Terrible food especially the steak it was like marinated in A1 sauce or something it's terrible it made me sick. Over priced for quality of food you get. They used to be so good but they changed their food and it sucks now. They don't have many choices of what too get either. The only thing that was good was the service, the waitress was really nice and on top of things. read more

The macaroni and cheese is unreal, and it's actually a fairly reasonable price. I really think you'd find it difficult to find mac and cheese better anywhere else. The white cheeses they use are incredible, and the bread crumbs on top just make it all the better. The portion size is also just right -- much bigger, and I'd fall over dead. I got the fish sandwich, and that was the best fish sandwich I've ever had. The breading, the fish itself, the sauce that was on it ... all of it was very good. Fresh. Flawless. J. Alexander's is NOT cheap, but if you're okay with splurging a little bit for a dinner, this is the perfect place to do it. I'm not usually big on "fine dining" restaurants because I'm normally completely happy with a burger at a dive bar, but I'd come here again every now and then. read more

My first visit to a J Alexanders and I'm a fan. We stopped in for dinner after I got in late from a flight - at 9, it was still busy which speaks volumes in this economy. Upon entering the restaurant, I immediately thought of Houstons - same kind of decor and the menus looked alike. However, the J Alexanders menu was more extensive with more fish and steak selections than Houstons has. The prices on the wine list were great - I estimate only a 50% markup (versus the 100+% at most restaurants). And the wine list was very good and featured a number of very good, less available wines. We had the Domaine Druhin pinot and liked it a lot. I had the chicken sandwich with a baked potato and my date had the ahi sandwich. We both liked our selections. I was especially happy that the baked potato skin was crisp with a nice amount of salt. The chicken breast was a bit small but I'll give it another try before judging it. read more

J Alexander's in Livonia, has, and always will be, my favorite restaurant in the Livonia area. The food is worth the prices, the French Dip, the salads, and Mr. Jacks are all great entrees. The wait staff is quite a bit better than other restaurants in the area. Worth the visit if you're from the area. read more

We came here to have dinner after working late. Ordered calamari which was very good. I ordered the prime rib medium rare but it was closer to medium (and lukewarm). My wife ordered the NY Strip steak medium rare and also was medium. I tried her steak and it seemed a little bit crusty on the edges of the steak. My son ordered the Steak Maui and was cooked very good. The sides of smashed potatoes and broccoli were delicious. The server was helpful and checked on us from time to time. If the steak and prime rib was cooked to order the rating would have been rated 4 plus. I noticed in other reviews that there has been a slight problem in cooking steaks towards the rare side. read more

What a solid place for American fare. I've been going here for years with the family and their service is always spot on. Their system of rotating waiters/waitresses to efficiently get the food on the table and refill drinks always impresses us. We usually start with calamari and the ending is always an empty plate of it; it's tender, lightly-breaded and goes down real easy when dunked in marinara. The carnivore in me usually goes for the prime rib: rich, tender, meaty goodness. If you wanna save a couple bucks and get a smaller portion, you can get it as a prime rib sandwich or a french dip. Both served with crusty bread and fries. The pork tenderloin is good too, it's got an asian sweet chili thing going on. A very solid 4 stars and a fist pound to the manager for this well-oiled machine of a restaurant. Cheers! read more

First things first- the service is great! We had five different waitresses bringing us food, beverages and asking us how we were enjoying our meal. That is quality service. The great thing about it was that they were really nice about everything too. You know what I'm saying like when a waiter/ess kinda shows they don't really want to be there. Well of they five that served on us- all five were great. Next the food, I had the prime rib and Alex's salad with a champagne vignegrette (sp?). The prime rib I woud say was ok (damn you House of Prime Rib in SF, you have ruined me!!!!). They come with "smashed" potatoes and au juis (sp?). Together the meal was delish but as individual components again alright. The salad was very good. Everything on it was fresh (plus cheese on top). The croutons were quite yummy. I actually wanted to ask for more but I had way too much food already. Great menu selection by the way, not overly complicated but still everything you expect with a couple of interesting things. Price was a bit on the high side but due to the service and the look of the place I could see why they would charge what they charge. Again, excellent service! read more

I've only been to J. Alexander's once, 5 years ago, the Wolf Chase area location in Memphis. Our family was literally on the road for a cross country move on my son's birthday, so that was where he chose to dine that night. The menu was vastly different then, and we both ordered steaks which were well worth the price. It was spendy for a chain, but I felt like his night was special, and he enjoyed himself. We don't have a location on my side of the mitten, so I haven't been to this restaurant since. My husband and I ate at this location tonight, and I was sorely disappointed. The menu is a minimalistic disappointment, the options are too limited, and the ambiance of this location can't hold a candle to Wolf Chase. We started with the smoked salmon spread and Alex's salad. The spread and the toasts it comes with are a nice combination. I was worried looking through some Yelp reviews that it would be overdressed and gloopy, but it was lightly dressed, and nicely balanced. A solid choice. The Alex's salad is boring and uninspired, only a point above Red Lobster. Meh. My husband ordered some Acadian fish sandwich off the "chef's" menu. It was $16. For a fish sandwich. It was greasy and a little soggy. The frites were solid, no off taste from the oil (major pet peeve of mine) and nicely cooked. But still. $16. I ordered the filet with a loaded potato and bearnaise. The potato was ok, but suffers from the same issue of my visit 5 years ago, grossly over-salted exterior, which makes the skin inedible. Frustrating. The steak was the real disappointment though. The grain was running the wrong way. Weirdest thing ever. I ordered it medium rare, and it was cool and dark red most of the way through. A little more rare than other places I order. Not a problem for me, but it did detract some from the enjoyment. And it was rife with silver skin. In a tenderloin? Not around. IN. And I would have preferred the pat of compound butter than their bearnaise that was so full of tarragon it was inedible. For $35 for a small steak, a potato and nasty sauce, meh again. I agree with several other posters, go to Ruth's Chris. It's a slightly higher price point, but if you want steakhouse, they do it well, and their steaks are always on point. Almost anything you could want from a steakhouse experience, they have. Including vastly superior desserts. I did order an old fashioned, they don't skimp on the booze. Heavens, I couldn't finish it. They kept my husband's soda topped up, a glass never got below half before he had a refill. Brownie points for that. Sadly, it's not the experience I fondly remembered. They can do better. And until they do, so can you. By going elsewhere. read more

Was at the AMC down the street and we wanted to get a bite after the movie. This was my first time at a J Alexanders's and I wasn't sure what to expect. The 3 people I was with had never been to one either. Was a little bit nicer than we expected but we decided to stay and give it a try. FYI, Entrees are in the $25- $35 range. We all ordered burgers... mine was called the Steakhouse Burger and it came with a huge pile of shoe string fries. The burger was so dang good!!! I have to say it is one of the best burgers I have ever had!! Cooked perfectly to medium, with grilled onions and hot melty cheese, fries were nice and warm and addictive. For $14 I ate half and was stuffed and took the rest home to devour later that night. Server was nice and friendly! I would definitely go back to try more of their menu! read more

I used to love J Alexanders when I worked in Troy , so I figured its a chain what could go wrong. Well my Cosmopolitan made with Stoli were delicious. They have changed their menu in the past 5 years since I last visited, they dont have my favorite chicken salad any more with the best dressing ever I used to love. I tried their spicy thai salad, gross. It has this thick, salty slightly spicy peanut dressing that I sent back because I just could not stomach eating that. The spinach artichoke dip is yummy. I ended up ordering the rattlesnake pasta dish, that has cajan flavoring with peppers and chicken. You can never go wrong with that. My son had the chicken tenders and fries which looked yummy. No processed chicken bits, and the fries were well cooked not too hard . read more

Rattlesnake Pasta - that is all I have to say. Gotta try it (if you can handle some zip). Southwestern spices, peppers, and chicken. Portions are huge. This is what keeps me coming back - because the prices sure aren't. But, I cannot recreate the dish so I have to bite the bullet. read more

The food wasn't bad. But the service was awful the manager molly was especially rude. wasn't worth it and she was very unprofessional

Always delicious at Js. Love my experience each time because the food is always consistently good and staff is always friendly! My ultimate favorite is the spinach dip app and artichoke (not always available in Livonia). I love the Thai salad. You MUST get the carrot cake. Yummmm read more

Great food and service, I'll be back soon. I wish I would've gotten a good picture of my food.

Great atmosphere and superb service. My chicken was a little dry, probably stayed on too long and seasoning was average at best. However my other items, mashed potatoes, calamari, house salad were delicious. Portions are nice sized. Impressive wine list. read more

J Alexander's was overall fine. They were super busy early on a Saturday night but we were able to get seated fairly efficiently. Food: Pretty decent overall. My wife's prime rib was really good as were the smashed potatoes. My filet was good, cooked medium rare, and the baked potato was fine. The queso appetizer we had was good as well. Ambiance: dark/traditional upscale is how I would describe it. Somewhere between a Chilli's and Flemings is kinda where I would put J alxeanders. That being said, some customers felt comfortable wearing soccer sandals to dinner...? Value: Pretty moderate prices- not super expensive but not super cheap or a great value either (ie 30+ for the filet, 16 oz prime rib) Service: Reasonable. Server was nice. Was a little put off by the bill being a loose receipt folded in half and left on our table? Did they run out of the little black folders or something? All in all, a fine place to go for what I would imagine would be fairly straightforward food cooked consistently well in a reasonable atmosphere, with reasonable service. read more

This is part of a chain and it was pretty busy early evening on a Wednesday. I went for a glass of zin from a pretty extensive wine menu. My prime rib was hefty and done just right. All in all a pretty good steak house. read more

I was recommended to J Alexander for "the best cheese burger in the world." I was skeptical, but gave it a shit. I'm not a huge fan of chain restaurants, but this place was alright. I ordered a house salad and side of fries with my cheese burger. There were plenty of other items on the menu I would have liked to try, but I was on a mission. The side salad was AWESOME. It was bigger and better dressed than almost any other I have tried. My only complaint is that the burger came out before I was finished with my salad. Otherwise everything was fine. I wouldn't go as far as saying it was the best burger in the world, but it was good. The fries reminded of me gourmet steak n' shake fries, which I loved. My bartender Lindsey was awesome. read more

Crab cakes were disgusting and overpriced. You get two and the price wasn't even on the menu. $38 going in the trash, such a waste. I had a pineapple juice too and they only filled the small glass half way, forsure not coming back. read more

I know this restaurant is supposed to be good, but not sure how it is "good for groups" when the "biggest group we can accommodate is 6." I wanted to make a reservation for a group of about 15-20, searched "Good for Groups" and got them. Nope, they are not good for groups. read more

When im paying $32 for a filet, I would expect it to be cooked the way I ordered it. I ordered it medium, and got well. My husband ordered medium and got rare. This restaurant used to be good, but the service has gotten way worse too. It took forever to get a drink and be greeted by the waitress. We saw her twice total after that. Never again. read more

Not a good place to make reservations for dinner for any group larger than 4 on a weekend - too bad!

This is one of our favorites! We have been to different locations several times. Every time it's nothing less than fabulous. Wait staff and food are equally awesome. read more

Found this to be an exquisite experience. Started with the chili, and it's the best I've had since my Mothers. You're just going to have to take my word for it when I tell you that this is exceedingly high praise. Then, the Ahi Tuna Salad w/ vinaigrette. Again - delish. The tuna was cooked perfectly. After seeing all the commentary here about their carrot cake, I had to have some, and I couldn't be happier that I did. It seems an unspoken law that restaurants either get the dinner OR the dessert right. Not so here - top notch on both! read more

We came here for a business dinner to enjoy the steaks and wine. Service was wonderful and the atmosphere inviting. My steak was decent and cooked as ordered. A decent place for a decent meal. read more

What do we remember most from our visit? The non-stop replacement of our soft drinks. As soon as you got close to half done, a server swooped in with a new replacement and took the half empty one away. The portions are huge and the food is pretty good, although pricey. The Alex Salad was good with the Champagne Vinaigrette. One of the features of the day was a seared Ahi Tuna Burger - tasty. One comment on service - by the time we got our drinks, at least five people had assisted us. One to open the door to great us, another to assign us to a table, another to seat us, etc., etc. etc. The service was seamless between all of them. read more

Everything about this place was excellent from the ambiance to the meal to the waitstaff. I love when I don't have to ask for refills (take it as you will). I like to know that the waitstaff is paying attention and making sure that my dining experience is a good one. The wife and I both had Manhattans and boy do the bartender know his/her stuff.. One drink was more than enough!! I can only say that everything was great. read more

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Only OK. The steak I had was overcooked-asked for medium rare and got something between medium and well. The service was alright, but they did mess up the sides with our orders and brought some wrong ones. We also asked for the entrees to be brought about 25 minutes after we ordered them to have time to enjoy the appetizer and they showed up in around 10. The food tasted, again, OK. Not super, but not terrible. I think my broccoli was the best thing I had there. The atmosphere was good, warm and inviting. The wine list is pretty extensive, particularly the wine. Service at the bar was good too. read more

This restaurant is really overpriced for the quality of food. Out of a party of four we all ordered different things prime rib, roasted chicken, chicken fingers, and turkey club probably would do better to keep driving north to Friday's for the same food at half the price. The dining room was cluttered with a dozen or so extra chairs, not sure why maybe they were missing a table? The only positive is the service, the server, manager, and hostess were very friendly and professional. read more

One of my favorite places for special occasions. Outstanding food . Pricy but worth it . Drink glasses are never empty no matter who waits on you... no empty glasses . Love it here. Give yourself a treat some night :) read more

Solid Restaurant through and through. Went with a couple of friends for dinner on a Saturday a few months ago. I had the roasted chicken dinner. I was pretty good. Definitely not the best chicken I'd had, but there is ALOT of competition there. Honestly, had the temp been proper, the food would have been excellent. The service however was impeccable and the ambiance was nice as well. read more

I had the chicken tacos and their fries and one of the salads. I would say everything was alright. The fries were so so thin so that was the best thing of the meal. It's pricey and dark. read more

J. Alexander's - New American Near Me - Livonia, Michigan

I LOVE THIS RESTAURANT! Im in California now (been here since 2005) where J. Alexander is non-existent and Im having WITHDRAWALS..4 real! Very GREAT food, the ambiance is nice, & the service is usually perfect! My mom & Aunt dine here so much that they know the Manager and General Manager....& the managers know them by name (yep..they go wayy 2 much)!! But it is well worth it! Prices are definitely reasonable as well!! THE ALEX SALAD IS THE BOMB! & THE KEY LIME PIE IS EXQUISITE!!! U won't be dissapointed! read more

My recent visit to J Alexander's was this Thanksgiving weekend. We made reservations over the phone which were lost. The hostess immediately remedied the situation and my party was seated within five minutes. We were impressed by their immediate action since there was a ninety minute wait for those without reservations. The menu is extensive with plenty of variety from sandwiches to steaks. This time around I had the Veggie Burger which is made in house. It's topped with Monterrey cheese and all the fixings. It comes with shoe string fries on the side. The burger was moist and flavorful. Trust me, you won't ask, 'where's the beef?' on this one. The fries on the other hand were over cooked so they were a bit hard. Our server was fine but seemed a little rushed to turnover our table since they were busy. Overall J Alexander's is a great place for a nice meal. It's step above some of the other chains in the area and doesn't break the bank too much. They are now on OpenTable which is a plus. read more

The food is decent, but there is always a 45+ minute wait even WITH a reservation. This is a very poorly run establishment, which exhibits no respect for its customers. read more

The food and the ambiance was absolutely wonderful. I had the pork tenderloin which was very good, however, their ribs and Thai Kai salad was even better. The servers here were amazing and the food came very quickly. All around it was a great dining experience, in which you get what you pay for. read more

Such a lovely restaurant, never disappointed. Very attentive, accommodating and friendly. read more

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Excellent service! My son and I were in town for a wedding and heard about J.Alexander. We reserved our table on Open Table and waited literally for 5 minutes before we brought back to our table. From there our service was top notch. It was fairly busy, but we were attended to as if we were the only people in the restaurant. The food was delicious on top of that. We ordered the deviled eggs for an appetizer. My son ordered steak tacos and I had Thai salad. To end the night we each had a huge serving of their carrot cake. Omg it was soooo good! I highly recommend this restaurant! Worth every penny! read more

Excellent service. My fiancée ordered the grilled salmon with mashed potatoes and I ordered filet mignon with a side of mashed potatoes. Salmon came with a dressing that meshed very well. The filet mignon came with a dressing on the side that also meshed very well with the steak. Mashed potatoes were delicious. Food came out in a timely manner. The ambience is great as the lights are dimmed. Huge bar to near the entrance. Will definitely com read more

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J's has been a long time go-to favorite of mine, but I have to separate this review into two parts - historical experience and my specific most recent visit. Overall, the food here is almost unparalleled. Many don't know that everything is made from scratch and taste tested daily for quality - and it shows. There has never been anything I've tried that disappointed. Fish sandwich, any of the salads (especially the Thai Kai), the tacos, the crab cakes, even the chicken fingers, the ribs and my god THE FILET - all outstanding! Even the dressings are incredible! Every single dessert is mouthwatering - even those you don't typically like. I have never loved Carrot Cake, but can hardly pass it up when I'm in after having a rouge bite of a friends one time. A great wine list and well crafted cocktails too off the experience. Normally, I'd rave about the service which is typically unsurpassed - immediately greeted by someone, service for everything prompt and a feeling that EVERYONE working there is taking care of you. Unfortunately my last visit consisted of the worst service I have EVER had there and subpar really for any restaurant. Everything was late, the server was unapologetic, had no urgency or ability to read the table and despite the best efforts of the rest of the staff, we were repeatedly looking for or waiting for someone or something. Because I've been here so many times, I'm not dinging my rating too hard and am chalking it up to an anomaly (although I will say I've been coming here for years and never had an issue with the service). Was just disappointing since I'm from out of town and it's one of the few restaurants I really look forward to when I'm back. Hoping it's back up to a five star experience the next time I'm back and still highly recommend! read more