Mitchell’s Seafood House — Restaurant in Livonia

This was my second and last time coming to this restaurant. I reserved a table on their website. While on the reservation page, it inquires what the occasion for dining with them is, if any. I selected for my wife’s birthday. Under the special request section, I wrote, “if possible, could you awkwardly sing happy birthday?” Singing happy birthday didn’t happen which I figured they might not be able to do. Fast forward to the restaurant, I was seated right away which was nice. Now to the waiter… We had David as our waiter and he wasn’t very good. David was mostly responsible for ruining my wife’s birthday dinner experience. The lack of service was trash. My wife and I felt as if we were an after thought because David had a larger group he was tending to. We also believe that we were judged because we are a young couple in our early thirties (just a theory) and maybe wouldn’t tip well (which we didn’t do because of the poor service). Anyway, on to the food. The food was okay. My wife had the lobster tail dish with asparagus and mashed potatoes. I had the New York strip with fries and sliced potatoes. My wife liked the twin lobster tail, however, the size of it was substantially smaller than the last time we were there in 2023. Next, the asparagus was cold and under cooked and her potatoes were also cold. My steak was okay, I’ve had better at Long Horn and for half the price. The steak was ordered medium-well, but it was inconsistently cooked throughout. One side was between medium-rare to medium and the other side I cut into was medium-well to well done which I like. It was pointless to send it back because the more cooked side would be dried out and not enjoyable. Anyway, the fries and potatoes were decent. After we were finished with our meal, I had some steak and fries that I wanted to take home. When Dave finally arrived to the table (hardly seen him while we were there), he went straight for my plate without asking if I was done or if I wanted a container for the leftovers. He then asked if we wanted dessert, which we did. We had the crème brûlée. When Dave arrived with the dessert, he also dropped off the bill. This pissed me off and further fortified my opinion from earlier in this review that he wanted to be done with us. He couldn’t wait until we were at least close to being done before dropping off the bill. I realize some of this may seem trivial, but I am paying close to fifty dollars an entree, service and food consistency should have less margin for error. I am not happy because the level of service and food did not match what I paid. Do better. Edit- the part that pissed me off the most was that my wife’s birthday wasn’t acknowledged at all. I selected that it was for a birthday while making the reservation on the website. Why would you ask this if it wouldn’t be acknowledged Mitchell’s? In 2023, I took her there for her birthday and I reserved a table...

(Last visited 12/21/2022.) Hanging out in Michigan on business and I've always heard great things about Mitchell's Seafood House, so today's the day I take Mom and Dad there to check it out! Here's how it went.

Atmosphere/Appearance: Having a private parking lot is a huge plus because it takes away the stresses of having to find someplace to park, then paying for it and having to walk further than necessary to get to the restaurant. Once inside you're transported to what feels like the northeast, but like a modernistic version of it. The outside is a standalone brick building, but inside boasts dark tiles, chic nautical themes and lights walls/ceilings that give the space a more open appeal. It wasn't very loud in here at all either.

Service: Raj took care of us and they were excellent. There was nothing that we had to ask for.

Food: So known for their seafood, I stuck to that exclusively. I started off with the Maine Lobster Bisque. It was deliciously smooth, flavorful and creamy, but was missing chunks of lobster which I have seen in almost every other lobster bisque that I've had. No big deal. For my entree I went with the Dynamic Duo which consists of a stuffed lobster tail, grilled BBQ shrimp, asparagus and garlic mashed potatoes. The presentation wasn't the best, but the food was pretty good. I loved the fact that they bring a device to the table that allows the butter for the lobster to be set on top of a small flame to keep it from congealing. I had never seen anything like that before! The food was delicious! Shrimp felt a little overcooked though.

Value: At the time my soup was $10.90 and my entree was $42.00. Now, the soup is $11.50 and the Dynamic Duo is no longer offered according to their online menu. Naturally, this is a seafood restaurant and it's going to be expensive. Bring the wallet for sure. Lol.

In conclusion, I liked this place and can understand the hype for sure. Would I come back? Sure! It wouldn't be my choice, but I'd have no problem joining someone else if they wanted to check it out. Thank you...

We had a lovely dinner there tonight. We got there at 4:00 p.m. So it wasn't busy yet but by the time we left at 6:30 it was pretty packed. Our waitress was very nice and friendly and told us the specials and she had opinions on the best dishes and cocktails which was great. Her service was top notch.

The food was also very good. I had twin lobster tails, and my cousin had the seafood boil. Both of these items were on their Memorial day special menu. I wish these were both on the menu permanently because I'd definitely get it again. The lobster tail was very good and so was the seafood boil. Lots of food on the seafood boil. My cousin ended up taking leftovers home.

We started with the calamari and it was pretty good. It was a tad bland on first bite and it needed just a tad of salt but that was no problem because I just used the salt on the table. I am not one that normally adds salt to my food, but it needed it. I had the house salad which was very yummy and my cousin had the clam chowder which she thought was delicious. When our meals arrived we were very impressed with them. The flavors were great and the portions were good.

The cocktails weren't the strongest but they were pretty good flavorwise. I had a house martini and I think it was a lot of juice in there so the waitress did have them remake it and it came back much better. So just a heads up on that, the cocktails are creative and pretty, but they're also on the sweeter side and not strong.

I like that they brought lemon in a hot towel at the end of the meal. I don't know if they do that for every meal but they did with these specials.

It's a cute place, it's spacious and I think it could be good for smaller groups. The location is also pretty accessible right off the freeway so it's easy to get to.

I'll definitely be back to try...