O.W.L. — Restaurant in Royal Oak

Went here with my friend for a late night dinner on a weekday. Every time I’ve passed this place, I mistake the sign for a black sheep. I think it’s because of the shape and the owl in the top left. From far away, the owl looks like the the head and the letters below look like the legs 😅😅.

After trying it out for the first time I can understand the hype. But, BEWARE OF THE PARKING SITUATION. They only have a few spaces in the front of the store, so you may need to find some side streets to park on. Aside from that the menu is simple, their food is fresh, and the inside is nicely decorated. They did a good job with the black, white, and wood color palette. Because of their prime location on Woodward Ave, they also capitalized on some cool Detroit-themed drawings on the wall. Although, the fact about the “first state fair” being in Detroit is false.

It’s hard to blame them for slow service because when we went it seemed that they were understaffed for the amount of takeout/delivery orders they were getting. I was actually quite impressed by how much they were able to output with such a low headcount. That may have been our mistake for coming to dine-in just an hour or so before their closing time. So, somewhat excusable on their part.

I ended up ordering the nachos, which came out hot and fresh, loaded with toppings. Usually I prefer baked nachos with chunky toppings, but these nachos were more on the saucy side. Nonetheless the flavors were bold and authentic. And, the chips maintained a nice crunch amidst all the ooey gooey sauciness. I also liked the crumbly cortija cheese they topped it with.

I am looking forward to coming back to this place to peruse their other dishes, like the sandwiches. I will also be considering takeout or going to dine-in at a more...

I’m a huge fan of the owl and have visited many times with no issues. The service and food are always top tier. I’m only knocking off a star because during my visit today, the regional manager was present and demonstrated a lack of professionalism, in my opinion.

It was uncomfortable to have the manager pull me in the middle of workplace frustrations he was having. The first was that they were out of cold brew (apparently no one had contacted him to let them know they needed help hooking up a part). I watched him reprimand an employee for not contacting him and then uncomfortably listened while he complained to me about his employees not communicating issues. Next, he overcharged me by $3 for my meal. Once I realized and brought it to his attention, he had another excuse (the system had a delivery price and a regular price) and he’s not sure why they even have it like that. No apology. He did not take accountability for the fact that he doesn’t understand how the system worked. He let me know that I would be refunded, but again this felt uncomfortable because there seemed to be a lack of accountability or reassurance on his end. He did happen to bring me a receipt about 15 minutes later showing the refund which made me feel better.

Again, these issues were minor! Mistakes happen. Items are unavailable. I totally get that. The issue to me was throwing the employees and their systems under the bus in front of customers. It just didn’t sit right with me!

I’ll be back, but just wanted to make this issue known. My food was amazing...

In short don't waste your time for flavorless food that's overpriced But how this last visit has me feeling; So it kills me to leave a review so low for this place. So I've tried quite a few items on their menu and the only thing I'm really in love with is their chips and cheese which is disappointing when I order it and I receive a small Taco Bell sized cup when I used to come there and they would always have bowl with the nacho chips anyways each time it seems I'm getting less and less and the food just isn't good enough. I literally just left this location not even 10 minutes ago with they're layered nachos and three chicken tacos, the chicken tacos were bland they tasted like the meat was boiled. The cilantro was old everything was just underwhelming. That's the best way to describe their food it's completely underwhelming and flavorless for the price. The only thing Worth getting is their chips and cheese if they decide to give you the cheese bowl when you're ordering it. Oh but don't forget you also have to order your chips separately. It's just seems really annoying I'm sorry don't waste your time expecting good food from here anymore it's just boring. I loved this place so much I wish they would bring back the flavor.

. In total we spent $25 and I wouldn't go back and spend $25 there again let alone anything above $5 is too much for the lack of flavor. I'm sorry to be so mean it really breaks my heart I loved this restaurant :-(

Also my review has nothing to do with any of the staff just the food. My review is specifically...