Fishbones - Southfield

First and foremost, I have to update my review — apparently, the great experience my buddy and I had after work was a complete anomaly. Since moving to my new office (just three buildings down), I’ve been back twice for lunch, and both times were exactly what you’d expect from a forced-gratuity spot: God awful. The second visit really sealed it for me. I checked in on Swarm, so I know the timeline — from the time I checked in to the time I got my food, it was 45 minutes. That’s ridiculous for lunch. I only get an hour, but I ended up there for an hour and 20 minutes. Not good. Service? Even worse. The waitress never came back to check on me, and when I was finally ready to leave, I had to hunt her down for the bill. At one point, I just sat there… and sat there… to the point I was about ready to walk out. When she finally reappeared, she said, “Oh, I was in the back” — whatever that means. If you’ve got a long lunch break and don’t mind a server disappearing for most of your meal, sure, this is your spot. But if you’re on a time crunch? Avoid it. This is not the place for a quick, quality lunch.

The food was mediocre at best and very overpriced. The alligator items were so having breaded that I couldn’t taste the meat and the breading was too salty. I also ordered the bayou platter and the fish was not seasoned at all. It’s not very often I don’t finish my food but this was one of those times. The key lime pie and raw oysters were good but it took over 10 minutes to get Tabasco sauce for the oysters. I won’t be going back here.

The food at this restaurant was incredible—everything was perfectly seasoned and full of flavor. We also took advantage of the lunch specials, which were a great deal. The service was excellent, and the staff was friendly and attentive. Just a heads-up, they do add an 18% gratuity to the bill, so be mindful of that. Overall, I highly recommend this spot and will definitely return whenever I'm back in Detroit!

3 of us met for dinner at this location. The other two split calamari as an appetizer and said it was good. The bread that came out to the table was actually really good - the inside was warm and fluffy and matched well with the herby butter. I could have eaten a ton of it. I had crab stuffed shrimp and it was meh. I didn’t like that the sauce was totally covering the shrimp so I couldn’t even see them. And since they still had tails on it was very messy trying to eat them. I couldn’t even tell that there was any stuffing. They were a tad overcooked so it had that rubbery feeling. The green beans and potato sides were actually good. I just wasn’t happy with the shrimp. The service was a tad slow, but he was very nice. Be aware that they automatically charge an 18% gratuity - I normally tip very well but this was a little off putting. I felt like it was already overpriced for what you got.

I'm sorry, Fishbones! But it looks as if your time has come and gone. Walking in, it looked like stepping back in time. From the management/greeter to the service and kitchen staff. Energy seemed as if they'd been there for some time, and all had lost out on coordialism and passion of working at what used to be upscale and inviting establishment? Everyone exclaiming they had one type of problem or another? From we're someone else didn't show up for there shifts? To this is not my section? To flavorless or tastes strange? It showed from the greeter to the server to the cooks to the goodbye! Not a return trip.

I must say I guess what I ordered this time made a difference because last time I'm going to gumbo was horrible with those little shrimp that I ordered. The ribeye steak and old gratin potatoes with green beans and my steak was cooked perfectly and the zucchini medallions were everything... You can clearly tell that there's a staffing shortage, however, our waiter was very efficient and effective with our table. Think that be the zucchini medallions they could. They had a few more to the serving and the decor is just the same as it's been forever. It most definitely needs an update

Food was good, (Jambalaya) but as you can see the bar tender never cleared anything. I asked if they had a local ipa he said they had dogfish head and voodoo ranger as locals. Pretty sure that’s not accurate overall I would say try it out

Atmosphere was good, cleanliness was good, food presentation was outstanding. Flavors of the food were ok at best. Service was ok, had to ask for butter and lemons twice and waited for it until the food was no longer hot. We really wanted to love it here, but we were unfortunately disappointed.

Ambiance: Nice enough, clean. Friday evening at about 7:00 and we were surprised there was only about 4 tables of customers there but it was snowing out with icy road conditions so that may have been a factor. Service: Polite, efficient. Zero problems with the service. Food: Shrimp and sausage jambalaya...Filled with plenty of shrimp and sausage. I wish there was an option to order a smaller portion for people who know they can't eat that much food. Taste was good...I'd rate the taste 7.5 out of 10. Catfish Po Boy....husband rated it 8 out of 10 but with the fries being 10 out of 10, they were awesome and we jokingly squabbled over the last few of them .

Fantastic food and even better service! Go in and see Jo. She's passionate about what she does and just earned a life-long customer! Get the carrot cake. Trust me.

This was my first time coming to Fishbones and eating the food. I didn't check Yelp so I did not realize how low ranked this place was. My experience on the day that I came in a nutshell. Ambiance: I can see the effort to make it resemble New Orleans with the beads at the front. Nothing really stood out in the decor to make it come across as authentic. The service: it was extremely slow at first. We were told only one person is working. However, they eventually got more staff. Troy was a great for our table. He was very knowledgeable about the menu, very fast at getting orders in. He also had great suggestions. 10/10 The food: I started with an oyster rock. as an appetizer and it definitely tasted very good. But the price for 4 oysters has never been around 20 not even in good ol Louisiana so that caught me by surprise. Then I ordered a crawfish was tasty. I tried a drink of happy hour that was tasty as well. Bill: they automatically added 18 gratuity on each. This was fine because we both tipped 20 percent. But if my service would have sucked, I would've been annoyed tipping that for poor service. We talked with the manager while we were there and he was welcoming.

This place came highly recommended by a coworker. The i once inside there is a huge aquarium. We were greeted with a smile. Our server was friendly but very forgetful. Maybe overworked. He would make serval trips to the table to bring each item. I ordered the Faroe island salmon with loaded mashed potatoes. Imagine my surprise when the lobster sauce was not on plate and my potatoes were not loaded. My first thought was he is going to take this back and remake it, but no. I was brought a small ramekin of cheese and sour cream . Then 10 minutes later a small ramekin of lobster sauce. The disappointment was overwhelming. The prenatal drinks were great... well MY drink was . If you stop by get the old camp peach old fashioned. Best old fashion I have had this year. Now my colleague asked about frozen drinks . He recommended a daiquiri. What he brought out was not frozen and topped with vodka. When she asked what it was he said a daiquiri but our blender is broken . If you come have a drink. Not a frozen one .

As we arrived we were told there was a 10-15min wait because staff didn't arrive until then (it was 5:30pm) The wait staff was quick but not friendly.. The restaurant was dark, but not inviting The food was good, but since we were a small party (3) & a larger party came in after.. we were served & forgotten no drink refills etc. This was our 1st & last trip to this restaurant

The drinks took forever to come from the bar. When the food arrived, it was warm, not hot. The entire meal including appetizers, main dishes and drink took 2.5 hours. The salmon was dish was very tasty. Not sure if I would return. Server was nice but took way too long for everything g to be served.

Seafood Gumbo "AVOID" unless U like plan small shrimp wt rice & brown gravy, the manager & staff are wonderful, most of the higher end Entree's are delicious. Shaun the bartender was fabulous. My overall experience was most pleasant. Great music, atmosphere, clients and more. I'm just suggesting,sample the seafood gumbo before order. Can't fuss overs $10 dish, however, u can spoil ur appetite. I shall return.

I liked the food here. I got a salad and fried cod and fries. The tartar sauce was so good! I was a part of a huge party (30+ people), and the wait staff was phenomenal. They were super attentive and handled my son's shellfish allergy very well. They actually cook nonseafood dishes separately, which I greatly appreciated. Also, the bathrooms were very clean.

This was our smallest group for our Meetup group and the 3 that came was new or almost new members. Others just said they didn't like the food at this location and I have to agree with them now. The did away with the sushi menu. It was still listed on their website so I had to find something else from their much more limited menu. I decided on the ribs with fries. Chef vegetables was my other choice. Average at best. We did share spinach dip appetizer and a carrot cake dessert but again only average at best. Our table was too close to the live entertainment so it made it hard to talk. While the others were kind thanking me later for hosting, our group will not be back. I will just head to another location once the sushi menu comes back.

This place was nice walking in to the restaurant. They have a nice set up and its nice they have live music. It took us 20 minutes to get a waiter to take our orders. One of the group members had to ask for one. The waitress we did end up having was friendly. The food was just ok. I think the seafood pasta was good but everything else was just ok--it was not impressive.

Upon my arrival at Fishbones, with 9 seniors, the manager, Leroy, began immediately telling me about the 20% gratuity and single bill. I was disappointed that he didn't, at least, say good morning or hello. Rude!!! I still asked Leroy if he would give us separate bills since, clearly, we were the ONLY people in the whole restaurant (for at least an hour). He said No and that that was the policy and walked away. Rude!!! After asking for a printout of the bill, I calculated each senior's bill and handed them a paper with their amount due. After eating a delicious lunch.....the food was on point, Danielle, the waitress, came over and gathered up all the papers ( with amounts due), cash, and cards from each senior. A few minutes later, Danielle motioned me over to the cash register to tell me that the total amount of money was short by $30. I asked her if she got everyone's money due and she said yes. She began telling me that she didn't have time for this and that it was my fault that it was short. I told her that I figured out everyone's bill correctly and that it wasn't my fault. She was frustrated and short with me. She told me to take the money and figure it out because she really didn't have time, with a huge attitude. Danielle came over a few minutes later and began yelling. She was saying that it was my fault and that I didn't handle my job while assisting the seniors. She was loud and obnoxious! I told her to give me time to think. It was clearly her fault that she didn't collect the senior's card for payment. She just went overboard with her reaction to the situation.....very unprofessional and disrespectful!!!! I decided to return all the seniors' funds back to them and start over. After returning all the papers and funds back to the seniors, we figured out that Danielle had not collected all the seniors' payments. She skipped one senior....so it was her fault. I was busy figuring out the bill for everyone while Danielle was supposed to be collecting their money. I was in the middle of writing out papers and handing them out while she went around to collect the amounts due....like waitresses are supposed to do. She never apologized or admitted her fault in the situation. The seniors would've had a nice afternoon lunch if it weren't for her drama. She needs to find a different profession away for dealing with customers because she didn't demonstrate customer service AT ALL!!! I will never eat at the Southfield Fishbones again!!! From the manager to the waitress, customer service was not present. So sorry that the seniors had to experience the whole ordeal when it was unnecessary. So sad....especially since the food was delicious. I'll make sure that everyone I know will choose another restaurant to spend their money.

Service excellent, drinks delicious and the food was very good the gumbo yaya is really good the seafood gumbo is loaded with shrimps needs a bit more lobster pieces in it. Overall I like the Southfield location. Friendly group of people.

For a Date night, my boo and I came here and I was blown away by the ambiance and the food. Upon entering, you were directed to check in to be seated. There was a hostess who was immediately to your right who would seat you. We were taken to the left of the restaurant and were seated. Our waitress came by immediately, introduced herself, took our drink orders, and explained the menu and answered all questions asked. I wanted sushi and he ordered the red snapper. The wait game begins. Bread was brought out and I ate as much as I could....you know, to prevent waste and all! I ordered a drink and it was a nice strong drink....just how I like them. There was a live band there and the gentlemen also sang a few songs as well. The vibe gave me rat pack vibes. They sounded amazing. I will most definitely be looking for one in my area or just revisiting this one when I return. This was definitely a nice way to spend a date night.

My date wanted to stop in here so why not? The menu is more of a southern seafood theme to décor and menu. Maybe this was my mistake for not ordering something in that area but I got short rib sliders which comes with fries, cole claw and a cream sauce for the sliders. I felt the short ribs were rather bland, sauce it came with it was also rather bland/mild and fries were ok. Cole slaw was decent. I would come back and try some of the southern dishes but if I were in the area this would not be my first choice.

Excelente service from the bartender, friendly staff . Ambience ok. Very dissatisfied, disappointed with the food. The fish and vegetables were mushy and not worth the price .

The place to be for a quiet dinner and New Year's Eve celebration. We were brought here by our friends and it could not have been a better choice for the evening. This is a hidden treasure cause it's only half full with a the Damion Terrell group playing smooth jazz to ring in the. New Year. The drinks, appetizers and entree came out promptly and hot. The service is exceptional! The best place, for us, to be in Detroit for the New Year's Eve party, hands down for our next visit to the motor city.

We're a 1000 miles from New Orleans, and everything at Fishbones is ok. I think it reason to have ok food and drinks once in a while. The okness was pretty consistent across the board. Shrimp cocktail, oysters, crawfish, gumbo, broccoli, fries, mushroom, hurricanes...everything was ok. Our server, Tony was great. Attentive, funny and all the other hallmarks of a good waiter.

Gotta check out the new menu items at Fishbones. everyone was nice and very welcoming. Defined will be back.

Not a lot of restaurants in Detroit metro area that serve real Cajun food. Menu and food taste authentic but I don't know if I want to come back. My food was luke warm for some reason, they all looks very appealing though. Also it is kinda of pricey that I am not sure if it worth the money. Bacco next door are miles better if you looking for a better dinner experience

Service is slow especially when they automatically charge you 18% for it. The quantity was good. Overall not worth it

Food was good. Not the problem. Problem is we came at lunchtime and were charged dinner prices. We were sat with both lunch and dinner menus, but when ordering I pointed to the pasta dish in the lunch menu. I thought, we both thought, we were ordering lunch, especially since it was 1:30-1:40 when we ordered. We received a bill for dinner prices. I assume I got dinner portions, but that was not what I ordered, expected or wanted. I feel like if a restaurant is going to provide two menus at lunchtime, the servers should ask what menu you want to order from to prevent this kind of absolute regret coming here. I ordered 20$ pasta but spent 33$, and likewise there was a more than 10$ difference for my husband's meal. I ordered a side of red beans and rice to accompany my pasta and was charged $13 instead of $6. Just all around a bad experience as it was obvious we were taken advantage of. Would not recommend. Also, is there an auto gratuity on every single check, even for a party of 2? Sus.

First timer and Everything I ate was amazing! The service was fast and the server was very helpful with food choices.

We had an excellent time. Our meal was served quickly. The food was excellent, only outmatched by the service. Our server, Troy, should be teaching a class in how a server can make an eating experience one to remember.

Ambiance was great on a Saturday night. Live band! Service was nie, only negative, waitress did not pick up the plates our appetizers was on. Eating on a crowded table was sort of distracting. Not sure if that's not the role of the waitress, I have to say that the waitress was very nice and attentive The food was good, parking is good, locattion is great. I would return and definitely recommend.

Omg!!! The food was delicious and the drinks were right and NOT watered down..my server was Mia and she was so pleasant..I was having a bad day and just wanted to eat and be left alone..this experience was pleasant food/drink was really good I had to tell the manager Leroy because I know they are use to COMPLAINTS!! No not this time!! 10 out of 10 today

Fishbones is right around the corner from my office so we stopped in on a Wednesday night after work. I haven't been in a Fishbones in over 15 years so I really wasn't sure what to expect anymore Start with the shaky first. Service. I am such a stickler for customer service and it pains me when businesses fall short of this very basic concept. My appetizers and my entree should not come out together. They especially should not come out together when we explicitly talk about being sure to bring them out first. When questioned about it our server just stood silent. Come on!!! Serving 101 here. The quality of the items we chose was perfection. The alligator was cooked appraised not tough or chewy. The oysters were amazing no fishy taste or odor. The shrimp and grits took me out of the game! Just amazing. The quality of the food more than made up for the shaky fashion in which it was served to us.

Our food was very good, , but why bring everything to the table at once! My husband specifically said that he wanted his soup first, followed by a salad, and then bring our our entrees. What we got was EVERYTHING served together at one time! We weren't happy about that. All of our food (catfish dinner, and catfish appetizer, wedge salad, and soup) was very good, but we were put off by having our table cluttered with many dishes at the same time. We will go again - hadn't been there in years - but will order in steps, I think, to not have all courses served together. Restaurant is attractive and clean, and bathrooms are clean, too.

Have not been at this Fishbones in a number of years. Did a carry out. Ordered crawfish étouffée, and their seafood gumbo. Loved it! Ordered there and sat at the bar for a beer. Nice atmosphere and really friendly staff.

I had Jambalaya with andouille sausage and chicken .. food was delicious... it was on Friday night.. small crowd.. band was entertaining.. small crowd but nice..

So.... I visited Fishbones today for a drink with a buddy... As usual, we sat at the bar and chatted as we enjoyed a few beverages... However, our waitress/bartender (Nya) was less than satisfactory. Each time we ordered a drink, food, or requested a service, it was significantly delayed. Thirty-five minutes after ordering a chicken salad, we needed to ask the OTHER bartender about the order. This bartender brought the salad out right away. I could understand the delay if the place was filled with customers, but that wasn't the case. There was a point when I ordered another cocktail, customers then sat next to us and were served their cocktail before me. While Nya was friendly at times, the service was VERY sub par. If you visit, I would advise a different bartender. Fishbones in general can be good.

Since the "Pandemic", I have rarely gone out to eat. I definitely realize why! The place is still very well kept, the service was great, very personable and well spoken (which I really appreciate). However, our waitress was not wearing a mask. She was talking to others as she brought our food and drinks to the table. She was talking to us (standing above us (of course, because we were seated. With the virus still circulating and so many "people" still unvaccinated, I did not feel comfortable. I believe ALL servers should wear masks while preparing and or serving food~ I won't be going back anytime soon! +their prices are totally out of this world now!

Went to this Restaurant last night 7pm, Saturday 10/28/23. The building was closed - sign in the window said re-opening on 10/30/23? What is going on with bussiness?

Fried Catfish should not be this hard or foul tasting. Not edible.

Service is trash. Gratuity added for 2 people at the bar. Bartender tended to us once every 45 minutes. Do yourself a favor and go downtown.

If I could give negative stars, I would. We were there with a group of 13 on May 31. One in our group never was served there dinner, she finally had to ask for it to go since everyone else was done eating. We asked to remove $30 from a $700 bill and the manager refused. And not for nothing when the 18% gratuity is automatically added to the bill, does the server really care?

The three stars is only for the beautiful inside decor and the guy making the sushi to order. It's hard to write this review because I so wanted to give some positive feedback but I'm so disappointed in the food, the drinks just the overall service. Once we walked in and saw that it was not that busy we decided to just sit at the bar so we grabbed two seats and sat. It took at least fifteen minutes before the bartender even gave us menus...still don't know her name considering she never really greeted us. Once she finally came back around she pointed at us asking if we were ready to order and I had to pause before asking for a glass of Riesling. They have an everyday Happy Hour from 3pm-7pm which a great time but bad when the bartender is totally confused and never ask you for your order. We were finally able to order some food...it took forever!! Once it came out the crab cakes were blah, the Catfish beignets were undercooked and the red beans and rice was just horrible. I also had some of the hot and spicy wings and they were so spicy that I could only eat one not realizing they were going to be that spicy. Overall....I would never go here again! I honestly thing they need a complete overhaul or just shut the doors!

This place was a nice surprise to find in the area. The atmosphere was amazing. You definitely feel the Louisiana vibe and the love music makes it even better. The drinks were good, but was bit disappointed with the food. I got the pasta that's supposed to be their number one dish and it has all the Cajun/creole ingredients but didn't have that taste since it's on a pesto sauce i believe instead of Cajun. My boyfriend got the the jambalaya which was ok. Again, could use some more cajun seasonings and spice. The fried food was good. Overall not bad for the area but definitely not like pappaduex which is a chain restaurant or a Louisiana restaurant

I don't know why Fishbones is serving sushi, but their tempura California roll is to die for. Nom nom nom!

I used to work at the Detroit location back in the early 90's as a bar back, line cook & prep cook & it was busy as heck! This location isn't big as the Detroit space, but it's still big! This place is like a ghost town on a Tuesday night at 9pm! It's because things like the music is not what they used to play in Detroit - the classic jazz & music from the old days. I liked the music they had on but, it wasn't how they made their name or how it set them apart originally. The menu is all over the place, not focused on just New Orleans Cajun & Creole - they have sushi of all things! I've been craving their gumbo ya-ya & it really disappointed me! It tasted like they used too much roux & filler, fortunately it was edible!

We waited an hour for our food. It's a Monday night and the restaurant was empty. I don't understand. Awful service.

Wish I could give it a 4.5 review but overall I enjoyed my experience! Catfish beignets were fried fresh and were hot! Tuna steak was cooked really well but my favorite thing was the carrot cake with ice cream!!

One of my favorite neighborhood spots for catfish and drinks! I love the atmosphere of the place, decorated like you're in New Orleans!

I most recently got carry out from here and it was delicious both times. This most recent time, we got jambalaya and catfish beignets. Both were delicious! The jambalaya is a huge portion size that you can easily make three meals out of and is super flavorful! The catfish beignets are seasoned and cooked to perfection! They come with a Creole dipping sauce that is the perfect accompaniment as well. And the cherry on top are the rolls. I absolutely love bread and Fishbone rolls do not disappoint! They're large, soft and warm and come with a herbed butter. I'd recommend trying it if you've never been!

Fish bones used to be one of my favorite restaurants. But not anymore! I was on my way home from work and wanted to Order dinner quickly so I can pick it up on my way home. I was advised that they no longer take phone orders. I had to place an order on the website or come into the restaurant. Well that defeats the whole purpose. What happened to customer service! And because they are not customer focused I will no longer focus on spending my money there as long as I Live! Ex- Fishbone Customer.

Fishbone's is one of my favorite Louisiana style restaurants located in the metro Detroit area. I haven't had the best of luck with the one downtown lately so I had a taste for my fave and decided to stop by and it was everything I expected and more! The service was great on top of that, took some time but he bought me a soup over while waiting to make up for it, thank you sooo much!

First of all - the ambience is non existent. There was "no" flavor or favor with the food we ordered. The menu options are quite "pricey", and I would expect the quality of the food to have been much better. I hope this location renovates and gets better tasting food. Our server was so kind and helpful

Finally got a chance to re-visit one of my local favorites. I was impressed by the new decor. I especially enjoyed the new fish tank. My choice for dinner selection was less impressive. I ordered a dish with a catchy name that I can't remember.......LOL, but it had fried shrimp, catfish and scallops. The shrimp and fish were just ok. I personally felt the scallops were cooked too fast and not completely. MY BAD I won't get that again. My wife and daughter chose the Pasta Orleans, the youngest had the sliders.The dinner rolls were warm and fresh, the service was on par. Basically I was impressed with everything accept for the main thing, MY FOOD. My family made better dinner selections and everyone was satisfied. Pricing seems to be the same if not more to cover the remodel. I will be back and my selection will be better next time. Second Visit: Returned for a milestone birthday dinner. Danielle helped my wife organize a reservation for a dozen plus people. Everything was awesome this time around. Our server Artina was a trooper holding it down and handling the entire party by herself.

Solid Mother's Day brunch with decent service. I know that brunch isn't a standby at this location, but they did a good job today for a packed house. We had to sign when we arrived that we wouldn't be more than two hours and that the tip would be included, which I have never seen. I can only imagine what caused them to implement this this as it was off-putting. The food was good, not great, the usual Fishbones staples of bland Louisiana fare and breakfast items. Still they kept it full and fresh. Drinks, we just had coffee and water, were kept fresh. I'm curious about their food and service during regular service, but not so curious that I'd choose this fairly boring location over the ambiance of the one in Detroit.

I was in the mood for some seafood and found this place close to my hotel. The food was good and had lots of flavor, however I did not feel that it was fresh. The place was pretty empty and the service was kind of slow.