The West End Grill

This is an upscale restaurant with great ambiance and service. I expected it to be busier on a Thursday evening but was able to make an appointment with just 1.5 hrs notice. The food is very good and tasty. It's on the pricier side but worth it. The portions are on the smaller end but were just right for people who aren't really foodies. For big eaters, I can see them being disappointed.The swordfish and salmon were fresh and delicious. The hamburger is tasty but quite pricey at $28. The salads are fresh and the lobster bisque was savory but didn't really taste like a traditional lobster bisque. Perhaps it's a house recipe ?The dinner menu fits on one page but covers the gamut. They focus on quality and attention to detail and the service was excellent.This is a great restaurant when celebrating an occasion or having business meetings, etc.

We moved to A2 recently so making our rounds of new places. This is one place thus far we do not need to go back to. Service- very good. Our server was attentive and friendly.Drinks- good but SO expensive. $20 for a margarita in Ann Arbor? No thanks. That's more than many places we frequented in Chicago (downtown) where we moved from.Food- meh. Burger char was good but not worth $28. Nothing special about it. The duck and sides were good in flavor but everything on the plate was cold. If I'm paying $42 for a dish I'd expect it to be warm. Environment- stuffy. Decor was cute but it could use a refresh.

This locale is a bit tired; an update to rejuvenate the restaurant would be helpful. The pork chop was a bit salty.

Service and atmosphere were lovely. The food was just adequate. Short ribs were a tad dry, rare rack of lamb was flavorful but not tender or juicy, scallop risotto had undercooked risotto, salmon was fine. Warm bread and herbed butter were lovely as were our mixed drinks. For the price.....not sure I'll return.

Came here for my sisters graduation dinner where we had to have a reservation. Not sure how popular they are regularly though. Absolutely stellar time. The restaurant was small, dark and intimate with very homey and pleasant vibes. Great for our family's graduation dinner. Prices were on the higher end but it was a higher end restaurant. For food, I recommend the halibut or steak. Each entree also comes with a free soup or salad. The entrees themselves were good, the tofu stir fry portion size was smaller so just be aware of that. One of the best things we ate was also the free bread with butter haha! We kept on getting more from our waiter who was happy to accommodate us.Overall, a typical fancy restaurant that was good for families and celebrations. Just be ready to drop money!

I am baffled by the Number good reviews. We came here for dinner to try a new place, hoping to add it to our regular rotation. Was surprised at how expensive it was (~$40-60 entrees) but had high hopes that we'd get what we pay for. Sadly we did not. It was a tired, uninspired meal, the kind we might have been ok with 20-30 years ago. We noticed that between our table and the one next to us, we had 4 different seafood entrees with the same sad sides. You'd think for this price point, they'd put a little more effort into creating sides that are unique to each main. The food:BEIGNETS: the compound butter was tasty and the beignets were almost good but the center was sightly under done and doughy.TUNA POKE $16: they should call it red bell pepper with a little tuna - tiniest bits of tuna mixed with lots of red pepper and scallion filler, overdressed in soy-heavy sauce, served with pasty tasting fried wanton wedgesSIDE SALAD: the lemon basil dressing was delicious but the greens were tired, even on the verge of rotting, like they came out of a bag that sat in the back of the fridge a few days too long GAZPACHO: tasted ok but basically Bloody Mary mix with chunks of canned stewed tomatoesSWORDFISH $36: overcooked thin filet of fish with sides of parboiled rice (uncle Ben's?), 2 steamed bagged baby carrots, julienned veggies (with tough stringy carrots), snow peas with tough stringy edge intact, and lots of julienned scallions to dress up the dish SEA BASS $46: fish marinated in the same salty soy-heavy sauce used for tuna poke, served with the same sad sides as the other entreeService:Service was ok but he forgot to bring the 1/2 bottle of red wine we ordered for the entrees. Never even realized it and didn't charge us for it.

Service was good; however, the food is overpriced and incredibly mediocre. I had a similar experience a few months ago and tried to give it a second go. It was disappointing both times. Will not come back.

An institution. I've been coming here since it opened. The menu is on a chalkvoard and the servers exceptionally knowledgeable about the food. There are only two drawbacks. First, it's very noisy. The only quiet place for two is at the bar. Second, its not at street level and I don't like steps.Absolutely everything is exceptionally good.

This is one of those reviews that sit on the fence of good or not. We go to West End Grill for special occasions because it maintains its excellence. This trip was like I said on the fence. The appetizer of seafood strudel was awesome even though it was missing the sauce (as we remember from past servings), however the signature was still evident. The Cesar salad had burnt croutons that were like brick and the dressing had no flavor. Lynn's regular salad was flat and not attractive as should be. On to the main meal, Lynn's sea bass and my pecan covered halibut were very good with the right balance. I noticed however my glass of Chardonnay was padded to not the house wine as requested but to the most expensive. This being our anniversary I wasn't paying much attention when served but was disappointed at Rich taking advantage of our evening. Overall, a great night even with a few setbacks knowing it's one of the most expensive in town. Will we return-for sure - but with the question if they have begun the hustle and the decline towards mediocre. Jack and Lynn

I had not been to West End Grill in years, back when servers read the menu to you. The ambiance and service remain very high quality, I would give Ambiance a 4, a refresh is likely in order, while Service deserves a 5 or 6 star grade - servers and host were friendly, attentive, and lovely.However, the food appears to have slipped. This is a pricey restaurant, even for Ann Arbor standards. Tofu stir fry is north of $30, one of the fish dishes near $50. What was so disappointing was that the food was truly mediocre for the cost. The cauliflower appetizer was dry and while the turmeric was flavorful there was not much else notable about it - no fresh herbs, capers, anything to add depth or contrast. The price was still similar to the crab cakes which were sufficient but not wow for the price. The salmon main dish was served with a side salad and some fresh vegetables and rice. The rice was a very small pile of plain rice possibly cooked in broth but lacking any discernable additions or flavors. The asparagus was one of the tastiest parts of the meal, chargrilled and flavorful. I received one oddly lonely piece of carrot that appeared to be steamed or boiled and was overly cooked, and again, lacking additional flavoring or fresh herbs. The salmon was OK, the dill crema tasted fresh and was the only thing flavorful about the salmon. My dining partner's pork chop was OK but slightly dry. At this price point I would have expected at least a side salad with something other than mixed greens and one or two slices of raw brussel sprouts. The greens also appeared slightly wilted.What was surprising and disappointing about this meal was the apparent lack of effort in the kitchen across the meal to make every dish and bite delicious and interesting. We have lived here a long time, been to many upscale as well as daily fare restaurants and this was one of the most disappointing experiences I can recall, other than as I said earlier, the ambiance and service which were both very good. Also, we had noted on our reservation it was our anniversary and while I appreciate many people celebrate many special events, there was no mention at all about it. I hope that maybe it was an off day for the kitchen staff but I fear, in talking to friends, that this is how it is and that perhaps people come back because its familiar or they are visiting and don't know...