The Apparatus Room — Restaurant in Detroit

The Apparatus Room – A Modern Firehouse Revival in Downtown Detroit

Housed in a meticulously restored firehouse, The Apparatus Room manages to strike that rare balance between grandeur and warmth. From the moment we arrived, the experience felt curated. The valet service was seamless—professional, personable, and executed with ease—setting the tone for the evening.

Stepping inside, the first impression is breathtaking. The design is a masterclass in atmosphere: soaring ceilings, exposed elements, soft yet dramatic lighting, and an open kitchen that invites diners into the theater of its craft. Every detail—from flooring to table settings—feels intentional, harmonizing into an aesthetic that is both modern and timeless. The bar itself is a showpiece, a luminous anchor to the room’s energy.

We had a reservation, which I highly recommend, though the host accommodated us with grace. Diners should note that seating impacts the menu: the floor and the bar each offer distinct selections, a detail worth knowing before choosing.

Our evening began with cocktails. I ordered the Lafayette Spritz, an immediate standout—refreshing, balanced, and arguably one of the best cocktails I’ve had in the city. For appetizers, we sampled the chilled shrimp and the crusted pork belly. Both impressed, but the pork belly stole the show: layered with delicate slices of peach, radish, and red pepper, the flavors played off one another in a surprising and sophisticated harmony. The shrimp, perched on horseradish sauce and lettuce, was clean, bright, and just as memorable.

For mains, I selected the steak, while my wife chose the half chicken. The steak, accompanied by mixed vegetables atop a potato cake, was cooked closer to rare than my requested medium-rare, but its flavor and texture carried it nonetheless. The chicken, however, fell short—overly complicated in presentation without delivering depth in taste, leaving my wife underwhelmed.

One curious discovery during our wait was the “dual menu” system. While seated on the dining floor, we noticed nearby guests at the bar enjoying burgers and fries not available to us. The bar menu, we learned, differs from the floor’s more curated list. Though the dishes that passed by looked mouthwatering, the limited floor menu felt restrictive, especially for first-time diners.

That said, presentation throughout was impeccable. Each plate arrived like a canvas, elegantly arranged, and designed to impress before the first bite.

Final Thoughts

The Apparatus Room excels in ambience, service, and creativity, with cocktails and appetizers shining brightest. The entrées showed flashes of brilliance but weren’t consistently remarkable. The dual menu system, while offering variety, can feel exclusionary unless clearly explained upfront.

Rating: 8/10 We look forward to returning—this time at the bar—to explore the more casual offerings and continue discovering what this striking downtown destination...

The Apparatus Room itself is absolutely beautiful. It has been imagined perfectly, providing a truly comfortable, contemporary vibe but again, comfortable. The lighting, the seating, the fireplace... it gets a 5/5. If you come, I highly recommend doing it for drinks as there is great seating at the bar and a generous space for sitting and having a wonderful time whether you are one, two or six people.

We were staying at the hotel and made a reservation for dinner. And this was a mistake, honestly. I think the reason is the staff are just not seasoned enough. It will take time. Cassidy was our manager/maitre'd and she put as in a section that was empty even though the balance of the restaurant was hopping. I looked at a wall and if I turned around, all I could see was six empty tables against a big banquet. You knew there was a great vibe going on, the kitchen open and exciting and the lighting and everything great - but we couldn't see it, couldn't feel it and were just alone in am empty section. About an hour later, people were added to the area. An experienced manager would have seated people in that area (which is the far corner of the restaurant) when he or she could have seated a number of people within the same time period. Without people around, it just seemed lonely.

My wife had a salad that was hugely underwhelming and the gem lettuce was old - too old in a few places - dark and spoiled looking in parts. I ordered the steak medium rare and the waiter asked if I wanted an additional side. I asked how big was the rosti potato that came with it and he said really small... so I ordered a side of roasted potatoes. The steak ($75) came far too late (my wife was almost finished) and it was very well done - and the rosti potato serving was very generous so we didn't need the side. I get it, it was probably busy and I didn't complain because I am not that guy. But the waiter ought to have asked the chef "is this medium rare". It was not subjective. It was cooked cooked cooked. The waiter's demeanour, by the way, was wonderful and he seemed really nice - I have nothing but good things to say about their cheerful charm.

That said, the drinks were excellent. I had a delicious vodka martini that was served to absolute perfection. Which leads me to... The Apparatus Room is probably a great special occasion dining experience but other than that, skip the food. The bar experience is amazing, the music great, the atmosphere and aesthetic hugely curated and fantastic. You are in the same room, getting the same vibe but you will not have the disappointment... just pleasure.

And the best for us... we were staying in the hotel so the trip back to the room...

It pains me to leave this review. My party of 7 came to celebrate, anticipating a first class experience. The food quality, flavors and presentation earned 5 stars, wow! But food was served carelessly at improper temperature by people who didn’t care or inquire about it. The service was a major disappointment. Friendly, so 2 stars for service instead of 1. If this was a Cracker Barrel, I’d rate the service a 3 out of 5 but totally inappropriate for a restaurant that tries and succeeds so well in other areas. Just a quick list of things which were out of line on our visit at 5:45 on a Sunday evening with maybe 20% of tables full. A member of staff poured water but did not greet us. I was surprised that the woman who filled our water glasses and left without a word turned up 10 minutes later and introduced herself as our server. We had questions about the menu/drinks but had nobody to ask. Once we finally ordered drinks and they began to arrive, they arrived in 3 batches so the first served sat awkwardly while looking around to figure out what went wrong and who was missing drinks. The bar appeared fully staffed and there were at most 10 patrons sitting at a bar that could easily seat 40. 15 minutes waiting for drinks to arrive after waiting 10 minutes to order drinks is too long. A professional server can tell at a glance when a table is looking for something- ours clearly never glanced. Come to think of it, the entire meal I caught no glimpse of our server ready to respond to a gesture. While my wife was hoping to spot our server to order a round of drinks and refill an empty water carafe, she said our server was at the bar chatting with staff having a drink of something herself. I’m glad she didn’t tell me until after our night. It’s a struggle to enjoy the good things about a meal while pretending the service is good enough. Though at $80/person we shouldn’t have to.

I could go on, there were about a dozen things that disappointed me about an otherwise amazing meal. But crummy service is exhausting and so is writing a negative review.

Bottom line: Apparatus Room- as much as I loved your food, your amateur server diminished our...