They Say Restaurant

Went here for a late night bite w my mom. Loved the quick seating, fast food delivery, and nice service. Thank you to our waitress, she was phenomenal and encouraged us to try the bread pudding, which was great!!

First-time guests. We weren't sure what to expect, but Mo at the bar treated us like old friends. The food was delicious, and the cocktails were perfect. They didn't have Makers Mark or Grandmariner behind the bar, but what they did have was excellent service in a warm, inviting, and modern establishment. The murder mystery show upstairs is what brought us here, but our experience on the main floor (bar and dining area) is what will bring us back. Get the wings! Best I've ever had. Oh, and about the murder mystery show. This is an audience participation event. They do the show up a flight of stairs in a banquet room area. It's a great space for the show. The waitstaff was on point and had a system down. Your show tickets are prepaid, which includes your dinner. Then, you only have your drink tab at the end. I will say it was very reasonable prices and we appreciated the hard work of the staff. The show itself was pretty good, too. If you're coming to the show, be prepared to take on a role, or at least know you'll be on your feet investigating with the entire room of fellow crime solvers. It is 100% an audience participation event. The actors did an amazing job.

My husband and I recently visited "They Say" for a memorial repass. Even though it was a somber occasion, the atmosphere felt festive as we celebrated the life of a former coworker. The food was delicious, and the drinks were delightful. I appreciated the pleasant ambiance, the restaurant was clean, and the decor featuring jazz, rock, and R&B legends added a nice touch!

The food here is very delicious, hot , affordable, flavourful, and tasty. The ambiance is mellow and relaxing and the restaurant is very clean. The air is a bit cool but hopefully, that could be fixed on our next trip. The waitresses could be a bit more cheerful as well. Perhaps adding smooth jazz to the playlist while dining, could help to enhance the pleasant atmosphere as well. All in all, we enjoyed our dining experience. Thank you and keep up the good work!!

Had an okay dinner here at They Say's. I ordered a chicken sandwich which They Say has a They Say's Special Sauce. Upon delivery of the food I noticed there was no sauce. Server went back to the kitchen and came back with a BBQ sauce. I asked was it the sauce that came on the sandwich and she said They Say that's the sauce.. Other than that experience was lovely with the corner table with the window facing the street.

😍 to our server for the evening Ms Tanisha she rocked it! She was beautiful and never left us feeling attended to. She knew the menu front and back in her sleep. My party was a party of 20. Not one complaint, timely food responses, and overall the "Black Experience " that I wished for in finding a venue for us to dine. The clean, eclectic, well managed and maintained environment is spot on. My guests even vibe to the music selection. Food was excellent! Service A-1! From the cooks to our help was a wonderful experience. One call only imagine the manager Ms Erica, who was also warm and equally beautiful, creates a space that staff perpetuate. Mych love to the crew! I'll be returning asking for Tanisha's section. 😘😘😘😘😘😘

This hidden gem in downtown Detroit serves up unforgettable soul food that hits the spot every time. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, with a vibe that makes you want to stay a while. The music selection perfectly complements the dining experience—great taste on every level. If you’re in the city and craving comfort food with heart, this is the spot. Highly recommend!

Updated (2024): They Say is a decent restaurant that I find best suitable for groups of 3-4, however can be enjoyed with less. The food is good, but not stellar. I ordered a 10pc traditional wing platter, but a mistake was made on the waitress' part, so I received 20 instead. I was initially told that they'd let me have the extra at no charge, but I was later told they'd like 10 back. I'm certain that violates a code somewhere, so I opted to keep them, and they offered me 20% off the price of a 20pc. For what I received, it wasn't a good tradeoff. The chicken lacked seasoning and was too well-done, but the sauce made it edible. My friends ordered some entrees, such as the Catfish and Pork Chop — they had good color and found them tasty. The desert exhibited a different quality, however: a healthy slice of carrot cake with a wonderful texture, density, and flavor, with a not-too-heavy frosting to pair. Service was okay, nothing worth taking note of aside from the abundant wings situation. They Say is no longer at the top of my list, but I could visit again in the future. - Original (2020): Great food, fantastic service, and fantastic energy. I recently had my first experience here, and it was amazing. A mistake was made on some shrimp that we didn't even notice, and the chef came out and personally apologized for his mistake. I've never had a restaurant that wasn't 5 star treat me with that much respect. The first picture is just an appetizer. Amazing. The food is priced fairly and cooked amazingly! I would recommend this place to anyone, and definitely will come back.

My friends and I came here after a night of drinking downtown. Walking into this restaurant it had a smell really hard to explain but once you made it past the entrance, the smell was gone. We sat at the bar and was properly serviced by the bartender. The drinks are not that good so I will not come back for just drinks. I opted for the They say trio platter, which came with potato skins for they say wings and a quesadillas. Potato skins were OK and the quesadilla wasn't that flavorful but "they say" wings were saucy and very good. I understand why they are known for their barbecue sauce wings. I will come back for their wings alone, and I would like to try other items on the menu to see how they taste.

Let's start with the smell when you first enter this place "not good". It stinks you have to wonder what that is, then the service it was okay but it was absolutely no one in here and my waitress had my food sitting waiting for her to bring to the table. But yes me and my son sat down and ordered. I ordered 10 piece they say wings with barbecue sauce and a raspberry tea and my son ordered a lemonade and cheeseburger. Food was the only thing okay in this place but because of the smell I will not be returning to this location. My son enjoyed his food as well.

My wings were great. The togo station seems unorganized though. The bathrooms were dirty and that was a disappointment. Nice bartenders, they were attentive, amd on top of things.

Excellent service from the parking lot to inside. Staff was very friendly and full of smiles, you can tell they liked being there and we were more than welcome to come in and enjoy ourselves. It was quiet and the ambiance made you feel right at home. Our waitress was super nice and made sure we were well taken care of. I ordered the fried wings that were cooked to perfection in looks and taste. The BBQ sauce looked really nice, a little bit too tangy for my tongue but good! We will most definitely return with a few more friends.

During heavy season like football they are slow about answering the phone for pick up orders. The wings are good I recommend dry as opposed to sauce wings. They tend to have too much sauce. I like sauce but not too much get it on the side. It's a really good wing spot.

I love their wings and Meatballs. The venue downtown has music and an area you can rent for events. I would highly recommend They Say. The management team and staff are usually very nice.

This place has always been a go to. While home we went to a family members graduation celebration. The staff as always was nice and on top of everything. We had the wings with mini baked potatoes. For drinks I had a whiskey sour and the Lady had a margarita. This place never disappoints.

Okay because who doesn't like They Say wings?!!! We know these are wayyyy better than Sweetwater! The customer service is ify. Sometimes they're really good, other times u can do without the attitude. I'm not sure if they open upstairs or not, it's been an extremely long time since I've been up there. They should open this back up as a club honestly. Salad was delicious, Cajun pasta was good too! My sprite was disgusting and I returned it and got water. I believe it was the end of the night super syrup thing. It can be a bit busy so use ur patience!

The food is good. You have to wait 10-20 minutes for water and a menu. Service is an attitudinal mess. Like fr, y'all could really use some training. Everything is super slow. Cooks always look like they're struggling. Now once you get over the hump of people acting like they don't actually care if you like their establishment or not and get your food and drink--it's delicious. The bar is really the place to sit. I've been here 4 times in 4 years. I want it to evolve but it never does. The food is consistent though. I guess you can't win em all.

All I can say I can say is that this place was FIRE. I was visiting with my organization from California, and this was a place that was recommended. I went twice in one day. For lunch I had the turkey burger and the chicken strips. Turkey burger was okay, but those chicken strips were on point. Nice vibe and good to see black owned business. I seen some of my peers ordered the turkey chops, and I knew that I had missed out, so we double backed later that night for dinner. I grabbed the fried Turkey Chops. Not disappointed at all. Our waitress was very accommodating, even tho we came in late close to the time they were about to close. I forget her name, but I know she had a small heart tattoo under her left eye, and she was FINE. I would've got her number, but the Turkey Chops was too good to come up from my plate. Whenever I come back to the D, I will be here for sure

This restaurant is not a good steward of the neighborhood. I live across the street from this place, and they refuse to keep their property in good condition. There is frequently large amounts of trash strewn throughout the lot, and it was only after I filed a blight complaint with the City of Detroit that they repaired the derelict fencing around their property. They also frequently allow customers to blast loud music in their parking lot and the adjacent street, late at night and in violation of noise ordinances...if your music is rattling my windows 9 floors up, it's TOO LOUD. They also have an obnoxious flashing neon sign outside that pollutes the neighborhood with excess light. I asked them to turn it off after hours, but they refused. Turns out it is actually in violation of current City lighting ordinances, but that ordinance was just recently adopted, so they're grandfathered in.

I like They Say the food is good and drinks however it is a hit or miss. the waitress I had on Mother's day had us waiting forever for everything I am usually patient but it was ridiculous and I had to tip the other waitress for bringing me water and the other one came to give my card. i understand she was busy but they were too and they tried to help us. She is a cute girl name start with a N. I still tipped her even though they took gratuities but she didn't deserve it. I also saw food ready just sitting there and no one took it to people tables after several minutes that's not good

I've been here a few times. The food is okay. My service was good. I ordered the corned beef sandwich with a side of veggies. I found it weird that they wanted me to put my mask on every time my waitress came to my table. Most restaurants let you take it off once seated. The tables were spread far enough to practice safe social distancing. They don't have virtual menus. All of the staff wore masks.

Very crowded at the time we went. The aroma of the food was awesome. Wanted to wait in line just gif the aroma. Looking at the food going passed us was looking good. The ambiance was great and finally food delicious!

It's one of three restaurants on the street. They Say always seems fun with live music on Monday nights. Music was super loud but we were beepin back and forth to it. Music was real good. Service was real bad. I think our servicer name was Stephany. She didn't tell us- the receipt did. Some of the food was cold. The salmon was dry. The wings were really good. The They Say sauce- was made with love. The seafood dip was yum other than that- everything was cold or dry. Super disappointing. The waitress grabbed all the tops of the waters with her fingers- and opened my beer with her hand. I don't know with the flu going around and other health concerns I was really unhappy with the lack of attention and consideration our server had. I think she rolled her eyes four times I only saw one but my girlfriend caught the other three. We had to ask for items a couple different times like napkins or refills on our drinks or tarter sauce for the cat fish but when it finally came the cat fish was eaten. Anyways- They Say prolly was good at one point in time. The bartender was very sweet. Hopefully it turns around. The music was awesome where that in itself would be fun to go back- maybe- I don't know- Naw after a short moment to reflect that's safe They Say, Sad to Say, its our first and last time to visit.

Turkey chops, broccoli, garlic mashed potatoes, and I enjoyed every bite. I will be going back.

Really great service. Prompt and courteous. I had fried catfish.... Excellent!! Fried hard with fries and Cole slaw. Everything was good , including the slaw. We went early afternoon so not to crowded. Sports bar by day; jazz by night really cool laid back vibe. Parking is good if your there early, park in back.

This place was so good! Waited a bit long for service the waiter kept saying he'd be right with us but kept tending to other tables. The tenders were fall off the imaginary bone good and don't let me start on their they say sauce. Just mwaah! cant really remember the drink name but it had Black Hennessy, pretty good just not a dark drinker. Went at 10pm on a weekday! Will definitely be back!!

We sat at the bar first the manager/owner was amazing made sure we got a table and drinks. We ordered our appetizers then the waitress never came back for our orders and we stopped another waitress to order(glasses with a blue tint).. she was super annoyed and was really rude. Had it not been for the rest of our party i would have left .. there was another women in our party that felt the same way. The same waitress even was arguing on the floor with a man on speaker phone about calling her so much and was yelling back and forth.. another waitress grabbed her because everyone was looking at this point... she was even annoyed with the waitress telling her that everyone was looking. Legit some of the worst service i have ever had at any restaurant ever... i mean no refills no one coming back to check if our food was good.. had to even go get the checks.. it was not by any means busy. I mean the waitress was rolling her eyes and everything.. the reviews on this restaurant are legit true.. i thought maybe they were exaggerated. Definitely not the case! The food was great. The steak bites were amazing and the sweet potato fries were prolly the best I've ever had! The wings were on point and the turkey chops looked amazing i felt like i was missing out by not ordering them(someone else's plate). If i had to come here i would sit at the bar! No wonder everyone was trying to sit there and not a table.

Nice music beautiful decor great food me and my husband visited in January it was so nice

Food was tasty. Lamb chops and catfish were seasoned well. They didn't have the red velvet cheesecake! Oh we got the wings and they were cooked well and sauce was delish!

Horrible. The server the manager and the environment was just horrible. I didn't get a chance to order any food everybody had an attitude. I'll never eat here.

highly recommend this trendy restaurant right by the Detroit riverfront and Aretha franklin arena! I'm fairly picky when it comes to hospitality and their service was top notch! we had Raphael as our server and he was super attentive and friendly; we also met the general manager (can't remember her name but she was very welcoming and I always love to see a woman GM!) great food and drink options for super reasonable prices; although they didn't have many vegetarian meal options, I found plenty of options to make a meal out of sides. my party of three had drinks, meals & desserts for about $60 total- an absolute score for city dining!

I thought I reserved a table for 20 people for my birtoday but when I got to the restaurant I found out that I didn't confirm it. But the restaurant members worked it up for me. Everything was great. Good food and good time. I give They say a 10. Thank You to everyone at They Say Restaurant for making my Birthday Special

Great customer service, but drinks trash food selection limited and just wasn't appetizing ordered a they say trio chicken quesadillas weren't done just too much cheese and they say nachos .. they should rename it Starters because it was good start but won't be back and still hungry

First sit down meal since COVID-19 hit and I must admit the service/enthusiasm was just not what I expected after months of take outs and eating at home. My wings were on point and the signature jumbo shrimp meal was a little over cooked but definitely still edible. The tables were spaced well for social distancing. They Say has always been one of my Riverfront favs so I'm not counting them out....I'll Be Back...lol

The bathrooms were absolutely disgusting, toilets were filled with toilet paper and stool. The server Raphael was the only positive thing about the restaurant.

20 minute wait but were seated in half the time. I love cocktail menus at restaurants, but here they will just make whatever you ask for. My friend ordered the wings and received a legendary portion. She also received fries when she really ordered onion rings. The onion rings came after we got our bill. I ordered the ribeye which had more fat than expected. The veggies also seemed to be the steamed grocery store bag kind and not fresh.

This place has a wonderful vibe. The food selection is really good - which includes their staple of chicken wings. The restaraunt and bar both are a nice hang out spot. Great networking. You can even rent the upstairs for parties ...

Before the Yelp event on Belle Isle we stopped in to get a drink.. It was about 95 outside and 85 in the bar. We sat for a bit before we got service but what she lacked in the beginning she made up for! I got a $5 margarita for happy hour and I told her to make it strong, man she didn't disappoint! I'm usually a extra shot of tequila on the side type girl but she really hit the nail on the head with the margarita!! We also got potato skins to help my ulcer not absorb all the alcohol I'd be consuming as the night rolled on. As we sat there a "regular" came in and we struck up a conversation. She told us that it's usually pretty cool in here so something must be going on!! But, she also said the food was excellent. The skins were decent. Never know what to expect, ya know? I think besides the air being non-existent it was great! Seemed to be a local hot spot and everyone was great! I will definitely come back.. Only con: Parking! It can be a bit difficult but it was even that bad. Just can be tricky!!

We went here after a concert at Sound Board. It was recommended by one of the people in the group. It is a busy spot located off of Jefferson. Parking....not good. I found a spot on a side street but there is also a structure you can park in. There is a bar in entering and various areas that you can be seated in. It is a lively spot. I placed my name The wait was long. We were told to make our way to the back and wait. There were couches and a TV which made it better. There are various things on the menu from shrimp, steak, sandwiches and chicken. I ordered the Chicken wing appetizer and the rib tips. The wings with the special hot bbq sauce was finger livking good. The rib tips....ahhh not so much. They were just ok. It was a little slow. The waitress was attentive and good. I would visit again one day if in the area.

Best chicken in town, good food in general, call ahead if your gonna order take out, or have a drink at the bar while you wait!

I use to love They Say but things have changed. The staff (waitresses and bartenders) are still great but the food has fallen off considerable.

I'll be very specific!! The food was very bland (no flavor) The staff took 30 mins to bring us (a party of 3) water. I ordered catfish bites and wish I hadn't honestly(no flavor). The seafood dip had again no flavor. The chicken wings had been over cooked the salmon was as well. I waited until my friends food was done before receiving my own entree (to eat alone ‍ I'm giving 2 stars because the parking is free and the playlist (music) was 90's R&B.

I was in a group of about 9pm and arrived a few minutes before the kitchen closed down. It was very long day working the Growler Gallop race at Atwater, and we were ready for a decent meal. These awesome folks kept the kitchen open, and provided top notch service. The Fried Chicken Sandwich and Fries was very good, and the Catfish Bites too. We all sat at the bar, and had an awesome time. I would highly recommend this place. These guys truly know how to provided an excellent customer experience, with great food and drinks.

Fantastic food and experience here. My pork chop was perfect, juicy and properly seasoned. Bread pudding was other worldly.

They Say was a great experience! it was around 10:20pm Wednesday when we walked in... not too many patrons but the staff was happy and ready to serve us! India, was our waitress and she had great energy with a smile on the whole time! We split an order of the wings, which were AMAZING!! He got the catfish, and I got the salmon with veggies and rice! Our whole meal was amazing and tasted like "home cooking"! We will definitely be back!

Lamb chops! Look at this picture.... need I say more? They were "gnaw-on-the-bone" GOOD!

My family and I were seated within about 10min on a Friday night, it appeared to be only 1 waitress working that's not okay on a Friday night. I wouldn't have not minded waiting but the waitress was not friendly, didn't smile nor did she make any eye contact. Then our food finally came to the table after an extremely long wait. The lamb chops were cold along with everything else on the plate. A salad was also ordered with grilled salmon on top......the salmon nearly raw couldn't be eaten. This was my first and last visit to this place, the kitchen and wait staff need to be taken out out service and trained properly. A.S.A.P

I actually went to the New Location in Harper Woods ((in front of the Old Eastland Mall)) The location just opened 3weeks ago, is in a nice spot.. we stumbled across the location by accident but I'm sure glad we did on Wednesday they have Karaoke ((FUN!)) And of course the Infamous "They Say Wings!" I only ordered a drink but Absolutely enjoyed the people watching.

The food was amazing....I strongly recommend the Cajun Chicken Pasta and the Carrot Cake.

I work nearby and go here about once a month. Their lunch specials are delicious and fresh and only $7 with a drink included! I get the burger and it's always amazing. Chicken Pot Pie soup is great, too! My only complaint is that they could use some non-starch sides to sub with the specials! While waitstaff is great and attentive, it takes awhile to get your food. The kitchen area looks tiny and it's my guess that it's the food being prepared that's actually holding up the process. I'm almost always rushing back to work so i'm not late...and that's with ordering food as soon as we sit down and asking for/paying the bill when the food is brought out. For this reason, we don't go as often as we'd like. Also, if you pay cash and don't have exact change, don't expect to get your coin change back!

The wings were excellent the They Say sauce was better than the sweet chilli sauce but both were good. Everytime I come I'm going to order the wings with the They Say sauce cause it was excellent. The catfish nuggets were also really good however, they did have large pieces of bones in them.

I'm changing my tune about They Say because the last time a friend and I went to pick up carryout, we were COMPLETELY IGNORED for about 5 minutes until we addressed the host directly. Even though we had been there several times (we work across the street) she obviously didn't want to speak to us. She then proceeded to walk away never to return. After 10 more minutes, we planted ourselves at the bar hoping to get service there. Not so much. The bartender looked right at us and it was only after we told her what we needed without being asked that she went to retrieve our food from the kitchen. Really? I mean, it's carryout. You grab a bag and hand it over. Unacceptable. I got a very negative feeling from the staff for no apparent reason, and I will NOT be returning, despite the decent food. My friend and I are "less melanated" people, and I got the feeling that this was the reason for our mistreatment. They've never been this rude before, and my only explanation is that we were with "more melanated" people those times. Listen. Perhaps many whities can be jerks, but we are not them. We tip well. We smile and ask nicely. Perhaps we had to pay that day for all the mistreatment that had come before us from other "less melanated" patrons, and I get it, but this will be the last time we go there. That's a lot of dollars lost from the ladies who lunch right across the street.

Loved the turkey chop options and the ambiance was nice. Unfortunately with staffing shortage service was a bit slow. Wanted extra gravy never received.

We came here today after the memorial service for our dear relative. There were 8 of us and we were seated promptly. I'm not from the area, but everything looked delicious. I ordered the salmon croquettes and jasmine rice. It came with a tasty sauce. My raspberry tea was the best I've ever had. Everyone enjoyed their food. Our waitress was very kind and super efficient. I'm sorry I don't remember her name.

Been here twice. Once for a co-worker and then today scouting for Xmas Party places for the company. Prices are average to high. But food is good. I found nothing I wanted on the menu tho, but ended up getting the trio with Catfish Nuggets, They Say Wings, and Chicken Quesadillas. And an order of fries. It's 13 bucks. Server was quick and nice enough. Best thing was the wings and the quesadilla. Although I enjoyed the fries which are similar to rallys fries with that coating. I'd come again, I enjoy the atmosphere.

Always A Great Time @ They Say!!! Nice vibe... great choice after a Chene Park concert. Bartenders have heavy hands. Never disappointing dishes. Reasonably priced food and drinks. Parking lots accommodate customers. Well lit with security.

Good vibes! Good food! I went to the downtown location and had a great experience with my boo. The customer service was great and the chicken was on point! Don't forget to order the bread pudding because you will definitely thank me later!

Here is one business that should not reopen! Customer service is non-existent! Food at best is average, they need to go into a business where they do not engage with the public.