The Blue Nile

i honestly think that i was served cat food. No, wait i think cat food would probably taste much better than the slop i was served. Overpriced cat food, i cant believe they are still in business, and the rudeness of the server was unbelievable. Im paying big $$$ for that????????? never again. more

I tried to order the vegetarian combo for a visiting friend. First the woman who answered would not take my order over the phone - she said they didn't have a carryout combo but I could come in and pick out items to make one for my friend. She said the food was already made so that they could put together a combination quickly. I drove 45 minutes to get there and then stated to another women the same thing: my friend usually gets the eat-in vegetarian combo and I would like to recreate this as a carryout, with an additional meat combo for me. How is this difficult to understand??? Half an hour later the kitchen staff was still trying to get the order together, and I could hear the woman who had answered the phone saying, "I told her on the phone that we don't do that." At this point there was a man trying to help me, but his first attempt at putting together a combo was to just put one or two of everything into containers for a total bill of $60! I explained again that the meal was only for TWO WOMEN (not a family!) and that I simply wanted a variety of dishes similar to what would be the typical eat-in combos. He then said that everything was only sold carry-out as ala carte and we were able to negotiate a solution for around $35 (after almost 45 minutes of wasted time). As if this were not unpleasant enough, as I was paying for the meal the woman who had originally answered the phone came out. "I told you on the phone it was ala carte," she stated loudly (which she had not - she said simply that they COULD do a combo but I should come in and pick out the items). When I politely recited her exact words from the phone conversation (i.e. "Well, actually what you said was...") she continued to argue with me about what she had supposedly said. WOW. I was just trying to get a nice meal for my friend. When I finally got to my friend's and ate the food it was all right but absolutely NOT worth this kind of hassle. I still can't believe how rude that woman was. I am an agreeable, reasonable person and I was never less than polite to anyone at that restaurant, even when that woman felt the need to argue with me. I had never eaten there before and I just wanted someone there to help me put together a meal my friend would enjoy. UGH - I will NOT be going back. Instead, I highly recommend the "Taste of Ethiopia" restaurant in Detroit's Eastern Market - WONDERFUL tasty food and VERY VERY NICE STAFF!!! more

Do your research on Ethiopian cuisine and decide if it sounds appetizing to you. The meal consists of a spongy bread that you dip into a communal tray of various mushy items. It costs $20/person and even if you like the food, you will leave unsatisfied. (Imagine trying to get full on chips and dip). The place also has a rank smell as my 3 year old niece felt no qualms about pointing out. It's way over-priced and not very good. Pros: none Cons: WAAAAAAAAAAAY OVERPRICED! more

Well I can see that the other reviews must be from the owners of this establishment. If you like slop on a plate-then this is your hidden gem. For roughly 20 bucks a plate you get food that isnt explained to you by the server and it tastes like pasty mush in your mouth. Our waiter had to been the worst in any dining established I have ever been into. The aroma from this place is enough to make you sick. I will never go back and they couldnt have paid me the 20 bucks a plate to eat this slop. more

A little pricey but overall a good time. They offer all you can eat, ethnic food in a cool looking restaurant. The food is authentic and they give you trendy spongy tortilla things to eat with. Or you can ask for a fork, but any time you get to eat with you hands is always fun. : ) Pros: You get to eat with your hands! :) Cons: not for cheap skates more

This restaurant is truly awesome! Cozy & romantic, exceptional service, delicious food - it's really a unique experience, and one of Southeast Michigan's "hidden gems." For something different, definitely try this place! more

ok, this was just bad. I waited 10 minutes at the bar before someone asked me if i wanted a drink. It was awful. I was just watching the wait staff standing around, looking about, they didn't even notice me. I had to get their attention after which they got me my drink. the waitress was an idiot. the whole place is cheap. we paid $20 each for an all you can platter (which is your only choice - all you can eat). and it wasn't very good so we didn't want to eat much. And then there was just cheapness through out. when i asked if one of us got vegetarian for the $16 price, she said she would have to charge the meat dish price $18 b/c one of us could eat meat of the others' dish. WTF? So now they are accusative to their patrons. When asked if we could take out what we didn't eat, 'No you can't take it out, b/c it's all you can eat'. For Effing sake, I just paid $40 for one plate which me and my friend shared, and we can't take out what is left. I hate this place! Pros: decent interior dec. Cons: rip off, poor service, crappy food, too much stuff to mention more

My favorite place in detroit! Be ready to swap saliva with your fellow diners, no forks here. The veggie feast is fab! Sit an a small table or at a booth. Great tea and they make thier own honey wine, dilectable. Pros: all you can eat! Cons: some of the servers are a little lax more

I love eating at Blue Nile. The food here is interesting and delicious, and the "feast" format lets you try all different things, for a really nice mix of spicy/cool, hot/cold, crunchy/soft dishes. It's the perfect place to go for a little culinary adventure with a date or group of friends who don't mind sharing food and eating with their fingers. The staff is really warm and friendly too, although they're not always around when it's time to pay the check. Definitely recommended if you're in the mood for something different. Pros: Delicious and exotic food, cool experience more

The Blue Nile's Detroit location has moved to West 9 mile in downtown Ferndale. Pros: All you can eat, Authentic, Honey wine Cons: Little pricy more