I used to frequent this location, but recently moved to Troy so I use that one instead now. They're very similar except at Troy, their bathroom is on the 2nd floor so I have to climb a bit to get to it.
Food is always delicious here, I got my usual - oak-grilled chicken sandwich, minus the avocado. Ask for the mashed sweet potato, you can have it as your side for no charge. My friend and I split chips and salsa too and it was delicious - a little spicier than I remembered though. LOVE their salsa, tastes more like homemade (chopped tomatoes) rather than the chunky stuff.
Our wait service was a little slow even though it was St. Patty's and empty, but our waiter was also manning the bar, so I suppose that's why.
They have a great happy hour here too (4-6pm, or "late night" 9-close, Sun-Thurs) where all apps are 50% off, and they have $4 specialty drinks too. I like their Bahamaritas.
Sign up for their email club and you'll get coupons occasionally, I had a $10 off $20 one we used.
I love the size and the overall theme of this place. The location is great and it's in the mist of several other eateries. The restaurant has a built in fire place. The service and hostess are great. They were very informative on the menu. Coupled service with the food made me want to go back and I did. They truly invested in their Caribbean theme.
Review Source:Found this place to be average. I ordered the pulled pork sliders. I wish the pork had been dipped in the sauce. I poured it on but it was pretty bland. I really like their menu of non-alcoholic drinks. I went for lunch at 11:30 and place was empty on a Thursday. But by the time we left it was pretty full. Parking was adequate. If you go in the evening on a weekend parking is difficult.
Review Source:Love the tropical theme of Bahama Breeze and the food is even better. Salmon was cooked perfectly with lemon-garlic butter. Had pulled pork as an appetizer and it reminded me of the pulled pork I had during my Hawaii honeymoon. Also tried the coconut crusted onion rings that were enormous and full of flavor. Servers were very prompt and refilled our drinks before they were even half gone. Definitely will be going back!
Review Source:A change of pace.
Now i have been to Bahama breeze quite a few times now and here are my conclusions. First, for starters, i have had the Jamaican wings, which are grilled and well done and great. Now they give you a side of jerk sauce, which is sweet instead of its traditional spiciness. Also i had their spinach dip, which taste like an exact copy of applebee's, which to me is nasty. Now the last time i went there, i had the jerk chicken pasta which was real good and a side of fries, which also was real good. Also a plus, is that there drinks are excellent and they run from $4 to $6, which is better than majority of restaurants. The only negative i really have is that the menu is real small and don't have enough selections.
If I could give this place "no star" I would. Â I typically avoid "chain" restaurants, and going to Bahama Breeze supports my decision. Â Attended a business luncheon there on a Thursday afternoon and the place was empty. Â Food was awful...had the penne jerk chicken...chicken was sparse and sauce was from a "mix with water and stir" package. Â Customer's chicken ceasar salad was lettuce dumped from a bag and frozen chicken slices on top. Â Water was never offered or served. Â
The worst part....we sat in the enclosed patio which was infested with flies. Â We spent our entire lunch swatting flies and eating really bad food. Â This place needs to close down.
Bahama Breeze has always been a "fall back" restaurant for my friends and I. Whenever we wanted to sit down and share a few appetizers and drinks we could always count on Bahama Breeze. Well, that was until they changed their menu and brought in new wait staff and bartenders at the main bar.
I noticed the staffing change toward the beginning of the summer when the usual bartenders weren't at the main bar, and there were new waiters and waitresses everywhere. (Yes, I mean everywhere. They are clearly overstaffed, yet none of the staff seam to be concerned with finding anything to do besides chatting behind the bar or at the hostess stand). At the time the new bartenders seemed frazzled and uncertain of how to handle a busy restaurant during happy hour, and based on my most recent visit this hasn't changed. Throughout the last few months every drink that I have ordered has been inconsistent, watered down and/or overloaded with mixers. I have ordered martinis and had them come to the table luke warm and no where near full, mojitos that were full of simple syrup with mints that hadn't been muddled, and basic blended drinks that taste like milk shakes. During happy hour they will "forget" to ring your drink up then miraculously remember after happy hour is over, and say they "can't go back and give you the happy hour price" or will look at you confused as if to insinuate that you didn't order your drink during happy hour.
The majority of the food on the menu has remained the same, but the few dishes that they did change were changed for the worse. The ribs are chewy and tasteless, and no where near as good as they were before. The wait staff brings out your food sporadically and in separate dishes, which leads me to believe they aren't making sure all of your food is prepared and ready to go before they bring it to the table.
They offer call ahead seating, but this has also changed over the last few months. Previously you could call ahead and be given a time frame to expect a table (ex: 30-45 minutes), but now they won't tell you the wait time over the phone. So, once you get to the restaurant (mind you that you're rushing to get there because your wait time is unknown) you have to check in at the hostess stand which may as well be run by blind chimps given the level of disorganization and chaos that is going on there. Â Then and only then are you given your wait time, which in our case is coincidentally the same wait time as everyone else who is just arriving and hadn't called ahead. What is the point in offering call ahead seating if it doesn't decrease the amount of time that you wait?
My friends and my fiancé and I used to go to Bahama Breeze at least two times per month, but after the extremely long wait, warm and bitter drink, chewy food, and inconsistent wait staff I doubt we will be coming back anytime soon.
I came here with my sister and mom on a Saturday evening. There was an estimated 35minute wait so we headed over to the bar to grab a drink and wait. There are a lot of tropical drink options to choose from, albeit mostly sugary concoctions. Yummy, but I don't know if the sugar content or alcohol content got to me first!
So, 4 minutes later, the table buzzer starts lighting up to let us know our table is ready to be seated. I would normally be pleased with this, but how do you go from 35min to under 5min? I was already nicely settled in at the bar. There needs to be better communication at the hostess stand.
I ended up ordering the grilled Jamaican chicken which was pretty good. My favorite part was the cinnamon mashed sweet potatoes. Our server seemed busy, but he was very polite and nice, so he did a good job. Good place to go before or after the movies across the parking lot.
My hand was forced into visiting Bahama Breeze earlier this summer. My brother needed me to accompany him at the bar while his fiance's wedding shower was going on. I was sort of dreading the scene, girly cocktails like flirtini's and neon colored rum drinks - but was soon impressed.
The bar was strangely well-staffed for a noon on a Saturday and although I felt like a deadbeat, I ordered the largest beer I could find. The mug was cold, the beer selection was good and I couldn't complain.
I ordered the Cuban sandwich and it was huge. I'll also go on record saying it was the second-best Cuban sandwich I have ever had. Can't remember where the first best sandwich was - so maybe we will call it a tie.
Anyway, I couldn't finish the sandwich which is a pretty monumental statement. I once ate two pounds of tater tots in an eating contest and also made a 6-pound bacon log for the 2009 Super Bowl. This sandwich was epic.
The only reason I will give Bahama Breeze a four-star rating instead of a five-star rating is because the floor was sticky. Like the entire floor. Like, someone seriously spilled Kool-Aid everywhere or something because it felt like I was at a bo-jank movie theatre.
Only great things to say. I have always seen this restaurant but this is the first time we decided to try (as P.F. Chang's accross the street had 1.25 hr wait). Â We arrived and it was packed, really crazy and busy, they also told us there is about 1 hr wait but we were lucky and found some tables free at the bar. So we got table right away, it was very close to the kitchen, which at first I thought is a minus (very loud) but then we really enjoyed watching all the dishes getting ready, all the drinks mixed up - it was lots of fun. They have so delicious drinks (great prices), must try!
We ordered salad with fish and chicken curry dish. The food was really good, except for 2 things: my salad contained marinated/grilled pepper (I do not like marinated vegetables, it could have been freshly grilled). And the other dish had a piece of chicken that was raw. So it was a little dissapintment.
But otherwise, just watching all stuff so super busy but so friendly was nice surprise. At the end we ordered "Chocolate Pineapple Upside Down Cake" (for 5.99 USD) that was the best cake I have ever had in my life! Will definately return here!
For a carribean restaurant they should have better carribean food. It feels like who ever makes the menu knows nothing about cooking carribean foods. It's compared to the taco bell of Mexican food. This is the fast food carribean at fancy place with expensive prices. They need balck beans, they need fried plantains they need real paella. They use the same rice for every dish and the rice is very generic and bland. The appetizers are the best thing on the menu. The atmosphere is great but the food is junk.
Review Source:We were a party of 6, just after work (6pm) on a Thursday. With one exception (see below), service was prompt, attentive & friendly.
I had one of their signature dishes: the Jerk Chicken Pasta, and truly enjoyed it. The chicken was spicy enough for the desired 'kick', but not overpowering. The mushrooms and pasta were properly cooked - and the server questioned if I wanted the dish without asparagus before I asked (this must be a frequent request). There may have been a little too much cream sauce, but I add this comment pretty much as an afterthought.
This is not the restaurant for a hungry vegetarian. When asked about vegetarian options, our server pointed out some appetizers and side dishes. Even after being asked about rice dishes, our server had no suggestions, and didn't offer to check with the kitchen for a meatless alternative. (This is the service fault mentioned in the opening paragraph.) Our friend ended up with 2 apps and a side of rice/beans, none of which appeared substantive, or even yummy.
Our table also ordered Ribs (the lean slabs were larger than the plate, came with extra sauce on the side), Coconut Shrimp, and another pasta dish (with shrimp). Everyone was happy with their order, and some ribs were boxed up for a hungry spouse at home.
I've been to Bahama Breeze a few times with girlfriends, and my issue generally falls with their service. For as pricy as the food is, I would assume that they would be staffed appropriately.
On Saturday, my husband and I stopped at Bahama Breeze before heading over to the movies. This was during the U of M-Ohio State game, so the place was practically a dead zone. We were sat at a booth by the bar, and one of the bartenders was our server.
He gave us a few minutes to look over the menu, but he didn't notice when we were ready. We had stacked our menus at the end of the table, etc. and he was carrying on a long conversation with the other bartender before coming to take our order.
We got the white bean hummus as an appetizer, which was tasty. Not a bad value for a few dollars. We got a couple crackers, some cucumber, celery, carrots, and red peppers to dip with.
For dinner, I always order from the fresh fish menu. I love the fish with the shrimp sautee, which is paired with the green beans and mashed sweet potatoes. Tony got a braised beef dish, which tastes better than it looks.
I would say that they're not the greatest fish place in the world, but for being next to the movie theater, wasn't too shabby.
Service was remarkably bad. Â It took over 10 minutes to get our drink order taken, then another 10-15 minutes for two waters and one tea to come to our table. Â The waiter forgot our appetizer as well. Â My soup came out with my meal.
The seafood chowder was really good though. Â Fish tacos were also delicious. Â My friends ordered braised beef and they seemed to like it, but imho it looked to me like someone already ate it lol.
I'm not even sure why I gave it 2 stars. Â I guess it was the groovy music and the Avocado in my soup.
My husband and I each ordered a beer. Â When the waitress dropped them off we ordered a couple appetizers. Â I picked up my beer and it was slimey. Â Like someone greased it with olive oil or something. Â I though it was weird but we wiped them off with our napkins and went on with our dinner. Â She did drop off the wrong beer for my husband but we didn't see her again until after the apps were brought out.
The waitress ran by our table and tossed two small plates on our table for the appetizers. Â They had food all over them. Â Not the kind that the dishwasher missed but fresh food. Â Cheese and crumbs. Â She ran by our table so quick that we couldn't stop her. She came back with our appetizers and was going to drop them off and run until we stopped her. Â My husband asked for another beer but asked her to bring the right one this time. Â She said they don't have it anymore and thats why she brought the other one. Â She also told us they took it off tap. (we ordered bottles) Â She said she would check and started to run off again. Â I stopped her and asked for some clean plates. Â She looked confused and then realized she dropped off dirty ones. Â She snached them up and said she would get clean ones and check on the beer. Â I stopped her AGAIN and asked if she could also take our dinner orders. Â She was confused like she didn't realize we wanted dinner.
She took our order and then yelled at another waitress across the room while standing at our table to ask about the beer. Â The girl was so far away that she couldn't understand so the waitress walked away from our table to talk with her. Â She came back several minutes later to tell us that they ran out of my husbands beer and would he like something else. Â He ordered a different drink and she left. Â
Now ALL this time our appetizers are sitting on the table with no plates getting cold. Â We waited another 5 minutes and just started picking at them off the plates. Â Not that big of a deal usually but the service to this point had been so bad that I was a little grumpy about it. Â She finally delivered the clean plates along with my husband new beer. Â We ordered some fried Yucca and the pieces were so randomly seasoned that it was kind of a crap shoot. Â Some were so salty that they were inedible. Â The chorizo sliders were tasty but the mustard aoli was haphazardly squirted on half the bun.
Our dinner came out and it was just okay. Â Nothing special. Â Nothing to race back and have again.
After writing this review I'm pretty sure we won't be back for dinner again. Â I hate chains anyway.
Run the other way!! Â Our server had half of the patio section so they were way understaffed but you would expect to be greeted at least within 5 minutes of sitting down. Â We waited for a good 10 minutes and had to involve another server who was getting to her tables just fine! Â And can they do something with that uniform? Â
As far as the food, meh. Â I would definitely go to J.Alexanders, a restaurant over next time!!
Paella was ok. Â Not extraordinary. Â Lots if shrimp and scallops. Â Cheesecake was good, but tasted just like any ordinary cheesecake. Â Nothing special. Â Decent meal
I would recommend trying one of their speciality dishes instead. Â Not a bad place, but nothing that really WOWed me.
Coconut shrimp brings me in. Â 9 delicious morsels on top of a bed of yellow rice with a side of broccoli. Â You can't beat that on a hot day when it feels like the Caribbean but sure doesn't look it. Â My husband and I Â enjoyed a couple of fruity cocktails, an appetizer of chicken wings that were quite large and flavorful, and a dessert of Island Chocolate. Â The dessert deserves a review of 5 stars on its own. Â Our server, Melissa, was attentive and professional and made the evening a joy. Â I loved the music too. Â Just because it's a chain, doesn't mean it can't be good.
Review Source:2.5 stars actually (I'd say 2 and Ken said 3... but his choices were a little better than mine)
The highlight of my entire trip was the Pineapple-Coconut Martini (and how much of a lush do I sound like, right?). Â Dangerous combo of 'can't taste the liquor' and 'can't feel my face after 5 sips'! Â Ken tried their Aruba Red house beer and thought it was pretty good.
Apps were Fire-Roasted Jerk Shrimp for me (bland peeled shrimp in semi-spicy butter sauce with some toast for dipping. Â I didn't taste anything resembling jerk seasoning) and Jamaican Grilled Wings for Ken (whole wings, marinated in jerk seasoning, and served with a BBQ-type sauce for dipping. Â He liked them).
Entrees were the Ahi Tuna Salad special for me (meh! Â Nothing special to me, and Ken and I switched entrees pretty early in) and Coconut Shrimp for Ken (also meh, to me, but a ton better than the dull salad).
We haven't been to Bahama Breeze since we returned from our Jamaican honeymoon in 2002 (we were disappointed then too). Â The $10 coupon in the mail drew us in. Â Dumb coupon. Â No need to go back, unless Ken wants to go on his own, sit in the bar, and drink red beer and eat wings.
On a trip to Detroit, our friends invited us to join them at Bahama Breeze. It was lunch time and Summer so we tried out some of their cool, fruity drinks. Yum!
The food was not memorable and high in calorie counts, so it is not really that healthy. The atmosphere is definitely calypso island style, which is nice but gets old quick.
Try getting a salad
The reviews on this place are very hit and miss...some over seasoned, some bland, some too much, some not enough...I sure hope the management take the time to review and make the necessary adjustments!
My experience has always been very good at Bahama Breeze, and at least helped to make me feel I was somewhere tropical and warmer.
The service we experienced was ok, nothing to write home about but decent. We got what we ordered as we ordered it, and in a fairly reasonable amount of time.
The pseudo calypso/Reggie  performer was pretty good, but the poor guy looked like he wanted to off himself if he had to "sing that darn song" one more time. I looked at him and wondered if the dreads were real, or clip on. I sat wondering if this guy was actually an engineer by day who moonlighted as an islander by evening!
The prices were on the high side, but the food flavorful.
The Aruba Red  beer was ok, but did have some odd metallic taste. But like the trooper I am, drank it all and ordered another, just to be sure.
The appetizers are huge, one of the diners at my table ordered that one and WOW, enough for two, really!
The ultimate pina colada's are pretty amazing too, but you better like coconut!
I will be back!
Going into this place, especially when it was novel, felt like entering an amusement park. Â The lay-out was exciting and conceptually unique. Â The problem with Bahama Breeze is that it's all substance, with little form.
There is some decent food, but the drinks are weak and the service slow. Â Worst of all, if you go on the weekend, you're likely to have to listen to some Jimmy Buffet impostor that will make you feel like you've really stepped on a pop-top. Â Me? Â I wanna just cruise on back home.
Definitely meh chain overall but there is some tastyish food to be found in there if you look hard enough.
First off the mojtos and non alcoholic lemon breezes are awesomely good. I also quite like the capirinhas. Mmmm I do love sugar cane juice and citrus, lime in particular.They never mess up these items thank goodness. They also carry red stripe which sort of puts me in a Jamaican reminisce.
As far as food... apps and soups for my money are the best way to go.
Most apps are big enough to be sharable. Tasty fire roasted jerk shrimp in garlic thyme butter with cuban bread for dipping works, misnamed as it is not really jerk but I am not quibbling. I also like the spicy habanero wings but I had a bad batch on my last visit which makes me sad. I like the goat cheese and the crab, mango and avocado stack ok too. I had crab claws in there which were truly awful though, they were cold with tasteless congealed sauce.
The brothy chicken tortilla, creamy seafood chowder and the black bean soups are all generally tasty. I am usually inclined to like black bean, but I ask for some finely diced onion and hot sauce to jazz it up though as sometimes it is not as seasoned as I like.
I can also do a tropical fruit and grilled chicken salad here but I do really want to know what is so exotic about strawberries, red grapes, mandarin oranges and grocery store type pineapple. It will do but I would hardly call it island flair. They add goat cheese which always makes me happier so I refrain from harrassing the waitstaff about their poor naming of the creation.
I had a couple bites of warm chocolate pineapple upside down cake I really liked in there one night too. I thought the dulce de leche cheesecake another night was meh.
Every other dinner or lunch item I have tried off the regular menu has just not hit my tastebuds. It is a rather bland dumbed down version of island food as a general rule. I agree with the person who cited Florida. It definitely feels more like that.
Mostly we come in with friends who love it here, I don't mind terribly but it is not what I would pick.
5 star food but spotty service and tired atmosphere.
The food here is delicious. Â We've tried a number of things on several visits and been satisfied with the majority of them. Â They are somewhat inconsistent in their delivery though of menu staples (which we've also ordered several times), which is sad.
Their specialty drinks are phenomenal in terms of deliciousness - (with added note that mixed alcohol concentration is usually average, even still, drinks=delicious). Especially the Ultimate Pina Colada.
The service is friendly but sparse. Â They have a ton of people on staff, but they are almost never around and seem to forget about you after your food is delivered, and ESPECIALLY when you are ready to leave and waiting on your check. Â It never fails. Â Every time you are done with your meal it is at least ten more minutes before your server shows back up with the check.
The atmosphere is tired. Â They haven't updated their look in over a decade. Â In colder months, it is always freezing in there, no matter where you sit. Â The fire on the patio is nice, but it's usually been reserved for private parties the times we've been there that it's been in operation. Â In warmer months, it runs hot in the restaurant (they don't use the A/C much).
If they could just deliver a little more consistently with their food quality, they'd instantly gain another star (which would offset the service star loss).
The ambiance is very fun and airy. Â It's a solid spot to change it up as long as you don't mind the long wait for the so so tasting , not-so-healthy cuisine. Â The coconut shrimp is great though. Additonally, the drink menu is very nice, mon. Â I consider it an asset to have this place in close proximity for whenever I get that carribean craving; however, I won't be remiss if I don't make there frequently.
Also it helps if you've been to the caribean to appreciate some of the menu items and decor.
Atmosphere
Yes, it's kitschy, but it's fun. Â I really like eating out in the screened in porch-esque area. Â The humidity, music and temperature really made me think I was somewhere tropical and touristy, maybe Florida, but not quite The Bahamas. Â Both times I've eaten there have been in the summer, so it may be a different experience in the winter. Â There is only a wait-list for the dining room, though, and the porch-thing is every group for themselves. Â We scoped the scene and there were no open tables so my parents and I hung out and stalked the area. Â I felt like a vulture and I was staring people down who looked like they were finishing their meal. Â There has to be a better, fairer way to seat that area. Â I'm not sure why they don't just treat it like the rest of the establishment.
Food
I had the salmon pasta and it was actually really good! Â I was pleasantly surprised. Â The salmon was VERY moist and, dare I say, the best mid-priced salmon dish I had a in a long time. Â My father tried some of the fish and wished he had ordered it. Â He had some sort of shiskabob meal that he liked, but my father is not difficult to please. Â My mom had the Smothered Pork Tenderloin and said it was a little dry, but otherwise good. Â Evidently, I had the best dish and the other two were good, but not great.
Drinks
They seemed to have a wide selection, but it was almost difficult to differentiate between them all. Â There are only so many tropical, mainstream drinks you can offer before the difference only becomes a splash of OJ or a pineapple garnish. Â Good drinks, but nothing special.
Staff
Both times our servers were good. Â The first time, the food was really slow, but the second was much better. Â The live musicians out on the porch-thing were very talented, but the music was a bit too loud and it was hard to hold a conversation.
It was my first time being at this restaurant in quite some time and I think it will be quite a while before I'll have the want to run back.
We met some friends here for dinner and I was grossly underwhelmed. We chose to sit in the patio area, which is seat yourself style. We started with their house beer, the "Aruba Red.' Either they had just changed the keg, or they need to start keeping their beer coolers at a lower temperature.
Then we had the island spinach dip, which was pretty run of the mill. Not bad, but nothing special.
The true disappointment were the island ribs. These ribs were VERY overcooked, very dry and actually unappetizing. There was definitely not enough sauce and I was grossly disappointed. Didn't help that the full rack was 18.99.
Service was ok and from what I understand my dining companions had better meals. I won't be back soon.
All I wanted was a decent Paella. Â Not a great one. Â Just something passable for seafood here in the midwest. Â One like I have actually managed to get at this particular establishment up until, apparently, tonight. Â
First thing I noticed upon sitting down is that the menu is a bit streamlined. Â No more Ahi tuna dishes for "quality problems" per the server. Â I am glad they have standards - they need to enforce them in other areas too. Â
The paella I am used to from Bahama Breeze is full of perfectly done chicken, sausage, mouthful sized scallops and shrimp, and good mussels, all served in a nearly creamy, flavorful, rice with peas, etc. Â
The paella I got tonight was flatlined on the flavo-meter. Â Just salty, fishy, runny broth on some suspectly orange rice (When I say fishy here, I mean bad fishy, not the bouquet of fresh ocean fare). Â All the proteins were way overdone. Â The scallops were not much bigger than pencil erasers, and the shrimp were bite sized at best. The sausage was hard little cuboids that had the consistency of my dog's Beggin' Strips. Â For all the different pieces-parts going in, this dish was remarkably one-dimensional on the business end: Â Bad. Â
Redemption came in the form of some excellent soups on the front end of our meal. Â The chicken tortilla soup is NOT the creamy processed cheese-food product stuff you get at a chain mexican restaurant. Â It was great - hints of lime accenting the aromatic broth full of potatoes, carrots, and nicely prepared grilled chicken. Â Garnished with an avacado, and lots of tortilla strips. Â A little heat worked its way into the mix via some medium-hot peppers (poblano?).
The seafood chowder was great too. Â Shrimp and clams in a rich potato cream base. Â Great flavor mix and texture. Â
The service was excellent - I actually saw a server run into the parking lot following customers out to their car with their forgotten leftover boxes (Have you ever?)!!! Our server cheerfully helped replace the top bun of a co-diner's sandwich with fresh toasted baguette (my co-diner neglected to decline the default mustard application to her short-lived dismay). Â Said server kept my seive-like ice tea glass full despite my best efforts to the contrary. Â She also did the little things I like, such as grabbing up little bits of garbage like used sugar envelopes on her way by. Â
1 star for the paella - never again. Â
5 stars each for the soup and service. Â Busting out my slide rule again, and applying a weighting factor (I did go there for paella, after all), we come to an average of 3 stars for the visit. Â Cheers.
My husband and I went on a recent trip to Jamaica for our honeymoon, so we decided to go here last Sunday as this is the closest we're going to get to anything Caribbean for a while!
It was nice that day and we wanted to sit outside, but they had not opened up the porch area yet. We also had to wait about 30 minutes for a table though the restaurant was half empty on one side and no one was out on the porch yet ~ I assume this was due to lack of staff then.
We sat at the bar to get a drink while we waited for our table. He had Red Stripe (like I said, we were pretending we were in Jamaica again!) and I had a regular margarita on the rocks. Our bartender was attentive anyway.
At the table we got the spinach dip/chip appetizer (very yummy!). I had the jerk chicken pasta and husband had the rice piaya (eek, spelling?) with all the meats. I tried his and it was tasty. I was disappointed with the jerk chicken pasta...it just didn't have that slight spicy bite I was looking for. I generally don't like spicy foods, but jerk seasoning seems to have a slight and tolerable bite which I like occasionally. Maybe the cream sauce in the pasta drowned it out. I don't know.
Our waitress was a bit blah and unattentive....seemed like she just wanted us to get out of there. To me there's no excuse not to check on a table at least once and see how things are tasting, but maybe that's just me. I contemplated tipping very little but I just can't bring myself to do it, even when the service is that sucky.
We'll go back, as BB is right near our house, and hopefully just not get that same server.
I like Bahama Breeze, even when it's still a bit chilly outside. Â They have a solid menu and lots of tropical foo-foo drinks. Â For us manly men they offer a good selection of about 6 draft beers and many more brands as bottles. Â As Jackie said, perfect place for dinner and a movie.
I last visited this restaurant on a Friday night during Lent. Â Since they do feature a large seafood menu it was quite busy as expected. Â You can do call-ahead reservations and so I tried this for the first time. Â The person on the phone said it was a 45-minute wait so we waited about 30 minutes and arrived to check in. Â We were told at that point it would still be another 20 minutes or so which was accurate. Â If you've never been to this place there are two distinct sections of the building, each with their own bar. Â If you want to find a place to sit down go through the other set of front doors to the left and you might find open seats at the bar there and/or on the couches and chairs in the lobby on that side.
Despite the place being very busy we still had good service. Â The spinach dip with nacho chips was a delicious appetizer. Â My wife had the fresh fish of the day and thought it was well prepared and very tasty (she got it jerk style in honor of me, LOL). Â I had the "smaller portion" of the Chicken Santiago which actually was the perfect size for me. Â I really liked the red pepper sauce it came with.
This place is even better in the summer time on a warm day. Â The food is always good but it sure feels nice (and more justified) to have a frosty foo-foo drink with all the sunshine streaming in and a nice breeze to carry all the excellent smells of summer throughout the restaurant!
I'd first gone here a few years ago and was in no hurry to go back. It just hadn't impressed me much.
I took my daughter and headed out during a blizzard a couple days before Christmas to meet a few friends, and everything was fabulous! I started off with a Bahama-rita, and the waitress was even kind enough to ask if she could get food started for my daughter (happy toddler = happy mama!). While I was waiting for my friends, several of the wait staff stopped to say a few words to my daughter, and she was kept pleasantly entertained. This really adds points in mom-land!
Once everyone arrived, we had the spinach artichoke dip for an appetizer and it was wonderful! Not sure exactly what made it different than most, but it was super-yummy. I had the shrimp and lobster pasta for dinner and loved every bite. The serving was large enough that I also had it for lunch the next day and there was still plenty of meat left (I'm notorious for picking the meat out over dinner, and then having pasta left over...).
The only thing I could possibly think to change would be the kids' menu. It was very sparse. I think they had chicken fingers, mac and cheese and one other thing that I've forgotten. I ended up ordering cheese quesadillas for my little monster. She loved them, but I ended up paying over $7 for the appetizer instead of a $4 kids' meal - yikes! Good thing she's cute :)
I regret that I didn't catch her name, but our waitress was fantastic. She left her cool light up pens for my daughter to play with for a while and kept checking back to see if she needed anything. And she never set a hot dish in front of the toddler. I hope when we go back we have such great service again.
Oh Bahama Breeze! Â From fab decorations to great food and everything in between, this place is something I miss!
It's location is great. Â It's in the same parking lot as the AMC 20 so it makes for a good evening of dinner and a movie. Â They do have valet, but c'mon! Â It's Livonia, not LA. Â Plus the parking lot is right there. Â It's one of the more unique places around the area and can be seen from the road.
The food is unique and in a good way. Â Jerk chicken is a must try for anyone who hasnt been or have yet to try it. Â They have other good dishes for reasonable prices and their fries are delicious. Â Their drink selection is another reason I come here. Â They have a variety of great non-alocoholic drinks and a book full of fun tropical alcholic drinks. Â The Bahamarita is their most famous and definatly recommend trying it!
The decorations are great and the covered patio with music is nice for waiting for a seat. Â They have outdoor seating but honestly cannot be used for most of the year due to Michigan's weather.
Overall, a nice place for food and drinks with a group and close to the movies and a short distance from the mall. Â I enjoy coming here because of the memories (Paco our waiter at homecoming in high school, ect) and the appeal of food that isnt just a hamburger.
Bahama Breeze, like other reviewers before me have pointed out, is a Caribbean themed restaurant that seems to specialize in... what else? Seafood. Of course, they do have other things on the menu so if you're not instantly enticed to go there - don't worry.
Overall this place seemed to set a nice tone and atmosphere. I was digging the dark lighting and the kind of upscale setting. However, not so upscale that people felt inclined to remove their baseball hats. You could see a wide range of people dining here - the old couple on a date trying to rekindle their relationship, the family gathering of generations that haven't even met yet, and the high-school set with the dudes trying to impress the chicks by their fine selection of an eatery. It's all here, and I think that says a good thing about a place.
Service was EXTREMELY friendly on all counts and seemed to be pretty attentive. It seemed that every person I interacted with was happy to be there and enjoying their job. My guess is that these people must be paid pretty well or they have a big dude with whips and chains in the back so they don't get out of line. Even as the dinner crowd started to pick up (we arrived shortly before the real dinner rush), service stayed on point and our table was never left looking for our server or someone to bring us something. These folks are on top of their game.
The food came out nice and still warm, it seemed like it was decently fresh because it did take a little while for it to come out. The other two people I was with ordered some seafood stuff (tilapia and coconut shrimp) while I ordered the smaller portion of Jamaican Chicken. I am happy that I ordered the smaller portion, because it was still pretty friggin' huge. I had to take home my side items to finish later. The other dishes, not the smaller portions, were absolutely monstrous and I can't fathom someone eating it all in one sitting. Well, then again, yes I can. Apparently it was all good though. My dish was nice and seemed to be expertly prepared. The mashed sweet potatoes on the side were really good the first couple bites and then they lost some of their luster... the chicken was perfectly cooked, seasoned well, and not drowned in sauce to cover it up - so big props.
Considering the amount of food you get for the prices here, I'd call this place a decent value. It's definitely not along the lines of frugal living, but unless you ordered something and hated it, you shouldn't feel ripped off at all.
Bahama Breeze is a nice switch up from the typical chain restaurants. They have great service, an appealing menu, strong drinks, and an appealing interior. I'd flip the script every once in a while and pop in here when I know it's going to be slow.
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