Happy hour
Voyager
600 Vester St.
Ferndale
Jan. 22, 2026
January is a tough month to be a bar or a restaurant. People are rushing to change their lives for the better, which means more gym and less gin.
I’m noticing the empty stools because I’m still out here in the streets, exploring the world of dive bars and the best food around Detroit. And I’ve started to notice a trend on my journey.
Happy hour is making a comeback.
Stories published in the Wall Street Journal and other outlets have proclaimed the “death” of happy hour, mainly due to Covid-19 and remote work.
But in a shaky economy like this, the happy hour is returning to offer discount deals and lure folks out of their homes, out of their newly minted Planet Fitness membership and back in the bar stools on which they belong.
Voyager’s happy hour is one of my favorites. If you haven’t been before, this cozy seafood spot is tucked away in Ferndale and easy to miss. On a sleepy weekday night, couples were breaking up the banality of their work at tables; a few of us bellied up at the bar.
The main lure here are two-buck shucks of high quality, usually East Coast and quite crushable oysters. Wash them down with a $5 Mexican lager or $9 select white wines. Who could resist?
Last year, Voyager shifted their business to offer this Tuesday through Thursday, writing on their Instagram that the “radical shift” has been “undeniably positive.”
The other steal here is the $15 filet-o-fish, an elevated take on the McDonald’s classic. This thing is a juicy delight; a sandwich you’ll be thinking about days to come. It’s simple: North Atlantic cod, tartar sauce, American cheese, lettuce, pickles on a fluffy brioche bun (critical). Pair it with hand cut fries that come out piping out and crispy. Now we’re talking.
If there’s one thing that’s coming out of tumultuous times, it’s better happy hour deals at upper echelon quality places like Voyager. Skip the gym today and belly up at the bar with us at 4 p.m.
