Alchemi — Restaurant in Royal Oak

Birthday dinner on 12/3. Geez, where do I even begin. I usually don’t go out of my way to write bad reviews, as my family is in the restaurant business, I understand the current problems and struggles restaurants face. However, last night me and my friends were downright played at this restaurant.

I’ll start with the service, when I ordered my drink, the waiter acknowledged it was my birthday and then made us wait 30 minutes (no exaggeration) for them. I have never waited that long for drinks ever in my life. Ordered another round , waited another 20. The restaurant was not even that busy mind you. Second, the burnt ends we ordered for the table were very cold. When I eat brisket burnt ends, they cant be cold like they came out of the refrigerator. Cmon. The shrimp and pad thai dish was beyond horrible. Rubber shrimp and lobster tail w some noodles. Absolutely horrible.

My friend also ordered $40 lamb chops and they served him lamb loin chops (the t-bone chops). The menu says “lamb chops” not “lamb loin chops” this is a result of a restaurant getting cheap on customers, trying to increase their profit. Well I’ll tell you what, nice try. I brought this up to the waiter and he said those are the lamb chops they serve, but he himself doesn’t even know the difference between the two lamb chops. This restaurant has pictures of their lamb chops on google and those were not what my friend got. The bill was $500 for lousy service and very lousy food. I could go anywhere else in the world and spend less then or around that for better everything. Again nice try Alchemi, they think people are fools. I will spread the word how bad this establishment is and will...

I'm doing something that I have never done before and that is review a restaurant without treating the food. Here's the story...a few of my photography friends and I were seeking shelter from a light train shower in front of the Alchemi when a delightful young lady comes out and asks us if we were dining. When we replied no, that we were just hiding from the rain, she stated that was fine and then we began to ask questions about the establishment. She then graciously, took us on tour. My friends and I, were not dressed appropriately to enter but we accepted the offer. The ambience was just beautiful. The Fresh herbs growing in the front window that they use in the food and some cocktails, were displayed in a way that blended right in with the luxury style decor. The smells flowing from the kitchen were intoxicating and I also noticed a very impressive selection of wines. It's the absolute perfect place for a date night or anniversary. My favorite part was the speakeasy downstairs. Johnny's, with an unassuming entrance right off the alley, and password of the day. The attention to the details of authenticity where not skipped. Last but not least, an actual real freezer door serves as the entrance into the bar area. The manager and the staff we encountered were so pleasant to us and we had not spent a dime. This to me is a sign of customer service excellence and if they are this way when we clearly looked like we didn't quite fit in AND weren't spending any money then I can't wait to return as actual customer. For me, customer service is KING and there are so many establishments that just don't get it....

Let me start by saying, if you don't have kids or dine with your kids, don't worry about the review, food is great. Our mother's Day celebration was a little less than ideal, We chose to dine with our two kids, anywhere from small town diners to upscale restaurants, and we've done well over the years, most places are very accommodating, or even supporting, but tonight ( our 4th visit here) , was a bit of a struggle.

The restaurant only has one high chair, we have two kids, and the high chair was already being used by another family, small cost and space investment, surprised that's the case.

Although not very busy today, the kitchen struggled with food delivery, our dishes were coming out to one person at a time, having to wait wasn't ideal with kids , Even their side plate of butter pasta wasn't out for an hour.

Reservation was at 6 pm. Our main course didn't come till 7:30, they comped the desert, which was nice of them, but honestly didn't make a difference to us.

The waitress was great, she kept calm through the chaos of the kitchen, but from one manager to another, I would have come and apologized in person, rather than leaving it to my staff.

We love the food, we truly do, very unique menu and cook methods, fresh ingredients, one of the very few restaurants we can order without compromising taste or healthy options. But simple amenities to accommodate parents would keep us from coming back for a...