolen in one of detroit's "upcoming gem" neighborhoods. i can guarantee that won't happen again. a stolen vehicle and the thought of higher insurance premiums are not worth a couple of chili dogs...or a filet for that matter!

great burgers, good boston coolers. after passing thisplacelots of times, it's a shame i hadn't come here sooner.

the weather was sunny and bright with moderate sept temps, and we wanted to sit on the patio, but they weren't seating anyone out there "due to the bees". interesting.

we were seated in the basement -- in the corner closest to the kitchen -- where wafts of dirty dishwater aromas greeted my nose just often enough to remind me to never sit there again. the decor is spartan, with what appear to be salvaged dps chairs for seating. i liked the wood staircase, very nice.

the service was fast and friendly; very no-nonsense. each of us ordered a burger and three of us ordered a boston cooler. the food came out in good time and the burgers were all delicious -- the beef used was good quality -- and the toppings were plentiful and fresh. fries were hot and good. everyone enjoyed their meal. i got the shroom burger: delicious!

at a price of $5.50, i was expecting a little more from the boston cooler (all shakes are the same price). but it came in the same size glass as what they put soda or water into, and with an inch of vernor's/ice cream foam on top, it wasn't enough -- especially at that price. while creamy and delicious, it wasn't so delicious -- and at that price the value is not compelling -- that i would order another when i go back. (although a faygo orange creamsicle shake sounds tempting!) maybe since the burgers are so inexpensive they try to make up for it in drinks.

overall seems like a great place; next time i'll try something different on the menu.

burgers and beer!. me and my husband love thisplacefor a quick bite to eat. my favorite is the ny hotdog and garlic fries. the garlic fries are the best i've ever had. for garlic lovers only!!! southwest burger is a good choice too. don't forget the beer!!! some great local beers on tap.

my fiance nix and i have been thinking of trying thisplacefor a while. it was pretty good.
nice handpacked burgers with fresh toppings. very good fries. freshly brewed ice tea.
nasty but huge ceasar salad. no bacon, no onion, tiny bit of cheese, very little dressing, extremely greasy (but yummy) croutons and some brown lettuce.
the coleslaw was dreamy.

we'll go back.

first try: not bad. we've driven past this a number of time since they've opened, and have only just recently stopped in for our first bite. i had their "juicy burger", a hand-formed patty with cheese inside the burger. it was good, not great, but good. i've had a lot of burgers in this town, and know what i like. the burger was indeed fresh, well-cooked and stacked up with fresh toppings. however, it didn't resonate with me like other burgers have. it lacked some flavor. like they didn't add any spices to the beef when mixing it up for making patties. i'll definitely have to try something else on their menu to see what other items are like.

on the side i had some of their hand-cut fries and their slaw. the fries were standard fries, nothing extraordinary, though i did appreciate the use of sea salt, and options for pepper as well. the slaw, on the other hand, was quite exquisite. very tangy and fresh with a wonderful zing to it.

my fiancé had their burger that came with the pulled bbq pork on it (i can't recall the name at this moment). she said that on the menu it was a burger "covered in our pulled pork and slathered in bbq sauce". well, there wasn't very much pork on the burger (but said pork was very tender and tasty) but it was barely doused with the afore-mentioned sauce. it was all good, but like above with my meal, not great.

we shared a caesar salad on the side, as well which was also a slight disappointment. elements were great, like how much salad you got for the money, the fact that the dressing is home made and the house-made croutons were a delightful change (if a bit over-fried and greasy). but it didn't come with nearly enough dressing for the amount of salad presented (we had to ask for more). also, there weren't any additional elements to the salad. i.e, no tomatoes (i know most don't come with), barely any cheese, no bacon, no onion... just lettuce, one shake of cheese, healthy dose of croutons and a spoon-full of dressing. mildly disappointing.

all in all, i do like the place, but if i'm in the mood for a good burger, i have a half-dozen other places i'd go to before thisplacefor my fix. so i will have to try again and get something else to see where they stand out from the crowd.