Known for the “Best catfish in Detroit”, along with a wonderful soul food menu, Flood’s Bar & Grille has been a downtown destination in Detroit for 26 years.
Flood’s Bar & Grille
731 Saint Antoine St.
Detroit, Michigan 48226
Ph: 313-963-1090
A unique combination of restaurant and club, Flood’s Bar & Grille features live music Tuesday through Sunday, and the “Best Catfish in Detroit” every night. Stevie Wonder has graced the stage here and entertaining hopefuls try to wow the crowds during Sunday karaoke nights. From the purple leather tablecloths to a dress code described as “Runway Ready”, Flood’s has a reputation as a downtown happy hour place to see and be seen – and have a great meal.
Flood's has experienced all the recent success and growth of the area which hosts the yearly Detroit Internal Jazz Festival, held each year over Labor Day weekend. Flood’s is where the black urban professionals of Detroit arrive soon after 5pm to take advantage of happy hour networking for either business or pleasure. Visitors are encouraged to enjoy the live music, the soul food cuisine and the warm atmosphere – and to bring business cards.
In spite of its long history in downtown Detroit, Flood’s maintains a bit of an insider mood and feel. As one patron describes it, “Floods is one of those spots that you have to know about in order to actually go there. It is located right across from Greektown Casino, and the crowd differs depending on the night.” Another says, “ It’s like a Detroit tradition, so everybody that’s ever lived in Detroit, visited Detroit, or had a conference in Detroit, usually hits Floods for their after work happy hour.”
Once you enter, you find a long sleek bar, the far end of which is the spot for watching live bands specializing in Jazz or R&B. There's a small dance floor in front of the stage where diners can work off the Southern-style pork chops , Cajun catfish and other soul food favorites.
The soul of the menu is seafood, specifically a number of Harbor Banks® seafood products. The appetizer menu features catfish tenders, and beer-battered Buffalo Shrimp. Catfish makes appearances in a sandwich, a catfish fillet entrée served either fried, Cajun-style or broiled and a shrimp and catfish tenders sampler entrée. Shrimp is paired with chicken tenders as an entrée option; it’s grilled and served atop a Grilled Shrimp Caesar salad; it’s also butterflied, beer-battered or grilled and served as an entrée. All entrees are served with choices of classic soul food sides, from collard greens, soul spicy fries, yams and a very popular macaroni and cheese.
Head chef Troy Clendenning started as a busser 14 years ago and now supervises all the activity in the kitchen. The product choices he’s made has helped the BOH activity run smoothly and the restaurant manage costs more effectively.
Clendenning says, “(when choosing seafood products) By far the most important things are the quality and portion sizes. As long as the quality is good the customers will keep coming back. My boss added U.S. Foodservice about 12 years ago. I notice that USF shrimp is very consistent. And the prices at USF are more stable.”
In spite of the events in the Gulf this past spring, Flood’s has not had any issues with the cost of seafood. Clendenning says, “A lot of places surrounding us are higher. Prices are more reasonable than surrounding restaurants, so the recession hasn’t hurt Flood’s too badly.”
Flood’s is open for dinner from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m. Tuesday thru Friday, 7:30 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. Saturday and Sunday and 4 p.m. to midnight Monday. Lunch is takeout only.
Clendenning summarizes, “You would have a good time if you came for dinner. This is the place to come. We have live music, DJ’s, karaoke. You would have a lot of fun.”
