The reason this restaurant is getting 3 stars is because the food was definitely a 5, but the service was definitely a 1. My boyfriend and I went here before Home Alone at the DSO and got there about 545p.m.-6p.m. for a 7:30p.m. show, so we had time to spare. The restaurant was pretty empty when we arrived, but filled up fast as we gotten there. Our server clearly was either brand new, or working her first serving job ever. She was attempting to be personable which is great, but her professional service was so terrible that it didn't make up for it. We didn't order any drinks, but we did order the calamari for an appetizer which was really good. It had a spicy, sweet flavor to it. The appetizer however, didn't come for almost 45 minutes. I ordered the Rock and Rye BBQ Grilled Chicken Breast which had cheese and bacon on it and requested broccoli instead of mashed potatoes. She told me they didn't have broccoli, but it was on the menu. I showed her and she said, "oh okay, you can do that." Our food came about 10 minutes after the calamari appetizer. We are now almost at an hour for a restaurant that wasn't busy when we ordered. I also had an empty glass of water in front of me the entire time. My food was excellent, but came atop mashed potatoes and with no broccoli. The asparagus and the chicken with bacon and cheese were all melted into the potatoes which was unfortunate because I lost half of my meal because I didn't want to eat the mashed potatoes. We asked for the check as soon as possible in order to not miss the show. And a side note - they only have a one-person bathroom and there was a line, so then I spent 10 minutes waiting in line while some girl was doing her makeup. I'd go back if I had a different server, for sure! read more

The Block - Calamari with a sweet and sour sauce - American Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

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I came here for happy hour recently and had a great time. Loved the location, vibe, and service. I tried the shrimp appetizer (amazing, wish it came with more), block Mac (tasted more like a chicken carbonara dish... it was pretty good), and the Salmon burger (the cucumbers made it taste like a bougie Damon croquet... that was aright too). Because the shrimp were so good, I'd be willing to come back. It gave me faith that there are some gems in the menu! Oh, the blueberry Long Island was great. Strong and tasty. read more

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Name change alert: This used to be The Grille Midtown . Same owners, same staff, so I'm not sure why the name changed, but it did, between the time I made the DRW reservation and the time my party arrived to eat. I got my usual Gang of 10 together for Detroit Restaurant Week (DRW), and this is the place I chose for us to go. I'm not saying The Block isn't worth a visit, because my experience is based solely on DRW, but what I can say is that I've been doing DRW, spring and fall, since 2011 and this is the least good place. Nothing was particularly horrible about The Block, but nothing (except the corn bread) was particularly wonderful, either. And a couple things were kind of weird. Weirdest of all, we were waited on by two different servers, which resulted in four of us getting each course of the meal about 5 minutes before the other six. So, for each course, four of waited with food in front of us before we could eat. Not a big deal, but weird. Another weird thing. Two of us ordered Long Island Iced Teas and got drinks with no cola in them. Just booze. Yowza! And instead of remaking the drinks (not really necessary), or taking them back and adding the cola (easiest course of action), we each received a glass of Coke, which we then had to mix with our drinks. Yes, it was a mix your own drink experience. So, needless to say, service was sketchy. It was friendly, but it was sketchy. I could still give a three or even a four star review with weirdness and sketchiness, but the food wasn't up-to-par, and that's a killer. For appetizers, those of us who ordered the wings agreed they were yummy, but those who ordered the kale salad got sore jaws. For entrees, the Salmon was overdone, the chicken was overdone, the tenderloin was overdone, and the vegetarian dish was missing the sauce that (when it came out later, at our request) tied the whole dish together. Dessert was the only solid course. Apple taco consumers and bacon brownie consumers alike were pleased. read more

I would probably rate them more of a 3.5. Which is still "A-OK". A friend and I dined here on a Thursday and had a pleasant experience. When we arrived the host wasn't at her stand, but that isn't something that bothers me. When she saw us she was apologetic and sat us wherever we preferred. We opted for a high top by the window. They have several seating options, bar rail, high tops and regular tables and booths. Inside is fresh and clean, I love their "Block Sign when you first enter above a booth. Once sat a greeter came over to fill our water glasses and let us know our server would be with us. Our service was good, it took her a minute to come by to check on us when my friend needed ketchup, but no harm no foul. We had ordered the wings with parm garlic for an appetizer. You can get these grilled or fried, obviously we went for fried! Let me tell you these were some real wings! Meaty, large and the sauce was fantastic. This was no bdubs. For my entree I ordered the Chicken avocado sandwich which was large. The chicken was tender and a very good size piece. The avocado spread was fantastic and it was served on a crisp brioche bread. You can chose from sweet potato fries, fries or salad. I opted for the side salad with was a spring mix with cucumbers onions and tomatoes. I also ordered a side of mac and cheese which was fantastic. Creamy rich gooey goodness. Not a dry crispy over done noodle. Prices are all reasonable, but I would prefer they had a little more variety on their menu. On our way out the host informed that they have a happy hour Monday-Friday 4-7p.m. She rattled off a bunch of drink and food specials, so this will definitely go on my list for happy our spots. read more

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Cute and quaint and UPBEAT! Perfect spot to deliberate and chat loud calmly first time here and I love it! Def will be back! read more

The Block - Woodward Wing's so good! - American Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

We had the chicken and French toast and the shrimp and grits. Both of them were amazing. The Block never fails me.

This review is mostly based on the $3 Happy Hour Wings - get them grilled Staff and servers here are delightfully friendly and attentive - free validated parking in Alexandrine structure The Rock N Rye BBQ is sweet and tangy Buffalo is a great traditional buffalo Bring back the Watermelon BBQ - savory with a hint of sweet - was my favorite but returned to see it was gone ! Garlic Parmesean is a creamy sauce but I thought it had too much parm I wouldn't recommend the sweet chilli it was a bit salty and dry without any kick to It Mac n cheese is creamy Alfredo style sauce if you're into that DRW my steak was cooked as ordered, the deserts were amazing Bacon Brownie was great- Apple Tacos were huge! I'm not a fan of baked potatoes in general so my opinion here would be biased- I thought they were okay. Kale salad was drowning in dressing read more

The Block - Rock N' Rye BBQ wings and Alfredo Mac N' Cheese - American Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

Amazing restaurant!! The service, interior of the restaurant, and food/drinks all exceeded expectations. I noticed that they have a $1,$3,$5 happy hour menu with drinks and apps that sounded appealing. Can't wait to go back and try more items from the menu. Literally everything looked amazing, and as far as the meal I ordered, I've never eaten so much in my life! read more

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Great music. Nice space. Not much seating but a cute vibe. Server was okay not really helpful with recommendations but we tried a variety of things and everything was pretty good. I had the shrimp app and crab spinach dip. Both were very good. Shrimp was salty but had a nice batter to it. I had a Caesar salad with it , way too much dressing but got the job done. Friends had salmon burger and shrimp and grits. They said Salmon burger was very good seasoned nice and fries were yummy. salmon burger comes with cucumbers but my friend doesnt eat that, so she asked for lettuce instead and they charged her. -_- stupid. But anyways. Shrimp and grits were ok nice size portion but grits were runny. Flavor was interesting , like smoky and cheesy but not spicy. Overall Good. Would return if they expanded their menu options. Pretty limited. read more

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I dined at this restaurant not too long ago. My friends and I went for Sunday brunch. Now I want to start off by saying, that I had heard so many great reviews about this place for months. I was super excited for the next time I would be in the downtown area to experience the food. I am not exaggerating, when I say that my friends and I waited two hours for the Sunday brunch. The place is small, so my friends and I, accompanied with two other groups of people were all smashed in the entry way of the restaurant, just standing and waiting. One of the greeters finally asked us to move over, to allow other patrons to come in and put their name on the list. Where were we going to move over to? There was a hallway where some chairs were, but other groups of people were in that hallway waiting as well. I felt so bad that it was like we were literally hovering over people and their food while we waited. So we debated if we should leave, or stay. We had already paid for parking, and didn't feel like finding somewhere else to go downtown. Plus, I just felt like I had to have this wonderful experience of food. So after the 2 hour wait, we were finally seated. I ordered The Cure brunch selection with sweet potato muffins on the side, and a side of the Woodward BBQ Wings. Now the food was good! Not over the top as I was told, but I did like the food. My friends also like the food that they ordered. There was also a DJ, and the overall ambiance of the restaurant, I could vibe too. But I was just too turned off and irritated by how long the wait was. Now, I would try this place again b/c there are so many other menu items I've read reviews about that I want to try. But I will not go for brunch anymore, b/c maybe that was just too many people that they couldn't accommodate. read more

Visiting the city and searched for black owned restaurants. Glad we chose The Block was a great choice, great area and the food was really good. I didn't give it a total 5 stars because the service could've been a little better but our waitress was nice. We had the salmon and portobello burgers with sweet potato fries (some of the best I've had). read more

The Block - American Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

I LOVE it here. They were so accommodating and the food is so good. The hospitality is EVERYTHING! The manager is so attentive and helpful. COME HERE!!! read more

My food was decent and my drinks were not too bad, but my server was simply horrible. She was very rude and condescending. I do not know her name, but she was a older lady with her hair in dreadlocks. She spoke to everyone who sat in her area in a very unpleasant and snide manner. She seemed annoyed and had an attitude when request were made. She would purposely turn her back and ignore us and other patrons when we would try to get her attention. Her blatant nice nasty way was a deal breaker for me with this spot. I have absolutely no problem with tipping,, but to add insult to injury there was gratuity added to my bill. I do not feel she was remotely entitled to getting a tip from anyone. read more

Terrible fucking service. They got our reservation incorrect and refused to admit their error. They will never get any of my money. Fuck 'em. read more

Literally stumbled upon this place this past weekend. My siblings and I were looking for someplace to eat before the Pistons game and walked right past this place, looked in the window and decided to check it out! Nice vibe in here, we were greeted and seated within two minutes of walking in. There is a good size bar with seats along with tables lining the wall. The kitchen is somewhat open air so we you see what is going on. I had the vegetarian burger and it was delicious. It was not the traditional black bean, it was nice to have a little change. I really enjoyed my food. Our waitress Tanyalyn was amazing. She knew EVERYTHING about the menu, we had a question and she had an answer. She is a star. This place is great for a small group lunch or a get together with the girls over wine. I look forward to my next visit! read more

My friends and I had reservations for 7:30pm. When we first arrived it was much smaller than the pictures online shown but it was still very cute! Because we were early we had to wait about 5 mins for a table. Once we were seated it took a while to be greeted by our server. As this was our first time here, naturally we had a couple of questions. Our server was VERY condescending! Example: when my friends asked what their frozen speciality drink was, the server rudely said it was in the menu (even when it wasn't listed). When asking about recommendations and their quesadilla she looked at my friend with the most annoyed look and said "it's a quesadilla". Not noticing that the ONLINE menu had stated every bill had an automatic 18% added, we all proceeded to tip her 20% on top of the 18. She had was at the table when my friends and I were discussing the weird tipping percentages. She had even over heard me telling my friend I wasn't sure why they were so low but as a waitress myself I will always tip 20% no matter the quality of service. She had never offered a receipt for us to look at prior to payment. After noticing the amount we had all just payed she offered us birthday shots, AFTER telling my friend they don't have any thing to celebrate birthdays here. As a fellow waitress I am very understanding but the service here was awful!! While the service was really bad, our food was absolutely amazing!!! If you are looking for take out, this is definitely a place I would recommend for take out!! read more

I had the salmon burger with fries ($14). I really enjoyed the flavors of the burger, especially the crispy edges. The fries were not too skinny, more like hand-cut size. It doesn't come with lettuce, if you want it - it will be $0.75. Overall, I really liked this place. Service was good as well. read more

The Block - Salmon burger with fries - American Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

The Alfredo Mac and cheese is phenomenal. I also had the buffalo wings - solid and the coffee - weak. Great happy hour specials, nice looking place, right next to the garden theater. Recommended. read more

The Good We visited on a Friday evening around 7pm and the place was packed! After a short wait the friendly hostess seated us at the bar. The menu is simple but adequate to suite many tastes. Look and feel of The Block was satisfying enough and people seemed to be enjoying themselves. Looking to keep things simple I choose the Salmon BLT ($12 - popular item from what I saw) and my wife chose the Chicken Avocado Panini ($10) with side salads in place of fries. To drink we selected draft beer at $5 each (selection of about 8 common beers). The Bad Maybe its growing pains or that it was busy but service, though friendly, was slow and much disorganized. Wife's beer was flat and mine had a funky smell. Most people were drinking good looking mixed drinks ($8), so go that route instead of beer. Salads were fine, Chicken Avocado was flavorless! My salmon was a nice portion but like the chicken could have used a little spice. Verdict More restaurant than bar, not a hangout kind of place. I would like to think I would try it again but with so many other places popping up (Awesome!), especially in the same area, I probably wouldn't. Unfortunately like the saying goes, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. read more

The Block - Salmon BLT - American Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

I was Grill Midtown fan. But, sad to say they changed the name to The Block and the menu. Sorry to say it is not worth the stop. First negative, we ordered a salad that arrived 5 min before entrees. I had the Rockin Chicken. Definitely NOT Rockin! It was a chicken breast BBQ sauce and dry - not good!! My wife has the Salmon. It was good but lacked creativity. Sides were all good - asparagus, grilled sweet corn. I understand they are bringing back old menu! They need it. One compliment the staff was receptive to my comments. read more

My friend and I just tried this place for dinner. Super cute atmosphere but definitely loud-if you're not ok with high noise level you might not care for this place. There is no sign out front, only one inside on the wall. I got the shotgun shrimp as an appetizer. It was delicious, a little too much sauce but still good. My entree was the salmon BLT which comes on a cranberry walnut bread. The bread is amazing-sandwich is great, messy but great. For dessert we got the bread pudding which was to die for! I would go back and next time indulge in the Mac and cheese that they are apparently known for. read more

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Came on a monday night for dinner Parking: Easy street parking. Ambiance: It's nice! I liked the interior and the bar area. Service: Attentive! This was nice since we had a big group with us. Food: Not too vegetarian friendly. No veggie appetizers at all =( They did have a couple salads, 1 sandwich and 1 main entree that were vegetarian. I got the beet ravioli. This was WAY too sweet. The sauce was creamy, but with the beets being in the ravioli, it made the dish not savory and too sweet. Had some sweet potato fries - wayyyy too salty. It was hard to eat. I would come back here out of convenience to work, but i'm not sure if i'd come back otherwise until it becomes more veggie friendly and the flavors are balanced out better. read more

This place has changed for the better! Me and a group of friends went on a Saturday night during Detroit Restaurant Week and we truly enjoyed our meal...so much that I had to write a review about it. This three course meal for $25.00 (with the restaurant week discount) was the best meal I'd eaten all year. First Course: My husband decided to get a little funky and order the Watermelon BBQ wings, which were outstanding! The sauce on those wings made me feel like it was the fourth of July in my mouth. With a great melody of sweet barbecue sauce and the faint taste of watermelon, it was phenomenal. I ordered the shrimp with with chili sauce, which was perfect. Other friends order the Kale caesar salad, which was so good that we've dreamt about it everyday since... Second Course: Everyone including my husband ordered the tenderloin, which they all loved. I ordered the pan seared glazed salmon with a twice baked potato and parmesan corn on the cob. The pan seared salmon gave me so much joy, it was perfectly seared and the glaze acted as a sweet cherry on top. Third Course: If you Love bacon & brownies like I do, the bacon brownie will blow your mind. I appreciate great meals and this place does not disappoint. Make sure that you get Michelle as your waitress...she's the bomb! Thank You for the great meal "The Block" - Kesha McKinney read more

The Block - The best thing since sliced bread! - American Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

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Had breakfast at the block one of the mornings. If you've read any of our previous stories you know I'm a little obsessed with breakfast and this definitely hit the spot. Got the chicken and waffles and I can't complain at all. They also had these delicious sweet potato muffins that came with our breakfast. If you eat there and they ask if you want the sweet potato muffins your answer is yes. Trust me you'll thank me. http://whiskeytramp.com/blog/2018/2/12/detroit-for-christmas-yes-i-said-christmas read more

I have been here twice; once for lunch and once for happy hour. My most recent visit at happy hour was okay the calamari was good my wine was good and I had a green tea shot. My girlfriends and I said at the bar for a couple of hours and the service was okay. I would visit this place again. read more

The Block - Happy Hour with the Fam - American Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

There are so many things to love about this spot! It's a cozy size, not too big and not too small. The staff was great. We were seated quickly. I had the Pineapple Strawberry Mimosas and Stuffed Apple French Toast. It was the best toast I've ever had! I will definitely eat back! read more

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Went to The Block yesterday evening for the first time. Had been before the rebranding when it was Midtown Grille. Just a few changes were made to the decor. Nice, cozy ambience still remains. Had a couple of Billy Ocean cocktails and the Alfredo Mac. Enjoyed both thoroughly. Unfortunately, I was underwhelmed by the desserts. Ordered the bread pudding. It lacked flavor and was way too gooey for me to eat. So, I sent it back to be replaced for the cookie. One third of it was not fully cooked. Sent it back only for me then to discover that it way much too sweet for my tastebuds anyway. Still would go again. But, definitely avoid the desserts. read more

Wow!! Excellent food!! Kind service. Cute and clean setting. Do not miss out on the short rib poutine fries!!! Absolutely incredible! And the drinks were amazing too! Would Absolutely go again! read more

Very cute restaurant. I have been trying to go here for a while. I didn't check to see if they were closed on a monday, and another time they weren't taking tables during their switch from lunch to dinner. Finally my friend and I were able to go! We were greeted at the front and offered happy hour which included select beer $2, wine $4, and apps $6. You have to be sitting in the bar area, there are high tops as well. We ordered the calamari app. It was not traditional dish. It was the strips that were breaded with a sweet chili sauce. Very tasty though. Our waitress did take some time to get our order, but we were in no rush. I ordered the salmon and my friend got the chicken sandwich. We both really enjoyed our meals. The salmon was cooked wonderfully and the veggies had a little too much seasoning for my liking but were still good. My friend says their breakfast is worth the visit, so hopefully I will be back soon. It is a little hard on a college budget and the endless options of detroit eateries. Definitely worth the visit if I were you! read more

The Block - American Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

My boyfriend and I went here for Detroit Black Restaurant Week and had a great experience. The tables were spaced out nicely to feel safe during COVID. The staff were very friendly and attentive. Our server refilled our drinks several times without us asking. We got the spinach and artichoke dip appetizer and it was delicious. It comes with warm pita chips and the dip to chip ratio was perfect. I ordered the chicken bacon club sandwich with fries for my entree which was also awesome. Overall we had a great experience and I would love to dine here again. read more

Had dinner here once. The service was good, the food was ok. I wanted to try a new restaurant in the city since my mom had came in from out of town. She enjoyed her catfish po boy and my sister enjoyed her salmon burger, but I wasn't excited about my shrimp pasta dish.. read more

The Block - American Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

We were off to see Hamilton at the Fisher. My son found The Block online, made a reservation and we ate there last night. It has a limited menu, but the choices are healthy, delicious, and served very professionally. I had the prime rib burger and it was out of the world. The meat was juicy, tasted great, and even though I passed on the bacon, it was one of the best burger I ever ate! My wife had the salmon blt and she talked about how much salmon was in the sandwich. My son had stuffed chicken thighs and he ate everything! My daughter-in-law had tomato bisque soup and salad. She "complained" that there too much soup and how thick and delicious it was. It was a great dining experience! read more

Food was great even as leftovers. The gentlemen were pleasant. But this company desperately needs to hire another server. The older lady with the locs (she never gave her name) was entirely too rude. Maybe because she's over worked being the only server but being a former waitress being ignored is uncalled for. I'm pissed I tipped as much as I did but the food was too good. Takeout is the best thing for this place read more

We went here for a girls night with reservations and were seated right away. The ambience was cute, it was a small restaurant but we really liked the vibe. The only thing is, that I wished the waitress knew more about the food, because when asked about what was good, she was unsure. I usually like recommendations. I got the salmon burger, it was a little salty and dry. I was hoping they had the chicken and waffles like on yelp but must be a seasonal thing. Everyone else enjoyed their dish and I had samples of theirs. We got the pistachio salmon, steak frites, and a vegetarian version of the mac and cheese which was really good. I would come back and try a different dish for sure! read more

The Block - Salmon Burger - a little salty - American Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

Great food, fun and atmosphere! They have happy hour from 4-6. Parking free on Selden or across the street on Woodward. Stop by sometime. read more

The Block - American Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

We went here for happy hour on a Friday, and arrived before the after-work crowd filled up the restaurant. Our beers took a good 15 minutes to arrive after we ordered them, despite an abundance of staff and no rush of other customers. Service was friendly, but exceedingly slow given we only ordered drinks. Also, no prices or details on the drink menu, which is just a personal peeve. read more

Great spot to grab a drink and a nice-but-reasonably-priced dinner. Friendly service. The whitefish is smashing. read more

The Block - American Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

Service wasn't very friendly. The portions were small and not very good. Overpriced. I was very disappointed

The Block is cool. I've come here a few times after shows at the Symphony down the street, and when they first opened. I like the servers, and the drinks are pretty good. The food is indulgent though, it can be difficult looking for healthy and tasty options if you don't want a salad. read more

My spouse and I tried this restaurant out for Detroit Restaurant Week. I was highly impressed with the food, the shrimp and grits is delicious. The service was attentive and courteous. The menu was limited because of restaurant week, but I am excited to visit this establishment again to try the full menu. read more

The Block - American Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

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