My friend lives in Clarkston and brought me to The Fed for my birthday & book launch celebration: I'm the author of In Pursuit of Prince Charming. I immediately fell in love with the restaurants' decor which makes me think of Anthropologie, & then that delectable brunch, I was in foodie heaven!!!! Even though it's a long drive for me, I'll be back, again and again! PS Our waitress "MC" was divine! She made the experience even better! I'm asking for her when I return. I give The Fed 5 beautiful stars! read more

The food is extremely average in taste, but priced on the high end. I would fire the head chef and start over. The building itself is well done, but the menu sucks. The drink list is awkward and uninteresting. Terrible selection of beer & wine. I've been here a few times & really don't plan to go back. I was hopeful that I would feel differently, but I always leave underwhelmed. read more

Really enjoyed my evening here. First off I really love the look and feel of the interior and exterior. The exterior has a welcoming patio and a cute fire pit area with some benches to sit at while waiting for your table. The interior has a great vibe. Open kitchen and very clean restrooms. Service was good and so was the food. The pita and hummus with whipped feta flat bread was delicious, so were the sweet and sour cauliflower. I had a filet with Demi for my entree that came with mushroom risotto, I enjoyed it very much. Will be back for sure. read more

The Fed - Sweet and sour cauliflower is delicious - New American Near Me - Clarkston, Michigan

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Overpriced and underwhelmed. The restaurant decor is beautiful and the place is well constructed . However the food was mediocre. Steak bites were cold . The charcuterie tray was unique with a lot of good items. Sushi rolls were below avg and the filet was ok . For a $40 filet you're better off going to a real steakhouse . Pumpkin creme brûlée dessert was also just avg. On a positive note the staff was friendly and on top of things read more

This was our first time here. We went fairly early....6 pm Friday night. We were seated immediately by friendly staff. The food was fantastic. We had drinks, an app, and 2 dinners. The bill was right around $100 without tip. We thought it was reasonable for the quality of food. The atmosphere is very fun too!! We will be back. read more

The Fed - New American Near Me - Clarkston, Michigan

We decided to try The Fed for my husbands birthday and couldn't have made a better choice. The ambiance and the food was excellent. Our waiter - Kevin was nothing but the best. He was very knowledgeable with the food allergy issues we had as well as with his recommendations. Yes - it was pricey - but this was farm to table - a scratch kitchen. Nothing pre-processed. The only negative I have is that I wish there were more entree items that were not "a la carte". Unfortunately that makes this a special occasion restaurant for us. The staff was professional and personable. We even got the chance to speak with "Jimmy the Manager" and he was interested in our total experience at the restaurant and made us feel that our comments, good and bad would be taken into consideration and appreciated. He truly seemed to care about the business and nowadays that is a rare quality to find in an employee. (I work with many different businesses - and the biggest complaint is the staff work ethic and lack of caring). The staff made the experience even better than the food. We will be back. (Probably this weekend for my son's birthday). read more

Food and ambiance are bother perfect! Went here for a girls night and everyone loved it!

The place is very nice and the first time we went here it was very good, but it does take a while to get your food. Today we went for brunch on Sunday morning around 1130 and it ended up taking us an hour from the time we ordered to get our food. We both ordered eggs Benedict and by the time we got it, it was cold. If the food came out quicker it definitely would be a higher rating from me. It is pricey but the food is worth it when cooked correctly and served on time. Both me and the other person who had brunch there today have stomach aches. Now I'm not saying it was from their food but it is the only thing we've eaten today. read more

The Fed - New American Near Me - Clarkston, Michigan

What a cool place! Great atmosphere. Staff was amazing. I never had an empty glass or a dirty dish on my table for more than a minute. The steak bites were perfectly cooked, tender and well seasoned. The salad was well dressed and fresh. The gnocchi was absolutely f*cking magical!! The agilio e olio was a little salty but everything else was perfect. I'll be back! read more

The Fed - New American Near Me - Clarkston, Michigan

Breakfast/brunch here is always good. Service is slow but staff is always friendly. Dinner is a little too expensive for the food you actually get, and again service is slow. read more

The Fed has some amazing food made from scratch and great service. But the ambience is the tops!!! Highly recommend the beet salad!!! Book a dinner in the vault and you won't be disappointed. read more

The Fed catered our Thanksgiving meal and it was FANTASTIC! Delicious turkey, stuffing, gravy, beans, rolls (with whipped butter), and more! The apple pie was so yummy! I would definitely recommend and plan to use them again for future takeout and holiday catering. Really amazing food at a very reasonable price! read more

So I am a huge Yelper... though you will see I actually never review any places! I imagine many people are similar to me; very happy with experiences...however, not taking the time to stop actually type a review! I do the same on Amazon! Ha. Okay time for my review... (first ever!) I feel very compelled to write this review for The Fed, for a few reasons: 1. This place is amazing, and I am saddened by the current review score. 2. I love my small town of Clarkston, and want to promote good food and places within. 3. The current reviews are way too harsh. Borderline insanity. If you are looking for a beautiful and thoughtful restaurant, with a great diverse menu, kid friendly, friend friendly, family friendly, date friendly... this place is for you. The prices may be a little higher and that's not a horrible thing folks... (which I have read as reasons people are giving bad ratings and that should not be allowed). Run through a drive-thru if you are looking for food on the cheap, full of poor quality ingredients. Good quality sourced food is not cheap, maybe consider educating yourself. I will stop my rant and focus on the positives! Love the fries, sushi, pizza, steak bites, tacos, you name it! Haven't had a bad thing and have frequented a few times. We did have longer than we would like wait times for drinks downstairs... however, we get it. They are new and figuring themselves out! Drinks were amazing and worth it. Staff is very friendly and accommodating. I reserved the private room downstairs in a few weeks for a party for one of my best friends. Can't wait! Thank you The Fed for opening up in Clarkston and being a fresh new face downtown! We needed you! If you share in my sentiments... take a little time and give The Fed some Yelp love! read more

First of all we have given more than fair shake to The Fed, we have come about a dozen times. We just want so badly for this place to be good. Unfortunately, It's just not. The service is the worst. The food is just, eh. The descriptions on the menu read delicious, but the chef doesn't deliver. Cold food, over cooked food, and takes abnormally long to get to your table. We always leave disappointed. On a positive note the decor and ambiance is top notch. read more

I wanted to take my wife somewhere new for our 7 year wedding anniversary so I called to make a reservation. The girl on the phone told me that they didn't take reservations for less than parties of 6. I thought that was odd since the one thing they might of had going for them is that they are the only restaurant in downtown Clarkson that take reservations. I asks how long the wait usually is for the day we wanted to go and figured if they had nothing available, we could just go to one of the more established places with less of a wait. When we got there the hosted asked for our reservation. I told her what she told me on the phone about the party of 6 rule, then she went on to say something along the lines of "well actually we were testing that out but, later in the week decided to take reservations for every size party so, now we are completely booked". What?! testing it out? This is your 1 chance to make a good first impression as a new restaurant and you're testing things out on your actual customers who are going to spread the word good or bad to their friends and family? Anyway, she says they have some sort of special seating in the basement they could show us so, we said "I guess we'll check it out". Turns out its 2 long picnic tables with long picnic benches as seats. They thought we might want to have an anniversary dinner while sitting with a bunch of strangers. Meanwhile my wife is 35 weeks pregnant. How the heck is she supposed to climb over this bench in a dress safely. The "server" shows up and says they will be 1 of 5 people that will be waiting on us tonight. Huh? As my wife starts crying as this is not what she expected from a relatively expensive restaurant, the second 16 year old "server" shows up with water and we tell him all that's happened so far, he says "that sucks, I wish there was something I could do". Gee thanks, that helps a lot. Then our 3rd "server" shows up and sets down a bowl with 3 quarter sized pieces of bread for 2 people(1 of whom is pregnant) and starts to tells us how its made from rainbows farts and unicorn tears or whatever she was saying. Hard to focus as I am trying to console my still crying pregnant wife, which none of of servers seem to notice. The bread was well past the last straw but, that's when we decided to leave. We ate nothing, got up and left. Right after we crossed the street to go to the Wood shop(which was great by the way, highly recommend it), the manager of the Fed was flagging us down after he heard about what happened from his "wait staff". He said he could seat us right away on the patio. Then he realized it was starting to rain as it had been doing on and off that day. Then he finally decided to cross the street to talk to us. He handed me his card and his idea of making this horrible experience up to us was saying "The next time you guys are here, I'll make sure you get seated right away". Wow so you're going to do what every restaurant does for customers who make reservations? Gee thanks. He didn't offer to give us a free meal, appetizer, drinks, nothing. Just offered to do his job. WOW. It's pretty apparent that their service has not gotten any better since they opened and after they spent all their money on decor, they decided to use whatever was left over on their staff. Most of whom gave the impression that this was their first job in a restaurant. I can't speak for the food since we never got to eat any. The Wood Shop sat us right away and gave us excellent service and human sized portions of bread along with excellent food. Go there instead. read more

Had to wait a little longer for my reservation but other than that, service was great. Not a fan of most menu options from restaurants nearby but I enjoyed this one because it had something for everyone. My waitress was very nice and helpful with her suggestions. Also, amazing cocktails :) read more

I normally do not use this app but last night I had an experience that I had to share. I live in the Clarkston area and have tried the popular restaurants downtown. Tonight one of my brothers got me to stop by the Fed. Rumors had said that this place was expensive. I found it amazing and actually comparable to the others in town. We walked in and sat down at the bar. From that moment on I knew that I would be returning. We only stopped in for light refreshment and appetizers but the atmosphere and the staff turned a quick stop into a very enjoyable evening. For the only true dining experience in Clarkston you have to walk in to the building that used to be in the Clarkston State Bank, you will not be disappointed! read more

The Fed - Eating breakfast poutine. This establishment has become the premier eating experience in Clarkston. If you haven't been there you need to be - New American Near Me - Clarkston, Michigan

Fries, Steak Chimichurri, and margs on a great patio . Highly recommend this place to anyone looking to eat outside

Really??? Great atmosphere but couldn't get a soup spoon to save my life for the gazpacho. And the ceviche was so tiny I barely tasted it for $16. read more

The Fed - I could barely find the ceviche in my plate of chips. - New American Near Me - Clarkston, Michigan

Beautiful restaurant with ok food. The ambiance is nice with awesome decor and style, but it didn't seem like they really cared about their food quality, especially for the price. Our waiter however was super friendly and attentive, and people refilled our water all the time! I really liked the Asian roasted/fried cauliflower appetizer, but nothing else really wowed me... but my mom said she absolutely loved everything (she got the Halibut). The steak was soft had a lot of gravy on it (didn't taste like a regular steak, sorta like roast beef or something). My friend really loved the tortilla soup but to me it tasted like tomato soup with added spices and chips. I hoped this place would have high quality unique food but I didn't think the menu was very interesting either - kinda basic. The atmosphere is nice and I would recommend coming here before dinner for drinks and/or appetizers. Went at 6:30 on a Saturday night and got a table right away but it got crowded later. read more

Usually love The Fed, and have been a loyal customer. Unfortunately, this time I have had it. Arrived for our reservation for a table of 6 including two elderly relatives with walking disabilities. Hostess and Manager did not let us change our table to upstairs, and instead insisted we eat downstairs (wood stairs, difficult to maneuver for someone with a cane and elderly). Needless to say, very disappointed. Especially in management when there was one open table to accommodate our issues. If I had known, never would have reserved this. The Fed has excellent ambiance, good food, but poor customer service. Very disappointed from a loyal Clarkston resident. read more

9/7/18. Got a chance to try this restaurant before a concert at DTE. We walked in and were blown away at the wait time and promptness if seating. We sat down in less than five minutes. We had the best chairs in the house and had an excellent waiter. We had the pleasure of sitting with Tim. Tim was very knowledgeable in the history of the actual building itself and the history of the restaurant. The food was farm to table so it was very fresh. I had the beef wagyu and my wife had the salmon. My wife has a dairy allergy and they were able to accommodate with absolutely no problem. I couldn't be more impressed with the setting and the atmosphere. Oh and we were in and out in less that forty five minutes. Would 100% recommend this restaurant to anyone. The private rooms are cool as well. read more

The Fed - New American Near Me - Clarkston, Michigan

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Looking for something different to try following a movie date with my wife we ventured to The Fed based on our friends recommendation. The ambiance of the restaurant is outstanding and unique - shabby chic meets traditional in a restaurant space. Our server Jared was great, friendly and knowledgeable about the menu; there at the right times. Nice selection of wines,beers and cocktails which some were new to me, I skipped a drink and stuck with tea, however my wife had a nice Ancient Peaks Cab. We started with the cauliflower and chowder which was the soup du jour. Both were very good! Next we tried the Caesar Salad with Chicken and Green Goddess Salad with steak. The Green Goddess was very good and the steak was cooked as ordered. The Caesar was good however the Anchovies were a bit strong so pulled a few off. The toad in a hole on the Salad was different but lacked seasoning not sure if I like runny yoke on my Caesar. We sat very close to the kitchen and were watching food come out on the pass or expo area. A lot of nice looking entree's. The charcuterie and cheese board looked delicious as well as the burger! Sorry that I have zero pictures, trying to be better at being in the moment then on my phone! Overall we had a great time and enjoyed the meal. Will be back to try it again, the vault room is calling for a dinner party with friends! read more

Environment is modern and relaxing, service is friendly, menu is short and some entrees are pricy, OG flatbread is good but the tuna sushi is okay. The atmosphere is so nice and friendly and we plan to come back. The glass of Pinot noir was very good. Place is beautiful but they need improve their menu and food. read more

A good downtown Clarkston location, we had a reservation and were seated at a nice table. Atmosphere was pleasant. Wine was excellent as was dinner entree. The problem is that this is a totally a la carte restaurant. Nothing is included. I ordered a fire-grilled fish which was delicious, but that was all there was on the plate for $42.00. No potato, no parsley, no vegetable. I asked for a breadbasket, but they did not have one. I would have ordered a salad had I realized nothing comes with the entree. read more

After driving 1 hour to Clarkston they were out of half of the menu, after "a busy night" mind you we made reservations a week out to try this place. They forgot one of our apps (they only had about 6 tables so they were NOT busy at all.) the meat and cheese board was absolutely horrendous, the meat was not fresh and smelled like it was not stored properly, very disgustingly rancid. Drinks were the only good thing and but below our standard. If I'm paying 15$ for a drink I expect to enjoy it. The steak my fiancé ordered medium was served rare and had an awful taste to it due to the seasoning. They braised lamb pasta I had was a 3/10. Honestly, I'm not sure who put the menu together but i don't know if this is the right job for them. The severer we had was sweet and took off as much as she could. We're not picky people by any means but this was just bad all around. The esthetic and vibe was beautiful though. read more

Farm to table restaurant. The menu changes every couple of months. Fun shareable items and entrees. The bartenders are the best around!

Dined at The Fed last night for my second time. I was sad to see that the sushi options have been removed from the menu. I was with 2 girlfriends and we split the truffle fries, cauliflower, and angry pig flatbread. Everything was delicious, especially the cauliflower. The reason I am giving 3 stars is due to the incredibly slow service. The restaurant wasn't full but it took our server at least 20 minutes to bring us drinks, our check, boxes for leftovers. We constantly had to flag her down which was frustrating. read more

Great food, but for the price and serving amount it's crazy expensive. Service was good, but we waited 15-20 minutes before our server came to greet us at the table. Great history behind the place, but service could definitely use a little bit of improvement. read more

First time visiting The Fed for brunch today, and I was not disappointed! Food was delicious, I had a tough time deciding on what to get because everything sounded amazing. Decided on the waffles and berries with a side of biscuits and gravy. Fruit on the perfectly cooked waffles was fresh. Michigan made syrup was delightful, and the sausage gravy on the handmade biscuits was awesome! This will be my new brunch spot with my best friend! She was very happy with her breakfast pizza which you can see part of in this picture. If you're in the area, give this place a try! For a Sunday around 10-10:30 we didn't wait at all for a table for 2! read more

The Fed - New American Near Me - Clarkston, Michigan

My wife and I were in town from San Diego for a wedding and to meet up with some old friends from our time living in MI several years ago. We decided to meet up in Clarkston for dinner which was a tough endeavor with 9 people last minute. We managed to find an outdoor table at The Fed and got right in. Our waiter was Tony and he was awesome!! His menu and drink recommendations were spot on. I ordered the octopus and it was quite honestly one of the best I have had and that's saying a lot coming from someone from Cali. Unfortunately, the weather did not agree with our outdoor seating choice and the rain started to pour down midway through our meal. Tony jumped into action and got us an amazing table inside. He also gave us a private tour of the very cool speakeasy underneath the restaurant. We would definitely come back for both the service and the food but we will absolutely be requesting Tony next time we go. read more

Nice dinner at The Fed. Fun patio, nice drink and good food selection. Try the salmon it was wonderful. Great taco selection too. Welcome to Clarkston! read more

The Fed - New American Near Me - Clarkston, Michigan

Great atmosphere. Unique drinks and great food. Staff is super nice and accommodating. They take reservations!!! read more

The Fed - New American Near Me - Clarkston, Michigan

Oh my-don't listen to the bad reviews! We just had dinner here tonight with nine of us and it was absolutely fantastic! We started with the California rolls and cocktails-the margaritas were delicious. The flatbread pizzas were fabulous-we got the Og pizza and it was delicious. My mom used to work in this bank building-it was so fun to see the beautiful job they have done decorating it. Our server Cassidy was wonderful. All in all-it was a wonderful evening and we will definitely be back. They have a couple of private rooms-that I really want to try and get the next time we come; one is in the old vault-so cute. This restaurant was packed on a Monday night-word-of-mouth is so great! Check it out you won't be disappointed. read more

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Great decor but stay away from the food. Truthfully we went there on 3 occasions over a 6 month period hoping it would get better and never did. We really wanted it to be amazing being we live in Clarkston but unfortunately we have given up. Let us know when new ownership takes over. On a positive note, they do make some great craft cocktails. read more

We visited The Fed for a friend's birthday celebration and wow was it worth the visit! This restaurant/bar provides quite the experience. Visiting on a winter evening, the first thing you notice when you pull into downtown Clarkston is the cute, quaint lighting and clock on the outdoor patio of the restaurant. Immediately, I thought how great this location would be for a patio meal in the warm summer months! Parking is located up and down the streets, so depending on the time of day this may be easier than others. Walking into the restaurant, you are met with a cozy, aesthetic setting draped in creams and lighter tones. The upstairs included much seating including tables, bar seating, and couches to fit any entertaining style. Restrooms, which were stylish and clean, were located in the back hall and required walking across a plexi glass floor that looked upon the downstairs bar area. Since we were meeting friends who had arrived prior, the hostess informed us that the other guests were in the downstairs vault room. Descending the stairs, we were met with live music and an additional bar area with an adjoining room. This adjoining room, which use to be a vault (as the building was an old bank previously), included a long table that easily sat ten people, mood lighting, chic decorations, and an additional attached room that included a sofa, chair, and tv for further entertaining. This room also included a door, so we were able to enjoy the sounds of the live music outside or close the door to enjoy conversation. The food and drink menu was quite diverse; however, food was on the higher side for pricing, so be aware of that when choosing this location. However, the food was delicious, especially the truffle fries. The environment is very welcoming and makes you feel right at home, the food is quite tasty, and the staff were friendly and accommodating. Definitely recommend checking this place out for a unique restaurant experience! read more

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Not the best overall experience. Food was ok at best and it should be better. We will probably not return unless things get much better

Love the atmosphere and the staff. You are definitely paying for the experience. Food is very good but overpriced. Great for a special occasion. read more

Great food in a comfortable and unique setting. The General Tsao cauliflower appetizer is excellent, as were the french fries. Interesting cocktails. Thoughtful layout with a cozy chic vibe. Everywhere you look you see something intriguing and inviting. We are already planning a return visit. read more

Shout out to the owners and curators of this incredible, unique space. Everything was PERFECT! The service, the drinks, the food. It was a truly amazing experience. Our waiter Roberto even took us on a tour telling us all about the history and features of the restaurant. I am enamored by this place! The only thing I would change about this place is to make it closer to where I live! read more

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