Highlands Detroit — Restaurant in Detroit

I had made reservations a couple of weeks prior but we had to cancel due to the smoke from the Canadian fires. The restaurant sends you an email the day before your visit asking if you still want to dine or to cancel.

Four of us had a drink in the bar before our 7pm reservation. We sat at window seats and our server was lovely to us. Even taking our pictures. They were able to accommodate a drink order for Tom Collins with whipped egg white. My vodka martini was excellent with an unexpected charge for blue cheese stuffed olives. That’s a first but they were delicious. The bar was filled with lots of yummy smelling food being served. It’s a limited bar menu but certainly has something for everyone.

The host approached us to say our table was ready, right at 7pm. After reading lots of reviews we were not expecting more than a great view and steep bill. Boy were those reviews wrong.

The service was impeccable. The food was divine. My partner is vegan and they accommodated him beautifully. He had the wine pairing with his meal and said it was perfection. It is a price fixe with 3 courses. We loved it all. Every course, every bite. We enjoyed a very nice wine chosen by the sommelier. He asked us what we liked and our price range. It was under $100 and perfect for our dinner. The view of course is spectacular. The seating was all about the view. We were not rushed and had time to savor the tastes of each course. Our table was cleaned appropriately. Our birthday boy (70) was given a delicious dessert and we ordered a slice of cheese cake to split. All fabulous. We had a great and memorable evening. I feel bad for anyone who experienced anything different. It is expensive but it is worth it. I have one comment that is on the negative side. I had read in one review about the price fixe meal and wanted to know if that was the only choice for dining. Also I was concerned about our vegan guest. I tried calling the restaurant more times than I can say and the phone was never picked up. I left messages and was never called back. I perused the menu and then reviews for information I needed. I find this unacceptable for a restaurant of this quality. I became concerned that we may have made a mistake by choosing this place. We discussed it and decided to go for it. Mainly due to memories we had of dining at this spot decades ago with our entire family. And the weather was going to cooperate. So we approached it with an attitude of let’s just go for it. I’m so glad we did. So don’t make the mistake of focusing on bad reviews. Check the dates on them. If they are old it could be that things have changed for the better. This truly was a fine...

I have been to the Highlands 5 or 6 times in the last few years and every time has been a phenomenal experience. The food and drinks have been perfection, the service impeccable, and the view is amazing. It is our "go to" special place for any important celebration. So, I was very excited that my son had booked us at the Highlands for the Mother's Day Brunch and been looking forward to it for over a month. We were seated promptly upon arrival, and our waiter introduced himself and explained how everything worked. He took our drink order and told us to please help ourselves to the buffet. Besides returning with our drinks that was pretty much the last time we saw him. I ordered a Mimosa, my son and my friend ordered the Bloody Mary. All were $16 a piece, which is fine for the great drinks we have received previously in the bar area, but that certainly wasn't the case here. The Bloody Mary's tasted like tomato juice and vodka with no spice, and a pickle and olive set inside. We then helped ourselves to the food, which included carved ham and steak, crab eggs benedict, quiche and some heavy pasta dishes and sides. The quiche was hard, and absolutely everything else was cold. The best part was the steak and mashed potatoes (at least the gravy was hot). I had to go to the bartender near the buffet to get another Mimosa, and not one plate was ever cleared from our table. The dessert table consisted of mini eclairs and danishes like the ones you can purchase from Costco. I was at least happy for the fresh fruit. The worst part was that my friend had never been to the Highlands, and my son and I have been telling him for a couple years now how wonderful of a dining experience it is. I was basically embarrassed. The whole experience was way overpriced and very disappointing. We have always dined on the 71st floor in the actual Highlands restaurant and bar area, and this was on the 72nd floor in the special event area. This should've been explained much better on your website, or possibly use a different name to lower the expectations. I am absolutely fine with the pricing in the past in the actual restaurant because we have always had an exquisite experience, but this time we definitely did not get what we paid for. I do feel I may give it another chance and return to dine in the restaurant, but greatly hope the ambience, service and food is how I have remembered...

I made a reservation 5 or 6 days prior for a Friday night birthday dinner for my wife. I'm glad I booked that far ahead as the dinner rush was evident. We were first greeted at the base of the elevator and the gentleman there was kind enough to wish my wife a happy birthday. Arriving at the 71st Flr, we were promptly seated by the host staff. They also wished my wife a happy birthday. We were placed at what felt like a premiere window seat and had a Great view of Detroit. The tables are spread apart enough so you don't feel like you're encroaching on other conversations. We were offered water pretty much right after we sat down. Which was nice. And my water glass never achieved empty throughoutthe night. Even better! Our server Red Head Jen came over a few minuets later. She was full of energy and made for great conversation and she also, wished my wife a happy birthday. For dinner, I started with the Heirloom Tomatoes. They were Excellent! The bit of mint thrown in was super refreshing. My wife started with the King Prawns. They were seasoned well, but size wise, very underwhelming. They definitely felt of the large variety of shrimp rather than a colossal or even a jumbo prawn. I think the spectical of 2 colossal prawns visually appeals more than 3 shrimp the size of something you might see at a wedding. And I know the King Prawn species are available in a larger size. Second course was a steak for both of us. She went with the 8oz filet cooked medium and I of course chose the 12oz American Wagyu in medium rare. They got our cooking temperature backwards, but the medium that I got wasn't completely overcooked so I wasn't going to send back a perfectly good steak. My knife still cut through it like warm butter and the peal onions added even more great flavor. And I wasn't about to tell my wife she was eating it medium rare. 😆 And she downed it pretty quickly. We ordered Harissa Carrots to go with dinner. They were good, but I felt like they were a little over powered by the harissa spice and I wasn't getting a lot of the carrot flavor. Third course we both got the Cheesecake with Michigan cherries. Which was Bomb! The cheesecake cake was rich but light and didn't taste granular at all and the slight hint of lemon was pleasant.

Overall, Great experience. But for a $400, I'd expect my steak cooked perfectly....