Lelli’s Inn

This is a wonderful «old school» Italian restaurant but current with décor. I LOVE the Chateaubriand –OMG! — and the tableside Caesar salad. Yes, they make the Caeser correctly, it’s delicious! They have occasional Groupons which you can use, but only if you order the full meal. I highly recommend this restaurant and I recommend that you get steak. They do it better than most steakhouses.

We went on a Saturday night with a 7:15 reservation. We were seated exactly at our reservation time. We did have a groupon which includes the traditional menu.
First-​the prices online and on opentable are not correct. Things are $ 5-​$ 10 more expensive than what is listed.
Second, the food was good. It wasn’t amazing but it was good. Truthfully, the soup and salad were our favorite parts over the entrees. I wouldn’t pay full price but the groupon was a good deal.
Third, the reason they only get 2 stars is because of the service. Our waiter was terrible. He didn’t explain anything on the menu. I told him I didn’t eat meat and he was extremely rude about it and didn’t offer any suggestions when I was informed what I ordered contained meat. I almost went to refill my own water a few times. I usually don’t care about slow service because I understand places are busy. However, the service was just RUDE.
Definitely wouldn’t go back. With or without a groupon.

Miss the downtown location but the Auburn Hills location is wonderful. Lambchops with zip sauce potato and crunchy green beans were amazing!!! Our server Chad very attentive and nice teeth!!! Couples, couples and more couples! Ladies bring you girls and have a girls night of fine dining! Shake things up in this place. Dessert you say!!! Tiramisu! Light, creamy, with just the right amount of coffee! Needs more cake (cookie) component. Music? Can we play something in addition to Sinatra? Can some shuffle play their jazz playlist please!!! If you like good steaks, lambchops and good service this is the place.

I had reservations at 6:30pm. Upon arrival I was asked to have a seat and it will only be a few minutes until a table was available. Usually when a person makes reservations a table should be available when the guests arrive. Well that wasn’t the case. I was seated 30 minutes later. I had to approach the host twice to be remind him that I should’ve been seated already.
The waitress knew my friend and I were in a rush and needed to order quickly. –We were going to a pistons game. Once we were seated we ordered our fillets and drinks right away. Our fillets came out an hour in a half later… I kid you not. My fillet wasn’t cold, but it wasn’t hot… But it was tasty. — after waiting that long anything would’ve been good to me at that point. This place is Ridiculous and needs to work on there service. They lack customer service and the hospitality level is very low.

Over priced and not worth it.
I hate to be «that guy» but I will, so here it goes.
Yes, you guessed it, we bought the groupon.
We’re not normally couponers but a friend recommend the groupon for this place and I’ve wanted to check it out so we went ahead.
Basically grouponers have to order the complete meal and not a la carte. This means soup, salad, antipasto tray and dessert.
I ordered a huge filet mignon with zip sauce and my wife ordered the veal parmesan. I have nothing but praise for our entrees. Both were delicious.
However the rest of the meals were pretty lack luster. First we didn’t receive any bread, which didn’t even enter my head until later looking at pics of other’s meals here on Unilocal.The antipasto tray was a real snoozer. A couple olives, lunch meat and a couple cocktail shrimp. Salad was boring, dessert was sorbet… yawn.
Bill came, we tipped on the before coupon price, as you should. Wife had two cocktails, I had a coke.
All in all the price of this venture after buying the groupon was about $ 130.
I can’t help thinking this same meal and experience would be about $ 80 at the Clawson Steak house but hey that’s just me.
I probably won’t be back and if I did I would just order a plate of spaghetti, I just remembered that was included and was good.

I have been going to Lelli’s since the original resturant in Detroit. This has been my favorite restaurant for 30 years … NEVER a bad meal! Recently was engaged there and then had our reception dinner there. FABULOUS!!! My favorite is, of course, the Filet; but also Lobster Tail Lelli is to die for!!!

Disclaimer: before my last visit at Lelli’s, I had nothing but the best experience. The food and service ranked them in my mind as one of the best restaurants in Metro Detroit. 1 stars is an average based on the multiple times I went before (last time was maybe a year and a half ago) compounded with the dinner last night that compelled me to write this review.
Reservations made for 6 PM, we arrive maybe five minutes late and are told that there is a 20 minute wait because they are running behind. That’s alright, we probably should have been a little more prompt in arrival. We weren’t the only people waiting, and many others were very agitated with the wait they had and how the maître d’ handled the situation. He told multiple patrons that they were behind because of the diners at 5:30 staying so long for their meals. Blaming people that are literally spending hundreds of dollars at your restaurant for a wait. really professional.
This was a special meal for our family, especially my mom who was looking forward to eating so we were determined to wait it out. Well, we waited until 7:15 (recall our reservation was at 6) before we were seated and didn’t see our waiter until 7:30. It was pretty clear that they were short handed, but maybe try being up front about that instead of lying.
The waiter was nice, but compared to previous waiters he gave off a very «used car salesman» vibe. In addition, he didn’t tell us any specials and when I asked for a beer menu, he tried to recite it from memory but basically told me nothing about what they had. They ran out of the beer I had ordered, which was nice because it prompted him to actually get the beer menu for me to read. They also ran out of soup, which is pretty silly considering how much soup to make should be pretty predictable as it comes with every meal.
The experience may have been tainted poorly from the service, but most of the pre-​entrée courses were fine. I ordered the orange roughy — the most positive thing I can say about it is that it was fully cooked. No flavor stood out. Mashed potatoes might as well have come out of a Hungry Man frozen meal (at least then I could have put some butter on them.)
They did send us home with soup that they had made after that course in the meal, and it is nothing like what I’ve had there previously. This is evident by the complete lack of meat (at least in the past they would put chopped prime rib into their minestrone — which was excellent).
Maybe the restaurant recently had an ownership change or something, because this Lelli’s is nothing like the one I went to previously.

Not sure if bad day in the kitchen, but service was, at best, terrible. Had party of 12, our lunch entrees took over 1 hour. We sat down at 1130, finally served our entrees at 100, dessert served 2pm (after we waited 20 min to be offered dessert and coffee).
Waiter never apologized for delays.
Very un-Lelli’s like. Extremely disappointed.

Just like I remember when it was downtown (the food)
Service could have been a little better but I can’t hold them accountable if someone is having a hard day. The Cesar salad was unfreakinbelievable. Will go back again.

My shrimp was delicious but for $ 60 it should be. Oh, and that was for the ala carte meal. My husband ordered the full meal. His Caesers salad was really good– other than that there was way too much dressing. The service was great. I took a bite of my husbands side of penne. The tomato sauce was the most disgusting sauce that I’ve ever tasted. It was so sugary that it seemed more like a tomato jelly (is there such a thing?) The creamy minestrone soup was just as gross. My husband really liked his lamb. The prices were EXTREMELY high. If you’re going to charge $ 60 for 6 shrimp and a few string beans, maybe they should set aside a few bucks to revamp the restaurant. I asked our server how long they were open and she said since 2000. Considering the décor, I would have guessed 1974. Overall I was happy with my food. Was it worth $ 150 for 2 adults and a child? not really

We went because I had a $ 60 Groupon and it, with tip, it still ended up costing us $ 90+ (including what we paid for the Groupon). We each only had one glass of the house wine. We were told one person had to order from the «traditional» menu, meaning my husband’s lamb chop dinner was $ 60. It came with a house salad, small antipasto plate, «creamed» minestrone (whatever that means), small pasta and spumoni for dessert. I ordered the veal scallopini ($ 25), which was all I got. It did come with a small portion of mashed potatoes and a few green beans. The bill was $ 107, less $ 60, plus $ 25 for a tip, plus $ 19 for the Groupon.
I think it is way overpriced. The restaurant looks like something out of the 70[’s. Of course, Sinatra playing on the speakers. Waiters dressed in tuxedos. Tired looking ceiling tiles with chandeliers. I was seated in a position to see the service area. I observed an older gentleman waiter take a handkerchief out of his pocket, blow his nose vehemently, stick the handkerchief back in his pocket and immediately proceed to wheel out a cart and toss and serve a salad tableside to a couple without washing his hands. When he had served them to their plates, he wheeled the cart back into the service area and dug into the leftover salad with his hand and ate from the bowl. I was glad he wasn’t out waiter. Ours, a young man who looked like Clark Kent named Tyler was very efficient, dutifully reciting the most expensive «specials» on the menu.
As for the food, the lamb chop was done perfectly, as was my veal scallopini (which I ordered «cordon bleu» style). Our house wines, Pinot Grigot and Piesporter were fine. The rest was forgettable.

Dined at Lelli’s on Saturday nite. It was another in our series of 30^th anniv dinners. Or; perhaps celebrating the 1^st anniv of my 30^th birthday? Or; oh, nevermind.
Lelli’s was its typical fine dining, Italian steakhouse delight. When I called for resv, they even agreed to accept a GroupOn for 7PM on a Saturday — that was an unanticipated benefit. I never mentioned the celebratory aspect (s) …
My bride ordered scallops. Plump. Moist. Just a hint of salt. Expertly prepared. In one word: wonderful.
Our server (Kelly) mentioned that a 16 oz. bone-​in ribeye was among the available specials. I ordered it medium rare. It was served medium rate and wasalso wonderful. It was also huge. It was impossible to eat it all. I ate 6 – 8 ounces and took the rest home. The remainder tipped our kitchen scale at 2.1 lbs. LOL.
Kelly rocks. The entire dining room staff (team) rocks. Kelly was attentive, knowledgeable and anticipated our needs without being obsequious. We always like to see a team effort from servers … and in the one brief moment that Kelly was occupied with another table, one of her co-​workers covered for her. The bus boy (?) is also an over-​achiever in his role. He had no wasted motions or steps when doing his job.

I’ve been to Lelli’s three times now and I have been back for the mushroom cognac tenderloin every single time just because it is fantastic!!! The chef consistently cooks it medium rare the way I like it and the flavour and sauce is beyond superb. Lelli’s has a great traditional menu option with a 5 course meal. You end up leaving feeling full, happy and satisfied. It has a romantic atmosphere perfect for dates, celebrations and anniversaries! There’s a groupon special going on for Lelli’s — I would recommend getting it! (only works for the traditional option however)

Hard to believe I’ve been good to lellis over 30 year’s. The downtown location will always be the best. It had such character. You could get your car washed while you ate dinner. The place was always busy, but if you were in good with the family they always made room for you.
With that being said, the Auburn Hills location has had it’s up and downs in my book. When they first opened (year’s after the original burned to the ground) I was overjoyed and excited to introduce an icon to my daughter and friends.
When the doors opened I think they were totally overwhelmed and unprepared. Easy to forgive because being in the restaurant business I understand once it falls apart during a service there’s no turning it around.
I actually stopped going to lellis after I had my staff’s Christmas dinner here. We had a 7p.m. reservation and our party of 20 weren’t sat until 8:45. No excuse. Total greed on the owners part. They so overbooked the place, and arguments and walk outs were embarrassing.
Finally after being sat it took over 3 hours for dinner. Most of my staff were totally shit faced. I mean what else can you do when your waiting forever for you 8 course meal. We all had the chateaubriand (?) and almost every order had to be sent back. A disaster.
I actually stopped going there after calling and talking with Steve Lelli. He blew it off and offered me a free appetizer for my trouble. That drove me over the edge. But after hearing he left the restaurant to go on his own we started going back. Oh how I missed it.
Cameron is the best waiter there. We had the best service and meal.

A tried and true Detroit area classic!
Neither my wife or I had been here before so this visit was much anticipated and without our brood in tow. While it is easy a family restaurant, Lelli’s is best enjoyed with adults.
It’s an Italian Steakhouse so expect great steaks, seafood and of course the pasta. You can order meals ala carte but for first timers, engage the full experience and get your entrée with the six-​course meal. You get soup, salad, antipasti, pasta, the entrée and dessert. Don’t fool yourself though as the meal isn’t pure decadence as this isn’t The Lark but absolutely well worth ordering. It’s a lot of food with even better leftovers.
First timers are advised to try the house specialty which is the chateaubriand and is prepared tableside It’s classy. I’m not really a tenderloin guy but I encourage my carnivorous friends to definitely go with a meat option as my tenderloin was excellent. Don’t spare the zip sauce or even get the mushroom and cognac sauce for a minimal upcharge. The entrees are the center-​stage items here but don’t discount the quality of the house bolognese sauce. It’s very rich and savory.
Service is very attentive and your table never sees a water glass or beverage empty for long. Also, plates are cleared in a very timely manner. Some people see this as being rushed, I don’t, and rather see this as having a table without clutter. The busboy, waiter and waiter’s assistant work as a cooperative team. This, in my opinion, is worth a larger gratuity.
After a near flawless experience at Lelli’s, with the help of a sweet Groupon, I will never visit Mario’s downtown ever again. BTW-Lelli’s staff does not hold this over your head like Mario’s does, nor do they openly remind you to tip on what would have been the original cost. You should already know that. Lelli’s is a bit of a hike from Hamtown, as it sits around the corner from the Pontiac Silverdome, but truly worth the drive. Simply put, Lelli’s is a much better experience across the board, than Mario’s. It’s cleaner, well organized, well paced and downright delicious. It doesn’t rely on past glories but rather presses on to give you a worthwhile experience for your money.

What an old school tradition experience. Service was tremendous. I love feeling like a 1950’s era gangster! Filet is one of the best in Detroit and zip sauce is amazing!

Well, I should have known that since there was a Groupon involved, that it was likely due to a suffering or slow business. I’ve always wanted to try this place, so the misses and I gave it a shot.
First off, the ambience is nice, but I look at is as being «cheaply high class». For a place that requires their waiters to wear tuxedos and bow ties, the menus shouldn’t be torn apart like ours was. I know that I came for the food, but when you charge 54 dollars for a filet, you should have a nice menu and pleasant wait staff to go with it.
Service was mediocre at best. Our waiter looked like he was miserable and didn’t want to work there. He never checked on us to see how everything was and only once at the very end of the night did I get a refill on my water. The only time he showed up at the table was when he dropped a plate off and then offered parmesan or cracked pepper each time… that’s as far as his service went. The place was nowhere near busy too, which is another reason why I’m knocking on the wait staff. I’m not looking to be harassed every second by the waiter, but seriously, act like you represent something special in this restaurant… it effects the experience.
Anyway, we tried an appetizer sampler consisting of the shrimp Lelli, tenderloin tips, and escargot. It was just average. The sauces surrounding the appetizers were really what was most enjoyable about them. Also, the antipasto tray looked insulting for being in a restaurant like this. I’ve had much better house salad and minestrone soup elsewhere as well.
Okay, so the filet mignon… it was delicious. I asked for medium and it was a perfect medium. Granted, it took well over an hour for dinner to arrive, but it did and it tasted great. Melted in my mouth. The potatoes were also delicious. That was pretty much the only good thing in the restaurant. Needless to say, I’m sure I won’t be coming back. This place has a lot of work that needs to be done from the staff to the courses prior to the entrée.

I should have guessed when they were Googled the first thing to come up was a Groupon.
The restaurant has valet parking (for an additional ten steps you can park your own car). The wine list is full of Italian and Napa selections for a premium price — Stags Leap «Artemis» for $ 120? Come on it is a $ 40 wine retail at best. (Three times markup??)
The filet is their specialty and it looked good, but not $ 50 good. I had the 18 oz. rib eye (boneless) at over $ 50. (Less than an inch thick, not trimmed, and slathered in butter. Why order a dry aged steak if you are going to ruin it in butter?) The sides are fine, but way too much food for anyone that hasn’t starved themselves for three days.
Service was okay, but my server tried telling me that «classico» was a region of Italy. Um… no.
Bill for two people w/​o the Groupon was $ 240. For that type of money I expect excellence not mediocrity. Save your money.

Listen, this is a five star restaurant when there isn’t a holiday or special day happening.
At the end of the day, this is the best meal in town, hands down. We have been going to Lelli’s for special occasions for over 18 years, back when they were downtown.
The filet, medium rare with extra zip sauce is the best I’ve had in the country. No question. Topped with the minestrone soup, pasta with meat sauce and antipasto tray, it is an amazing meal.
But at the end of the day, if it is a special occasion/​holiday, expect them to triple up on reservations and to wait an hour after your planned time. If you have a 730PM reservation, expect to be seated at 830PM.
As long as you go in knowing this, frustration won’t set in and you can enjoy yourself.
Happy dining.

If you like Ruth’s Chris, you will love Lelli’s…BUT, you will like it much better than Ruth’s Chris and here’s why… VALUE!
At Ruth’s Chris, a steak will run you, let’s say $ 40-​$ 55 depending on the cut. At Lelli’s it will cost you the exact same amount, but here’s the kicker. For that $ 40-​$ 55 you also get:
Antipasto, salad, soup, pasta, and sorbet or spumoni… and it’s all very good!
The service is excellent. My Mother-​in law and Father-​in law have been a regulars there for years and they literally treat them like family. I get the feeling everyone gets treated well though. It’s that locally owned environment that keeps them going the extra mile.
The atmosphere is also nice. You can wear anything from jeans and a polo shirt, to a suit and cocktail dress. It’s nice that the restaurant can successfully pull off a casual evening out and/​or a special occasion.
Overall a great choice for dinner. I would easily recommend and go back the next time I’m in the area.