[Real Detroit Weekly] Town Pump Tavern

All photos by Nicole Rupersburg.

"Flash back to 15 years ago: before the casinos, before Comerica Park, before Campus Martius, before the Westin Book-Cadillac renovation, before the Super Bowl, before the greenways and riverwalks, before OMG SLOWS ... Detroit was a very different place. People who make 'Wild West' jokes now obviously didn't see it in the '80s and '90s before hipster artists and the New York Times 'discovered' the city. The Town Pump hails from that era, and owner Sean Harrington remembers.

''Back then, this was one of the only hangouts in town!' he jokes, but he's not really kidding. The Town Pump opened 17 years ago. At that time, people hung out here, at the original Honest John's by Belle Isle, at Union Street and the Majestic. The original 3rd Street Saloon was a favorite hangout for college students for their notoriously lackadaisical attitude towards checking IDs, the Old Miami was full of crazy old war vets and little else, and then there were the bars of Hamtramck ... which were pretty much all the same bars as now with one major difference: Motor. 'We've been here doing this and promoting Detroit for a long time, before it was cool,' he says..."

Read the rest of the story here.

Want to see more? Check out the Flickr set here.

Real Detroit Weekly: Town Pump Tavern

It should be noted that I also made a fart joke in reference to the deviled eggs now being served on the new menu. EDITED. Bla-dow.

"Opening Day should be a sanctioned holiday here in Detroit. One of the most popular places for game day revelers to descend upon is the Town Pump Tavern, a long-standing watering hole for locals, sports fans and college kids alike. They’ve also got a great bar menu which they will be expanding just in time for this year’s game day glee on April 9.

'You can expect all the standards in terms of bar fare: pizza, burgers, fries and sandwiches. There are also a few surprises that you won’t find everywhere, including fried pickles, curry sweet potato fries and “Blazin’ Buffalo Breadsticks” (breadsticks loaded up with buffalo chicken, mozzarella and hot sauce). Almost everything is made fresh in-house, including their mozzarella sticks and onion rings. The addition of a deep fryer last year has enabled them to expand their menu to include a whole plethora of fried foods. Their new menu will play with this concept a bit more, including such beer-friendly standards as Loaded French Fries with cheddar, bacon and sour cream..."

Read the rest of the article here.