Mad Nice — Restaurant in Detroit

You seriously charged us $2 for each glass of tap water?

I took my wife out to Mad Nice for date night. There are parking spots on the street (all filled), but they do have valet for $15. The restaurant is large with an open kitchen design and a large bar in the middle. Large, dimly lit lights that changed colors are throughout the restaurant with large speakers that played an odd selection of electronic-style music. The restaurant also pumps in a scent into the area (and bathroom) that I said was akin to grandma's perfume; it was not pleasant and gave me a headache shortly after arriving. After a short wait, we were shown to our table which was a two top that was positioned very close to the neighboring tables (18 inches away).

After perusing the drink menu, it was clear that this restaurant is charging ABSURD PRICES for drinks. Eagle Rare for $30 a pour when the bottle is $40 retail? Lagavulin 16 for $50 a pour when the bottle is $100 retail? Right down the list, the prices are way out of line. Total unacceptable in my book to have this large of an upcharge on straight pours.

Our waitress came back after quite some time with our drinks. We asked about the chef's special which our waitress told us about, but didn't give any hints or pointers or suggestions about the menu at all. (I did see a waiter a couple of tables over going into great detail about the food and making suggestions.) We ended up ordering Sour Dough Bread ($10) for an starter, Egg Ravioli ($34) and a Margherita Pizza ($24). The sourdough was OK, but seemed to lack salt. The sweet cream butter and olive oil were very good though. The Egg Ravioli was the highlight of the meal. 3 Ravioli were serviced. The flavor was great and the egg was cooked perfectly, but the pasta was a little under on the bottom of the ravioli making it a little too toothsome and chewy. The Margherita Pizza was just OK. The bones of the crust was good, but the center of the pizza was quite floppy and underdone with the sauce leaning acidic in parts and sweet in other parts; it was quite strange to have big variations in the same pizza.

Overall, I believe there to be a standard in dining especially when you are charging the prices Mad Nice is charging and this restaurant fell well short of that standard. The prices are way, way too high for the quality of food and service. Again, NO ONE should be charging for plain water and NO ONE should be charging the absurd prices for your liquor. I would absolutely not go back to this restaurant as there are numerous other choices in the area that charge less for their food and deliver better quality food...

I recently had the unfortunate experience dining at Mad Nice that left me utterly disappointed and underwhelmed. Despite its promising reputation and elegant ambiance, my evening turned out to be a regrettable affair.

To begin with, the service was far from satisfactory. The waitstaff seemed disinterested and inattentive throughout the entire meal. It took an exorbitant amount of time for our orders to be taken, and even longer for the food to arrive at our table. The lack of professionalism and genuine care was evident, leaving us feeling neglected and unimportant.

Now, let's talk about the food itself. Given the restaurant's upscale status, I had high expectations for an exquisite culinary experience. Unfortunately, the dishes fell short in numerous ways. The presentation lacked finesse and creativity, appearing rather dull and unappealing. While the menu boasted of using the finest ingredients, the flavors were surprisingly bland and uninspiring. It felt like the chef had played it safe, failing to deliver the vibrant and authentic Italian flavors that one would expect from such a restaurant.

Moreover, the portion sizes were incredibly underwhelming, especially considering the hefty price tags. Each dish left me feeling unsatisfied and still hungry, as if I had only tasted a mere glimpse of what a true Italian feast should be. The lack of value for money was truly disheartening, as it felt like the restaurant was solely focused on maximizing profits rather than providing a memorable dining experience.

To add insult to injury, the wine overpriced. I expected a comprehensive list of carefully curated Italian wines, but instead, I was met with a disappointing array of mediocre options at inflated prices. It seemed like yet another attempt to squeeze every last penny from patrons without offering them a truly remarkable experience.

Overall, my visit to Mad Nice was a regrettable one. From the lackluster service to the uninspiring dishes and overpriced wine, it failed to live up to its reputation and left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. I cannot recommend this restaurant to anyone seeking an authentic and memorable Italian dining experience. Save your time and money by exploring other options that genuinely value their customers and offer a true...

Food and beverage was outstanding and our server was wonderful/down to earth compared to the rest of the visit!

However, arriving was another story. In all fairness, I was about 15 min early. I was first told I needed my whole party to be present to be seated (there were two of us) and I could go to the bar if I'd like to have a drink while waiting. It was 5:30 and the room was nearly empty.

Then some weird guy comes up using the most bizarre low voice saying he was my concierge and he would seat me. He then takes me to a two top next to a strange couple sitting on the same side of the booth spilling into one of the seats meant for my party. It was clear the man wasn't moving and only wanted to rub his chest against her nearly bare breasts (which I legit didn't want to deal with while eating).

Meanwhile, the entire row of tables was empty. Why did he have to pile us next to them where there wasn't any space in our actual seats? So I asked for another table (I was completely irritated at the lack of common sense used here and it showed).

The concierge then had to confer with the hostess to find another table (not sure why because there were plenty of open tables during the two hours we were there). Finally, he says he has "a table in the back" (which felt like a code for punishment) and takes me to a table leaving a space between me and the table on the end.

Eventually another couple is seated between us and asks to be moved. Then they dropped another couple there while the two tables to our left remained empty.

I'd recommend reconfiguring the space or thinking about how your guests prefer to be seated. The fact that you're trying to pile guests on top of each other in a post-COVID world is out of touch. It was also uncomfortable for me to have to ask to be moved away from that creepy couple.

While the food and service was wonderful, the rest of the experience left so much to be desired (not to mention how loud the space was - the music and the even louder voices to be heard over the music). Finally, the menu prices don't correspond with the environment - it felt like price gouging despite the food and drinks being...