If you are in the Ann Arbor, Jackson, Hillsdale area and you have time to drive to Chelsea, Common Grill is a can't miss restaurant. The manager helped us get a table for a large party. Our server, Justin, did a great job getting our appetizers, cocktails, and food for kiddos. We ordered shrimp lobster fettuccine, seafood bouillabaisse, steak tenderloin, white fish, and goat cheese ravioli. Everything was amazing. Great experience. Worth the price. Nothing like this in the area. I personally ordered the seafood bouillabaisse and loved that this dish was perfectly seasoned: not too salty at all which is usually the problem in most restaurants. The saffron was amazing and the quality of the fish was second to none. read more

Common Grill - Seafood bouillabaisse - New American Near Me - Chelsea, Michigan

Went to the Christmas eve brunch. Was looking forward to the prime rib, but was disappointed as it was cooked well done and not very warm. The mashed potatoes with cheese was good and could have been better if gravy was provided. The salmon was the best out of the main entrees. The restaurant was three quarters full and the noise was overwhelming. Would be unbearable if it was full. Megan was our waitress and was very attentive and had a great smile. read more

This is my favorite dinner spot before seeing a show a block away at The Purple Rose. Last night, though, my good friends reunited for a long catch up birthday dinner. The host was warm and seated us quickly with a 7pm reservation. Morgan, our server, was so wonderful. Though we talked for hours, a table not many servers would love, she was so friendly and kept our water glasses full. Salmon salads were a large portion size and delicious and the rolls are always a decadent treat. I'll be back again and again, but this time, Morgan really made our night. read more

For 20 + years I've enjoyed the Common Grill experience. Their servers are excellent. The previous owner checked the dishes as the server was taking them to their table. Every dish was perfect, always tasted the same. The Lobster Spring Rolls now have a mushy taste. Their wooden floor needs to be washed as well as their tables. Not too great when your shoes stick to the floor. read more

One of our MOST FAVORITE HANG-OUTS near AA. No parking charges, plus first-class food. The kitchen is exceptional, as is the service. A weekly destination for us! read more

My husband and I went there for our anniversary. It was our first time eating at Common Grill. I wish I would have remembered to take pictures of our food, it was perfect! We ordered the lobster spring rolls, goat cheese ravioli, and parmesan encrusted whitefish. Every bite was delicious! Our server was amazing as well. She was attentive and very nice. The restaurant is simple and beautiful. We will definitely be back. Oh and we ordered the peanut butter pie for dessert to go. read more

Where do I start? The coffee? Yes the coffee was a high quality blend and served generously by our waiter Alex. We started off with a lobster knuckle appetizer served with grilled bread. God that was full of juicy flavor and delicious. The bread rolls seem to come with a flavor that the owner and chef Craig Common carried with him from his years managing the Muer Restaurant dynasty . Not just the rolls though as it was the very essence if the restaurant details in order, perfect service and exquisite food served to lucky Chelsea locals. I ordered the maryland crab cakes which were outstanding! They were served with wild rice and fresh green beans cooked to perfection. My wife had the shrimp salad and it was perfect! My salad had a wine vinegargrette with blue cheese, walnuts and boiled slices of pear!!! So worth our 45 minute drive! You could help but notice that Chef and Owner Craig Common rolls up his sleeves and is in the mix of things with his well trained staff. read more

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Food always is amazing!! Wish they still had their lobster knuckles was my go to favorite thing on the menu but the rolls are also a show stopper every time too let's be serious! I tried the crab. Ales for the first time and they were AMAZING!! Will get again! My mother in law always gets the seafood Alfredo, has for years !! We go here every year on our anniversary and will continue to!! read more

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Food was delicious - they had options for various dietary needs and were willing to accommodate unusual needs. Service was a bit slow but friendly. Great decor, wonderful place to celebrate a birthday or anniversary. Upscale but not pretentious. Reservations recommended as they can be quite busy. read more

This place is located in the quaint area of downtown Chelsea, on Main St. I recently stopped in for cocktails, but I had enjoyed phenomenal food there, in the past. The seafood ravioli, scallops, freshly made bread and unique cocktails make this place a stand out. Do yourself a favor and sit by the window for a great view. read more

Common Grill - Amazing seafood options. - New American Near Me - Chelsea, Michigan

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A restaurant I have always liked, good food consistently. Although lately I have noticed the service has not been the best, it seemed like more attention was being given towards either larger tables or people who were having adult beverages. read more

Brunch review! Went for Mother's Day, brunch common grill does not disappoint ! excellent menu everything is fresh and homemade they offered your basics : scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy hotcakes, ...but also offered a grilled mahi, a chicken piccata and assortment of desserts and breads. Everything was delicious and although it was fairly expensive, it was a good value. read more

Been a favorite since it opened. Location in vibrant Main St ideal. Most excellent place to enjoy a meal with friends.

I was home for the long Thanksgiving weekend to visit with family in the Detroit area and we did an evening in Chelsea. What a cute area that I've never explored, and I grew up in Michigan! After a matinee performance at the Purple Rose Theatre we stopped by Common Grill for dinner. They take call ahead seating which is lovely, considering the masses that head in that direction after the show... so we were able to be seated right away. First impression is great. Clean interior, nice decor, kind hostess in the front of house. They were decorated up for the holiday and it was so pretty. Menu was diverse and everything looked and sounded delicious. I ordered the blackened steak salad, my mom ordered the steak medallions and my dad ordered the Common burger. My salad was awesome, and I tried a bite of the medallions (yum) and of the starter pear salad (sans Gorgonzola cheese, not a blue cheese fan). The dressing was tart and bright and perfect. Ordered the vanilla creme brûlée for dessert and oh my goodness. Just get it! Perfectly cooked, sweet but not overly so, and the sugar crunch on top was wonderful. Service was quick, kind and attentive! If you are ever in Chelsea for a show, or for any reason... stop by and check it out for yourself. Next time I'm back I really want to try the three onion soup which I wasn't able to order this time, but I was salivating as I saw it come to the table next to us. read more

Common Grill - Menu - New American Near Me - Chelsea, Michigan

The Common Grill has consistently provided great service and very good food. I will undoubtedly return, when I am in the area.

Delicious food, attentive service, pleasant environment. We go there every time we're in Chelsea.

We had wonderful service and fun, yummy cocktails . As a vegetarian, I appreciated the creative and delicious main course veggie meal and my husband loved his steak. Very nice experience! read more

Excellent place for lunch! My sister had the black walnut crusted walleye, I had the Lake Superior whitefish. Both were excellent. My sister had a glass of wine, and I had at Kalamazoo Stout. Nothing like a good stout beer to wash down your fish dinner! The appetizer of tuna Crudo was much better than I expected. It was drizzled with a bit of olive oil and I had some roe on it. Honestly, I thought the walleye was better than the white fish. It had more flavor. The white fish was a bit bland. My sister had the side of spinach which definitely was a winner. She also had some Parmesan fries with her fish, which I envied and and finally got to try. read more

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Common Grill has gone down hill. Undercooked salmon, Raw burger (requested med well) and tough chewy beef tenderloins. Awful. We have been going there for years (hour away) and will not be returning. read more

Understaffed, oversalted, underwhelming. Man has it gone down the tubes with the new owners. Does anyone taste what they are putting on the plates? The sherry scallops were so over salted but I just picked at them since I was the guest of others. Slow slow service but still left a good tip. Not her fault they were understaffed. No one that worked there was smiling. Guess that says everything. read more

We thoroughly enjoyed the steak salad and spinach salad with shrimp. Both phenomenal. 10 out of 10! read more

Common Grill - New American Near Me - Chelsea, Michigan

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This is an update to my review - which I see now has somehow disappeared. Our visit was on a random Thursday night at 8pm. We just wanted a good meal and kept saying we would give CG another try. The menu is prices are pretty high for the offerings, but we hoped the quality was there. All in all it was, including excellent service. I first ordered the Oysters. Half dozen for $15. I have recently discovered Oysters and am hooked now. I don't recall the kind but they were good. Waitress included both sauces so I didn't have to choose. Dinner was crab cakes. Large chunks of fresh crab meat and not too much filler. Only improvement CG needs is a happy hour. There is a large bar in the center of the restaurant without a happy hour - that is a shame. Beer, wine, oysters and soup specials would be perfect. Even late night on weekdays would keep patrons flowing during slow times, but to have none at all is tragic. The restaurant was dead when we were there. Great place to impress a date or just go somewhere new. read more

Despite the fact that Chef Common retired two years ago, the Common Grill hasn't really changed much in almost 30 years. And that is in no way a bad thing. Consistently great food, reasonable prices and excellent service. It's not the cutting edge of haute cuisine (at least for Michigan) it was 25 years ago, but it's still worth a visit. Protip: make sure you try the lobster spring roll app. read more

We really wanted the food to be good, but it was mediocre at best. The steak salad was pre-packaged lettuce (brown around the edges), whole cherry plum tomatoes, and steak cut totally wrong! Big chunks instead of thin slices. Don't even get me going on the pretense of Bleu cheese dressing. My companions had two different fish dishes, both of which were okay but certainly nothing special. The meal might be something I would expect at Dennys. Service was great! Hence, the 3 stars rather than one. read more

Still good. Still pricy. Went in for dinner for the 1st time since Craig Common left ... food is still great, service is ok. Kind of frustrating : I ordered the blacken beef salad, rare/med rare. It came out well done! After a few minutes of trying to find our waitress, I grabbed someone else. They made it right and made me a new salad. It's the little things that are slipping : we had to ASK for rolls (their FAMOUS ROLLS!), I had to ask for a steak knife, had to ask for pepper ... The food is still good ... everything else ... kinda slipping. 3& 1/2 stars, if I could do a half. read more

Common grill will be my new go-to spot in Chelsea! This restaurant offers up delicious seafood and pasta dishes that will leave you dreaming for more. During Covid, they are carefully offering take out orders. I called ahead for an order for 4 and they were able to have it ready in 30 mins on a Friday night. The staff wore a mask and gloves when loading our food into our backseat and even went back inside to grab some extra things we asked for. Really quality service! The food was absolutely sublime. I ordered the shrimp and lobster fettuccine while my two friends' ordered the goat cheese ravioli and my boyfriend had the pan fired walleye. Each dish was so flavorful! I loved that there were large lobster chunks in the pasta dishes. I thought they were pretty generous with the portions. The walleye was cooked perfectly with just the right amount of fryness. Each meal came with a salad (or soup) and these bread knots that were just divine! I'm glad they packed a few extra to help me enjoy every last bit of that fettuccine sauce :) Overall, would highly recommend checking out Common Grill in Chelsea if you're in the area and looking for a delicious seafood meal! read more

Always friendly great food and service! Food outstanding! Beth and Connie always great service and conversation! We highly recommend going there!! read more

I don't know how this restaurant has an overall 4-star rating! It is wildly overpriced and the food is just not that good anymore! I ordered the Crispy Asian Ribs, a side of mashed potatoes, a side of wild rice and a side of "French" green beans. The ribs were partially burnt (and I mean black) and lacking flavor, the potatoes had the consistency of wallpaper paste -- literally that thick -- and had an odd flavor, the wild rice was adequate but a bit mushy, and worst, the "French" green beans were not the skinny haricot verts, i.e., true French green beans, they were plain-old regular green beans and ... wait for it ... basically RAW/UNCOOKED! What a disappointment!!! read more

Beautiful restaurant with odd pricing. The burger is about the same price as their fancy seafood dishes. The burger is overpriced, the seafood choices are a good deal for the quality, sophistication, and presentation. I guess my point is, don't come here for a hamburger. Good service, good menu choices, fresh bread, love the vegetable sides. By the way, Chelsea is where Jeff Daniels if from, he founded a live theater (The Purple Rose) here and the Common Grill is a good place for the dinner part of dinner and theater. Chelsea is striking distance from Ann Arbor, so we stayed in town to see Northwestern visit Michigan in a football game and the Common Grill was the best meal of the weekend. You'll be happier if you stick to the seafood. read more

Special occasion for my bride of 28 years. Always thought of this as a destination restaurant not no more. Why the waiter even brought this dish out boggles my mind. $34 Chicken was dry, burnt, and of course after remaking and serving the rest of are party had finished eating. So miss the original owners. Quality is not on the menu. read more

Common Grill - a plate of food on a table - New American Near Me - Chelsea, Michigan

The staff is very friendly and helpful. The restaurant is lively but not overly loud. The food was delicious but I struggled with options as a lot of them featured seafood. I'm allergic to shellfish and have had bad experiences with cross contamination so I tend to avoid restaurants with a lot of seafood and shellfish options, but didn't have any issues here. I might eat here again since I've heard the menu changes sometimes. read more

What a great evening! First off , our server Morgan noticed we were in no hurry, she was attentive and always there when needed but never hovered. The appetizers were really good! Too good in fact ,I couldn't eat my entree. We started with the Lobster Spring rolls and shrimp cocktail our friends had oysters. The lobster rolls were delicious! Not real spicy,just enough with a nice crunch on the wrapper. The shrimp were 3 bites,snapped when you bite into them served with a dollop of horseradish,capers and cocktail sauce. Their house salad is a Pear salad which was so nice, not the usual dinner salad. I ordered the Goat cheese Ravioli which comes with pancetta,shrimp and Lobster......it was delicious! Creamy and filling,had to take it home. Really appreciated the fact that they removed the shrimp tails,never understood why when serving shrimp in a dish the tails are left on. Anyway , my husband ordered the Italian sausage bolognese,which he devoured ( he is very fussy). Also at the table were the Scallops which were cooked perfectly and Walnut encrusted whitefish with a seafood risotto.Both were eaten with gusto. Dessert was bread pudding,fabulous very light and flavorful, butterscotch pudding which was good ,star of the desserts was the Coconut Cream Pie. read more

Oh, boy. This is not Craig Common's Common Grill anymore. They (Sklar) may have bought the recipes, but the directions & ingredients have been buried and forgotten. The question is, will this new rendition of "Common Grill" make it to their first anniversary? My bets are: no. Here's the scoop: Sklar owns other restaurants in Oakland County. He bastardized one of them, I won't say the name but it's off Telegraph. The other two are ok (is the Mexican restaurant even in business anymore?). Buying a beloved, iconic place such as the Common Grill isn't for restauranteurs like Sklar. He doesn't get it. It shows. Everything has changed. And I'm all about change when it makes things better. In this case, Common Grill is more expensive and the food is just plain lousy. Don't take it from me. A group of pals excitedly took in the play nearby, booked CG for dinner, absolutely horrible meals and drinks and word is out in Ann Arbor. We're all talking about it. The salad? Gone. The rolls? Weird. The flavors? Meh. The options? Meh. The drinks? Weak. The prices? Higher than warranted. Make your own choices, but don't say I didn't tell you so. read more

Great food and service. Will be back, plenty of options on the menu to satisfy anyone's appetite!

Full menu with lots of tasty options. I had a white fish special with asparagus and potatoes. Someone had the fried chicken sandwich which looked good but they said it had too much bread. I tried the fries and was totally impressed. Someone ordered mussels and the serving was large enough for a meal, even though it's listed as an appetizer. Another person had a crab melt which was ok. Overall the food was fine, but not exceptional in any way. My favorite part was probably the poppyseed bread they bring to the table. For the price (lunch about $18 per person), I would have expected a bit more out of my meal. The restaurant was clean and the service was formal and polite. read more

Common Grill - Specials board and bar - New American Near Me - Chelsea, Michigan

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The service was great. Very attentive waitstaff. Ambiance was nice - but a bit loud for my taste. We shared a rosemary French fries to start - they were hot, but not a lot of rosemary flavor came through. We got the Lavaza Latte - really great. I ordered from the brunch menu - got the country scramble with potatoes and multi-grain toast. The eggs were very well cooked - enjoyed the mix of flavors and portion size. The potatoes were disappointing - deep fried potato chunks (frozen I suspect) with little seasoning - would have preferred traditional hash browns or true home fries with onions and more seasoning. Toast was good - nice whipped butter - but was kind of disappointed with a plastic packet of grape jelly - why not some nice local preserves? My dining companion got the mahi mahi tacos - cooked nicely but could have used more slaw on the taco. Tacos would be improved by offering pico de gallo on the side or a selection of salsas. Spent $63 for everything - not sure it was worth the price. read more

This place. We do not just drive by Chelsea any longer /- very special restaurant even at lunch. Had an amazing lunch of whitefish, orzo, lobster, veggies and slaw. Wonderful bread and amazing dessert. Previous special dinner won us over with the homemade pappardelle with lump crab, pancetta, provolone and much more. Delish! read more

Service: no real complaints. We were a group of 8 which can be a challenge but servers were pleasant and attentive w/o being obnoxious. Food? Mediocre at best. My whitefish was inexplicably swimming in oil (from the vegetables?) and not very good, yet high priced. Seemed like the scallop dinner was the best at the table. We haven't been there for several years (mostly because of the noise factor which hasn't improved) and it's clear the quality of the food has dropped significantly. Fresh fish done really well was a trademark - I'd lean toward safer seafood pasta kinds of selections if I go back. And I won't go back at busy times - you cannot have a conversation when it's packed. read more

We have always been fans but haven't made it here in some time. It's as good as ever. Two of us had the whitefish that was really good and I had the special pesto with lobster shrimp and scallops fabulous. And great cobbler for dessert! read more

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Mother's Day buffet not worth $45 per adult - could have made scrambled eggs hash browns and bacon at home - way too expensive such bland food. read more