My wife and I were in Ferndale for a meeting and decided to have an impromptu dinner date. Since…read moreneither of us had been to Barrel House before, we thought we'd give it a try--and we're so glad we did. We entered through the back entrance and were immediately greeted with a warm welcome. We quickly found a table for two, and our server was attentive from the start, bringing water right away, answering our questions, and walking us through the wine and beer selections. My wife ordered the Beet & Salmon Salad, while I chose the Crispy Chicken Club with white cheddar and house-smoked bacon. The sandwich was absolutely incredible--hands down the best crispy chicken club I've ever had. The chicken was perfectly crispy, and the combination of flavors was outstanding. I also stole a few bites of my wife's salad and was pleasantly surprised by the yellow beets. I'd only ever had red beets before, and both varieties were prepared beautifully. The salmon was cooked to perfection and paired wonderfully with the fresh ingredients. Between the excellent food, welcoming atmosphere, and friendly service, this turned out to be one of the best impromptu dinner dates we've had in quite some time. We thoroughly enjoyed our experience and are already looking forward to returning to explore more of the menu. Highly Recommend!

Recently went to attend a meetup here. Had to wait around 30 minutes as a huge party was clearing…read moreout. The inside is no frills but service was excellent with our waitress handling multiple checks. My jerk chicken dish over rice was a bit dry and too mildly spiced for my liking. The sesame wings were delicious. Beer selection was superb. Very casual vibe with ok food. Recommend $$

Another neighborhood gem! Chef Greg has re-created the almost forgotten Boogaloo sauce that was…read morepopularized by Brothers' BBQ fifty, count'm 50, years ago. I like the steak sandwich with a generous serving of Boogaloo sauce. This is not something that can be eaten while driving. I also love the triple-butter peach cobbler. Do not miss it.

Service: Initial customer service was a bit sketchy but as we continued to talk and once we got our…read morefood the staff appeared to be nice and somewhat humorous. Food: Boogaloo was AMAZING 10/10‼ Seating: I wish the seating and table was more organized as we sat inside the restaurant to eat. Though I do understand it is designed for to-go orders Experience: 9/10

My friend heard about The Oak Parker from another friend, so we decided to give it a try and now I…read moretotally understand the hype. Walking in, there was very limited seating and about an hour wait, which clearly showed how popular this spot is. Thankfully, the hostess told us about their basement bar area where you can grab drinks and snacks while waiting. The downstairs area had such a cool speakeasy vibe dark ambiance, vinyl music playing, and honestly the perfect date night atmosphere. The drinks were REALLY good, and you can also order appetizers down there. Once we made it upstairs, we grabbed bar seating and talked to a few people around us who all said this was their favorite spot. Our bartender was amazing -- super attentive, explained the menu well, and gave great recommendations. We ordered the wings (perfectly seasoned and so good) and the chicken sandwich with buffalo added for a little spice... absolutely delicious. I also tried the pistachio martini, and wow definitely one of my favorite drinks I've had in a while. Overall, such a great experience from the atmosphere to the food and service. I'll definitely be back, and I've already been telling all my friends about this place!

I'd been invited to a house music night. Upon walking in, I almost thought we were in the wrong…read moreplace! Upon entry, we saw a quaint restaurant. Then someone politely said y'all must be looking for downstairs. Sure were! As it turned out, we were escorted downstairs to what people refer to as the Vinyl Room. The vinyl turntables that night were replaced with computerized ones. The vibe was unsurpassed and the drinks were tasty. I'll be back when I need the good time again.

This little strip has turned into a great spot for cocktails, and Syndicate has become a glorious…read moreaddition. Walking in, the black and gold nuances strike you immediately and sitting at the bar, watching each drink being made is really quite fun. Their cocktail menu is absolutely spectacular. What a wide range of choices with all the major types of liquor available in one form or another. My bartender developed the program and she was super knowledgeable about it. I didn't try any of the food, so I can't comment on that, but for a pre or post dinner cocktail, I can definitely say this was an awesome spot to come out to.

We were a group of 3 who wanted to be seated outside on a hot and sticky Michigan day. Luckily…read morethere was a nice breeze. Ok make that 2 of 3 that wanted to be outside. As we followed our greeter to our table I kept screaming in my mind "no no no no no not that table no!" and she sat us at a table in full blasting sun. Nevermind the fact that there was a whole shaded section in the back part of the patio area. The rest of my group said it was fine and a beam of sun slowly bore a hole through my chest. Drink orders were up. I ordered a fabulous cross between a Moscow Mule and a Mojito. A+++ for the drinks. Mine was loaded with fresh mint from their garden. Same grade for our waitress who explained the drinks in detail and ended with "ugh- are you sure you want to sit at this table straight in the sun?" The other two said it was fine. I was ready to move, but was out voted. She continued to check in regularly and brought extra water. Most items on the menu were hot. I considered the fish, but we all landed on appetizers and we would just bounce from place to place for bites and drinks. We ordered the charcuterie board and the lavender lemon whip with bread and cucumbers for the 3 of us. The charcuterie board was the large version and had minimal offerings. It wasn't full and pretty. It was little piles of each thing on a board. This one definitely wasn't making it into Better Homes and Gardens magazine. There was a little pile of mixed nuts, a little pile of lose green grapes, a little pile of lose red grapes - not all grapes pristine or large and none were on the vine. There were 3 little piles of cubed cheese and 2 types of sliced sausage and sliced pepperoni. There were 8 crackers that were wheat thin size. This matters because we had some onion jam on the board and a nice serving of mustard. There really wasn't anything to put them on except for the 8 little crackers. That part was weird. These weren't elevated offerings. I could have picked up any of these at Walmart. They were not elevated quality either. We also got a lavender lemon infused whip which was their answer to tzatziki sauce. It was excellent but again, we were given so much of the sauce without a bunch to put it on. The cucumbers were sliced lengthways and there was a lovely bread that tasted like sourdough. There was 6 pieces of bread, and these were not particularly large pieces. A lot more would have been needed to use all of the sauce they gave. The proportions were off. All together the bill was over $100 for the 3 drinks and appetizers. If I ever did go back I won't order food based on what I experienced. There are too many other great options within walking distance.

Food and service was good. I definitely recommend coming on a Saturday not Too crowded and music…read moreIs on point. I Loved our bartender as well her name was Janine

Always great customer service received when I come here and the "Issa wrap" on the food menu is a…read moremust try!

The service and food were excellent. The cocktails were great. And our waitree Kia was amazing.read more

The food here is so good! We got the turkey burger w/ fries. We also got the spinach and artichoke…read moredip. I absolutely love the way they cut the fries. Everything was delicious! The service was very good. We sat on the patio so the ambiance is lovely. Ive been here before but not since 2020... so glad they're still doing well!

Big fan of this place. Had several dishes here always above average and every server I've had here…read morehas been wondeful.

This place astonishes & pleases us every single time we go--it really is a top notch restaurant…read more Friendly staff, great cocktails, very delicious food. They had several spritz cocktails available, and they are so good & refreshing in hot weather! Mine was great. We shared the arancini, which was quite large & very good--the red sauce it was on was a little spicy & really suited the arancini. Loved it! I had Ravioli stuffed with shrimp & scallop with clam & white wine sauce , which I'd had several weeks prior, & really hoped was still on the menu, as they do seasonally change it up. It was so delicious! I ate & savored EVERY bite. My husband had the short rib ragu, Paccheri, they generally have some variation on this dish & he just loves it. The meat was fall apart tender & the sauce was a little spicier than it is sometimes, but he loves it that way. We also shared a desert that was wonderful--cream puff type pastry (choux) strawberries & cream. Beppe is a local favorite for us--always a stand out great meal & great service!

This has been my favorite restaurant in Detroit for years now The food is always outstanding and…read morethe service is perfection. It is still certainly in my top 10, and the service remains perfect, but we had a few dishes that missed the mark, the wine pairing just wasn't worth it and this was even more true for my husband who went for the upgraded wine pairing (mine beat his every time, but for 1 glass). That and the slightly smaller portion sizes and that they no longer do an amuse bouche or salad with the bread as they used to, brought them down to a 4. Note that they do add a 22% service charge to the bill, which usually pushes my buttons... But the service is so perfect, and they very directly call it out, so it didn't bother me that much. All that said this is still a fabulous place to go, even more so, if you are with a vegetarian or a pescatarian, because all can enjoy!

We dined at Freya and opted for the nine-course chef's tasting menu. Overall, it was a thoughtful…read moreexperience, but at $155 per person, there were several misses that made this feel like a one-and-done for us--especially when compared to other tasting menus in the Detroit area at a similar (or lower) price point. One small but meaningful improvement would be providing a printed menu. With nine courses, it's hard to remember every dish and its components, and a takeaway menu would elevate the experience. While this was the omnivore-only option, a surprising number of courses leaned vegetarian. The mushroom tacos were interesting, but the celery root tortilla was very chewy. The spaghetti squash "pasta" course had good flavor, paired with a spicy marinara, though the squash could have been a bit more tender. The cheese course (Camembert) opened the meal and was good, but I would've liked a bit more nuttiness or complexity. The cobia fish course was nicely prepared but needed more salt, and both the fish and sauce could have been served warmer. The sausage course was a highlight--excellent flavor with a subtle fennel note, and the temperature was spot on. Unfortunately, the strip steak was a major letdown. It was served with noticeable gristle and had to be sent back. For this price point, that should never leave the kitchen. Dessert was just okay. The grapefruit and tequila sorbet was challenging for us since we opted for non-alcoholic beverages--the tequila flavor was very strong, making us wonder how much alcohol remained. A chocolate dessert option would have been a welcome alternative. The palate cleanser was a warm ginger, lemon, and lime shot. Personally, I prefer something icy or granita-style here; serving this cold would've made a big difference. The timing of the courses felt unnecessarily drawn out. The meal lasted about three hours, with close to 20 minutes between courses. Tighter pacing--closer to 10-12 minutes--would greatly improve the flow and overall enjoyment. One final note: a 22% gratuity was automatically included and then taxed, even for a party of two. Forced gratuity at this size feels unnecessary, particularly given some of the service and execution issues throughout the evening. At this price point, gratuity should be left to the diners' discretion, not mandated--especially when the experience doesn't fully meet expectations. We've had excellent tasting menus elsewhere at similar or lower price points that felt more cohesive and refined. While there were some strong moments, Freya is likely a one-time visit for us.