I hate leaving negative reviews and you can tell from my history that I rarely do it. I'll start with the positives. The ambiance is lovely. It's old school fine dining. White linen table cloths, the wait staff are wearing upscale attire (suits, tuxedos). I took my uncle here for lunch on his 70th birthday. He had always wanted to eat here. This place has been around since the 40's, and is considered Detroit's oldest Italien restaurant. I let everyone at the restaurant know that it was my uncle's birthday because I wanted to make sure it was special. My uncle requested hot tea to drink. He asked for a black tea and our waitress, Mary, said they don't have black tea, they just have "regular" tea so he agreed to that, but felt confused about what "regular" meant. It ended up being a dark tea that seemed like a black tea so he was happy with it, but we were already sensing that communication was off. He loved his minestrone soup. He ordered a veal dish. There were no descriptions of the various veal dishes and he didn't know which one to order so he asked Mary for help. He said he was looking for a breaded veal cutlet. He pointed to a veal dish on the menu and asked if it was a breaded cutlet. She said she would request it to be a cutlet, which made me wonder what it normally was because it sounded like the dish was being altered. Perhaps I should have asked clarifying questions but my uncle looked happy to be getting the cutlet he asked for, so I left it alone. We ordered meatballs as our appetizers. I thought they were pretty good. My uncle thought the sauce had way too much garlic. I love garlic so I didn't mind. I ordered the lasagna. It was very dense. Lots of layers. The cheese didn't really melt in between the layers. It tasted lukewarm, not hot. It really wasn't enjoyable for me. My salad was slathered in a house dressing that tasted like it had a lot of mustard in it. It was okay. I wish I had been given a choice of dressing. My uncle's veal was really tough. He ate a couple bites of it and then said it was way too chewy. Veal is supposed to be tender. My uncle politely asked Mary if it was supposed to be so tough and chewy. She kind of snapped at us, which caught us both off guard. She was quick on defense, saying "You said you didn't want it pounded. So it's not pounded. This is what happens when it's not pounded." And then she walked away and didn't come back for about 20 to 25 minutes. That whole time we were perplexed, wondering what pounded versus not pounded meant, and we were too afraid to mention it again. We were made to feel like this was our fault, that we ordered wrong. Does cutlet mean not pounded? And we never said anything about pounding. Pounded or not, I'm surprised a chef allowed this piece of meat to be served to someone. It wasn't edible and he didn't eat more than a few bites that he had to choke/force down. I was surprised that Mary didn't offer to remedy the situation, especially since she knew it was his birthday. Seemed like we were stuck with it. I hate being a bother but I wish I had spoken up more and gotten them to redo the dish. Other little details: Our water glasses were not refilled and my cappuccino was dripping over the sides and down the glass when given to me. My uncle enjoyed his spumoni ice cream for dessert. At the end of our meal, my uncle did bring up the veal issue again and Mary mentioned the pounding again. I spoke up and said that we never said we didn't want it pounded. We don't even know what that means and those words never came out of our mouths. My uncle just wanted a breaded cutlet and didn't know which veal dish to pick. Mary sincerely apologized and said she didn't know how she got confused and got the "not pounded" idea in her head. She did seem truly sorry, but then put it back on us again, saying, "next time just order it as is". We didn't actually change the order, she did. She made the dec
Carol Gammon
Very expensive
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Karen Mucha
Easter Sunday buffet was horrible. I rated Mario’s a 1 for there buffet but it is actually -1 for food. Food was cold and ran out of prime rib, shrimp cocktail was small and watered down, mushy. My 95 year old Mom told the waiter the food “sucked”. The waiter did take my Mom’s dinner off the bill but did nothing for the rest of us except apologize, which did not make up for the cold food. It seemed like they were out to make the money and did not care for the people that were at the end of the buffet reservations, which was 2:30 p.m. Do not recommend and will never go back even for regular dinner.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 3
Thomas Ryan
Classic Detroit higher end restaurant. Great food. Fantastic service. Come hungry!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Hope Nowak
Gino is amazing! Best server I’ve ever had. Restaurant sat us with no reservation before they were open for the afternoon, no questions asked. They brought out some extra treats for the little one with us, and the food was fantastic. Will be back, mostly for Gino?❤️
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Broiled Filet Mignon
James Beeler
We enjoyed our stay and room, and the front desk reception was an added plus.Parking: Some other people said they found a free parking lot.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Jason Jones
Food was not authentic and very mediocre for the price, I make better at home. Had a lot higher expectations for service, did not eat $35 eggplant as it was horrible and they did not comp or even ask for it to be removed from the bill only offered to replace. Will never go
We love Mario's they provide 6 course meals, full service shuttle to theater events and the atmosphere and staff are awesome! We have been twice now and no complaints.Parking: Affordable and friendly valet servive or parking on the street.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Piccante, Steak Bites w Zip Sauce, Caesar Salad
Ronald S.
I absolutely love this place for its traditional atmosphere and service. And they do make one of the best steaks in the metropolitan area.
Sarah Tratt
My dad and his girlfriend come here quite often because they have deals when you go to an event and they love the food and they always mention there favorite waitor geno! So my dad took me and my husband for my birthday and it was amazing. Geno was our waitor ,and he sang me happy birthday in Italian, it was beautiful and he was a great waitor. The food was delicious, it was a fancy place and more on the expensive side but worth every penny. You get soup, salad ,pasta and then your entree comes with a potatoe and green beans. We definitely had to take our entree home because all the food we ate before our entree came but it definitely was a great experience and maybe my husband and I will come back for our anniversary!
Went there to go down memory lane. Family went there in the sixties and seventies. Just not the same quality. Fun though.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
melissa pry
First time here.. the place is very pretty. My issue.. our waiter was very "rushy" , like hurry up and order kinda feeling. The chicken was not good at all , even in different dishes. Then at the end we were charged a "set up" fee, usually that is for large parties, or an event. There were only 4 of us. But back to the waiter..he seemed annoyed that he got us, I watched him with other tables, and he was quiet and patient. My first time experience and I won't be back. Oh, and even though he was not nice my husband still gave a great tip!!!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 1
Denise Litterio
One of the best places to go for filet mignon. It’s very old school but that’s part of it’s charm.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Ruth Walczak
Absolutely amazing. Definitely will be back.Parking: Shuttle to and from Opera House. No worries. Great people and great times.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spaghetti Bolognese, Steak Bites w Zip Sauce, Mario's Relish Tray
Eric Gill
Last minute dinner for 16 on a Sunday evening and they happily seated us in a private room. Had a most amazing experience between the service, ambiance and food. Felt like I was a Godfather in there hosting the other families! It was truly great and an experience shared by all that participated. Extra bonus, a tenor came in to sing Happy Birthday in Italian and it was beautiful! Highly recommended--give yourself some time and give yourself the full experience!
I hate leaving negative reviews and you can tell from my history that I rarely do it. I'll start with the positives. The ambiance is lovely. It's old school fine dining. White linen table cloths, the wait staff are wearing upscale attire (suits, tuxedos). I took my uncle here for lunch on his 70th birthday. He had always wanted to eat here. This place has been around since the 40's, and is considered Detroit's oldest Italien restaurant. I let everyone at the restaurant know that it was my uncle's birthday because I wanted to make sure it was special. My uncle requested hot tea to drink. He asked for a black tea and our waitress, Mary, said they don't have black tea, they just have "regular" tea so he agreed to that, but felt confused about what "regular" meant. It ended up being a dark tea that seemed like a black tea so he was happy with it, but we were already sensing that communication was off. He loved his minestrone soup. He ordered a veal dish. There were no descriptions of the various veal dishes and he didn't know which one to order so he asked Mary for help. He said he was looking for a breaded veal cutlet. He pointed to a veal dish on the menu and asked if it was a breaded cutlet. She said she would request it to be a cutlet, which made me wonder what it normally was because it sounded like the dish was being altered. Perhaps I should have asked clarifying questions but my uncle looked happy to be getting the cutlet he asked for, so I left it alone. We ordered meatballs as our appetizers. I thought they were pretty good. My uncle thought the sauce had way too much garlic. I love garlic so I didn't mind. I ordered the lasagna. It was very dense. Lots of layers. The cheese didn't really melt in between the layers. It tasted lukewarm, not hot. It really wasn't enjoyable for me. My salad was slathered in a house dressing that tasted like it had a lot of mustard in it. It was okay. I wish I had been given a choice of dressing. My uncle's veal was really tough. He ate a couple bites of it and then said it was way too chewy. Veal is supposed to be tender. My uncle politely asked Mary if it was supposed to be so tough and chewy. She kind of snapped at us, which caught us both off guard. She was quick on defense, saying "You said you didn't want it pounded. So it's not pounded. This is what happens when it's not pounded." And then she walked away and didn't come back for about 20 to 25 minutes. That whole time we were perplexed, wondering what pounded versus not pounded meant, and we were too afraid to mention it again. We were made to feel like this was our fault, that we ordered wrong. Does cutlet mean not pounded? And we never said anything about pounding. Pounded or not, I'm surprised a chef allowed this piece of meat to be served to someone. It wasn't edible and he didn't eat more than a few bites that he had to choke/force down. I was surprised that Mary didn't offer to remedy the situation, especially since she knew it was his birthday. Seemed like we were stuck with it. I hate being a bother but I wish I had spoken up more and gotten them to redo the dish. Other little details: Our water glasses were not refilled and my cappuccino was dripping over the sides and down the glass when given to me. My uncle enjoyed his spumoni ice cream for dessert. At the end of our meal, my uncle did bring up the veal issue again and Mary mentioned the pounding again. I spoke up and said that we never said we didn't want it pounded. We don't even know what that means and those words never came out of our mouths. My uncle just wanted a breaded cutlet and didn't know which veal dish to pick. Mary sincerely apologized and said she didn't know how she got confused and got the "not pounded" idea in her head. She did seem truly sorry, but then put it back on us again, saying, "next time just order it as is". We didn't actually change the order, she did. She made the dec
Very expensive
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Easter Sunday buffet was horrible. I rated Mario’s a 1 for there buffet but it is actually -1 for food. Food was cold and ran out of prime rib, shrimp cocktail was small and watered down, mushy. My 95 year old Mom told the waiter the food “sucked”. The waiter did take my Mom’s dinner off the bill but did nothing for the rest of us except apologize, which did not make up for the cold food. It seemed like they were out to make the money and did not care for the people that were at the end of the buffet reservations, which was 2:30 p.m. Do not recommend and will never go back even for regular dinner.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 3
Classic Detroit higher end restaurant. Great food. Fantastic service. Come hungry!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Gino is amazing! Best server I’ve ever had. Restaurant sat us with no reservation before they were open for the afternoon, no questions asked. They brought out some extra treats for the little one with us, and the food was fantastic. Will be back, mostly for Gino?❤️
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Broiled Filet Mignon
We enjoyed our stay and room, and the front desk reception was an added plus.Parking: Some other people said they found a free parking lot.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Food was not authentic and very mediocre for the price, I make better at home. Had a lot higher expectations for service, did not eat $35 eggplant as it was horrible and they did not comp or even ask for it to be removed from the bill only offered to replace. Will never go
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Spaghetti Bolognese, Chicken Piccante
We love Mario's they provide 6 course meals, full service shuttle to theater events and the atmosphere and staff are awesome! We have been twice now and no complaints.Parking: Affordable and friendly valet servive or parking on the street.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Piccante, Steak Bites w Zip Sauce, Caesar Salad
I absolutely love this place for its traditional atmosphere and service. And they do make one of the best steaks in the metropolitan area.
My dad and his girlfriend come here quite often because they have deals when you go to an event and they love the food and they always mention there favorite waitor geno! So my dad took me and my husband for my birthday and it was amazing. Geno was our waitor ,and he sang me happy birthday in Italian, it was beautiful and he was a great waitor. The food was delicious, it was a fancy place and more on the expensive side but worth every penny. You get soup, salad ,pasta and then your entree comes with a potatoe and green beans. We definitely had to take our entree home because all the food we ate before our entree came but it definitely was a great experience and maybe my husband and I will come back for our anniversary!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Went there to go down memory lane. Family went there in the sixties and seventies. Just not the same quality. Fun though.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
First time here.. the place is very pretty. My issue.. our waiter was very "rushy" , like hurry up and order kinda feeling. The chicken was not good at all , even in different dishes. Then at the end we were charged a "set up" fee, usually that is for large parties, or an event. There were only 4 of us. But back to the waiter..he seemed annoyed that he got us, I watched him with other tables, and he was quiet and patient. My first time experience and I won't be back. Oh, and even though he was not nice my husband still gave a great tip!!!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 1
One of the best places to go for filet mignon. It’s very old school but that’s part of it’s charm.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Absolutely amazing. Definitely will be back.Parking: Shuttle to and from Opera House. No worries. Great people and great times.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spaghetti Bolognese, Steak Bites w Zip Sauce, Mario's Relish Tray
Last minute dinner for 16 on a Sunday evening and they happily seated us in a private room. Had a most amazing experience between the service, ambiance and food. Felt like I was a Godfather in there hosting the other families! It was truly great and an experience shared by all that participated. Extra bonus, a tenor came in to sing Happy Birthday in Italian and it was beautiful! Highly recommended--give yourself some time and give yourself the full experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5