Carlyle's

If you're looking for nice and tasty food, Carlyle's on Jackson Rd. in Ann Arbor is NOT the place.  The food was lacking, poorly presented and overpriced.  My spouse ordered a $24 NY Strip, and get this, soup, salad, or any other vegetables or rice was extra.  They were even stingy on the steak sauce (came in a small metal cup that wasn't even half full).  Frankly, I would just avoid this place all together - all show and no substance.

Comments

[Stephanie]

Thanks for writing! I've been interested in Carlyle's, but now I'll push it down on my list of restaurants to try :)

[Craig]

I agree that it's pricey, but the food was good, the portions were fairly generous (for a Cobb Salad and a Chicken Avocado Sandwich) and they were very fast and accomodating, helping my wife and I catch a movie in 30 minutes.

[Jayne]

I agree Craig, the Chicken Avocado sandwich is amazing! The chicken was so moist. And the service was fast and friendly, I too made it to my movie on time =)

[Don]

Carlyle's is a great restaurant with good food and a good wine selection. Thanks for keeping it easy to get in without a major wait by telling people not to go there.

[John]

Heard that the place was overrated so we didn't make an effort to try it out quickly. Went this past week-end and was delighted with the food AND service. Had a flat iron steak that was delicious and my wife had a hamburger that was giant, yet tasty.

[Woody]

All I can say is it's your loss if you chose not to go to Carlyle's. My wife and I have been there 3 times and each time was great. The wine list is good too and if you have a laptop your good to go wireless. Parking is a snap and the theater is in the same parking lot. You can sit outside or in another area that is open to the outside with a roof plus in the restaurant or in the bar. Prices were fair and service was fast and friendly....

[Ellen O'Malley]

The Carlyle is one of our favorite places to eat - the service is usually good and the food is great. The portion sizes are large - and make great leftovers the next day. The chicken fingers are out of this world - and the fries are the BEST in Ann Arbor. I usually eat my fries and the coleslaw (with Maytag blue cheese) for dinner and save my chicken strips for the next day. They are great cold-dipped in Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce. Have you tried the poncho sauce? It comes with the London Burger, but is EXCELLENT as a dip for your fries (forget the catsup). The wine selection is great - and they are always trying new things - that are delicious and affordable (some aren't, and they are great for celebrations because they are still priced reasonably). They are still new - so it will take time to work out all of the kinks, but as far as I'm concerned, they are doing a fantastic job!

[barb]

I agree - this place is really good. No lines, either, which is rare in this town. And a pretty good wine list.

I would kill for their coleslaw - and their Cuban Pork sandwich? YUM!!

[Suzy]

I thought that this place was not only pricey but VERY OVERRATED, as nothing extra comes with the meal not even bread, if you want a salad with your meal be prepared to fork out even more $, when you pay that price for a meal you want the whole meal. I would not recommend this place to anyone.

[Rick]

Carlye USED to be my favorite restaurant in Ann Arbor, that is before the manager decided to part ways with the owner. THe former general manager WAS Carlyle, and now that he's gone, so apparently is what made it my favorite place for dinner.
In the past month, both the food and service have become indifferent. Servers couldn't care less who I am or what I want, just interested in getting me out of their table so they can install the next sucker.
I could always count on personal attention from the manager, but the last 2 visits, I haven't even SEEN a manager, much less chatted with one.
Food has gone WAY downhill; smaller portions w/ no reduction in price, presentation is boring, NOBODY knows a thing about wine in general, the wine on their very own list, in particular.
All in all, went from 1st on my list to not even on my list. I hate to think that it's all due to a management change, but that appears to be the cause. Don't waste your time. Find out where the manager went and go there.

[Steve]

I agree with the original review and everyone who is saying all that you need to know: AVOID Carlyle's. I've given them four chances. It was decent one out of four times, the other three times were terrible. My wife has had food that was still frozen served to her. It's over-priced, and the food is nothing special... and at times, the food can be just plain bad.

[Diane]

I agree with the original reviewer, too, and will be avoiding Carlyle after the dinner I had there last night. The Carlyle salad, which did not come with the dinner, was large enough for three people as a side salad and composed mainly of iceberg lettuce: Didn't eat much of this. The Parmesan Encrusted Whitefish, enough to feed two of me, tasted too fishy and slightly older than fresh: tried to eat this, started feeling sick. The mashed potatoes accompanying the fish were served in a huge mound, partly covering the fish, and were lukewarm. (I would call these"smashed" potatoes, since they were chunky and filled with skins.) When I mentioned to the waitress that the potatoes were lukewarm but said I would eat them because the fish was hot, she brought me a plate of very hot potatoes. So, there I was with two huge mounds of unattractive, grey potato starting to feel sick because of the fish. YUCK! A waste of food! This was inedible, gut-clenchingly bad food.

[Chrissy]

What happened to your blog? Why don't you write anymore?

[Jim]

The reviewer's comments on "nice and tasty" food being of poor quality are absurd. Where did this guy eat? Perhaps he was across the street at the Coney Island. Carlyle's menu is unique and is always changing. The food is high quality and is served in ample quantities. If you have room for desert, do yourself a favor and order the carrot cake.

This is the best place around for good old fashioned American comfort food. If you don't try it, you are missing something!

[person]

I thought the restaurant was terrible and the staff was unprofessional. I have seen certain staff at Carlyle work at other restaurants prior and have known them to be unprofessional as well-sleeping with their managers and other multiple servers. Obviously these workers are nbt supervised and who ever is supervising them is probably sleeping with them

[Zer0]

I took my boyfriend there. I have to say that it is amazing, the staff is very nice and friendly! The food was amazing, and not too expensive. The person who wrote this article kind of sounds like a bitch. First rule of going out to eat, don't act like you are better than your server. that's how you get terrible food and service. I highly recommend this place.

[knutt]

My wife and I, with friends and family, have eaten at the Carlyle many times over the past two years The food has always been first class and well served. Two of the members of our family are disabled and the servers have always been attentive and solicitious of their needs. I would not hesitate recommending this establishment to anyone who wishes a good dinner well served.