Bakers Keyboard Lounge

Celebrating 90 incredible years, Baker's Lounge holds its title as the world's oldest running jazz club--and it's easy to see why. The music is the undeniable star of the show, and the Ralphe Armstrong Band proved it. Their set was equal parts soothing and electric, keeping the crowd completely mesmerized. Natasha on the drums was an absolute mastermind--her performance was so phenomenal it's no wonder the DPD is trying to get her number!While we came with a group and some menu items were unavailable, I thoroughly enjoyed my catfish fry with collard greens and a baked potato. The flavors delivered, even if the kitchen seemed to struggle with pacing--it took two hours for our orders to arrive. Our waiter did an admirable job managing the situation, but the kitchen would benefit from more hands during busy nights.Despite the wait, the music and the atmosphere made the evening unforgettable. Baker's Lounge is a place where jazz history comes alive, and for that alone, it's worth every moment. Here's to 90 more years of this iconic Detroit treasure!

Food is amazing as always but the service is terrible. Over an hour wait on a Sunday afternoon with only 5 tables. The food was cold and not just warm cold but cold like they just took it out the refrigerator. The server was very apologetic, but it still took away from the experience.

The live jazz is amazing! The food is excellent and fresh. You can tell the soul food is prepped in house and the service is fast and courteous. This is a great time out for a solo trip, date night, or visiting with friends. You can't go wrong here!

Service was slow and bad. Drinks were overpriced and the servers tried to cheat me out of money. Waitress brought drinks out with one under her arm, not on a tray. Nice crowd though!!!

This was my first time going to Bakers. I thought it was about time to experience something that has been in the city for such a long time. I went on Monday and it was comedy night. They had a few comedians that were really funny, especially the host! He was a vibe. Service was good at first before the place was getting packed and after having a full house we had to wait a long time hunting people down to give us water, drinks, and togo boxes. The food was decent.

I love this Detroit gem! We had to pay for parking which was only available to about 11:30 pm. Darian was our waiter and he definitely took care of this Southern Belle as we didn't have reservations but we truly wanted to see the live performance. The service was a bit slow as there appeared to be only two servers. Although the booths are small and it was hot once the crowd arrived, we had a ton of fun and the food was incredible! I'm just glad I didn't go alone because the wait was easier to bear with good company.

The food was great! They were about to close in 20 minutes, but they still let us come in and serve us. Fresh hot food I'm from Toledo and most definitely will come back.

If Dante's Inferno had a tenth circle of hell reserved for egregiously mismanaged establishments, Baker's Keyboard Lounge would surely reign supreme in its unlit, frostbitten depths. My ill-fated attempt to patronize this so-called "historic" venue was nothing short of a Kafkaesque exercise in frustration, fueled by their stunning lack of professionalism and blatant disregard for customer respect.The farce began when my friends and I--dutifully punctual--arrived at 4 p.m., expecting to bask in the glow of Detroit's jazz heritage. Imagine our astonishment when we found the doors locked, despite both their website and the sign affixed to the very building proclaiming an 11 a.m. opening time. One would think a business capable of surviving decades would master such rudimentary tasks as aligning operational hours across various platforms, but alas, Baker's Keyboard Lounge seems to pride itself on confounding expectations--albeit in the worst possible way.Desperate for clarity, I dialed their booking line, only to be brusquely informed that they open at 4 p.m.--a fact clearly contradicted by their own signage. This discrepancy is not just an oversight but an indictment of their utter incompetence and disdain for patrons. As if this insult weren't sufficient, the staff had the audacity to remain cloistered behind locked doors well past 4 p.m., their muffled chatter and shuffling feet a maddening reminder that they were perfectly capable of opening but chose not to.This wasn't just poor customer service--it was a flagrant act of discourtesy. Forced to stand in the cold, I could feel the sting of Baker's callousness with every icy gust as I waited for an Uber to rescue me from their abyss of ineptitude. This experience reeked of unprofessionalism, a word that frankly feels too mild for the galling ineptitude displayed here.In summation, Baker's Keyboard Lounge is a paragon of ineptitude, a masterclass in how to alienate potential patrons with a toxic cocktail of unprofessionalism, miscommunication, and disregard for basic decency. Save yourself the indignity of engaging with this farce of an establishment, and instead, take your time, money, and respect elsewhere. Baker's may boast a rich history, but it's a pity their present-day operation is steeped in such abject mediocrity

8 o'clock reservation and we were on time. 8:11; So far, $10 to park and $30 to get in; but 11 minutes later not even a cup of water. Cute little intimate spot though. Small with a separate Lbar area. 25 minutes and no food or drink orders; HELL, not even a menu. 9:09 pm only an order of COLD wings for our trouble. Told them they were cold, he nuked them. The music though!!So, they make you pay an entrance fee of $15 each, but it's added to the tab. That sounds convenient doesn't it? Well, they add the gratuity to the tab and charge gratuity on your entrance fee!!!!! CRIMINAL, SNEAKY TRASH!! This band is quite good, aside from their vocalist; but add in the rest of the evening, I'll probably pass on coming back.

What's going on at the Bakers Keyboard Lounge?On Friday, August 9th, my party of five entered the lounge for our 7:30 pm reservation with our family from out of town. Having been there before we had raved about the food and musical talent. The band was awesome and we look forward to hearing them again in another venue! The selections for food were limited. They were out of several entrees, including herb chicken, dressing, and in addition corn muffins and not one dessert was available. When the waiter came to collect the money for my bill I paid in cash. The tip generated by the restaurant was already included in the bill. When the waiter returned with my change he did not include the coins that I was due only the paper money. When I questioned him he stated that the restaurant did not charge me the 50 cents that was due. However, a review of my bill indicated that I was charged the 50 cents and that my change that was to be returned to me included the 50 cents. Why would the waiter boldly steal my money? Is this a policy of the restaurant that if a customer pays in cash you can automatically steal the change even though they receive an automatic 20 percent tip? I allowed the waiter to walk away without any further explanation. If he needed the money that badly to steal from a customer who had already tipped him well.. The manager was not available to speak to before we left the restaurant. Though we enjoyed our entrees, needless to say this had a negative impact on our view of the restaurant. Why steal from paying customers? For customers paying with cash, count your change!