One of the trademarks of the Lakewood dive bar is history. When
you walk into one of them, they carry the wear, mementos and even the
people from their decades of service. They have the layers of what
made them unique from each generation that drank in their walls. One
of our best examples of this in Lakewood is bar #50, 5 O'Clock
Lounge.
The Five O'Clock Lounge is kind of amazing. The walls are adorned
with neon signs, old pictures and music posters, and a piano. The
booths, bar and stools are vintage and in great shape. There's a
second room with a stage and pool table. The Five O'Clock Lounge
feels the type of bar where punk or blues grew up. There is a large
patio out back but permits have not made it through at the time of
this blog for the allowance of drinking there.
The service was good. They were training a new bartender. There
weren't any problems with her and their primary bartender was both
knowledgeable and enthusiastic about good beer.
The beer selection was adequate. It was primarily domestic and
cheap hipster beers but there were some nice options behind the bar.
Normally, you'll be able to find a craft beer on tap as well.
There were some chips but they don't make food here.
We played their customized shuffle board game. We set up a poorly
working game where we had three people playing but only two scores
being kept. Whichever color slider you were using determined which
team you were scoring for. It meant you might have scored the least
points during the game but you could still be on the winning side in
the end. Beer made that ok.
We went on a slow night where the stereo types of the bar stood
out. As a dive bar requirement there was an old guy at the end of
the bar. The rest of the patrons had tattoos and gauges. Everyone
seemed friendly enough. I have found in my travels that the bars
with the biggest jerks are the ones where the people are the closest
to what society says they should look like.
The Five O'Clock Lounge is everything you want out of a dive bar.
Your surroundings reflect the history that has passed through its
doors, while celebrating what this bar is made for. The beer is the
beer they want. The music is the music they want. The zombie walk
that starts at the bar once or twice a year is the way they want it.
The Five O'Clock Lounge is an unapologetic bar that has little it
needs to be sorry for. The Five O'Clock Lounge is worth visiting and
one you'll probably eagerly return to. Go check out Bar #50, don't
worry they don't bite. Unless, that's what you want.
11904 Detroit Ave.
216-521-4906
