Opening the doors on opening day: new bar Gilly's Clubhouse joins the fray

Baseball is back, spring is here and fans are ready to roar in downtown Detroit.

This year's Tigers home opener is Friday at Comerica Park, and there's a mix of new and old traditions in the air. Surface lots will be filled with tailgaters, and classic and brand new bars will open their doors for baseball fans to get primed ahead of the 1 p.m. game.

One new bar, Gilly's Clubhouse — just steps from the stadium on Woodward — is having its grand opening at 10 a.m. Friday just in time to welcome revelers. Operating partner Josh Lang of 7OH2 Hospitality is ready for the onslaught.

"My mentor taught me this a long time ago: You want to make a splash when you're opening a venue. Food and beverage is about the people that are going to be around, and if you can open on a day when you already know you're going to be busy and there's a buzz in the city, it makes all the sense in the world," he said, adding that he recently opened a sports bar in Las Vegas during St. Patrick's Day and March Madness.

The multifaceted bar and restaurant is going big in many ways. The first of the three-part venue is the Clubhouse, or sports bar, which has a 120-square-foot television, Detroit sports memorabilia and a full menu that not only has the expected pub grub, but also healthy options, "world-class coffee" and a juice bar. The interior, designed by Coeval Studios of Texas, is meant to be a mix of polished vintage with sleek modern touches with custom artwork.

"It's a sports bar, but there's also something for everyone," says Lang. "The attention to detail from the cafe to our patio to the furniture to the accessibility from an AV perspective, it's incredible. You wouldn't think this amount of detail would go into a sports bar. There's a level of elegance to it that's unmatched in the category of sports bars."

Gilly's Clubhouse will open at 1550 Woodward on Friday for the home opener festivities, then will be closed for private bookings for the next few days, reopening to the public on April 11. On May 5, Cinco de Mayo, a year-round, rooftop bar with a built-in food truck serving Mexican fare, will make its debut. Following that, the basement bar Saksey's will open to the public.

Gilly's is the brainchild of Dan Gilbert’s son Nick Gilbert, who passed away from neurofibromatosis in May. Lang and his team at 7OH2 Hospitality worked with Nick and his two brothers, Grant and AJ Gilbert, to bring the vision of Gilly's to life.

"I was fortunate enough to meet the Bedrock team in Cleveland where I did business before I moved to Detroit, and they had introduced the idea of Detroit to me at that time," he said, adding that he became friends with Nick, who would show him around the city.

"He kept showing me all these different bars and went through these experiences that he had, or even more some experiences that he couldn't have because of some of the limitations that were placed on him physically. We wanted to make a space, and he wanted to make a space, something that he would have absolutely enjoyed," said Lang.

While Friday is all about baseball, Lang said he wants Gilly's to be a place for a diverse cross-section of sports fans — including guys, gals, singles and families — since he sees Detroit as a massively passionate sports town.

"I wanted to create a space where every kind of fan can come and support their teams, any games, any time, we're going to have the ability to show their games and give them that data and that information that they want whether it's visually or we have a ticker as well that shows stats all day," he said.

Gilly's Clubhouse opens at 10 a.m. Friday at 1550 Woodward. Visit gillysdetroit.com for more information or to make a reservation for a date later in April.

mbaetens@detroitnews.com

More Home Opener Parties

All events are Friday

Bookies Bar & Grille: Huge indoor and outdoor party with DJs, full bar, big-screen TVs, food and an ice luge. 7 a.m. 2208 Cass, Detroit. (313) 962-0319. Bookiesbar.com.

The Corner Ballpark: Detroit PAL’s third annual Swing for the Fences party, where fans can take a shot at hitting a ball in the area where historic Tiger Stadium once stood. The game will be shown on the ballpark scoreboard and there will be food trucks onsite. 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Free admission, $10 for 10 swings. 1680 Michigan, Detroit. Detroitpal.org.

Detroit Home Opener Festival: Heated tents, DJs, live bands, full bar, food, party games and televisions. 9 a.m. $20 and up. 440 Madison, Detroit. (248) 671-4151. detroithomeopener.com. Take the party bus from any of the nine Hamlin Pub locations at 9 a.m. for $60 (include two beers, admission to tent party downtown and transportation).

Fillmore Detroit: Party with 101.1 WRIF-FM as the station broadcasts live from this historic music venue. Morning show “Dave & Chuck the Freak” kick things off, followed by a performance from Sunset Blvd. Stick around and watch the game on the 40-foot movie screen. 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Free. 2115 Woodward, Detroit. wrif.com/event/101-wrif-opening-day-party-2024.

Firebird Tavern: Indoor and outdoor party with a heated tent, DJs, food trucks and flowing drinks. 9 a.m.-11 p.m. $20. 419 Monroe, Detroit. firebirdtavernopeningday.com.

Grand Circus Park: Free party with beer tents, food trucks, giveaways, photo opportunities, cornhole and other games, Detroit Tigers alumni appearances and a video wall. Food trucks include Impasto, Egg Roll Diva, Corn King, Nacho Grill, the Lobster Food Truck and more. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. 101-157 Witherell, Detroit.

Harry’s Detroit: Massive party with live band Storm the Masses, DJs, heated tent and more 7 a.m. 2482 Clifford, Detroit. (313) 964-1575. Harrysdetroit.com.

Mario’s Detroit: Get a good meal in before the game at this Italian mainstay’s opening day buffet with lobster, prime rib, salads, omelet station, coney dogs and desserts. 11 a.m.-1 p.m. $30 per person. 4222 Second, Detroit. (313) 832-1616. Mariosdetroit.com.

Michigan Pedaler: Hop on the Michigan Pedaler pedal pub for a spin around the city and make some stops at select tailgates. 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. $29.99. Get dropped off at Comerica Park before the game, or ride back to the starting spot, McShane’s Irish Pub & Whiskey Bar, 1460 Michigan, Detroit. (313) 744-3272. Michiganpedaler.com.

Mix Bricktown: A 17-hour indoor and outdoor party with DJs, fun drinks, beer and shot combos and food available all day. 9 a.m.-2 a.m. $10 and up. 641 Beaubien, Detroit. Openingdayfest.com.

Old Shillelagh: This Greektown favorite will have three floors of action with DJs, live music, food (including an entirely plant-based menu), drinks and more. 8 a.m. 349 Monroe, Detroit. (313) 964-0007. Oldshillelagh.com.

Opening Day Block Party: For one admission price, get into the Annex, Love & Tequila and Brass Rail, all right across from Comerica Park. The block party has projector screens in each venue, food and VIP bottle service. 9 a.m. $25 and up. 24 W. Adams, Detroit. (313) 687-4350.

The Whiskey Factory: Drink Bloody Marys, espresso martinis and old fashioned in the tailgate lot of Detroit City Distillery’s Whiskey Factory at 1000 Maple, or walk over to the tasting room at 2462 Riopelle for a Bloody Mary bar and the game on TV. The tailgate party is 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and the tasting room is open 10 a.m.-11 p.m. detroitcitydistillery.com.

More:Your guide to downtown Detroit sports bars near LCA, Comerica Park and Ford Field