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Gandy Dancer Restaurant
Categories: Restaurants Seafood Restaurants Breakfast & Brunch Seafood, Breakfast & Brunch [Edit]
401 Depot StAnn Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 769-0592
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11 am - 10 pm
Fri 11 am - 11 pm
Sat 4:30 pm - 11 pm
Sun 10 am - 2 pm
Sun 3:30 pm - 9 pm
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Valet
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Classy
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
69 reviews for Gandy Dancer Restaurant
Review Highlights
"This restaurant is inside the old train station."
(in 11 reviews)
"My latest discovery here is the very nice happy hour."
(in 6 reviews)
"Gandy Dancer has great crab cakes."
(in 4 reviews)
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69 reviews in English
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Review from Jacque R.
San Francisco, CA
12/10/2011
This place is still here after over 30 years....I love the Sunday Buffets here...the regular dinners are ok.
I LOVE THIS PLACE... -
Review from Ching-Fan L.
Ann Arbor, MI
12/12/2011
To be honest, Sunday brunch at the Gandy Dancer leaves a lot to be desired.
The ambience of family gatherings & live band was good, so was the service, we were waited by Laura, who brought everything we needed exactly as specified and made up for the blandness of the food with her bright sunny smiles.
Which brings me to the food.
If ever a cut of roast beef tasted like Chinese five-spice braised beef the one we had on 2012.12.04 did. I also couldn't get over the brown edges on the lettuce in the one and only salad, you'd think that a decent restaurant would know how to cut and store its salad so the leaves don't brown and become extremely unattractive.
The oysters were badly shucked and had bits of shell splattered all over, I had to scrape my oysters with a fork before I could consume them. The cocktail sauce that's supposed to go with the seafood is incredibly bland and somehow reminds me of red licorice.
My boyfriend had already warned me not to expect the variety and quality we experienced at Gandy Dancer's chain counterpart The Crab House (Grand Rapids), but foodwise it's a lot worse than I expected. Maybe for $25 it's unrealistic to ask for much, and while I can definitely live with the limited variety, bad quality is unacceptable and should never be tolerated. If you're not going to make a lot of dishes, you'd think the ones you DID make would be well made, but that is not the case with GD!
All in all, I would never recommend this place if you're looking for great food. If you just want to see what all the fuss is about and experience patrons clapping to passing trains, give it a go by all means, it only costs you $25! -
Review from brent b.
Ann Arbor, MI
10/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
Went for brunch with a group of 6.
Only $25/person for their buffet.
It's a steal!
Best brunch in AA for the price in my opinion.
Its in the old AA train station,
which is decorated very nicely.
They even had a live string band playing.
Delicious brunch,
I will be back soon. -
Review from Kaiping S.
Ann Arbor, MI
Updated - 2/6/2012
finally got around to having a regular meal and not a predetermined menu here. as i mentioned in my previous post, this place is a great setting/environment for dates and intimate meals. tables are spaced apart from others and service is on point.
everyone in our large party who ordered seafood really liked their dishes and everyone who didn't weren't so keen on their meats, so take that as a sign to order seafood here. same goes for the appetizers.
as usual, i get the creme brulee and this place did not disappoint. GET THE CREME BRULEE. i also heard great things about the key lime pie from my dinnermates. last, the bar has an old school feel to it with a tv as well, so not a bad spot to grab a couple drinks and chat it up with your bartender.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/25/2011
Great ambiance in this old train depot. The place exudes class when you walk in but don't expect… Read more »
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Review from Trevor M.
Ann Arbor, MI
1/25/2012
Been going here for years and have fond memories as a kid eating the brunch and having big dinners here. I went here with my family about a month ago and I really felt like the quality has gone way down hill. After the meal with a number of different mishaps (cold food, forgotten items, ect) we all mentioned how we thought we could skip this place in the future.
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Review from Andrew S.
Greenbelt, MD
1/18/2012 Seated via OpenTable
I went there for restaurant week. The meal started on a high note and ended on a high note, but was mediocre in between. The rolls and salad were spectacular, but my entree of salmon and shrimp was mediocre. The sweet potato mash was inundated with cream and sweetener and lost all character of the sweet potato itself. The desert, creme brûlée, was the best I have ever had.
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Review from Mike S.
Dexter, MI
1/7/2012 Seated via OpenTable
Nice atmosphere in a lovely old stone building (old station).
Service was excellent - actually quite entertaining, particularly for the kids.
Food was very good. Dynamite sauce is great - we had it with steak and the mahi mahi. Charlie's bucket was also good.
Will definitely go again. -
Review from Michelle C.
Ann Arbor, MI
10/7/2011
Looking for good Sunday brunch? This is it! The Sunday brunch includes breakfast favorites, delicate pastries, fresh seafood and carving station, and kid-friendly items. $4 mimosas or bloody mary completes the meal, all the while enjoying the beautiful view of the Huron River and the railroad that runs next to this ex-train station.
Dinner here is just as good as their brunch. Known for their seafood and chops, you really can't make a bad choice at this restaurant. -
Review from Lisa R.
Ann Arbor Charter Township, MI
1/23/2012 Seated via OpenTable
Enjoyed the food and atmosphere as much as our newly engaged friends. First time visiter - but will be back.
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Review from Brian G.
9/17/2011
A characterful venue - and old stone railway station. Another real and rare find - a good restaurant in Ann Arbor. Our server was good, taking time to make sure that we found a wine that we enjoyed - the Tangley Oaks Merlot for $43. Lobsetr bisque was good (could have been hotter) as was my wifes salad and then crab cake. My wife had the Mahi-Mahi while I took an old standard, a Filet Mignon. The asparagus was great, the mash potatoes was just that - and bland. Probably in other cities I would rank this a solid 3 stars but by Ann Arbors pathetic standards this is a 4. With just a little improvement of staff training (our waiter was great but the bar and greeter need a little training) and tweaks to the menu (come on guys - since mashed potatoes come with most dishes - make them good!
All in all, we will be back - try it! -
Review from Leslie A.
Ann Arbor, MI
4/10/2011
A mixed experience. Agree with others, don't expect great food, but worth it to dine in the lovely old stone train station. Our lobsters were cooked to perfection, but served stone cold, as were the accompanying vegetables and rice.
Our waiter asked if we wanted it cracked, and I said yes, not realizing that at the GD, that meant cracked, removed from shell, spread out on a plate, and even colder than cold.
The GD did have the excellent wine we looked up on our iPhone as the best white wine with lobster, Albarino, from Spain. The waiter had never heard of it and told us it was stored in the cellar. We had completed 2/3's of our meal before it arrived, but it was worth the wait. The waiter charged us $3.50 for hot vegetables to replace the cold ones, and added a $25 charge to the bill for some card coupon he was promoting.
He did remove those charges at our request, but his emotions were too transparent for a good waiter, happy and friendly when we ordered desert, cold and distant when we weren't pleased with everything. -
Review from Shahar B.
San Francisco, CA
5/16/2011 Seated via OpenTable
Took my parents during graduation week. Love the location in an old train station, the food was of highest quality and top notch service. For Ann Arbor it is an expensive place, but compared to SF, NY or LA, it is a good meal worth paying for.
I would definitely go again and try everything they have on the menu. -
Review from Robert B.
Ann Arbor, MI
9/25/2011
Recently booked this place for Mother's Day Brunch (mom, dad, grandma, auntie, and my two knucklehead cousins 5 and 7 years old). The waitstaff was excellent, and the food was even better. The only thing keeping me from giving a five star review is the brunch buffet set up. There wasn't any designated starting point, just different stations (4 or 5). This led to mass congestion at the peel and eat shrimp. If I'm going to be forced to peel it, I don't want to have to fight through crowds coming from every which way to get to it. Solid four stars nonetheless.
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Review from karen m.
Los Angeles, CA
8/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
Aw, this place is so cute! Whenever I'm home visiting my family, I love to come here for their brunch buffet. Ambiance is amazing. LOVE the old train station. The food? Well, it's fine; I mean it's good, it's just not AMAZING. The high prices are for ambiance, not top of the line comida. That said, they DO have a rewards card that my dad uses because he loves their food (Landry's Select, maybe?) and the last time we went, we did get $25 off unexpectedly because of the reward card. So that certainly helps take the edge off.
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Review from Grant W.
Ann Arbor, MI
6/26/2011
My wife and I have enjoyed the Gandy Dancer as one of our first dates, and then today to celebrate our first wedding anniversary. The breakfast buffet offerings were wonderful, with an excellent selection of seafood.
However, the service was disappointing. Mainly, we were told that we could order an "omelet with any ingredient in the kitchen" as included with the buffet. I interpreted this as such, but was surprised when our bill arrived with an extra $8 charge for the lobster/crab I ordered in the omelet. Also, when the bill arrived our waiter went into a 5 minute monologue trying to sell us a $25 frequency card...... annoying! I expect more from a restaurant whose prices are more than double any other breakfast place ($23.95/buffet not including the hidden charges tacked on). -
Review from Ruthie L.
St Petersburg, FL
8/23/2010
I went here for brunch this past weekend. I had heard great things about this place, but had also heard that it was overrated, so I wasn't sure what to expect.
They're very proper and polite. The attire of most of the diners is actually relatively casual, but the place settings and the manner in which the staff acts is very professional and what you would expect in a high end restaurant.
The brunch buffet is very extensive. You've got the carving stations (they had prime rib, which was really fatty, and ham), hot lunch food (they had cajun roasted chicken and jambalaya), hot breakfast food (eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns), waffles (with lots of toppings), fish (oysters, shrimp, smoked salmon), salads (pasta and lettuce), breads (bagels, bread, cheese), fruit, and desserts (cakes, cinnamon rolls, cobbler).
The eggs and hash browns were quite good - they'll also make you a freshly made omelet on request, although the inner working options are slim. The chicken was fine. The waffle toppings were tasty. I had one little cake and it was good, but REALLY sweet. The fruit was ok. The cinnamon rolls and cheese blintzes were meh. And the pasta salad was ok. The bread was fresh and the smoked salmon was decent.
With your brunch you get freshly squeezed orange juice (with free refills), coffee, tea, and water.
Overall, it was a good variety and I enjoyed my meal. But I don't think this would become a go-to place for me. -
Review from Christie M.
Ann Arbor, MI
6/20/2010
. The Gandy Dancer Has been open for over 30 years and is a fine establishment. Food , service exceptional. The best A2 has to offer.
We go there almost every time we go out for dinner. 1-2 X a week.
Love it Love it Love it. Never have we had a bad experience there. -
Review from Fred K.
Brooklyn, NY
11/3/2011
The BEST clam chowder I've EVER had!!!
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Review from K L.
Ann Arbor, MI
2/21/2011
Was taken here as a surprise for Valentine's Day and was definitely not disappointed. My love of trains and seafood were taken full advantage of.
We were seated at the window as per request of my date. Service was impeccable and fared the line between attentive and overbearing with grace.
Everyone was dressed up and the atmosphere of the place was wonderful. For each course, they would have a waiter per patron and set the plates down at the same time. I had the cajun shrimp with ginger rice and it was delicious. I nearly ate the whole plate. Date had shrimp as well and it was cooked perfectly.
We split the heath brownie dessert and it was absolutely delicious. Rich and sweet and dark chocolate and yum. :)
Save room for dessert.
In summary: if you want a fancy date night where you can dress up and not worry about being the only ones dressed up come here. Delicious food, impeccable service- one of my best meals in Ann Arbor! -
Review from Liz W.
11/20/2009
I love brunch here but dinner and lunch have always been hit or miss in my opinion. I have had some stellar meals here but some which were very meh.
Brunch is awesome for the three different smoked salmons complete with self toasted bagels and cream cheese to eat them with, cold mussels, carved beef, various fruits and cheeses, made to order omelets and the fun to junk up with fruits and whipped cream fresh made waffles. I will confess I also have a thing for stuffing myself with the bacon and get very excited if they have the cheese blintzes. I find it a very consistently good option for meeting my parents as my picky husband James can always find plenty to eat that he likes.
My latest discovery here is the very nice happy hour. It runs from 4:30- 6:30 pm Monday through Friday. It features five dollar martinis and select cocktails, 4 dollar wines and premium drafts and 3 dollar well drinks and Miller light.
For happy hour food, they feature three dollar portabello fries with honey jalapeno dip, a plate of asparagus and other veggies with blue cheese or bruschetta. For four bucks you can have lightly battered cod fingers, mozzarella sticks or a domestic cheese plate. For five bucks you can get sliders, a bowl of mussels with fennel and orange zest, or three oysters on the half shell with cucumber and cocktail sauce.
All in all happy and a good deal. Thought I would share. I love happy hour deals as I am sure you can tell. -
Review from Richard K.
Manhattan Beach, CA
11/7/2008
** Review for Brunch **
Gandy Dancer is an interesting restaurant. The location is in an old train station, and trains still do to right by this location (adds to the atmosphere I think).
We usually do the Sunday Brunch there. Not cheap, but great brunches usually are "you get what you pay for". Reservations are a very good idea, as this is very popular - especially on weekends where there is stuff going on at U of M.
Yes, there is the usual assortment of eggs, bacon, sausages, waffles, etc. But also has peel and eat shrimp, salmon, etc. (it is a seafood restaurant after all). Then the dessert table is also well stocked with all kinds of other cakes, etc.
There is valet parking too, which is nice if you are not used to winter weather ... ;) -
Review from Sheila Fay N.
Hermosa Beach, CA
4/10/2010
I miss this place... I use to date someone who lived in Ann Arbor, and when I would come into town I insisted on going to the Gandy Danver.
The service is impecable, strong drinks, proper and classy crowd(a bit older), beautiful restaurant overall. Okay, to be honest, my mouth is starting to water.. I miss their mussels, coconut macademia shrimp, chilled gazpacho, beet salad, and last but not least the pasta with crab,shrimp, and mussels. I wish they would open this exact restaurant in LA. I can't wait to come back to MI at some point- and go back.... -
Review from Mark S.
Novi, MI
4/24/2011
I have always enjoyed my dining experience over the last 25 years at the Gandy Dancer, however Easter brunch 2011 was terrible. Never, never, never eat in the adjoining tent for a special event. The tables were too close together to start. Our server spilled a drink on my wife while everyone stared in unbelief. After this unfortunate event, people started herding into the "tent". I enjoyed my eggs while some 80 year old man waited for his table with his "ass" no more than 12 inches away from our food. The food was slightly better than the Holiday Inn Express breakfast buffet. Bad food and service. Never again.
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Review from Marissa B.
Chicago, IL
1/30/2008
Just so you know what you're getting into...
The Gandy Dancer is not a local independent A2 restaurant, it's owned by a large Texas-based corporation called Landry's Restaurants, Inc. They've been getting some bad press recently due to a new practice of charging their servers 1.5% of the tips patrons leave on credit cards. Ouch! Who's ever heard of such a thing?!
http://blog.mlive.com/...
While it may (or may not, who knows) be legal... does that make it right? As a former server, I'd argue no. Most customers think if they're leaving you a $10 tip, you're getting a $10 tip. I think that's pretty cheap of a big corporation to nickel & dime their servers. I can only guess what this sort of policy does for employee morale... is it worth it in the long run?!
BOTTOM LINE: If you're heading to the Gandy Dancer, recognize the sort of corporation you're supporting. And bring cash to tip your server.Listed in: Places to avoid in A2
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Review from Meg F.
Ypsilanti, MI
11/1/2009
I had dinner here last night and fell in love with this place. The train station is gorgeous, and the interior has an old fashioned charm. It's a great place to have a quiet, peaceful dinner.
The food is very good, and worth the price. I had one of their fish dishes, which was excellent. My husband had the duck, which he enjoyed. Being a fan of G&Ts I had one - they have a solid selection of gin and don't go heavy on the tonic. Always a good thing.
The waitstaff are trained old school - polite, quiet, and reserved. They know just when to take your order and your plate, and when to ask if you'd like another drink.
I enjoyed myself so much that I have made reservations for an upcoming wedding celebration. -
Review from Sarah W.
Brooklyn, NY
5/20/2008 1 photo
There are a ton of reviews on this place but I have to emphasize that the weekend all you can eat Sunday brunch is fantastic! Sure it is like twenty five dollars but it will be well spent.
They have great Belgium waffles with all kind of toppings from jam, whipped cream, chocolate, maple syrup, etc. Great omelettes, potatoes, and they have smoked salmon. Really the quality is great and it is delicious. They also have a dessert table with cookies and all kinds of cakes. Coffee is good too.
Atmosphere is a close second to all of this. You have a great view of the railroad tracks. I came here with my best friend and we were looking out of window while gorging ourselves and what do we see but a house going over the bridge!? They were moving a historical home to a new location. But it was totally mind blowing to see this.
It's a classy place, maybe you better dress up a bit or feel silly. Also please note that dinner is not worth it here. I keep thinking it will be better next time and it never is. -
Review from angela a.
Oakland, CA
7/2/2011
We have eaten here a few times for various celebrations. It is on the pricey side, but you do pay for the ambience and food is good. The servers have always been great. My mother-in-law ordered lobster on our last trip there, and she did;t like the eggs on this female lobster. the chef came out and gave her another lobster, no questions asked. The dessert was fantastic (chocolate cake with heath bar crunch topping). My only criticism is that the temperature was a little too cold for me, and yes a little pricey, so we keep it to special occassions.
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Review from Rick D.
Patuxent River, MD
2/6/2010 1 Check-in Here
Back in college I had Champagne tastes, but a beer...er...water budget.
When my folks first dropped me off at school they splurged and took me to the Gandy Dancer. We had a FINE meal in the main dining room. As good as the main course was, my dad and I agreed that the chowder alone would make a good meal. Unlike most teenagers, I tended to take the old man's advice.
So throughout my time at University of Michigan I would often go to the Gandy Dancer during happy hour and gorge on ten cent oysters and $1.85 bowls of chowder, sopped up with warm sourdough (?) garlic poppy seed rolls. (I always stuck to the bar side, so as not to offend the swells.)
I recently returned to the Gandy Dancer bar at happy hour and little had changed. Sure, the prices had climbed, and the chowder bowl was a little less full, but I enjoyed the finest Bluepoint oysters, a great shrimp cocktail, and my beloved chowder and rolls at a bargain price. (I still don't understand how the Gandy Dancer gets such incredible oysters. I have eaten oysters from Vancouver to New Orleans to Bluepoint itself, and Gandy Dancer offers the best.)
The Gandy Dancer bar at happy hour offers a seafood sampling at a bargain price. I suggest sitting at one of the booths which are elevated high above the floor. If you desire a formal sit-down meal, the main dining room is even better. It is the only place to go in Ann Arbor for seafood, especially Great Lakes fish such as lake perch or whitefish.
BTW, the Gandy Dancer is (was?) a Chuck Muer restaurant, and similar to other Chuck Muer restaurants. Joe Muer opened what was arguably the best seafood restaurant in Michigan years ago, and his son Chuck branched out on his own to open Gandy Dancer, Charley's Crab, etc. Chuck was lost at sea on his sailboat years ago. -
Review from Vi V.
New York, NY
10/3/2007
Highly recommended!: The moment I walked into Gandy Dancer, I was immediately smitten. It is intimate and classy...very romantic. They have a very good selection of seafood - lots of fish options. I had the Macadamia encrusted Mahi. OH MY..it was thick and encrusted to perfection!
The buffet brunch on Sundays is a beautiful affair everyone in Ann Arbor should try at least once. It is classy and classic. A live band plays while you sip on your tea while you nibble on slices of salmon (offered in several ways)....
They offer a good spread, from peel-to-eat shrimps, to fruit salad, to make-your-own waffle, to fish nuggets. They do have something for everyone. But lots of salmon! -
Review from Benjamin L.
Seattle, WA
9/19/2010
For me, this place can be summed up in two words: "Old School"
This is not a bad thing. In a day and age where folks have stopped dressing up for dinner and waitstaff have forgotten basic etiquette, this place is a refreshing reminder of how civilized things used to be.
It's built into a 19th century train station and is charming with hint of old school swank. I imagine, it's the kind of classy place from the late 50's, where gentlemen wearing suits and fedoras would take their wives out for a nice dinner.
It is definitely a place that impresses and is especially suited for special date or wining/dining those out of town business acquaintances. -
Review from Mark E.
Washtenaw, MI
1/3/2010
(I'll start by saying that it has been a couple of years since I've been to Gandy Dancer.) Restaurants have become so casual these days - not surprising to walk in and a family in sneakers, jeans, and hoodies. This is a place that still has a dress code and has a nice, formal (but still friendly/casual atmosphere). The setting is nice as well. Food is fine, but not spectacular. Never had the brunch.
Not much more to say. Given the prices, I give 3 *'s. -
Review from Kate B.
3/26/2009
When dining at the Gandy Dance you are really paying for the surroundings (converted 1800's train station - hence the name) as the food is simply OK/stuck in the early 1990s and they frequently (horror of horrors at a seafood place) overcook the fish (could be a waitstaff problem...leaving plates under the heatlamp etc too long...)
The clientele seems to lean heavily towards of out-of-town parents, executives, and high-schooler's taking their dates out for prom or homecoming. The service is usually good, if a bit pretentious - and expect an extremely long wait on weekends or if any function is going on in town...sometimes you have to wait 10-20 minutes even when you've made a reservation, which always annoys me.
Brunch is worth a visit or two. The smoked fish, ham/beef, and waffle stations, plus a whole table of pastries make it worth your while. The sheer volume and variety of foods is fun, and the mimosas with fresh OJ work wonders for hangovers :O)
Gandy Dancer is fairly expensive, but the atmosphere is unique. -
Review from Steve G.
Ann Arbor, MI
6/2/2011
Beautiful building and neat location but the food could be better for the price. I can only speak to the Sunday brunch as otherwise I have only dined here during an occasional happy hour. The brunch menu is extensive with all of the staples you expect plus a selection of shellfish and smoked fish. After 3 or 4 brunches over several years I have finally decided that the quality just doesn't match the price. Brunch is upwards of $20 with nothing particularly memorable. And to get your money out of the brunch buffet you would need to eat quite a bit of the seafood (which usually tastes fine but is really not that great overall). The one nice feature is the Jazz ensemble that plays throughout brunch. But I would recommend that you head to one of the other popular breakfast spots up the hill for Sunday brunch.
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Review from Rala S.
Ann Arbor, MI
2/8/2009
Gandy Dancer has great crab cakes. It's also huge. the food is very expensive, but given that you know that if you're headed there, you won't be disappointed. The staff is quick and helpful - the steak is good and the obligatory bread includes little homemade scones! Yum. Extra points for homemade scones at fancy restaurants.
It's really hard to park though, and they'd love you to valet your car. If you're driving I suggest parking in the neighborhoods near Kerrytown or in the parking lot next to the train station and then walking over. They won't give you any tips at the valet station (they want it to go the other way around). -
Review from daniel s.
Ann Arbor, MI
2/11/2009
Its hard to tell by driving down Depot Rd. that the old train station is actually a fancy restaurant. This place is a gem, and I encourage you to try the macadamia-crusted mahimahi. Each fork of your fillet that enters your mouth will draw a quaint, savory smile on your face. Prices are a little steep, but the elegant decor and atmosphere makes up for it. Choose this classy destination for your next hot hot hot dinner date~
I hear this place is decent for happy hour, but I have yet to try.
O, and the sunday brunch option as a casual affair is a bit overrated in my opinion. Unless its a special occasion, I wouldn't pay 25 bones for a high quality, but low variety breakfast. -
Review from Kelly B.
Ann Arbor, MI
5/25/2011
Great for Sunday brunch or a nice dinner. The environment is charming and the service some of the best in Ann Arbor (not that that is saying much). The complimentary valet is nice, as at busy times parking would be a chore. The food is great and suggestions always on par. I enjoy that you can get a split of Moet for more intimate celebrations. The bread is excellent, and the salads well conceived. I was never a huge fish person and now that I am veg need a few menu modifications, but before hand I always had chicken and shrimp options. Be wary that brunch can get a bit crowded, but the display of food leaves something for everyone.
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Review from Jason C.
4/19/2010 1 Check-in Here
This was my second time at Gandy Dancer... first time I was there for happy hour (more then a year ago)... the second time, went to eat their brunch with group of friends from my small group.
This restaurant is inside the old train station... when you walk in, to the left is the bar and to your right is the dining area. They also have a place on the second floor for more seating. That's where we ended up...
I went down and as usual, did a circle around the food - to see what their offerings were like... typical fancy breakfast items to your everyday bacon, sausage and eggs... then there was the waffles, ham and roast beef. By the main entrance you had the desserts, fruits, etc.
I knew what to STAY away from... went straight for the roast beef - got two slices, some ham, egg, bacon and sausage. Went back to the table, got me some coffee and orange juice (they come in small glasses, so ask for more refills).
The quality of the beef was okay, I would expect with name, decor and reputation like Gandy Dancer, the roast beef would be better... there was lot of fat on the meat and very blend - no taste. The horseradish helped, but the meat itself should be flavored... the ham was good... the bacon, sausage and eggs... what can I say, they are your typical breakfast items, same quality as your local Denny's.
The coffee was okay - I knew it wasn't Sanka for sure! But for sure, I had better coffee...
For my second round, I went back to get another slice of the roast beef... just to see if I missed something. I also got some salads, cocktail shrimp and waffle with strawberry on top. Again, I wasn't moved by the meat.... the waffle was good, the salads, etc. was okay... the cocktail shrimp was okay too (same quality as your local Chinese Buffet Shrimps).
Finally, I went and got me fruits - I liked them. This is how I finished my brunch here... and I didn't even know what the price was like until we got the bill.
So, we get the bill, they charged us for 9 people, when only 7 people were there.... someone didn't know how to count! Then, two people paid with cash, five with credit card. I gave the bill back with the credit cards and told the waitress how much to charge per card... they screwed it up and divided the total amount by five (the number of credit cards we gave). When another waitress brought it back, I noticed they made a mistake, so she took it back down to correct them. I went down and told them it was okay... we just paid and divded the case amongst the five people.
So, $21.95 for brunch that I wasn't satisfied with and 18% tip... not sure if I would go back for the brunch... their menu selections weren't that good... and the taste of some of the foods were just okay... -
Review from Jocelyn D.
Detroit, MI
9/18/2011
I have dined at the Gandy Dance numerous times and keep coming back for the nostalgia only. Our service today was GREAT, very attentive, prompt and pleasant.; we had five in our party and four of us had dinners; the overall rating from the group was a four out of ten; the head chef needs to move the food up five notches and please the patrons; the consensus of the group was not impressed. I do love the setting of the Gandy Dancer, that does not get any better!! Ann Arbor has a lot to offer, maybe visit for a drink only
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Review from Blake A.
Chicago, IL
4/25/2011 1 Check-in Here
Go to Red Lobster and save yourself the money and crap service. Cool venue; a missed opportunity.
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Review from Joel S.
Washington, DC
3/23/2011
Lovely setting, very good service, expensive and very good (but not excellent) food. I wouldn't call it gourmet, but it's well done and the atmosphere is very nice.
