Onyx Modern Steakhouse & Whiskey Bar

I normally never write Unilocal reviews, but my experience here was so astronomically atrocious that I was compelled to do so.
Long story short, there were 2 middle aged women (one more slender with glasses & one shorter who looks like her name would be «Lori» or «Sheryl») working the coat check. I paid 5 dollars to get to Woody’s and checked my coat at the door. Unfortunately, somehow someway I ended up losing the ticket that permits me to get my coat back (which I take full responsibility for). However, it was how my friends and I were being treated thereafter that revealed a level of unprofessionalism & discourteousness that I’ve never experienced before.
When I explained to the ladies that I lost my ticket, they told me I couldn’t get my coat until the bar closes at 2:00am. I was initially ok with this, granted, it was 1:50am so I only had to wait 10 minutes. So when the clock strikes 2:00am I start describing my coat to the women and they went looking for it. I gave them a pretty vivid description that would only be unique to me. «Size small black north face Parka with makeup around the collar with tissue packets and a lipgloss in the pockets» They asked me if the coat had a hood or not & I couldn’t remember because it’s retractable and I didn’t know if I had it on or off so I just said no. So anyways they go looking for my coat and eventually find it. They held it up to me and asked if it was mine. I said, «Yeah that’s it!», but turns out, my hood was on and I said it wasn’t. So the coat lady goes, «Nope, you said it didn’t have a hood. Either wait til everyone leaves the bar or come get it tomorrow.» My friends started to get frustrated with the coat ladies and vouched for me by confirming that it was indeed my coat. The coat lady then proceeds to have my friend removed and escorted from the bar by yelling at security, «SECURITY! Get the girl in the maroon jacket out of here!». Two bouncers began physically removing my friend from the premises, which was absolutely uncalled for.
So we are now approaching 2:15am and I still can’t get my coat. I ask the ladies to check my pockets for the tissues and lipgloss for validation. The lady then goes, «That’s so common, anyone could have that in their jacket. You can just get it tomorrow.» I explained to them that it would not be convenient for me to pick it up tomorrow, especially when it’s right in front of me right now today. These women did not care and had the most churlish & indelicate attitude about it.
One of my friends goes up to Woody’s to see if they can find my ticket. They bring one down but it ended up being the wrong ticket so I still couldn’t get my coat. I tried rationalizing with them that a.) The system is broken because if you’re trying to prevent theft by this process, it’s ineffective since anyone could just find a lost ticket and claim a coat that isn’t theirs and b.) now that the bar is starting to clear, it’s becoming much more obvious that the coat is in fact mine because it’s the only North Face parka left. However, the ladies kept interrupting me and refused to give me my coat. Mind you this entire time I remained respectful even though it is 2:35am at this point and I’m extremely frustrated after being exasperated for the past 45 minutes.
Anyways the ladies ended just giving me my coat by throwing it down on the counter, almost as if they were fetching it to a dog. I searched my pockets and pulled out my lipgloss and tissue packets to show them I was telling the truth. They condescendingly and sarcastically mocked me by saying, «Wow congratulations! I’m so glad you could prove that.» Finally at around 2:45, I just shook my head in disappointment, took my coat, and walked out promising myself I’d never go back again.

This place is terrible, if you are prepared to see the bouncers beat their patrons for no reason then this is the place to be! They hire huge thugs from the streets of Detroit with no bouncer experience whatsoever just to save a buck. You can clearly tell that their staff are a bunch of wannabe gangsters that weren’t smart enough to do the real thing let alone be bouncers. A bouncer’s job is to keep people acting respectable, the job does not require you to act like some animal that barks at everything that is within a foot. I’m truly mortified by this place, I will never come back again and I highly doubt it will remain open for long.

Total rip off! I ordered 3 chocolate martinis and was charged 37.50. It was broken down to 19.50 for the drinks, 12.00 for the liquor (I guess), and 6.00 for the rocks! Well martinis don’t come on the rocks but I did happen to find one ice cube in them. The waitress told me that the rocks are for when they pour the drink to make them cold. OMG! I think they were trying to screw with me because I sent back their awful awful none tasting ribs. My friends and I think this place is over priced and their food is awful!

My wife ordered three martinis, they charged her $ 6 for ice? They said they use the ice when they mix the drink to get it cold. Nice not disclosing that little bit of information when you’re ordering the drink. My wife ordered the rib sampler which was terrible, she returned it which was removed from our bill. I ordered the spicy chicken which they did say was very spicy, they told me they would go lite on the spice. It was very spicy, I needed several glasses of water to finish it. Thank goodness I wasn’t charged for ice too.
We won’t be back.

Wanna be a star? Grab a booth right by the bar, the drinks will never be too far, the people watching well above par, get to drunk to drive your car.
⁴⁄₅

Dj Novah made my night! He got me and my girls on the dance floor! It was very busy but service was great and was fast!

You wouldn’t expect it but, this place does killer steaks on the lava rock. The atmosphere isn’t all that great (too many TV’s) but, the beer list is great, hose wines are decent and the specials (half off martinis, 2 dinners 7 a bottle of wine for $ 50) are great. We’ll be back

It’s fine. My issue here is false advertising — this is NOT a «steakhouse». This is a sports bar. If you call this a sports bar with sports bar prices (WAY too expensive for the experience)…Then I would re-​review. Your marketing is incredibly misleading, and for that, you screwed up.

I’m glad I was able to give this place a positive review. Our visit started out rough, which made me regret not looking at Unilocal first. But our server made up for everything, which we appreciated. We plan on coming back, especially if we want to watch a game during dinner. This isn’t really a steakhouse though – it’s more of an «upscale» sports bar.
We came on a weeknight and there were only a few other groups inside. We ordered the Chicken Parmesan and the Broccoli Alfredo with Chicken. The Chicken Parm comes with spicy Palomino sauce which my wife didn’t want, but they were able to replace it with marinara sauce which she enjoyed. The entrée would have been much better with pasta instead of the garlic mashed potatoes.
The Broccoli Alfredo was good and I would order it again.
Both meals came with soup. The Ham and Potato was pretty good. The Chicken Chili was also good, but a little spicy for my wife.
The prices for the food weren’t too bad, especially compared to other places in Royal Oak. We didn’t order any drinks. Lots of TVs make it easy to view the game from anywhere. We don’t have cable so we like to find places with decent food that make it easy to watch sports.

the shrimp was very tasty — the mashed potatoes were a big GLUMP with no flavor the onion soup was a total joke tasted like dishwater soap with some packaged croutons and a big hunk of cheese — the dog didn’t even want to eat it — the «seasonal vegetables» 3 slices of yellow and 3 slices of zucchini tossed in a pan with no seasoning. As I am unable to drive after dark — had food delivered. Called the restaurant to express my concern was told we are really busy and basically can’t help you WHEN THEY GO OUT OF BUSINESS I will not wonder why — you can’t leave a bunch of kids in charge of a restaurant FOOLS
ok I WAS STUPID — shrimp with some pepper and a little seasoning thrown on asparagus 5 small stems with a little balsamic thrown on — I like a la dente but not raw — salad marginal — a bit limp and baked potato totally over cooked for the price is no great shakes

I came here to hear some live blues, but the «manager» forced the band to play sooo quiet, that I couldn’t hear them. I also had to ask the hostess to get a server to my table, who at one point during this night when one of my friends asked for a steak off the menu the server said ‘it would take too long!’ Eventually the band got shut down and I wasted night out at this place.
(I also took personal day off at work so I could hang out with friends, have some dinner, and watch live music at this place.)

Good drink selection. Raspberry sangria is very nummy. Food is OK. I’ve tried a couple dishes and they were good, not exceptional. Recently I had drunken chicken, the chicken was chewy and the garlic mashed was bland.

In my personal opinion, I think people were a little off put considering what Onyx used to be.
I enjoy the new concept. With live blues playing on Thursday and jazz on Friday and Saturdays nights, it almost gives a feel of being on vacation. A reprieve I’m sure everyone deserves.
I certainly recommended a steak on the hot rock. It sears the meat and locks in flavor. Our server was attentive and presented the specials this past Saturday very well.
Hope to see those avocado tacos again!

This place is Woody’s Lite. And it’s not even a steakhouse if you are expecting an authentic one.
I’m not going to lie and say I enjoyed this place, because to me it seems like a complete money grab on the part of the ownership.
I went to Woody’s more than I probably ever wanted in my single years, and back then the whole building was Woody’s. Well, the owners redesigned the whole first floor with some new tables and tiles and wall art and put on a big new bar (which is nicer I admit) and called it Onyx.
The only problem is that it doesn’t fit the mold of the rest of the building. I actually enjoyed the old first floor because it was a party for people who didn’t want to pay cover to go to the 2^nd floor dance floor or the roof. There’s still 21 year olds strolling through the place to get upstairs while the older crowd hangs out downstairs. Oh, and all the chairs and tables just thrown in the corner by the smoking patio looks like crap. Been that way for years and nobody does anything about it. It feels different yet the same.
The price gouging is terrible, too. I ordered three drinks and the waiter said each was $ 6 (without me asking). In my head I thought that was reasonable. I get the bill and it’s $ 27. I almost laughed. Then I asked the waiter thinking he made a mistake and billed the wrong items or something, and he said, «oh yeah, they’re not 6 dollars each. I was thinking of something else…» What??! I felt like I got conned. Paying more than $ 30 for drinks in the downstairs portion of Woodys — I definitely did get conned.
I have no desire to drink here again. Way too expensive for what it is… if I want to pay $ 10 for a drink I’ll go to a much nicer place. Maybe the bartenders will be more honest and upfront, too. Spend your money elsewhere.

Service is awful. Seems to always be understaffed or to many tables in one section for the girl to handle. We ordered at 6 & our food came out at 6:45. I’m not looking for a quick dining experience but 45 minutes is really a long time. It’s called a «steakhouse» but it’s far from that title or image. The 50 tvs on the wall is just one example of how it’s not a «steakhouse». Food is decent.

Crappy just like woodys. Actually, woodys food was better and cheaper and no matter what you knew it was bar food-​so what. This place is no fine steakhouse. In fact I’m glad I didn’t even attempt to pay for one here. Got baby back ribs which were totally bogus, cold mashed potatoes, and crap service when we were 2 of the at one time 8 total people in the place. My friend recommended it and I didn’t trust it in the first place but didn’t want to be rude so went with it and didn’t complain too much in front of my friend, But will never ever go back. Not quality food. Woodys trying to fake it. Would have been happier with old menu. I would rather spend my $ 30 at Andiamo for a filet. The people who like the food here have no idea what quality good food tastes like. I would have rather had McDonalds.

This would be a great date place if it didn’t have tvs on the walls. They had a live band when I was there that was awesome but a little loud if you’re sitting in the front of resturant. The food was about a 4 out of 5 I had the surf and turf. Shrimp was good steak was a little tough but flavor was good and yummy garlic mashed and yummy balsamic glazed asparagus. The wait staff was also phenomenal!

I visit the Detroit area periodically to see family. My sister and I often meet in Royal Oak, and decided to try this place since I was looking for a decent steak. First, it’s a misnomer to call this place a steakhouse. It’s a bar. Period. There’s supposedly a «Woody’s Bar» upstairs but the Onyx (downstairs) does not have the feel of a steakhouse. Half the space is a bar, the other half is a poorly decorated dining room (with pub television screens everywhere).
Don’t expect any of the amenities of a steakhouse, like a tablecloth, for instance, or a table that doesn’t wobble. Our table and every table around us wobbled. When I asked the waitress if there were any tables that didn’t wobble, she let us walk around looking for one. This wasn’t a problem because the restaurant was practically empty.
After being unable to answer some questions about the menu, I asked the waitress to bring me a bourbon on the rocks while my sister and I explored the menu. There was nobody in the restaurant at this time. We watched her chat with the head waiter, as she kept her back toward us, and as she moved about needlessly throughout the room, never once making eye contact to see if we were ready to order. It’s not as if she was serving other patrons there. We were the only ones in the dining area.
Having endured ten minutes of her ignoring us, and with my drink not yet delivered, my sister and I put our menus down and walked out. The waitress was again chatting with a co-​worker. We’re certain she didn’t notice our departure. She surely didn’t come after us. It was clear they didn’t want our business.
I can’t imagine how this place stays in business unless this is the expected level of service in Royal Oak. I sure hope it’s not.

I was expecting a Steakhouse not a sports bar. Service was good, wait staff is friendly and the food came really fast.
Had the chicken chili which was the best thing I ordered and I would recommend. Also had a dinner salad with raspberry vinaigrette. The dressing seemed like it had soured.
For an entrée I had the Salmon which I posted a picture. Came with a buttered role which was the best thing on the plate. Broccoli was frozen, before they boiled it, the rice was more like a mound of salt, and the salmon wasn’t fishy but it was covered in a sauce that was close to ketchup.
Giving it two stars because as a sports bard its good. As a steak house its bad.

A more upscale casual place, Royal Oak finally needed one TY :) Not DBs hanging out like Blackfinn or wannabe Hipsters like.
Nice fully stocked bar. A wide whiskey selection too. We didn’t do the stone cooking at tabletop they have there. Fair price for what you get and the atmosphere. Tasty food, here is what the table split…
CRABBY PORTABELLA MUSHROOM DIP… Sautéed portabella mushrooms, jumbo lump crabmeat, lobster cream sauce, Mozzarella cheese and garlic butter toast points.
PULLED PORK NACHOS… Garden Fresh tortilla chips, Applewood-​smoked pulled pork, Cheddar cheese, scallions, olives, pico de gallo, jalapenos, balsamic onions, sour cream and sweet chipotle aioli.
BACON, EGG & CHEESE… Half-​pound seasoned beef patty, fried egg, Applewood-​smoked bacon and American cheese on a toasted brioche bun.
Thumbs up :) give it a try