What a gem on a Tuesday with half off appetizers all day ! We love to sit at the bar and chat and…read moreTuesday is great day , happy hour plus appetizer deal . We sampled calamari seared tuna , bruschetta and their take on arancini with fried risotto balls . How much fun on a gloomy Tuesday night . The bartender is well trained and talented even though she is very young ( early 20's ) it was our go to early in the decade and we drifted but it's still a special place

I had their Wednesday special of 6 Oz. Sirloin and veggie for $17.99. It was delicious The wait…read morestaff is here is always friendly.

I quite adored this little restaurant. It felt very elevated with the service to match. It was a…read morepleasant experience from the beginning. Although it is small with limited seating, I think it makes it difficult for reservations as they cannot always clear the table at your reservation time. But in their defense, I can see how you would want to spend more time at your table catching up with friends or a loved one with how intimate this restaurant is. However, I thought the food was excellent. It was all perfectly cooked and displayed eloquently. The handmade pasta most certainly did not disappoint. The ingredients tasted fresh. I personally enjoy when the plates are smaller, it's always fun to share with others. Though it would be worth mentioning that each plate is quite pricey but I thought it was worth the cost.

Polpo con patate Tagliatelle…read moreVongole Casa spritz This is a very classy, beautiful place inside where you could feel underdressed. Started with an amuse bouche which had too much balsamic. The polpo had amazing, spicy sauce and would've been outstanding except the octopus was quite chewy. The vongole was good except, for me, the homemade pasta was under cooked. The star was the tagliatelle which was phenomenal. I don't like mushrooms because of the rubbery texture but these chanterelles were perfect as was the sauce and pasta. They gave us a little complementary bit of cake which was a nice way to end the meal.

This is a delightful restaurant with great food, great service and great ambiance. Their thoughtful…read morefarm to table menu was outstanding. I'm sad I was only in town for one night because I was forced to pick just one item. I decided on the Short Rib Ragu Gnocchi. It was a good choice, but everybody's meals looked great. We had 8 at a table and our server did an excellent job engaging with everyone, getting our drinks out in a timely manner and serving us all at the same time. I tried someone else's Salmon and it was delicious also. 2 people got the hanger steak and gave it 5 stars. The prices were reasonable given the quality, freshness and presentation of our dinners. We got there just before happy hour ended and our server was nice enough to clue us in and we got a few appetizers and drinks before the prices went up. Definitely go if you get a chance. I'll be back if I find myself in GR's again.

Terra GR was absolutely wonderful! I chose it for my birthday dinner with friends, and the entire…read moreexperience exceeded my expectations. From the moment we arrived, the staff went out of their way to make the evening feel special and celebratory. I had to adjust my reservation a couple of times (with enough notice ofc!), and each change was handled graciously and without any hassle, which I really appreciated. I started with the focaccia, which was delicious, and for my main dish I ordered the squid ink bucatini with chicken. It was truly outstanding and easily the highlight of the night. I also ordered an espresso martini, which was your average espresso martini but paired well with my order. Overall, everything from the service to the food was fantastic. Terra GR made my birthday feel memorable, and I will absolutely be back another round of that incredible squid ink bucatini. Oh and they let me pick off of their dessert menu for a bday treat so I got the tiramisu and it was delish!!

Cafe Mamo is truly one of the most special restaurants in Grand Rapids…read more A small, local, farm-to-table bistro with a weekly rotating menu run by a husband and wife? Am I in Grand Rapids or Europe?? The premise alone is enough to get people in the door, but the execution is what will make customers return time after time. The ambiance is perfect. Feels like a cross between your grandma's cottage, a cozy breakfast nook, and a Michelin star restaurant. The staff was lovely and attentive. You can tell that they put their heart and soul into curating a five star experience for their guests. And the food? Great. Not blow-your-hair-back, but it was great. We started with the shishito peppers, hit with a quick sauté and some parm and aioli. They were really just peppers, fresh and delicious in their own right but nothing spectacular. Our entrees were the pork ribs and the (some type of pasta filled with cheese whose name alludes me). The ribs were good, but the flavors were foreign to me. Black olives and ribs is a new combo, and while it wasn't for me, it was still great to try a new thing. The pasta was the star of the show, it felt like that scene in Ratatoullie when Anton Ego eats the ratatoullie and is transported back to his childhood. The ice cream was BOMB. House made cantaloupe ice cream?? I'm not a dessert guy and this knocked my socks off. I'd go again just for this. And the cocktails were lovely as well. I got a martini with olive oil, which was literally vodka with three drops of olive oil and some Maldon salt. Simple yet perfectly executed. My fiancée got a sort of gimlet which was also superb. Overall, Cafe Mamo reminded me that dining at an establishment is an experience, and that experience is influenced by more than the food. The service, atmosphere, cocktails and desserts were all truly top notch. While the food was a bit of a miss for me, I respect the rotating menu and the fact that even the best artists can't produce straight bangers 100% of the time. I will certainly be returning to this establishment, as I am in full support of everything that this place stands for and will vote with my dollar every chance I get! Yet another win for Creston, Cafe Mamo is an instant classic!

Definitely come here for the experience. All of our food…read morewas yummy, nothing was crazy delicious. Our drinks were however awesome, I got a nonalcoholic citrus ginger mocktail, which was perfect for the summer weather. We got seats outdoors on their small patio. I think the whole appeal of this place is the farm to table with a limited menu. Definitely need a reservation because the place is small and I don't think they would be able to accommodate walk-ins because service is pretty slow. But honestly, that makes for a lovely two hour, almost European style dinner with multiple small courses and lots of drinks. They also have a dessert of the day which was a windmill cookie ice cream, which we did not try, but sounded lovely. Prices were very fair. I would definitely come back to try another daily menu.

I am honestly shocked by how great some of the reviews are. It makes me wonder if it depends…read moreentirely on the day you go. My husband and I decided to check this place out on a Monday night for dinner. He had been craving a good steak for awhile, and we were excited to try a new spot. Nearly immediate disappointment. It was completely empty when we walked in, and right away we were asked if we had a reservation. We did not. The hostess seemed a little put off by this, but sat us anyway. I do understand that it's possible they had a whole group of reservations about to show up, but it was an off-putting reaction for our first time in. Our tablecloth was a little dirty and the music was a little loud, but we didn't want that to deter us, so we ordered drinks, and started looking over the menu. I decided on the salmon, and my husband was deciding on which steak. It turns out, they were out of the 6oz and all 3 of the 10oz steaks. If we had known this when we were seated, we may have come back another night. He decided on the 16oz Prime New York Strip with asparagus and mashed potatoes as the sides. Oh, they were also out of the salmon, so I ordered the shrimp accompaniment and the side Caesar salad. Already facing disappointment since they were out of so much of the menu. It got so much worse when the food arrived. The steak certainly didn't look like an actual 16oz cut, and was as thin as a cafeteria steak. It was at least cooked as asked at medium rare and had a decent char, but it was also served nearly room temperature. The steak knife was also super dull, which didn't help. The asparagus melted in your mouth, in a kind of over-cooked way, and the potatoes were so dry it was like they had been under a heat lamp for half an hour. The gravy basically tasted like a cheap canned gravy. My Caesar salad was...weird. Yes, it was a side salad, but the bowl it came in was huge, so it looked like a sad little thrown together salad. It tasted fine until I got to the bottom and there were massive chunks of bleu cheese. First of all, the menu did NOT say the Caesar would have bleu cheese - I wouldn't have ordered it. And I'm not sure it was supposed to be there since it was just chunks at the bottom, almost like they started serving the wrong salad and just plopped the correct one on top. The shrimp accompaniment was the star of the whole meal. Decent sized, seasoned well, and not over-cooked. The whole experience was just not good. I'm giving 2 stars since we did eat our food, and didn't complain to anyone, but realistically we probably should have just left when we learned they were out of 4 of their 8 steaks and the basic fish entree. Based on the experience, and how many other restaurants there are in town, I'm pretty confident we won't go back.

My friends and I decided to have a girls night here and was pleasantly surprised at the experience!…read moreThey truly do embody the "casual" environment and is very approachable. They have a smaller dining space, so a reservation is recommended (you have to call, no online option) but when we arrived, they were ready and seated us promptly! We each got some sort of steak, potato and veggie combo and it was all VERY delicious! They offer you complementary homemade bread (this did take a bit of time, but they were warm when they came out) and we easily devoured it! I will say that it was a little slower than anticipated, but still very good. I would hope the bread would come out sooner than our appetizers. I ordered the caesar salad (very large) and included bleu cheese which was not listed on the menu. I would definitely list that on the menu unless it was an accident? We got bleu cheese on the bruschetta which listed another cheese, so again, I do think that they need to disclose this. I like it but most do not! I also ordered the $29 steak deal, which for the size and meal, I am very happy with! I ordered it medium rare and it was cooked properly. More rare than medium, which is how I like it! I think I'd like to come back and try it again, but for a good steak meal, it's approachable without feeling like it's TOO casual with peanuts on the ground. Parking is available across the street, but you do have to cross West River Drive, which can be a lot, but cars were patient while we made our way across. I'll definitely be back!

My wife and I went for dinner tonight, and were impressed! We were served by the chef/owner…read moreBenjamin, who was really nice! We started with the bruschetta, which was light, fresh and flavorful. My wife had the bacon wrapped pork loin, which was very tender and had a really nice sauce. I had the seared duck breast, which was the best meal I've had in several months. This is definitely one to try out!

The owner is the chef and running the whole show. He's in the front taking your order and in the…read moreback cooking your food. The jerk wings were amazing. Then menu rotates every 2 weeks and he had a lot of options to choose from. At my table we tried the pasta primavera, the chicken, and the Cuban. It was all really well done. You may have a little wait but it's worth it.

Stunning inside, now the ambiance is set to feel like every table has their own "date night" of…read moresorts. Quiet, candlelight dinner is exactly what we wanted for my husband's birthday dinner, and that's exactly what we got! Delicious entrees, the sides and add-ons are worth it!

We chose this restaurant expecting a more upscale dining experience based on the pricing, but…read moreunfortunately it fell short in several areas. I will address the positive things first. We were seated very promptly since we had a reservation. The outside of restaurant is beautiful and has a huge parking lot. The area where we were seated was really nice with windows all along the wall. And our appetizers- the dressed eggs and lobster ravioli were amazing!! One of the biggest issues was the number of gnats flying around our table throughout the meal. We constantly had to swat them away from our wine glasses, which made it difficult to relax and enjoy the evening. I understand the occasional gnat. But this was kind of ridiculous. The service was also disappointing. Our server mentioned that he had worked at the restaurant for quite some time, but he didn't seem very knowledgeable about the menu and wasn't able to answer questions confidently. He was also not very attentive, and we often had to wait longer than expected for check-ins. Our food came out quickly but the wine always took quite a while to come to the table. The food itself was good, but when you're paying fine-dining prices, you expect the entire experience--including the atmosphere and service--to match. I hope the restaurant addresses these issues because it has the potential to provide a much better dining experience. Also, I would skip the sea bass entree. I was not really impressed with it and wished that I had ordered a pasta dish. However the server helped me decide and chose the sea bass. I loved the atmosphere. I loved the decor. I loved the wine and appetizers. But everything else just did not impress me. Not for the amount of money we dropped on this meal. I doubt I will return.

Incredible! Make the reservation 30 days out so you can enjoy Gingins!! Everything is always…read moretop-tier!! The Limoncello spritz was surprisingly very good!! The Parker rolls may seem 'regular' but they do rolls WELL! They are soft with a slightly hard top (in a good way) with a fluffy and whipped butter. The burger is classic and do NOT skip the added fries! The steak was also delicious, although I am not a steak connoisseur so I think it was similarly good as the hanger steak from a previous experience. The ambiance is romantic and laid back with dim lights and impeccable service!

I came to Gin Gin's thinking it was just a bar, but it was absolutely not…read more I got a seat on the patio, and it was absolutely beautiful. The atmosphere was so relaxing and made the whole experience even better. My server was the sweetest and recommended the Limoncello Spritz, which ended up being light, crisp, and super refreshing. For my entrée, I ordered the Mafaldine. The pasta was fresh, the steak was cooked perfectly, and everything was seasoned so well. It was a very satisfying meal. Between the beautiful outdoor seating, incredible service, and amazing food, Gin Gin's is easily one of the restaurants I'll be visiting again whenever I'm in Grand Rapids.