Mike's American — Restaurant in Springfield

This is a very good quality and classy place. You can tell by how the wait staff, bartenders, hosts are courteous when speak to you and really the overall service and little details along the way. The menu has a large selection and price-wise is fair. But as a first time diner, I'm going for the steak. Disclaimer - I hope the following doesnt take anything away from this restaurant because I'm really comparing it with the best steakhouses I've experienced in the country. I ordered the 5 star ribeye with a ceasar salad. The ceasar salad was very good with crisp greens, heavily dressed, and homemade croutons. The dressing had a tinge of a nice spice to it, but unpopular opinion: personally would have like the salad better with sharp, shaved parmesan and some anchovies. My ribeye was cooked PERFECTLY as I ordered medium with mushrooms on the side. It was actually closer to medium rare but that's not a problem. The problem was I got the drunken ribeye and not the 5star ribeye. I thought the meat was wetter than I expected and I thought I tasted a little hint of a beer brew in the jus under the steak but didn't really think anything of it until I confirmed the check. There were a couple of unchewable pieces so I likely didn't get the best cut of ribeye. But, real talk, when was the last time anyone has gone to the grocery store and picked out a better cut of ribeye?? Next time I might try the blackened prime rib. For dessert I got the apple pie and it was as sweet as warm cider on a cold fall evening, having hand sliced fresh apples perfectly baked with candied pecans. Every fall my wife and I go to the apple orchards in North Carolina and she makes fresh pies using golden delicious apples and fresh dough, it was kind of like that. In my opinion it didn't really need the ice cream but having a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream makes it an indulgence worth the extra trip. I will definitely come here again to confirm the consistency and high level of quality and service at this restaurant. I will update this review after my return. Thank you for leveling up my dinner experience this week 👌

So after several months I made my way back to this area of the country and to this restaurant. This time I asked the waiter for his opinion on getting a good cut of meat. Ordered the filet medium rare. Let's start with the bread appetizer, it's a must, for the charitable donation alone. Plus the bread was still warm inside even after sitting at the table for several minutes. The house salad with the house dressing is nicely dressed. Well balanced on the lightness, sweetness and tanginess. Greens were fresh and croutons are made in the kitchen because I can taste the butter. Waiter suggested the warm goat cheese instead of the cold and to some it may seem weird as a patty shaped side with the salad but it is such a nice touch. The 8oz filet didn't disappoint, cooked textbook perfect, not over seasoned, and having a small pool of jus for the mushrooms and potatoes. At any restaurant in any other town you would be paying twice the amount for the same quality. This restaurant is a local treasure and all the local diners know it. bon appetit. I recommend making reservations to reduce wait time but I walked in without one and was seated within ten min...

Mike's American is a great, casual yet extravagant sit-down lunch-and-dinner restaurant in a prime location in Springfield. Reservations are apparently hard to come by, so be sure to book seating online in advance -- I sure did!

I decided to swing by here on a Friday evening, leading into prime after-work hours. I was auditing a class at George Mason in the Fairfax campus, and was headed to a social event up in Arlington sometime later -- this sit-down spot was literally right on the way. I saw it was quite popular, judging from the sheer amount of reviews, and decided to check it out.

Location -- I had a hard time locating this spot on an initial drive-by from the main road, and had to backtrack which added a few minutes. My best advice is to take the left into the side road soon as you see a fast-food sign pop up. The entrance to the lot for the restaurant is only accessible from one side of traffic, so otherwise it's a right turn you'll need to watch out for.

Parking -- I will say I had a hard time finding parking in the small-scale lot out front. I drove past it into the neighboring McDonald's, and was able to find a vacant spot rather easily.

The reservation in advance sure helped. It was a table for one, but the restaurant was assuredly crowded at around the time I swung by. I got seating comfortably on the second floor of this rather dashing spot.

I was running on an empty stomach and hadn't a chance to stop for lunch, so decided to go all-out and gorge myself once the opportunity presented itself.

Drinks -- I tried the Raspberry Lemon Drop Martini off the waitress's recommendation. It had medium-high alcohol content, but I drank it early on so driving later was not impacted in the least. It was wondrously sweet, reminiscent of lemonade, and give me a strong buzz which heightened my sense and appreciate of taste going into the meal.

Appetizers -- Ozzie Rolls for only $1, and Firecracker Shrimp which is the most popular one. Both were incredibly top-notch and bursting with flavor. The Firecracker Shrimp lit off gustatory fireworks in my gullet; it came with an epic, tangy sauce, which offset the veggies that I usually try to avoid otherwise. I devoured everything on all plates.

Main course -- Drunken Rib Eye w/ Field Greens Salad. Comes with ale-infused sauce which is nearly off-the-charts. Tender, juicy meat, even though not the best rib-eye I've ever had. Alongside the generous atmosphere, it was sublime. Salad arrived first & came with plentiful fruits, nuts, and crunchy dates -- it was likewise great.

The Bill is attached, and was admittedly on the high end. I included a generous $10 tip minimum.

Truly incredibly spot. My waitress was exceedingly generous and attentive. Atmosphere was one of best I've seen or experienced in a sit-down restaurant. Appetizers heavenly, main course sumptuous and over-filling. I gorged myself, to the point I was near-bursting. Rounding it out, drink gave me a pleasant, Friday-night buzz.

I highly recommend this spot, with the caveat that online reservations most decidedly are the way to go. I look forward to my...

"yeah... I didn't enjoy any of that."

Went for SiL Birthday meal. I had actually managed to convince the family to NOT GO HERE A FEW MONTHS AGO after checking out the menu. "I don't see anything special or that I just have to have."

SiL insisted for her birthday... We made the commute. Just over an hour in the car and we had reservations for 7. We actually managed to find parking (which is a pain even when the place isn't full) across the street at the strip mall. To our surprise we were actually 25 minutes early. Checked in and waited by the hostess stand.

They couldn't get us in early. So we were sat about 5-10 minutes after our reservation time. Walking up the stairs I was taking note of the interesting use of space. Having an enormous hole in the middle of your restaurant makes for some interesting choices. Like having to go to the basement to use the bathroom. But dual kitchens you can see into. Is a nice touch.

As I looked over the menu I was checking out the drinks. It just happened the table in front of me ordered some martini and margarita. Neither looked good. Ohh well just get a soda for now.

Our server showed up and was very pleasant. He kept drinks full. But didn't get much help from the food runners. I have given up eating steak in restaurants as no one seems to be able to understand temperatures. "Maybe the ribs!" Then i noted the table to my left, got them. Uhh... No. "If I get a burger I won't be too mad that I wasted my money..."

We ordered the calamari, bread and a Caesar for the table. Which came out quickly. Our server asked if we were ready to order and double checked all our orders before he left. Then we didn't see him for a while.

When the food came out... It came in waves. 4 dishes. A few minutes later, 2 more. A few more minutes later the last one came out wrong. So I have my burger to my nephew to get him some fries. The time between first plate and all plates was 12 minutes.

I took 1 bite of burger and placed it back on plate. 2 fries and I was done with this.

SiL "Chris, is this a prime rib?" Me, "not one I have ever seen."

Our server came over and addressed that they grill the prime rib to get it to temperature. It looked like it was rolled in soot. My SiL is a wine snob. Not a food snob. She accepted his explanation and ate her meal. I was sitting there with my untouched plate. Which was never addressed. A manager walked by 3 times and no one ever asked me if my meal was ok.

Server, "Do you guys need some boxes." Me, "well I am not going to eat that now or ever." Lee, "3 Boxes."

Packed up our food and had 2 desserts for the table.

The bread is like unglazed donut holes. No one particularly "liked" their food. Definitely won't come back. Just too far for lack luster food and service.

Our server asked if we were local and gave us the "would love to serve you again." Even shook our hands???

My burger was over cooked and flavorless. The fries were cold by the time the table was served. Not like they asked or cared.

Management: Sell the whole ticket at once. It's just rude to sit at your table and eat while others wait for...