Cool little place.. A diner with Mexican food. Fast service, only had the chilaquiles they were not like the traditional chilaquiles that I am used to from my family but the tomatillo sauce was delicious. They tasted more like nachos with a warm tomatillo sauce drizzled all over. Traditional chilaquiles are simmered in the sauce with freshly fried tortilla chips and tend to have a more "soagy" textured so the sauce kinda "marinates"with the chips and are topped with cheese, onions and sour cream Basically like eating an enchilada. But this crunchy version was a suprise and I really liked their take on it either way. The horchata drink was pretty average. Just the right amount of sweet. I'll definitely come back to try the rest of the menu. If you're used to true authentic Mexican this might not impress you but it's definitely a unique experience to try at least once. read more

OWL - Chilaquiles - Mexican Near Me - Royal Oak, Michigan

Yummy breakfast, lunch, and dinner options here in a quirky diner atmosphere. There is limited seating, so not great for groups larger than 4. Our food arrived quickly and was good! Seemed like the chips were made in-house (they were kind of chewy, could be improved upon) but the pico de gallo was top notch. The loaded fries were good, but a massive amount of food, so if you order them be prepared for that. The cheese sauce was delicious and very good with the chips and salsa as well. I was skeptical about my chicken tacos initially, but they were moist and flavorful, and quite a considerable portion (3 decent-sized tacos) The torta was unusual -- I'm used to seeing them resembling a sandwich on a bun, but this looked like a giant, sauce-covered grub. It was a generous portion and tasted good, but set your expectations for...not really a sandwich. I'd return for a quick meal if there were seating available. Plenty of other spots nearby and not worth a wait IMO. read more

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Updated review: got takeout tonight. It wasn't letting me place an order via the toast app so I called it in. I got the chicken fried chicken sandwich and steak cut cheese fries. My fiancé got the chicken fried chicken egg sandwich and the breakfast hash, and then a random side of a fried chicken breast. My chicken fried chicken sandwich was amazing, and my fiancé agreed that his fried chicken breast was delicious. Will definitely order that again. His chicken fried chicken egg sandwich was very messy, as the egg was over medium and very runny. The cheese for the cheese fries came on the side due to it being carry out, which I was totally fine with. The cheese itself tasted delicious but the fries were pretty mushy. Overall, better experience than last time. I'm still thinking about how delicious that chicken fried chicken sandwich is! read more

OWL - Chicken tacos with no onions, covered in onions :( - Mexican Near Me - Royal Oak, Michigan

great food and the place is always open! we always stop by after a concert or event and we can always count on Owl to serve some awesome food! Love the avocado toast read more

Great food. Love the nachos -- they're quite unique. Consistent. I still wonder what O.W.L. Stands for... read more

Honest to God Owl might have the best bacon cheeseburger I have ever had. EVER! It has this spice to it, and the bun is amazing. I also really like their chicken. It's so moist and flavorful. You also must try the cheese fries! This has become a regular spot for my family and I. read more

OWL - Chicken burrito - Mexican Near Me - Royal Oak, Michigan

The food was absolutely amazing and Joseph, who took our order, made our experience unforgettable with his magnetic personality!

Have to change my review because the Food today was by far the worst food I've ever eaten. A waste of money. Nachos didn't have all the ingredients. The chicken sandwich was chewy not crispy. The bread of the cheeseburger and chicken sandwich not fresh. Very disappointed - I really use to love this place... read more

Delicious food, great service! Only complaint I have is so minimal, but the music can be really loud when it is slower in there.

Beautiful food. Full of taste. Tasty homemade nachos & sauce. I really enjoyed the sauces (names unknown ) The chicken was moist & seasoned well. The fries are great. The service was pretty good. read more

This place blew my mind! A small place filled with nothing but amazing food. My friend took me here for my birthday and we wanted to get some brunch. Well I did and she went with nachos. I went with eggs and potatoes since you can never really go wrong with that. But the potatoes they use are better than anywhere I've been before. My friend said it was one of the best nachos she's ever had. The grilled cinnamon buns were to die for. The staff were super friendly to everyone who waked in the door. I for sure will be coming back to this place very often. You really can't pass up a place like this. read more

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The Owl is our spot for quick, tasty, reasonably priced food. We can get 3 of the best authentic tacos in town for $8 and barely be able to finish them since it's so much food. That takes about 20 min. In and out. No Problem Update: I've moved on from tacos to eating the Macha Wings. Best wings I've ever had. Period. read more

Best burger I've had in a long time! Would highly recommend to anyone in the area. Cool vibe, fast service, amazing food.

O.W.L. is pretty legit. It may just be the coolest 24 hour restaurant I've ever been to. It defies the stereotypes of a standard diner, both in looks and in content. The menu is pretty simple, but also manages to be a bit confusing... this is really because the dishes are a bit more complex than the manually arranged plastic letters allow for easy display. That said, it's not hard to figure it out or to ask for help from the cashier. They also tend to have a few Tacos of The Day, which present a solid value for the price. Keto/ Low Carb folks: a lot of the dishes on the menu are pretty carb heavy, but if you want to get creative, I'd say get the egg sandwich with avocado, chorizo, and bacon (w/o the bun). The quality of the food is exceptional, even if the price ends up being on the high side. I love OWL, but I do have two complaints: 1.) There simply is not enough room inside the restaurant to handle the late night crowd. There are two tables, and a row of bar style seating along the windows. For the longest time I'd only ever been to OWL at the end of the night (2am+), and hated the fact that it was always impossible to find seating. Stopped by for an early dinner one weekday and found it to be such a pleasant dining experience! 2.) How do they get away with such a bright sign?! I must sound like an old person telling kids to get off my lawn, but I legitimately have no idea how they're allowed to have such a bright sign directly facing traffic. Anyway, check out OWL! I don't think you'll regret it! read more

OWL - Egg Sandwich with Bacon, Avocado, and Chorizo - Mexican Near Me - Royal Oak, Michigan

Good gravy! Wait, not literally gravy unless we're talking the cheese sauce then yuuuuummmmmo! Let's just say fried chicken breakfast with an egg and said cheese sauce on top!!!! WITH cilantro potatoes!!!! Mouthwatering!!! I realize mom and pop is my theme but I can't help it. You get eek from chains, mostly, in my experience. Which is a lot! Go her! Enjoy! You'll wanna miss my face! read more

This is one of my favorite places to go at night. Just steer clear of the Buffalo wings. Dry rub wings are perfect (if they remember the blue cheese). Take your food to go restaurant is cute, but very cozy. Great chicken sandwiches too. Service is pretty good especially considering they are usually crowded. Avocado toast is simply delicious. read more

I have been meaning to stop in for a few years now. So glad I did today. Bfast sandwich spot on for those of us who want fresh, different, awesome flavor read more

I was expecting so much better when I came here today, and I guess I've had better meals. I'm not sure what the draw is, but this place seems to not be what I anticipated. I came in and was immediately surprised at how small it was. It's set up like a diner, with extremely limited seating. I was told to place my order at the end, and then they would call my name when my food was ready. I scoured the menu and saw a few things that caught my eye, but ended up getting the 3 chicken tacos instead. I guess they have taco of the day, and was sad when I couldn't get beef tacos like I had wanted. The tacos were okay, but nothing really to write home about. I mean, they weren't terrible, but I was expecting something a lot better. I was also hoping for a side of beans or rice, but no such thing. Was I full when the meal was done? Yes. Did I love it? NO. Fortunately, the tables turned over quickly, but seating in here is tight. Menu was okay, and I don't know that I'm interested in coming back to try anything. It seems to be hip with a much younger early 20 something crowd from what I noticed. I wasn't all that impressed, but the staff was super friendly. read more

OWL - Chicken tacos - Mexican Near Me - Royal Oak, Michigan

Food is great I love lunch specials. Service is always good and atmosphere is unique, very small but quaint. Love sitting at the snack bar right off Woodward Ave with big White sign with white lights. ( To me the sign is so unique it is considered my mile marker on Woodward Ave right next to DETROIT ZOO Happy Easter Enjoy read more

I had been wanting to try out O.W.L. (which means Open When Lit, I think!) for a while now, so I met a friend here today for lunch after a movie screening in downtown Royal Oak. They have a TINY parking lot with maybe like 5-7 spaces, so I had to park at the car rental shop next door. The place itself is very tiny, too - it's all bar stools except for two tables in the back. You order at the front and then they will call your name and you can pick up your order. When I arrived, there weren't two bar stools together, but in a few minutes, a couple left so I was able to snag two. I ordered the grilled chicken sandwich ($8) and it was delicious - it came with some sort of aioli, and both the sandwich and the bun were perfectly crisp. My friend and I split an order of fries ($4, but a large portion) too, which were also good. He ordered a cheeseburger and the cheese on it almost looked like fondue cheese (similar to how Royale with Cheese does theirs), and he said it was good, as well. I'd definitely come back here especially for late night eats, they're open 24/7 I believe. Since both the restaurant and the parking lot are so small, though, it might not be a place I'd rush back to time after time ... however, the food was very good, so we'll see. read more

OWL - Cheeseburger - Mexican Near Me - Royal Oak, Michigan

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Everything is perfect! Small place for quick bite one of the cooks is hilarious with a great singing voice Food a 5 Service a 5 Ambiance a 5 read more

I just realized today that I've never reviewed OWL, and I can't even believe that! OWL Is the best late night food in the area, period. It's always a treat. Menu items are pretty straightforward, but flavors are exceptional. Simple, fresh ingredients, cooked perfectly. Service is swift. Order at the counter then take your seat and wait for your name to be called. It's a very small, narrow building (think Fleetwood), so late night it gets pretty bumpin. My go-to is the chilaquiles. It's fresh, crunchy chips, with crumbled cojita, tomatillo salsa, radishes, big slices of fresh jalapeño, cilantro and eggs. I get my eggs over medium for the extra runny yolk action. If you've had Tex-Mex chilaquiles, where it's sautéed chips, eggs, red sauce, shredded cheese-- this is not that. It's more fresh and acidic. I love how the top layer is crunchy and you get down deeper to the soggy chips. I recommend eating straight down in one spot and working around, so you don't eat all the crunchy and leave yourself with just soggy. My boyfriend always gets the egg sandwich. There a few different options, but he adds things until he ends up with egg, avo and bacon (their bacon is thick and crunchy). The egg sandwich is on a burger bun, which seems like it would be dry, but it's not! They have a special sauce with garlic or some magic that makes it such a treat. Some of the menu items change, but if you get a chance to get fish tacos (Fri?) those are amazing. ...so is the chicken soup. It's slow cooked, so the chicken is shredded. Just so good. They've got all sorts of beverages -- bottles of a Mexican Coke, different juices, hibiscus, and rice milk horchata -- my personal favorite. It's rice milk, cinnamon and sugar. Yum! You HAVE to try a cinnamon roll, too. They slice them and grill them up, so they're warm and buttery, with crispy edges. read more

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Great for a quick bite! The staff were very friendly. I would recommend coming here to get their tacos and breakfast items. I got their mahi mahi tacos and they were flavorful and filling, for $9 not bad at all. The burgers and chicken sandwiches are a little pricy for not coming with any sides but for breakfast food/tacos it's well worth it! read more

Owl is my late night craving. Staff is kind and always seem to be enjoying their job. Try the horchata and the crispy chicken sandwhich with chihuahua cheese, avocado, and bacon added. Amazing tastes and different tacos every day. read more

First off, their sign outside is really cool. Just had to say that. I really like the vibe to Owl: trendy diner. The staff was really nice and the whole menu looked interesting. We got: Chilaquiles - Kinda standard actually. Nothing too special. Chicken fried chicken - Tasty and tons of food. The chicken was nice and the toast with gravy was yums. Cheeseburger - My favorite thing I tried. Just a super solid burger. Will come back for this. I drive by Owl every single day and I always think to myself, should I make a quick stop for a burger? Answer should be a yes. read more

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So let's talk food because that's what Yelp is all about. I love me some OWL. It's in a building that was very iconic to the area for several years. This spot has yet to disappoint. I love the Mexican pops and the fresh Lemonade. The wings are all good, the tacos are cool but the chicken fried chicken is too DIE for. The potato's, the gravy (delicious chz), egg cooked to perfection and that crispy chicken on POINT!!! read more

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Food is good!! Tacos are delicious and wings are fantastic! I love the choice of Mexican sodas and the chili cheese fries are great. Today the service was just plain awful. The cashier was rude in answering questions and even in serving my food. Im not one to complain about customer service unless it is exceptionally bad but thank goodness the chef smiled at me and tried to compensate for the rude cashier/server girl and I forgot all About it as I ate my delicious food! read more

OWL - Rude cashier/server on her cell phone with her back to the customers and when something acted like it was an inconvenience - Mexican Near Me - Royal Oak, Michigan

Not bad, not bad! The chilaquiles caught my eye, like it usually does in most places I dine at. Was it my favorite chilaquiles? No. Was it still yummy? Yes. The chips were a little too salty for my liking, or it could've been the salsa, I'm not really sure. The salsa was full of flavor though...I just wish they soaked the chips better, like your usual chilaquiles. Not being soaked with salsa made them pretty difficult to eat. I had to add more verde sauce to soften them a tad. The chicken that they added (additional charge) was really effing good. I would pass on their horchata. Their staff working in the kitchen are very accommodating and kind, but the young girl taking orders was extremely unfriendly and very unpleasant. She wasn't too happy about seeing me twice, that's for sure. I look forward to giving this place another shot :) read more

OWL - Chilaquiles closeup. Chicken added after - Mexican Near Me - Royal Oak, Michigan

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Cool diner. They have really great menu items and the food was very tasty. I noticed some negative reviews about the service, but my experience was very good. Everyone was very friendly and it was a very positive experience. read more

Great food right on Woodward, small inside so when it's packed you better hope you have a seat. I always get the Chicken Fried Chicken! read more

OWL - Mexican Near Me - Royal Oak, Michigan

A friend of mine has been raving about this place and we finally went. The place is not big and consist of mostly counter with sitting, but we went in the summer where outdoor seating was available and the sun is up for a really long time (something I always miss) so we sit outside. Overall the menu is sort of american-mexican hybrid. I thought of getting the fried chicken and gravy but thought it might be too big so I settled with the chilaques. It was really good and filling too. The flavors combine well together and what stood out most is the fun texture combination of all the components. The service was excellent! The staff is very friendly, helpful, and accomodating. read more

OWL - Chilaquiles - Mexican Near Me - Royal Oak, Michigan

I wish I could give this place a 4.5 star rating. We made a late night stop at Owl after a show in Detroit, and we were in for a pleasant surprise. The place was packed for it being 11PM, and even though there was a line it moved and we got our food quickly. The place had a laid back hipster vibe. We ended up getting Mahi tacos which were their tacos of the day (only option), we also order the Double Layer Nachos. The nachos are STACKED with fresh veggies, and smothered with a runny but very tasty cheese/chili. The three tacos had big chunks of well seasoned Mahi, with crisp cabbage and vibrant pico. It all tasted so good. I definitely think a person could eat three tacos by themselves and share a plate or two. Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Owl, and will be going back soon. read more

OWL - Double Layer Nachos - Mexican Near Me - Royal Oak, Michigan

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The owl is always a go to. The crowds can get busy around lunch but it's well worth the line. The Nachos are the best in metro Detroit! I can't recommend them enough! read more

The chicken was good. I order the 4 piece buffalo and literally made sure there was zero parts left! Next time I will order more. I give the wings 4 stars. I wouldn't say they were necessarily worth $1.25 for one...but they forsure had a great flavor. The tacos were the reason I went. Taco tuesday! The quantity is 3/$8. They are made with two corn tortilla and have an authentic taste, however fall flat to some of the places you might be accustomed to if you favor Southwest or are connected to the Latin community. It was still good, but I wasn't blown away like I was hoping to after reading prior reviews. I give them 3 stars. I love the aesthetic of the restaurant. The owl always reminded me of the Drake OVO logo. Another perk, the order was extremely fast and they text you when it's ready when ordering online. I loved that part! read more

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We came here after a drink at another restaurant and them closing their kitchen. We were hungry and thought we would try this place out since they are 24 hours 6 days a week. Parking is limited in front of the restaurant. When we walked in we were not greeted by anyone and were very confused on how things worked. After asking someone we realized that we order first and then find a seat. When we first arrived the place was not busy but when we were about to order the place got packed. It was very hard to walk around people but luckily everyone was polite and nice. We ordered our food and sat down waiting for it. They call out your name when your order is up and then you sit and eat it. The place looks like a dinner to me but just a little more modern. The food was very good. I would go back to est here again if we want a change from a coney island. read more

A metro detroit must!!! I've easily gone here over 50 times in the past 3 years. Food is super tasty, priced well, and has huge portions.

This place is great the eggs toast and potatoes meal is my usual. So much flavor from the cheese and the bread is sweet and buttery. Service is fast and the food is hot and fresh every time. Consistent and delicious meals at Owl read more

OWL - Eggs Cilantro Potatoes toast - Mexican Near Me - Royal Oak, Michigan

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Ordered: - Grilled Cinnamon Roll: Best cinnamon roll I've had in my life and I'm not even big on cinnamon rolls. THIS IS A MUST GET!!! I've never had anything like it - soooo good. - Chicken Fried Chicken and Gravy: Table favorite! The potatoes were AMAZING - fully cooked yet crispy. It had great flavor and was not too salty. The gravy was a complete miss; it had the consistency of shortening, tasted like it too!!! However, the entire dish was so good (great value too...) and flavorful that I was not even mad. - Tacos Del Dia (carne asada): Nothing wrong with this but it wasn't outstanding. The meat was a bit dry. Probably wouldn't order again unless I was craving tacos for breakfast. - Chicken Fried Chicken Sandwich: This was not good. The egg yolk was fully cooked and not runny. The chicken was dry and the bun was dry; so basically same thing as eating saltine crackers with peanut butter. - Horchata: Yeah, this was not it. Very chalky taste and had a sharp taste of dollar store candle. 10/10 would come back. 10/10 would drive 30 mins for this place. read more

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I came In with no expectations. I got the nachos and added grilled chicken. The chips were crispy but almost in a homemade they fried themselves way? The grilled chicken was flavorful and the pico and jalapeño was fresh. It was such a large portion I'm glad I didn't order anything else. read more

OWL - Nachos with Grilled Chicken - Mexican Near Me - Royal Oak, Michigan

Food was delicious but the staff was mean and racist to us. I'm really referring to the younger staff. It's shameful really.