Black owned · Family owned · Since 1968
A Detroit family legacy, served daily.
Bert Dearing Jr. opened his first jazz club in 1968. Nearly sixty years later, his family still welcomes Detroit home every night.
The Aretha Franklin Residency
The Queen of Soul was family at Bert's. Aretha Franklin dined with us, cooked in our kitchen and shared her buttermilk fried chicken recipe with the Dearing family. It's still on the menu today as the Aretha Franklin World Famous Fried Chicken.
We honored her long before the world said goodbye. Her own Aretha Franklin Corner, with a portrait of her father, Rev. C. L. Franklin, keeps her spirit in the room for every guest who walks through our doors.
Miller London, Operations Manager
You got to have a picture of her dad, because without him there would be no Aretha.
On the Aretha Franklin Corner
Two murals. A century of Black Detroit.
Two vibrant, hallway length murals by artist Curtis Lewis tell the story of Black Detroit, from the Black Bottom neighborhood where Bert grew up to the legends of entertainment, sports and civil rights.
Plaques and memorabilia fill every corner, which is why folks call Bert's part amusement park, part museum and all party headquarters.
How we got here
The Bert's timeline
1968
Bert's Black Horse Saloon
Bert Dearing Jr. opens his first business, a jazz club on Gratiot Avenue.
1970s to 80s
Bert's Place, All That Jazz and Jazz on the River
Bert builds a name for live music across Detroit.
1987
Bert's Market Place opens in Eastern Market
Bert brings it all home to Russell Street, close to where he was raised, starting with the barbecue.
The Queen visits
Aretha Franklin at Bert's
Aretha dines with us three times and shares her fried chicken recipe with the family.
Today
Detroit's party headquarters
The restaurant, the Motown Lounge, the Jazz Room, the Warehouse Theater and the Detroit Sports Zone Museum, all under one roof.
Step inside Bert's
Take a quick walk through the complex.
The family behind the grill
Meet the Dearing family & team
Bert Dearing Jr.
Founder
Jai-Lee Dearing
CEO
Melba Dearing
COO
Miller London
Operations Manager & Bookings
Al Gibson
Ambassador Manager
As seen in
Detroit's been talking
Aretha Franklin buttermilk fried chicken from Bert's Marketplace.
FOX 2 DetroitServed food and preserved Black history in Detroit.
Model DRibs sizzle on the grill and musicians belt out jazz and blues.
Lonely PlanetCome be part of the story.
Dinner, a show and a walk through history. We'll save you a seat.