Bistro 82

Dinner with close friends on a Saturday night. Outstanding food and great wine list (spent 10 minutes reading it) and service by David was superb. Very crowded, you will need reservations and loud… valet parking so you don’t have to scour the neighborhood for a spot. About the bread thing… it’s made by their pastry chef and available at a reasonable charge, but not worth the money in my opinion. I have recommended this place to many people.

Since not many reviews in a few months I will throw in mine. Took my 17 year old daughter for dinner. The atmosphere is trendy. Industrial. Loud. The music thumps. We heard a few other people complaining too. We could talk but did get drowned out
Lack of bread. Yeah. It’s French. Olive Garden has bread. Small cost and was a noticeable omission. We had the orange cauliflower which was very good. The Frenxh onion appetizer was odd. Serves like Escargot. Mostly it was geese and onion. Tasty but not amazing. I had ciopino which was tasty. Hard to get the grab out of the shell. But good. Other entre was the special which was enjoyed but won’t be there again
Desert was chocolate mousse. Was fine. Not great but good. Service was very good. Attentive. Helpful and honest. Drinks are priced fairly
One thing. Two iPads were filthy. Sticky. Blurred screen and one was almost out of juice. Pics are njce but it was kinda of gross.
Overall. Good experience. Will go back during the week when it is less busy. But fun good place

I like Bistro 82 because it is consistently good. I have eaten here a number of times with various groups (2 – 4 others) and have never once been disappointed. The service can be a bit slow at times, but always courteous. The food is always outstanding and I have had most things on the menu… For the food quality and ambiance the price is also reasonable.

Food still great. Service was very good. Wine sommelier is terrible. We ordered a modestly priced Washington Merlot blend that we like ($ 57). It came with his bad attitude. I guess you only get good service from the sommelier if you spend more?
Will certainly go back, but I expected more…

The food was delicious! Will definitely come back.
We ordered the grilled artichoke appetizer which surprised us with such a delicate flavor. The French onion soup dumplings were original but I would better try something else next time. The goat cheese salad was exceptional! Served warm with a delicious crust, additionally, the plate is nicely decorated
What I will remember and will make me come back is the filet mignon au poivre, just perfect! The steak frites also a great option. For desert the lemon panna cotta was not a traditional Italian style however, it has a very smooth and flavored taste!
The service was just ok, I would have expected a higher end treatment though.

Went there last night for New Year’s Eve dinner! The food and service were amazing. I ordered the lamb shank and my date ordered the filet. Both cooked to perception. I left to go to the bathroom and came back to this amazing caramel cookie layer cake that my date order. So good! Great meal to bring in the new year with.

Came here with a group of 6 in mid-​December (Sat night). The experience was similar to another reviewer’s from late 2015.
Tasty appetizers (French onion soup dumplings, escargot, etc.). I think everyone liked what they got. For the entrees, it was a mixed bag. The lamb shank, mussels and steak & frites were good (a bit skimpy quantity of mussels), but the copia (fish) was downright bad (and it was a really small portion, not nearly as large as the photo shown in the iPad-​like menu).
Now my gripes: No bread! Yes, you can buy a $ 5 «appetizer» bread, but how can a French restaurant with delicious sauces NOT have bread? Has the owner/​chef actually ever been to France? Even the simplest roadside bistrot will have a basket of fresh French bread at the table. Also, dull knives. You end up mutilating your cut of meat because you are using what is essentially a butter knife. And finally, please turn down the music volume. Keep it on, but not so loud as to make people shout over it.

Not happy so far, watching folks get seated while I wait with a reservation. Doesn’t look promising.
So, we got our food about an hour later. Inattentive server, but great food. Definitely not coming back here, waste of a good evening…

This was a tough review to write, as so much about the restaurant was wonderful, and so many problems as well.
FIrst, the good. Food was wonderful on almost all counts. The escargot was a bit bland, but everything else we tasted was cooked perfectly, and had wonderful flavor. I would give it 4.5 stars on food. The atmosphere was also very nice. A very modern trendy industrial décor. Very cool. Our server also bent over backwards for us. In fact, when we mentioned a few of the problems, he actually agreed, and did his best to accommodate.
The problems were as follows. First, no bread. How can a restaurant that bills itself as a French bistro not provide bread? We were then told we could pay extra and get bread?. Really? We were finally told we could really not even do that, as they were out. The server did do his best, and brought out some crostinis, that were in olive oil. We were told they had no butter. Has the owner/​chef actually evern been to France?
Other problems were — the online menu was NOT accurate. I was looking forward to the Steak Frites as shown online. When we got there, it, as was not on the menu. Another huge problem, on our first round of martinis, two of the glasses came out barely half full, and two came out full. The second round was fine, but how can this happen? Finally, the knife to cut the veal chop was so dull, it would not cut, and the server apologized, saying in the 2 years they have opened, the knives had dulled, and that was the best they had.
It really is a shame, as food, atmosphere, and our server were fantastic. Will I go back or recommend — I would not.

Nice restaurant atmosphere. We had a lovely waitress. I didn’t eat everything that was ordered at my table but from what I did eat, I enjoyed. I ordered one of the salads and liked it. I had some crab legs, a side of ratatouille and side of mushrooms to go with my filet. All very good. My filet was over cooked so she made me another one the way I wanted it and comped a dessert for
us. The filet was delicious and the puréed potatoes that came with it were perfection. The side of mushrooms tasted great with my steak. For dessert we ordered the beignets which I didn’t care for. They were a little too crispy without enough dough on the inside. And we also
ordered some kind of peanut butter dessert. I can’t remember the name but it was not bad. Overall I had a nice time and enjoyed my food. I’m happy they changed the menu to gear a little more towards upscale American and not AS French.

I got the filet and was cooked perfectly to my liking. It was surrounded with soupy mash & a brown sauce. Topped w a paste on top (maybe eggplant? Not sure, but not the liver paste). And broccoli to the sides also & lots of pepper. Maybe too much peppef for me bc it was a little spicy. The flavors blends very well together. I feel lile the filet is average, its a very big piece but not much flavors without the otber sauces around it. The other dishes my friends got were also delicious.
The atmosphere is very elegant & calming. We came at 930 so it wasnt that loud in there, or maybe jist in general? Bht i love what they did to the place. Completely different from the old restaurant. Glad to have finally tried it. Our service was ok i guess. Was not impressed by him at all, maybe he had a bad day. But they do use ipads for menus, which they need to charge or check it & clean it! Bc mine was kinda sticky & died right when i was gonna order. Btw no A1 for those who love that stuff. Lol.

I am determined to hit the 18 top brunches in metro Detroit after the latest published article. This was one of the stops. I am not sure if they will have brunch during the fall, but I think that it ended with the month of August. I was debating between 2 – 3 stars because it wasn’t a bad experience. The highlights of the afternoon were the tables by the open windows. The «Not Your Mother’s Mimosa (I think it was called)» was terrible. It came out warm and it was $ 12. It was bitter and when I asked for a glass of ice, was given an ice water about 20 minutes later. I strained the water with my hands and it was still warm. My boyfriend didn’t drink his and I drank half of mine. Kind of a waste for $ 24. He loved his food — the seafood scramble, so my review isn’t based off of that. I got the omelette with herbed ricotta and wild mushrooms and caramelized onions. It was okay. The insides of it were great, but there was too much egg without enough filling. The potatoes that came with it were also okay, but tasted simply of seasoning salt and weren’t very hot. I did enjoy the iPad menus on the table which our server told us we could look at for the dinner menu — just to take a peek. Again, this is odd.
For such a pricey brunch, I’d recommend elsewhere. I have heard that have a great happy hour, so maybe check that out instead.

I have been Unilocaling since 2009 and I have never felt the need to give ten stars before and who knew that would happen here at home!!!
This was absolutely the best experience in brunch that I’ve ever had, do five stars for the executive chef and five more for our service, David Bryant! (I have his card now, thankfully, because I’d only go back on a night he was working! He’s that good)
We asked for his suggestions and took them all.
Seafood hash: I can’t explain it because you haven’t seen this before. I’ve done the salmon hash at Chinooks in Seattle, which is fab, but not refined on this level. Just so creative and the perfectly made.
Croque Madame: get OUT!!! genius. We loved it. (See pics)
Not Your Mommas Mimosa: another great choice by David. Worth every cent as it packs a good kick. (I HATE the $ 10-​$ 12 mimosas all over B’ham and Ferndale that are weaker than weak! You feel so scammed)
Dessert: wasn’t on brunch menu but David offered it up so we ordered three things… beignets and caramel sauce seriously better than you could ever expect a beignet to be. (And yes, I’ve had them in New Orleans and even took a baking class for them… Can’t be missed here!)
I don’t even know what to call the mousse? Budino? I don’t know. These rich layers of vanilla and chocolate pudding-​like dessert with candied balls of goodness? No idea… Cookie on top to crack into the glass…
Oh, and David gave us a Brunch menu signed by the chef so how much better can it get??? (I know the answer to that: they could do year-​round brunch! That would be better!). I’ll be back for dinner as fast as I can.
I just can’t get over this place right here in Royal Oak… Root just got moved to my second fave. ;)

I had a friend come in from out of town and we decided to try out Bistro 82. Wow, blown away! Overall, it was a great experience. The restaurant is very modern, open, and airy. We sat on the edge of the restaurant where they had opened the doors so it had become like a patio. Our server was very attentive but not obtrusive.
We ordered a bottle of Opus One Cabernet. Their wine list is rather extensive and they definitely have a nice mix of affordable bottles with higher end bottles. Some of their cocktails sounded interesting but I decided to save that for another time.
The appetizer course was my favorite! I ordered escargot. Honestly, I’m not sure of any other restaurants in the Detroit area that serve it and it’s sad because it’s one of my favs. My friend got the bone marrow and we requested foie gras. It is not on the menu but they made it two ways for us, savory and sweet. My escargot smelled heavenly like butter and garlic. They tasted just as heavenly. The foie gras sweet was served with honey, banana, and strawberries. It was delicious though I preferred the savory foie gras. It was served atop a circle of bread of some sort with mushrooms, roasted onions, and glazed pecans.
For dinner I got the salmon which was cooked to perfection, a nice crust from pansearing and not overly salty. The flesh was moist and tender. My friend very much enjoyed his steak. I didn’t really want dessert because I was stuffed but my friend ordered it anyway. We got the chocolate banana and strawberry basil.
The banana ice cream was delicious but the cake was strange. The outer consistency was like pudding and the flavor was off. The inside was good, crunchy and chocolately but imo, the serving size was just too large. The strawberry basil was odd, the basil ice cream was… interesting and all together with the gels and the spongy cake, it was good but it wasn’t my cup of tea.

We had a great time with our favorite bartender Ted. Excellent apps-​grilled calamari with squid ink sauce and oysters with the Experience Z and Pimms Cup cocktails followed by a bottle of Ramey Chardonnay with steak and frites and salmon with a white bean and greens underthing. Then three deserts. The warm beignets
with bananas and sauce won out. Then a patron tequila based chocolate after dinner drink. We shared with the granddaughter of my favorite grade school teacher and basketball coach. A charming young lady Nicole Chopp. Some enchanted evening.

Although I did start off with a bad experience on the burnt calamari, man!!! The filet that I ordered was phenomenal! I ordered medium well, it did come out to be medium, but it was plate wiping clean delicious! My wife ordered the hangar steak at medium and it came out to be medium rare and we are not going to order that next time! Fries that came with the hangar steak was salty!!! I am going to come back and guess what I am going to get? The filet!!! Staffs were very friendly and the service is friendly! People who goes to Café Du Mont in New Orleans would really appreciate the Beignet at Bistro 82!!!
Pros: the filet and the beignet were the highlight!
Cons: the calamari was burnt and I tasted coal, and that’s the highlight :)

Bf and I came here on a Thursday for a very last-​minute, spontaneous date night. boy am I glad I’ve had Bistro 82 bookmarked!
I had a great experience from start to finish. The hosts, Ivan and some other lady whose name I didn’t get, were friendly and seated us quickly. Our waiter was great as well.
We tried:
–French onion soup dumplings: as our waiter explained, they put the onions in dumplings, set the dumplings in an escargot-​plate thing, pour some soup over it, and finish it with cheese. It’s served with crostini. I liked this but wish the dumplings weren’t so doughy. Next time, I’ll skip this and try something else.
–Duck confit fettucine: MUST ORDER. I’m not even a pasta person (as in I will always opt for something else), but this is good!!! Crispy duck skin, creamy sauce (w/​o being heavy), fresh pasta, and generous duck portions. A solid 5 star dish
–Wagyu hanger steak: we ordered this with bone marrow, which I recommend skipping. The steak was good, and the fries were deeeeeelicious.
I’m quickly adding Bistro 82 to my list of highly recommended restaurants!

If I had to pick a favorite all around restaurant this would be it. The service from the minute you walk in the door to the minute you leave is impeccable.
Having been there at least 10 – 15 times for either happy hour or dinner I can say that you can’t really go wrong ordering off of the menu. The dishes are all fresh, high quality, and beautifully plated.
I’ve also done special tastings a few times that are off menu items specially prepared by the Executive Sous Chef Norman Fenton that were amazing.
If you want an approachable fine dining experience go here with friends, get the paper airplane and eat you heart out.

For wine and service, they have officially spoiled us.
The first time we ended up at Bistro 82 was a recommendation from a friend. Although we had a new server, I don’t think we could have complained about anything.
Fast forward 6 months and multiple visits. Matthew, the sommelier, remembers all of the wine recommendations he made. Dare I say we have gone back just to pick his brain? Mallory, the server we had on our first trip (and subsequent times after) is attentive and knowledgeable about the menu. The food probably won’t wow you, but if you are too lazy to cook and want to kick your feet up with a bottle of wine, this is definitely your place.

This was really a great dining experience — – nearly a five star. The menu is on an iPad and is very easy to use. We started with two appetizers the French Onion Dumplings and the Squash Hummus. The French Dumplings came in an escargot– like serving dish and were exceptional. The hummus was good but if you are going to have one appetizer, get the dumplings. I ordered the Seafood Ciopinno and all of the offerings were perfect.(Clams, Mussels, Shrimp and some excellent crab legs). My wife had the Roasted Cobia (a tasty mild white fish) and loved it Others in our group had the Hanger Steak and the Airline Chicken (not what you think — ask for an explanation of the name, it’s interesting). We also had two side dishes, the grilled asparagus and the Brussel Sprouts. They were large enough for all four of us to share. Wine and beer were all good.
Now for the best part. We had two deserts, the chocolate banana plate and the Cinnamon Sugar Beignets. The beignets were the BEST. The chocolate was ok.
Service by Mallory was perfect and she served every dish with appropriate timing and correctly presented.
Can’t wait to get back.