Detroit’s Father Forgive Me Just Landed on USA TODAY’s Best Bars List

Detroit's east side is quietly and quickly becoming one of the city's most intriguing destinations.

Where else could award-winning cocktails, acclaimed dining, public art-- and even a skatepark designed by Tony Hawk-- all share the same campus?

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'Father Forgive Me' Earns Spot Among America’s Best Bars

Food writers across the nation searched for America's best bars, and among Michigan's many dive bars and cocktail lounges, only one Detroit-area wine and cocktail bar earned a spot on the list.

Located in Detroit's Little Village, Father Forgive Me is owned and operated by Joe Robinson, who also owns Standby, The Skip and Deluxx Fluxx, according to the Detroit Free Press.

On any given day, Father Forgive Me prays for the sins its customers may or may not commit as they imbibe in the shadow of The Shepherd, a century-old Romanesque-style church turned cultural center. -- Lyndsay C. Green, Detroit Free Press

The Shepherd is a destination all its own, as it also houses a boutique bed and breakfast (ALEO), Warda Pâtisserie, and soon, Tony Hawk's Mexican restaurant A Tu Madre will overlook his public skatepark.

The Shepherd, Detroit Michigan

According to Green, the atmosphere is exactly what you'd expect from a historic Romanesque- style church:

The open-air feel and verdant overstory that shades Father Forgive Me creates the sense that you’re at a serene monastery a million miles from the city

Yet you're actually only about half a mile from the Detroit River.

Check out all 38 establishments on USA Today's Best Bars in the U.S. list here. While Father Forgive Me is the only Michigan bar on the list, several standouts from nearby states include:

• The Ball and Biscuit | Indianapolis

• The 33 Room | Peoria Heights, Illinois

• Sully's Speakeasy | Canal Fulton, Ohio

• Northside Yacht Club | Cincinnati

• Land-Grant Brewing Co. | Columbus