I regarded this location as the best because that’s what I remembered. Unfortunately, that is not the case. The food was dry and overcooked. The response we were given was “it’s the end of the night.” After reading the restaurant’s responses to the reviews, I see why the staff was comfortable making such a ridiculous comment. Consistency and quality should be a standard, whether it’s the first plate or last. And I’m taken aback by the condescending responses and emojis from the “owner.” Some PR training would be a good investment before it’s too far gone. Bad food and bad attitudes will drive people to find better options.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
JustPassingBy
I have been coming here my entire life. This place has always been special to me, which makes it incredibly sad to see what it has become.
I used to come here with family when it was truly a destination. People dressed up. The atmosphere was intentional. The fountain ran, the lights were dimmed, and there was soft live music in the background. It felt like somewhere worth going.
Recently I brought someone special here, hoping she could experience what I remembered.
Unfortunately, the place has lost nearly all standards of quality and customer experience.
It started the moment we arrived. We stood at the hostess stand for five minutes while staff members stood nearby talking among themselves, never even acknowledging that we were waiting. When we were finally approached, they attempted to seat us on the restaurant side while I tried to explain that I had a reservation with a special request I had made a week in advance. They seemed completely confused.
Eventually they brought us to the atrium side and tried to seat us against the wall, despite there being more than fifteen open tables in far better locations. I was wearing a suit and my date was in a dress. It was clearly a special night for us, and being pushed into a corner felt dismissive.
I had to stop again and explain that I had requested a specific table location a week earlier and had received confirmation for it. After an awkward back-and-forth—where I felt like I was making a scene in front of my date simply for asking for the table I had reserved—we were finally seated. All of this could have been avoided with a simple question: “Do you have a reservation tonight?” followed by actually reading it.
Once seated, I started telling her how special this place had always been to me. As we looked around, we noticed people dining in pajamas and Crocs. I remember when establishments like this had a dress code.
I then pointed out that the fountain normally runs to create atmosphere. When I looked over, I realized it clearly hadn’t been running in quite some time. Instead of repairing it, the solution appears to have been draping cheap plastic plants over a beautiful 1930s Art Deco fountain. I was honestly appalled that this was considered an acceptable fix.
At that point I was embarrassed that I had brought her here.
Unfortunately, it didn’t stop there. When I went to the restroom, half the ceiling tiles were missing. The room smelled strongly of weed and cigarettes. There was urine on the floor, the trash can was overflowing, and the stalls were in worse condition than something you’d expect in a roadside gas station.
At that moment I honestly considered leaving and trying to salvage the night somewhere else.
It is incredibly disappointing to see the level of neglect and disrespect this building has received. This used to be a destination restaurant that people would drive two hours to experience. Seeing it in its current condition is genuinely sad.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 5
Service: 1
Erika Hendricks-Richardson
Arrived at the restaurant today at 18:00. They sat us down by 18:20. It is now 19:15 and we still haven't even received water to wait to be served. If you didn't want to serve us then why even sit us down? Yes I'll take my 6 figure wallet somewhere else that wants our money. Needless to say, 0 out of 10.
Chanelle Wright
Customer service and management
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
LeslieMcCurdy
Here's the thing, I usually love Fishbone's. I had not been there for a while and, outside of the slightly higher prices, which were expected and the change from garlic butter to I-don't-know-what-the-hell-that-was because it didn't taste like butter at all, what I found intolerable was the 18% service charge added to the bill that, it turns out, doesn't even go to the servers. I bet most people think that charge is for the tip. With that kind of up charge, you shouldn't go cheap on the garlic butter. Just sayin'. Won't be back in a hurry. Drat.
Responding to the response I received, I talked to a manager, because the taste was so different, who told me the butter recipe had been changed to save money just days before and it was a server who told me that she doesn't get the service charge, so it is your staff who is spreading disinformation...or not...
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Markeisha Ellis
I don’t know which was worse the food or the service. The drinks were good tho, I wouldn’t recommend
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 1
Joryan Franklin
While the food is good, and the atmosphere of the restaurant is good as well, I have just one small issue and that is the ability to order over the phone. Fishbones restaurant does not allow orders over the phone. However, when I tried to order online, the website did not allow me to order online either. I just feel like if the website isn’t set up to do online ordering and, that is the only way that the restaurant allows ordering, they should allow on the phone ordering.
Update: I see the owner made a comment back saying how my comment was “irrelevant”. Never did I comment on the food or the atmosphere. Actually, 4/5 stars was given for that. The 3/5 stars was just for the ordering feature which is “relevant” to any business. The time that I called and informed the staff that their online system wasn’t working was 15 minutes after the restaurant opened. Once I called, the staff informed me that the manager hadn’t turned on the toast app to accept order. I waited another 15 minutes after calling the restaurant for the online ordering system to open up but it didn’t.
Now, I wish you the best.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
Blanche Harris
Valentines Day was a complete.disaster. Food and service was horrible. It took an hour and a half to receive a shrimp plate that burnt on the outside and raw and cold on the inside. Spoke to the manager to have the automatic gratuity removed
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Sean Flinn
App delivered late, and food immediately after. This is after we canceled the app, which they added to the bill anyway. Food was undercooked with little or no seasoning. Medium rare steak arrived rare, blackened redfish had no seasoning. Service was marginal. Asked for pint glass for bottled beer, never received. Never asked if we wanted more drinks. Then add the automatic 18% tip, this place is not worth the visit.
Update: I think the owners response 2 months later says everything you need to know about this place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 3
Jason Kempa
What a beautiful restaurant. We stayed at the casino and walked across the street to Fishbones. Had a party of 14. Service was great. Food was great.
Great time in Greek Town @Fishbone's with my Peeps.✊🏽❤️🖤💚
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Kyle Ringler
Super yummy food and the service was excellent
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
andrea martyn
Fresh seafood, warm, accommodating staff, and an unbeatable location!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Stacey D
Rita the cat lady made our night! Best service!
Service: 5
Ralph
It had been a long time since we had the chance to eat at Fishbones in Detroit. I'll start by saying the food and service was great. From the appetizers to the main dishes, we really enjoyed our dinner. The disappointment was the atmosphere. For some reason, during the week they do not seat in the main restaurant side but rather in the open atrium side. And the old bar is not open, only the bar in the atrium side. It really is a different atmosphere. Louder, less comfortable and none of the comfort and surroundings of the older side that were used to.
I regarded this location as the best because that’s what I remembered. Unfortunately, that is not the case. The food was dry and overcooked. The response we were given was “it’s the end of the night.” After reading the restaurant’s responses to the reviews, I see why the staff was comfortable making such a ridiculous comment. Consistency and quality should be a standard, whether it’s the first plate or last. And I’m taken aback by the condescending responses and emojis from the “owner.” Some PR training would be a good investment before it’s too far gone. Bad food and bad attitudes will drive people to find better options.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
I have been coming here my entire life. This place has always been special to me, which makes it incredibly sad to see what it has become.
I used to come here with family when it was truly a destination. People dressed up. The atmosphere was intentional. The fountain ran, the lights were dimmed, and there was soft live music in the background. It felt like somewhere worth going.
Recently I brought someone special here, hoping she could experience what I remembered.
Unfortunately, the place has lost nearly all standards of quality and customer experience.
It started the moment we arrived. We stood at the hostess stand for five minutes while staff members stood nearby talking among themselves, never even acknowledging that we were waiting. When we were finally approached, they attempted to seat us on the restaurant side while I tried to explain that I had a reservation with a special request I had made a week in advance. They seemed completely confused.
Eventually they brought us to the atrium side and tried to seat us against the wall, despite there being more than fifteen open tables in far better locations. I was wearing a suit and my date was in a dress. It was clearly a special night for us, and being pushed into a corner felt dismissive.
I had to stop again and explain that I had requested a specific table location a week earlier and had received confirmation for it. After an awkward back-and-forth—where I felt like I was making a scene in front of my date simply for asking for the table I had reserved—we were finally seated. All of this could have been avoided with a simple question: “Do you have a reservation tonight?” followed by actually reading it.
Once seated, I started telling her how special this place had always been to me. As we looked around, we noticed people dining in pajamas and Crocs. I remember when establishments like this had a dress code.
I then pointed out that the fountain normally runs to create atmosphere. When I looked over, I realized it clearly hadn’t been running in quite some time. Instead of repairing it, the solution appears to have been draping cheap plastic plants over a beautiful 1930s Art Deco fountain. I was honestly appalled that this was considered an acceptable fix.
At that point I was embarrassed that I had brought her here.
Unfortunately, it didn’t stop there. When I went to the restroom, half the ceiling tiles were missing. The room smelled strongly of weed and cigarettes. There was urine on the floor, the trash can was overflowing, and the stalls were in worse condition than something you’d expect in a roadside gas station.
At that moment I honestly considered leaving and trying to salvage the night somewhere else.
It is incredibly disappointing to see the level of neglect and disrespect this building has received. This used to be a destination restaurant that people would drive two hours to experience. Seeing it in its current condition is genuinely sad.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 5
Service: 1
Arrived at the restaurant today at 18:00. They sat us down by 18:20. It is now 19:15 and we still haven't even received water to wait to be served. If you didn't want to serve us then why even sit us down? Yes I'll take my 6 figure wallet somewhere else that wants our money. Needless to say, 0 out of 10.
Customer service and management
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Here's the thing, I usually love Fishbone's. I had not been there for a while and, outside of the slightly higher prices, which were expected and the change from garlic butter to I-don't-know-what-the-hell-that-was because it didn't taste like butter at all, what I found intolerable was the 18% service charge added to the bill that, it turns out, doesn't even go to the servers. I bet most people think that charge is for the tip. With that kind of up charge, you shouldn't go cheap on the garlic butter. Just sayin'. Won't be back in a hurry. Drat.
Responding to the response I received, I talked to a manager, because the taste was so different, who told me the butter recipe had been changed to save money just days before and it was a server who told me that she doesn't get the service charge, so it is your staff who is spreading disinformation...or not...
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
I don’t know which was worse the food or the service. The drinks were good tho, I wouldn’t recommend
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 1
While the food is good, and the atmosphere of the restaurant is good as well, I have just one small issue and that is the ability to order over the phone. Fishbones restaurant does not allow orders over the phone. However, when I tried to order online, the website did not allow me to order online either. I just feel like if the website isn’t set up to do online ordering and, that is the only way that the restaurant allows ordering, they should allow on the phone ordering.
Update: I see the owner made a comment back saying how my comment was “irrelevant”. Never did I comment on the food or the atmosphere. Actually, 4/5 stars was given for that. The 3/5 stars was just for the ordering feature which is “relevant” to any business. The time that I called and informed the staff that their online system wasn’t working was 15 minutes after the restaurant opened. Once I called, the staff informed me that the manager hadn’t turned on the toast app to accept order. I waited another 15 minutes after calling the restaurant for the online ordering system to open up but it didn’t.
Now, I wish you the best.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 3
Valentines Day was a complete.disaster. Food and service was horrible. It took an hour and a half to receive a shrimp plate that burnt on the outside and raw and cold on the inside. Spoke to the manager to have the automatic gratuity removed
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
App delivered late, and food immediately after. This is after we canceled the app, which they added to the bill anyway. Food was undercooked with little or no seasoning. Medium rare steak arrived rare, blackened redfish had no seasoning. Service was marginal. Asked for pint glass for bottled beer, never received. Never asked if we wanted more drinks. Then add the automatic 18% tip, this place is not worth the visit.
Update: I think the owners response 2 months later says everything you need to know about this place.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 3
What a beautiful restaurant. We stayed at the casino and walked across the street to Fishbones. Had a party of 14. Service was great. Food was great.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Great time in Greek Town @Fishbone's with my Peeps.✊🏽❤️🖤💚
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Super yummy food and the service was excellent
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Fresh seafood, warm, accommodating staff, and an unbeatable location!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rita the cat lady made our night! Best service!
Service: 5
It had been a long time since we had the chance to eat at Fishbones in Detroit. I'll start by saying the food and service was great. From the appetizers to the main dishes, we really enjoyed our dinner. The disappointment was the atmosphere. For some reason, during the week they do not seat in the main restaurant side but rather in the open atrium side. And the old bar is not open, only the bar in the atrium side. It really is a different atmosphere. Louder, less comfortable and none of the comfort and surroundings of the older side that were used to.
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