There are pros and cons to this place. The music is on point. There's a r&b chill vibe. The Cajun pasta was served warm. Not sure how? We waited approximately 20 mins for both entrees and neither were hot. The rice seems to have a fair amount of lobster. The pasta has a spicy kick and a lil' too much for my tastebuds. The cocktails were delish! And HH ends at 7p. read more

Checkmate - Lobster Fried Rice - Bars Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

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This is my first time here, it's really nice. There is a dj playing, low lighting, and beautiful light fixtures. We were searched at the front door and picked our own seating immediately after. There's booth seating and nice lounge chairs and a table for two. Our server was friendly and greeted us quickly. We ordered lamb chops 10/10, lemon pepper wings 10/10, and mashed potatoes 4/10 they were salty and little cold. I ordered a blueberry lemon drop which was delicious 10/10. I can see myself returning. read more

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I had a really great time. It's a lively vibe with great R&B and hip-hop. The service is cool too. Super friendly. I had wine and no food. I don't know if the St. Patrick's Day holiday influenced the vibe, however, I had to leave to have my meeting. It was too loud for us to be able to converse. I am definitely going back again and try the food. read more

Checkmate - Pinot noir - Bars Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

I had a reservation on a Saturday night. I was surprised to walk in and the place was empty. No reservation needed. The staff was very friendly. I'll give them a high mark for that. The food was not great. I ordered the ribeye steak. it arrived room temperature at best leaning on the cold side. My date had the lamb chops. They were so overdone you could hardly cut them. I had to ask for a steak knife because I was only provided a fork and a butter knife. They did not have a steak knife and instead brought me a pairing knife, which I found very odd. It's also difficult for me to enjoy a meal when rap music is playing the whole time. I guess some people would like that type of eye, but it's not for me. Also, the kind of place that automatically edge gratuity no matter how small the party. I will not return here. read more

Cute little spot! Service super friendly! Jerk wings were soooo delicious, great flavor, season to perfection as well as the lamb chops! and lobster rice was good, my husband loved it. This is a restaurant that you'd enjoy if you like good food. It seems everything is served à la carte. I'd have to verify that. read more

Checkmate - Bars Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

I wasn't sure what to expect when walking in. Inside is a unique vibe with a great drink menu and interesting food choices. I went during happy hour and enjoyed the old fashioned styled drink (forgot the name.) Bartender was attentive and friendly. The lobster fried rice had more lobster than I expected and was fantastic. Any time I am near Huntington Place, I will stop into Checkmate. read more

Decent dj and food options they offer vegan options and the drinks are pricey but strong. A good date night vibe if you are looking for cute and quick or secluded and smooth vibes . Would definitely recommend for a nice intimate date or happy hour link up read more

Overall, the restaurant left us all with a lot to be desired. With a name like Checkmate- I expect a lot of Chess related decode beside the building inside and out being painted back, 4 or 5 pictures of chess pieces hanging and along the back wall, smaller chess pieces lining the booths. The name could have been anything with this kind of décor. In the bathroom there're was one wall mural of a chess piece but again, I expected something way different and I was disappointed. There was only a few tables occupied when we came in yet the service for drinks was slow and we had empty glasses for a while before our server came back. We ordered the fries (they are a copy or exactly like Cosmic fries from HopCat), cauliflower thing - it was half the head, still raw and one side quickly caramelized. The sweet and raw cauliflower was not a good combo. I assumed it was steamed or roasted first before caramelization so when I cut into it to divide it for our group, my knife had to chop hard through it. Three of us had the rib-eye and it was cooked as requested. The seasoning on top was extremely heavy handed- which would have been really good if it wasn't so salty. The mustard concoction that came with it was good on its own, on the salty side but the combo was just too much. The flavors were not complimentary and the salt was overloaded. The winner dish was the lobster fried rice - again on the salty side but a bit more tolerable. The next day I was massively retaining water from all the salt. Every dish and drink was so expensive, more so than so many other big winners in the D. The prices did not deliver on flavor, service or decor. With a bill of almost $500 (gratuity auto included) for 4 people we almost fell off our chair. Go to BARDA, Besa, The Statler, Downtown Loui's for similar price range and killer food, drinks, atmosphere, service..... read more

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Super cute restaurant! I love the chess theme and decor. The inside is taken care of very well; still looks brand new. It definitely wasn't as crowded as I expected. We parked right in the front. There's also two parking lots on each side of the building. The menu is viewed online via QR code. The atmosphere is dimly lit and very intimate. The R&B music is a perfect touch. I even saw a table with hookah but I couldn't smell it at all. We all ordered drinks to start and let me tell you, that mango martini is great! Ended up ordering multiple. We then got appetizers to share: jerk wings, cauliflower, and shrimp. When I see cauliflower listed on menus, I've always wondered how they tasted. Both flavors of the cauliflower were fantastic! We all were impressed! I highly recommend those! We ended up venturing upstairs and seeing the cute chess set up for pics. It's a nice spot up there for a celebration and/or small gathering. The security told us to come in Thursdays for ladies night, so we just might do that in the near future. read more

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Went to checkmate on a Tuesday after 4:30 PM. Checked online to see the hours of operation and it showed that the restaurant would be open. Made a reservation on app and received a confirmation for our reservation. Drove downtown to the parking lot connected to the restaurant. Paid $10 to get in, and found out the place was not closed. We were there for less than one minute never got in and couldn't get a refund from the parking attendant even after we told him where we were going before we entered the parking lot.Such a disappointment. As we were leaving one of the Park attendance said that their website is not current and up-to-date. SMH read more

Plenty of parking nearby, exterior and interior thoughtfully designed with a consistent theme. Since it was Happy Hour we ordered two shrimp skewers and the feta cauliflower dish. Shrimp arrived lukewarm, dry, rubbery and burnt in some areas. I feel like it had been heated more than once. The cauliflower was a slab of the raw vegetable, which was seared on one side, on top of a white sauce. You could tell the sauce had been in the microwave. The dish was inedible- we sent it back. We were told then that they were out of cauliflower, so we ordered the fantastic looking potatoes. No, they were out of potatoes also. The entree - Lobster and rice - was good, however it is similar to other fried rice anywhere else. They need to make it their own. Drinks were well crafted and service was very good. When the bill arrived, surprised to see a 20% gratuity included automatically. read more

Checkmate - Bars Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

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Last night I went to dinner with my Sister and Daughter, this was my 2nd time at Checkmate, I went for the food, but let's say the service this time will have me being a frequent patron. Dreisha(Eisha) was my server, I'll start my saying she never let out water glasses get low, she was the only server on the floor the entire night and she was managing 9 tables, and even with 9 tables, she was still attentive to each table, how do I know? Because I watched, she was engaging and personable with each table. She gave recommendations on cocktails and it was just an overall great experience. Moving forward for my reservations, I'll be asking to sit in Eisha section, if she's not working that might, I'll be going elsewhere. Make your reservation and ask for Eisha, you won't be disappointed, good food and great service is a perfect combination. read more

My bestie booked reservations here to celebrate 3 birthdays at once and this place is definitely a place to be able to do that! Very upscale feel, good music, food and drinks! We got the Checkmate Burger for $25, worth the money, as the burger was double patty, well seasoned and the fries were garlic with REAL Parmesan cheese slices on top. The lobster Fried rice was really good, almost like a teriyaki glaze in it- it was the most expensive item on the menu but very tasty. We had a great time here and the bartender was pumping out the drinks that were heavy pours... this is my first time in Detroit so I would definitely come back when I come back to visit!! read more

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Really liked the ambiance of this intimate, moody venue. Yummy food and drinks. Fun option for date night. read more

Checkmate - Bars Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

My fiancé decided to take me here for my bday dinner. I was excited to hear it was black owned! When arriving we were greeted by a waitress who was not very friendly/inviting. The service was not great by any means, when asking for my ID after ordering a glass of wine she didn't acknowledge that today was my birthday even though she "checked" my ID. Going on to the food my fiancé ordered the jerk wings, the sauce was mid and grainy. I ordered the udon noodles with chicken, the chicken was dry and they drenched the noodles with ginger paste. In between getting helped I watched my server sit on her phone while my fiancé needed more napkins and his water refilled. Unfortunately the gratuity was already added and we weren't able to tip a deserving amount. I expect excellent food when we go out to eat however the food mixed with the bad service made me give such a low rating. read more

Checkmate - Bars Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

Checkmate has been on my list to try. The food was delicious, I had the lobster fried rice and a hot honey cocktail. Very good. The server was kind. It was darker than I would have liked but overall it's a nice spot, I will most definitely return to try the garlic udon noodles, I stole a bite from my fried and liked it. read more

Amazing new spot ... the Lobster fried rice was delicious!!! We also had them general Tso cauliflower and the Garlic Udon noodles... chef's kiss.. The staff was very nice. Fati was beautiful and accommodating!!! Thank you for a very nice outing!!! read more

Checkmate - Upstairs eating area! - Bars Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

I love the theme of the restaurant!the light it's perfect,design on point ,there was a DJ playing great music ,a whole vibe! the day I went there they had a free drink for ladies which was a lemon drop. We had the chicken wings,fries -both were good and well seasoned. cauliflower- it was burnt... and the dessert flight - very small but delicious. The drinks were great!Servers were friendly but it did take them time to serve it a little slow...Like we waited for water 30min.. Anyway I will be back for sure! read more

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Everything at checkmate was AMAZING! The ambiance was great and they have a Dj on Thursdays. My food was delicious, their jerk chicken wings are some of the best wings around. The only thing that was better than the drinks and the food was my service. Dreisha was personable, attentive, knowledgeable, and fun. She really made our girls night out great. I will definitely be requesting her as my server the next time I go. If you're in the area looking for somewhere fun with great food stop here and see Dreisha. read more

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I live in the suburbs (grew up in Detroit, though) After attending the Jazz Festival my group/party of four decided to go back to Checkmate (because we loved the food and vibe back in the early Spring). We arrived at 11pm, unbeknownst to us that there is a $20 cover charge just to eat. My group ranges in ages 58-61; we were not interested in partying, we thought it was just a restaurant. The fact that the owners think charging ppl $20 after 11pm to enter a place the serves food until 11:45 is a very dumb business strategy; especially since there were hardly any patrons in the restaurant when we arrived at 11:04 and were told that we would have to shell out $80 before we ordered food and drinks. Our first and last visit back in the Spring was an early dinner and our bill was north of $250 (which was cool, because the drinks were good, the food was good and the service was incredible) Fast forward to our experience on Saturday evening after the Jazz Festival, I'm convinced that the management/owners don't understand Business 101. Prior to this encounter my husband and I would recommend Checkmate to everyone, but now we're telling everyone how dumb their business practices are. I can't imagine them staying in business for the long haul with such a money grab strategy (for food after 11, with no patrons inside) Ditch the hood mentality, you're located in Downtown Detroit! read more

Drinks and food were fine. I went for Happy Hour, in Dec. 2023. I went previous to that date, during the week was not as busy.9. Try it out. read more

Niko suggested this great dish after I was being indecisive about options. Great spot to visit, I'll be back. read more

Checkmate - Jerk Wings! Awesome - Bars Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

Jerk wings were really tasty but I wish they were bigger but great price $10 . They also had on the menu potato cakes $8 and shrimp skewers. read more

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To say they have amazing food is an understatement. we went on a Sunday with a group of friends and will go back a million times over. From the expresso martinis to the lobster fried rice and wings it was a meal worth the money. The bar tender was great with the drinks too! We will be back read more

The restaurant has a nice ambiance and is clean, with good drinks that we all enjoyed. We had the Torched Mango Martini and Checkmate Old fashion. The Asian cauliflower was absolutely delicious, but the chicken wings were disappointingly small. The lobster fried rice was overcooked and a bit too salty. The checkmate burger was good, but nothing special. The ribeye was ok, but not worth $65. Overall, it was a decent experience, but we probably won't go back. read more

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New Chess themed bar downtown. Happy hour T to F 4-7pm. Most of the HH drinks are a little sweet for my taste but technically good. They have some HH food too. Outside of HH, they have an extensive food and drinks menu that is a little expensive for my wallet but, hey, welcome to new Detroit. Staff was very nice and warm. Beautifully designed with all their chess elements. read more

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We made reservations for this restaurant 2 weeks in advance. Once there our party of 5 was seated upstairs, which were several steep steps. We were told to wait up there until our table was ready. Come to find out our table was upstairs in the lounge area with a coffee table. So we basically had to bend down to eat our food. Service was very very slow, as the waitress and bar tender were the same person. Let's get to the food. First everything came out separately. No one got their food all together. They actually forgot some of the orders and one of our guests didn't even get her order and all she ordered was French fries. The Lobster fried rice was delicious. The oysters were small with barely any meat in them. The jerk and lemon pepper wings were extremely small but ok. The lollipop lamb chops were so small we jokingly called them dum dums lol. The potato cakes were nasty and the stuffed chicken breast was ok. Some felt the chicken tasted rubbery. It seems that the quality of food is cheap but their prices are ridiculously high for that poor quality of food. Spent $400 for 5 people for terrible service and food. The ambiance was okay. I can see the vibe they're striving for, but they are missing the mark. I will never go again. If you're interested, just stick to drinks, they were just okay too. read more

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This place is super cute. When you walk in the ambience is everything. But the prices for the food is a little ridiculous. The price for two potato pancakes were out of this world. They were not even that big. Were they delicious yes but I think they're very overpriced. The chicken wings were a little overcooked. It could have just been the night that we were there. Other than that, the sauce was on point finger, licking good. drink service was on point. I love a good bar that knows how to make a good drink like I said the place is nice overall it's entirely too pricey for what they are offering. I have too many other places with the ambience and the price. read more

Checkmate - Wings - Bars Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

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We ordered the ribeye steak ($65) A burger ($25) ....and for our appetizer, wings ($20) ...Well, I ordered the wings, and ribeye.... before my friend could order his burger, the waitress zoomed off..... After about 10 mins, she came to the table to bring our silverware... At that point,he placed his order for his burger. After about 40 min, the burger ( the last thing we ordered) came out first... When she noticed the misshape, she came over to ask what items we were missing... .She profusely apologized for the mishap, and said the food should be out shoon. After about another 20 minutes, my ribeye came out, pre cut. The steak wasnot precut in the picture...On the picture,the ribeye "sauce" was displayed over the full plate.. . When it arrived , it was only a dallop of "sauce" and seemed like the plate was sitting for a while . (Food wasn't hot) Fast-forward 15 mins later, we asked for our APPETIZER, to just be put in a To go box. On top of that , an automatic 20% gratuity is placed on the bill. I'm in awe, these tiny wings are $20 ... Personally, the food,"atmosphere" and experience, isn't worth the price. The menu is very limited, so I thought the dishes they chose to display would be the best they could offer.Unfortunately, that was not the case. Our waitress did give us A complimentary item for our trouble. read more

Checkmate - Not worth the price. - Bars Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

Where Should I start, Family night out, the service was absolutely terrible. They don't train their servers to know anything about their menu. We inquired about one of their craft cocktails, and the server had no idea that they even made that and then she suggested a cocktail and didn't even know what was in it, no clue to anything! As we sat there I made a reservation at wright and co. where we're headed now? that was the absolute worst experience ever. Train your servers to be better and not say huh and write down the orders if they can't remember what customer ask for . Totally clueless! as we waited for the drinks my brother ordered chicken wings that came out the size of pinky fingers (SMH). Now we do like our wings to be regular size, but the fact that they were that small for that amount of money was ridiculous and they were lackluster. They had no flavor. They just were spicy, needless to say we will not be back. It gives a very urban feel to a place that looks like it should be upscale. And they are def struggling with a professional upscale restaurant, because that they are not. read more

I aways try to support our black owned restaurants but sometimes you will regret it. The menu is not very descriptive. They list an entree under steak and it not steak it is fish. My fiancé is allergic to fish. Then they told us that they could not take it off the bill. Ok fine. However the manager did not even extend the courtesy to come to the table to discuss or compromise. This is unacceptable but that is what reviews are for. Good ambiance. But F for service. The waitress was good . But they ran out of clean glasses and to go bags. There is a service fee to use your credit card and they add gratuity. Sorry but they get a F for me not worth the upscale price. Upscale pricing demands up scale service. I do not recommend. read more

Prices are absolutely crazy for the food you get. Salt seems to be flavor of choice by the chefs. Restaurant is nice but nothing great. Most the time I give a place a second try, but at these prices, no thanks read more

Niko...my new bartender was amazing!! Loved thr atmosphere and the drinks were amazing!! Can't wait to go again!! read more

Checkmate - Bars Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

Niko! Awesomeness..nothing but professional and very creative. Energy is outstanding... IG @goldtinz read more

Checkmate - Bars Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

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We visited in a Thursday night after a ladies night downtown. Kira was amazing. Super attentive service and great recommendations. Telling us about the special was a plus. Really great drinks. Will be visiting again soon! read more

Checkmate - Potato cakes - Bars Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

Great overall experience! Taylor was our server and she was absolutely awesome! Taylor made great recommendations for food and drinks. The vibe and atmosphere was great and I look forward to coming back and bringing friends. read more

Taylor! Taylor! Taylor! The service was great, very attentive and the drinks were strong and tasty!

I was a bit skeptical cause of the reviews but tried this place anyways and was not disappointed. We were a group of 12 and not one complaint about the food or drinks. I had the chopped salad and jerk wings (perfectly sized) & we all had several other dishes that we shared such as the lobster rice, steak and shrimp skewers. Drinks average $18 and up. Server stayed observant, filling water glasses and as soon as a dish or glass was empty she was right there to take it away! Overall food was good and I would return for a date night. read more

Loved everything. Bartender/ waitperson Jewel was awesome and personable. Drink are awesome and Lobster fried rice is excellent. Very nice vibe!! read more

Checkmate - Us happy with our food!! - Bars Near Me - Detroit, Michigan

Drinks were good, hostess not great at all. Pointed to our table and walked away. Food not great. Overseasoned, too much salt. Not a vibe.