Lelli's Inn

Doesn't Recommend

carlschulz

Joined 6 years ago

avoid at all cost. You need to give every place a second chance, that?s what we thought. We went in the last 3 weeks twice. Big mistake. Twice into a disaster. Unfriendly staff, chairs with the springs / cushions on the floor. Not that they could have changed the chairs because of us in 3 weeks. Armrests that look like someone scraped the paint of the wood. Yuck!Be patient when you order. You need to decide if you want large amounts of food or massive amounts. Waiters are not very good listeners. Be prepared to wait for a long time. The food comes in spurts, not in well timed sessions. When they finally (20 minutes) start with soup or salad, the soup appeared to be out of a can. It is the same soup every time though that?s consistent. You got to give them points for that. Like, ?soup of the night?. Its there ?famous? minestrone. Then the salad arrived, small, very small and must have been prepared on the previous day. Main course at least 30 minutes after you had the soup. It starts with a massive amount on spaghetti ? why?? I guess to fill you up. Then what you ordered. I had veal Parmesan. The veal was covered with a 1/4 inch of hard backed Parmesan and it rested on to of, guess?.. the same spaghetti meat sauce I just had with the huge amount on spaghettis before??? And as recommended from the waiter.. you want potato or spaghetti with your veal?.I would suggest spaghetti. There they are again, spaghetti with, guess?..meat sauce.They are quick to sell you a drink though. Massive amounts on food but no quality.

Prices are outrages. And the only thing you get is massive amounts on spaghetti appetizers. If you like spaghetti you could get for a few $$ at the neighborhood pizzeria, that?s the place to go. Just order that. I think you could?

There is one upside - parking is great. The guys really take care of you. There is minimum charge of $3.00 though. That?s not a lot considering that you just spend $120 + for two.

Doesn't Recommend

blackhsh

Joined 6 years ago

WHAT HAPPEN TO THIS ONCE GREAT RESTAURANT?. Lellis USED to be our favorite place, now We wont go back. The food is great and well worth the price, but the service ruins the whole lellis experience. They used to have very professional servers waiting on you. Now I guess they are hire every young person that comes through the door. We were seated in a booth where all we could hear were these young servers on the other side of the wall talking about how drunk they got at Lellis after after hours the night before. The server we had looked like she went to sleep in her clothes. We ordered the chatu, A steak they cook at your table, it was butchered, she more like shaved it when she cut it, we like our steak medium, it was well. The veggies they used to serve like a whole experience to watch was now just thrown on our plate. We ordered a $75.00 bottle of wine and after she broke the cork trying to open it she handed the bottle to my husband and asked him to "try his luck".

I would think that maybe we had the worst server in the place but talking to the people in the booths on both sides of us, (both with different servers) we all agreed it must be the New lellis. It turned into a circus watching all these servers, with not a clue. I expect this at a coney, but lellis where I pay $50.00 a plate?

I guess the old servers took their experience and cleaning rags and went home. The new and inproved lellis needs some big screen tv's and peanuts then maybe we will go back.

Doesn't Recommend

nouveauchirp

Joined 6 years ago

Terrible birthday idea. I chose Lelli's to have a family gathering for my sister-in-law's 50th birthday. I made a reservation 2 weeks in advance for 21 people. We ordered a couple bottles of wine...so far so good. When we began to order our food, we were informed they were OUT OF LETTUCE. They had used it up for Mother's Day. This was the THURSDAY after Mother's day. My brother in law ordered escargot. We were told they were out of the puff pastry they use for the recipe. When we finally figured out how to order enough food for everyone's meal and it came time for the spumoni that comes as dessert, we were told they were OUT OF SPUMONI. When my son wanted his surf and turf boxed up to take home, we were told they were OUT OF BOXES, so they dumped the whole $50.00 meal in a tall plastic quart container mixed in together. It looked like dog food. The whole experience just became a ridiculous joke. When we left, of course they were OUT OF MINTS.

I wrote a letter to the owner/manager, but never heard a WORD of apology. Nothing.

I will never go there again. It's not like they didn't realize they were going to have customers!

Doesn't Recommend

toppwhop

Joined 6 years ago

Not worth the expense. We went on a Saturday night. It was crowded, but we had a reservation for 7:30 and was seated within 15 minutes. Many people were there to have dinner before a program at the Palace, so they had to get out by a certain time, and the staff was trying to get them going. We had 2 waitresses for our table and they apologized for not getting to us very quickly, but now that the theatre crowd was gone they will be very attentive. They were not. We sat down at 7:45. We weren't asked our order until 15 minutes later. We got the antipasta dish and drinks fairly quickly after that. It took over 30 minutes to get our meals, and my pasta was warm at best. Over all, the food was alright, the service slow, even when there isn't a crowd and they are very overpriced. I had a combo of spaghetti and ravioli, medium size portions and it was 25.00 Too much for pasta! I don't believe I will dine there again. Not worth the money. If you do go, plan on spending a lot of time and money.

Recommends

Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

This Detroit institution remains a local favorite for traditional Italian, even if it is in Auburn Hills.. In Short
Considering its size and crowds, Lelli's manages to be intimate and refined rather than impersonal and stuffy. Large leather banquettes line the walls, and a black-tied wait staff hustles to handle endless orders, pausing just long enough to prepare several dishes tableside. Six courses of hearty Italian food have kept diners coming back to Lelli's since 1939. The menu leads with the house specialty, broiled filet mignon, and features steaks, veal, chicken and seafood dishes, as well as no less than twenty different pasta creations. All entrees include an antipasto tray, a bowl of Lelli's famous minestrone soup, and a side of spaghetti or potato. Save room (if possible) for tiramisu or a scoop of spumoni.

Doesn't Recommend

michigan1

Joined 7 years ago

Meal from hell. It has been several years since I had last been here when this great old time restaurant was located by the GM bldg. I was in Auburn Hills and entertained two friends from out of state. It had to be one of the worst experiences of my life. A great bottle of read served very warm. The waiter said they no longer had a wine cooler since the flood whatever that meant. We asked for the manger and first as said he was busy in the bar then told he had left. Over priced bad food, bad service. Go anywhere but here.

Doesn't Recommend

italianvnio

Joined 7 years ago

Don't waste your time or your money at Lelli's.. The service was horrid, the filets should not have been cold and the wine should not have been warm. In fact, our server, Jason, offered to chill the wine for us. Unfortunately, our cold steaks arrived six minutes later poor planning and poor service.

I was shocked that when they brought the check, they had charged us for the wine. After spending $42 each for 3 filet mignons (served cold) and $62 for a bottle of warm wine, the manager wouldn't even come and talk to us. Instead of listening to the customer, the manager (Steve Lelli) told the server, Jason, to bring us the unfinished bottle of wine and pay for it.

Recommends

cartoonsrcool

Joined 8 years ago

Best Filet Known to Man. I was first introduced to Lellis in 1998 when it was located in Detroit. A fire destroyed that location in 2000. Now located in Auburn Hills, the BEST filets are served. We eat here on special occasions and bring our out of town guest and encourage them to try the filet. From what I hear, the other food is just as wonderful, but the filet is to die for. You barely need a knife to cut it and the zip sauce is amazing!!! Be sure to go in on an empty stomach, because it is a 5 course dinner meal. I recommend the extra cut, because you get a little more filet, and they make wonder leftovers for a midnight snack. Can be pricey, but in the summer they have roll-back prices. It is about half off. Great time to try it or make an excuse to go twice!!!

Recommends

mcint43

Joined 8 years ago

One of my favorites. Lelli's is one of my very favorite restaurants in Detroit. Although I have heard horror stories about poor service, I have never had bad service there (once I had to wait a few minutes for my bread and water), and it's usually excellent. The minestrone is the best soup I've ever had in my life. The entrees, though expensive, come with an antipasto tray, soup, salad, pasta, and dessert. The shrimp Lelli is spectacular, and the steaks are to die for. Stay away during the holidays (all the horror stories seem to have taken place during busy holiday times)

Recommends

mrneeze

Joined 10 years ago

Mostly average. This is a very popular lunch spot due to its proximity to DaimlerChrysler. However, unless you live in the area (or are entertaining the aforementioned on a limited time schedule), there are considerably better valued restaurants in Rochester, Troy, even Pontiac. People that "crave" their steaks or Italian have obviously never cooked their own nor had relatives that shared their recipes.