Gratzi - Ann Arbor

Right in the heart of Ann Arbor. Good size patio on the sidewalk. Menu has a lot of selection vs your avg local Italian restaurant- apps, salad, soup, pizza, lots of pasta, steak, veal, fish, lamb, chicken, short ribs. Some unique pastas - lobster, rabbit. Place is very busy. Make a reservation or expect to wait a long time. Restaurant was an old movie theater. Very nice unique atmosphere. Food is excellent. I go out of my way to go to Gratzi whenever I'm in Ann Arbor....and look forward to it. Don't even want to try another place. short walk to Michigan Stadium.

After only visiting this restaurant once, I can already say that it is one of my favorites downtown. The restaurant itself is beautiful and very classy. The waiters were so polite and professional while still being personable and helpful. The food came out very quickly, (granted, it wasn't very busy at 5:00 on a Monday night) and the flavors were out of this world! The food was made with simple and recognizable ingredients, but the flavors they developed were way beyond anything ordinary. Even the simple minestrone soup tasted gourmet. It can sometimes be intimidating to try a new restaurant, but I would highly suggest this one!!

Thursday night and the place was packed full, great to see this because I want this place to stay open forever! Everyone around us appeared to truly be enjoying their meals immensely. We had a wonderful meal. Starter was delicious , an antipasto with meats and cheeses. We then split a lovely pear salad, yum. Our main entree was Scrumptious chicken marsala. The bread and olive oil was very good. The tiramisu was scrumptious. Our server was Charlotte and she was awesome and so very attentive. We could not have been more pleased by her service and kindness. Charlotte and Jeff could not have made my birthday/sisters celebration of being cancer free more pleasant. Wonderful meal and service . Bravo Charlotte, you are a very kind and pleasant person and a lovely server.

Overall a great dining experience. All of the servers make an active effort to make you feel comfortable, but our personal waiter was a little awkward at first, but he ended up warming up. Food was amazing. Milanese was perfect with the fresh arugula and tomatoes! Mojito was mediocre. Portions were off. Very few places get it right.

Our waiter, Michael, and another man who also helped our table, did a wonderful job. Our food was delicious (especially the butternut squash bisque) and we loved the crispy ravioli. Upon leaving, I left my purse without realizing. The other man who helped us, ran at least two blocks to return it to me. That went beyond our expectations. Very pleased with the food and service; would return again, for sure.

A lovely restaurant with great food and service. When we got married 20 years ago we had our wedding party at Gratzi. We have visited there many times since, including our anniversary last Saturday. From Andy greeting us at the door to the server and chefs - very, very Good!

My family, a party of 7, enjoyed a very special & memorable dinner celebration for my father on his birthday. Everyone had a great meal and loved their dinner. We had a good variety of dinners and they were all excellent. We really like Palio, but this was a big step-up. Would definitely recommend and look forward to going there again.

Went in at lunch time during the week. The place wasn't very crowded, but the waiter was still helpful and attentive. The food was well made and it was nice change from regular Italian to have a certain region of Italy featured every month. Being the end of August the food centered around harvested vegetables. The focaccia bread served to everyone was good.

Awesome place. Didn't love the mural because of the partial nudity but thats art sometimes. However they made up for it with very delicious food and great service. We had the bread basket, scampi, Pollo Marsala, and Teramisu. Every dish deserved 5 stars alone. Awesome for fancy date night. The waitress even brought complimentary drinks at the end of our meal. (Probably for paying for all 3 courses and being super kind (app, entre, dessert) Not sure if that is standard, so don't go expecting free drinks)

The food is exceptional and the service is unparalleled. The wine list is extensive and the cheese plates have one of the best selections available. The atmosphere is warm and intimate. And can be crowded and very busy but not overly loud.

My wife and I went here for a celebration dinner and absolutely loved it. The food was incredibly delicious! I had veal tenderloin and my wife had the risotto. The veal was melt-in-your-mouth tender. Our server was very attentive and helpful and we enjoyed sitting up on the balcony and having a bird's eye view of the hustle and bustle below. Unfortunately, it's a bit expensive for us to make it a regular spot, but it's a great "fancy" restaurant that isn't too stuffy which we will return to for special occasions.

In general I noticed the food lacked flavor and we had to constantly add salt to it, but it was good (not excellent). For the quality I got I think it is a bit pricey, but it they fixed the flavor issue then the price would make sense. Regarding the dishes.... The calamari and short rib were fantastic and are highly recommended

The reason I give this restaurant a 4 star is because of the long wait just to get the food. Otherwise the experience was wonderful. The food was delicious and the nice lady who took our order was very cheerful.

Such a wonderful place to hang out with your loved ones all dressed up.! A little upscale restaurant but the ambience and food is too good.!

Loved the ambiance. The wine selection is extended and the food was moderately impressive.

Really do enjoy this place. The first time I went it was divine. We sat at the best table in the restaurant and my boyfriend knew the manager so the service was impeccable. The second time I went many years later it had its ups and downs. Delicious filet with tomato and cheese. Great sides and very rustic feel to the food. Different than other Italian I have experienced. This is a great spot for a special night out and maybe even you will get the best seat in the house up on the balcony overlooking everything. I would definitely return here for special days and have enjoyed my experiences overall. Plus it's hooked to a great dessert place for after dinner!

One of the first restaurants I took my wife 15 years ago and we celebrate our anniversary every year here. The food is American influenced Italian food. A lot of balanced flavors with nothing really staining from middle of the road. I've never had a bad meal here or been overwhelmed. It's a consistent staple of Main Street Ann Arbor

First time visit. Quite impressed with the atmosphere. The service was what you expect from a Main Street Venture. Server was very knowledgeable and accommodating. It was a little slow at times I have to agree with some other reviewers about the lack of seasoning on the dishes. You can tell the ingredients are fresh and taste good but something is missing to bring them to life. We'll be back though for another try.

Good experience, but our server wasn't super friendly. We were there for a special occasion and it didn't go quite as planned. The food was very good and the bread was fresh and hot. The wine was delicious, as well. We may or may not return.

I've only been for the happy hour, but they had nice small plates and drinks. I had a $5 plate with 3 fried raviolis and a $3 pint of Bell's Two Hearted Ale. My wife had a sangria which they served in a large pint glass. We had a nice time sitting outside.

Slowest restaurant ever. For everything we waited double amount. The food was extremely salty. The atmosphere is nice. Prices is okay. Food not tasty. Serving is nice. I don't think I will be coming again

Friendly staffs and nice atmosphere. Food was average at best.

Our server and staff were lovely and did a nice job. We came for a family celebration. The food was presented nicely, but the flavors, quality, and freshness of the food was underwhelming across the board. For the expensive we expected better food. It’s hard to complain when we felt treated so well, but we probably will not return because the food was not to our liking.

Nice atmosphere and decent waitstaff. If you want a steak I would go elsewhere as the cut I recieved was not only overcooked but also incredibly chewy and almost rubbery. Their other dishes are quite good and the have a pretty large wine list.

In a town full of good food, this place rates a meh on the excitement scale. The food was served lukewarm at best. And does this place have any idea what seasoning is? There are much better Italian places to eat in town. Or if you don't want to come down just go to Olive Garden, there food there is actually better. This coming from someone that really dislikes Olive Garden

I have a personal rule that I try a restaurant twice before I write a review. I have to say that I just don't find Gratzi to be all that impressive. It's not bad, but for main street fine dining you have a certain expectation to go along with the prices. The servers are good and I did like the option to sit outside. The food however just lacked that next level of flavor.

We stopped in for a late lunch on a Fri afternoon. We were a group of four and the only people in there. The server put in wrong order for one person and their food came 20 min later. The manager apologized and offered a free glass of wine. He should've comped the person's dinner. We didn't even take the free glass of wine. Food was good, service could be better.

Service was very friendly and efficient. Had a glass of wine which was off. My fault for not complaining but also fault of management for not checking the quality of the wine they serve. can't comment on the quality of the food. Probably a good place to hang out on a hot summers evening like I did.

I visited for restaurant week and I must say that I have a mix of emotions. I'll start with all the positive stuff because they're more than the negative feedback (room for improvement). The customer service was a great, really attentive waiter, friendly hostess, and a pretty good manager that went a couple of times to our table to asks us how our food was. I had the fried calamari for an appetizer and they were pretty good, a really big portion, sadly a little overcooked, but thankfully it wasn't chewy nor bothersome. The desert was PHENOMENAL! My goodness, that dessert tasted like heaven! Sadly for the main, I had the lobster gnocchi and I must say that I was quite disappointed. Food portion was large (which is good), the lobster was overcooked, the flavors weren't there and the gnocchi wasn't as good as compared to others that I've had before or my friends at the table that ordered the salmon gnocchi. There's room for improvement, but once again great customer service, appetizers, portions, and dessert.

The atmosphere is very nice, cool decor. They also have good Italian music playing which I appreciate. Our service was wonderful. Unfortunately our food just was basic American Italian food. Huge heaps of pasta over cooked and lacking good flavor. I think this will satisfy most American standards for Italian food, but as someone who has spent lots of time in Italy, I was disappointed.

Food was decent Italian.. got calamari to start got the Milanese and Marsala. Ordered a specialty cocktail off the menu and it was pretty poor. Bread was decent, service was a tad slow but waiter was attentive. Food wasn't really any better than say a macaroni grill, maybe not even quite as good.. but the ambiance is nice.

Grilled salmon was overdone and dry. The scallops where mixed with a horseradish mustard sauce which overpowered the sweetness of the pan seared scallop flavor. The music was a little loud so it was difficult to talk to people across the table from me. The scallops came with pasta yet the pasta was not listed on the menu. It makes me think that there were two different scallop dishes and my wife got the wrong one. Not sure what happened there. A lot of money to pay for expensive dishes that don't come out very well.

Took my son and 11 other guests to dinner to celebrate his high school graduation. Arrived for our reservation and the table was ready and waiting for us. My son had to be back at school 3 hours after our reservation time so we felt we had plenty of time. Wait staff were kind, knowledgeable and helpful. We ordered our food and the clock began to wind. First our waiter apologized for the wait stating he couldn't cook the food for us. Next the manager came by to let us know she was sorry for the wait but they were plating our food. 20 minutes later and a full hour and fifteen minutes after we ordered most of us got our meals. Most of them were cold and had obviously been sitting for a long while. The final couple of people got their meals 5 - 10 minutes later. The waiter and manager again apologized and said they would bring us a couple of dessert plates for our troubles. Unfortunately, the guest of honor had to leave before he was able to enjoy dessert to get back to school. Thankfully, the bill arrived for the full amount, with an 18% gratuity added in, for almost $600. Won't see us back there.

Usually, this place is fantastic. I’ve been coming here for years on my Birthday as a special treat and had always had a wonderful food and service. Last night, however, was the last birthday I will be celebrating at Gratzi. I’m not sure if they have a lot of new staff or if Thursday’s are just the wrong night to visit, but it was not the evening I expected. My first entree (the seafood risotto) was inedible, over salted with burned dry shrimp thrown on top, and needed to be sent back. The replacement sea bass was just ok and actually almost greasy. I will say my family who got the tuna dish were very pleased with their meal, but my boyfriend found that the lobster and mushroom gnocchi was flat. The hazelnut chocolate torte we got for dessert was just as disappointing as my entree, it had no hazelnut flavor and apparently hadn’t quite de-thawed yet. Also, I’ve heard and read some reviews about Limoncello being offered at the end of a meal, but that was not an offer we received. Our waitress was great overall and the manager tried to improve the evening, but there’s not much a manager can do about bad cooking. I was sorely disappointed by the whole experience.

We were there on Saturday afternoon before the Michigan vs Penn State game, the food was terrible service was good. My wife had undercooked pasta dish. They took it off the bill but they took so long to get our apps and main course we had no time to wait. Salad dressing tasted like water with a dab of flavoring in it. Would never go back.

I brought a group there yesterday for a birthday celebration, This has long been a favorite spot. It was not crowded at all. Service was slow due to the fact that server was waiting tables, busing tables, trying to keep up with drink orders for multiple tables understaffed for sure. Food was cold and when it finally arrived and was generally bland tasting. The restroom were dirty and smelled of urine, carpets were dirty, the whole place needs a bath and upgrade looks the same as it did 10 years ago. Sad to see how this once great spot has slipped.

Food portions incredibly small, beet salad featured a lone grape sized beet, bruschetta appetizer included 1 small piece. Service was poor. A server refilled all the pepper shakers next to the table, which caused everyone to start sniffling. The manager lied and said we'd be seated at the balcony when the lunch was arranged, instead we were told that was unavailable and were sat next to the kitchen. We did not feel welcome at this restaurant and would not recommend it for an office luncheon or any lunch for that matter. Side note I've been here for dinner before and found it to be much better.

Writing this review late, but am reminded of this disappointing experience since my sister's birthday is coming up again. We went for lunch last year for her 60th. It was not busy at all, yet the service was unimpressive and the food terrible. A couple of us ordered the special (Lobster Ravioli). Sounds good, right? It was horrible. Smelled fishy, pasta was dry. Maybe on special because they were trying to get rid of it? My sister, the guest of honor, was the last to receive her meal. They first said because of a mix up in the kitchen, it wasn't made yet. Then the manager comes over and says they were wrong and it will be out soon. Everyone else had already been served. You'd think he'd at least offer her something knowing it was her birthday. No one enjoyed their meal. It made me angry, but I didn't want to make the celebration any more unpleasant. Six people in our party and we all will never be back there to dine-- two are long time Ann Arbor residents who used to remember it being much better.

Absolutely terrible!!! Terrible appetizer, super dry hard edge fried ravioli. Over-cooked burnt chicken buried in arugula so one wouldn’t noticed how burnt it was. However, the garlic mashed potatoes were decent. And over-cooked beef but the noodles we edible. Worst Italian restaurant I have eaten at in years. $100 for a meal far worse than the Olive Garden. The service wasn’t much better either in case you were wondering... A 4.2 rating, no, no, no, and NO! Not with the beginner “chef” that made our food on Tuesday.

Just had an anniversary dinner there with my wife. Very disappointed! Waited a long time for average food. The place must have been slammed for taste of Ann Arbor event. The seemed short staffed and management was not on top of it. Better places with good food elsewhere in town for less money. Had not been in a while, and will not go back.