We had an outstanding dinner experience. The onion soup was one of a kind. It had a unique flavor and texture. My wife ordered the crispy duck and I ordered the chateaubriand tips in a garlic honey sauce. My wife does not like beef but one taste and she basically took over my meal. The duck was really delicious . Had leftovers for lunch. The meat was still tender and incrediby delicious. read more

Great service, excellent food. The waitress was very personable and helped my friends and I enjoy a nice night out!

Michael John"s being the top of our favorites we were concerned with them being closed during the pandemic. Happily they are open for carryout with specials. We tried Chicken Marsala one night ( very Good) and last night we had Cabernet Beef Tips, this is my favorite and Michael really lived up to his reputation. It was exquisite beef was tender with mushrooms and gravy, mashed and steamed vegs. Called the order and it was ready and piping hot when I arrived. I must say that AHI tuna is my all time favorite, however, the meals stated above are all outstanding. Thank you again Michael read more

This is the best restaurant in Bradenton in my opinion. The food is excellent and service is first rate. If you want a quiet dinner with someone special this is the place. I wish I could eat there once a week. read more

We just happened to be in the neighborhood and stopped in. this restaurant is a hideaway but well worth the find The atmosphere was quaint like a nice small intimate bistro. The wait staff was extremely courteous and very attentive. My husband had the Dell Monaco which was well prepared and very flavorful and I had the dock which was prepared perfectly. I would highly recommend to anyone traveling in this area. read more

Michael John's - French-American Steakhouse - New American Near Me - Bradenton, Florida

This was an interesting restaurant to review and was very torn about the star rating. So, let me start by saying that I probably would never have chosen this place to have dinner at. It's off the beaten path and not near anything I'm familiar with. It's sort of tucked behind a convenient store and apartment complex. And from the outside doesn't look like much. Annnnnnd, doesn't look like much on the inside either. Very dated and musty and old. But not in a good way. In a, I'm in the basement of my grandma's house kind of way. It was eerily quiet and offered very little in the way of ambience. I had little expectation for this place as I sat down. But, in all honesty, the food was pretty good. We had a large party with us and ordered a bunch of stuff off the menu. Everything was tasty. All were generous portions and the steaks were cooked nicely. So, I'm very torn on this review because the food wasn't half bad. Tasted like a real cook or chef knew what they were doing back in the kitchen. But it was pricey. And if I'm going to pay upwards of $40 and entree, then I expect ambiance and great decor and lighting and the whole nine yards. There are so many beautiful, amazing restaurants nearby that I would have to choose over this one. Give this place a facelift and some good music and maybe a few specialty cocktails and you'd have a real gem. read more

Hole in the wall restaurant!! If you haven't tried mjs you must!! You can cut the filet with a butter knife, enough said.

I agree with the other reviews on here this place is definitely a hidden gem! Make a reservation unless you don't mind sitting at the bar. I sat at the bar and it was still very great service and atmosphere! The food was simply amazing and I was thoroughly happy. Order the sinful fondue dessert--- you will be happy you did! read more

This would easily have been a five had it not been for a blatant disregard for the fact we had a reservation. This night on the town was a celebration for us. We were seated at the worst seat in the house, by a door into the kitchen which was very active. It seemed as though we were treated as unexpected guests: waited a very long time to be greeted by wait staff; we had to ask for bread. The atmosphere is upscale, but inviting. We dressed appropriately while others were in jeans and very casual shirts. I believe another couple may have received our table, which was off putting too. Having ranted and raved, I concede that the food was well prepared. My wife had a signature dish of crab cakes with no filler; I had the filet Pinot which had a Gorgonzola topping that complemented the meat very nicely. Meat was cooked perfectly to order. We recommend the restaurant but are disappointed by the fact that we had a reservation and it seemed like we were treated like walk ins. We will probably choose another restaurant for a celebration, in spite of the delicious good! read more

Over Priced for what you get. Had the Filet Mignon. Take off all that French Sauce and lets see how it taste. Cooked as I like it but smothered in sauce. I like Tabasco on my steak, Sorry Michael. Been cooking for 30 years myself, would never put that much sauce on a steak. Everything else was so so. Noisy but then all the places around are noisy unless you go to Burn's in Tampa. Now I will say the Mussels were off the chart. That white wine they were basking in was ....WOW.... The Salad, well, some edges browning and a bit on the wilted side. Must be sitting near the heat lamps. Didn't look fresh. Overall it was ok. Nothing to write home about. If you happen across the place it will do but to seek it out as the grail of the culinary world....NOT. read more

Would have been a five had the sides been better and the steak have a little crust. That being said it was one of the best Filet Mignon I have ever had-extremely tender. Need to have different options for Brie appetizer without honey and/or nuts. read more

We went last night with another couple. I told the waiter I couldn't have sugar, gluten, white potatoes and carrots, plus other high sugar foods. They were very accommodating and brought out pears and raspberries at the beginning of the meal, but I can't have pears and don't care for raspberries, so I asked for strawberries and they brought them out. Everyone else had the little cup of soup and bread. The bread smelled really good. I ordered the filet mignon with shrimp and got mushrooms as my side. My husband got the delmonico ribeye with asparagus and steak rings aka onion rings. It took a while to get our main dishes. In fact we ended up being there for 2 hours or so, but since we were mainly there to hang out with our friends, that was fine. My filet mignon was extremely tender. You could cut it with a fork and it melted in my mouth. It was seasoned very differently than I"m use to though, it tasted rather sweet and had a subtle flavor that reminded me of my mother's Sunday roasts growing up. They said it had garlic, but I didn't really taste it. The shrimp were a smaller portion than expected, only 4. The first one tasted a bit fishy to me, but the other 3 were fine. They were ok, but I was hoping for better. The mushrooms portion was also much smaller than expected, but it tasted very good, so I wish I would have gotten 2 orders of it. It was very sweet as well. My husband said his delmonico seemed like it was an odd cut, but it was good and he could tell it was a prime cut. It didn't have the seasoning he was used to. He normally gets his steak spicy. I tried one bite, but liked my filet mignon better. The asparagus was sweet and my husband didn't care for them, but I tried one and they were extremely tender. The flavoring wasn't my favorite though either. My husband said the steak rings were yummy. The only real issue I had was there were some smokers hanging out in the patio area and when I went out the smoke was very strong. If I could add one thing to the menu, it would be sweet potato fries! They make every meal delicious. read more

We went for our anniversary. Had a 5 pm reservation. Never acknowledged our anniversary, sat us at an OK table. One away from the kitchen. Bread was great as well as oyster app. Dinner was disappointing. Husbands ribeye was more fat than steak. My filet Oscar was good but not lump crab and I was told lobster risotto could be my side , but was charged $18 for the appetizer size and never got my free potato option. We had high hopes but unfortunately not impressed. read more

We had a pleasing experience at MJ's. We arrived a few minutes before our reservation and we were seated immediately (I wasn't exactly happy with our table because it was very loud where we were seated and most of the restaurant was empty). I was amazed at the teamwork of the servers (we had three different servers assist us). The complimentary taste of broccoli cheddar soup was a delightful surprise but in my opinion the texture was a little off. The complimentary bread was a little boring for my liking. My Delmonico steak was great (cooked to the perfect temperature & seasoned well). The potato gratin was good and cheesy however I wasn't blown away by the vegetables (they were a little bland and cold). The brussel sprouts & onion rings could have used slightly more seasoning. The upside down pineapple cake w/ice cream was warm and satisfying. Seems like this place is popular with older locals. Nice alternative to driving to Tampa to Bern's. Not better than Bern's, of course, but it's worth going. read more

So, wifey only wants seafood since we moved to Florida but I had to get my steak fix. We came during off season (August) and sat right away. Our server was super friendly. So upon chit chat we find out the owner is (also) from New Jersey like us. We have our server go in the kitchen and ask Michael "what exit?" Which is a NJ staple of you meet someone out of town. We now have a friend for life. Did I mention the food was great? Escargot, French onion soup, the lobster special and the 8oz filet were all perfect!!!!! We will be back....OFTEN! read more

a bit loud and dark on first entering although pleasantly greeted and seated. the amuse bouche was delicious, creamy fish chowder of some kind..started with the dirty caesar salad which came overly salted and with stale rather than crispy lettuce, the enitre salted was poorly thought out, then ordered the salmon special, layered on fettucine...severely over salted although the salmon was of good quality and the fettucine well cooked.. also ordered the 8 ounce filet mignon with gorgonzola... sadly also severely over salted even after removing the gorgonzola cheese to the side..the mashed potatoes under the filet were poorly done, with poor consistency and a lack of butter.. could have been a decent meal had the chef watched his salt shaker more closely read more

I can't leave Florida without saying something about this spot. Took the whole Family and a few friends to this place and it didn't disappoint. Everyone enjoyed the food and the atmosphere was great. I had the streak and it was the best I ever had. You need to make this trip to this place. Definitely this will be a must for me everytime I'm in Florida visiting Family!!! read more

This place is a hidden gem. The food was awesome. Portion size was just right. The staff was friendly and attentive to our needs. Started the meal off with a palate pleaser as they called it. Which was great especially when you dipped their crunchy bread in it. A must have is the pear salad with the goat cheese. One of the best I've ever had. I suggest you visit this place at least once to see for yourself. We will definitely be going back. read more

First time to this restaurant and since it was an expensive place I expected a lot, good food, good service, and a great place to eat. Food was good but not exceptional, good service but when we told our waiter that the side that was upgraded to was not good, he didn't take it off. ($3) This looks to be an older house turned into a restaurant which is nice but we were placed by the front door and the restaurant was not busy. Would we go back? I guess maybe? When you go to an expensive restaurant you expect more, so I have to say we did not get it on this night. read more

Had dinner there and will say that it was one of the nicest dinning experiences that I've had since coming to Florida. The service was outstanding and the food very special indeed. I ordered the filet mignon and it was incredible. The sample soup starter was memorable and I'll be sure to order a cup next time in Michael John's....which will be sooner rather than later. Do yourself a favor and dine there again soon too . read more

This place is definitely a hidden treasure! The mood and atmosphere is this restaurant was very relaxing and romantic- perfect for a monthly date night! Great food and service! read more

We had an excellent meal there last night. Sheer perfection. Our servers, Maddy and Gloria were amazing! Extremely attentive. No detail overlooked..we felt absolutely pampered!! We will be back, and HIGHLY recommend this restaurant. read more

Came here for a special occasion dinner. The food was OUTSTANDING. The service is impeccable. My stuffed flounder was perfectly cooked and seasoned. The mashed potatoes were super creamy. Could have a little more salt, but very good. Veggies were steamed and seasoned not mushy and bland. My husband's Delmonico steak was cooked perfectly rare. His also came with mashed potatoes and veggies. It's a pricey place, so not anywhere we would go on a weekly basis, but will definitely be back for the next big occasion. Thank you for making our 25th anniversary dinner very special. read more

Food, service, and atmosphere were excellent. Would recommend and will be a regular there. Best calamari I've had.

MJs majors in consistncy.There Feb 13 extremely busy..The staff had multiple fine wine choices.Sat us within 15 minutes of our final seating for the pm time. The duck is always primo.as is the escargot and cordon blu. .been there at least 25 times over the years...and will continue to support Michael. read more

Tried a new restaurant in a new city to us!!!! Hubby came home and said he thought he had found a small bar on the river. Turned out to be a small higher level restaurant. Food is very good , mean Very Good. We had giant scallops, with mashed potatoes and veggies. Had a salad which was also Very good. Usually a salad is just that, but it actually had taste. Could use a better beer supply but ............ will have to go back and try other dishes. Will be back for further reports, when?????. See you later. read more

We have been coming here for 4 years now and every time the food quality is the best. Service Sergio was great. My daughter had the Duck which she loves. I had the Chicken John which is amazing and my husband has the filet which was had creamy goat cheese and Dijon mustard on top of it - which he savored each bite. If you are looking to treat your self or someone this is the place! We have sent our friends here and they also give glowing reviews. This is the place you don't want to miss out on. Special occasions or not - go for it! You will be raving about this place and make it a place you come back to over and over. Thank you MJ's for never changing the quality and level of service. Cant wait to return again and again. read more

agoDon't waste your money here!! My girlfriend and I wanted to go there for our anniversary. We called the night before to confirm our reservation and table we requested and were told we were all set and the table would be ready. When we arrived we were told our table was given away because they had VIPS walk in. We requested a booth and half table to be comfortable. Sergio (manager) said they do get VIPS in and it does happen. We could come back 2 hours and it might be ready or have a full booth which would not work or a table which is less comfortable. We were upset and decided to leave and requested the owner to call us. John (owner) called us and said that both his staff and manager was wrong and needed to be trained, but only offered an apology and did NOTHING to make it up to us and said "we offered you another table knowing we would be uncomfortable" some customer service!!! Hope they go out of business!! read more

Just tried this place for the first time. Appetizers were great and the same for the salads. Entrees were a bit of a let down my husbands steak was under cooked and my dinner was luke warm to taste and cool in the middle. Stuffed fish should really be hot all the way through. Vibe is a little confusing window has a lit beer sign but inside is well decorated fine dining. Overall ok and staff was very pleasant. The wine is marked up quite a bit stags leap Artemis is 50. at total wine and 130. With dinner. We will probably try it one more time and make up our minds. read more

The dirty Cesar salad was wilted but everything else was delicious Make a reservation before you go. We sat at the bar. read more

If ahi tuna is on the menu, try it. It's like velvet in your mouth. The spinach and mashed potatoes added to the wonderful meal. Or try the beef tips. I never can finish them but that's great because I love them the next night at home! It's our go-to place and we are so thankful MJs has survived the pandemic closings. read more

We walked in without a reservation. The hostess was not very nice. She said they aren't taking walk ins. No sorry. No would you like to make a reservation for another night. I guess they don't want my business. read more

Kind of dissapointed. Had the Alaskan cod, it was overcooked and the lemon butter sauce had no flavor at all. Won't be going back.

hello,stopped by after doing some shoping ,was greeted by a friendly staff ,although we did not have reservation we were able to have dinner ,the complimentary soup was very good and the bread was fresh and tasty..my wife had the filet mignon burger and i had the cod ..both meals were given to us promptly and they were very good ......we were hungry in that food was perfect ,,,,,,we plan to come back and try the appetizers,entrees and the desserts ,,very happy with the food and service !!!!!!! read more

Omg, this place is definitely a hidden gem! Celebrating my bday we found this place and tried it because reviews were good ! That is an understatement , the filet is out of this world tender, the mashed potatoes and fresh veggies were awesome! We ordered the bread and garlic for appetizer, great as well! we kept some for our steaks! Pear salad is super fresh with their vinaigrette!! We have found a new gem!! Toast to the chef!!! Prefix Friday is well worth it!!! read more

We ordered petite fillet with the 7 oz Msine lobster tail everything was cooked perfectly. You gotta try the appetiser that has melted goat cheese with cherry and honey as it was amazing. read more

We went to MJs for my husband's birthday. I heard so many good things, I got my hopes up. Unfortunately, all hopes were dashed. It was an overpriced dinner at Applebees at best. read more

I had the "Brasserie" Chicken Sandwich (Breaded and fried chicken breast topped with melted Gruyere cheese (Swiss), crispy bacon and honey mustard sauce. One French bun with lettuce and heirloom tomato). Oh my the chicken breast was SO good! Very juicy and tender. I would definitely come back. The wait staff was very friendly. The only downside was they didn't have a high chair. read more

Really solid. Great experience. Not many places in the area that i know of that offer the old school continental cuisine. One of the best crab cakes i've ever had. A complimentary amuse bouche which was excellent. Generous portions of cabernet filet tips for my date and i had a great cordon blu chicken. Complex flavors, heavy food, very comforting. I would highly reccomend this place to anyone who is in the mood for classic stuff. Steaks, taters, chicken, and a great looking dessert menu. The staff was super friendly and has been trained better than average on proper points of service. read more

Today was a "rerun". We visited MJ's back in February, and it was not a nice experience. MJ contacted us, and told us that it was not representative of what he wants to put out, and to give him another chance. So, we did! Tonight was a totally different experience. Our table was in the the main room, and much better than the bar. Waitresses were attentive and knowledgeable. It seems they are now pouring their rocks pours in more standard sized glasses. My rib-eye steak was perfect, and the others were happy with their meals except the lobster tail was still very "petite" to be nice, but tasty. Desserts were delicious. read more