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- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11 am - 2 am
Sat-Sun 10 am - 2 am
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
94 reviews for Lily's Seafood
Review Highlights
"Ok, Yes, gotta love a place that has a Bloody Mary Bar."
(in 13 reviews)
"This place has great soup and great beer."
(in 8 reviews)
"I always make sure to order their crab cakes - so delicious."
(in 11 reviews)
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94 reviews in English
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Review from Amy H.
Royal Oak, MI
1/30/2012
I love Lily's!
What a super fun atmosphere! They always have tasty beers, and yummy happy hour food specials. The staff is always very nice and attentive.
They also offer a great bloody mary bar for your Sunday morning hangovers! -
Review from Janis C.
12/26/2011 2 photos
Made it in for happy hour and some holiday cheer.
Staff immediately greeted and patiently worked with us to find seating. Which ended up to be in the front window so that I could people watch.
There is a Cheap Eats menu during happy hour which is weekdays 2pm-6pm and saturdays 11am-6pm. It's smaller portions of regular menu items at $3.99 an item.This is an excellent way to try out a few different things. I sampled the crab cake slider, herb crusted shrimp and the tempura artichoke hearts. The crab cake was excellent. Lightly browned to a slight crispness, moist on the inside and seasoned to perfection. The shrimp was good and the artichokes, meh.
Then let's talk about the microbrews. They are made in batches of five, so are always fresh. I ordered a flight to be able to sample all the offerings. My favorite is the very rich and chocolate flavored Strange Stout. But I found that the Light Pilsner better accompanies this menu with it's clean crispness.
Located in Royal Oak, getting there is half the battle. Lily's has a back entrance with a limited parking area along with easy access to street parking.
The staff is attentive, friendly and just plain nice.Listed in: The Royal Oak Tour
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Review from Nikki C.
11/18/2011
Went to Lily's during Royal Oak Restaurant Week. Salad (& bread), meal, dessert AND coffee all for $21. Score!
The restaurant week menu only offered select items, which was fine. The regular menu had a lot of variety. I ordered the jumbo shrimp with jasmine rice & kale. YUM. Great presentation, delicious plate. The serving was very large, so I took some home and enjoyed the next day.
The pre-meal salad was good. The dressing was light and had nice flavor. The bread & butter was good, but it didn't keep me reaching for more.
For dessert, I ordered the deep fried brownie. it was tempura fried with chocolate, caramel and raspberry drizzle and powdered sugar sprinkled on top. I could have done without the raspberry, but everything else blended together perfectly. The tempura batter balanced the sweetness of the brownie perfectly. It was so decadent and delicous. OOH, it would have been great with ice cream!
I also had a cup of coffee afterwards. I normally don't indulge in coffee so late in the evening, but it smelled really good. It tasted good, too -- not everybody has good coffee.
One thing, though -- My friend called & left our name & time that we were coming. Most people call that a reservation. I got there before her, so when I stopped at the hostess, I said "Reservation for 2 under _____ (last name)" and the hostess schooled me on saying "reservation" vs. "call ahead seating". It wasn't busy, there were plenty of seats, I was pleasant and not rude at all (no reason for me to be), so did I really need the lecture? That wasn't the time for a lecture and I sure didn't warrant one. Umm, whatever, can we just go to my table?
Sign up for their email newsletter -- they'll send a certificate for a free entree during the month of your birthday! -
Review from Lynn H.
11/3/2011 1 Check-in Here
On the plus side, the wheat beer was delicious and the service was decent.
Unfortunately, that's all the plus to be had. The lobster claw appetizer tasted like, well... nothing. The steamed scallops and shrimp tasted like, well... nothing. The "fresh steamed vegetables" tasted like Birdseye.
I was really looking forward to eating at Lily's and I'm disappointed that it was a bust. -
Review from Kathryn G.
St Clair Shores, MI
1/7/2012
Yummy Salmon, friendly staff. Would have given 5 stars but caught one of the waitstaff leave the bathroom Friday night without washing their hands. GROSS!
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Review from Mike S.
Royal Oak Charter Township, MI
11/16/2011
My wife and I took my parents here when they came to visit. My family is from Boston so we know a thing or two about seafood. Long story short, good atmosphere, great food, good beer, reasonable prices. We all walked away full and happy.
I got the surf and turf and the steak was perfectly cooked and juicy. The shrimp were also cooked well, not rubbery. Overall a great meal for a good price. My wife got the scallop pasta and loved it. We started with some calamari and it was lightly battered and fried just right. Very well prepared.
The beer was good. I brew my own so take this with a grain of salt but I thought they were a little plain. The IPA was good as was the stout but they were unremarkable. The cream ale was not great. Not terrible though and I would certainly drink more of their beer.
We will definitely be going back. There was a 45 minute wait on a Saturday night as to be expected. Service was good and the bar was a good place to wait for a table. -
Review from alien b.
Detroit, MI
1/4/2012
We went here for Thanksgiving. I was so impressed I vow to attend next year as well. I did a google search for restaurants serving deep fried turkey and took a chance. Im glad I did!
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Review from G I.
Marquette, MI
10/29/2011
Thurs nite, dinner date choice, the place was pretty low key and we were seated immediately. (Parking as usual in RO was a complete pain to find.) Didn't care to be seated so close to the kitchen in a booth. The seat was very soft so I asked the waitress if we could move and she gladly moved us to a table with hard chairs. It was not her section but with is being a little slow they just traded.
Wait staff was polite, happy and helpful. We weren't pushed to order and got cocktails quickly. Had a Manhattan perfect which was mild.
Appetizer of the Ahi Tuna which the waitress was not her fav but some liked it and I had to agree after trying it. It was nicely seared but mushy, no firmness to it.
First time there so when I asked what was going well that day she recommended the Almond crusted Sole and she was right. Very good, great crunch, sole was light. Served with roasted potato and spinach. The potatoes were good but I don't care much for soggy spinach, I like it fresh or just barely wilted.
Ordered the whitefish as well and that was good.
Wanted to try a beer since it is a brewery, asked for suggested and she gave a couple. They have an IPA which I often like and she stated it was hoppy but not overboard and she was right. Personally prefer my IPA with more bite but it was good and I was really impressed with how well the waitress knew the menu she was spot on.
It was a touch pricey but i would like to try it again, maybe on a night that is buzzing a little more.
Decor was nice, avg, the booths could use an upgrade but otherwise I'm looking to head back and sample more -
Review from Ryan S.
Troy, MI
7/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
I'll keep this short and sweet.
Great beer, food is awesome, and wait staff very friendly and helpful.
Monday is the all you can eat fish fry, and it rocks my world. It's amazing for the price! Their soup is also fantastic, and they make several of their beers in house. I haven't tried much else on the menu besides a few lunch sandwiches, but all of that has been above average every time.
It's more of a bar atmosphere than a normal restaurant, so just be prepared for higher levels of noise and such. Very laid back and fun. -
Review from Ryan B.
6/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
I hate going out in Royal Oak on a Friday or Saturday for Dinner and having to wait 30/45 minutes. My Fiancée and I have never been to Lilly's so we thought we would give it a go.
The best part--7:30 on a Saturday night- NO WAIT! Lots of seating in this
place!
Drinks: I had the seasonal Wit that they Brew, tasted good. Also had a long list of mixed drinks and Specialty Beers (where they add shots and other goodness-such as a homemade Shandy. I will be sure to try this next time.
Food: I am not a Fish person. So I can only say that Erika really enjoyed her Michigan Whitefish-she said it tasted fresh and was yummy. I had some sort of Spicy Shrimp Scampi (Appetizer)-nice portion and lots of flavor.
If someone in the group does not like Seafood--No Worries. If they do like Seafood-better yet! -
Review from michael e.
Huntington Woods, MI
6/21/2011
Let's get the positives out of the way first: They have a great bar, and an excellent selection of drinks. It's a great place for a late night drunken dessert festival. If you come during off hours, you can get a decent sandwich. However...
This place is LOUD during peak hours. Between the bad acoustics and the loud drunks, you have to yell to be heard across the table. And the food is mediocre. The seafood is mostly battered, or drenched in sauce, or otherwise manipulated to disguise it's frozen origin. I had a grilled tuna salad once, and the tuna arrived ice cold, which suggested it had been cooked long before, and had been sitting in the fridge for hours- not good for either flavor or sanitation. -
Review from Rac C.
Macomb, MI
So I've been wanting to try this place out for quite awhile now. I have passed it by countless times on my way next door to Cafe Muse. I love seafood, I have a craving for it every time warm weather comes around, but the seafood here was disappointing to say the least. It wasn't seafood served here, it was more like bar food, you know the kind that takes 5 minutes to make by breading it and deep frying it to an oily crisp ? ...Yeah, that is what you get here. Their fish burger is fried, the entree that is most ordered here (the tuna & shrimp platter with veggies) was poorly executed. and if Lily's thinks their veggies are fresh, they just kidding themselves and no one else was fooled.
When I go to a seafood place I want to see fish cooked the way it should be, not breaded, not deep fried and definitely not slathered in their homemade gravy sauce ?
I think they totally missed the concept of what seafood is. It is flaky, light, not over cooked or under cooked, drenched in citrus, did this place miss the memo ?
Our waiter was nice, service was great. Decor was lacking real charm except one wall which had a mural painted on the side of an older building that was left behind long ago. Their fish tanks were nice to look at, but needed some cleaning up it looked like. What was up with the bicycles ? I don't get it ? Bicycles and fish tanks ?
I ordered the top shelf tini and it was pretty good, the sweet potato fries were good as well (except they were fried once again, hey guys why not bake them ?)
Oh yeah, so for breaded tuna over cooked, breaded fried shrimp, two small red potatoes boiled, and some not so fresh veggies price was around $19 bucks.
Totally not worth it. -
Review from Don H.
Chicago, IL
8/18/2011
Finding a place for dinner that would satisfy both my parents is always a chore. In Royal Oak all I could think of were restaurants that were crowded or loud. So we opted for something on Washington Ave and I figured seafood is pretty universal.
We came in and what I imagined was going to be a high-end restaurant was something similar to a gussied-up sports bar, which is a great speed for what we needed: nothing too frou frou. Nevertheless, our hostess sat us at the first booth which we agreed was extremely dark. We then moved ourselves to another table with much more lighting. The booths are great: easily a four-top that can be a six if you needed it. And the walls were fun. We think they were added later, but the old-timey ads were still painted on the brick walls.
The menu was extensive, though we noted the drinks menu was FAR more important than the food menu for some reason. We ordered. I ended up with a fish & chips which were not easy to find as they were named something exceptionally fancy. We ordered some chicken skewers as a first (which barely fed the four of us) and had an alcobeverage and a beer.
In all the food is quite good. When all was done, including one desert to share with the table, we were at $85 with tip. Not terrible, but pricey for a not-so-exceptional meal. -
Review from Xian Shane H.
Royal Oak, MI
5/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
From the outside you would think this place has good food. And when you walk right in, seeing all the cool decors, bicycles and a giant aluminum sculpture of a fish, you would think this place is cool.
but really, this is one of the places that exists because their neighbor (in this case, cafe muse) is too busy to handle some customers so they come to places like Lily's Seafood.
the bloody mary bar is total BS to me. why am i paying them and make the drink myself? that just doesn't make sense to me. if you make damn good bloody marys then you make them and bring that drank to my table like you supposed to. not some BS like you give me a shot of shitty vodka and i walk all the way to the buffetish cheap bar and make a drink myself.
and the food has no taste. so i can't say much about the food.
it was a sunday brunch hour and they were not busy at all. and it still took them almost half an hour to bring me the food.
lily's bleh.Listed in: shitlist as a reminder for…
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Review from Jasmin N.
Dearborn, MI
7/1/2011
Lily's was great. I'm a pretty big fan of seafood and can say I was pretty excited about this adventure.Plus, it's been on my list of places to go to for quite some time.
(Fri, 6/24/11)
Food: Great. Had the seafood platter. Honestly, the seafood was very nicely cooked and veggies were delicious. Portions were ridiculously large for one person.
Beverage: Great beer selection. I love trying different things so the hand crafted choices offered were great.
Atmosphere: Very laid back and fun. I loved the fish tanks.
Service: Perfect. Our server was great. Attentive, provided suggestions, funny, etc.
Overall, I'd visit again most certainly. -
Review from Paula F.
Ferndale, MI
5/6/2011
I love Lily's! This is probably the one place that I can claim to be a regular, and I don't even eat seafood.
For me, it's all about the drink specials. They've got a great microbrewery, and every Monday beer is only $2.25 (up from $1 several years ago, but that's beside the point, it hasn't deterred me yet!). I always go for either the stout or the I.P.A., but everything is decent. Also, Saturdays and Sundays there's $3 mimosas and a bloody mary bar! I've spent entire weekends there sippin' those babys down.
I just recently learned about Bike Nights on Thursdays throughout the summer. If you ride your bike there they'll give you a 10% discount, and they also have some super cool dude outside who'll tune up your bike for free (it's only right to tip him though). In addition, they always seem to be having some Scottish or otherwise-themed night with food specials.
Last but not least, most of the staff is pretty cool. I definitely have my favorites, but there are also those I try to avoid. Regardless, I've never had a bad experience, and I've been coming here for years. -
Review from Heidi M.
5/15/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Lily's has one of my favorite sandwiches in Metro Detroit, the Salmon Reuben. Yumerrific!!! Smoky salmon with creamy coleslaw and swiss cheese on grilled marble rye bread....yes please!!!! Seriously a great sandwich.
Their beers are good and I hear their root beer is pretty yummy too.
They also have one of my favorite martini's. The Bomb Pop Martini...it's like a great childhood favorite all grown up! -
Review from Sharina J.
Troy, MI
11/29/2010
The three best thing about Lily's is 1-Bloody Mary Bar, 2- Crab Cakes, 3- Aquariums. I have been to Lily's several times to meet friends for the Sunday brunch-Bloody Mary Bar. The main problem I have with this Sunday brunch is the fact they used the only low (wheelchair accessible) table to put toppings on for their bloody mary bar. Since I am a wheelchair user, I asked them to use a different table next time so wheelchair users can still enjoy the bar. There is nothing like being in an empty restaurant and everyone else is in the bar close enough to enjoy the bloody mary bar. The next time I went here for the bloody mary bar they had corrected the table issue. The time following that on Nov. 21st, they had used the only accessible table AGAIN! So due to this non caring act, I will not be back.
However, if you are not in a wheelchair and love tall seats, the bar area is the way to go. They have great crab cakes, however the rest of the food we ordered was non inspiring and boring.
The aquariums are really neat and exciting, check those out if you go! -
Review from Lauren G.
Royal Oak, MI
7/12/2011
The bloody mary bar and salmon rueben keep bringin' me back. The service is always good and the other food is pretty decent. Atmosphere is great, I love how huge the booths are. Sweet potato fries are decent but a total rip off to add instead of the chips. Beer prices have gone up since the $1 beer Monday night days but I'd rather have a bloody mary there anyway. Brie plate is pretty dang good to enjoy on the patio with some white wine.
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Review from Jeffrey C.
Detroit, MI
4/21/2011
After stopping at Lily's for an early dinner last Sunday I can say that nothing about the experience was particularly memorable. I would also say nothing about the experience was bad either.
Being with a group of 7 friends we all split our entrees so I was able to real get a good feel for the menu, and not one of seven entrees stood out. If anything the Tuna and Shrimp platter seemed to go over best among us. Also the vegetables served with my meal were no longer even remotely hot, and if I had to guess they had been plated 10 minutes prior to the rest of the meal.
As for the rest of the restaurant, I found the atmosphere appealing. It wasn't too crowded or noisy but still felt like the place to be.
Overall, I wouldn't discourage anyone from trying this for themselves but also can't recommend it personally. -
Review from Chuck G.
Southfield, MI
11/6/2010
Lily's used to have legitimate bragging rights, but our last visit was very disappointing.
The place was nearly empty, our service was slow and actually poor. Our entrees were delivered cold, but were cheerily warmed up for us. No offer was made to pacify us, and our waitperson insisted it wasn't her fault that our food was cold (then what happened?).
Waitstaff routinely stood around in the kitchen with nothing to do, and rarely visited the dining area. We had to ask for things that should have been handled routinely (water, condiments, water . . .).
Food was, in a word, lame.
All in all, it will be difficult for us to return, and that's a shame -- we really liked Lily's. Sorta looks like the manager's not there and nobody's working.
The bar is popular, the saltwater aquariums are well-maintained and colorful. The old exposed brickwork is interesting. Bathrooms are clean and modern. (Metered) parking can be hard to find and distant. Parking structure is a few blocks north, flat rate ($5?) in the evening.
If you want to visit Lily's, perhaps you should do so quickly. I don't expect them to last much longer at this rate. -
Review from Eric P.
Ann Arbor, MI
8/23/2010
Full Disclosure: I've only been here once, for brunch. But it was one of the best brunches I've ever had. Bloody Mary Bar - awesome. I also had a beer sampler and all samples were well above average. The service was -meh-, but we never had to wait TOO long before we saw our waitress.
The high point of my brunch though, was the food. I orded the Steelhead trout off the brunch menu. I think it was $9, and it was probably the best fish I've ever had in Michigan. I should also stress again, the beer is VERY good. -
Review from Keri P.
Royal Oak, MI
6/9/2011
I'm not sure why so many people are giving negative reviews on this place because I thought the food was AMAZING!! The bread and butter was very good, the butter was sweet and original. For an appetizer we had the spinach and artichoke dip. This blew me away! It has large chunks of artichoke in it which is sometimes hard to find at other restaurants. As a main dish I ordered the crab legs. Crab legs are my favorite meal and I have never in my life had better crab legs then I have had at Lily's. Sweet, meaty, cooked perfectly! My boyfriend ordered the catfish, it was pretty good, but too spicy for me... he enjoyed it though! We also decided to go for dessert and ordered the Belgium brownie..... best dessert EVER! I will be returning here a lot in the future. There are many more dishes I want to try from this menu!
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Review from Caitlin W.
Ann Arbor, MI
5/14/2010 2 photos
Just went here tonight with my mom. We had the surf and turf (me) and the crabby pork chops (mom) with an IPA and a wheat beer.
The beer was brewed on site and was really crisp. The IPA was delightfully bitter and sharp while the wheat was fair with a bit of an aftertaste I didn't absolutely love, but didn't hate either.
And the food. I don't like mustard sauces, so I didn't try the pork chops, but the portion was huge and it certainly looked great. My mom had no complaints. My shrimp was pretty good, no complaints but no raves. The steak was rarer than I wanted, but still tasty. The real winner was the sauce around the steak. Beautiful and so perfect with the mashed potatos and green beans (fresh! fresh!). Very good.
Our waiter was very nice. Attentive, but not overly so. He made some recommendations and described the food very well. A really nice man.
Besides the rare steak that was supposed to be medium (and I'm sure I could have sent it back for another go on the grill) it was a great meal and a great beer! I would love to go back and try the fish next time (how did we manage to not get a true fish dish is beyond me). -
Review from Debbie L.
Farmington, MI
7/15/2011 2 photos
So far the staff is really nice, the decor is very cool, and the homemade root beer is very good... Fast service and the food is excellent. Best White Fish and not to mention the sweet potato fries. We will be back.
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Review from Stephanie C.
Ferndale, MI
8/15/2010 1 Check-in Here
Yes, you know about the famous Bloody Mary Bar already. (I make mine with Clamato, plenty of spices, a spear full of blue cheese stuffed olives and a celery stick). But the rest of the brunch menu at Lily's is worth touting too.
It's a haven for seafood fans, naturally, but today's offerings included a steak and Gorgonzola omelet that seemed to go over well with the carnivores at the table. I went with an old standby - the Salmon Hash & Eggs, which was perfectly cooked with non-greasy home fries, peppers and onions, a side of fresh fruit and a mini chocolate chip muffin. I doubt I'll bother with lunch or dinner today. I'm stuffed.
Another great choice? Eggs Crustaceans -poached eggs and hollandaise atop English muffins with grilled shrimp. Like my entree and many others, it comes with fruit and a muffin.
If Bloody Marys are too heavy a drink for brunch, the Mimosas are a great alternative. Either way, I always feel like I'm on vacation when one of those beverages arrives at my table. Don't you? -
Review from chris m.
I really love this place. I don't know of a better happy hour-$2.00 home brew drafts and $3.00 glasses of wine-and a cheap eats bar menu. Lunch is reasonable and the food is really good. A little bit less pretentious than Tom's (which I also like 99 cent oysters 4-6) and the food is a bit more simplistic.
This is the kind of place this is-today a friend and I stopped in for lunch. When it was time for the bill-the server said that the lady (a regular-Barb)in the corner booth had paid for it-we didn't know her and she didn't work there. As we walked over to thank her and more import figure out what the heck was going on...I'm not that handsome to warrant free meals! :), we over heard another table saying thank you. She bought all the tables lunches around. She said I hope you have a much better 2009 than 2008. It's rare to have someone show kindness for the sake of being kind these days and to be honest if I were to ever guess where I'd find someone be that kind-It would be Lilys.
BTW-Mug Club is 35 for a lifetime.....well worth it -
Review from mariah c.
Ann Arbor, MI
1/30/2009
As some of ya may have read, a gaggle of Yelpers met here for our first ever (hopefully to continue!) Sunday, Bloody Sunday.
We'd heard rumors about Lily's bloody mary bar, and it seemed to be a good gathering place. For those who didn't dig the bloodies, there were mimosas, too. Only $3 a piece, what a steal!
I loved the idea of the bloody mary bar, but wasn't so pleased when on my second, I arrived at a table that was out of a bunch of key ingredients. Some other gals standing near me said that they usually didn't let the ingredients run out like this (and they had already talked to the staff who first brought out more lemons?!), but it was a little discouraging how slowly or reluctantly the re-stocking seemed to be going.
So, my second bloody mary creation felt very MacGuyver -- using whatever was left at hand. It was ok, but without any horseradish of worchester, it just wasn't quite the same. But, that's life -- it was still strong enough, and the company and conversation made up for any shortcomings of my second bloody.
My food was pretty good too -- I like the Salmon hash mix. I was tempted to try the blintzes, but figured that I was, after all, in a seafood restaurant. Our server was very sweet, creating 12 separate checks, so though he seemed like he'd been assigned a few too many tables and was really runnin' (I've been there!), I felt only positively about him.
I'd stop back in if I was in the area... maybe I just need to jump in earlier at the Bloody Mary Bar!Listed in: Oakland County Hangouts...
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Review from Ryan L.
5/13/2009 1 Check-in Here
I first started going to Lily's on Monday nights for their $1 pints. The price has been raised to $2, still a good deal. The beer is brewed in house and is really good. There are four beers that are regularly on tap with normally four rotating special brews. I have tried most of them and my favorite by far is the Strange Stout named after the proprietor's grandmother Lily Strange, for whom the restaurant is also named.
All-you-can-eat tilapia is also served on Monday night. The fish was ok but nothing that reels you in. I've tried many of the desserts and they are all excellent.
The atmosphere is interesting with exposed brick and a lot of woowork. The walls are covered with local art for sale that changes regularly. There are many aquariums full of fish that my friends and I named Li'l Blue, Owen Wilson, James Earl Jones, Oreo and Center-of-Attention. Also, don't forget to say hello to Bruce the Eel in the aquarium in the corner.
Overall, I would recommend Lily's for beer and dessert but I would probably skip the food and go for a less expensive option for dinner. -
Review from Lauren W.
4/21/2010
Finding a large-ish restaurant that takes reservations for 10 on a Friday night in Royal Oak can be tough. To the rescue: Lily's.
Not only was our group seated early, but the service was great. We had a delightful waitress who was willing to dish about what was tops on the menu. I had crab cakes, which were fab! There was only two of them, but those little suckers were filling.
The other gals I was with all tried the different types of fish, and all tasted great. Best part though? The ice cream/brownie dessert. It was huge and worthy of an o-face. Being pregnant, I couldn't order a drink, but the variety of cocktails and beer looked awesome!
Great to have a non-mainstream seafood spot to go to in the future. I'll be back with husband in tow for a relaxing night in R.O. (hey, that rhymed!) -
Review from Miller M.
New York, NY
6/15/2008 ROTD 10/17/2008
I spent my father's day with my friend, Angie, who's dad died ten years ago, and another friend, Braden, who's dad left his family three years ago, and my little brother. Our dad had a head injury about nine years ago, altering his personality as we always knew it.
"Maybe some crab will cheer us up," I suggested.
One, two, three, four we shuffled into Lily's Seafood on Washington Street. Our hostess promptly took us to our table, and we promptly skimmed our menu, and our waiter promptly neglected to show up until ten minutes after we sat down.
Take Bob Saget in twenty years, put him on speed, and that was our waiter. All four of us ordered a Coca-Cola, and he shouted "COKE! Unanimous decision," and left us in a confused stupor.
"Is he high?" my brother asked.
He came back with three waters. Then one water. Then he came back with three cokes. Then one coke. Just slightly annoying.
I ordered the Smoked Salmon Rigatoni. Mmmm Mmmmm Good.
Braden poured his heart out about his recent run-in with his Dad at a family reunion. As he walked into the room, his father humiliated him by announcing to the whole extended family, "Have you all met my gay son, Braden?"
Angie followed suit, and told us how she broke down at her brunch, because her stepfather started talking about her deceased father. She told us that she couldn't stop crying.
Me and my brother looked at each other. I slurped awkwardly on my drink.
The food was delicious. Cannot complain at all. It was a little pricey, and while the food is worth it, the atmosphere and service just doesn't measure up completely.
The dinner got better when we started making fun of people that we knew, our favorite past time. Nothing goes with bashing people like seafood.*
*NOTE.....I'm not as a big a bitch as I make myself out to be. :-) -
Review from Sal G.
11/19/2009
My biggest peeve when I am eating is people that are smoking next to me. WHY? Do you really need to have a cigarette in one hand and your fork in the other?
Ranting aside, I like Lily's. It has a cool, quirky vibe that just says EAT HERE! There was a section that contained the bar in front, and the dining areas in the rear and to the side of the restaurant. There is a tchotchki aura about the entire decorum that exudes "Pirates of the Carribean," which was only accentuated by the host dressed as a pirate for Halloween. This didn't bother me since we were at a seafood restaurant. What better way to point out the type of food you SHOULD be ordering. I took this as my sign to ONLY order seafood! Looking through the menu it was very difficult for me to decide what I wanted, so we went ahead and ordered our appetizers:
Ahi tuna
NE Clam Chowder
Our server brought out rolls and seasoned butter along with our drinks. Not being one for the seasoning in the butter, we requested some regular butter. I was having such a hard time deciding what I wanted. I was REALLY craving scallops, but I ALWAYS compare the scallops to Betty's in Ormond By the Sea and they NEVER compare in terms of freshness and pure taste. When our server returned for our order, I caved:
Shrimp and crab
Shrimp and scallop
I had to take the chance; I was craving the scallops too much to not get them. While studying the menu, I did notice that they offered a taste of local beers:
Taste Flight of 7 beers: light, wheat, red, stout, ipa, rye, and one more.
Our server was surprised since I had already ordered an iced tea, but I wanted to see what the different beers tasted like. The management at Lily's has apparently thought the presentation out quite a bit, because they have laminated a placemat that helps the server and customer create a keycode of what each beer is. There are the four that are always brewed and then three that are either seasonal or temporary. As I was tasting the beers and comparing them, our appetizers arrived. The soup was heavier, but it still had a good clam/cream flavor. The tuna was a tad small, but the flavor was definitely good. I don't normally care for the reinterpreted sauces that appear at most restaurants, but I found myself dabbing here and dredging there in the brown glaze and the green sauce. As I felt my hunger pangs start to grow and my need to lick the plate grew, I saw my scallops arrive.
I immediately went straight for the scallops. I might as well get it out of the way as quickly as possibly. Bust, not as good as Betty's. They were good, though. I was happy with my selection. They would suffice for this craving and I enjoyed them with the shrimp. I figured that in Florida it was much easier to get seafood than it is in Michigan, so I counted my blessings that it was better than many places in Florida
After eating most of my meal, I decided that it was time for some of the crab. It was definitely good. I left my friend to eat the rest of his meal and finished my shrimp and scallops. I cannot say too much about the sides since I was focused entirely on the meats. I really didn't want to ruin the flavor I had in my mouth and I was having an enjoyable time drinking the beers. Since I still hadn't finished my sampler, my friend ordered a hot fudge sundae.
Since I usually don't eat dairy after 4pm in the afternoon, I don't know what the dessert tasted like, but that is fine. One of the beers tasted like banana and vanilla. It was a dessert beer. I have never tried a sweet, fruity beer before -- you will have to try to find out which. Out of the seven, the stout was my favorite with the light being my least favorite.
I think I must introduce Lily to Betty so that Betty can teach some of her scallop knowledge to Lily. I will return.Listed in: It came from the Deep, All In The Family
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Review from Liz R.
Royal Oak, MI
7/8/2011
I visited Lily's with a gift certificate from a close friend. The beer was great but the food was extremely bland. I might give it another chance in the distant future...
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Review from dea a.
Updated - 1/25/2009
Brunch is where this place is at.
I went with some other cool Yelp people for a Sunday brunch. $3 mimosa had my name all over them except... I should have ordered myself a pitcher because 2 mimosa later and I was totally sober. Wow I sound like an alcoholic.
I had the blintzes which were pretty tasty. The sauce was dead on and the filling wasn't too sweet. It was actually pretty satisfying. But what came with it had me really confused. Swimming my cherry sauce was pieces of red pepper and potato. Hashbrows? That was really gross. They need to be in a separate bowl, I'm sorry... there's no way cherries go with red peppers. There was also some sort of sad looking muffin with it that I knocked around with my fork before deciding it didn't interest me.
The service wasn't the best, but having a 10 top and other tables is pretty difficult to manage. Especially when people are coming in and out, I had some sympathy. But not asking about drink refills is a big no no, especially for brunch. When my glass is empty, I want to be asked if I want another one -- immediately.
Well, Aaron K is getting his butt kicked by exams this week so I decided to get him a nice veggie po-boy (being the token vegetarian on yelp) -- except they didn't have such a thing. In fact, other than brunch items, there was NOTHING vegetarian no the menu. I asked the server if he could get the chef to whip me up some sort of vegetarian sandwich and the chef obliged. It looked pretty tasty.
5 stars for the company (not factored into this rating)
2 stars for food and service
+1 star because they made something that wasn't on the menu1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/3/2008
Am I supposed to base my standards on the Midwest's version of seafood or can I impose my more elite… Read more »
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Review from Joe T.
2/17/2009
Lily's has a welcoming atmosphere, kind waitstaff, diverse menu, fair prices for seafood, and lastly they have a mature crowd there. The Captain's Platter for $29.99 looks like it has a little bit of everything a seafood lover would want (minus lobster). I personally had the Blackened Seafood with pilaf rice & red skin potaters. My g/f had the Perch Dinner and both were excellent. I am getting tired of fried fishes so the perch, while good, was not my thing that night - but if you like fish & chips it would be a great choice. My Catfish was tender, juicy and had been blackened with delectable cajun spices to it. The New Englad Clam chowder and calamari appetizer both appetized us VERY WELL. Throw some of the house hot sauce in the Clam Chowder and you will NOT regret it!
This was all in all a good seafood place. Not a bistro or elegant place - but more casual, conversational - and had the whole "from the sea" theme going. -
Review from Henry B.
1/25/2009
Heyo!
I went here to meet up with fellow Yelpers Mariah, Dea, Matt, Liz, Dave, and others.
We were here for Sunday Bloody Sunday for DYI Bloody Marys (or Maries maybe?). When you order a bloody mary, they give you a glass with ice and vodka. Then you go to a table with bloody mary mix and a bunch of spices, veggies, and sauces.
I've never made one before and it showed: I only finished about 40% of my drink. I made it too spicy. It took me 3 waters to tolerate the spiciness .
Here's what they need to do: They need to leave recipe cards for people who don't know what they're doing (like me).
The food was good. I had crab cakes with poached eggs and home fries. Well seasoned.
Tip #1: Don't put too much tabasco sauce in your bloody mary. It's really easy to go overboard with the spices.
Tip #2: You have to be very vocal if you want to get the attention of your wait staff and bartenders. They are busy and are not as diligent with their service during busy times.
Tip #3: Get the crab cakes and eggs for brunch. You won't regret it. -
Review from Kristin G.
Royal Oak, MI
1/26/2010
Ok, Yes, gotta love a place that has a Bloody Mary Bar...that is really, in my eyes, the only redeeming quality about this place. Oh and the aquariums, those are pretty cool, but this is about the food so let me get down to it.
Simply put: the food here is very forgettable. It just overall lacks character. I mean, this is a seafood place...and I LOVE seafood...but I can't remember the last thing I had here. That's because it was bland. It was not well done. I've eaten at Lily's several times and the verdict always is the same. Just your typical, throw it on the grill and serve it up with some rice type stuff. Very uninspired.
As for the beer, a similar conclusion. Just really mediocre.
Sorry Lily's, but someone please pleassseee paddle this flat liner! -
Review from Krupa U.
Troy, MI
2/2/2009
I just went to Lily's this weekend. The atmosphere is very welcoming and so is the waitstaff. They made excellent recommendations and for once I ordered something other than salmon... I got the perch from their specials menu and it was FABULOUS! The portion was also rather large, as i took half of it home for lunch the next day!
Their dishes are uniquely prepared and that's hard to come by! I have to check out their daily specials and their drink specials and I'll get back to you :) -
Review from Tomas T.
Gainesville, FL
12/1/2008
Seafood in MI???
well kind of. Though it says seafood, it is not like a fish market. It has simple seafood prepared well. This place has great soup and great beer. But don't try to mix them together, fizzy gumbo isn't that good.
I would only recommend you not to eat the burgers. They are not good at all. -
Review from Chris V.
Ypsilanti, MI
12/1/2008
I went here for a meal with a few friends - we were looking for something a little bit different. After being seated in a cozy booth, we had a round of drinks. I didn't get a beer like my peers (they enjoyed theirs, by the way) - I opted for the girliest mixed drink they had. It was a bit sour, but after I watered it down it was just right.
The food was incredibly tasty. I ordered the Three Cheese Ravioli with Salmon and my friends ordered the Salmon Ruben and a Catfish special - all three entrees were delicious and worth every cent. The spinach/crab/artichoke dip with crostini we had as an appetizer was right up my alley, too. Really scrumptious bar food with a classy twist.
Bottom line: Stick with food & beer here and you can't go wrong.
