On a cold December night, with their phone lines yet to be hooked up, Dox Grillhouse in St. Clair Shores was packed with people eating, relaxing at the wraparound bar, or waiting to be seated.

With a motto of “Drop anchor and stay awhile,” it looks like the newest entry at the end St. Clair Shores famed Nautical Mile is an early-on winner.

The two-story bar restaurant, which opened earlier this week, is co-owned by Anthony Mancini and Patti Kukula, who previously owned the now-closed Delmar in Detroit’s Greektown. In addition to a lively atmosphere and extensive menu, Dox will have a rooftop lounge and dog-friendly patio in the summer months.

“We’ve been wanting to open a place in St. Clair Shores for some time now,” Mancini said Wednesday evening. “We found a space Memorial Day weekend in 2022, broke ground on construction a year ago, and built Dox in 2024.”

Mancini and Kukula bought the land and developed the Dox concept, which they hope to duplicate to two other locations in the future. Mancini did not comment on investment figures, but said the team has put millions of dollars into the project.

Mancini, a St. Clair Shores native who graduated from Lake Shore High School, described Dox as a “local neighborhood bar with homemade food, a large floor-to-ceiling TV screen, and some live entertainment.” He also owns Celina’s Sports Bar in Madison Heights.

The pair kicked around a few titles before settling on the name Dox, a play on the word docks, due to the presence of Lake St. Clair a few blocks to the east. Although the eatery isn’t directly on the lake, a view of one of the canals is visible from an angle on the rooftop area.

“We just made it up,” Mancini said of the name. “Simple name. More like a water thing and it’s easy to remember.”

The first thing one notices whether driving by or stopping in is the eye-catching, colorful, nautical-themed artwork adorning the walls. Some comes from Florida, while others were created by artist Joey Salamon, who specializes in murals, fine art, and interior designs.

The 10,000-square-foot-plus restaurant was designed by the Royal Oak architectural firm Krieger Klatt. It had sat empty for about 15 years, with its last tenant being Gourmet House banquet center.

The impressive menu contains American, Italian and Mexican cuisine with reasonable prices.

Chef Dave Schrepferman, who has more than 25 years of experience, assembled the food choices, which centers on classic bar food items.

The menu starts with appetizers ranging from a charcuterie board to mega nachos to steak and cheese eggrolls. There’s also a variety of salads, soups, sandwiches, burgers, and pizza. Diners will want to check out entrees such as pan-fried chicken parmigiana , lemon pepper chicken cutlets, grilled salmon, pastas, steaks and chops, taco and quesadillas.

“I would say our specialty items are our sandwiches, pizza, and the wings will be popular,” Mancini said.

The drink men offers cocktails such as the Dox grand margarita, along with mocktails and wine. Draft beer includes two taps from nearby Baffin Brewing Co. across the street. Baffin doesn’t have a kitchen and will offer food from Dox.

The place has seating for about 400 guests, including 120 seats on the main floor and 150 on the second deck. Mancini said a large outdoor patio will open in the spring, but eventually can be enclosed for private parties and banquets.

Mancini anticipates the Dox formula will be successful enough that they can open more Dox-branded locations in the future.

“We wanted to open the first Dox in my hometown of St. Clair Shores. Then, we’ll probably open another one somewhere in Michigan and one down South,” he said, adding the company doesn’t have any future locations in mind.

Dox will celebrate its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9 a.m. Tuesday. Dox Grillhouse is open 11 a.m.-2 a.m. seven days a week at 25225 Jefferson Avenue in St. Clair Shores. Visit doxgrillhouse.com to view the menu.