J's went above and beyond, and I truly can't brag on them enough. I was working with out-of-town real estate clients who had a small dog, and in March this was the only restaurant that welcomed their dog inside. Because of that kindness and flexibility, we ended up dining there multiple days in a row. The service was wonderful, as always, but it was the empathy and genuine accommodation that really made the difference. Experiences like that create loyal customers for life. read more

I was kinda disappointed with my first and only experience here. Let me start by saying my server was very kind and the food was decent. The atmosphere was not at all what I was expecting. My husband and I went out for our anniversary and thought this would be a nice steakhouse. We walked in feeling overdressed and had a table with a family including kids watching shows loudly on a phone right next to us. My biggest issue, though, was I ordered a mocktail (I forget the name, but it was an espresso martini made with non-alcoholic spirits) directly from the menu, exactly how it's listed in there, and was brought a regular espresso martini. I took one sip and could tell the difference. When I asked my server if it was in fact the one I ordered, she told me she rung in a regular one. I was 8 months pregnant at the time, so this was not great. While she was very apologetic and corrected the error, this was a big mishap. read more

Package fee: $3.96 WTF is that Charge tip: $9.9 for a carry-out order ? Other charges: $13.86, WTF is "other charges", no detail on the receipt What a joke. $27.72 in charges for a carryout unrelated to the cost of the food. read more

Love this location. The food is always delicious. The service is excellent. Jennifer my server was awesome. They have the best North Carolina crab cakes in Michigan. Today the restaurant was bit noisy with all children with parents after their baseball and t-ball games. But overall I enjoyed my meal.The best crab cakes ever. read more

See all

It's been awhile since we have been to J. Alexander's, and we weren't as pleased with our visit as we have been in the past. We ordered the featured crab dip appetizer, and the Steak Maui and Crab Cakes as our mains. Both main course dishes came right on the heels of the appetizer. Our waitress apologized, and stated that they have a new manager. We took a couple of bites of the appetizer, and then asked for the rest to be wrapped up to go. I liked the crab dip; my husband didn't. We started on our main courses. While the steak and crab cakes were just about perfect, the fries were lukewarm. read more

Don't waste your time at this establishment. Reservations were made, and we were promptly sat. The dining room was full, but not oppressively so and there were plenty of staff to be seen. A gentleman came by after a few minutes and took a drink order and said our server would be with us shortly. That was the last time we were acknowledged. No drinks were delivered, and no other server came to the table. We waited 15 minutes after being sat and decided to take our business elsewhere. For a higher end establishment - which was full of staff, to ignore guests is simply unacceptable and a horrible business practice. We went to the hostess stand to let the staff know that we would be leaving and how we were ignored. In this economy we must be mindful of what businesses we support. When picking a dining experience, it is exactly that - an experience. Cuisine is but a small portion of the full picture and service can make or break an ongoing relationship with your client base. The manager did attempt to contact us, but you only have one opportunity for first impressions. I would not recommend J. Alexander's as a business that is worth your time and more importantly your money. read more

Place was a vibe back in the day, idk what has happened, I mean the Mac and cheese is still out of this world but it's just not the same for the other things like it used to be. read more

Not big on huge chain restaurants, but J. Alexander's has always been a safe bet for me. The staff is always nice and even though it always seems to be crowded, most often you can get a table. I normally stick with the Grilled Salmon With Mashed Potatoes. They are also always heavy with the pours, so that might be a benefit for some. read more

J. Alexander's - Grilled Salmon w/ Mashed Potatoes. - New American Near Me - Livonia, Michigan

I placed a carry out for a chicken Cesar salad. Almost $25 for some lettuce & MAYBE a quarter of a breast. Insane. read more

J. Alexander's - Chicken - New American Near Me - Livonia, Michigan

See all

As I mentioned awhile back, I am a frequent diner of J. Alexanders in Livonia. And while I have made very favorable reviews of the Food, Bar, and staff in the past I think things are even better now. It seems they've had some managerial turnover and the change while not huge has been noticeable. They are coming up with a lot more variety with their nightly food and even dessert specials. Some I have never seen in this restaurant before. Several of them have been seafood dishes but the one I want to point out in this review is their new Double Bone-In Pork Chop with an Apricot Horseradish glaze. It's outstanding!!! The Chop is flavorful, tender, and a very large cut. I feel it's better than their ribs and pork tenderloin, but that might just be me. And if your leery about the glaze, which is not too heavy and delicious, I'm sure they can put it on the side. But, I bet you're going to love it! read more

Always a favorite for their delicious carrot cake!!! It has to be my favorite item on the menu I also hope that their chocolate cake continues to be on the menu. It's hard to find a regular chocolate cake these days. read more

Sigh I use to have such high regard for this restaurant but it's definitely fallen from its perch. It's not this particular restaurant but the chain as a whole. Food was average but the prices aren't. The service was good so that was a plus. Never had to look for the waitress. Met my friend around 4:45 ish and the place was extremely dimly lit like it was ready for the evening romance crowd. It's a no for me if k have to return. read more

Dimly lit restaurant with a pretty straight forward menu. I can't believe I've never eaten here before. The service was good. We didn't wait long to be seated. Food served in a timely manor. I didn't order much, just a salad with shrimp & a loaded baked potato. I would go back and try something else. I noticed they serve shoestring fries (yum) and they don't have lemonade. read more

J. Alexander's - New American Near Me - Livonia, Michigan

See all

I think this is a really cool spot. I personally am not a fan of the restaurant because I feel that there are several things that are overcharged for. But I'm still not opposed to going here because I like the vibe. One thing I can't stand is observing the wait staff, use unclean hands to grab fruit to garnish the drinks and take them to the customers. Customers deserve better. Use the toothpicks and the tongs that are available to garnish the drinks. !!!! Management must do better. You're either coaching it or allowing it. Customers deserve better. read more

When I first walked in, I was nicely greeted by the host and we didn't have a reservation, but the wait time didn't exceed 30 minutes. The lighting was low and the set up was elegant. I will say I would've appreciated some bread or something for the table while we were waiting for our food/waitress. The food was excellent! When I first got it, it was cold, but they took it back and gave me a whole new steak with a whole new side free of charge which I really appreciated. Our waiter was very attentive and made sure our needs were met. I don't give it five stars because though it was 30 minutes before closing, I still think it was rude to use a vacuum right next to where we were eating, it was loud and ruined the vibe. But other than that would definitely recommend this spot! read more

See all

Always hits the spot, they are very consistent. I honestly think it's the best value if you're looking for a good meal on a budget. The service is usually good at this location as well. read more

J's has been a go-to place for me and my family and we usually enjoy what we order (which is usually the same every time!). The last couple of times, even with a reservation, there is a several minute wait to be seated. Also, the presentation of some dishes isn't quite matching price. We got deviled eggs, six halves, for $14. They were sitting on a bare bowl sprinkled with paprika. Tasted good, but didn't look like something J's usually puts out. Their Caesar salads used to be amazing, but we got one last night that was really not good - barely any croutons, the dressing not very flavorful and the lettuce looking sad. This is not our typical J's which we normally love! read more

The early bird special is a must! The food and staff are amazing. Love the atmosphere.

Had the New York strip steak and mashed potatoes and they were amazing. The waiters were very polite and even poured beers into a chilled glass. read more

It was just OK ... Prime Rib was a bit dry and not up to their usual standards.I wouldn't order it again.

I'm not a huge fan of the entrees here but service is always on point, apps are delicious (big fan of grilled artichokes and spinach queso) and their cocktails are a great deal. You can get a martini, which comes with a second martini, so essentially 2 for the price of 1. The star of this restaurant is their carrot cake. I've never had any carrot cake comparable. Always get a piece from here!! read more

Fantastic service by Jackie. She really did a nice job and made the evening enjoyable. We had a reservation for the dining room, but were sat in the bar. It was fine, but we did prefer the dining room. The Hong Kong shrimp was excellent as a starter as was the queso and chips. Cocktails were all great. The starter salad were fine but too much cheddar cheese and the homemade blue cheese dressing really didn't have much blue cheese in it - certainly no chunks. The Malibu ribeye and the cilantro shrimp entrées were both great. The prime rib was cooked to order at medium rare but tough and bland. The fillet was cooked to order at medium rare but was dry. I wouldn't recommend either. read more

Dimly lighting and busy as usual on the weekends. After waiting for a hour to be seated we quickly helped by our waitress. Unfortunately the roasted chicken we wanted was sold out so she recommended several other things for us to try. I opted for the chicken tenders with fries and coleslaw. I was surprised of how good the chicken tenders were. So crispy and perfectly seasoned. The barbecue and honey mustard sauce was very flavorful. read more

J. Alexander's - Salad with ranch dressing - New American Near Me - Livonia, Michigan

See all

I love J. Alexander's. I've lived far away for a long time and didn't have one close to me for years, so was excited to move back and have one available. So excited that I when I was put in charge of planning a meeting for my company, I immediately planned for us to dine here. Imagine my shock when I tried to make reservations for 8 people only to find out that they don't take reservations for more than 4 people. More than that and it's first come/first served. Not only that, but they don't even have the ability to seat more than 6 people at a table. They cannot move two tables together to accommodate more people. It is the strangest thing I've ever heard, and I've heard a lot. Luckily The Hyde Park Steakhouse was more than happy to take my reservation. read more

The good part is that the food is good. The drinks are also good. The bar area can be very much like a "Pickup" joint. On a regular basis a line forms around the bar.....waiting for a seat. So the pressure can be on to hurry up and eat and leave because others are breathing down your back for your seat. Otherwise, it can be a decent night out. read more

Not gonna lie Jay Alexander used to be my spot. I love their drinks. I love their carrot cake. But the last couple of times I've been there I've been left in pure disappointment. I went on a Sunday for lunch with my son, which it wasn't busy and there was no wait which was nice. But it seemed like we barely saw our server. Especially once we got our food when the food arrived. Another server brought the food out. Then our server came and checked on us and then we never saw her until we were leaving out to go to the restroom, and I stopped her and said that we needed boxes and a bill because we were ready to go. But it seemed like once we got the bill and I gave my card that part was very quick. And I'm not sure how their heating system is set up which they have no control over obviously, but it was extremely hot in the bathroom so hot that I was sweating as soon as we walked in. Extremely uncomfortable to actually use the restroom in such a hot environment it felt like a sauna Then we left and we went to go run an errand and I placed an order online to pick up on my way home because we were going to be passing by. When we pulled up, there were cars parked in all three to go spots. And there was a family of three getting a toddler out the backseat and heading inside the restaurant. I had to park on the other side of the building and called in to let them know that I was there. I also let them know as the other family was walking in that the family walking in, with description, is currently part in spot, one of the to go area. The hostess didn't say anything about it, and didn't say anything to the family as I sat on the other side of the building, waiting for a waitress to bring on my order. I mention it to the waitress and she said yes that is a disappointment because she would have said something if she would have known as well. This was somewhat frustrating because I had to stop my car by the to go spots to get the phone number to call in my to go. Mind you I was already there earlier with my toddler and walked from the other side of the building with a toddler in heels to get inside the restaurant, so it was mind blowing that these people parked in the to go spots, but we're coming to sit in the restaurant. And when the host was notified that no one said anything to them about it. I would've went inside, but my son was in the backseat sleeping and honestly when we tip on our two goes this is what we tip for. This type of service . Fast-forward, I get home with my to go order and ordered a full rack of ribs with mashed potatoes and broccoli and I asked them to put it in separate containers because I was feeding two separate people. There was a massive amount of mashed potatoes which no complaints but the ribs themselves looked like a half rack split in half. Honestly for $30 or less I could've got way more ribs at another place. Soooo idk if I'll be going back because I don't mind paying extra for things when they are worth it, but I can definitely say my last couple trips have not been worth the dollar. read more

J. Alexander's - Full rack of ribs with mashed potatoes and broccoli - New American Near Me - Livonia, Michigan

Meh, they could not wait to turn my business away., I just tried to reserve for a party in f 20 and the hostess couldn't wait to tell me they absolutely do not do any parties with 20 people and she could not wait to get me off the phone so she could turn my business away Even if they don't do 20, they could have tried to work something out with me but sometimes I run into places that just do not want our business. I run a social group and I frequent a lot of restaurants and bring a lot of money to these places all the time and some of them just do not want to make money, I don't understand it. read more

I am not sorry for this review. I couldn't help but notice that every time I've personally come to this establishment, the hostess, and/or manager seat all the colored folks in the back of the restaurant behind a wall which feels very hidden. Meanwhile, the white folks are in the very center of the restaurant and very visible. Everyone in my section is black and or colored while all the whites are either up front near the bar or in the center of the restaurant. I've mentioned this to the young lady that seated my wife and I, she responded by saying "I didn't notice" and walked away. This feel very much like modern day segregation.Needless to say, I'll never come back. #Disgusted read more

J. Alexander's - My view.... Every single time I've visited. - New American Near Me - Livonia, Michigan

I really enjoyed this place. My friend had the vrsb cakes and I had the salmon with squash and a salad. It was delicious. The squash was amazing. We wrapped up with the keylime pie with was very good. It is a little pricey but I would highly recommend this place. read more

J. Alexander's - New American Near Me - Livonia, Michigan

See all

First off the food and service is good. The Ambiance is really nice. As a Retired Certified Executive Chef, what you get for the money is not worth it. If you like draining the pocket book you have,then by all means feel free to g read more

I chose this restaurant based on the reviews for our family dinner after the visitation for my mother-in-law's funeral service. It was late, but the wait staff was very attentive, the ambiance was perfect for the occasion and the food was fabulous. Excellent wine selection, too. read more

J. Alexander's - Pecan crusted trout - New American Near Me - Livonia, Michigan

See all

This was my fifth visit over several years. Wemt there for our anniversary dinner on an early Monday night. We both had the prime rib medium rare with alex salad and wine. I was surprised at how busy it was for a Monday. The food was not as flavorful as past meals. Price: Expensive Ambiance: Pleasent, dimly lit but we sat by a window. Service: Very good Prime rib: Cooked as ordered but missing something, Au Jua was tasteless Alex salad: Large portion. and both dressings were very good Wine: Liberty School Cab. OK but overpriced and would not recommend. read more

Megan was our server -- she was fantastic!! I have a pesky garlic allergy and she navigated that beautifully; double checking everything I ordered and assuring that my allergy wouldn't be in the entree or the side. The manager, however wasn't as accommodating, indicating that "everything has garlic in it". with no alternatives or possible solutions suggested. I thought, well should we just leave? But after a short conversation with Megan, she and I came up with a solution. WOW! thank you Megan for being the superstar that you are!! As an aside, the meal was good, but quite expensive -- wont be able to do that very often. Megan - 5 stars Manager - 1 star Food & price - 3.5 stars read more

This is a very late review but I was so disappointed in our Christmas Eve dinner there, I may never go back. This is our tradition for 12/24 for almost 10 years, so I made reservations 6 weeks in advance. We got seated in the bar and it was so loud we couldn't even converse. They ran out of bar glasses so one of us waited 20 minutes for a cocktail, which came after the appetizer. And the last straw was they were out of pork tenderloin at 6 pm on 12/24. All in all, an extremely disappointing holiday experience . We'll be making a new dinner tradition next year. read more

I came here 2x in 3 days. I first came with my husband Amon a double date. We had the Kung Pow Shrimp and the deviled eggs for starters. For dinner I ordered the Salmon with broccoli and it was good, not great- but I enjoyed it. A friend got the chicken fingers and the portion was generous and they were tasty. But our other friend had the burger and said it was the best burger he's ever had. We had the carrot cake and chocolate cake. My husband loved the Chocolate cake but it was too rich for me. I had the carrot cake and it was divine! read more

We had a great dinner here celebrating my fiancés birthday! We started with the Hong Kong Shrimp which came with a lot of shrimp, and we liked the spicy sauce! I got the crispy chicken platter and changed out my sides for the loaded baked potato and the broccoli- everything tasted great and it was so much food! My fiancé always gets the French Dip and per usual he was very happy with his meal! There were a lot of wait staff who stopped by our table to refill our water, take plates, and bring us our check when our waitress was busy which was nice. Overall a great experience! read more

J. Alexander's - Crispy Chicken Platter - New American Near Me - Livonia, Michigan

This is not the J's it used to be. I actually worked here back in the day and respected the attention to detail and hospitality. This no longer exists. When speaking with the bartender regarding portions (as they have significantly shrunk) she said "it depends who's working and how they're feeling. They must not be happy today". We expressed our disappointment but had no guest recovery experience. The food was alright but did not live up to what it used to be. Big bummer read more

J. Alexander's - New American Near Me - Livonia, Michigan

My favorite place to get a lemon drop! The food is delicious, and the service is excellent every time. read more

J. Alexander's - My favorite place to get a lemon drop! Delicious food, excellent service every time. - New American Near Me - Livonia, Michigan

Everything at J. Alexander's is made from scratch and it shows! Quality feels like it is homemade. Perfect place for date night with the low lighting... it is a fine dining experience at a more affordable price. Wait-staff is always giving great recommendations on what to eat. My favorite is the pecan encrusted trout. For dessert, the chocolate lava cake is sooo delicious! read more

Let me jump right in and say that J. Alexander exceeded my expectation!! I'd heard the name before and knew it was a chain restaurant but I had never been. My colleagues from MI (I was in town visiting) chose this for dinner on a Monday evening. We were a party of 12 but we had to sit at two different tables. That was fine with us because we made the reservation a few mins before we even got there so the fact that they were able to sit us was great. I was told that the spinach con queso was the best so we ordered that, deviled eggs and the lobster dip (I think that's what it was but it came with toasted bread) to start. I also ordered the whale flower but it was too grape-fruity for me (well duh Chi that's the main ingredient) so our waitress took it back with no hesitation. For my entree, I got blackened salmon with a side of broccoli. The appetizers were allllll superb. That spinach con queso was by far the best I've ever had and granted I'm lactose intolerant and should not be eating it, the sacrifice was well worth it. The deviled eggs could have been better but we got it with no bacon and apparently the bacon is what adds to the flavor. The lobster dip was good too. Honestly, I was so full that I took my salmon to go and never ate it. I forgot it in my hotel but nonetheless, everything was great. Only reason I gave it 4 stars was the servers sort of just dropped our food on the table without asking who had what, so they kept messing it up. Besides that, no complaints at all and I plan on going back again to the one in Houston. read more