Carl's Chop House

DECOR-The place DOES feel like Austin Powers should be jumping out at any moment with some groovy 60s comments and the outside looks like it's been closed for years. You walk in and you can tell nobody really cares to keep the place up. Worn wood panels, an old gold lobster thing missing most of the lobster parts remains right when you walk in, as well as some junky weathered pictures and other dated artifacts that I would pass up at any garage sale. SERVICE-Had a grouchy waiter who asked us what we wanted without giving us any menus/options. Oh well. FOOD - Butter arrived 15 minutes before the bread. Bread was junk wonderbread style rolls - nothing special at all. Soup was pretty good, it was some sort of beef vegatable. Salad nightmare arrived-TERRIBLE. Looked like it was created the night before, or morning of the luncheon, saturated with dressing and left to sit for hours. It looked dreary, tasted ordinary, and some of the cucumber was cut WAY too large - it's not my job to prepare this salad. STEAK- An hour after we ordered and everyone else was starting to eat, the oh-so-nice waiter came back to ask our group if we wanted anything else (again with no options), since they they were out of our sirloin we each ordered. AN HOUR LATER THEY FIGURE THIS OUT. So, while all the other attendees of the meeting are eating, including those that came well after the fact and sat exactly where he told us we couldn't sit - he's asking us if we'd like something else?! His option? 'Well, we're out of everything - we only have the Salmon'. So there we are at Carl's Famous Chop House est 1925, and they're out of Steak for a small luncheon that has 10% of the restaurant occupied. The place was freezing cold inside, they forced you to use their dumb valet service even though the whole parking lot is empty (the valets were even late - so they had abuse our car to get us to stop because we were following our colleagues which had already parked themselves and were walking in. Pros: Looks like an Austin Powers Hangout Cons: Everything was abysmal more

Close this place! I live in Cleveland, Ohio and I have visited Carls since 1972, I encouraged my friends to go here for dinner whenever they are in Detriot. I visit this place inspite of the filthy carpet, bad smell, dirty menus, and crappy valet parking. On August 15, 2008 in-company with two other friends I had the visit of a lifetime, after being seated we were shocked to find out that most items on the menus were not avaliable..prime rib, shrimp, frog legs etc. So we ordered what was there. I ordered pork chops and my other guests ordered perch. Perch at market price I thought was supposed to be Lake Erie Perch NOT Ocean Perch. Well my guest tasted this item and decided that they did not want it, and to our suprise the owner refused to acknowledge our request, became loud and boisterious (maybe because he had too much to drink) and called the Detroit Police on us. At no time did we ever refuse not to pay for our meal we just wanted an explaination about the quality of the food we were eating and an adjustment on our bill for the Market Price PERCH!!! After a lenghty talk with the police who were very understanding they decided to pay out of their pockets the $25.95 for the PERCH to resolve the issue. At know time did the owner ever say what can I do to make this right, after all we have visited this place for years. I will never visit this place again and will tell everyone to do the same. Cons: Everything you can think of more

Upon arrival my husband & I should have had a clue that Carl's puts the C in CHEAP. We pulled up & they had a bum in dirty street clothes telling us it was mandatory that we pay 3 dollars for valet parking in a parking lot that was unpaved and had no cars. When we entered I thought we we're in the movie Casino with cheap out dated carpeting and a odor that was absolutely horrible. We had to seat ourselves (and the place was empty) & had a bum of a waiter came to our table with dirty menus. We were served hard grocery store bought bread that was cold & looked as though it was sitting out all day. He neglected to ask if we wanted a beverage soda, lemonade, etc. We were somewhat baffled at this because normally that is one of the first things they ask you at a restaurant. We asked for a pop only to have a reply that was ""I THINK we may have some"". He went to the bar and got out a 2-liter pepsi that was a fourth full and packed our cups with ice and served it to us. I was so shocked! It tasted as flat as a pancake, though it was sitting open all day. He came back to our table and asked if we would like any appetizers & told us the only thing we have is wing dings & shrimp. We ordered the wing dings & at $10.50 we thought we would be getting gourmet or restaurant style wing dings. They came out & they were Coney Island wings, next the salad (if that is what you would call it) came out which was a clear iceberg lettuce that was chopped and a small slice of tomato & some dried out chick peas served with Kraft bleu cheese that they charged a 1.50 extra for. Pros: Absolutely Nothing! Cons: Everything! more

I was 9 years old the first time I ate at this restaurant in 1976 and to my horror the interior has not changed one bit. Everything about this place reaps of a 70s Las Vegas movie set, including the red velvet drapes hanging on the wall. I tried to look beyond the filthy carpet, the chairs with holes in the seats, the doors falling off the hinges in the cabinet that sits in the middle of the dinner floor, the junk that was piled in the display cabinet (why not hide it with a red velvet drape?), and give the food a chance to counter-balance the lack of ambience. Pros: Friendly servers and valet attendants, free shuttle service to the Fox Theater Cons: Cleanliness, prices, food, overall atmosphere more

Carls Chop House is the perfect place to take a loved one or just to hang out with a bunch of friends to watch a game. The food is great and you cant find anything that tastes as good anywhere else. Grade A beef. The staff that works at Carl's Chop House are very nice and understanding to your needs. I went there for my anniversary and the service was wonderful. The filet cut perfect and the aujus sause is homemade and to die for. Not to mention the twice baked potato was great and it was the first time ive ever had it. The shuttle they had took us there and back from the baseball game, we only had to wait five minutes to get picked up. Anyone who has the guts to write anything bad about this resturant is insane. more

Went on Mother's Day as a Treat. Our first warning should have been the single page stained photocopied menu! Pros: Prompt seating because they are so desperate to get you into the place. Cons: Dirty, Shabby, Rundown, ripoff prices for quality. more

\r \r Carl's has the absolute best lamb chops in the city! PERIOD :-) & don't forget to ask for extra ZIP sauce more

Now when you plan on going to Carl's....you must not have the mentality of a Vegas 4/5 star steakhouse or the Bear-and-Bull in Manhattan, but what you should expect to get is a classic Detroit steak experience. Carl's delivers ""Old World Detroit"" in a fanshion other then on it exterior and interior...old world. But don't be fooled by the looks of the aging Grand River facility, the wait staff is engaging, responsive and experienced (ask for Marvin...he's a veteran and one of the best servers in Metro Detroit). The steaks are the best around, classically prepared and served with great potato options (stuffed baked is outstanding). Now if you're looking to get a 45 minute meal in before your evening event, try the Applebee's in your suburban neighborhood...but if you're looking to experience great steaks in an old world atmosphere, Carl's is the place. more

Overall, a very enjoyable experience. Made reservations since it was a Friday night. The atmosphere is great - very unpretentious, young crowd, and lively. Ordered the grilled calamari to start - flavor was great and a generous portion. For an entree, had the prime rib - this was the best I have ever had in my life. The meat fell right of the bone, the flavor was superb and the portion was huge! The salad with potatoes was also wonderful. I was stuffed! My wife ordered the lobster tails which I tried and loved. We shared a chocolate souffle for dessert which was very rich and I enjoyed it because it was not too sweet. I would definitely recommend this place it you're looking for a nice, enjoyable meal. more

This steak restaurant was fabulous! went here with my friends and we felt like we were the special guests! Ordered the porterhouse which was juicy, delicious and tasty, with generous portions of potatoes. Seafood was fresh. The JAZZ was pretty good as well. Very reasonable. Pros: Great Family and Lare Dining Place more

i have been to carls twice in the last six months the first time being for my anniversary. my wife and i could not have been more pleased. the service was outstanding and the food was everything i had expected it to be. we were so pleased that we had bragged to our family about it. they in turn wanted to see if it was all we said it was . we ended up taking six more family members with is and again it was outstanding. the service was top notch and the food was excellant. they all said we will be planning another trip this time with more family and friends Pros: service and the food history of the city more

I thought of Carl's Chophouse when I was planning a night out to the theatre in Downtown Detroit with my date/boyfriend-I am only glad this wasn't our first date or he might not want to see me again! Carl's is not what it used to be as I remembered it 25 years ago when I last visited there. The food was horrible-it was cold and my date's medium-well steak was all but moving, it was so raw. We had to send it back and if we didn't have a show to catch, we would have sent everything back. I couldn't even get the food I wanted-it seems they didn't get their seafood order that weekend (why they don't plan to get the order on a less busy day of the week surprised me). There was no lobster in the house so they substituted cold crab legs instead. My steak was luke warm and the potatoes were cold-which by the way we were lucky to get. My boyfriend almost had to substitute for a vegetable because it was the last one in the place but lucky us, we had ordered before the last customer so he got the last one! I was shocked when we finally got our bill after such a disappointing dinner. Now I know how Carl's stays in business-they jack up the prices to cover their overhead. I have had much better meals for a fraction of the cost at Carl's. I wish I had read some of the other reviews before going-I would have stayed away another 25 years! Pros: Shuttle service to the theatre Cons: Food, service, ambience more

I've been to this place a few times--the last time was this past Saturday. The buddy I took with proclaimed that this was the BEST STEAK he's ever had. PERIOD. Now, he's lived in Detroit for over 20 years and has never been there, and so I took him to help out a Detroit landmark in some trouble. I must say that my steak was AWESOME and the server took EXTRA PRECAUTIONS because of gluten sensitivity. He even HAPPILY read us an ingredient list to be SURE that we got what we needed. Pros: The finest steaks/chops since Lelli's Downtown or the London Chophouse both closed. Cons: more people don't show up! Just tell 'em you're trying to help out a hurting Detroit landmark, and you'll get EXCELLENT service!! more

This place may have been the best in it's class in it's heyday, but now it's just a worn out, dingy dive. We were there an hour and a half before we got our entree. The prime rib was lukewarm, so were the potatoes. We had to ask for silverware, then had to go find the manager to get steak knives to cut the prime rib. That was the final straw. Finally got water after we complained. The server was horrible, would disappear for 15-20 minutes. Never got refills on our drinks. I told the manager that this was unacceptable, he offered to buy us a drink or give us a dessert. By then, all I wanted to do was get the hey out of there. The couple seated next to us had gotten there before we did, and when we were getting ready to leave, finally got their food, and it was nearly raw. What a fiasco. We had come from the casino across the street, where the line for the buffet was an hour long. Now we know why. We will NEVER go back to this restaurant. Funny thing is, there was an article in the Detroit News about the owner wanting to turn this place into a topless bar because he can't make a profit. DUH! I wonder why! Pros: The valet guys, they were extremely polite! Cons: Everything else. more

Lets be perfectly Frank great food and drinks needs to move to the suburbs the Detroit city goers love the clubs on eight mile so spend your money wise and abandon a place that has abandoned you I would love to have you in Novi, or Wixom leave the others in Troy and move to where todays money is and you will feed the children well. I love your place and never go to the money laundering casinos. more

Two weeks ago I attended a party that was supposed to be in a private room. When we arrived the room was not heated and the owner had placed four small space heaters around the room in an attempt to heat the room. Well this wouldn't work so the owner moved the party to the bar area, even though a few days before the party he had assured us that there would be plenty of heat in the private room. You can tell that this place is a sinking ship and the owner will lie to paying customers to get them in the door. Let me summarize our evening this way; paid for a private room but did not get it, they did not have the private menus ready for our party, we had our party in the open bar area, we got cold food, bad service, and they tried to overcharge us several hundred dollars on the bill. The owners name is Frank and he should be ashamed of himself that he operates what was once one of Detroit's finest restaurants in this manner. The dining room was so dirty that I couldn't help but wonder what the kitchen looked like. They took no obvious care in what their customers see, I'm certain they are even less concerned with what customers do not see. To make matters worse, the hostess was seating, what few customers they had, with a new born baby in tow. Do yourself a favor and do not go to Carl's, if you go you will be extremely disappointed and feel like you have been ripped off. I sure do. I only hope this place goes out of business soon before anyone else that remembers Carl's Chop House as a fine dining establishment has to endure this sad relic. Pros: It will be closing soon. Cons: The owner will say anything to get you in the door. more

When you step into this place, you feel as though you have entered a time warp. A slow motion one at that. I don't think they have put a dime into this place in 50 years. The carpet is held together by bits of string and duct tape. I think I saw a stain on the carpet from where my grandmother spilled a glass of wine in 1952. Pros: It's past glorious reputation. You go in WANTING to like it. But then.................see the review. Cons: Staff is indifferent at best. Lazy at worst. Moldy oldie carpeting has to go. BE PREPARED when you open! more

This past weekend we had a surprise 40th anniversary party for our parents and the owner completely ruined the experience. Reserved private room back in Sept for the party and when called to confirm a few days prior to event I found out (only by me asking) that the room would not be available due to some theft back in June. No one EVER communicated this to me. I dealt with John the banquet manager who could not fix teh problem so I called Frank the owner and he said that our party would indeed be in the private room. Upon arriving, the room was not ready and we had to sit in the bar with all their neon lights - not the atmosphere I was anticipating for a party of 32 with guests my parents have not seen in 20 years. Additionally, there were no menus printed for us. We were served our food by one of the owners children who was no older than 9 or 10. The hostess was also seating guests with an infant in a carrier around her shoulder - very unprofessional. The best part of the evening was when the bill came - the owner tried to charge me for the $200 deposit that I already paid in Oct and then some additional fee of $200. When I questioned the bill he became very defensive and actually made me talk with our waitress on his cell phone who had already gone home for the evening - he would not help or listen to what I had to say about the overcharging. Because I planned this evening from out of town I firmly believe that they knew all along that the private room I had reserved was never going to be available and I would be very limited on moving the event at the last minute. This could have been a very nice evening but instead the owner, Frank turned it into one of the most awful evenings. We picked this restaurant because of it's history in Detroit and it's where my father's family fist met my mother and where my mother had her parent's 25th Wedding Anniversary party many years ago. Strongly recommend avoiding this restaurant - you will be very disappointed. more

Our Dinner Club just left Carl's Chop House. Very unprofessional bunch of folks in that place! The manager had a 6 week old baby in a carrier on her chest and was seating customers. The carpet was so very worn , eventhe duct tape that was used to keep it together was worn out! This restaurant sure has seen its' better day. The food was mediocre at best. The creamy garlic salad dressing was all mayo. more

My family and I went there for Mother's Day 2007. Although the service was a little slow at first, the food (steak) was GREAT! I didn't even have to use a knife the steak was so tender. I ordered the porterhouse and a baked potatoe. There wasnt a time when a our glasses were empty and food was on the table once the waiter came over the first time. When we first walked in there wasn't a hostess around but the bar tender got someone right away. The soup and salad was terrific as well. I was very pleased with the overall experience and would refer this restaurant to anyone. The staff was helpful and friendly and the food was amazing. I can't wait to go back again. Please do not let the outside fool you. Once you get inside of the restaruant you will forget you are even in detroit. Two thumbs up for Carl's Chop House! Keep up the good work guys =) Pros: The steak and the parking attentants were great Cons: The service was a little slow at first. more