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Corktown Tavern Is Not Closed After All [Updated]

At least one member of the management team has left but the bar owner says he's here to stay.

Doors were closed and lights off during regular business hours on Tuesday.
Doors were closed and lights off during regular business hours on Tuesday.
Brenna Houck
Brenna Houck is a Cities Manager for the Eater network. She previously edited Eater Detroit and reported for Eater. You can follow her on the internet at @brennahouck.

Update: The Corktown Tavern changed hands in 2017.

The Corktown Tavern, a popular neighborhood bar and music venue on Michigan Avenue, appears to have quietly closed this week. A tipster says that a member of the management team was inquiring about job opportunities at other restaurants in the area on Monday. Today the bar was closed during regular business hours and the phone went unanswered.

Reached by Eater, manager Andrea Johns says she's no longer involved with the bar and legally cannot comment on the circumstances of the closure. "I can say that it was the most amazing experience of my life," she writes in an email. "We're sure gonna miss our little spot." Eater has reached out to Corktown Management, LLC, which owns the Corktown Tavern building, for more details and is awaiting a response.

Updated, 3/1, 4:02 p.m.: Reached for comment, owner Tom Khalil is adamant that the bar is not closing and is closed for cleaning today. Khalil would not say whether there had been any staffing changes. "Anyone who's spreading rumors will be subject to prosecution," he says. When asked whether the bar would reopen tomorrow, Khalil declined to comment.

Updated, 3/1, 4:24 p.m.:

Hello Everyone, Just to clarify any questions about the bar, Corktown Tavern is NOT closed, we have temporarily closed...

Posted by Corktown Tavern on Tuesday, March 1, 2016

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Corktown Tavern

1716 Michigan Ave, Detroit, MI 48216 (313) 964-5103 Visit Website