The West End Grill
Overall Great dinner and service!!!!
Table too close to clanging silverware
Probably one of the best restaurants in Ann Arbor. Quiet relaxed dining, good food. Not cheap but worthwhile.
The food at the West End Grill is good and our server was pleasant and knowledgeable. However, the decor is VERY dated and wine by the glass (my wife had fish and I had duck so we wanted white & red) is limited and includes mostly expensive options, forcing us to pay more for wine than typical. I don’t think we will return.
We had a gift certificate to West End Grill and went there for my wife's birthday dinner. It is a lovely restaurant in terms of ambiance, and the service at the front end of our visit was excellent. However, once we sat down, service was very slow; we got our appetizers almost a full hour after we'd arrived! The waitstaff was courteous but inattentive. As for the food itself, every dish was extremely sweet, but otherwise didn't have much flavor. The menu seemed to make copious use of ingredients like honey and bacon, which do make dishes taste good, but also make them unhealthy and not very refined in terms of flavor. The most damning thing to me was that all the entrees all came with the same side dishes of rice pilaf and steamed green beans. (They used to give out a print menu, which listed different sides for each entree, but now they've switched to a much less informative chalkboard menu, perhaps to hide this fact.) For $40-$60 per main dish, I'd expect side dishes to be tailored to each individual entree! The one standout dish was the key lime pie for dessert. All in all, the food was very heavy (my wife called it "old-people food," lots of beef and fish in bland sauce). Although we liked the ambiance, we won't be back.
We felt like VIPs having dinner there on Saturday night. Our waiter, Christian, was helpful and knowledgeable.
We always enjoy eating at the West End Grill. The food was very good. Service was excellent. While the scallop dinner was delicious, I was surprised that there were only three scallops. My martini was just right and my wife enjoyed her wine.
When we first walked in to the restaurant we immediately noticed we had been there. The place is cool. Intimate and just nice. The stocks and appetizers were terrific. However when we returned our main course we were both disappointed. The Chilean sea bass was clearly and older cut that had passed its shelf life. But with fish in a midwest restaurant that happens. My short rib on the other hand was the worst cut of meat I have ever had. Almost 100% fat. And that is inexcusable for a midwest restaurant. The bone had literally slipped out of the fat tube it was in. Truly disappointed.
The food and service were excellent. The music was beautiful and subtle; we could actually hear each other and the server. Decor and ambience very nice. Pretty expensive, however
Great food great service
Been going to the West End Grill for over 20 years. It never disappoints.
Another great meal! Everything is delicious and the deserts are incredible! Highly recommended.
We went there on a Friday night with some friends. Everything was superb. The seafood puff pastry appetizer was a stunning presentation and cooked to perfection. In fact everyone at our table loved their food which included the sea bass, bernaise tenerloins and ahi tuna. Service was attentive but not intrusive. We will definitely be back.
West End Grill is unique to Ann Arbor, and a real gem that we love coming back to as often as we can. We have celebrated many an occasion at the West End Grill, and never had a bad experience with the food, service, or ambiance. If you've never tried this restaurant, I would strongly recommend it! it is one of our favorite restaurants in town.
it happened to be restaurant week which is always a bummer, very busy and never as delicious. but it won't keep us away...we'll be back. you've never lived until you've tried their veal dumplings!!!!!!!!!!
Very pleasant.
West End is a quaint environment with great ambiance, great food and always excellent service. My wife and I have dined here several times and it is one of our favorites in Ann Arbor.
Delicious food!
Seated at end “booth” table next to bar. Bright light and noise made it unpleasant compared to prior visits. Also music a bit loud for a restaurant designed for conversation. Server a little too scripted and did not really seem engaged. Gnocchi was very salty. Has potential. Sea bass delightful. Veal dumplings good as is house green salad. Generally a very good place. I think the seating dulled the evening.
Fabulous martinis. Joy was an excellent server. She is a top shelf professional. Brussel sprouts had way too much bacon. Our entrees were spectacular. Sea Bass to die for. Scallops incredibly delicious, but for $42, there should be 4 pieces instead of 3. Aside from those two minor issues, WEG is a special experience.
West End Grill remains our Go-To restaurant for fine dining. We are never disappointed. Always consistently excellent food, drink, atmosphere and service.
First time taking friends from out of town to West End. We love the restaurant and know it is special but hadn’t been for a long time. They loved it. We had a great table and waiter, Zach. We spent more than we thought we would be all the food and wine was delicious! Thank you!
In my humble opinion, West End Grill is a special event restaurant for most people because it is expensive. It is a cozy, romantic bistro with limited seating generally requiring a long-term reservation which also makes it feel very special. We went for our anniversary on a Friday night and were surprised to find a few empty tables. The staff was wonderful from the hostess who greeted us (and also served as the very knowledgeable sommeliere during dinner) to our dedicated and conscientious server. There were several appetizers on the blackboard menu; we chose a seafood strudel that was divine and was definitely a shareable dish. The salad that accompanied our entrees' was simple but fresh and very good. My husband had the special Filet Au Poivre entree that he said was cooked to perfection and was very good. I chose the Grilled Salmon entree' with a roasted corn and avocado salsa topping and I was sadly disappointed. While the topping was tasty the salmon had very little flavor. As is typical in an upscale, gourmet restaurant the portions were small and the prices were high which is why I gave the West End Grill a low value ranking.
We've been several times for celebrations, we even have a favorite waiter (Kevin - but he wasn't there this time). Their entrees are always outstanding. This time around they were getting ready for a 2 week shutdown (according to the waiter) and it showed. I also heard the bartender say that the usual chef was out or something, so possibly related.
Pros: The salads were lovely (caprese and green) and the entrees (short rib and tenderloin au poivre) were absolutely exceptional - both were tender and exceptionally cooked (I had the tenderloin and asked for medium well - the chef probably cried..., but he did it *exactly* how I like it - I'm remembering it dreamily as I write... sigh...).
Cons: The appetizer wasn't as good as usual (bleu cheese tarts, tough and a little burnt, didn't taste of bleu cheese). The beignets (fried bread) were not as good as usual, pretty tough.
Food was really disappointing. Drinks were very strong and had no flavor or craftsmen-ship. Very expensive for 4 people and bad food. Service was fine.
The West End never disappoints! This is my favorite restaurant in Ann Arbor and the quality of the food is only surpassed by the friendly and engaging folks that work there. The Veal Dumplings are AMAZING and homemade desserts are incredible. This is an outstanding place to come for a special date night, business meal or just to treat yourself to an excellent night out.
I love this place and recommend it to everyone
Every thing was great, although when we got towards the end of our meal the server seemed disinterested as he had regulars/someone he knew come in and the focus shifted vs equal.
Good date night. Crowd a bit too old for my liking, I'm not that old yet!!
Slow and inconsistent service. Appetizer was served incompletely without the full complement of food as described. Entree was out after sitting without food for nearly 20-25 minutes. Not a fan of the chalk board menu. Having a printed menu to look over how food is prepared and served is much more preferable. Overpriced for the quality, quantity of food.
The quality of the food was excellent. The waiter was superb. It was an excellent value for high end cuisine ( generous sized rack of lamb for $50). We don’t drink alcohol, but they had an exceptional non alcoholic beer, which was a nice detail. I’m a meat eater, so I wasn’t totally paying attention to vegetarian options, but I have family members who are vegan/vegetarian and it didn’t strike me as having abundant options for those folks. For an omnivore, it was an outstanding experience.
We enjoyed a Friday night dinner for a birthday celebration. Our waiter was well informed about the menu options and provided very good meal insights. We had the brussels appetizer. I found them delicious without a lot of oil and drizzle. We had Sea Bass, Rack of Lamb and Halibut that was shared amongst the table. 2 house salads and a vegetable soup. Everyone thought their meals were well prepared to specifications and tasty. Birthday cake was a slice of orange cake with lemon icing. Delicious!
Loved the reproduction Tiffany chandeliers and the ambiance. The bar had seating for 6-8
West End Grill never disappoints! The service is always excellent. The menu has something for everyone and the Asian Sea Bass is to die for! The homemade desserts are a lovely finish to a fabulous meal and we highly recommend the orange cake!
Excellent food and excellent service! This restaurant was very accommodating even with us bringing two young children!
Outstanding service from the moment we walked through the the door. We happened to run into a foursome of our friends also dining there, and the restaurant immediately offered to combine our tables into a giant 9 person table of we wanted. Most restaurants would be reluctant, but they offered without hesitation. Our waiter was attentive without being intrusive, drinks served with generous pours, and the food was prepared perfectly.
I've lived in Ann Arbor several years and only wish I had tried here sooner.
Will be back as a regular I think from now on.
When a restaurant charges another party's bill to our card, what more in the way of disservice and
pure idiocy can one imagine!!!!! Would never go back and will spread the word to others.
West End never disappoints!!! Where do I begin...the service is on point every single time. Their food is amazing- there are no off days! This past Tuesday we went for my birthday and ordered the mushroom gnocchi, crab cakes, artichoke, and cauliflower. The crab cakes were the best ones I’ve had in years! It was flaky and moist on the inside and crispy on the outside. They added in some corn which enhanced the texture. The gnocchi was excellent! I got a free drink and two free desserts! The cauliflower never came (they must have forgotten) but the service and food was so good we didn’t even care. This is one of my favorite restaurants in Ann Arbor by far!!!
Our first visit to West End Grill, I can't believe we hadn't discovered it before.
Great place for a special occasion, quiet, refined, warm.
Appetizers and main courses were all great, we wish we could have had all of them.
Everything this good comes with a price and this is an expensive night out, but well worth it for a special treat.
Took someone here for dinner after looking through many restaurants. Took about 15 minutes for the waiter to show up, and wouldn’t see him very often throughout the night. They have a verbal menu so you have to wait and hear everything from the waiter. Took us an hour from the time we got their to get our appetizers, which were almost flavorless. Then it took another hour after that to get our entrees. Was there for a total of 2 hours and 20 minutes for food I could have honestly cooked better myself. They have the potential to make that place something nice with a menu change and chef change, and staff change. But for now, the pricing here is absolutely absurd for the service and quality of food you get. Go to Ruth’s Chris instead...
overall excellent restaurant, our waitress name was "Joy" and she was very good!
Sea bass was very good, if any complaint with food it would be the mussel appetizer as they didn't have the fresh tender flavor you like to see with this item. Other than that everything was very good!
Food uniformly vèry good. Server professional; knew how each dish was prepared without notes. He was also friendly and helpful.
It's invariably reliable as an establishment for fine dining. Service is first-rate, food is good, and atmosphere is comfortable. Limited seating capacity creates a more intimate setting than many larger facilities. The absence of any televisions is a plus; they wouldn't be appropriate in such an establishment. The noise level is low which enables conversation without needing to speak loudly.