We wanted to like Bert's. Live music and chicken people rave about drew us in while we were visiting Eastern Market. We were told the Aretha Franklin chicken was incredible. We arrived shortly after they opened. There was almost no one there when we arrived. It was the most unorganized mess of an experience I've ever had. No joke. We ordered 2 drinks and the Aretha Franklin Chicken, 2 sides, and cornbread. We were told it would be 20-30 minutes until the chicken was ready. No problem. After 30 minutes we still didn't have our drinks, but the waitress reappeared to tell us our drinks would be out soon and the chicken would be ready in about 20 minutes. In the end, it took about 40 minutes to get our drinks and 1 1/2 hours to get our chicken. Even paying the bill took lots of effort. There were multiple customers who went inside to try to find the waitress and pay their bill. After 20 minutes of searching we were finally able to pay and leave. I'm all in for a not-rushed experience, but there's no reason to leave people baking in the sun for 40 minutes before you can bring them their drinks. We should have left, but we were locked in to discover if the chicken was as good as promised. The answer is no, unfortunately. It was fine. Very tender, but seemingly no seasoning at all. Also, they were out of cornbread and didn't have the ingredients to make our drinks the right way. The entertainment was good. We were outside, so there was a one man band blues singer who was pretty good. I hope Bert's can get it together. It's a great concept and a great location. If you go, have plenty of time and be prepared to wait. Perhaps you should bring a few drinks and snacks with you to fill the time until they can serve you. read more

A few weeks later - talked to owner - can't find any workers- no matter what he pays - they were grilling ribs- no sausage- he threw some on & served us - quite good read more

Bert's Marketplace - Barbeque Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

Me and my girlfriend met down at Bert's and had some soul food,that fed our soul. The waitress, was very nice, along with everyone else, that was in their as well It was Sunday afternoon, the Detroit Lions game was on the TV, winning, that's what we do. It wasn't too loud in there, it was just right. Really enjoyed myself, good company, good food, good atmosphere. read more

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Berta is always a stop when at eastern market on a Saturday. Especially with the pits going and seating and music outside. The must get is the wet quarter chicken!!!!! It falls off the bone!!!!! read more

Bert's Marketplace - Barbeque Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

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This place is always packed on Saturday. The barbecue smells fantastic. People are always waiting in line to get something to eat.

Although the owner apologized, there was only one server and it took thirty minutes for us to be waited on, and that was AFTER we asked for someone. The server had a terrible attitude and half of the items on the menu were not available. I ordered a Moscow Mule. When I told her it tasted strange and asked if ginger beer was used, she said, "We use ginger ale." I explained that there is a huge difference between the two and one cannot be substituted for the other! As a vegan, I couldn't eat either since all vegetable items were made with me. I gave two stars because the maitre d' was awesome and apologetic. The band was good too, and we could hear them inside. read more

Went on a Saturday and could smell the smokers going. My wife and I went in and asked if we should order inside or out and the waitress said she would come out and serve us. She never did. We sat right in front of the door and she came out and served three people that came after us. We sat for about 40 minutes and never even got to order a drink. It was pretty clear that there are some "regulars" that will be tended to very nicely, but if they done recognize you, good luck, don't waste your time. Terrible experience. read more

Overpriced food for sure! $15 for an appetizer is far out of control! I was a Appalled! This isn't even a 5 star restaurant. I don't even want to go into deep details. I'd rather give bullet points and be done with it. - From what I was told, Meatloaf was really good and the Greens needed a tad bit more seasoning - Chicken wings were bland, no seasoning in the batter - Catfish was rubbery, no seasoning in the batter - Black eyed peas good but salty -Macorni & Cheese was yummy The Cosmopolitan cocktail was honestly the best part of my meal read more

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Was in town for the marketplace and wandered over to Bert's. The live music out front and the bbq filled grills drew me in. You can order the bbq inside or outside. If you order inside there is a 2 drink minimum per table , but you are in the interior of the place and close to the karaoke stage. If you opt for outside there are also a few tables and the aforementioned musician that was there on the day I went. I needed something quick so I went with a classic beef hot dog with bbq sauce and Faygo Red Pop. Chips or something like potato salad would have been a nice addition. Those weren't available . I happened to have a bag of Cheetos with me and it paired perfectly with the meal. read more

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The food is outstanding. Some of the best barbecue I've ever tasted. The service is terrible. We sat outside for 30 minutes watching the waitress come and go and she never stopped at our table. I then ordered GrubHub pick up that still took another hour. If you're headed to Eastern market, order GrubHub for pickup before you park. read more

Waited over an hour for our food. still didn't receive it when we went in and asked for it multiple times. Server continuously says it's coming but doesn't come back around. Left before food even came out - waited 1.5 hours and still no updat. read more

Love the karaoke on Saturdays. Love the crowd and everyone is so friendly. The wings are good too!

The good: Cool place across from Eastern Market, live music. The bad: No running water in bathrooms to wash hands, bathrooms out of service. Chicken is deep fried typical bar food, missing flavor, nothing special, with no running water in bathrooms to wash hands, this has me thinking how nasty this place is... I ordered a chicken sandwich and they gave my order to someone else, had to ask for my food and wait a long time for the order ! Was here on 08-19-2023 read more

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Terrible food. They shortage us a meal and still tried to charge us for it. The drinks are savagely overpriced. The service was atrocious and it took over an hour to get the 3/4 meals we ordered. The 4th meal was never presented. There was no communication between us and the wait staff and no management was available. read more

First time at Bert's. I've walked by many times but never stopped. It was a great summer day and they were playing live music. Great vibe and place to sit out side and chill. The macaroni wasn't really creamy but it did have a nice flavor. I did have to send it back initially as the first one was In a very messy container and the lid was cracked, the baked beans were messy to but not as bad as the Mac. The baked beans were also pretty good. The ribs and sides were a bit pricey for the amount but everything tasted good and the ribs were very tender moist. I would return as the food was really good . read more

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I have conflicting feelings about Bert's. Part of the experience is 5 stars and part is unfortunately 1 star. The karaoke on Saturday's is unparalleled. I've been singing karaoke since 1997 and no place I've been to can rival the talent that walks through these doors. Many wonderful voices at Bert's. As for the food and service, it leaves quite a bit to be desired. First of all everything is expensive which isn't the issue but just brace yourself for high prices. Second the service is almost nonexistent. I came here for two weeks in a row. Karaoke starts roughly at noon and goes until 7 PM. So it's a long show. Got here both times when it started so our group could get a table. First week the service was decent and our waitress had our drinks out pretty fast considering how busy it was. I ordered the chili cheese fries and got a massive amount on my plate. It was $12 but I had more than half left to take home with me. My friend ordered the half slab of ribs with greens and Mac n cheese as sides. The following Saturday it took 20 min for a server to even take our drink orders then another 30 min to get the drinks even though the bar is close to all the tables. The food was dumped no front of us in to go containers. When I asked why it was in Styrofoam since we were dining in our waiter said we only do Styrofoam we don't do dine in. Funny because last week everyone was served on plates. It gets worse. The burger which is supposed to be a half pound and is $15 was no bigger than a McDonald's hamburger patty and well done (I ordered it medium). Like hockey puck well done although a hockey puck is much thicker so that would've been more welcomed. After waiting two hours to get our food we were just happy to have something in front of us. It was like one week to the next was night and day different. When it was time to pay it took our server 50 min to cash us out and run my debit card. Some one at another table we were chatting with could see how long this was taking and got up to find our waiter and get me back my debit card so we could finally leave. Totally unacceptable service. I think the answer, fellow Yelpers, is go to Bert's for the entertainment. The karaoke show alone is worth seeing. Skip the food and maybe sit at the bar for faster service or be prepared to wait a while to get drinks. read more

Bert's Marketplace - Barbeque Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

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So disappointing! 1st this place is not kid friendly or family oriented. They don't have a kids menu, I had to order my toddler chicken fingers with fries which was $13 The fries were limp and SOAKED in grease. I can't believe the manger would allow food to leave the kitchen like that. I exchanged them for mashed potatoes which were chunky in consistency and topped with a very basic gravy. The quality of the food was not worth the price. It's seems like they're just churning out food to keep up with the high demand but the quality, taste, presentation just went completely out the window. I ordered chicken wings with a side of Mac n cheese and red beans & rice. It was a totally flavorless meals. The Mac was cheese was just pasta with cheese on top, no creaminess whatever so ever. The red beads and rice were dry and had no flavor at all. The chicken had a basic salt flavor. My companion didn't enjoy their food either. One star for getting through the long line of customers needing to order in a timely manner. Another star for churning out the carry out orders in a timely manner. However, the food was terrible, and they had no air conditioner so minus 3 stars. read more

Bert's Marketplace - Macaroni with cheese on top - Barbeque Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

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We've passed this place a few times; the servers pounce on anyone walking by and practically beg them to come in; and now we know why. Hubby and I were hungry and caved after seeing the lines at nearby eateries. When the hostess greeted us with a surprised "oh wow, you came back? " that should have been our sign. We asked to sit inside but there was a karaoke singer that was so loud my ears hurt. Outside there was different one man band type performer, also loud, and you could hear both acts clashing. But again, we're hungry, they're not busy, and the menu looks good; so we order. And then we wait. And wait. The server is MIA and offers no ETA or water. Finally after almost 30 minutes our food arrives packed in to-go containers and bagged. I'd never seen food presented this way unless of course you order it to-go, even for patio dining, which I mentioned to the server as I though maybe she misunderstood. She just shrugged and said that's what they do. My husband declared the bacon burger "easily in the top five worst restaurant meals, ever". It was overcooked (he asked for medium) and likely had been sitting for a while after it had been microwaved twice. Fries were cold. In contrast my wings were undercooked with some sort of weird yellow breading. I refused to eat them but Hubby braved a small bite and deemed them inedible. My sides of soupy black eyed-peas and green beans (I ordered collard greens; at least they got the color right) were fresh out of the can and tasteless. I ate a few forkfuls with my tiny and hard cornbread square to keep my blood sugar stable, but I was done. Almost $60 for a meal that mostly went into the trash, including the 18% tip that is added regardless of party size or order (another sign; and I tend to tip at least 25% so it's not the amount that offends me; clearly they know the food and service are so bad that people leave low or no tip). Between restaurants and food trucks/stands in Eastern Market, you can do way better than Bert's. Avoid at all costs. read more

Incredible historic Motown experience. I would recommend that this place with all the Motown art be declared an historic protected location. Miller is the man! The bbq was next level Detroit orginal. I would highly recommend checking out Bert's Marketplace and all the shops that make up the block. The Piano bar with high end seafood steak house, the comedy club, the after hours bar, and catering takeout bbq joint, as well as the outdoor live events that are performed in front of the marketplace during weekends over the summer are worth the visit. That is before you taste the food which is the most amazing I've eaten in Detroit! read more

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I enJOYed the service, the food and the music. It's always wonderful to run into sorority sisters while I'm out and about. Fun times!!! Thank you Chan for your service read more

Bert's Marketplace - Louis Armstrong Wings Dinner with Collard Greens, Red Beans & Rice and Corrnbread - Barbeque Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

The ambiance is decent, very old school and the music was amazing. Nice jazz club vibes. The ribs were good and the catfish was okay. However, the food and drinks were over priced, the sweet potatoes were like soup and the Mac and cheese was not to my liking. Our server was nice but we got our drinks then didn't see her for like 45 minutes. read more

Went home to Detroit for a family reunion and we decided to grab something to eat before we hit the road. My friend and I both ordered the Myles Davis meal and we were looking forward to supporting and trying this staple in the community. When we walked in we had no idea where to go. We weren't greeted so we just sat down at the bar. Our waitress (who looked like a teenager) was really sweet. I LOVED the fact that this is a family run establishment and to see the kids working was really cool. I think she was the granddaughter of Burt, the owner. They were really busy on a Sunday afternoon so we understood the wait. When our food came out it looked good but it wasn't. Not sure if they are appealing to a different demographic but the greens had no seasoning, NO flavor... ribs tips were tough. Mac and cheese was the only thing we ate. When we left our plates looked like they hadn't been touched... now that's bad. People walked in confused because no one gave any direction as far as to where to order or seating. The cook behind the bar was nice but he was touching everything while he was cooked which bothered me (from food to his facial sweat)... The vibe and music was nice outside but the customer service and food need work. read more

Bert's Marketplace - Barbeque Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

I heard great things about this place but we were not impressed. It took a long time for our order to come out. The Mac and cheese would have been good I think if it was hot. It was barely warm. We were in a time crunch so didn't say anything. I know we should have brought it up to our server but we just wanted to go. We also got the bbq chicken nachos. Not great. The chicken was again cold (but maybe that's how they normally do it?) and the chips were super salty. They were the round kind you buy at Kroger so we were not impressed. The total thing with drinks was over $40. Honestly it was not even close to being worth that price. Maybe we came on a bad night or something but I won't be back unless I have no other options. read more

I was at Bert's with my family on Saturday June 8, 2024 at noon 3 children and 2 adults. We ordered ribs chicken salad. At my table we ordered two drinks and 4 cokes. It was 90 out !!! The waitress did not offer water. Every time she came by she asked us if we wanted a refill we said yes . When we got the bill $51 for refills plus burts puts 18% tip so on the pop alone it $70 . You should be ashamed of yourself for taking advantage of people. Please do not give this ripoff place any business. Not one place I saw on menu did I see a charge for refills . I am going to newspapers and already talk with tv station. It time to exposed Burts for what it is. Please contact me on this ripoff read more

Purchased 2 carry out meals. Was very disappointed with both. Fried chicken was salty, greens were bland as if they came out of a can, potatoes and gravy were also bland and the Mac and cheese was dry. Lastly, the whiting fish was over cooked. The reason for the one star is because the music was bumping and the DJ was awesome. read more

the food took way to long and it wasn't good, the jazz also killed my ears and I NEVER want to go again Service was rude and terrible as well as the food. Music was wayyyyyyyy to loud and killed my mood. Bathrooms were atroucious and smelled of cat piss. I would never go here again. Waiter was also extremely fake and rude to my mom and tried to cover it up with other people. Waiter was 100% racist. Yall were taking to long with the food and We had to yell. (Written by 4 different people) read more

Yeah....um.. Issa no for me... I was with a group of about 6 women and I guess we got there closer toward closing time because everyone else was service before us. I guess it may have been easier to do the big group last? Idk. Anyway, I feel as though they need more waitstaff as well as at least 1 or 2 younger ppl To help the current staff. You can clearly see they are overwhelmed and it's hard for them to keep up when the place wasn't even packed. My customer service was cool mainly b/c I know how to handle older ppl, otherwise I would have been agitated. I ordered a drink but because we were last I decided to go get it. BIG MISTAKE. The waitstaff don't listen to one another so i ended up with 2 drinks. I didn't want much to eat so I just ordered shrimp, string beans, and red beans n rice. My shrimp was nasty AF. Another woman in my group ordered pork chops and they must have fried it in the grease with her stuff because it tasted like straight OLD PORK GREASE. I was highly upset. My string beans were ok, though they could of used seasoning and the red beans n rice had a stinky odor to them. What I tasted seemed like nothing so I tossed them in fear of being sick. I understand the changes and adjustments after covid but if you're not ready, please don't open. Staff wore mask and gloves...SOME not ALL. Outdoor seating read more

Good service and food was amazing. My mom and I went early in the day so we didn't get a chance to experience the live music or comedy but the food ( rib tips) are definitely a reason to return! read more

We got takeout, but the staff was so nice and helpful when I got there to pick up the food. The food was great too. Better bbq than slows imo. read more

Visited 9-15-2024. HORRIBLE SERVICE. Brought out of town family to tryout restaurant for first time. Waited over an hour for food. After multiple inquires with several different staff members about our order and empty promises that food was coming, we finally left. Also, indoor sound system needs adjusting. Loud and distorted. Very, very frustrating and disappointing experience for all of us!! read more

We had a group event there. The service was lack luster. Not enough wait staff. We had the Motown room it got really warm in there asked for the fans to be turned on...never addressed. Nevertheless it was ok. But..definitely some members of the staff need to get an attitude adjustment and be more customer service oriented. Although the staff was short the atmosphere was definitely lacking on the main bar. People were still tipping and trying to be patient but there was definitely no decent customer service at the bar. read more

Ordered rib tips and specified NO SAUCE on a Saturday night. Rib came with lots of sauce. Employee said they ran out of ribs so she would correct it another day, however when I called to place the order I was told that they didn't know what I was talking about. Very off putting experience. Management had no regard for the issue did no investigation just basically showed no regard for me as a customer. Do better! read more

A street spot with a positive atmosphere that eastern market is known for. Food is very average. It's the novelty of the big grills outside and friendly folks that get you. However, with that being said, there's something about slow cooked, charring and VERY local meat sold at an excess amount. It just hits the spot sometimes. The pulled pork had more of the barbecue grill char taste than I wanted, but the sauce was a great sweetener for that flavor. The BBQ sauce for the pulled pork was actually not too deep in flavor or color which I thought was good, this allowed you to taste the fatty meltdown onto the pulled meat. There was a lot of that. With all that being said, it's still seemed like just a BBQ spot that's eventful without any secrets to their recipe. read more

Great atmosphere. The food took a while to be presented, but the time flew as I watched a dance class in progress. The food was juicy and full of flavor. It was not over pricey. I would definitely recommend this place. PROS: Lively atmosphere Great selections of food and deserts Located in the Art district CONS: Food delivery to table is slow read more

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Not kid friendly. The food was fine. The barbecue chicken was very good and so were the burgers. Part of my personal issue to start was many of the things *on the menu given* weren't being served at the restaurant. Went back the next day, and their eastern market servings were much better. read more

Ah man what a disappointment. I've seen Bert's showcased on TV and was very excited to try it the next time I was in the area. Well I was at Eastern Market so I convinced the group of people I was with that this was the place we had to try. We ordered Ribs, Chicken, Mac and cheese, collard greens, mash potatoes, string beans, and it was not good. Ribs where chewy, chicken was all dried out and both drowning in sauce. So many great BBQ places in Michigan and I found the worse. Please people don't let this be your opinion of Michigan BBQ. So bummed out. Don't recommend this at all. Smells and looks great but leave it at that. read more

Really fun on a summer Saturday at Eastern Market! You can smell the chicken and ribs in the air and the clouds of beautiful BBQ smoke in the air lol ! The footling kielbasa and chicken are amaaazing! Sweet Willie one band band singing the blues was such a fun vibe! read more

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My daughter got the Rib Tips with macaroni and cheese for me. This was a carryout dinner from there. I could not wait for her to bring it home to me. Everything was delicious. I got all kinds of positive comments from the picture on social media. read more

Bert's Marketplace - Rib Tips with Macaroni and cheese. - Barbeque Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

Seems like the place to be on a Saturday afternoon in Eastern market. Love that they have outdoor seating and music. If you drive by, rest assured, you'll be compelled to stop when you smell the smokers. For me, the 3 stars comes down to the outdoor service (where you go up to buy) not being terribly friendly and the ribs being tough. I like 'em when they fall off the bone. Again, personal preference. Mac and cheese is good! read more

Bert's Marketplace - Barbeque Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

I dined at this restaurant with my friend. She had been there before, and had raved about their ribs. To the point that I wanted to try the ribs, and I'm not a big rib eater. Well, we were seated, and there wasn't many people in the establishment. However, we weren't promptly waited on. And our waitress was rushing us when she finally came over. My friend and I ordered the ribs, Macaroni and cheese, and potato salad. My food was ok; but nothing at all what I expected. When the plate came out, the food looked really good. But the Macaroni tasted old, and was dry. The potato salad was ok. And the ribs was ok. I wasn't impressed at all, and my friend that had just went to the restaurant a week before, complained that her food was no where near as good as it was before. I'm not sure if this was an off day. But I don't feel that I would try this place again. There are so many other soul food places that I know is way better than this place. read more

Bert's Marketplace - Barbeque Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

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