The entire experience was excellent! The staff was great and the food was so good! The chef has a very unique food pairing that really pops...every bite was so great! If you enjoy Spanish influenced food, THIS is the place to try. You won't be disappointed read more

Couldn't have had a lovelier dinner at Lena's. From the nonalcoholic Detroit-made club soda to the unbelievable cod fritters and the asparagus and ham appetizer to the fluffy Spanish cheesecake, all so good! My husband lived in Barcelona for six years and he says the dinner was just as good, if not better, than the food he enjoyed in Spain! read more

Excellent plates and wonderful staff. There is a very pleasant atmosphere in the restaurant. It's busy but not so loud that you can't have a good conversation at your table. Everything we tried was so good but our fav was the octopus! read more

Excellent food, created with the utmost care and finest ingredients. Every dish is crafted individually, per order. You can tell that each recipe was painstakingly crafted by talented chefs who truly care about and love what they do. The ambiance is great, as well; with a warm and inviting atmosphere. The chefs are cooking out in the open, among the guests and watching them work with such skill and precision, crafting each dish in front of us was fascinating. The service was top notch, with a waitstaff that helps guide you through their menu and style of service like an old friend showing you something they love. I got to know one of the chefs, Marcello, while we ate. We shared some common interests and I left feeling like I'd made a new friend. He also taught us about the dishes we were eating, making the experience even more enjoyable. To sum it up, I can't recommend Lena enough. Get there and enjoy a taste of Spain and enjoy the memorable experience! read more

Delicious and exciting! A really sweet little urban spot with high -quality Spanish tapas or full plates. Really well executed and flavorful dishes with a lovely wait staff. Big compliments to Julie! Excellent service and beautiful environment. read more

This place was incredible. Had a great earl grey infused gin drink and the fish with mojo verde capped the whole meal. Really nice pace to everything and great service. I'll be taking out of towners here. The area is really built up from the days of free parking for comerica park. read more

We finally tried this new spot in Brush Park, an area we are thrilled to support, as it continues to develop. Wow! The minutes you walk in and see the open kitchen prep, scan the chalked wine list on the wall, savor the aromas, and take your first browse of the menu -- I'd be shocked if your anticipation doesn't spike. This is an extraordinary place. Our service was warm and just the right touch -- no over explanation of concept but ready to provide, wholly knowledgeable and nimble. Cocktails and wines were just great. All dishes scrumptious. Lots of imagination on flavors but nothing overwrought. We didn't try dessert but should have. Can't wait to return! read more

Leña - Squid relleno. - Spanish Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

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As I review, I focus on accessibility. The only reason for the 4 instead of 5 is that one of the two bathrooms has zero help , while spacious not grab bars to help. The other bathroom does, as I spoke with the manager about this. He was receptive and will look into it. The food and wine were exquisite. We went for dine I. Detroit week and all three of us weee delighted over the deliciousness of each course. I highly recommend giving them a chance as you will be happy and full and kicking your chops ! read more

Service and atmosphere excellent. Empanadilla 15 They were very small for price charged. Albóndigas 15 They were sweet and did not have Catalonian or Spanish flavor. Sweetness of the dish took over the dish. The quail 32 It was very small for the price, and it was undercooked in some areas. Overall, the flavors did not meet the concept (leña). Hopefully, you can take this review to improve your menu. read more

Lena is a very good and classy restaurant. The ambience is great with good and friendly service. The food is like "wow". You know that a lot of preparation went into it. Worth the price! Parking could be difficult but there is garage nearby/same bldg. Make sure to scan the lot QR code so it can be verified when you leave to get refunded. The staff is helpful and they'll tell you how to do it. read more

Lena is a piece of Spain transported to the Brush Park neighbourhood in Detroit. The second you walk in the door, you are immediately greeted with the delicious smells from the open wood burning stove. We were then welcome by the modern beauty of the restaurant; the natural wooden accents of the dining room and the wrap around bar that spans the length of the restaurant. The large bar feature sets the scene for the spanish tapas style menu that the restaurant highlights. The menu is composed of pintxos (small bites) and larger plates. We decided to start our meal with the asparagus dish and grilled pea salad. The asparagus dish was one of the highlights of the evening. When the dish came to the table it did not have a visual appeal, but let me tell you; this dish was unreal. The asparagus is grilled to perfection and topped with the most decadent umami cheese foam. We agreed we had never eaten something that tasted so rich yet felt so light on the palate. The salad was also delicious as it was a combo of smoky vegetables tossed with light greens and dressed in a perfectly balanced vinaigrette. We then had the Spanish tortilla, stuffed squid and grilled shrimp. If you have never eaten Spanish tortilla this is definitely something worth ordering as it is a very traditional Spanish bar snack. Spanish tortilla is mixture of potato and egg baked into a pie. If you ever take a trip to Barcelona, a slice of this pie is offered on most restaurant and bar menus. Another favourite dish was the stuffed squid. The squid was stuffed with a seafood farse (minced seafood mix) and lightly kissed by the grill. The squid is then adorned with a tantalizing squid ink sauce and it swam in a bright roasted red pepper sauce. There is not much to say about the shrimp other than the fact that they were fresh, juicy and cooked perfectly. From the service to the ambiance to the food, Lena is doing it right! I don't often give a restaurant five stars but Lena certainly won my heart. lol read more

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Food was great, service was great, cocktails were delicious.The first category on the menu are tapas. We had the croquets, the crab stuffed peppers and epanadillas. The croquets were amazing highly recommend they were so soft and warm we got a second helping of them. The second category is share sized. We had the octopus and the hongos mushroom. The octopus was cooked perfectly. We got a second helping of that too. The mushroom (hongos) was so well cooked and the hazelnut sauce was spicy sweet. We finished with the basque cheesecake in olive oil which was great. I had wine and the options were very nice. My husband loved the sangria. The coco cabana is an old fashioned which just tasted like an old fashioned. Overall would recommend. Warning the sangria is dangerously good so beware!! read more

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Since a birthday trip to Barcelona, I have missed the food. This place is the first place in Michigan that actually reminds me of Spain. The atmosphere is chic and the service is excellent. Food was very good. I can't to go back. read more

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This place rocks. The service, the food, and the ambiance- all top notch. I will be going next time I'm in Detroit. Had several friends go recently and they all said the same thing. read more

A waste of time and $$ ! Made reservations and hostess could not find them. Parking instructions were to be scanned and complicated ! Short menu with poor choices and quality . We left hungry and with teary, red eyes from the smoke coming all over from the open kitchen . Chewy and raw like appetizers overpriced . Don't be fooled by the very few positive reviews ! read more

Great atmosphere. We sat at the kitchen rail and enjoyed seeing the pros in action. Great taste combinations and cocktails. Personal & professional service. Steady stream of patrons. read more

Leña - 1st course. - Spanish Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

We went for dinner last night. Ambiance was nice, the fire smells amazing! We had a new server but she did a pretty good job. We wanted to do the wagyu feast but they were out of it so we got shareable plates. Everything was fantastic except the steak. It was so tough. We literally could not even cut through it, and really had no flavor. Market price was $130. Probably one of the worst steaks I've ever had in my life, especially for that price. read more

Came here for our first time recently. We had a good experience overall. The service and ambiance were on point. The drinks were all fantastic. Had the sangria and one of their house made gin and tonics. We loved the octopus and sausage appetizers. Lots of flavor and the perfect bite. We also loved the escarole salad! I was disappointed in our main entree, the steak. They said they cook it their version of medium rare which is usually how we order, but this was rare... i couldn't even eat it. I hate complaining so we just kept it as is, but overall didn't love the flavor of it either. We also got the rice dish to pair with the steak, which was good but definitely have to have a palette for the flavors. Great new spot overall for Brush Park! read more

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Really great place! Limlim was our waiter. She was funny and delightful and she was knowledgeable about the food and drinks.. The menu was set up for shared plates so everyone was able to experience each dish. We were a party of six and they cheerfully gave us each a separate bill. read more

Leña - Spanish tortilla with Ibérica Ham and sofrita. - Spanish Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

I can't imagine how anyone would rate this restaurant less than 5 stars. We absolutely love it! We sit at the bar and have always had the best service and food. This is not your typical beef/chicken/fish restaurant so if you don't like to try new things, please stay home. Most everything is cooked open fire and highly recommend the pork chop, octopus, and recently, the steak. The fat on the ribeye melts in your mouth! Don't forget dessert as you will not be disappointed. Keep up the excellent work and we'll return! read more

Overall we really enjoyed this restaurant! The cocktails were great. The bartender was very knowledgeable and friendly. The vibe was very cool. The food was really good. I would do 4 1/2 stars if I could. We just found a few things to be overly salted. My favorite was the summer mushrooms and the beet tartare. I'm not even a big fan of beets but this was something else. Well done Lena! read more

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I'll start on a positive note. All food we had was delicious and the main course (Icelandic cod) was even exceptional. Cocktails were good. Slowly transitioning into a less positive part of our experience. We (a party of 2 people) ordered 5 Negroni cocktails on Hendrick's gin - pretty basic type (not from the restaurant's signature cocktail list though) and one cocktail from their signature cocktail list. Negroni ended up to be $18 in the bill while signature cocktail with MORE expensive market prices for each of its ingredients was $15. Because obviously for places who don't care to build a long term reputation an order of something even pretty basic which is not on the menu allows this "fair and transparent" establishment to charge guests whatever. We were also charged for 2 cocktails (of course overpriced Negroni's) which we never had. It was my husband's birthday which we made our waitress Mar aware of. The candle was put in his dessert. I'll be fair - we were not billed for the candle . We were billed for everything else which we did order + 2 overpriced cocktails which we DID NOT order. Of course, it was fixed since we pointed it out. Well, at the end it all left us with a pity for the place with a good chef and not that good management - obviously it is a management issue. Detroit restaurant scene is on the rise and pretty competitive at the moment, this kind of mistakes of work ethic which could easily be avoided with proper management will most likely come at a cost. read more

We had a fabulous dinner at Lena which included the crudo del dia, lamb, sweet potato, squid ink with rice, dorado and chicken. Everything tasted awesome! Service was great too! read more

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The food was highly overpriced for the quality and quantity, even for a tapas restaurant. The menu is extremely small and limited. I appreciate the fact that the restaurant offers free parking, the service was great, and the ambiance was nice. However, I spent $60 per person and still left hungry. Honestly, the best menu item was the bread. read more

First time and will return. Food is served tapas style. Our server, Maureen, was very knowledgeable about the menu and ingredients used in the dishes. Highly recommend the asparagus and the grilled octopus. Every dish we tried had a different and enjoyable sauce. Wish we had ordered the 20 ounce ribeye but will get that next time. Love the atmosphere and open kitchen concept too. Kudos to Chef Eric and his crew. read more

I recently visited Lena, and I have to say, it exceeded my expectations in every way. Initially, when my wife made the reservation, I glanced at the menu and didn't see much that immediately caught my eye. However, we ended up ordering almost half of the menu, and everything was packed with flavor, way better than I had expected. From the moment I walked in, I could tell the place was very professional. The staff moved efficiently around the visible kitchen, and it was clear that everything was being done with precision. The first dish that came out was the salt cod, and I immediately knew that we were in for a great experience. The flavors were deep and complex, setting the tone for the rest of the meal. The maitake mushrooms were definitely a standout, probably my favorite dish of the night. But then again, the brochetas de cordero (lamb skewers) I think ended up as my favorite . The lamb was grilled over an open flame, and the smoky char added a fantastic depth of flavor. I thought I should mention the salad. It was not my favorite dish of the night, but it was dressed nicely. I also need to mention the lettuce was perfectly green, while you might think this is not worth mentioning, we have been to a couple nice places lately that have had brown lettuce- who is not checking dishes before they go out? Most of the dishes had fresh herbs as a garnish, they were so green it looked like they have a grow room in the back. Drinks were also on point. I had an Old Fashioned-style drink (count rugen), and it was perfectly balanced, I liked the amaro in it. I appreciated that it came with a large clear ice cube. While this might seem like a small detail, some nice places I've been to lately have had cloudy ice, which is a real turn-off. My wife had a gin drink but she thought hers was a little to acidic. The one dish I didn't like was the stuffed squid. It was cooked fine, but didn't have flavor and texture contrast of the rest of the dishes. The waitress asked about it since we ate everything except the squid. She took it off the bill without me even asking. Service was great, which is appreciated more now than 5 years ago. The prices were very fair especially compared to Barda or Vecino, and Lena is definitely on par with those places. We didn't know about parking validation so we parked on a side street and walked in the cold, but now I know after reading the other reviews. Overall, every dish was thoughtfully prepared, with tons of flavor in every bite. I was surprised there aren't more Spanish restaurants around because the flavors are unique but not too out there for most people. It seems like there's definitely room in the market for more restaurants exploring this type of cuisine. read more

Came to Detroit with a friend to run the international 1/2 this weekend. Leña had solid reviews so we made reservations. We thoroughly enjoyed our dining experience! We ordered several dishes to share. Favs were the lamb appetizer (Brochetas de Cordero), the green goddess salad (ensalada verde), and the Halibut was superb! The drinks were also creative and delicious. Our server, Jacqueline was darling, super efficient and her input on dishes supported our overall excellent experience! read more

Leña - Halibut - Spanish Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

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Lena is a beautiful, bright restaurant in Brush Park! It can get hot in the restaurant when the sun is setting because the kitchen is in the dining room. We started with a couple cocktails which were really solid! They are 90% small plates / tapas style true to Spanish culture. We did the octopus and tortilla espanola to start and those were by far our favorites. For mains we did the pez espada and calamares rellenos; the swordfish tasted burnt to me, I think slightly less time over the open fire would have made it much better. The calamari was very good but also very fishy (not in a bad way, but you better like calamari if you pick this dish). Solid dinner overall. read more

Wonderful experience. Cocktails are definitely worth it. Parking was a mess but that's Detroit. read more

Leña - Spanish Expresso Martini - Spanish Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

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Extremely overpriced for what we were served. The food was average, the place felt like it was trying too hard. Everything I could myself at home. Could be chill for wine but the food was very mid. read more

Lena is open and surpassed our expectations. Detroit doesn't have many options for Spanish food and I believe this is the first restaurant that also has food from the Basque region. We had five items and all of them were excellent. The first was the Basque sausage which is two pieces served on crostini. Excellent. Then we had the octopus. Wow....amazing. Extremely tender, slightly charred and perfectly seasoned, we will get this every time so go to Lena. We then shared the stuffed hen and the patata bravas. Both excellent as well and the hen is a large dish which can easily be shared between two people. We had the canas for dessert and they were light, the crème was delicious and the perfect end to a terrific meal. Our server was Kody who we learned is actually the Bar Manager but was filling in. Top notch service. Some of the best we've had in a long time. Overall Lena is the best new restaurant we have tried so far this year and I think we've been to all of the new openings. Excellent food, nice atmosphere and perfect service. We'll be regulars. read more

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The front host was rude and unprofessional. Despite stating on their website that parking was included, there were only about 8 available spots. read more

FANATIC. From the moment you walk in the door it's a wonderful experience. Super friendly host, great bartenders, outstanding wine list (all Spanish as well it should be) & it's a beautiful restaurant. We had the bacalao, one of my favs, , grilled radicchio salad, I wanted to lick the plate, stuffed squid, it was perfection & finished it all off with the heavenly orange cake. Can't wait to return. read more

We were really looking forward to this place. The good: the environment, the perfect level of music, the service and servers. The bad: menu. It takes awhile and a lot of questions to figure it out. Too few selections. The ugly: prices. $18! for a seasoned bibb salad on a small plate with too big leaves and a few nuts. Yes, just dressing! 'White' gazpacho $20! Small bowl. We finished and went across the street to the Bodega. Read THAT review!! read more

This is a must try in the city. The food is phenomenal! The options are endless when it comes to dining in the city, but not all dining spots are top quality. This is high on my list next to a few other gems this city has to offer. read more

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Absolutely fantastic!!! From the moment of our arrival, we were treated like welcome and valued guests. The service was exceptional, the food was incredible, and the vibe was spot on!! Can't wait to come back. read more

Six of us went before seeing a play at the Fisher Theatre. Had plenty of time to relax. Our server was helpful and friendly. We ordered many apps to share and had wine and cocktails. The trout dip was amazing as were the mushrooms. Would skip the sweet potato tempura though and empanadas It Both were highly recommended yet we didn't like them. so many different things to try definitely will be back read more

We enjoyed our dinner here. The food, service, and ambience are very good. A fun selection of Spanish wines and interesting gin and tonics like what I have seen in Spain. Our favorite dishes were the little gem salad and the mushrooms, also the turbot and the octopus were delicious. On a negative note the market priced flank steak was $85.00. We didn't ask the price ahead and wouldn't think of flank steak and potatoes coming in at $85.00. This was not a good value so be sure to ask about market pricing on items where the price isn't noted. Desserts were excellent too but portions are small. read more

It was really nice, food was amazing, service could be better. Waitress was not very polite