Floods Bar & Grille

If there was a way to put no stars I would. I went on a Wednesday night. They charged people $ 10 to get into an overcrowded bar. Definitely a fire hazard. It took me over 40 minutes to get a drink at the bar. That bartender acknowledged my attempt to order several times and continued to serve everyone else at the bar. It was to the point that everyone else around me was trying to get his attention just to help me get a drink for my friend’s birthday. One of their bartenders passed out. Not one security guard was trained to help in that situation. They just take up space.
I finally get back to our table and the food they had been waiting on since before I left for the bar just arrived. One of the busboys just started taking drinks from our table that weren’t even finished! We tried to wave him down to tell him to come back with the drinks and he cursed at us and walked off! Another waitress came that we flagged down and didn’t immediately apologize. In fact she tried to justify his unacceptable behavior.
Not to mention, only 4 people ordered food which was easily split into two bills and they had already tacked on a service charge.
I’m a Detroit native. I love my city. I love coming back and supporting different businesses but I will not be spending my time or money in this establishment whenever I come back.

Lively atmosphere, perfectly seasoned food, attentive service, full bar, TVs, and music. My wife and I had a wonderful experience and will definitely come back when we’re in town again.
PS
It’s in walking distance to Greektown (2 blocks) and a welcomed alternative to the oftentimes busy «restaurant strip».

Great place for happy hour. Prices are reasonable too which was most important to me. Mac and cheese and margaritas were the highlight of our night

Wonderful food, bartenders, musicians and music.
What more could you ask for? Love you guys

What can I say about the world famous Floods? Detroit would not be the same without it. This is the place that famous people visit when they come in town on tour. I’ve seen singers, comedians, etc. It is one of the most consistent places around. I’ve been coming here for years and the food is still the best ever (make you wanna slap your moma). They still charge the same $ 5 cover they were charging 15 years ago. No one carries cash anymore. But I can’t complain about that, its the sacrifice you make for keeping the prices from the 1990s. The service is hit or miss. A lot of the staff have been around for years. Not friendly at all. They could at least pretend to like their job… And let’s not talk about the bathroom attendants here. There is nothing more annoying than sharing personal space with someone and feeling obligated to give them money for things that should be free such as hand soap and paper towel. Sometimes you just want to touch up your outfit and make up in peace. Not many places to park downtown. They have valet parking which is wonderful. Despite all of the negatives, this place still manages to feel welcoming and is a cool spot to hang out with a great crowd and enjoy live music. Just be sure to bring some cash to pay the cover, tip for the bathroom attendant, and valet. Everything else you can use debit or credit.

OMG soooooo good! I know good comfort (soul) food and rarely do restaurants deliver, but Chef Chuck «puts his foot» in every dish. The greens… the yams… the Mac & Cheese… fried Pork Chops?! Divine.

Good foodgreat service here! Loved the peach cobbler here! Great corned beef! Great jazz happening here! They also have a groupon out there! Makes this even better!

I really want to like the closest bastion of civilized food to me in the D. I do. But they’re making a happy relationship so hard to form.
First, there is the hours. Floods isn’t open and available when most I need him. Right around lunchtime, those doors are shut and the interior is dark. He’s like the guy who only works from 4 to midnight. Forget showing up any time human, he’s not there. This area cries out for a decent American style restaurant open at lunch. But nope, he’s determined not to.
Then there’s the food. When he is on, he serves up some good stuff. The hot corned beef is pretty tasty on a rainy day, and the onion roll especially does it for me. That pairing works great. This is one of the few places I know that does catfish in abundance, whether a sandwich, tenders, or a fillet that’s broiled, fried or done Cajun style. You know what I want for lunch right now? Some beers battered catfish, maybe. Can I get it? Big nope.
Sides are very southern in character: greens, tomatoes and onions, yams. Peach cobbler actually counts. If you get an entrée, you could order dessert –as a side-​! How brilliant is that? But make sure you drop in during those available hours. It’s so frustrating because the dinner rush is usually pretty packed, so it makes the kitchen harder to judge. I’ve had some totally wilted, sad soul fries that weren’t spicy so much as souls of sedate women wishing they had some spice. Then I’ve had them turn out brilliant. There is no explanation.
The service is also a bit spotty. It’s like he forgets you’re around while he wanders around doing his thing. I had my waitress appear all of twice on my last visit: to take an order, and then after I flagged down someone else to ask for my bill. I take off a star for that because service here just needs to be dialed up some.
I want to like Floods. It’s a 2.5.

Live music + cheap drinks= awesome night in Detroit. There was a $ 5 cover the night I went, but it was way worth it for the live music plus dj who kept the party going simultaneously and after the live music stopped. My only critique is that the service was slow.

I went here with a friend on a weeknight. We had the groupon that included an appetizer, two entrees and two drinks.
We ordered the steak tips, the grilled chicken that came with two sides — green beans and a baked potato and my friend ordered the pork chops and two sides which i can’t remember :) We each ordered a dirty martini.
The grilled chicken and the portions were really good and large. But the steak bites were extremely chewy and mostly fat — so I knocked off a star for that. My opinion of restaurants that do Groupons should be trying to impress the diners to bring them back for a full-​price experience. Just an opinion, though. The dirty martinis were strong and we ordered extra olive juice, because they had no olive juice flavor. They did the job though, but when you’re drinking for content — not just to get rowdy, you look for taste.
The last star was lost because although our waitress was kind, she was barely present. We waited an extremely long time for everything for a weeknight and spent a total of three hours there. Also, when we arrived… we just sat down. No one told us where to go or greeted us and we stood very confused.
I’d wait a while before returning, but it is a Detroit classic… so go ahead and get your own opinion on the joint :)

The 4 stars is purely for the quality of food I received. Came here for my friends 25 birthday. I was very reluctant to go because my Grandfather frequents this place alot which means this place is for a very mature crowd (im only 24 and not looking for a sugar daddy). Its a cozy place so we were packed in there like sardines but my friend had reserved tables so sitting was not a problem. One of the hardest things was tracking down a waiter to place food and drink orders. It took 20 minutes for me to track down a waiter then another 30 minutes for me to get my food. And he forgot i wanted water so i had to wait even longer for that. I understand that this place was busy but the wait and inattentiveness was ridiculous especially when gratuity was already included in my bill because of the party size.
All of that aside lets get to the good part my food :-). It was amazing to say the least i believe someones grandmother is back there throwing down at the stove. It reminded me of sunday dinners at my grannys house. The chicken was crispy and seasoned. The mac and cheese was creamy and cheesy. And the yams had me humming while I ate them! I will most def come back for the food but not during club hours, this will have to be a pick up and go or after work type thing.

We went here on a Sunday night for dinner.
I ordered the fried chicken dinner. Chicken was crispy and breading very subtle. My Lady ordered the Lamb chop and was pleased. However, we both agreed it was the side dishes that really shined. I really don’t like sweet potatoes. Yet after one taste of the whipped sweet potatoes, I wanted to eat as much as I could get my hands on.. My lady said the mac and cheese was the best she ever tasted.
For entertainment, they have a Dj on one side and a live band on the side. The drinks are Cheap and good.

Great food, love their happy hour menu. Can’t really beat $ 5 valet in Downtown Detroit. I usually go during the week but I went this weekend after the State game and it was super packed. The service is always so iffy, a lot of sass that’s borderline rude but nonetheless, the yams make it worthwhile!

I now officially feel old… my father used to go to Floods, and now I do :-(
But I can see why – the live music/​band is excellent. They always feature local artists that play a mixture of old school and current tunes. The food was on point too. I’m now a huge fan of buffalo shrimp and Floods did not miss the mark on this appetizer at all.
Floods gives me a good feeling about my home city: somewhat diverse crowd, great music and eats, and just an overall kick-​back-​and-​have-​a-​good-​time feeling.
It’s the perfect after work, date, group, or even singles hangout. It’s a historic detroit staple that shouldn’t be missed… old or young!

The drinks are strong the bartenders are GREAT the food is excellent and I love the music!

SMH… The bartenders at that back bar are Sheisty! White lady with the square glassas… Gave her 3 $ 20 instead of 3 $ 10… tried to stop her but she ignored me and came back with no change… asked for a manager and no one was available.

My cousins and I came for a visit this past weekend and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised; I don’t make it downtown Detroit very often, so I didn’t exactly know what to expect, but I found our time at Flood’s to be quite enjoyable.
First off, I was impressed by the valet parking for only $ 5. I guess, after all, this is Detroit, and not one of the bigger (i.e. more expensive) cities where everything is inflated and grossly overpriced. It is always nice to drive up and be able to walk right into a place, and then not have to walk blocks away afterwards to get your car.
We came on Sunday night so I was expecting the place to be a little more mellow, but it was PACKED. We had to wait about 20 minutes for valet and there was also a line to get in. It was hard to move around inside and all the tables/​seats were taken. I heard there was a big concert that had just let out so I am assuming that is why there was such a big crowd on a Sunday night.
Because of the crowd it was a bit difficult to get the attention of a bartender and it took a long time to get our drinks… and then it took a long time after that to pay and get our change. I’m not holding it against them, because there were just SO many people there, but it is definitely worth noting.
The bathroom was decent and there was a bathroom attendant who had an odd assortment of items available. Compared to the rest of the place the bathroom seemed old, outdated, and not quite as well-​kept (i.e. a little on the questionable side).
We did ask for menu’s (which never came) but we didn’t eat any food, so I would like to at least go back to try some of the items that everyone raves about!
On this night there was a DJ who played a lot of stuff that is getting radio-​play but also a good mix of lesser heard songs and some older stuff, as well, though it was exclusively hip-​hop/​rap. The dance floor was small but there was a steady group of people enjoying themselves.
The crowd wasn’t necessarily diverse, which is something I really enjoy and look forward to when I go out. That part was a bit of a disappointment. I will say, though, the crowd was more mature, which I did enjoy, and that made the vibe more relaxed; everyone was cordial and getting along, and there definitely wasn’t any of drama that comes along with the younger crowd when they’ve had a bit too much to drink.
I will definitely give Floods another chance and I think it is a decent place to hang with friends, but I probably wouldn’t frequent the place, simply because it is just not my style… but if it is up your alley, this might be the place for you!

Had a mini-girl’s night out the other weekend and decided to check out Floods.
Used the valet and paid the cover, once inside (it was about 10pm) it was getting pretty packed. We opted to take a seat at the bar at one of the few remaining seats. It did not seem as if they were seating from the door at that time. Shortly after we ordered, a nice jazz/​r&b set was getting together behind us… this made for a REALLY noisy evening but luckily they were REALLY good so it was welcome.
Our bartender was our server as we were seated at the bar. I ordered the lamb with mac & cheese and fries and my girlfriend ordered the steak bites with a salad. It did take a VERY long time for our food to be served… but that wasn’t an issue for us this evening as we were having fun people watching and chatting. Our bartender took another drink order and I told her I wanted something strong but fruity. She came back with a drink that looked like a bonpop. It was DELICIOUS. (And we both ordered another by the end of the evening).
Food came and it was DELICIOUS. My girlfriend raved about her steak bites and let me try one — OMG! Pefection. My lamb was so juicy. I’m not even much of a lamb eater but after a recent taste I’ve started to enjoy it again — and this was an icing on the cake to compound my recent lamb addiction. I honestly didn’t expect «bar food» to be so damn good! Def. worth the wait.
The attitude is upbeat and fun. A nice crowd — no riff raff that comes along with the younger groups (I’m only 29, but ya know). I felt very comfortable here and I’m far from a dance/​club type person — especially a packed one.
I will repeat and recommend. The environment is great but the food is even better!

I’ve been to Floods twice, both times to watch debates (VP and presidential). Both times the service was great and the drinks were good, but most importantly, the debate was on every screen and the volume was up. It was clear that the whole bar was engaged in the event, unlike other bars I had been to.
My friend got fries and they were fast and good. I haven’t had the food yet, but I will be back.

This place usually jams Friday through Sunday — unfortunately I’m unsure of weekdays but i definitely know it isn’t as packed as usual late night.
Update about the cover charge — FREE BEFORE 8PM. (internet isn’t listed correctly; in the pass it was free before 9pm but not anymore)
Valet is also $ 5 which is a good deal now since meter hours have extended to 10pm and also I’ve noticed the local car lots going up to $ 10 as well.
Most drinks ranges between $ 5 to $ 10 and the food is pretty good as well. I highly suggest sitting at the bar if you can find a sit; waitress usually take a long time to get back and if longer if it’sa full house.
Live jazz music is played but you might want to sit closer because they also have hip-​hop playing at the same time — weird but it actually works; they’ll lower on side of the music and go back/​forth between sides.
Great for mingling with all ages. (Of course 21 and up ONLY!)