I had been here once before and had a great dinner. Was excited to bring my husband for our Anniversary dinner. We had great service but the food was just ok. We started with some Calamari which was the best part of our meal. Since...they don’t have any “surf and turf” options, we both ordered a Filet and I added a crab cake and my husband added a lobster tail. Our filets were just ok. Nothing great about it. I ordered mine medium plus, the outside of it was dry and the inside was slightly underdone. The mashed potatoes were super dry. They seemed like they had been sitting a while, almost had a dry crust on the outside. I ordered broccolini instead of asparagus and it was cold. The crab cake was good. The lobster was over cooked and dry. The icing on the cake was that I had ordered some butternut squash soup to go so I could eat it the next day for lunch, for $7, I got four spoonfuls of soup. The meal was definitely not worthy of $165 bill. Not sure if they’ve gone down hill in general but I won’t be able to talk my husband into giving it another shot after this visit.More

While the setting is quite fun and we experienced a train passing, the decor is tired and the menu not that original. We ate early and were rushed through out meal by a server who was stressed and annoyed. I would recommend updating the menu...and refreshing the rooms.More

If you are interested in the history of a city, then the Gandy Dancer MUST be on your list of dining experiences in Ann Arbor. Located in the historic train depot the decor and service harken back to an earlier time. With a robust seafood...menu this celiac diner found lots of options and the Mahi-mahi was particularly delicious. Prices were on the high end (~50 pp with drinks and entrees only) but not exorbitant. A great special event venue, even if that special event is your first visit to Ann Arbor. Don't forget to clap if a train passes and does NOT hit the building!More

Ordered fish (snapper), asked for simple preparation, hoping to let the freshness of the fish speak for itself. It was basically tasteless. The presentation was bland, totally uninspired and careless. Chef not likely to step beyond restaurant chain quality. Ask for the daily special and...pray for the best.More

I grew up in a railroad town and spent countless hours in and around a historic depot, so I cannot escape the allure of this magnificent building. The atmosphere of this restaurant is absolutely captivating as it transports visitors back to the elegance of a...bygone era. The staff have always been equally elegant, polite, and attentive. And they know their menus, too, and are happy to explain dishes, prep, etc., and make recommendations - even for wine pairngs and the like. But for my wife and me, once we've been warmly greeted, sat, and soaked in the surroundings, the experience lessens a bit. We have consistently left saying to ourselves, "That could have/should have been better" (especially for what we paid). The complimentary breads are good, but I've had much better. The salmon pate wasn't all that salmon-y. My $30 small prime rib came with a mound of unexceptional whipped potatoes. Nothing else. Likewise, my wife's Chilean sea bass was but a chunk of fish on a bed of rice (Very good rice, yes, but nothing else). My wife's creme brulee was barely torched at all - maybe a spoonful or two of crispiness. To be fair, my brandy chocolate torte was very good, and they added a birthday candle for my celebration. Still, it was conspicuously lacking in any real brandy flavor. The place and the people are wonderful, but the focal point of any restaurant is the food, and we've been disappointed in the overall quality and balance. Is a side salad or a vegetable too much to ask with meals already north of $100? All that said, of course we'll be back someday. The odds are with us that we'll be blown away one of these times. And I understand the Sunday brunch is a worthy destination. I'll review that when the time comes.More

We ordered one of the specials for carry-out during Ann Arbor Restaurant Week. Both my partner and I ordered filet with crab cakes. The meat, crab, potatoes and asparagus were all prepared perfectly. My partner liked her salad. I enjoyed the Charley's Chowder, although I...would have preferred it with less salt. The included desserts, Key Lime Pie and Cheesecake were delicious. The servings were a good size. I finished my main course, but my partner could not finish hers. We saved the desserts because we were both too full to eat them right away.More

Casual yet special dining experience given the history of the restaurant location at a former train depot. The atmosphere becomes pleasantly whimsical for a few seconds with the spontaneous applause of each passing train. I had the wedge salad starter followed by the steak entree,...bravely followed by a chocolate cake with a warm inner fudge topped by vanilla ice cream. Food quality was good. This is certainly one of the restaurants any Ann Arbor visitor should consider!More

Came for a graduation dinner. Food was pretty good. Steak just average, nothing spectacular. Same with salads and bread. The Cajun pasta was pretty good. Mashed potatoes were horrid, dry and lacked flavor, yet the waitress recommended them.

The Gandy Dancer is a gorgeous restaurant with historical railroad-based decor and a view of the passing trains. The menu is classic American fine dining, with a focus on fresh, organic ingredients. Their Sixty South salmon tastes amazing and has an incredible texture, and is...absolutely worth a visit.More

Gandy Dancer is a lovely venue and a long time establishment in Ann Arbor. But the lack of attention to details, leaves management with work to do. These are all minor complaints but in the end leaves an overall impression that it's not the high...caliber restaurant it use to be. Our table wasn't ready, so we had a drink in the bar. Its a service bar, so it tends to be noisy but there was no need for the bartender to toss empty bottles in the trash, making guests and her own staff complain about the loud noise. Staff chatter was uncomfortable to listen to and unprofessional. At our table, service was slow, waitress was pleasant but never introduced herself and didn't acknowledge our special dinning event. Soup was lukewarm. The restaurant manager was fawning over another couple, visited their table multiple times but ignored all the other tables. All guest should be treated as VIPs; it would have been nice, if the restaurant manger stopped by surrounding tables to inquire on his guest's dinning experience. We were seated in a larger room with a very noisy group of people; nothing the restaurant could do about this, but if you are having a romantic night out, ask about a more secluded table. With Covid-19 social distancing, I didn't think this would be a problem, but the tables were still numerous and the tables didn't seem that far apart. While it still remains warm outside, they do offer a nice outdoor dinning area. Overall our dinner was OK but I don't feel the need or excitement to return anytime soon.More

We selected the Gandy Dancer as our location for our wedding ceremony and reception. Because of covid, indoor options were severely limited. The GD has an awesome "outdoor" courtyard area (fits up to 130 people). It has a solid, permanent looking roof/canopy and is physically...attached to the main building. where we could have both the ceremony and reception, and bc it is technically outdoors, we could invite who we wanted and still maintain some level of social distancing. We worked with Kristina to coordinate everything and she was great. Menu, drink selection, sound system, getting in early to decorate, etc. The bartenders and wait staff were great - very friendly and accommodating. The food was fantastic and everything went so smoothly. I would have given 5 stars had we been able to purchase a drink package, but the GD only did "per beverage" pricing because our group was less than fifty people, so it was a pretty hefty bill. Other than that, this place was great, and an especially good location for a covid wedding lol.More

Very cool looking place but we were very disappointed with the food. Steaks over cooked even though we asked for medium rare and the fish was just ok. Speciality cocktails overfilled with juice. We chose to have dessert elsewhere.