Coral Gables — Restaurant in Meridian Charter Township

I am only giving Coral Gables 2 stars because giving them 1 star wouldn't reflect all the years that our family has enjoyed this place.

Last night was the most disappointing experience, though. My husband and I went in there to have a Sunday dinner, ordered one of our go-to items on their menu, grilled ground sirloin w/american fries and a side greek salad. My salad was soggy, which never happens. Our meat was gamey tasting, like someone tried to pass off rancid meat to us. After 4-6 bites and cleansing my palate in between, I determined that this was inedible. They took both meals off our bill, including our iced teas, which is the right thing to do, and we were offered desert as well, which we declined. My appetite was gone. The manager was very understanding and professional. The corker for me though was the fly that wouldn't leave us alone (not the first time we'd been bothered by a fly in this place, eeew) and something really dead or decaying was emanating from the salad bar area.

The loyal clientele are what has been keeping this place going for years. It certainly is not the atmosphere, cleanliness, or the menu. Our family has a few favorites, which is what keeps us coming back, but when we veer from our dishes, we are almost always regretful for having tried something new, the food just isn't that great in general.

There isn't another place like it in the area: family friendly, accessible, blasts MSU games throughout football and basketball season, and the waitstaff are very courteous. I'd hate to see them go, but if they do not step it up, they are going to start losing formerly loyal clients like us. A remodel is necessary, start with...

I went to Coral Gables on Monday, 8/28/23 for my 3 year anniversary. The staff was incredibly friendly, and considering it was a restaurant on a college campus during the first week of class, there was surprisingly little commotion here. The food came out and was subpar, and WAY too pricey for what it was. Fried mushrooms were soggy, chicken tenders (appetizer platter) were burnt, and all the sauces were room temperature, despite being in unsealed ramekins. My partner and I both got the sizzler (or whatever the steak was called) and were absolutely disappointed. Completely unseasoned and served lukewarm. For a $20 steak to not have any flavor at all is rather disappointing.

I don't want to sound negative, and as you'll see on my account I have many positive reviews, but at a certain point the quality really is the most important part of a restaurant experience. The food I received would have made sense for $8-$10 per plate, but for nearly $25 per plate (80ish dollars total w/ appetizers and tip) I was very disappointed.

I can't stress enough how great the service and atmosphere here was, and i'm sure if I had brought it up to the server she would have helped try to come up with a solution, but we were in a little bit of a hurry to get to our next stop of...

Not sure how many stars, but Coral Gables is always dependable. The food tastes like it is supposed to taste. We did takeout during covid and they were efficient and was always ready when we arrived. Their olive burger is outstanding - the burgers is tasty, the olive mayo sauce is simple and flavorful, and the bun was able to standup to the onslaught of the ingredients. Often order the meatloaf when on special and never disappointed. Meatloaf is a simple dish sometimes made horribly in restaurants. Not the case here. As all good cooks know a recipe is used but then modified to fit what is on hand. Close to homemade as I've run acrossed. Corned beef and Reubens are good, my wife likes the lamb chops, and the pizza passes all the tests. To me the star of the restaurant is the ice cream if one leaves room. Not sure if it is house made or purchased, but it is fantastic. Haven't eaten breakfast since covid, but it was good in the previous times. When we did venture out during the pandemic we did go there because the staff was masked and we watched a thorough cleaning of tables and booths between diners telling me they knew how to manage the situation. The staff and management is friendly and what is delivered...