The West End Grill

There is no better place in town for that special occasion or when you want to impress someone from out of town with the best that Ann Arbor has to offer. We ate here last night for our anniversary. The service is phenomenal. The waiter will go over each menu item and each appetizer to make sure you fully understand what you are ordering. It’s refreshing to go to a restaurant where there are many things on the menu that I would like to order. We started with the brie cheese tarts and salmon crab cakes as an appetizer. Both were delicious. The black bean soup was great, with just enough kick, but not too much that it makes you not want to eat it if you don’t like spicy foods. We both ordered a fillet mignon, one was au poivre and the other was bearnaise. Both were cooked to perfection in. The desserts were complementary as it was our anniversary, and they were wonderful. The pace of the dining experience is perfect, nothing rushed, but not taking so long that you are waiting forever between courses. It’s obviously a very pricey restaurant, but for those times when you want «special», this is the place to go.

This place is amazing for their ability to coddle dictators and despots — for the right price, they will blacken the Windows and serve Nordstrom cake while keeping out the prying eyes of lead poisoned kids.

What a fantastic restaurant! My wife and I were celebrating our anniversary and I was looking for something different and special my co-​worker suggested The West End. I have eaten at some of the best steakhouses thru-​out the Midwest and the Hibachi Delmonico was one of the best steaks I have ever had, it was cooked to perfection and delicious, my wife had the lobster which was excellent as well. The rolls were very good, the salad with blue cheese crumbles was fresh and tasty. The food was awesome but the service was first class all the way our waiter Malcolm was amazing, personable and made excellent suggestions, then we were struggling to get a good photo and the server I can’t remember her name but she knows who she is was observing our difficulty and asked if she could help and took the photo for us she was friendly and personable. The atmosphere with Tiffany lights over the tables was cozy and romantic. I will definitely add The West End to my list of the best restaurants in Metro Detroit. Thank you West End and Malcolm for a truly memorable experience, I will be back!

amazing restaurant. I always take very close friends when they are in town or our family special occasions. I always loved their rolls and also their signature dish Chilean Seabass.
Only down side to this restaurant is they are always too busy to get in on the weekend without reservation and I can never just walk in and get a table. … ;)

Delicious drinks and fresh Seafood better than I can imagine! The West End Grill attracts fine-​dining individuals ready to explore their taste buds! I could not believe how amazing their scallops are and how large the portions were! I really felt as if I was getting my moneys worth. The Seafood Strudel was also one of my favorite dishes!

This is the best place in Ann Arbor. I come here weekly not only because the food it always excellent but because of the staff. They are always, always friendly and welcoming! Emmy the bartender will always give you her best even on a busy night. But everyone of the staff are friendly and professional. It may not be your place on a regular because of the price point but you can’t come here and not feel well treated by all … Unless there is something wrong with you.

Not Good For Food Allergies!!! Warm Red wine: (
Warm bottle of red wine (for the price it should have been at least room temp.) !! I called prior to our visit and was told that I would have many choices and when the server reviewed the options that were gluten free I had only a couple and then one option with no sauce– if I am going to spend $ 100 plus per person for dinner I do not want beef broiled plain and dry! The only gluten free dessert choices were vanilla ice cream or fresh berries. I eat at restaurants that have well trained chefs so that I can have delicious food prepared gluten free. Many of the entrees were made with soy sauce containing gluten which made it difficult and did not offer a gluten free tamari sauce like many restaurants. The service was good but until the menu changes and has more choices for those with gluten allergies we will not be back.

Love this place! They do an excellent job from the food down to the décor. No detail is missed. Roland and the crew are top notch.

Came during restaurant week. Sat at the bar.
Food was very good. Breads or buns that they bring out are good.
Kind of an old stuffy crowd in the dining area. Bartendress was kinda bitchy.

Excellent food and ambience!!! I had the Chilean seabass and he had the grouper. Our waiter Kevin was superb! Highly recommended…

So, I really had high hopes for this place as it got very good reviews (for the most part) but, I would def not give it 4 stars. It is a nice, old and cozy place… feels like an old style home. We made reservations (as they were recommended by the lady when I called) and got sat promptly when we arrived. The waiter took a while to get to us and when he did we were able to get our drink order in. I got the mojito (very bitter).I really like mojitos but they are really always hit & miss. I asked the bartender (which looked a bit upset that I was even asking) to add some more of the sugar syrup they use to it bcuz it was a little off… I almost think they mix it with bitters because it made it a little more sweet/​bitter.
They give you these awesome little buns for appetizer that are like almost a pretzel consistency and taste a little fried but not too overbearing on the grease. Soooo yummy… I ate at least 4. :)
For food we started with an order of scallops (which weren’t on the menu but, the waiter could accommodate) which were awesome and seared to perfection. melted in my mouth like buttery goodness… mmm. A soup came with our meal and we chose lobster bisque… I always assumed bisque meant a hearty soup with pieces of stuff inside… for this instance. lobster? Nope, this was basically a lobster flavored runny soup. although the flavor was really good… just not what we expected. Then, the main meal arrived (we really should have asked more questions about the meal beforehand) but, I made sure to order the Chilean seabass that everyone was raving about for my birthday date to make sure she got the good meal. and it was… buttery soft, melt in your mouth goodness… it was surely one of the best fishes I’ve had! Mine, on the other hand… whole different story. I went with steak assuming that was a safe bet… nice restaurant… great quality (?)…good food (?)… not so much! The petite filet (which I assumed was filet mignon… not sure what it actually was??) was not good… the quality of meat definitely did not taste like filet mignon. it tasted like a really cheap cut… and the flavoring… well, let’s just say it tasted like char… you know, like when you burn a steak… yah. that flavor… eww! I ordered it med/​rare and he verified the selection before retreating to the kitchen… it came out med/​well (yuck!) so when the server checked on us I showed him that it was overdone and he quickly made sure to get a better one for me. Upon his return, it was in fact more rare… almost completely rare but, I am ok with that over too done, that’s for sure… sooo they don’t know how to cook a steak, check! I also thought that char flavor was a result of the overcooking… nope! that’s apparently their flavoring on the steak… not pleasant! AAAAnd… they put fries on top of the steak (albeit, some of the best fries I’ve ever had) but, still… fries…at a nice place like this… definitely not expected. It also came with some sugar snap peas (it’s just the little things at nice places that I guess you would expect so you don’t have to get all dirty and messy trying to clean/​de-​rind things when you are eating them) that still had the stringy part on them and it would be so easy to just cut that off and peel them (for convenience sake if nothing else) like de-​veining a shrimp… just seems like a little thing that would make it so much easier to eat and not have to fight with (choke on) your food.
For dessert… we got a free birthday dessert (and I am glad we did not pay for it because I would have returned it) that was a molten lava cake… nothing molten about it… the cake was a bit on the harder side and the chocolate lava was baked in and not molten. I have had some really good, melt in your mouth lava cakes… and this was not it… very unfortunate but, me and my date made the best of the situation… I guess you really have to know what you are getting when you are going to pay good money for food because otherwise it really is a waste of money and time.

Service started a little slow, but afterwards it was great. The Chilean sea bass was very good, the short ribs were also very tender and delicious. First time to the restaurant and I would definitely go back

Excellent food and fun atmosphere. Appetizers and entrees were tasty and I would highlight the sea bass entrée and spicy prawns appetizer as standouts. Good local brew on tap and extensive wine selection.

Don’t get me wrong. There is lots to love about the West End Grill. It’s small, the service is attentive without being overly pushy, and the ambience is casual and friendly. I have had stellar meals there before, but this particular experience with friends left out one key component: the food.
For starters, we had small salads or the French onion soup. Normally french onion soup is heavy on the cheese, as it should be. But our friend’s bowl was filled with croutons the size of Miami. This dish would have been better served with a fork. A bit overdone. The salad with lemon-​basil dressing was good, the greens fresh.
Entrees are scribed on a chalk board, and our waiter Kevin did a great job making them all sound tasty. I was tempted by the filet with Maytag blue cheese, but ultimately went for the Sable fish, as recommended by our friends, who had liked it there before. Our table also tried the scallops, the short rib and the salmon.
My sable came from the kitchen as a small filet, very flat, not unlike a slab of perch. It was cooked so thoroughly that it had the consistency of mashed potatoes. There was no texture to the fish, although the flavor was indeed buttery, as this is a high-​fat content fish. Our friend’s plate of sable, in contrast, had a firm consistency to it, and looked quite a bit different. Served over a seaweed salad that gave this dish most of its texture. I normally don’t send food back to the kitchen, so I suffered through this one politely. I should’ve sent it back.
My wife’s scallops were a bit underdone in the center. Scallops when overcooked can be horrendous, but undercooking them is just as much of a sin. I tested a bit of one. Yep. Just a little too pink on the inside. Edible, but inexcusable for a restaurant of this caliber.
That said, the restaurant continues to be a favorite spot of ours, for its casual atmosphere and convivial service.

Best restaurant from farmingvillechester. If you grew up in a small town rural America, you know about that one fancy restaurant where the salad was gray, soup was gravy, and the steaks were actually quite decent. You hated the place because it’s uncool, your dad hated it for the price, your mom hated it because the food sucked. Your grandpa loved flirting with the waitress (so embarrassing). Except for that one time, your crush was also there stuck having dinner with her family. But that’s another story. A sad, sad story. Now you can re-​live all that at the West End Grill.

This place has a phenomenal atmosphere and great location in downtown Ann Arbor. I arrived later in the evening and after a short 5 min wait (the place was packed!) was seated at the best table in the house (big table right in the front of the restaurant by window). Despite dinning alone, the waiter (Kevin) treated me with respect (which I’ve found is not typical when eating alone while traveling for work); he went over all the items on the menu in detail. A+ service.
I had the Fish Taco to start — this was hands down the best Fish Taco I’ve EVER had! For the main course I tried the Grouper which was served glazed with a miso base under a stack of spicy green beans. This dish was pretty good but not «great». I’d only recommend it if you really like Grouper, otherwise there are probably better offerings on the menu for an entrée.
I’d give this place 4.5 stars but will round up to 5 due to Unilocal not allowing half stars.

My firm held a private event at West End Grill this past week, and I was completely blown away. We had the entire restaurant rented-​out for an evening of passed-​apps + cocktails followed by a four-​course meal. While I have no complaints about and was completely pleased with the staff, venue, and menu in general, what really stood out was the restaurant’s perfect execution of our entrees. For instance, many of us selected the Filet Bearnaise, and the dish came out perfectly seared, cooked to the right temperature, and still hot. While this seems quite simple, many restaurants (especially with large groups) fail to execute – however, not West End Grill. I’ve learned this dish is offered on their regular menu, and I cannot recommend it highly enough, especially if you’re a lobster and steak lover like myself.

This place is a gem. We have been here a couple times over the years and were back in April for a little celebration of sorts. I can’t think of a better place for a special occasion dinner in Ann Arbor.
I have a thing for restaurants that just buzz. I have a thing for excellent service, a good wine list, and outstanding food. I like to be able to take my time and really enjoy my food. Yep, West End Grill has all of these and more.
I usually get some form of a steak and I’ve never been disappointed. They do this «winter» version of a Caprese salad that I could eat forever. It is amazing. Appetizers, desserts, all exceptionally yummy.
It is Ann Arbor, so you need to park and walk. We usually use the garage on Ann and Ashley. Who doesn’t love walking around Ann Arbor, though? I do recommend reservations. We’ve had one every time we’ve been here and the restaurant is usually full.

Better than A-​Ok, but I don’t know that I would say I am fan of this restaurant yet.
Stopped in for an appetizer, as my companion was craving the Seafood strudel. Had to check it out, even though it was $ 16.
It was a good size, filling and rich. Everything I expected. Whole pieces of scallops and shrimp. The whole thing was white, so identifying much was a little hard but I will definitely order it again.
I also ordered a mojito with the dish. I really like that the mint was minced for easy travel up the straw. It was a little bland though. Second one, I asked for extra lime. After seeing the $ 11 price tag on the drink, I won’t bother getting it again. IT wasn’t that good.
My dining companion ordered another appetizer of Chicken mushroom risotto. It was beautifully presented in an asiago cheese crisp basket, and loaded with artichokes and chicken. Not so much risotto but it was good. Definitely plenty to make a meal.
I can’t wait to try the Sea Bass next time.
Definitely not a place for bar/​appetizer hopping.

Went by a recommendation of a regular guest of mine and surprisingly I was a little surprised by the attention this place received. They were very accommodating in making a reservation for 12 people with a week notice and Mel was the one the person in contact and she was very helpful in assisting with this reservation.
As we arrived we had a Chef’s style table towards the back of the restaurant which was perfect, like we had our own little private area, away from the regular guests. The food and drinks were amazing and the bread is too die for. (wish I got the recipe). However, it needs major updating, it’s so outdated. The location of the restaurant is in the primest area and the food/​drinks are superb but the «old grandma look» has to go. I would so recommend this business but I can do to it looking like an overpriced diner. The service was outstanding, but they should change their uniforms to something classier, once they update the place.
There are many regulars that wander the streets of Ann Arbor and this place has potential but without a face lift, people will want something newer and happening.