Diamond Jim Brady’s

Quintessential neighborhood joint. Very attentive service, great pub-​style burger, and a good selection of beers on tap. A little on the cozy side (tight) but not a problem. Very nice patio environment — perfect for summer dinning.

I was in from out-​of-​town looking for a nice place that I could pull a seat up at the bar, watch some TV and have a good meal. This place far exceeded my expectations. Great food, even better service. I immediately felt like a local that had been there a hundred times. «Mo» at the bar was the nicest and most welcoming person you’ll find. I highly recommend the mussels and the calamari, although everything that I saw come out looked great as well. I’ll be coming back to Diamond Jim’s every time I come to Detroit.

It was fine. Staff were very nice. Meal took a long time (approx 20 mins). Not sure if that’s normal or that day. When we sat, that seemed to be the trend as another table complained about the wait time. I had the Sole special and my son had the beef sandwich on a pretzel bun. The beef was really good. The rye seeds on the bun threw the flavors off and we did our best to get rid of them. The fish was not bad. If I weren’t writing this, I would have already forgotten about it.

I found this place on Unilocal and was drawn here by a pic of the lobster BLT someone posted. I sat at the bar. TVs had weird uninteresting shows on, rather than the NBA playoffs. Bartender lady was nice. I ordered the calamari for an appy. It was ok. Then I got the lobster BLT, and it was… good? I mean like, it wasn’t bad but I wasn’t blown away. I left and went back to my hotel and pondered my meal. It was good, but i wasn’t like…“man! Diamond Jim Brady’s! Can’t wait to go back!” And I’m not a picky eater! I mean frick, i gave Skyline Chili 5 stars! Kind of a tough spot for Diamond Jim to compete with like 30 restaurants crammed into one spot. Overall it was ok, but I’m not rushing back anytime soon. Maybe if I get a gift card.

Very busy area. Dining area and bar can seem packed but it’s very cozy. Have a great burger for regular guys like me and lots of options for «foodies».

This restaurant is in the midst of the area of Novi which can get rather busy. It was crowded during lunch, but we didn’t have to wait for a table since we elected to sit in the area which appears to be an attached sunroom. The shades were pulled down part of the way, but we had to pull them down further during our meal. It become hot throughout the meal, and I had to keep moving my chair away from the window. For appetizers, we had the smoked whitefish spread with crostini and calamari. Both were great. I would definitely order them again. I also had the lobster BLT with the blue cheese coleslaw. For cocktails, I had a coconut margarita and lemon drop martini. I really enjoyed everything I tried here and will return.

Fun atmosphere with great food! Tots are awesome. I am still thinking about the buffalo chicken wedge salad weeks later. They have great drink specials and a nice wine list. My husband had the Greek turkey burger and said it was great. I will be back for that salad! I also had the salmon here before and it was very good. Great food, drink atmosphere and décor!

Diamond Jim’s is shoe-​horned into one of the very busy shopping plazas off Novi Rd. right across I-​96 from Twelve Oaks. Once in the door however, a relaxing ambience quickly takes over in this smartly appointed upscale bistro.
Here for lunch on a Saturday afternoon, we surveyed the menu from our quiet booth of dark colored wood just off the bar area.
Both my wife and I ordered the $ 15 Lobster BLT, her’s with fries and slaw and mine with sweet mashed potatoes.
Unfortunately, we were both disappointed with the small amount of lobster salad in the sandwiches. The large Ciabatta roll turned out to be mostly over-​stuffed with arugula and tomato along with 2 strips of Applewood bacon.
The mashed sweet potatoes, however, were really awesome and would be highly recommended with any entrée or sandwich.
Overall, nice atmosphere and solid service but only 3 stars for the sandwiches with the stingy portions of lobsters.

I went here with a friend of mine in October of 2015, and we located from the Unilocal app! I have never heard of Diamond Jim Brady’s and I have been knowledgeable of the Novi area for my whole life. Without Unilocal,I would not have found the location, so we are very thankful of our technology.
We started with a charcuterie board with various meats and cheese that were both great for me and my friend. The crackers were great, and the prosciutto was great, and I typically don’t enjoy it.
As for the main dishes, I got the Sweet Potato Burrito. It was scrumptious, for a vegetarian option this has spice & flavor that elevated the sweet potato to new heights. I had a burrito similar to this at another establishment, and this one was so much better since the spice. I did not feel «shortchanged or less-​than» without the inclusion of meat. There was no need here, and I would get that dish again.
My friend got the Lobster BLT with Sweet Potato fries. He really enjoyed it, and I did try it as well. Personally, I am not a lobster fan but this was quite good and it is unexpected choice to see on a menu.
Ending the journey of food, we tried the Key Lime Pie — The filling was just about the right level of tart; however the crust left more to be desired. I would say that was 3.5 /​5.
I would highly recommend Diamond Jim Brady’s, as this is a hidden gem in Novi and I highly encourage y’all to try it out after going to the Twelve Oaks Mall.

The hubby and I went here for lunch on Saturday and it was pretty good, but not great. The good stuff outweighed the meh parts hence the 4 stars. We started with the calamari appetizer. It was lightly fried and topped with scallions and a creamy spicy aoili. The calamari was good, but there was hardly any sauce on there and it was only on a few rings :(
Order the sauce on the side, maybe that way you’ll get more and can dip each piece in there. Then we followed with the Beef of Weck for the hubby and the Scottish Salmon for me. His sandwich was amazing: thinly sliced prime rib that was still juicy topped with caramelized onions and swiss. The pretzel bun held everything together so the contents did not slide out when you picked it up. The twice cooked fries it came with were amazinggggg — perfectly crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. GET THEM!!!
My salmon on the other hand was just mehhhh!!! They gave me a tail end piece that still had skin on the bottom so the small piece became even smaller when I removed the gray skin :/​The accompanying veggies were not impressive either. There was wayyyyy too much bacon grease on the spinach and kale — like enough bacon grease to form a pool on the bottom of the plate. Blehhhhhh!!!
Thus, good but not great…

With food allergies, good dining experiences are far and few between. Luckily, Sharon, one of the owners (and chefs) took time and great care in reviewing the modifications that could be made to various dishes on the gluten-​free menu (to also omit dairy, soy, corn). She personally ensured that the kitchen staff my food accordingly. The Scottish salmon was absolutely amazing with a substitute reduction sauce. My husband was smitten with his pulled BBQ pork tacos and all our friends finished every speck of food off their plates (Pancho Burger, Fish & Chips, Steak Diane).
The décor was elegant yet casual and the service was great. This place is truly a hidden gem in Novi!

Came here on a Sunday night and we were seated outside in another room. About two other tables were occupied in that area and it was just dead quiet and we were the «loudest» table. I don’t really care about that, but what kind of irritated me was the way our waitress completely forgot about us after she poured all 3 of us our waters. After about 15 – 20 minutes I got up to go look for her and when she saw me her eyes got big as if she really did forget about us and she tried to blame it on the hostess and said «oh they didn’t tell me your third guest arrived yet”– it didn’t even make sense because my third guest already arrived when she was pouring our waters, LOL. If she would have just said sorry, it would’ve been water under the bridge, but throwing someone else under the bus left a bad taste in our mouths.
The food is OK. My sister got their prime rib sandwich which was dry and the au jus that came with tasted too strong and a little off. Our other dining companion ordered the special — pasta and lobster which was really bland, and the noodles were overdone and mushy. It just wasn’t anything special. The steak Diane was good but it wasn’t that great.
If they tweak some things, it would make a world of a difference.

I needed to get some grub and fast! I got hangry, and I was a good 40min from my house. In comes Diamond Jim Brady’s. Sat at the bar, got quick service, a delicious glass of red wine (the options are good and the bartender let me have a little taste before commitment), and my salad that came with my order came immediately. The nice thing about the salad is that it was pretty large for a side salad — and thank goodness… killed the hunger in a jiffy. Then came the pulled pork tacos. She told me they were spicy, and I was thinking Michigan spicy (i.e. not very), but I was wrong. Perfect amount of spice and tons of flavor. There were a LOT of things on the menu I could have eaten — so best go back and give them another go.

So one of the nice things about traveling for work is the great restaurants I get to eat at. You need three essential items: good beer or wine list, good food and great company. We got all three at this local place that talks about buying local.
Today decided to go with the wine instead of the beer list. Picked a great Argentinean Blanc that was suggested to be paired with the Pan Roasted Walleye dish I was going to order. Both were great choices.
Why is Walleye more expensive here where they catch it than other places? Things that make you go huh! I’m not just talking about this restaurant, I’m talking about several restaurants I have been to in the area. Either way, its very good and you have try it while your here.
The Walleye sat on a bed of wild rice which was hidden but very good. I thought the portions were very generous and we couldn’t even have dessert. I did have to try the daily special bacon something soup [they had me at bacon].
Pretty full but we could have a conversation without being too loud for others or not being able to hear each other.

This was my first visit to the, relatively, new location in the revamped Novi Town Center. I always remember that this restaurant had some good food, but it went off my radar for a while. Arrived early on a Friday evening and there was still lots of tables available. As the evening went on, the place filled up rather quickly. The décor was nice and they have a lot of «outdoor» seating that is turned into «indoor» seating when the weather isn’t too cooperative. We were greeted quickly and had a very nice, friendly and efficient waitress. We ordered some delicious drinks and apps. The cheese and meat board was a great way to start the meal. It had a nice, housemade, mustard to enhance the snacks. I also had the hot crab dip. I thought it was good, but not great. It was also a bit pricey and not the taste I was looking for, but the garlic crustinis that it came with were tasty!
There is a good variety of entrees to choose from and we ordered the cheeseburger and the fish and chips. Both were fabulous. The burger was so juicy and so flavorful! The fish was crispy and the I can’t even describe how good the taste was. I also liked their homemade tartar sauce.
It was a great evening at DJB’s! Had some generous cocktails, done right, and some really scrumptious food. I hope to return again very soon.

Over the years, we’ve been to Diamond Jim Brady’s dozens of times. Not once have I had a bad meal, nor has anyone I’ve dined with.
They make a good mixed drink, if you’re so inclined, and have decent beer and wine selections.
Waitstaff is uniformly well trained — knowledgeable and efficient.
You can’t go wrong with anything on the menu, but my favorites are steak Diane or the sweet potato burrito. Yum! I might have just talked myself into going to Diamond Jim’s tonight.

We had an awesome dinner. Had the calamari and mussels both were yummy. The mussels with chorizo had a great flavor profile to it. And the Bistro steak was cooked to the perfect medium rare and the porterhouse was flavored and chargrilled perfectly.
Our server Virginia was polite, personable, and gave good recommendations. I see a lot of people complaining about the prices but you get what you pay for. Can’t expect actual food that takes time to prep and cook to be cheap. This is definitely not a inexpensive place to eat dinner. But it’s not somewhere you’ll have to break the bank either.
If you want something quick and cheap there’s a TGI, Friday’s, Red Robin and Olive Garden just down the street. It’ll be cheap but won’t be as nice and tasty as some of the dishes at Diamond Jim Brady’s.
Oh, the peach cobbler was a great ending to the night too. Yummy vanilla ice cream on top of a crumbly peach cobbler. If you’re looking for a nice date night, this is one of the spots to hit in Novi.

I never even knew this place was there until my coworkers suggested we do a group lunch there, and I’m glad we did go to Diamond Jim Brady’s because my meal was awesome and the leftover Lobster BLT (which I’m literally eating as I’m typing one-​handed) is just as good. Not only is the inside of the restaurant big, there’s also a lot of covered/​shaded outdoor seating. It doesn’t have a great view (strip mall parking lot), but at least there’s outdoor seating.
The rolls are the most buttery and garlicky and fresh I’ve had in a long time. Every refill batch for the table are fresh out of the oven. Extra butter or olive oil not necessary. I ordered the Lobster BLT and clam chowder. I’ve never had a clam chowder that was this flavorful, this hearty, and has this much clams in it. Before I ate the soup, in my head, I was complaining that a small bowl of soup costa $ 5, but after I was done, I decided it was worth every penny of that $ 5, so hats off to the chef. The Lobster BLT is deceivingly filling. I thought I would be able to inhale that, but I had clearly underestimated how filling the lobster and bacon are, and I had to take half of that sandwich with me. The plus side of that is that It does make me feel better knowing I got 2 meals out of a $ 14 sandwich (and fries).
The restaurant is nicely decorated, and the service was great, even for 10 people during the lunch rush. So, no complaints about that. Everyone else in our group was also ranting and raving about their lunch choices. Looks like Diamond Jim Brady’s is a win.

Fish and chips or burger? Sacchettini Pasta or Mussels? Everything sounded so good, especially after working up an appetite spending a long and wondrous afternoon wandering around the DIA.
I don’t know if I was influenced by a book I am currently reading, but I went with the platter of golden-​brown, beer-​battered cod, served with coated fries. The large, mouthwatering portion definitely tamed my hunger with enough left over for a sizeable dinner the following evening. The fries were okay — in the future, I will try for a substitute.
Along with the fish, I had the Caesar’s Salad with the much-​loved and distinctively flavored anchovy fillets topping it. Yum! The dressing was mixed in with a light hand and did not overwhelm.
This has been my second visit to this new location. Somehow, it feels cramp and disorganized, compared to the former location. And patio dining was muggy and less comfortable, even though the small TV playing a Tigers game provided much-​needed updates to us fans. Service was friendly and quick (quick-​witted also).

I travel a lot for work and try to follow two rules 1– don’t eat at hotel if I don’t have to; 2– don’t eat at chain restaurants. This restaurant was perfect! Thanks to fellow Unilocalers who gave great reviews I took the quick walk from the Doubletree.
I was greeted warmly by Matt and he continued to be a friendly, attentive server. I ordered one of the specials — Lemon Thyme Shrimp with Spinach and a root vegetable Side dish. It was very flavorful and a perfect amount of food.
Since my entrée was fairly healthy, I quickly justified a dessert when Matt showed me the dessert menu. Who knew you could get Key West-​worthy Key Lime Pie in Michigan? It was delicious. I would share a picture, but I ate it too quick to snap a pic.
My meal with glass of wine, salad, entrée, and dessert came out to a tad less than $ 50 including tip.
I’m in town a few more days, so may return to try a few other scrumptious sounding choices.