This place was pretty good, you go down an alley and give the password at the door ( in my email),…read morethen go down some stairs, pass a kitchen and you meet a silver door. For food they have a selection of small bites, large bites, and desserts. We opted for the Shanghai lettuce wraps on the small bite menu 7/10 due to the fact we had to wrap the meat in the lettuce ( reminded me of sloppy Joe meat), lamb chops 6/10 good flavor I ordered them Medium but I'd say it was cooked less, and chicken tikka which was amazing and delicious 10/10. I had an old fashioned which was delicious 10/10 and came out of a bottle with smoke at the table. Service was good and our server was attentive, will I return? Not sure, this speakeasy allows parties which kind of takes away from the intimate vibe.

The food was amazing! I love the fact that this was a true speakeasy and they had to send you a…read morepassword before you would be allowed to enter The Uber driver was very concerned with us being dropped off in an alley, but it was totally worth it.

My friend heard about The Oak Parker from another friend, so we decided to give it a try and now I…read moretotally understand the hype. Walking in, there was very limited seating and about an hour wait, which clearly showed how popular this spot is. Thankfully, the hostess told us about their basement bar area where you can grab drinks and snacks while waiting. The downstairs area had such a cool speakeasy vibe dark ambiance, vinyl music playing, and honestly the perfect date night atmosphere. The drinks were REALLY good, and you can also order appetizers down there. Once we made it upstairs, we grabbed bar seating and talked to a few people around us who all said this was their favorite spot. Our bartender was amazing -- super attentive, explained the menu well, and gave great recommendations. We ordered the wings (perfectly seasoned and so good) and the chicken sandwich with buffalo added for a little spice... absolutely delicious. I also tried the pistachio martini, and wow definitely one of my favorite drinks I've had in a while. Overall, such a great experience from the atmosphere to the food and service. I'll definitely be back, and I've already been telling all my friends about this place!

I'd been invited to a house music night. Upon walking in, I almost thought we were in the wrong…read moreplace! Upon entry, we saw a quaint restaurant. Then someone politely said y'all must be looking for downstairs. Sure were! As it turned out, we were escorted downstairs to what people refer to as the Vinyl Room. The vinyl turntables that night were replaced with computerized ones. The vibe was unsurpassed and the drinks were tasty. I'll be back when I need the good time again.

What a fun little spot! The bar is has a super cool chandelier and they hand craft all their…read morecocktails. We sat at the bar and eta he'd the bartenders work their magic. They were experienced and knowledgeable. Our drinks tasted amazing! Fresh ingredients and full of flavor. We didn't order any food, but it looked great!

Home from work today, I decided to try something from my collection to try…read more Sauntered into Pearls Deep Dive for an early dinner. Parking was no problem as I was lucky to find metered parking just steps away from the front door. I walked in immediately taken with the charming decor and darkly lit romantic vibes, which is my favorite esthetic for any restaurant. The seating at the bar was yummy, thick comfy seats. The bartender greeted me warmly. He was cool and I hate that I didn't ask his name. He was attentive and masterful with the spirits. He asked if it was my first time, which it was, and since so, made me a tasty "welcome" drink with gin that was fantastic. I also ordered "the panty snatcher" a concoction of vodka, grapefruit, St Germain, rose water and orange. It was amazing. I will definitely be back for drinks. The drink menu is quite tempting. I had the Corn, Corn, Corn dish, which is polenta and corn kernels topped with popcorn. Yes, super unique and interesting. I had to try it. The popcorn was so light and flavorful straight out of the kitchen, but became chewy as it sat atop the piping hot polenta. I really enjoyed it however. Next time I'll eat all the popcorn first. I also had lobster dumplings, which was good but the dish wasn't cooked through. The filling wasn't hot and the pasta was very under on some bites. I was the first customer for the evening, so I can forgive that faux pas. I really enjoyed myself and I will return time and time again to try everything. The menu offers many things I love. Great concept. Cool vibes.

Beautiful outdoor patio (seat yourself). Incredible service. The cocktails feature their own…read moredistillery spirits, and they were perfectly made. Lots of drink options and the staff is really patient about explaining them all. Will be our go-to summer date night spot.

REALLY yummy cocktails. Loved the opportunity to taste some of Valentine's Distillery spirits in…read moreaction. Their vodka and gin were both lovely in the drinks I got! We got their mid shift change and they didn't miss a beat in taking care of us, all of the bartenders were knowledgeable and friendly. Good vibes here and not crazy pricey like some cocktail bars can be.

I absolutely fell in love with this spot when I went. Connected to one of my other favorite spots,…read moreHouse of Shamrock, this speak easy is gorgeous and a great space to rent out for a party. Cocktails galore, wide choice of liquors for your own preferences and of course wine and beer. The space is dark, but well lit, moody but expressive. Obviously a play on the owner's heritage, I want to say he told me this but I could be making it up. The service was nothing short of impeccable, and the bartender made sure she understood my likes and dislikes when making my drink. I usually go on some random kick for a while (old fashioned, revolvers, vodka gimlets, sambuca, etc) and she was fantastic. I hear they moved to an event only space now, but if you get a chance do go.

A bit bummed about this one, honestly. Looked great. We were out for a dinner nearby, so figured we…read morewould try this spot while out there. I looked online and saw they took reservations, yet this function was closed completely on their website. Decided to just stop by, but found them not even open on a Saturday night. Asked at the sports bar and were told it was reservations or private events only. No response when asked how you even make a reservation when the reservations are closed completely. Disappointing.

Overall this is a really good spot. In the best way possible, it feels out of place in Royal Oak…read more While everything else is overly trendy, this place just continues to b proudly be what it is...a a really good dive bar! Bartenders are very quick and drinks are very strong. Great spot to post up for a while and just chill with your buddies.

Cool dive bar Love the '70s Cadillac front end sticking out of the wall that's been there for over…read more30 years. A buddy of mine who lived in Royal oak back in the '90s turned me on to this place. When I'm in town like to stop in have a drink. But do not expect the bathrooms to be pristine.. it is a dive bar. As long as you know this and accept this you will have no problem. Cool people come here.

This little strip has turned into a great spot for cocktails, and Syndicate has become a glorious…read moreaddition. Walking in, the black and gold nuances strike you immediately and sitting at the bar, watching each drink being made is really quite fun. Their cocktail menu is absolutely spectacular. What a wide range of choices with all the major types of liquor available in one form or another. My bartender developed the program and she was super knowledgeable about it. I didn't try any of the food, so I can't comment on that, but for a pre or post dinner cocktail, I can definitely say this was an awesome spot to come out to.

We were a group of 3 who wanted to be seated outside on a hot and sticky Michigan day. Luckily…read morethere was a nice breeze. Ok make that 2 of 3 that wanted to be outside. As we followed our greeter to our table I kept screaming in my mind "no no no no no not that table no!" and she sat us at a table in full blasting sun. Nevermind the fact that there was a whole shaded section in the back part of the patio area. The rest of my group said it was fine and a beam of sun slowly bore a hole through my chest. Drink orders were up. I ordered a fabulous cross between a Moscow Mule and a Mojito. A+++ for the drinks. Mine was loaded with fresh mint from their garden. Same grade for our waitress who explained the drinks in detail and ended with "ugh- are you sure you want to sit at this table straight in the sun?" The other two said it was fine. I was ready to move, but was out voted. She continued to check in regularly and brought extra water. Most items on the menu were hot. I considered the fish, but we all landed on appetizers and we would just bounce from place to place for bites and drinks. We ordered the charcuterie board and the lavender lemon whip with bread and cucumbers for the 3 of us. The charcuterie board was the large version and had minimal offerings. It wasn't full and pretty. It was little piles of each thing on a board. This one definitely wasn't making it into Better Homes and Gardens magazine. There was a little pile of mixed nuts, a little pile of lose green grapes, a little pile of lose red grapes - not all grapes pristine or large and none were on the vine. There were 3 little piles of cubed cheese and 2 types of sliced sausage and sliced pepperoni. There were 8 crackers that were wheat thin size. This matters because we had some onion jam on the board and a nice serving of mustard. There really wasn't anything to put them on except for the 8 little crackers. That part was weird. These weren't elevated offerings. I could have picked up any of these at Walmart. They were not elevated quality either. We also got a lavender lemon infused whip which was their answer to tzatziki sauce. It was excellent but again, we were given so much of the sauce without a bunch to put it on. The cucumbers were sliced lengthways and there was a lovely bread that tasted like sourdough. There was 6 pieces of bread, and these were not particularly large pieces. A lot more would have been needed to use all of the sauce they gave. The proportions were off. All together the bill was over $100 for the 3 drinks and appetizers. If I ever did go back I won't order food based on what I experienced. There are too many other great options within walking distance.

This place was great for a chill vibe, good ambience and live music. Loved the cocktails.read more

Shift has a really cool vibe and excellent happy hour specials (5-7 on weeknights). They had live…read moremusic on Wednesday night and food is 40% off and 50% off drinks. Our server Scott was a sweetheart and the food came out pretty quickly. He even made me a mocktail that wasn't on the menu with grapefruit juice, cranberry juice and soda. My favorite item was the filet tips- the quality of meat was so good and it was seasoned well. It came with some goat cheese, peppers and arugula. I will say that it was a rather small portion of food though- maybe 6-8 bites of meat. The lamb lollipops were good with the balsamic drizzle but I preferred the filet tips since they were leaner. We also got the beet salad, the vinaigrette was good but otherwise the salad was just ok. Edamame was standard. Veggie/hummus tray was fresh. Lettuce wraps were good but had a bit of a kick. You can park free for 2 hours in the lot accross the street.

My wife and I were in Ferndale for a meeting and decided to have an impromptu dinner date. Since…read moreneither of us had been to Barrel House before, we thought we'd give it a try--and we're so glad we did. We entered through the back entrance and were immediately greeted with a warm welcome. We quickly found a table for two, and our server was attentive from the start, bringing water right away, answering our questions, and walking us through the wine and beer selections. My wife ordered the Beet & Salmon Salad, while I chose the Crispy Chicken Club with white cheddar and house-smoked bacon. The sandwich was absolutely incredible--hands down the best crispy chicken club I've ever had. The chicken was perfectly crispy, and the combination of flavors was outstanding. I also stole a few bites of my wife's salad and was pleasantly surprised by the yellow beets. I'd only ever had red beets before, and both varieties were prepared beautifully. The salmon was cooked to perfection and paired wonderfully with the fresh ingredients. Between the excellent food, welcoming atmosphere, and friendly service, this turned out to be one of the best impromptu dinner dates we've had in quite some time. We thoroughly enjoyed our experience and are already looking forward to returning to explore more of the menu. Highly Recommend!

Recently went to attend a meetup here. Had to wait around 30 minutes as a huge party was clearing…read moreout. The inside is no frills but service was excellent with our waitress handling multiple checks. My jerk chicken dish over rice was a bit dry and too mildly spiced for my liking. The sesame wings were delicious. Beer selection was superb. Very casual vibe with ok food. Recommend $$

We stopped in here while we waited for D'Amato's restaurant to open. What's super convenient is…read morethat Gracie's and D'Amato's share the space together. They have a number of craft cocktails that are absolutely delicious. I had the Cherry Bourbon Mule and my wife had a Dirty Martini - both were awesome. In fact, I had 2 more Mules afterwards if that tells you anything. The bartender was great - responsive, cordial and even humorous. When we come back to Royal Oak, we will certainly be back. Give it a try!

We tucked into the bar on a Saturday night for an early evening cocktail. They have a Saturday…read morehappy hour menu! So...the lovely barkeep took our drink order quickly so we could partake. A shared Caesar salad and zoodle/pasta dish later and we are sufficiently suffonsified. House made sauces are delicious (we tried the marinara but I'd like to try palomino next time) and there is no pressure to drink like fish or overindulge in food. DJ was setting up as we were leaving, so I'm sure the hospitable atmosphere only improves. We'll return.