The Eastman is an absolutely lovely addition to the Rochester scene and quite frankly my favorite…read morespot. While there is a hint of the old time speakeasy in finding the place (it's really not that tricky) walking down the stairs and into the beautiful bar is just absolutely lovely. It's dark, and low lit, and the ambience is chill with a hint of hush hush and just visually so appealing. This level detail isn't just left for the eyes, the drinks here are very well made. Every single one I've had the pleasure of trying has been well balanced, flavorful, and yet somehow appropriately spirit forward. And the barstaff who puts these delectable mixtures together are absolutely well versed, knowledgable, and willing to adjust any of their drinks to your own personal tastes. Of course, the prices run a little higher, but I found them to be typical of what we see, but in this case I think the experience is well worth the cost. You're getting impeccable aesthetics, fantastic service, and wonderful drinks and it's so hard to find places that meet all three anymore. I will absolutely be coming back and highly recommend.

The Eastman is a cool, basement level speakeasy. The door is located in the back, but otherwise not…read morehard to find. This cocktail bar is small, low ceiling with low lighting, and simple decor. Their menu is a small book of interesting, and priced as such, cocktails. Each has a fun name. They do offer a small list of beer and wine, and obviously you can order a standard drink as well. They have a few snack offerings, but there is no full menu. A friend and I went at the right time, the late end of happy hour on a Friday, but before any crowd. We did not have a reservation, but they were quiet when we arrived and we were seated immediately. They do have a 90 minute table limit for busy nights. The service was fantastic all around. We both enjoyed our drinks and the atmosphere. This may be the best place in Rochester for a drink.

We saw this place after leaving Too-Ra-Loo and decided to make a trip back to Rochester to check it…read moreout. What we learned is that The Hemmingway Room host 6-8 week pop ups. Right now it's Hanana Nights and the menu is Cuban. We ordered cocktails while we decided on dinner. My wife ordered Hotel Nacional and I got Call Your Mother. The drinks were served in fun cups and were absolutely delicious. We started out with an order of empanadas. They were crispy and full of tender meat. For dinner I ordered the pork shank and my wife the pineapple burger. She liked the burger, but stole most of my plantains and rice! The pork was delicious. Cooked to a perfect tenderness that fell off the bone. It was super flavorful and, while I didn't get much of the rice or plantains due to my wife, they were excellent. I would love for Havana Nights become a permanent restaurant, but look forward to whatever Hemmingway does next!

My wife and I went to Hemmingways for a date night. She'd been there twice before for events and…read morekept wanting me to experience the place too. We had a nice table which started quiet and proceeded to get louder and more vibrant as the night went on. Service was fine and fast throughout. She had the Smoky Maintain which was strong enough for her to ask for an extra splash of pineapple juice. I had an Amaretto Sour which was nicely presented and tested good enough. It wasn't as strong as hers though. She ordered their Salmon Bowl which had both teriyaki and boom boom sauce; tasted good and was an ample size. My steak and frites came. The steak itself needed a little more seasoning and could have been larger but the truffle fries were top shelf. The chimichuri sauce was good too. The key lime pie for dessert presented well, but it packed the tartness one wants. There was too much whipped cream and not enough lime. That was the only real disappointment. Everything else was pretty great. A 4.6 rounds to 5.

Selection is good. Half the cigars are stale or moldy though. Humidor is too dry and cold. Drinks…read moreare probably its saving grace. Sucks because the one off 23 mile is much better, though not as big a selection. Needs some love and attention. I'm young but I know my cigars.

Have the waitress/bartender check on ALL customers throughout the lounge frequently NOT just the…read moreregulars at the bar which I was subjected to

High tea has a limited selection of teas to choose from. I like that Royal Park Hotel has this…read moreevery weekend.

Disappointing Experience -- "Pet Friendly" Comes With Major Fine Print…read more As a Rochester resident, this experience was especially disappointing. My husband and I are currently renovating our home and booked the Royal Park Hotel while in town for business and personal reasons. We planned to bring our small, well-behaved, 10-year-old dog. After booking online, I called because there was no option to add a pet. Cynthia confirmed they allow dogs and explained the policy. Most rules were reasonable, but two immediately stood out: a strict no-barking policy and dogs MUST be crated whenever the owner leaves the room. We have traveled extensively with our dog and stayed at upscale hotels including the Amway Grand Plaza, The Drake, Hilton properties, and others without issue. Our dog has never been crate trained. I completely understand requiring a dog to be secured when housekeeping enters, but requiring us to cage our 10-year-old dog simply to leave for dinner seems excessive. The no-barking rule also lacks reasonable nuance. Obviously, no guest should be allowed to leave a dog barking continuously and disturbing others. But an occasional bark? Do we also have a no-child-crying policy? There's a difference between normal occasional noise and an actual disturbance. Our dog isn't even a barker, and we travel with a dog camera to monitor her. Then there's the $150 pet fee, which is one of the highest we've encountered. For $150, I'd expect a genuinely pet-friendly experience--not simply permission to have a dog while imposing unusually restrictive rules. I went to the hotel in person hoping common sense and reasonable discretion might prevail. Deanna at the front desk reiterated that it was policy, while a manager beside her confirmed the same. There was seemingly no willingness to discuss an alternative. So we cancelled our reservation and booked The Townsend Hotel in Birmingham instead. What a difference. The Townsend charges a $50 pet fee, provides dog beds and bowls, and does NOT require our dog to be crated when we leave the room. That's what I consider pet friendly. Something else happened while I was at Royal Park that further illustrated my concerns. An older gentleman was attempting to check in early. He was told that even if his room was already ready, he would be charged a $75 early check-in fee. Ironically, I made our same-day Townsend reservation around noon. They had a room available, welcomed us immediately, and charged no early check-in fee. That's hospitality. If a room isn't ready, obviously a guest should wait until check-in. But if it's cleaned, available, and ready, charging $75 just to hand someone the key a few hours early feels like nickel-and-diming rather than luxury hospitality. Perhaps Royal Park should reassess its $150 pet fee, mandatory crating policy, barking policy, and $75 early check-in fee against comparable luxury hotels and current industry standards. This is particularly disappointing because my husband and I got married at the Royal Park last year and spent tens of thousands of dollars there. Unfortunately, even during our wedding experience, we often felt policies took precedence over hospitality. At times, it felt like constantly being reminded of what we could and couldn't do rather than being treated like valued guests. After this experience, I genuinely regret choosing Royal Park for our wedding. It's also surprising for a hotel in Rochester, an incredibly dog-friendly community. Leader Dogs for the Blind is headquartered right here in Rochester Hills. Nobody is asking the hotel to tolerate destructive animals, aggressive behavior, incessant barking, or irresponsible owners. Address an actual problem when one occurs. Charge for damage. Address legitimate noise complaints. That's completely reasonable. But don't treat every well-behaved dog as a problem before one exists and then charge guests $150 for the privilege. Royal Park has unfortunately lost our business. I will no longer recommend it to friends, neighbors, or visitors--particularly those traveling with pets. The Royal Park markets itself as a luxury hotel. Luxury hospitality should involve discretion, common sense, flexibility, and making guests feel welcomed--not simply repeating, "It's policy." Policies are important. Hospitality is knowing how to apply them with common sense.

GREAT happy hour! Visited on a Friday at 4:30 and really enjoyed it!…read more Pro-large happy hour menu with great pricing and portion sizes, very good calamari 9/10, large and yummy meatballs, good service, cute interior, very large for a downtown restaurant, free and delicious bread bowl upon arrival Cons- ? Not any! The food wasn't to DIE for but it was very tasty and filling! Would definitely come back for happy hour over and over again!

Really good food but the service was a bit off…read more When we walked in, the hostess looked at us while standing to the side but didn't come over for a minute or two. We were seated an the table was not even set so the server had to come by while we were already seated and reach across the table to set it up. Did not get water for a while either and then when we were out, didn't get a refill of it until the end of our meal. Appetizers came out pretty normal in speed but the dinners took a very long time. Food was very good and wine selection was great! Very flavorful food and the rest of my table seemed to like their food as well!

This is one of my most favorite places for cocktails & appetizers. My girls & I go every week for…read moretheir espresso martinis, sliders, fries, and Caesar salads. Saint 1881 is so consistent, has a great staff, and incredible atmosphere. I will never not recommend this place!

This is a beautiful, newer, restaurant located in a renovated church across the street from their…read moresister restaurant, Rochester Brunch House. The front is well maintained and welcomes you through the door to a gorgeously decorated dining room and bar. Seating is somewhat limited (it's a small space) but we got there during a slower period so we were sat right away. The brunch menu has a good variety and I opted for the Avocado Croast (the "toast" was a croissant) and a drip coffee. Beware that the drip coffee gets only one free refill. I asked during ordering because there are some places that don't give any free refills. Hubby ordered the Huevos Rancheros served in a bowl. The food came out beautifully and was very fresh. If I wanted to nitpick, I'd say they are keeping the roasted potatoes in a steamer which is making their crispy outer layer somewhat soggy but they still tasted good. They should revisit how they are keeping them warm or crisp them quickly before serving. The avocado toast didn't have a lot of avocado but it was still good. They should consider adding some sea salt to top it off - it would enhance the overall flavor. The service was good - I think our server wasn't comfortable in this job. That was okay for us as she warmed up to us after a while. All in all, a nice experience for our first time there. I'd like to return to try other menu items in the future.

Such a nice spot. I like to come here to watch sporting events since it is a hidden gem. Lots of…read moreseating indoors with a patio outside. Parking at the location which is huge for rochester but sometimes can be hard to find. Pool tables are a nice touch. The food is delicious however the menu is slightly limited and not great for picket eaters. The staff is friendly and the interior is unique.

It seems that we are watching this once great brewery fade into the sunset like so many others…read more Went Friday night for a small birthday party, the bar wasn't busy at all. The wait for drinks was so bad we started walking up to the bar and paying for them individually. Pretzel and cheese - served cold. Fish and chips - burnt. The Mac n cheese looked like it came from a box of Kraft and the service was abysmal. I've said my goodbyes to this place, it was fun for a minute but that minute is gone.

This place is amazing and it's a combination of things that make it do good. For started when you…read morewalk in there is a relaxed cave like atmosphere. It just feels cozy and familiar. Ladies, if you're make-ups not lookin' so good I highly recommend dinner here. The chef and staff take a lot of pride in the food. Seriously, everything is delicious. I'd describe it as Cheers meets family dining.

Good food at a reasonable price. The menu selection has something for everyone. Great drink menu…read moreand full bar. Service is friendly and attentive, without being pushy. It's a little dark in the restaurant, but that makes it feel like an old school steakhouse.

Went here for dinner and it was trivia night. Lots of people, but no wait for a table, the music…read morewasn't too loud and our waitress Olivia was super nice. Had the appetizer steak bites which are very tasty (just wish there were more for the $18 price) and my husband had a burger which he loved, perfectly seasoned and an actual burger that was more than a 1/2 inch thick. I ordered fish and chips. It was probably some of the best I've ever had, lightly breaded but not the usual tempura batter (you know, the stuff you bite into and it's soft and white on the inside or completely falls off the fish). They were crispy on the outside and perfectly cooked on the inside. We will definitely be going back there.

I see 2 different locations of Hamlin Pub in Rochester Hills so I'm posting this on both because…read morethis is a very serious matter that the public needs to know about and be handled immediately. Are you guys going to respond to the alleged sexual predator issue going on with your head manager Jacob Wutka or what? A post (the text in quotes below) is circulating around, there are plenty of comments from past employees corroborating your guys hiring of and keeping predators employed and these comments talk about this issue being existent years ago. Time to address this regardless of what is going on. You cannot run from this. We will not let it happen. The circulating post: "Meet Jake. Jake is a current registered child registered sex offender who is a current employee at the Hamlin Pub in the downtown Rochester area. Jake was charged with having sensually charged contact with a minor under the age of 18. Jake was involved some time back in a sting operation ran by none other than Chris Hansen, which led to his initial charges and current status as a child sex offender. As a former employee of hamlin pub who worked closely with Jake for the last couple of months without any knowledge of his past crimes, I am very well informed by the fact that, since he is employed as a head manager at this Hamlin Pub location, has minors from high-school around the surrounding area (adams, rochester, stoney creek) currently working and employed under his care. I made my own attempt to confront management and ownership of the fact that they currently employ a registered child sex offender with the management and supervision over minors in high-school, I was subsequently and permanent tresspassed from the property on part of management and ownership as a result of bringing this information to light. Please do your due diligence to make this individual famous around your own communities and around the rochester and rochester hills areas as well. Please share this post with friends, family and neighbors so that we can cultivate a culture of accountability towards these deplorable sex criminals within our own communities. Jake clearly shows within his own mugshot that he expresses no remorse for any of his actions or criminal conduct, and should be placed in an environment in which high-school minors are frequently employed at. Here is the address and contact info of the hamlin pub in rochester: +12489632252 1488 N Rochester Rd, Rochester Hills, MI 48307"

Driving around trying to find parking we came across this cool tiled outdoor bar. We decided to…read morestop in and asked to eat outside. The food was great. Ordered the lobster rolls and the flaming cheese. I prefer the Connecticut style with no mayo and just butter, which is what I thought from the description on the menu, but it definitely was loaded with mayo. Not bad but not expected. Waitress was very nice and attentive. Music was a little loud outside at times. Overall, great experience. Will be back.

Christina our waitress was very good. Little menu and food was good. Cesar dressing was very fresh.read more