MDRD - Grand Rapids (MI)

3 /5 Senya Reviews: We recently dined at MDRD in Grand Rapids and had mixed feelings. The entire staff was genuinely friendly and pleasant, but the attentiveness was very lacking. It took about 15 minutes before we were even greeted by a server, and another 15 minutes after ordering before our drinks arrived, which immediately set a slow tone for the evening. We ordered the beet salad, octopus, ceviche, salmon puffs with caviar, mussels, and potatoes. The salmon puffs, ceviche, and potatoes were all very good and enjoyable. Unfortunately, the octopus and mussels really missed the mark. The octopus was extremely fishy and very chewy, and the mussels were also overly fishy, served lukewarm, and came with a sauce that was surprisingly bland and lacking depth. This was disappointing, especially coming from a restaurant that positions itself at this price point. The cocktails were well made, and the lemon mousse dessert was a highlight. The interior of MDRD is absolutely stunning and is honestly one of the biggest selling points — the atmosphere is beautiful and upscale. That said, for a $200 dinner, we were pretty underwhelmed by both the food quality and the overall service experience. One additional issue was that my water glass had a strange odor, to the point where I couldn’t drink from it. While everyone we interacted with was kind and professional, we simply didn’t see our servers often enough to feel properly taken care of. With better service and more consistent food execution, this place could be great — but for the price, it fell short for us.

5 /5 Trisha Doran: I took my boyfriend to the amway grand hotel for his birthday and we enjoyed the MDRD for a few drinks ! We got sat at the bar like we wanted with a fantastic view! The drinks were very delicious ! The people were friendly inside ! I’ll definitely be back! We did not order food so maybe next time we will try to food !

5 /5 Kathryn Richey: We had an amazing experience at MDRD. The food is well worth the $$$. Brenna, our waitress, was amazing! She was so sweet and very knowledgeable. She had the best recommendations. The extra money for the nice table is so worth it too.

4 /5 Erica Barnes: This restaurant has a modern Spanish flair with incredible views of the city—especially at sunset. The atmosphere and decor were stunning, and the presentation of each dish was truly impressive. The food was good, but the flavors were a bit overwhelming for my taste—I think I just didn’t fully understand what “modern Spanish” meant going in. We came back later for dessert, which was equally creative (and a bit unusual). All the cocktails are Spanish-inspired, and while my first-ever espresso martini wasn’t for me, I’m sure others would enjoy it. Overall, I’d recommend trying it for the experience, but I probably wouldn’t go back myself.

5 /5 Jenni Cederquist: We had a lovely first visit. It was as expected after hearing nothing but high praise since they first opened their doors. We planned a birthday celebration, noted on our OpenTable reservation and received well wishes all throughout our service. We were seated in a private space overlooking the city and were treated with respect and welcome! The food is all top notch quality and flavor and preparation and presentation! All of these details made our first visit an outstanding memory, especially for a milestone birthday of a deserving family member! Our service was wonderful and pleasant and easy going. We appreciated being treated to a high-end experience with a comfortable approach. (We were sure to wear the appropriate business/casual specified on our reservation confirmation but did notice on our way out that other patrons wore more casual attire. I applaud the openness but always like to know how to feel most suitable. Overall, we were definitely glad to not be surprised when we arrived and felt our occasion warranted a dressier vibe.)