The Motown Bistro

Kudos to whoever runs this restaurant's IG page. Seeing the social media pics is what made me want to try the place. However, in real life I was a bit disappointed. They are located next door to Bert's Marketplace. The outside signage is covered and makes the Bistro difficulty find. There is street parking out front and lot parking across the street. There is both indoor and outdoor seating. Once inside you immediately notice that the place is pretty dated and run down. The booth benches feel as if you're both sinking in and hanging off the edge at the same time. The Motown themed decor and piano doesn't quite make up for it but does give it a somewhat vintage feel. We went in on a hot summer day and the air conditioning seemed to not be on. The service began with room temperature tap water with no ice and our server running down a list of things that were not available that day. Also, clarifying that they do not accommodate any special requests or any changes or substitutions on menu items -- "our menu is what it is." The food was slow to come from the kitchen and tasted mediocre. The rolls were unimpressive and straight out of a package. The fried oyster appetizer was nicely presented but small in portion for the price ($15 for four small oysters). The steak bites and salads were decent. The only saving grace is the live music. There is a pianist and vocalist offering a nice rendition of all the famous Motown tunes that will make you want to sing along. I'll have to say that based on my experience here I wouldn't recommend it and I probably won't be visiting again.

Decided to check this place out after a friend told me they had a nice dining experience. You really would not think it would be so nice by the outside. I was with three other people and to make a reservation you have to give a credit card because if you don't show up they will charge you $50.We were immediately seated in a booth that after a few minutes of sitting the seat almost felt like it was sinking in. The overall atmosphere is really nice, they had live music which was really nice.We ordered the spinach dip which was good and the steak bits were so so. Me and my friend had the stuffed salmon, my husband had the lamb chops and our other friend had the fish I forgot was kind but all of food was really good. There was not a long wait and our waiter was nice.I would go back but I won't sit in a booth again.

This was my first time and I was very pleasantly surprised. The food was excellent. I got the surf and turf special which came with soup or salad. It was a huge portion. I got 3 pieces of a shrimp scampi, lamb chops, a full lobster with an amazing cream sauce, mashed potatoes and green beans. I got the clam chowder which I enjoyed. There were some things that weren't so great though. First off, the booth is a bit risen. I put my foot down and went sliding. The floor of the booth must have been greasy or something. They were also out of stuff such as white wine and olive juice for a dirty martini. The server was very nice and told me the peach cobbler doesn't come with ice cream at that time. I asked why. He said he was freezer burned haha. I said that maybe that was another day and asked if he could check again. He came back and said it was the same stuff so still freezer burned. I was a little disappointed as I wanted ice cream with it, but it's not the end of the world. Overall, I enjoyed the vibe of this place. Old school and a man played the piano. I'll def be back!

I like this place. The decor pays homage to Motown artists, my table had pictures of The Temptations. The booths are very spacious and private. When I arrived I was greeted and seated right away. They have live music which I enjoyed.I only ordered an appetizer of crab cakes which was very delicious. The portion size was big. The corn chowder on top was good but a little salty.Unfortunately, I couldn't eat the bread and butter because it had hair in it. I didn't bother asking for more.I'd like to come back and try some other menu items.

This place was a bit of a Hail Mary on a busy Friday night. We are really glad we found this place. With two young kids it is really hard to find a good fine dining place. The service from when we walked in, to finishing dessert was extraordinary. Marvin made us feel extremely welcome and made sure to be very attentive and charming. The wife and I ordered the ribeye and NY strip with stuffed crab. The food was exceptionally delicious and on par with the price. One small complaint was that the temp of the steaks were a little higher than what we asked for, but it did not distract from the amazing flavors. The red skin mashed potatoes were to die for. All in all, this place it is now on our list to visit again and bringing friends next time.

Great experience! Crablegs all you can eat on Thursdays! Nice ambiance with classic music and also live music. Marty on the piano and a great smooth singing voice. Awesome service from Marvin. Definitely will return. Great parking too!

This place has sooooo much potential......However the service fell flat for us. My party of 3 arrived for our 6:15pm reservation a few minutes early, place was fairly empty so we were seated immediately at a small four top table. This is problem number one. For the amounts of things they are piling on the tables for the all you can eat crab night, they should not seat more than two people at these small tables. (Water carafe, glasses, bread basket, waste basket, salt/pepper, side plates, butter silverware, extra napkins and your dinner plates). Our server "forgot " the drink order so we waited about 35 mins for it after a reminder...again place is fairly empty sooooooo....The first plate of crab come with two clusters. Every one after that comes with one. The initial order was water logged making it tough to open the shells. Next set was much better.The first refill was timely and that where it all stopped. We had great difficult getting anything after that. We were told they would put our order in and it would be 8-10 minutes (each time) which it never was. This process was just not well planned out at all. By the time we got our check and carry out dessert it was after 9 pm. Which is crazy!!! My party of three also had a mandatory gratuity of 18% tacked on to our bill. Never seen that for a small party and if that's your policy please let customers know UPFRONT.. I'm a great tipper when service is on par but my forced three hour meal did not warrant 18%.

I arrived at Chartreuse, forgetting that they're not open on Sundays, and so we asked Yelp for another place not too far away, and it suggested Motown Bistro as new and hot. I like new and hot! I joked with my partner that Motown Bistro has to be one of the less original/creative names for a new place in Detroit that I've seen in a while, but I get that naming is difficult.We drove by the place a few times - the signage is the same yellow color and font as all the Bert's signs, and it's kind of tucked into the same strip, so it's easy to miss. But it's in a pretty nice location right near Eastern Market.There were only a couple tables occupied, so we were a bit nervous. The space is cozy and the booth was nice. It has a TV in the booth, which might be nice if we were there during an exciting sporting event, but since we were there for date night we turned it off. The music selection was a pleasant mix of jazz and blues, which was good for ambiance.We ordered the calamari appetizer, which was fantastic. Very tender, with a light breading, and a healthy dose of capers and peppers in a light citrusy sauce. Would definitely order again. I thought it took a very long time to come out given that the place was almost empty, but quality takes time.The wine came out in a mini-carafe and was solid for the price. The server left a carafe of water at the table, which is a nice touch as I always run out and hate waiting for refills.For my entree, I chose lamb chops which came with mashed potatoes, and I chose asparagus for my vegetable. The lamb was excellent - the sauce underneath complemented both the potatoes and lamb chops perfectly. The asparagus had a slight char on the outside but was tender on the inside - I have never quite managed that trick when grilling or roasting at home, so I was a bit envious. I stole a few bites of my companion's seafood risotto and it was delicious.One aspect of the meal made me a bit sad - it was not hot. Everything tasted as though it had been finished, plated, and then sat for a while. I'm not sure if that's because the appetizer came out so late and they wanted to give us time to finish it, or because my dish and my companion's weren't ready at the same time, or the server went on break - but regardless of the reason, room temperature food isn't good at a fine dining establishment.I would have loved to save room for dessert, but the appetizer was filling and the clock was ticking on the babysitter, so we'll have to try them next time. And I do plan to return - the New York Oscar is calling my name.

Dined at Motown Bistro on a Sunday with 5 people in our party and had a great meal and the vibe was awesome!The service was good and the food was delicious!I had the catfish and grits, while others had the chicken and waffles, etc. I'd recommend going before 11 am because once folks get out of church, they head straight to Motown Bistro for Sunday brunch.

Trash buffet spent $114.00 for cold food . All the good food was gone and we just had to eat what was left over. Cant even support black business .smh trash