Joey’s Stables was the restaurant in Delray, which was annexed to the city of Detroit in 1905. Though most people thought of the Delray area as Hungarian, it was a melting pot of nationalities as they started on their quest of the American Dream. Joey’s was where the elite met to dine in the area. I am not sure when they opened their doors and there were always rumors that it was a “port of entry” during the Prohibition era. All I know is that it was a man’s restaurant.
From the moment you walked in, and your eyes had to adjust to the dimness of the bar, it had the feeling of another era. The bar had had a couple of booths that had beautiful horse heads carved that demarcated one booth from another. The bar always had a few people standing around and most of them were regulars that only greeted the other regulars.
Starting with the appetizer plate that came out almost as soon as you were seated, that had a bean salad, and herring in sour cream with crackers and bread; you started to eat, before you knew you were hungry.
I had an uncle that held “court” there a couple times a week. On certain days, you knew he was going to be there dining and drinking with customers and friends. It was that kind of place, where you felt at home. You could always get perch or a steak, and great Road House style frog legs piled high on the plate, which I enjoyed for the last time.
Joey’s had survived everything that had hit it, until the City, applied the nails to the coffin. I have heard several different stories and variations of the machinations that caused this institution to go into the annals of history. As I said, I remember the last night of Joey’s and it was packed, the bar area must have been five deep. It was a sad day for the regulars, and for others that regarded it as their once or twice a year bit night on the town. I remember that at the next table was the family that maintained a funeral home in Delray, and I kidded the table, that they were just doing what came naturally.
I remember splurging that evening and buying a bottle of Amarone Della Valpolicella by Bolla. It was one of the top wines on their menu. I wanted to close my memories with a good wine. I just talked about Amarone wines a couple of posts ago, but as I said then, if you get a chance to try one, do it.
The Wine Raconteur 
My grandma Alice Moore worked there for over 35 years shes still talking about joeys.
Mike,
Thank you for your note, and I am sure that your grandmother and all of her co-workers have wonderful stories about Joey’s Stables, just like most of the patrons throughout the years do.
– John
I worked with your Grandma at Joeys as a busboy. I know she loved working there.
I remember Alice, my grandmother worked there Helen Figura, and I worked there.as dishwasher, parking lot security and as a busboy.
i loved joey’s, dragged a prom date there once, he wasn’t impressed with the atmosphere but i was. always good food. good thing the roman forum and coliseum aren’t in detroit, ‘we’ would have torn them down/blew them up with joey’s and hudsons. and carl’s. where would j.p. hang if he were still here?
linda grayling, originally dearborn
Linda,
You are so right about what has happened to some of the institutions that were Detroit, that have been razed. I am glad that you have good memories of Joey’s as I do. Thank you for taking the time to read this article, I hope you checked some other of my memories of the old Detroit.
– John
My dad was the night porter there, his name was Benny ..
David, I am sure that your Father could tell you some stories of that fabled restaurant. Thank you for stopping by.
Hi david..my sister waitressed and bar tended at joeys stables as well as Al’s lounge and Roses bar…her name was carole m…a wonderful person who died suddenly may 2012..but the memories of ‘good old Delray’ are fond ones for sure! I also was kitchen help at Al’s Lounge and have many good memories there too! I’m sure my sister carole knew your dad..Benny as I heard her speak highly of him…linda…thanks for the memories:)
Linda,
Thank you for stopping by with other memories of the old neighborhood.
Thank you so much
I used to go to Joey Stables with my grandfather and father after the fights or a wrestling match….I remember the perch and frog legs were the best. They get schnokered on Seagram whiskey, Stroh’s and E&B beer. And I had to drive them home and didn’t even have my license yet. Used to love to go to Delray to all the Hungarian butcher shops -and- Rouge to the chicken slaughterhouses. And love the smell of “Great Lakes Steel Mill.”
Daniel,
I agree that the memories of Joey’s and Delray in general hold a great place in my heart. You are right about the perch and the frog legs, as well as so many of the other wonderful dishes that they served. Thank you for stopping by.
– John
We were talking yesterday at work about Detroit places that are gone. and two names popped up. Majors, which we always went to on birthdays and other special times and Joey’s Stables. My parents were such regulars when they were dating back in the late 30’s that the running joke was that they basically paid for the mirror behind the bar. We went a few times but now sadly it’s gone.
Gary, thank you for stopping by. You mentioned two of my favorite restaurants from the old days, and if you missed it, I even wrote about Majors. I also wrote a follow-up to Joey’s and you may be interested to know that the bar is now located in a family room of a home in Michigan.
– John
Mike – I was born and raised in Delray and yes I am of Hungarian heritage. I remember Joey’s like it was yesterday. I only went there a couple of times. I lived on Thaddeus just a couple of blocks from Dearborn St and Jefferson. That used to be my corner because I caught the Jefferson bus and took it all the way to the end on Fort St and Griswold. You see, I went to and graduated from Cass Tech. This was in the late 50’s to 1961. – Tom N.
I went there with my uncle in 1979.I loved it and I still remember it.Eas recommended to me.
Brooke, thank you for stopping by and sharing your memory of Joey’s. It actually has been one of my most popular articles, but it is because they had great food and a wonderful atmosphere. The perfect setting for old Delray and Southwest Detroit. – John
In 1985 and employed at a funeral home down Jefferson, I proposed to Mary Ellen one cold and wet December night. Joey’s was the Gold Standard for a night out.
Al, I totally agree with you and I am glad that you have great memories. – John
In 1985 and employed at a funeral home down Jefferson, I proposed to Mary Ellen one cold and wet December night. Joey’s was the Gold Standard for a night out.
We bought a farm in Metamora in 2014 and the Bar from Joey’s stables is in our barn along with the original wagon wheel lights and a booth from the restaurant.
Tim, I had read an article years back that someone had bought the bar, and I am glad that it is still intact, – John
I did the Auction at Joey’s Stables, tremendous turn-out of patrons, antique collectors, restaurant equipment buyers, etc. And yes, there was a door in the basement, that did lead to a tunnel which went to the river, during the prohibition era.
Jane,
Thank you for finding my article and thank you for the confirmation of the tunnel. What great memories for many of my era,
– John
I just found in my basement. A case of 4 water glasses from Joey stables with their logo.
Duane.
Thank you for your update and enjoy a great keepsake and memory.
– John
My parents, Josie Borowski (salad girl) and Jim Kocsis, (waiter) met at Joey’s
and remained married 75+ years. As a teen, my mother took me with her to
visit Mrs. Miliki in West Dearborn retirement. They remained friends for life.
While the ladies talked and laughed, I played the lovely grand piano in the
Miliki house. At 8 years old, when we lived in Delray, I rode my bike past Joey’s Stables on W. Jefferson many times. I remember how W. Jefferson curved along the Detroit River. I also remember family dinners at The Stables. We always got the
former employee discount. In those days, 1950s, Jefferson and Dearborn Street
was a busy, busy place. Dime store, butcher shop with live poultry, the barber,
the Detroit Water Works, The Grande Theatre… it was Polish-Hungarian Heaven.
Did I mention the fish fry carry-outs at corner bars? Years later, in the 1960s, I
came back for many, many holidays at Grandma’s house on S. Green Street… up until the early 1970s! There are pictures of the place on the net. My mother, Josephine,
is the prettiest girl at staff party. That’s how you’ll find her. Other alumni of Joey’s
are Uncles Frank, Steve and Joe Kocsis.
-John
Tina,
Thank you for your memories. I had relatives on South Green and we grew up in Delray and Southwest Detroit, so I have many fond memories of the area and Joey’s as well. I am glad that you found my article.
– John
I can vouch for the accuracy of some of the comments. Joey’s wasn’t pushed out by the City of Detroit. Jack Nykiel, Joey’s son, along with his mother, Stella Nykiel, who lived upstairs owned the business for all of the years after Joey passed away in the late 1960s. The license was in Mrs. Nykiel’s name. It was always said among long time staff, like Alice Moore, mentioned above, Helen Steel, Stephanie ‘Steppie’ Szuch and others, that once Grandma Nykiel passed on, her son Jack would place the restaurant on the market. He never really cared for running it. I doubt there was much interest due to asking price and condition of the building, which wasn’t terrible, but was in need of many updates. I’m not sure what was grandfathered and what wasn’t. For a while Virgil Ciungan ran Joey’s, quite a while after his family business, Ciungan’s, in Ecorse had burned. The rumour, likely true, was that Virgil was interested in buying Joey’s and he was giving it a test drive. For whatever reasons, that didn’t work out. At various times after Mrs. Nykiel’s death, Helen Steel, long-time employee, managed Joey’s also. Finally, when push came to shove, Jack decided to close Joey’s and auction everything. After working at Joey’s for almost ten years, eating there regularly before and after my employment, I wasn’t going to miss closing night. I was invited to sand in behind the bar for a while. Which I did. I also attended the auction and I visited a few evenings while the bar and dining rooms were being dismantled. I actually sat in the bar room as workers hired by the auction winners took it apart. I shed tears a number of times. Jack apparently entered into a ‘verbal’ agreement to sell the property to the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department for X amount of dollars. The key being ‘verbal.’ Of course, Joey himself, along with St. John Cantius Church, had defeated DWSD’s attempts to take both properties by eminent domain decades before. DWSD reneged on the ‘verbal’ deal, apparently attempting to get the only thing left, the property, for as cheap as possible. The deal ended up in court. There was nothing left to salvage at that point, except for some bucks. The building had been stripped and was vacant. I forgot the attorney’s name Jack hired, He was a long time family friend, a Detroit Pol, and member of the Irish Mafia. He was a regular customer at Joey’s. He hung around with George Perles, Rollie Dotsch and coaches from MSU. I’m having a senior moment.
Nolan,
Thank you for filling in some holes, as this was a great place and it is either my first or second most read articles in my eleven years of writing. I am sure that others will be interested in your postscript.
– John
There was a mention of the Delray funeral home. I almost died in that funeral home. It was 1975 and that entire area was to be demolished for the sewer plant. I was salvaging things from various buildings. I was working to get the main breaker box from the funeral home when my screwdriver exploded in a flash of light. I had checked to make sure that the meter had been pulled. Upon further investigation, I discovered that they at one point in time had run a separate wire bypassing the meter. I moved on to another building.
Jack,
Interesting tale of after the fact. Thank you.
I enjoyed the latest comments. I’d like to correct one thing: Joey’s Stables closing was due to nothing other than the then owner’s decision to close. It had nothing to do with the city, the water department, or factors other than Joey’s son, Jack Nykiel, deciding to close. Joey’s fate as far as remaining in its location, as well as that of St. Johns, had been decided by the courts many years before when they both sued the water department to stay in place. Obviously, they won. I worked at Joey’s from the early 1970s to the early 1980s, about 10 years total. I continued hanging out with my co-workers and friends, frequenting Joey’s until the very end – the dismantling of the restaurant post auction by winning bidders. I was there when Mrs. Nykiel, Joey’s widow, who lived upstairs, passed away. Mrs. Nykiel was an elegant woman who actually retained ownership. She had refused to sell or close. Joey’s was in need of a dedicated and professional owner and manager. Had that happened followed by a focused updating of the physical plant, menu and operations, Joey’s might still be operating today, It was a destination. The only thing that might’ve contributed to the closing in the ensuing years would’ve been the the loss of all of the businesses in the vicinity. Detroit Marine Terminals, Mclouth Steel, Fisher Body, et al – hundreds of small shops and offices were the core of Joey’s lunch business. I still speak with family members, former customers and co-workers, and we all mourn the loss. I’d love to sit in the barroom again.
Nolan,
Thank you for your notes about the closing of a great institution in Delray. I still get together with people that still remember the restaurant with fondness.
– John