SavannahBlue — Restaurant in Detroit

I waited 24 hours after my visit before writing my review. I went on February 4th (my birthday) for dinner with 7 other adults. This was my first visit to this restaurant but I've wanted to try it for awhile!! I ubered there and when I walked in, I was greeted to STAIRS!!! There's no host or posted signage about whether to go down or up but based on the sound of the music, I went up. 20 or so stairs later, I was in the dining area. There was an unattended coat rack and again, no host/hostess. I went in and found my co-worker. She arrived first and sat at the bar (solo) and ordered 1 drink (blackberry lemon drop). The drink was $16 and she was charged automatic gratuity. They would not seat us (although the restaurant was not busy) until our entire party arrived. Shortly after I arrived, the rest of my party arrived and we were finally seated! We were given glasses of water then the server walked away. 20 minutes later he comes back to take our drink order. We order 5 alcoholic drinks and 3 "freshly squeezed lemonades." Almost 30 minutes later, our drinks arrived... Again, the restaurant is not busy on a random Tuesday, 2 hours after opening. Maybe another half hour goes by before he returns to get our dinner order. Because there's such a long wait between him checking on us, I asked for 2 pitchers of water so that we can just serve ourselves. It took forever for him to bring 1 pitcher of water and we never got the 2nd one. I ordered the whole red snapper (2 hours after opening) and they didnt have it. My backup was the oxtails. Everyone else had chicken or catfish along with mac and cheese, yams, greens and a Cesar salad. 1.5 hours later, our dinner items crept out 2 at a time about 10 minutes apart. We've been here for hours, everyone is fresh off a long day's work and we are HUNGRY!! The food... Was terrible. And that is putting it nicely. My taste buds have never been so offended. My oxtails were extremely TENDER!! That is the highlight of my meal. It was very salty but otherwise flavorless. My coworker complained that her Cesar salad was gritty and tasted dirty. The catfish was fried beautifully but was again salty but otherwise bland. The chicken was flavorless and didnt come with the sauce it was supposed to have. The yams were like sugar and the greens were canned at best. Our plates remained full of food as we asked for boxes and the checks. We gave honest feedback that Im sure will fall on deaf ears. Some people went to Wendy's immediately after leaving and some of us went to coney island. This was a miserable experience from start to finish. I usually believe in trying things at least twice. I will not put myself through that a second time. You have been warned. We did notice people who sat at the bar were getting extremely fast service. We saw people who came HOURS after us get their food BEFORE us. Zero stars was not an option but to be fair (I guess) the oxtails were mid at best. And the place is so damn dark. Not sexy vibes dark but like who didnt pay the utility bill dark. Just.... Stay home and order Domino's. Edit... The person who said she was the manager did offer us shots so I will give credit for that. Not that it even comes close to making up for such an awful dining experience. And your automatic (20% or more)...

TL;DR: It was great. Go eat there. Wear your stretchy pants.

I like to break my reviews into The Good, The Bad, & The Truth, partly because you should know what you’re getting into, and partly because I like to yap on the internet.

The Good I went to St. Lucia in college once to chase a fine island girl. When I realized it wasn’t going to work out, one thing almost made me risk it all to stay: the oxtail, peas and rice, with plantain.

I’m Nigerian, so I’m no stranger to great food, but that meal was different. Even typing this has me sweating.

So imagine my reaction when I ordered the same thing at SavannahBlue. The presentation was magnificent, the atmosphere gave high-end food to feed your soul vibes, and my server was so charming I found myself wanting to call her “Auntie” or “Ma” every time she called me "Suga".

I took my first bite, and time stopped. My date asked if I was okay. I said yes, which was a lie. The fourth lie I’d told today, and the first to her.

Because I wasn’t okay. I needed to know who cooked this, who prepared a meal that felt like a mature, savory explanation of something I didn’t know but was glad to be taught by a spellbinding, enthusiastic teacher.

I asked the server to bring me the cook. I refused to take another bite until I met them.

Now, I’m 6’3" (but on Tinder I’m 6’5"), so I know the request might have looked… intense. But Ma, this was not your problem to solve. Only the cook could fix this.

In that moment, I worried, what if the cook was the girl I ghosted ten years ago? The one who fed me countless to-go containers of her cooking. The one whose heart I took along with all that food. Would I have to beg for her forgiveness in front of my current date?

The cook arrived, and no, it wasn’t her. It was a middle-aged man with a stained apron, sweat on his brow, and the look of someone who needed a smoke break. Love didn’t find me that night, but something else did, the realization that food can make you hallucinate about romance.

I slid him a $20 for his trouble and sent him back to the kitchen. Then I finished my meal in silence, reflecting on how close I came to throwing my whole life away over a plate of oxtail.

The Bad I didn’t order anything to-go. I got full too fast. And… I miss the cook.

The Truth You’ll be greeted at the door by a host. It’s a split-level spot — bar upstairs, restaurant downstairs, and I believe a lounge as well.

Walking up the stairs feels like arriving somewhere you’ve been welcomed before. The setting is warm, but the chairs aren’t the sturdiest, though I’m built like a ’95 linebacker, so maybe that’s just me.

The crowd was mixed, and it’s a great date-night vibe. I counted seven couples in the dining room, plus larger tables for groups.

I ordered my life-changing oxtail. My partner got the lamb — and kindly didn’t finish it, so I did. Epic. Could have been slapped at that table and still been too happy to care.

Expect to spend about $150 for two meals, one appetizer, and two drinks. I spent $180, and after tip it came to $220, worth every penny.

Detroit is quietly becoming another “Chocolate City” (IYKYK), and SavannahBlue is a gem. In fact, Detroit might not be showing this place...

When I first read about the restaurant, I was ecstatic. I immediately told my mom we would have to try this place during our visit to Motor City. When I saw that there was a dress code, I was even more impressed. I've never been to a "classy" soul food restaurant. My mom and I dressed to the gods for our dinner. First, the parking is horrendous despite being in a "dead city." No offense, but Detroit is not a bustling city. Some parts are active, but they are only active up until a certain point in the day. We found a garage across the street from the restaurant. However, it is secluded, and there's no elevator from the restaurant side. You'd have to walk around the building about a block. This would be fine in a regular city, but you do not want to walk around Detroit at night alone. When we walk to the restaurant, an entire group stares at us like we're from outer space.

We didn't get the memo that the dress code rule was not enforced. These folks were dressed in extremely casual clothes. When we entered the lobby, it smelled like sewage. We arrived upstairs and were placed in a center booth/table. Our waiter was atrocious. He seemed like he didn't want to be at work. It took him 20 minutes to take our drink orders. It then took him 30 minutes to tell us that the alcoholic beverages we requested were no longer available. Keep in mind that it was late, and there weren't many people in the restaurant. When he took our dinner orders, it took 2 hours for us to receive our food. When we finally received our dinner, my mom's order was acceptable. But mine was cold. I played it safe and ordered chicken. The chicken was cold, and it tasted like the fried chicken steak from Denny’s. I was so disgusted I asked for the check. The bill was over $150.00. I was forced to give the waiter a $20 tip based on their gratuity policy. It was so unnecessary. This place sucks. The food, service, and ambiance are not worth the price. The owners should be ashamed and need to try again. I am so disappointed as I wanted to support myself in this endeavor. However, it proved to be a horrible night. Do not waste your time at...