42 North Social House

This space has changed hands a few times over the years. The folks at 42 North Social House have restored it to its former glory in a few ways. First, the atmosphere is quieter and more comfortable. Second, the service was prompt, knowlegeable, and friendly. Finally, the food was delicous! My wife had a salad with salmon on it. The salmon was a non-menu addition that made her very happy. The dressing was not too heavy and the fish was cooked perfectly. We shared some carrots that has a very nice sauce and they were also cooked perfectly. Not too soggy and not too crunchy. I have the jambalaya. I've had a lot of bad ones above the Mason-Dixon line, so I was hesitant to order it. Our server said another guest told him it was the best he'd had up North and he was apparently from New Orleans, so I ordered it. It was very good. The rice was cooked perfectly and the balance of ingredients was spot on. I particularly appreciated that it wasn't over-salted, a common problem with this dish.

As a first time guest and fellow Restaurateur I felt inclined to share our dining experience with you. My wife and I dined at your establishment today and I want to start by saying the food and service were spectacular. The one downside of our evening was how hot it was in the restaurant. We were sat in the room nearest to the patio door and the heat was pretty unbearable if I'm being honest. So much so that my wife and I felt like we couldn't fully enjoy our evening because we were both literally dripping in sweat while trying to eat our meal. When we mentioned it to our server, her response felt evident that this was something the staff is used to dealing with, which is truly unfortunate. We had to chug our drinks because the ice was melting so fast they were getting watered down. We are typically the type to order a second cocktail and take our time, maybe order a dessert but we were so uncomfortable we just boxed our food and decided to leave. I will say, our food was fantastic, we had the crab toast and wings to start, my wife had the scallops and I had the steak frites, which were all so good. It's a shame our experience was cut short due to the atmosphere. As someone who has managed restaurants for a long time, and always views everything from the guest perspective, I highly recommend finding a solution to ensure the comfort of your guests. We will definitely be back to try it again, but maybe not until the fall when the weather cools down.

House Manhattan was very tasty and ample. Likes the spherical ice. Tomato Bisque was rich and creamy but came out lukewarm. Jambalaya was very good and not too spicy. Scallops were excellent, moist and cooked just right. Served with grits formed and slightly crispy. Very nice. Service was great and attentive. One of our meal requests for non dairy was forgotten but the replacement meal came out very fast. Would definitely go back.

Fantastic dinner and wonderful attentive service. I really like their Rose sangria. The scallops were delicious. Love the easy to read menu for any food restrictions.

Went here to have a nice quiet drink with the girlfriend. Very nice tasting drinks that were garnished beautifully. Awesome and quiet atmosphere. Professional bartender who knew what he was doing. Didn't try the food, but all of it looked great! A little more on the pricy side, but you get what you pay for. 👍

My wife and I came here on 11.2.24. First time since the Filmore closed. Read some reviews before coming here. First the atmosphere was beautiful. Well done on the inside. I started off with oysters on the half shell. Excellent!! My meal was the Jambalaya and a ceasar salad. Salad was great. Jambalaya had lots of flavors and was very good. Would get again. My wife had the Butcher Burger. Very tender and great flavors. Fries came in a stainless steel cup. Fries were hot and stayed hot. Next Dessert. Homemade carrot cake (HUGE) portion with a Burbon butterscotch sauce. Delicious!! Our waitress Liz was very nice and did a great job. We both loved being here and will come back again and again.

Very cool spot. Parking can be tough but nothing a little walk can't fix. Service was great, as were the drinks. Food was tasty and the outside dining area was perfect for a warm Friday evening. We'll definitely be back again soon!

Everything you want for a local restaurant and high quality. Chef John’s creativity and expertise shines through the menu!!

Some of our favorite dishes so far - scallops, rainbow trout, and lamb shank. Quality has varied in the few times we have visited. The apple crisp was a miss this last time (crisp; barely cooked apples) but amazing the first time. A fam favorite are the beignets. The Corn chowder was also decent. Decor is nice and service is good. The bar dining side of the restaurant is quieter than the enclosed side. It can be hard to hear across the table once that dining side has a few parties in there. Good for group dining or date nights.

We visited last summer to meet Rosie's long lost friend, as she also lives in the area. First sight after pulling into the akward parking lot, and stepping into the door to find a p-leasanly surprising look. yes, an upscale look, and very clean lines. At the time Rosie had the Sea Trout, and I the Scallops, both were delicious, and cooked just right. By the way, the smoked Old Fashion was delicious.

First visit and the dining room is still classic clean feel with comfortable seating and constant din of chatter, as the last two restaurants in this location. Though I must say the food was significantly better from this chef. The crispy mushrooms were interesting. A bit heavy for what I was expecting, as they are fried however not breaded. Beautiful assortment of meaty sliced mushrooms drizzled with a touch of garlic aioli. The salad was an eye- catching plate. Just the right size and ratio of dressing. I usually ask for dressing on the side but this wasn't necessary here. Hubs had the white cheddar pasta that looked like a spin on carbonara. Well-executed dish with perfect ratios. Bacon, peas, cheddar gravy and al dente pasta. The server was very young. She couldn't comment on the cocktails besides how they are listed on the menu but she was very sweet and an excellent server. Definitely adding 42 North to our local rotation of dinner spots.

Entree choices need to improve, expensive and no flavor, my suggestion is stick to the drinks and apps? Social hour

My wife and I made reservations here for NYE. This was our second experience with the new venue. As mentioned in a previous review the owners have done a nice job reinventing this space and the architectural elements and improvements are a vast improvement over the previous environment. I had the Rigatoni with Sunday Gravy, which had a tomato meat sauce, red wine and braised beef and pork. The pasta was cooked perfectly, and the braised beef and pork was lean, tender and had good flavor. I really enjoyed the dish. I paired this with a Caesar salad. My wife had the Market Salad, which had roasted butternut squash, dried cherries, crisp apples, and a maple mustard vinaigrette dressing that was really very good. Greens were fresh, crisp and portion was good. She added Blackened Shrimp, which was a great addition and well seasoned. Topping it off for desert we had the Beignets with powdered sugar, sliced strawberries and chocolate sauce for dipping. These were the perfect compliment to end the evening. We would recommend giving them a try if your in the Dexter area. Kyle our bartender and server did a great job! Was very attentive and friendly.

Like its predecessor in this building, 42N makes assumptions about the palates of Dexterites (Not very refined, it seems). Dexter needs a destination restaurant(s). Terry B's (And pre-expansion Red Brick) exemplified that and that lended to its success. Otherwise we get a slightly above average dining experience in Dexter that feels like a staff training ground for Main Street Ventures. Looking forward to whatever new restaurant replaces 42N with hopes of it giving us something special.

Very disappointing and it is rate for me to leave a negative review. Food was sub-par for the prices, and actually sub-par in general. My order: Scallops were smaller than a quarter, quite salty and burnt (not bronzed). Way overpriced for what was essentially an appetizer. Even the side of grits was disappointing Wife's order: Pasta simply was not great, little to it, lacking flavor Order#3: Lamb was said to be "OK" Order#4: Another scallop order. Equally disappointing. Just a note, no soup or sales with a $30 meal. Extra $5 each. I am great with this if it is worth it but our food did not hit the mark. On top of this, we did not notice until we got home, but we were charged for an extra speciality mixed drink and they charged us a "Restaurant Fee". I guess this was payment for the ambiance? Unfortunately, I tipped generously which I regretted after. I normally take pictures but did not - I think I was in a state of shocked disappointment. Look at my reviews. Everything from simple food to fine dining. I would suggest you skip this one.

Not far from the land of overpriced, under flavored, underwhelming restaurants in Ann Arbor, I discovered this gem but a few minutes away in Dexter. The staff is warm and welcoming, the food is flavorful, creative and delicious, the decor is calm, classic and comfortable. I am so happy to have this restaurant here--I needed it!

Have been a few times and enjoyed each time from appetizers to main meals and cocktails. Atmosphere is nice for a date or meet with friends at bar section. Really well done. The location is wonderful in Dexter and we haven't seen the quality dinner restaurant like this since Cousins Heritage Inn. Definitely worth a visit.

I love this unique cozy social restaurant to gather with friends in the bar area or dinning room or sit at the bar with my hubby! I've been ther 5 times and have been pleasantly surprised by the different waiters who were so personal and inviting. Not to mention the food is fabulous!!! I have had the appetizers , small plates , salads and entrees .. desserts rock! I try something different every time and come away wanting more, (for me that means can't wait to come back)! a lot of detail put into the flavors of each item I have experienced ! Chef John is awesome and thankful for the way he has taken much time and thought into his flavorful creations!! Highly recommend this gem of a place

The so called Social Hour is not as described! They say it's at the bar and on the patio, however, there are exactly two stated tables on the patio with the required "soft cushions" as the manager stated. I had to ask, when you say the social hour tables are full, what are your rules because there are eight empty tables on the patio. Oh, sir, it's just the tables with soft cushions. How silly of me to believe the words they chose, THE PATIO! When a business starts with such nonsense it's not a place that belongs in honest and casual Dexter. Went to another restaurant and will never be back to such a BS restaurant.

Went there for our anniversary dinner on Saturday. our server, Henry took such care of us was very knowledgeable on wine to go with both of our entrées. Very excited to see a great restaurant in Dexter.

Went to 42 North last evening for dinner with my sister. It will be the last. I chose the Chicken Paillard from the very limited menu, which was a mistake. For $27 I had a dried out chicken breast with some boiled potatoes, a small amount of spinach and a couple of artichoke bits. It was supposed to have a lemon butter sauce...couldn't taste any lemon. The whole dish was bland. I ate about half of the meal and took the rest home for my cat... hope she'll like i. My sister ordered the beet and citrus salad with salmon, thinking that for the price it would be sufficient for her meal. It was the tiniest salad I've ever seen. There were some good points... our server was wonderful, the Korean chicken wings were great and the Mexican chocolate dessert was nice. This was such a disappointment. The food was so much better when it was the Fillmore. If I do ever go there again, it will only be for the drinks and appetizers during the social hour.

Amazing happy hour. Fantastic food and service! We will definitely be back. So glad to have an elevated dining experience back in Dexter. The new decor is gorgeous!

Wow wow wow! What a great place. These restaurants tucked away in small towns..... Love them! We started with the Smoked old fashioned....nice pour and the smokeyness was very appealing. No apps cause we wanted dessert. April was our server and she did a super job, knew how to pace the meal without being rushed. I had the Scallops with avocado and white cheddar grit cake,really good the scallops were delicious ,prepared perfectly nice sear. Husband had CASSERECCE PASTA with Shrimp very good, creamy and flavorful. Also at the table was a Lentil soup which was delicious and the Steak Diane and Filet Mignon. All cooked perfectly. Dessert's were the Carrot Cake (which was a huge hit), Mexican pot de creme ( my favorite) and the beignets with chocolate sauce. Ok so we brought home a carrot cake for later.

As I walked into the 42 North Social House with my mom and my bestie friend (freshman on varsity) I was immediately stunned by the amazing ambiance and nicer than ever waiters. The service was on point and served very tasty diet cokes! I ordered the chicken strips off the kids menu. One thing I will say about the chicken strips is that they are smaller than normal chicken strips, but they make up for it with very good seasoning. As I sat with the freshman on varsity we engaged in crucial conversations in the amazing ambience of the place! Overall very nice!

This was our first visit to 42 North to celebrate my wife's birthday. The ambience is very pleasant, and we will be back to try the outdoor seating which looked inviting. Overall the food was very good, we began with Calamai. We had shared with our server we were not in any rush, and were disappointed that the green salads were served soon after the calamari arrived. The flavor of the salad was very good, I was a bit turned off that the romaine had a lot of brown edges. My wife had the bronzed salmon which she really liked, very tender and flavorful. My filet was well prepared, the potato and broccolini excellent. Neither of us finished our dinners and the server packaged the remainders to take home. I didn't care for the cocktail we ordered, a gin, run, pineapple and lime concoction as it was overly strong. While there were a few blemishes, overall we really enjoyed the experience. It would also be a great place for drinks and appetizer only.

If you want good food... you will have go somewhere else. Seriously, the 42 North Social House wasn't all bad- the waitress was excellent and the Korean chicken wings, the rolls and the water were all very good. The whitefish pate, served with something resembling potato chips, lacked just one thing... flavor. And the chips didn't save it. The lychee drink was fair, but, to be fair, lychee is a difficult flavor to command. The Caesar salad lacked a caesar- like dressing and the smoked chicken addition had a cheap fake smoke flavor (suspected fake flavor) that Walmart would have discontinued. Fortunately, the waitress removed it from the bill. The food at 42 North went south when the main course arrived. The jambalaya was mis-spiced, with shrimp that I don't know how to describe and whole dish had a tomato aftertaste. We took about 85% of it home but are now faced with the quandary of how to dispose of it. The burger was unremarkable as were the reheated but still only warm french fries. On the bright side the place was clean and bright with a possibility that the chef is detained for impersonating a food service worker. Fortunately the three of us were able to laugh at the ~$132 bill. Main Street Ventures should apologize for this dive before it fails.

My girlfriend and I were excited to try out the newest venture in this perfect setting in downtown Dexter. While it was a little cooler to enjoy the lovely deck outside we really enjoyed the ambience, aromas, and perfect lighting inside. The host and waitstaff were very receptive and welcoming, accommodating our needs promptly even with a Friday night full house. From the bread and butter, the smoked whitefish dip and house made chips app, and the two entrees we were both very thrilled with the flavors and the portion sizes. I ordered sword fish with farro from the specials menu - wonderful flavor and texture! She ordered the scallops with a cheddar grit cake - delicious and complimentary. We will both be back, likely as early as possible for "social hour" 4-6 for more delights!