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Look Around Royal Oak’s Cotton Candy-Colored Rooftop Bar Pink marble, fuchsia bowling balls, and Barbie dolls abound

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by Brenna Houck@EaterDetroit Apr 26, 2019, 3:39pm EDT

Photography by Michelle Gerard

 

A brand new and extremely pink rooftop lounge opened over the weekend in Royal Oak. Pinky’s, a restaurant and bar with a cotton candy-like interior, is now slinging bottled cocktails and short rib wonton tacos above Diamonds Steak and Seafood at 100 S. Main Street.

Pinky’s is a reference a former Detroit restaurant and speakeasy near Belle Isle, though the name feels like a literal expression of the rose-toned and enduringly trendy interior design. Restaurateur Adam Merkel, who also owns the ground floor level restaurant, tells Eater that he worked with Ron and Roman architecture to create a space that felt “feminine” with vintage touches and a “mishmash of different types of decor to make it fun.” The 4,336-square-foot restaurant seats 83 people and features an array of decor that’s a little bit glam and a little bit kitschy.

The bar, topped with pink marble, incorporates a variety of nicknacks ranging from Barbie dolls to a fuchsia bowling ball. A Howell-based blacksmith to created an Art Deco-style head to separate Pinky’s main bar from the waiting area and walk-up counter. Merkel says the artist took two months to complete the piece using 400 pounds of brass. Elsewhere in the room, three pairs of brass and mirrored glasses hang above a plush seating area with pink-toned eyes of Betty Boop and Bette Davis peeking out of them. The space is lit from above by a large chandelier draped in crystals.

Pinky’s is one of only a handful of places in metro Detroit with a rooftop bar. The outdoor space includes a four-season, heated and enclosed seating area as well as a fire pit (with pink coals) and, very soon, a second bar. In May, when the weather is more consistently warm, the Pinky’s patio will receive a garden makeover with hanging plants and two 14-foot palm trees.

Culinary director Craig Myrand’s menu is focused on small plates with options like mini short rib wonton tacos, charred octopus, sashimi, and seared scallops. To drink, there are choices like frozen, boozy popsicles served in glasses of sparkling wine and bottled cocktails. For the Pink Circus, a bottled pink cocktail with vodka, cointreau, and lemon is poured over a glass of cotton candy tableside. Menu items like a cotton candy wig served on top of a statue feel tailormade for Instagram.

Eater’s photographers visited Pinky’s to take a look at the renovation. Tour the baby pink-hued restaurant and bar in the gallery below.

The Menu

Pinky’s is located at 100 S. Main St. on the second floor; open 5 p.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday and 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday; hours will expand on May 4.

• Rooftop Cocktail Bar Pinky’s Debuts in Royal Oak With Boozy Popsicles [ED]
• All Pinky’s Coverage [ED]
• All Openings Coverage [ED]