Blind Owl Royal Oak — Restaurant in Royal Oak

Out with a friend on a Friday night, trying to find something open with good enough reviews and not a lot of people. Blind Owl came up in our Google Maps search. Food looked good in the pictures and the menu was enticing. We were greeted upon entry and seated right away.

The ambiance was nice... At first, the longer we were there the more... Confused the setting seemed. For example: 1) the music sounded like it was for a dance club and didn't match the chill vibe of the people at all. 2) There's TV's all around playing Floyd Mayweather fights... This place didn't know what it wanted to be, at times it felt like casual dining, a sports bar, an entertainment venue and a rave...I will say, that element alone provided PLENTY of laughs for my friend and I.

Our waiter was nice but like the tone of the room, seemed a little off, didn't have any recommendations, didn't do that good of a job explaining the drinks to my friend and awkwardly squatted down to talk to us (picture a little league coach bending down in a huddle to rally the toddlers in flag football) when checking to see how we're doing. Again, thank you for the laughs.

The food: My friend enjoyed her chicken empanada and super wet burrito...I think I just made bad selections. I ordered the Focaccia bread w/ pepperoni, I was trying to avoid pizza and ended up getting... Pizza lol and it arrived BURNT, you could smell it, heavily, I'm not sure how or why they managed to push that out of the kitchen. I sent it back, the second one looked much better and was pretty good, I took the rest home for leftovers, the Focaccia bread wasn't flavorful at all, seemed like it was a pre-baked piece of bread that was brushed with oil, hit with pizza toppings and tossed in the oven to broil. I ordered the Blackened Steak Bites appetizer with a side of Feta Fries. The Steak Bites were nearly $20 ($17.95 to be exact) I had high expectations... I wouldn't order it again. The Fries were amazing though. Easily my favorite part of my meal, the sauce that comes with the steak bites was perfect for the fries!

For dessert we ordered Fried Cheesecake, it wasn't what I expected but it was pretty good, I would order this again. It's not a piece of cheesecake battered and deep fried (which is what I thought it would be) it's like an egg roll, filled with cream cheese.

Overall this place was decent, nothing to write home or rave about. Leaving was different than coming in, no one at the front said bye or thanked us for coming in or anything like that, not a deal breaker but it's nice to get a proper send off.

Bathrooms are in a good location and were nice and clean.

I'm willing to try this place again, I think with a different order, it would change my mind about the food but for now it's just kinda meh (except the fries, don't change...

My recent dining experience at this restaurant was deeply disappointing from start to finish. The service lacked attentiveness and professionalism, leaving us feeling like an afterthought rather than valued guests. Our server, Ryan, barely checked on our table throughout the meal, and when he did, there was little sense of care or engagement. Basic courtesies—such as timely refills, updates on our order, or even a simple acknowledgment of delays—were noticeably absent. His demeanor gave the impression that his mind was elsewhere, which only amplified the sense of neglect.

The delays in service were excessive and frustrating, creating long stretches where we were left waiting without explanation. This lack of communication and attentiveness set a careless tone for the evening.

When the food finally arrived, it unfortunately reflected the same lack of care. Dishes came out lukewarm, poorly presented, and lacking the flavor or refinement one would expect, especially at the prices charged. Nothing about the meal conveyed the attention to detail or quality that should match the restaurant’s cost.

Considering the overall experience—the inattentive service, the absent hospitality, the subpar food, and the unjustified pricing—it was an unworthy and unsatisfactory visit. Based on this experience, I cannot recommend...

Really was looking forward to meeting w some friends we hadn’t seen in a while since we were in town visiting. Really disappointed at this dining experience. 85Drinks were good and didn’t take too long to come out. However, we were a 6 top sat near the door and it was FREEZING. We asked nicely if we could move and it took asking 2 times and there was an open table closer to the bar. It took 30-45 mins for appetizers to be delivered and we had to flag down the server to order entrees. The food took far too long to be delivered. Some of us got sushi and were waiting for the rest of the party to get their hot food, which took a very long time. The $6.50 tacos are so overpriced for 2 bites…but the sushi was very good. All the mean while, the temperature was never consistent and we continued to be very cold. The music was extremely loud too and was very hard to have a conversation. Not very fond of being charged a 20% gratuity for a 6 top, which is not a large party and the service was not very great. The server was very nice but didn’t not pay much attention to us. Overall I wouldn’t recommend this place, it was a huge let down after all of the good reviews. The street parking was a nightmare too but this isn’t the restaurants fault. Will not be coming here next time we’re...