The Keep

OUR ARTICLE

As men, we are obsessed with underground knowledge, the notion of having or knowing about something that the masses don’t. When we were kids, there was no better feeling than putting on a CD in your boy’s car and him asking, “Who’s this?” We graduated to stylish menswear, and nothing beat the dude catching the same train as you inquiring, “Where’d you get that jean jacket from?” And in all of our excitement, we leisurely articulate, “A denim tailor downtown.”

When it comes to vices — where to throw them down and what to order — nothing has changed. Our mental notebook is what makes us stand apart. Scribbled on in our own unique shorthand, a handbook to our cool. When it comes to gallivanting through the frigid, unforgiving, and yet still unsurpassed streets of downtown Detroit, our subterranean guide leads us literally underground. Welcome to The Keep.

jot this spot down in your mental notebook, and next time you’re looking for a hideout in the Motor City or a place to astound the coolest of associates, head to The Keep for an unparalleled night of debauchery.

The Keep is one of the best-kept secrets in Detroit. On a cold night, you can feel your fingers burn from the frosty air while looking for the entrance. But that’s how it’s supposed to be, because in Detroit, if it’s too easy, it either comes with a price or it’s not real.

Located in Cadillac Square and down a stairway is the bar. The wooden staircase looks like the flight of steps in every horror movie that leads to the ominous basement. And if it wasn’t for the bar down there, the rock walls could give you a spook. But this haunt is anything but scary, and on a cold night, the idea of being bunkered downstairs feels intimate and cozy. And let’s be real, there’s not a lot that’s more impressive than guiding the crew to an underground cocktail mine.

When you’re below sea level, you listen to the captain of the submarine. And the skipper of the Keep is the person with the bar key. Our CYTIES recommendation is to dive a little deeper, belly up, and bend the ear of the individual on the other side. With an abundance of bespoke vices, over 30 beers available, and no windows, time becomes as irrelevant as a cell phone at a Jack White concert.

Word on the street is that Detroit is on a major comeback, and that might be the case, but when walking around downtown, there is still a sense of grit and toughness. The folks there have a chip on their shoulder, they know what their city has to offer. So jot this spot down in your mental notebook, and next time you’re looking for a hideout in the Motor City or a place to astound the coolest of associates, head to The Keep for an unparalleled night of debauchery.