First slated to open in the spring of 2020, UCBC was finally able to open last fall. The brewery is helmed by Edward Stencel, who brings his expertise as co-owner of Royal Oak’s River Rouge Brewing Company. His signature Peanut Butter Chocolate Stencel Stout heads up the extensive draft menu of more than a dozen beers.

The first DraftKings Sports & Social venue opened December 1 inside Somerset Collection, featuring bright lighting and a massive wall of TV screens. Guests can sample a variety of game-day food, beer, and cocktails and watch live sports while they wager on dozens of events via the DraftKings app.

Another newcomer to south Oakland County, Royal Oak’s side bar opened nearly a year ago and has an extensive menu of bar bites, sandwiches and pizza. The weekday happy hour from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. is a great spot to belly up and take a break from dashing around town. Board games, big screen TVs and a solid vegan menu are all on hand to beat the winter blues.

Ferndale’s Mai Tiki, accessed through a semi-hidden door inside Tigerlily or a separate entrance on Troy street, celebrates all things kitsch, with ubiquitous grass trim, giant heads of dubious provenance, and signature tiki mugs. Mai Tiki is an exuberant counterpart to its sister restaurant Tigerlily’s elegant menu. Guests can sample small plates along with classic Tiki cocktails.

From the people who brought PORT’s popular patio bar with tropical cocktails, Woodward Avenue Brewers’ upstairs space is now open on weekends as The Crow’s Nest.Exclusive WAB beers, fanciful cocktails and a groovy alien theme take over the bar on Fridays and Saturdays beginning at 7 p.m.

The Black Salt is a self-described “witchcraft cocktail bar” on Florian Street in Hamtramck, just west of Joseph Campau. The building dates back more than a century, and among its many incarnations the space was formerly a goth and industrial hangout. Now, owner Zoey Ashwood has transformed the space into a serene, lush lounge evocative of European cafes where guests can order drinks that put the “craft” in cocktail as bartenders are trained to cast the optional spell on orders. Customers are invited to place their coaster logo-side up, indicating to the barkeep to make their drink “with ritual.” Not a bad option for those of us who may be in need of restoring the good juju in our lives.

After almost two years of renovations, this legendary-to-Hamtramck dive bar has been reimagined for modern times. Owners Kiersten Schilinski and Garrett Ragsdale have spent the past 18 months polishing up both the interior and exterior of the space, leveling floors, gutting and rebuilding the kitchen, and sprucing up the restrooms.

The new New Dodge revitalized a long-suffering Hamtramck music venue in October, thanks to the team behind the Detroit Shipping Company. New Dodge hosts live music every weekend, art exhibits from local artists, and Karaoke Tuesdays.

Open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to late at night, Spot Lite Detroit in Islandview is a combination co-working space, record shop and bar, with a late-night dance club on regular occasions. Spot Lite is also a premier showcase of EDM talent from around the world.

Italian seafood restaurant Oak and Reel added The Upright, an underground cocktail lounge, in October 2022. The cozy underground bar boasts a lengthy booth stretching the length of the room. Small plates and snack accompany classic and new cocktails and Oak and Reel’s impressive wine list.

Virginia Park’s Second Avenue brewery has a dedicated fan following, and well deserved. Tenacity Craft is minimally decorated to put the emphasis on what matters: a solid collection of expressive beers, Detroit-style pizza, and Tenacity Craft’s own signature coffee, whiskey, and gin. There’s a gorgeous pheasant mural on the wall, right next to a couch hooked up to a TV with a sizable video game collection.

The Arena District’s Basan pairs complex, nuanced cocktails with a food menu that runs the gamut from small bites to full entrees. Guests can sip from one of the city’s widest selections of sakes, or from a carefully crafted drinks menu evocative of elegant Asian lounges. The specialty Old Fashioned highlights the flavors of chrysanthemum, yuzu and honey.

Spkrbox opened in Capitol Park cafe and bar during the 2022 Movement electronic music festival in the former Urban Bean coffee shop, keeping the coffee and the building’s connection to Detroit’s electronic dance music scene. It also remains one of the only Detroit bars open early in the morning, operating from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. every day. Expect classic cocktails, beers, and of course, boozy coffee creations alongside Village Hand Pies. In the morning, grab an espresso drink and a breakfast burrito, prepared by the fine folks at the stalwart Evie’s Tamales in Hubbard Richard.

Thirst Parlor Saloon opened up in October 2022 following a lengthy renovation of the ancient building in Wyandotte. The space has previously hosted several storied bars, including Red’s Bar, Chas’s Bar, and a host of others over many decades. New owner Steve Mallie gussied up the old watering hole, meticulously restoring and refreshing the bar and adding an extensive happy hour (7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday) and a smash hit dill pickle pizza.