The restaurant is lovely - beautifully decorated, spotless presentation. The menu is exciting - so many great dishes it was really difficult to choose. The service is great - very attentive without being intrusive. Sadly, the food fell short in every category. The tartare was mealy and under-seasoned. The poke was flavorless. The burrata was deliciously creamy, but served on top of a romesco so smoky that it overpowered anything delicate. Honestly, I will stop there. Not sure if it was an off night or an ongoing problem, but I'm sad that we wasted a sitter and a bucket of money on this spot. Too many other amazing options out there. read more

First time there and everything was excellent. We had Brussel sprouts and octopus for starters and then scallops and lamb ragu for the main course. The inside was beautiful and we would definitely go again. read more

Attended a private party recently in the lower level wine cellar, the menu curated by the hosts and the chef. It was awesome. I had the sable fish, best fish I've ever had in the US. The lamb chops were a huge hit with others at the table. And others yet enjoyed the prawn and the branzino. Even the spinach side dish was memorable! Service was excellent. We will be back to try as much of the rest of the menu that we can! Compliments to the chef and management. read more

Awesome food and super nice staff. Accommodating, inviting and classy. Sat at the bar and the bartenders were on point and engaging. The entire staff went above and beyond to be thankful and attentive. We were lucky enough to score the last whole Branzino and it was delicious. Amazing bourbon selection as well. read more

We will likely not return to BESA. We started the night by waiting 45 minutes to be seated for our reservation... that's too long to make people wait and we didn't really feel like anyone acknowledged the inconvenience. Waiting a reasonable amount of time wouldn't be so bad if we had a nice cocktail to enjoy but it took forever to get the cocktails we ordered and the options on the menu were not exciting at all. In addition there was no where to wait, the bar was packed and we were definitely in the way of the servers having to come to the bar to get drinks for their tables--they have to walk by the hostess stand/waiting area/entrance to get drinks.... poor restaurant lay out. When we finally were seated we immediately ordered the steak tartare and oysters while we perused the menu. The oysters were west coast and the bacon mignonette and mustard seeds were nothing special, we were so glad we didn't order many. The steak tartare was only flavored by the very thin cracker/bread it was on. If you ate the tartare on its own it was extremely bland and disappointing. We had a thyme ricotta pasta that was good but small, a chai braised lamb shank was delicious but everything else on the plate was bland, didn't add to the lamb shank and was tasteless on its own (parsnips and celery root purée I believe). We also got the polenta with gochujang broth-- it came cold so the polenta was gelatinous, the polenta was under seasoned and the gochujang added literally nothing other than color it was so watered down. We finished this mediocre meal with a dessert because it was my husbands birthday-- we had indicated on the reservation we were celebrating his birthday. When we arrived they confirmed we were celebrating a birthday, the server also confirmed we were celebrating a birthday when we were seated.... so imagine my surprise when after seeing three people have desserts brought out with candles lit in them ours just came out plain..... if you're charging this much for such small portions a part of the charge is for the service, ambiance and paying attention to small details-- this restaurant failed on all parts. As we were paying the bill my husband expressed how he wished we would have spent the $200+ at another restaurant and had a better time... I couldn't agree more. The highlight of the meal: We ordered a bottle of wine that was the best part-- will definitely get that wine, at another restaurant. read more

The ambiance, food and staff is was wonderful. We were encouraged by the manger to take a look downstairs at the area they restored which featured original flooring and a cute sitting area. The pappardelle stroganoff was light and tasty even though it was pasta and the calamri appetizer was delicious. read more

I've been really excited seeing all the new restaurants popping up throughout Detroit. I brought my family here and wow what a great experience. First thing I immediately noticed was the style of the restaurant. The design and modern architecture made the experience even better. The service was amazing, they were ready and listening at all times. I really enjoyed the hamachi "hot pot" and the lamb Nelly ragú. The food is really thought out and the presentation is beautiful. Overall I highly recommend this restaurant, great to see this in Detroit. read more

Besa - New American Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

I'll start with the good. They take reservations, space is beautiful & the service was very good. The bad: we were seated in the lower level which consists of a private room, sitting area & three tables. Weird. After viewing the servers come & go as the kitchen is right there, & watching everyone enter the bathrooms, I said that if they can't seat us upstairs, we are leaving. They did accommodate us upstairs and we were feeling better. Now the food: we ordered the bruschetta with peaches to start & it was good. I ordered the scallops & my fiancé ordered the steak & frites. Well for $30, I got what looked like 2 1/2 scallops. The other dish looked more like fries with a side of steak for $28. The scallops were ok, not amazing but the portion sizes were ridiculous. These aren't small plate prices. To come all this way & expect a fine dining experience and a good meal didn't happen. My entree was an appetizer. Had high hopes but we won't be back. read more

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Cocktails were basic and uninspired, food was dry and had no flavor. All smoke and mirrors. Also waitress didn't know much about the food and cocktail menu. read more

Foodie quality kitchen, everything was tasty. Craft drinks are done quite well and of course decor and service on point. A pleasant surprise - will return next time in town! read more

Honestly very good. A very upscale vibe inside so don't come too casual, not like extremely fancy but just look decent. Came for lunch and the menu was small but has all different things so there is definitely something for everyone. Our water (I forget his name but he was younger with a beard) was awesome, very attentive and helpful. I got the hasta manana drink and it was nice and strong and my friend got a shot and it was a very good sized shot. I got the steak frites which was really good besides the end was pretty fatty so I couldn't eat like 3 good sized pieces but besides that it was great the onions and spices on top really made it my friend got the cheeseburger she also said it was really good and the fries for both of us were YUM. Definitely try but it's a small place so make reservations. read more

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Staff was very friendly and the space was very nice. Went on a very busy Saturday evening sat a bar top table. The dining room look pleasant enough but the food was not worth a second try. My scallops were ok not really cooked properly and my husbands steak was tasteless. No bread offering and valet parking is $10 upfront. read more

A truly inspiring fine-dining experience. We have been to nearly every fine dining restaurant in Detroit, and not one offers the experience, food or service we experienced at BESA. From the gorgeous ambiance, to the exceptional detail to the food and the quality of service, this place has it all. Thank you to BESA for showing us what a 5-star dining experience truly is. read more

Excellent from start to finish. Entertainment on a Friday night from a 1920s era speakeasy. Handcrafted cocktails, attentive waitstaff and incredible appetizers. Oysters to die for. Brussels sprouts are fantastic! You must try this place! Get the scallops or the filet. You won't be disappointed. read more

Besa - Oysters - New American Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

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Let me start off by mentioning that the service is amazing. Very attentive staff, that was consistent throughout our dinner. I was excited to try this place, it looked beautiful. However, the food lacked so much flavor. I myself ordered the scallops. They were flavor-lacking in so many ways. The only food decent were the oysters, which were smaller than usual in size. I would not come here again, let alone pay anything towards that entree. Very disappointed. read more

Great service and excellent food. The waiter Ron was terrific and very knowledgeable. The duck was perfect and a great selection of cocktails. read more

I'm not the first nor am I the last person to rave about the food. Stellar from pickup to table.

Had another amazing meal at Besa! Yesterday my husband and I stopped there after a show at the theater. I love the atmosphere and they have the best craft cocktails. I ordered the kale with sweet potato to start. Who makes kale taste good? Besa! It was delicious. But the lamb belly ragu stole the show. Tasty, deep flavors, perfectly seasoned. I want the recipe please! Highly recommend this place. read more

Just had a wonderful dinner here for my birthday. The decor and ambiance is very cool. Staff was excellent and were able to guide us through the menu. I really enjoyed my bourbon cocktail "torch of class". Everyone in my party like their meals. I had the scallops which were excellent. My wife had the halibut and she loved it. I strongly recommend the "object orange" dessert. I will definitely return. read more

the place is clean but when it comes to the food ,lowest quality food ever had.,is not even worth a dime

This is one of the hottest places that you have to stop by if you are in Detroit. Besides the amazing interior design and the welcoming atmosphere, the service is spectacular. The only reason I did not give this restaurant 5 * is because there have been few fallbacks; which are probably due to the location of the kitchen mainly, and secondarily due to the "newness" of some of the food ideas. I must say, besides the raw tuna, all the dishes that we ordered has the right flavors. I was not particularly impressed by the tuna because of two reasons, first the plate was way too large for the portion. So my suggestion wither reduce the size of the plate or enlarge the tuna portion! Second, the tuna was far from being fresh- it did not even make it to my palates... The staff were very attentive and understanding and were more than happy to take the dish back and offer another alternative from the menu. The restaurant manager made sure everything we ordered was up to our expectations and gave us two complimentary drinks on the house. I am in love with Detroit and this place compliments the darling city. I would say keep up the good work and be open to the honest feedback of your clients. Great location, great design, great menu, great staff and wonderful management. Will be going back again soon read more

Besa - The tuna which we retuned... this menu item doesn't deserve to be on your menu unless you try to improve it.. - New American Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

I wish I could say it's a mixed review, but it really isn't. Detroit has some stiff competition in the food scene these days, and yes while the number is limited the end product at some of these places is terrific. Where Besa stands out for me is in the experience. The service is top notch, polite, and efficient. The decor and material choices create the most tranquil and warm dining experience in Detroit. No complaints at all with the staff, space, and food presentation. The Menu reads nicely and leaves you trying to pick and choose while sacrificing a dish in favor of the other. Good options to put it bluntly. This meal we had the: calamari, ramen noodle ravioli, branzino, and the lamb shank. Calamari: It was presented in fillet strips with the aioli underneath. Texturally they were softer without the usual snap im used to. I enjoyed it, the aioli was great and it was a nice starting dish. Ramen Noodle Raviolo: This dish to me was uneatable. We were unable to finish the dish and I forced myself to eat my portion. The black garlic cream was so aromatic, fumy, and off putting that I would be surprised if anyone likes it. The prawn and almond pesto was mediocre, and even when you combined both the flavor profile did not exist. It tasted like garlic ramen seasoning powder infused with some dark chocolate. It was weird, and the server and manager noticed we were unable to finish the dish and comped the dish. It was a very nice gesture on them, and I personally insisted they didn't have to because you win some you lose some. Branzino: Nicely prepared (needed a bit of salt), and the pumpkin and fish sauce work well especially since fish sauce is so strong and pumpkin helps control it. It isn't an amazing dish, but it was fine. Lamb Shank: Easily best meal of the day. Parsnip puree is great on everything and here is the same case. The lamb was tender as could be and nicely prepared. It's a rich dish, but nicely executed. Made me smile. I would go with charred carrots vs the parsley root but it was good. Fries: Damn good Bread: Bread is bread. Milk cake desert: It was described to be like a tres leches cake which is my absolute favorite. It isn't. The ice cream on top is delicious but the cake is dry and not moist so I was confused. The caramel was a nice touch. In the end the menu sounds great and looks awesome when presented, but it lacked a fair amount. Service was exceptional, and the gesture of comping a dish was truly appreciated. It's only been 6 months so I will come back eventually, but the reviews surprise me since there are other places in Detroit that are better. To each their own! read more

Casually elegant with a smooth atmosphere. Service and live entertainment were fantastic. I had a filet at the Prime Steakhouse at the Bellagio in Vegas the other day and the BESA filet was better. Brussel sprouts were the best I've had. We really enjoyed the original cocktails designed by the bar staff and valet parking by text made parking a breeze. Could not be more impressed with BESA! read more

Awesome meal! The oysters were the best we ever had. Scallops were prepared perfectly. The chef is very innovative. Daniel our server recommended a great new wine and guided us through the menu. We highly recommend! read more

Besa is an eclectic restaurant with good food but.... it had live music which made it incredibly difficult to hear any conversation going on at our table! The acoustics are terrible! The food was very good but it took forever to be served. We were ready to walk out! read more

Great food. Immaculate service. We went to Besa for the first time on NYE and had a wonderful evening. The restaurant is beautiful, comfortable, and the staff were all very welcoming. They had a more limited menu due to the holiday but still had several options for each course. We started with the Brussels sprouts and the agnolotto for appetizers, the beet salad and the green curry soup for the second course, the rib eye and the halibut for the main courses, and the strawberries and object orange for our deserts. Everything was either very good or excellent. The halibut was slightly overcooked but otherwise we enjoyed every course. The food would likely rate a 4 or 4.5. The reason we decided to give Besa five stars was the service. Our server was excellent as was every other employee we met. Most refreshing was seeing both the owner and Manager continuously walking through the restaurant, talking to each table and ensuring everything was absolutely perfect. There are many other highly rated restaurants in Detroit that could learn from Besa in regard to service delivery. We had an amazing experience and look forward to returning again in the near future. read more

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We were unfamiliar with this restaurant and decided to try it out. The parking is quite an issue if it's cold outside and/or if anyone in your party is disabled. Apparently, although the website claims there is valet parking, there isn't. Why I wonder? There really are only two possibilities: 1) the valet company is unreliable or 2) although they advertise there is valet parking, the restaurant has not paid the contractor so they ring show up. This is an issue if your spouse is disabled, as mine is.. A big issue. Anyway, the food that we ordered was very good, the service was good, although hideous music was played far too loudly for any restaurant, they did turn it down. The music improved later on. The lack of valet service is quite dismaying though (when the restaurant advertises there is valet service). I wonder if that is even ADA compliant, it made an otherwise enjoyable night difficult. read more

The Green Curry soup is a real show stopper. Paired it with the Butter and Herb salad and it was an excellent meal. However, some other members of our party received such small portions of food for the entrees that question immediately became "where should we go eat after this?" It's fine to do small portions where you are expected to order several different courses or items off the menu, but usually the server will tell you that's the case and that wasn't done here. Other than that, gorgeous ambiance, unique food, and great drinks! read more

Three minor things kept me from giving this restaurant five stars. The first sounds trivial but the restroom was quite uncomfortable for a brand new facility.people are pigs. And the salad was a little large. It felt like we would be wasting it if I didn't help eat it and third again trivial but I don't think the manager Had to ask how things were going. Otherwise a very enjoyable night we plan to go back soon read more

Best duck i have ever had. Wonderful service and location. Great addition to Detroit food scene.

Have had multiple great experiences at Besa! The food is delicious and very creative. The overall restaurant has a great vibe and being able to hang out in the lounge downstairs after dinner and enjoy desserts and wine after dinner was an added bonus. I had the halibut and loved it and make sure you ask the staff about the Orange dessert story in Detroit, very interesting! read more

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If I could give 1/2 star I would. Took 30 minutes just to get drinks. Bartender was awol so expensive craft cocktail drinks inexpertly made by waitress. Appetizers - Brussels sprouts good, fries burned, tuna tasteless. Lamb belly pasta and sauce was edible. Coffee came out watery and spilled all over the floor. For all the money we paid - completely not worth it. Go to Townhouse instead. read more

We originally had rez here but needed to come earlier and they said they could not accommodate. Ok fair enough it's a Saturday! Got it. We went somewhere else but decided we should at least check out the bar after dinner. When we walked in we told the host we were just having drinks. They said ok well we have the downstairs available and then took us to what looked like a niche lobby area and no one else was downstairs?! My husband said he was going to go back upstairs as this was not what we had in mind. He found that 3 seats at the bar opened up so he went over and sat in them then called me to come back upstairs. He then tells me that the bartender tried to tell him that people were sitting there even though she was cleaning up the bar top and picking up the paid tab?! Why would she say that? Because we were just getting drinks? I'm giving it a 2 star because of the space. Service not super friendly either. read more

The restaurant is beautiful and our meals were delicious! Service was excellent and the ambiance absolutely perfect! Cannot wait to return for another great experience! read more

The restaurant was lovely however the food was not. I was with a group and we all ordered different dinners. There wasn't one entree I would order again. My steak was cold and unseasoned. People didn't even finish their entrees. The only side that was consumed was the fries. Totally a waste of money. read more

We were there Saturday with another couple. We split 4 entrees because none of us could decide and wanted to try different things. Felt very safe with their Covid precautions too. Food was amazing. The flavors were great. Dessert was amazing. Waiter was so good too. Can't wait to go back. read more

I cannot thank the staff at BESA enough for such an awesome experience and great tasting food to match! My now fiancé hosted a small intimate dinner for my birthday here in their private dining room. The staff was extremely accommodating and helped him along with my mother coordinate my proposal the night we dined! The food was exceptional. Our waiter, Ride, was awesome! He was super helpful in providing recommendations from the menu and making sure everyone was satisfied! He even helped us select a few bottles of wine to take home! Our overall experience at BESA will definitely be a night to remember! We will definitely be back! read more

Your host was digging in his rear end while facing the window @ 2:45 pm 2/9/19 and he didn't even wash his hands afterwards.!!!!!

The Brussel sprouts and the bread are amazing but that's about where it stops. Dinner took 3 hours. Service was extremely slow. I got the fried chicken and it was sickeningly sweet; I could only have 3 bites of it. Tables all around me were sending food back and I regret that I didn't do that. read more

If I could rate this no stars, I would. Ordered a mix drink which was horrible, I took one sip and told the waitress to take it back. Along with my food, the presentation was nice but the chicken was horrible. I told the staff I didn't like my food. I was charged for my drink and food when I didn't eat or drink them. The only thing good about this place was our waitress. They really need to expand their menu options and serve a reasonable amount of food. I would NOT recommend this place to anyone. read more