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We would definitely recommend to others. Between the two of us we shared the filet mignon with shallot potatoes and green beans, and the sea scallops with a mushroom and parsley risotto. We also had two salads which we were very pleased with. We both the portions were unnecessarily big, but we had no problem with leaving some. The filet was a bit undercooked for medium well. The atmosphere was a tad on the noisy side, but that was mostly the product of too many drinks at a table near us.
Over all, Felix was a good restaurant that is main street-worthy!
While visiting Ann Arbor, it was time for breakfast and we came across Cafe Felix as we were walking in the downtown area.
It has a nice interior with dark wood, small tiles on the floor, and an old look to it.
We had omlettes, coffee, and baguette. We found it fine, service was attentive, and found discoving Cafe Felix to be a good experience.
Asking the waiter if this place is popular, he said yes. It was packed last Friday evening , the night before the Michigan football game.
surprised this place doesn't get better reviews. i shall boost its ratings.
perfect for "just drinks"-- nice martini selection, half off on mondays! sit outside if it's possible, it's fun to people watch on main street.
perfect for "just dessert"--love their carrot cake and anything chocolate they make. also good crepes. great for a big party late at night.
perfect for "just dinner"--get a bunch of tapas and share. you'll feel satisfied but not too full. the tapas are good and reasonably priced, the ambience and decor make it worth the while.
What I have to love about Felix is the happy hour pricing and outdoor seating. However it was hard to fully take advantage of the happy hour because the service was pretty slow.
There were a fair amount of people, but it seemed more like there weren't good systems in place rather than servers just being overloaded - there was a slight air of frantic-ness.
I can't bring myself to completely dismiss Felix, and I'm sure I'll end up meeting friends here again, but I definitely have seen/experienced much better.
This place in the past has been very hit-or-miss for me. So for now, I have to go right down the… Read more »
I haven't ever tried dinner here, but I'm a big fan of their half priced martini's on Monday and half off bottles on Wednesdays. Usually meet with a few friends for drinks one of those evenings each week.
My Review:
Part 1: Drinks
Felix's happy hour pricing (1/2 off select martinis) is great. Let's just say I don't remember much about my last visit ($20 and 4 martinis later).
Part 2: Food
I love tapas. Just the idea of a tapas place is exciting, so I'll try not to be biased. Service was good, but it was also late on a weeknight, so we avoided all of the service complaints that most other reviews have. We order quite a few tapas, but remember the mushroom caps and stuffed chicken. They were pretty good, no complaints here.
I've eaten here before, but never will again.
We waited at front desk for five minutes while staff walked by us without acknowledging our existence. Life's too short for that kind of attitude.
We walked a block down the street to Vinology and had a great experience, both food and excellent service.
Cafe Felix can be the perfect choice--especially on summer evenings--but be prepared to take the bad with the good.
The good:
1. Outdoor seating in the summer is perfect for people watching.
2. Nice interior, clean bathrooms.
3. Beer choice is okay and is reasonably priced.
4. The *lunch* menu is good.
The bad:
1. The staff seems to be hired solely for their ability to look mediocre in little black dresses. You will be waiting to be waited on. It is annoying.
2. The evening food menu isn't tasty and is over-priced.
3. The menu isn't detailed enough. It isn't always clear what is an open-faced sandwich, what is toasted, et cetera. Staff often doesn't know, either.
This place is either hit or miss. I have been here a few times (mainly sat outdoors during the summertime).
Service is spotty at best. I think the waitresses really make an effort, but aren't nearly as efficient as they could be. Most recently, I had a hankering for chicken, and was eyeing a particular dish. When I went to order, the waitress said "Sorry, we're out of chicken, so anything with chicken in it you can't order." Seriously? Who runs out of chicken? So, I ordered the prosciutto and artichoke pizza, which was ok, but a little too salty for my liking.
All in all, the best thing this place has going for it is the outdoor seating and light fare. Don't go here if you're in a hurry, as service is very slow. And certainly don't expect them to have all the ingredients on hand!
Just visited Cafe Felix for the first time, by far one of the WORST dining experiences I have ever had. First we waited to a tiny table (barley suitable for two) which they crammed four of us at, and while we waited decided to get a drink from the bar and waited about 10 minuets for three draft beers. Once at our table, our waitress was very sweet. She was the only enjoyable aspect of the evening. We came at the end of a Saturday night rush, when we ordered there were only about 3 other tables that didn't have their food yet. It took over an hour to get three burnt, tiny crab cakes as our app and another 40 minuets to get 2 medium burgers, a rare fillet, and med rare salmon. Our waitress did give us an extra mess up app for free because of our extremely long wait. I am an experienced server, and rarely complain, but Cafe Felix does not deserve anybody's business... save your money.
I haven't visited Cafe Felix for a few years (Mostly because the last time I was there we a terrible experience), and let me tell you...it's a whole new place. The menus are different, the service, the management, etc. The only thing that is the same is the classic atmosphere there that I love. We had a pretty blond waitress (surprise surprise at this place) who was very nice even though it was a busy saturday morning before a football game. We were sat after about 5 minutes which was better than anywhere else in Ann Arbor that day. The food took a bit, but that was expected with all the people downtown that day. I saw the Crab Cake Benedict and I had to get it, and it was PHENOMENAL. I've had a lot of "Benedict's" before but this is the best I've had since my grandmother made it Pennsylvania 30 years ago. The hol. sauce was perfect, just sweet enough, and the presentation was beautiful. I asked about the chef, expecting some great reputed cook, but it was simply headed by a guy named "Mike" :). My Husband's french toast took a bit longer and I finished my food before it came. The young man that was managing that day saw this and made sure it came out quick without us even requesting to see him. He gave us our coffee on the house and made us promise to come back soon, and we definitely will be. :)
The only good thing about this restaurant is the nice atmosphere/decor. The menu is also something that looks nice, but the food does NOT measure up. The service - TERRIBLE. My friend and I were seated, and waited 15-20 minutes not just for a waitress, but for our table to be set. The hostess finally came over to set the table. She sprayed the table-cleaning solution all over as we were sitting there, getting some in my eye, and spritzing our clothes.
We waited another 10 minutes for a waitress and then decided to leave. We told the hostess we were leaving, and she didn't even apologize, just shrugged it off.
I have been there before and the food was not good. The salmon was raw in the center - most of the middle. The rest of the food was dry and not flavored very well, or way too salty. The other times I was there we waited forever for a waitress, and then forever for the food.
I really have no idea how or why Cafe Felix is still in business. Don't go there!!
run away. RUN.
having been a waitress in the past, i have a lot of sympathy for servers. i cut them slack whenever possible. but the service at cafe felix is unacceptable.
the restaurant was practically empty, but it took an HOUR to get our burgers. had to take our empty diet cokes to the bar ourselves for refills. and the waiter never once came back to our table after taking our order.
overall, horrifying. you're better off swinging through a mcdonald's drive thru.
I used to like this place A LOT. It has really gone downhill in recent years. The service really can suck and they can really make the bathroom a bit nicer.
Seriously, what happened to you?
I can't hate on this place because I know they have two good happy hours, and those are half off martini Mondays and half off wine bottles on Wednesdays. They also have outdoor seating that is beautiful, and special awning seats for the times that it's raining. Those seats under the awning are prime for people watching. I would hang out there by myself or with friends, smoke and drink away writing mini novellas about everyone walking by. People will stop by to chat, bum a smoke, it used to be a very "scene" and "be seen" afternoon spot.
Their coffee is gross, but their espresso isn't. Their espresso is actually really good, especially their mocha, which isn't made with powdery chocolate. Try their espresso martini -- it isn't half off on Monday because it is super special, but it is worth the price if you are an espresso lover but need that voka kick to it.
Recently, I discovered that their pizzas are tasty in a fancy way. I also really enjoy their calamari and their ensalada mixta. They also now have a lunch/brunch menu that has a lot of great, new options.
Yes, the service has always been bad here. It's getting better now, and it's actually weird to me. I got so used to waiting 30 minutes for my meal.
Reasonable prices for a place with a nice little cafe feel. Excellent service. Based on my experience, I'd be interested in coming back here for drinks.
Tapas were great and the outdoor seating was prime. We had the Brie and fruit plate as well as the button mushrooms. Both great selections. The martinis were delicious and boozy. The waiter was attentive yet not all in your face. It was a tad expensive but worth every penny
Cafe Felix is a cute little place in downtown Ann Arbor. I like this place during the day, for a good bowl of soup and delicious sandwich. Now this won't come cheap, but that's because it's actually a great bowl of soup (usually) and a fancy, delicious sandwich.
Now if you aren't looking for soup or a sandwich, they offer good selection of Tapas, as well as several tasty salads and pizza (which I've never tried). They also have great coffees and espressos and several yummy desserts.
Really not my kind of place. It seems kind of stuffy by way of patronage. Long wait for food and drink is barely offset by half-off bottles of wine on Wednesdays.
The best part about it is the small outdoor patio in front, which I have been on before... it's really one of the best places to sit and hang out at which point long waits don't matter so much. It was pouring rain the last time I went and a few people were comfortably chatting and smoking out there. I'm not a smoker but I imagine they were glad to have the ability to go outside and not get soaked.
Waitstaff just sort of serviced us without maintaining us, like an unwanted car.
Really, I just wasn't comfortable inside there. It didn't match my idea of a good atmosphere because it just felt a little pretentious.
I don't know why Cafe Felix doesn't have a higher overall rating on Yelp--it's a fantastic place to spend a few hours with coffee. Felix feels like a real Parisian cafe, with the exception that it's larger (cafes in Paris tend to be on the small side--there isn't much real estate to go around). In the summer, the outdoor area is wonderful. There's also live music (jazz) on some nights.
The staff is friendly, and they don't mind if you sit for a while (just leave a nice tip!). Lunch consists of light items like croissants, baguettes, and salads (the baguettes, which are usually very fresh, were the only bread I could eat coming back from France--even good grocery store baked bread tasted like cardboard). Dinner has a totally different concept--they serve small plates tapas-style. You'll want at least two. The food is all very high quality, and definitely worth having once in a while--now that I don't live in Ann Arbor, I stop in for lunch or coffee almost every time I visit.
Slowest service. Ever. And the drinks are overrated.
If you come here what your really getting is ambiance and location. Inside it is decorated beautifully. And in the summer you get prime outdoor seating location. But the service is not so great.
The coffee is really not good, except for the mocha. The menu is another quite interesting thing though! It rarely changes but that is not the funny thing. What happens is that the same item will arrived slightly different each time. Who ever knew how many ways insalada mixta could come out? Capers on top, capers blended in the dressing, asparagus mysteriously disappearing and reappearing....
But it is a great place to hang out and meet with friends. The half off martini Monday's are the best! And I love half off bottle wine night on Wednesday's.
If Cafe Felix's goal is to be a French cafe, then they have succeeded, at least in the area of service. My husband and I ordered a glass of wine and a beer, which didn't come for at least 10 minutes. When it came my glass was dirty and his beer came without a glass. We also ordered a pizza, which took about 45 minutes, and the waitress brought out to us without any napkins.
This said, though the waitress didn't know anything about the wine, it was good and part of a large selection. The pizza was also pretty tasty. There is also outdoor seating and we could bring our dog, which we always appreciate. Bottom line is if you want selection and don't mind slow service Cafe Felix is an alright place to go.
Overall, Cafe Felix is a fun place to meet up with friends. There are certainly some problems though, but tradition ("Martini Mondays") keeps me coming back. The interior is classy and there is a nice sidewalk area in front to sit outside on warm summer nights, watching pedestrians stroll past on Main Street.
Martini Mondays are one of their busiest nights, especially around 10pm and later. 1/2 off Martini's are the draw, and they have a pretty extensive list to choose from. Unfortunately, it's my understanding that their liquor order comes in on Tuesdays... which is the reason for why they often run out of key Martini ingredients every Monday (i.e., Grand Marnier). This can be frustrating and leads me to wonder why they don't just order extra every week, as this is a constant problem. Furthermore, they often run out of Martini glasses and will serve you your Martini in a regular tumbler. While it's the same size, same drink... it's just not quite the same when it's not in the pretty glass.
Another problem that plagues Cafe Felix is consistency. From one week to the next the same Martini ordered from the same menu will take on a completely different color and flavor. In fact, one night a friend liked the Martini I had and asked for the same one. Mine was pink and fruity, hers arrived red and sour.... and the waiter assured us they were the same thing. Huh?!?
"Wine Wednesdays" are another busy evening - 1/2 off bottles of most of their wines. Similar to Mondays, they often run out of whatever wine you're looking for. The other problem I've experienced is that the servers aren't very knowledgeable about the wine list - they are unable to help you make a decision because they can't compare and contrast one to the next. We had better luck simply asking customers at other tables what they were drinking and if it was sweet or not. I've been here twice on Wednesdays and haven't had good luck with the wine either time. Sadness!
Bottom Line: Despite it's problems, there are a few reasons that keep me coming back. Tradition, ambiance, and the Monday/Wednesday prices.
Great for happy hour although service is always painfully slow (I think they're going for the authentic French dining experience). Never been to Felix for a full meal so I can't vouch for that.
PROS: Feel like you are in a cute little French cafe; Good coffee drinks; light relatively French-cafe-like menu
CONS: Service as there really isn't any. Like many other reviewers, I've waited 20+ minutes before a server appeared. I went there on graduation evening, the place was 3/4ths empty, they had plenty of staff, and we still had to wave our hands foolishly in the air to get a server's attention - they were busy polishing the utensils instead. Hey, I've got a tip for you: if you don't wait on your customers, they can't order, and if they can't order, they don't have food, and if they don't have food, they don't need those forks and knives you are so busy polishing!! I don't know who manages this place, but they should be embarrassed that all of these reviews on here say the same thing about their service! Fix it!
RECOMMENDED DISHES: The sandwiches are good, the crepes are fine. The food isn't great, but it is good enough for a little cafe/wine bar. I prefer it for coffee and a croissant or a light lunch as opposed to dinner.
AVOID: Some of the more complicated hot tapas are hit or miss.
ATMOSPHERE: Nice French decor and feel, can be noisy when crowded, good outdoor seating for the summer.
PRICE RANGE: Sandwiches and omelets are around $8-9. Tapas range from $6ish - $12ish.
BASED ON: Numerous visits
This place is the absolute worst. The worst. The worst. The drinks are incredibly expensive and not at all good. If you don't like your drinks to instantly rot your teeth with sugar, stay away. I've never had the food but it sounds terrible and overpriced and everything I've heard confirms that. The service is so bad that it's ALMOST worth going once just to experience the worst service in the history of the world. The last time I was there, my girlfriend and I were seated and sat for 15 minutes without a server even giving us a menu. There were half a dozen staff members milling around doing nothing and the place wasn't even busy. We stood up and walked out, never to return. On a previous trip, they ran out of martini glasses and served us ours in highball glasses. WTF? The server never, ever came by for us to order more drinks, although we weren't really interested in them. Place is terrible. Everyone should spread the word so it goes out of business and is replaced by something that isn't a waste of a precious Main Street storefront.
I can't speak to the service or the tapas, or even the atmosphere. I was too tired from my trip out from Cali to notice any of that. What I CAN tell you, though, is that the crepes are freaking amazing. The Vanilla-Berry crepes in particular are just...well, I'm speechless. Creme fraiche, mixed berry compote, strawberries and vanilla ice cream - what a perfect way to end an evening.
I also had a martini (with Orangina in it) that was alright. It was all a bit pricier than I expected, but the crepes were worth it.
Smacked in the middle of the trendier Main Street, cafe felix offers the Parisian chic to upper classmen at the University of Michigan. My favorite is to sit outdoors during the summer months, sipping on the delicious martinis (They offer a wide range with interesting names) with friends and simply take in the atmosphere. The interior is gorgeous and thus makes Cafe Felix an all-year round affair.
and the best part: Half Off Martinis (selected martinis) every Mondays!!!!!
If I talked about the service, I would just be repeating other reviewers, so I won't bother. It's nice to sit outside and chit chat with people here (if I knew any), but what I can't understand is how do they manage to make the most delicious cheese of all-time (brie) taste so bland? Maybe the blandness was transferred via osmosis from the croissant?
Great atmosphere goes a long way...since you will be waiting quite a while for service. Good beer and cocktails and decent tapas. Just a nice place to sit and relax, especially on a nice day. Good pizza.
The outside appeal is overrated. We were seated in the very back of the cafe even though it was nearly empty. The dishes were mediocre and definitely not worth the price (not according to Ann Arbor's standards anyway). Safe yourself the time and the waiter/waitress the embarrassment.
Cafe Felix is SO frustrating! It's a swanky French restaurant where Midwesterners can go to feel like hot shit. That's great and all except the place sucks! I went there twice and on both occasions, they seated us and then made us wait 30 minutes before anyone came to greet us. Were they busy? Nope. Were they short-handed? Nope. Five servers stood around the bar chatting while we sat there doing nothing. Now I've been to France and I know how they like to make your dining experience nice and SLOW but this is AMERICA! Don't do that!
if i ever opened a cafe/wine bar it would look and feel like cafe felix. i feel like the interior would be a tad too heavy some place on the coast like in san diego, but for ann arbor i think it's just perfect. i also love, love, love the outdoor seating on spring, summer, fall day.
when i was an undergrad i would come out to cafe felix for a wine date or a coffee date or to feel cool. so i came back and actually spent a lovely afternoon sitting at one of the sidewalk tables reading a book. it was cool cause the service was chill and leisurely and it didn't bother anyone that i was just taking up real estate when i didn't order that much. i must say though that what i did order was bad, bad, bad. i had a cup of coffee that tasted like crap and a crepe that was not quite done, but still burned on the edges. eew. i also thought that it was slightly tacky and broke up the feel that my coffee was served with 1/2 and packets and my classic crepe was served with plastic tubs of butter and jam.
so food wise--no stars. but sometimes you just need a nice space to just be.
Cafe Felix offers outside seating during the summer that attracts many people. They offer tapas for the dinner crowd. I was most impressed with their desserts.
Meeeh....nothing super special here. Went here for lunch, had a pretty tasty ham and cheese croissant - that I could have recreated in my kitchen. I also had a tasty side salad with dressing that's a dead ringer for Kraft brand Italian dressing. The whole lunch was similar to a high luncheon for Laaadies (anyone else watch Little Britain out there?).
So we went here last night for 1/2 off Martini Mondays. I hate specialty martinis for the most part, but if the martinis being served are interesting and well-made mixed drinks, I'll drink it if it's cheap....sadly, Cafe Felix has the sickest specialty martinis ever. I had one that was bright blue (I know, I know, but I didn't read the description close enough!) and seemed to have Mad Dog 20-20 in it. Oy! The second wasn't much better, but wasn't much different from a screwedriver, frankly.
My husband fared much better because he ended up getting sick of the martinis and ordering beer instead. And now I get to the dirty little secret of Martini night at Cafe Felix: The beer is the same price as the 1/2 off martinis, and much, much better. Wooo!
Other than that, they had really good music and the atmosphere was really laid-back - it was crowded but not so loud you couldn't hear the people at your table. Just stay away from the Mad Dog 20-tini!
Looks inviting from the outside but feels a sterile inside. Decent place to share a bottle of wine and appetizers. Not impressive.
Cafe Felix will remain an unexplored entity for me. I couldnt' get past the fairly pretentious attitude and poor service of the waitstaff enough to really enjoy the food or atmosphere( I guess that is part of the atmosphere). Also they need to replace the seating, I sat in a booth / banquette and sank within 16 inches of the floor and I am a normal weight adult.
Awful. Seriously, this place is terrible. I'd shudder to think what the kitchen looks like if they think it's ok to send food out that looks like it does. The only thing this place has going for it is it's sidewalk cafe. But there are many others on that same street, so go there! Should you decide to go there, only order drinks, and avoid the food. The service is horrific, and the hostesses are well, basically awful. They told me there would be a 40 minute wait tonight for a table of 1 on the patio. But there were 2 open tables that remained open for 10 minutes. hmmmm...just awful. This would NEVER fly in Chicago or New York, so they need to get it together if they think they're gonna last. The croque monsieur was "blech" bland bread, a simple slice of bread, no sauce, and the "salad" on the side was grocery store week-old lettuce and brown tomatoes. Seriously, I haven't been to such an awful place like that in years. An awful way to end my work week in Ann Arbor...I wish I had gone back for Korean again tonight...this was BAD.
I suspect my increasing affection for Cafe Felix is a sign of my re-adjustment to Ann Arbor and the midwest. The euromutt tapas restaurant/jazz martini lounge/dessert and crepe cafe's identity crisis annoyed me at first, but perhaps simply because A2 lacks a sufficient number of all three types of establishment, I'm starting to find eating small plates of miscellaneous culinary origin amidst francophile clutter while prosaic jazz standards play sort of enjoyable. The contrast between the pretense of elegance (the expansive hostess stand just inside the door and servers in the white collars and floor-length aprons of fine dining) and the flawed execution (canned tuna on the "salad nicoise" and a lemon wedge on the rim of the martini I ordered with a twist) is almost endearing. Felix's near-miss attempts are less garish than someone trying to wear a Versace gown when they just don't quite have the figure for it. More like an adolescent attempting to use sophisticated vocabulary without fully grasping the nuances of the words. But I'm beginning to appreciate the versatility of its multiple-personality disorder. Felix is equally well suited to solo reading over cafe drinks that emulate their French and Italian superiors, taking the parents out for a less conventional dinner that will still be in their comfort zone, having tapas and cocktails with a party of twenty friends, or getting dessert and/or drinks after a show. The martini list has cute names and $9 does indeed get you 9 oz. of any of their concoctions (a safer bet than ordering a standard cocktail, at least with a "twist"). NB: Their brunch offerings (omletes, french toast) are only available until 1pm and the kitchen closes for about an hour around 4pm to prepare for dinner.
Ann Arbor, MI
Category: Coffee & Tea
Ann Arbor, MI
Category: Turkish
Ann Arbor, MI
Category: Seafood
Ann Arbor, MI
Category: Wine Bars
Ann Arbor, MI
Category: American (Traditional)
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