Standby

Aptly named, Standby is still the best restaurant + cocktail bar in Detroit. Whenever I'm downtown, I'm hard pressed to choose to go elsewhere because I just honestly would prefer to be here.

The cocktails are consistently spectacular, and the rotating food menu is always enticing and delicious. I also consistently receive exceptional service. Top this off with an immaculate vibe, and you've got the makings of, well, a standby. I've come with family to celebrate birthdays, with friends to toast to a promotion, with my husband for an intimate date night, and solo when I just wanted to treat myself.

Because of the seasonal menu rotations, there is always something new and interesting to sip or bite. A constant cocktail on the menu that I highly recommend is called the Snake in the Grass. But the best cocktail I had here was called the Black Beretta and was made with clementine sherbet and black sesame - outstanding! I also love that they have a rotating "break-even bottle" - where you can get a taste of typically pricey pours of whiskey, tequila, etc. for just as much money as it costs for them to break even on the bottle.

I've lived downtown Detroit a very long time.

Standby until present day is hard to get into. Today's there's a bit more flexibility on a weekday but I still recommend a reservation.

Dress up if you come or cool swag. Lights are dim and the music makes you feel better.

Drinks are yummy and beers are welcome.

The staff is lovely. Brandy is a doll. I did come alone and was treated right.

I ordered the pasta and calamari!

I love the deviled eggs. I love the carrots and honestly y'all the food is great.

Doris approved. 4.6

Only because in order the deviled eggs a lot and a few times they have been cold even tho deep fried- and still yummy. I do like them better a bit warmer also sometimes when empty the food still takes a long time to come ourt- not that I am in a rush!

Other than that- it's beautiful and I completely recommend for a date night, team thing for work, or a girls night out.

Food:
Tonight I got the calamari and the pasta.
Calamari is a good mix of pieces. Soft but deep fried. It's in a coconut spicy pineapple white sauce. It's good but I didn't finish the plate.

I also got the pasta.
The cream sauce isn't special- taste out of the can. The sage would have been better fried.
The stuffing is beautiful: really yummy and the shells would cooked al dente. Just lovely,
Great amount of food for the price. And some crunch on top.

I would recommend. I just wish the white sauce had some bite and there was just one slice of bread.

I was offered fresh silverware that matters to me: and my waitress wasn't annoying I didn't feel rushed out. She was very nice and kind to me.

Highly recommend!

We had a great night cap on a busy Saturday night - the bar is open until 2 and has a fun vibe and great music. Top-notch cocktails - it's fun to sit at the bar and watch - the bartenders are cool and friendly. They made me the nicest mocktail - I told them what I like, and they made me something. Delicious and pretty - I don't usually spend $12 on a mocktail, but it's nice to sit at the bar with a pretty drink while your friends have cocktails. It's a great spot to stop on your downtown tour.

Always fantastic here- and the staff is the best- I've been coming for years and years and been through changes of chef, menu, staff, etc and somehow the high quality continues

Love this place!!! Happy hour on Sunday? Wow !! Favorite place in Detroit for a drink and always great service. They have a large drink menu and give great suggestions. It's a smaller restaurant but has a decent size bar. It gets very crowded in the evenings so plan ahead.

Great drinks, food and atmosphere. The bartender made a drink to order that wasn't on the menu. The lemon spaghetti is wonderful!

Had a reservation for standby on Saturday night. We arrived at 5pm and were seated quickly. I was surprised how small it was inside, but it was a nice vibe. We ordered drinks which took awhile, but to be expected since they are specialty cocktails and everyone orders them at once when they open. We got a few apps, and some entrees for the table, some things that were good: fried deviled eggs, beet salad, kaarage
(Spelling?) , soft pretzels.

Not good: burger, flavor was lacking and fries had SOOOO much salt on them it was inedible. Coconut calamari - good but had so much chili oil ( or some kind of oil) that they were soggy.

We ordered all of our food at once, a couple things came out first, then it was almost an hour later before the rest came out. Thought it was strange, I think the waiter forgot to ring it in tbh.

Overall the trip was pricey, I wouldn't come back for food. Maybe for a drink but likely will go with other options.

I wish I took pictures. We tried most of the food menu. Arancini, fries, and chicken thighs. Lol those were the best options. I've had the burger before but not tonight and it's great. The drinks always solid! I'm a Mezcal girl. Great service! Music and ambiance was just what we needed! Music was excellent!

On Sunday, 7/21 I personally witnessed and experienced a disturbing incident of racial discrimination. It deeply concerns me that while attempting to enter your bar with my family to meet with friends, who are Black, we were blatantly denied entry by the host. Meanwhile, we noticed that several groups of White patrons were allowed inside without any issues. This discriminatory behavior is unacceptable and has no place in any modern, inclusive society.

The drinks were fantastic but the fettuccine that I ordered was awful. The fettuccine itself was just only spicy - no other flavor itself.

Ambiance was cute but service was kinda bad. Every time i needed water, I had to wait 20 minutes in between each service.