Michael John’s Restaurant- MJ’s

We were a group of 11, after being seated it took at least 10 minutes before we were offered a drink. Once we got out drinks it took at least 10−15minutes before we were asked if we were ready to order. The restaurant was not busy, which should have been a sign to us since it was a Friday night. Once we ordered it took a long time to get starters and soup was served cold. They advertise that they offer soil samples, but when we asked we were told our party was to big, they could not give us samples??? We ordered and t took 20 minutes for dinner. My cod was terrible and my husbands pasta mushy. The waiter noticed that I did not eat my fish and never even asked if there was a problem or a chance to correct it. the evening was a birthday celebration for two of our guests and there was no recognition or even birthday greeting. I will never return.

What a wonderful find. Extraordinary food, superb service and sumptuous wines. Not a tourist trap on the beach but a delightful «off the beaten path» bistro. If you are in the Bradenton area… a must! Perfect for a special dinner out or a casual evening out. They have been there 10 years but we just found them and will definitely be back.

Don’t miss this place. The food and dessert is absolutely phenomenal. You will not go wrong with the steak cooked to order and the array of dessert options. Come hungry!

We had a pleasing experience at MJ’s. We arrived a few minutes before our reservation and we were seated immediately (I wasn’t exactly happy with our table because it was very loud where we were seated and most of the restaurant was empty). I was amazed at the teamwork of the servers (we had three different servers assist us).
The complimentary taste of broccoli cheddar soup was a delightful surprise but in my opinion the texture was a little off. The complimentary bread was a little boring for my liking. My Delmonico steak was great (cooked to the perfect temperature & seasoned well). The potato gratin was good and cheesy however I wasn’t blown away by the vegetables (they were a little bland and cold). The brussel sprouts & onion rings could have used slightly more seasoning. The upside down pineapple cake w/​ice cream was warm and satisfying.
Seems like this place is popular with older locals. Nice alternative to driving to Tampa to Bern’s. Not better than Bern’s, of course, but it’s worth going.

This would easily have been a five had it not been for a blatant disregard for the fact we had a reservation. This night on the town was a celebration for us.
We were seated at the worst seat in the house, by a door into the kitchen which was very active.
It seemed as though we were treated as unexpected guests: waited a very long time to be greeted by wait staff; we had to ask for bread.
The atmosphere is upscale, but inviting. We dressed appropriately while others were in jeans and very casual shirts. I believe another couple may have received our table, which was off putting too.
Having ranted and raved, I concede that the food was well prepared. My wife had a signature dish of crab cakes with no filler; I had the filet Pinot which had a Gorgonzola topping that complemented the meat very nicely. Meat was cooked perfectly to order.
We recommend the restaurant but are disappointed by the fact that we had a reservation and it seemed like we were treated like walk ins. We will probably choose another restaurant for a celebration, in spite of the delicious good!

Just finished PRIME RIB — delicious! This is my most favorite place to eat. Monday’s are always Prime Rib $ 25:-) finished with his Special made chocolate ganache topped with caramel & yes I shared with my husband. Been coming here for 9 years. It’s tucked away at Carlton Arms off SR 64 — casual to fancy — you’re treated like royalty either way. Michael is awesome and loves to share his passion.
Don’t miss out

Found this little gem! My Dad was in town so we gave it a shot, and man was it worth it. Service was amazing, and always with a smile! The food was to die for. We will be going back for sure!!! If get a chance to go do it!

Best seafood and steak in Bradenton and blows away all the chain seafood and steak places. Michael is a master at sauces and soups also and cooks a steak to perfection. The quality of food is one of the best around and service is always excellent. You have to check out this hidden gem and they carry hogfish as seafood of the day at times which is always hard to find.

I have traveled to many places and this one of the best Restaurants I have ever eaten at. The chef handles his product from butchering to plate which is very rare. They offer a complementary appetizer which is a wonderful touch. Don’t trust any negative review of this place Michael Johns is the best of the best.

We went here for dinner tonight and I have to say it was outstanding across the board.
We’ve lived nearby for many years and, while hearing good things and always wanting to try it, never got around to it before tonight. As others have said, it’s a hidden gem and you wouldn’t even know about it unless you looked. We didn’t even know there was a restaurant back there, let alone such a great one, until friends recommended we try it.
The food was top quality. I’m a bit of a picky eater when it comes to higher end cuisine, especially with a French focus, but while the restaurant offered a good selection of some more exotic dishes, they also had many options of more standard items — there is something for everyone. My wife and I both love garlic, and the garlic dipping sauce for the bread was awesome. My wife got the house salad, which had a beautiful presentation and was very fresh. I had the French Onion Soup and it was the best I’ve ever had by far — it was amazing and I highly recommend it. Both of our steaks were delicious. My only minor critique for the evening was my steak was more medium well then medium rare, but it was so good that I didn’t even bother to say anything. It was an excellent Prime cut and the taste and quality was good enough that I was still very happy with it. My wife’s steak was cooked perfectly and she said it was one of the best filets she ever had. Neither of us had any room for desert, but apparently they have a selection of items made from in-​house homemade chocolate — we’ll need to remember to save room on the next visit.
The service was perfect and all of the staff were very friendly and extremely attentive. The décor and overall ambience was very nice as well. Fine dining, but not too stuffy or formal. I also thought that the prices were very reasonable.
This is definitely one of our favorite local restaurants now, and we will certainly be back.

So, wifey only wants seafood since we moved to Florida but I had to get my steak fix.
We came during off season (August) and sat right away. Our server was super friendly. So upon chit chat we find out the owner is (also) from New Jersey like us. We have our server go in the kitchen and ask Michael «what exit?» Which is a NJ staple of you meet someone out of town.
We now have a friend for life. Did I mention the food was great?
Escargot, French onion soup, the lobster special and the 8oz filet were all perfect!!!
We will be back… OFTEN!

NOT KID FRIENDLY! We went there at 5pm with my 10 month old daughter. We were greeted and escorted in, asked how many in our party, etc. after all that we were told they do not have booster seats. There was not 1 other person in the restaurant! We would have liked to try this place, but took our business elsewhere that ended up to be fine dining and kid friendly!

Great place! It’s dimly lit and fancy looking inside while being very comfortable. Great menu with lots of delicious sounding choices, wasn’t easy to make a decision. Fresh bread was served after we ordered still steaming from the oven. I had the seafood pasta. It had two types of fish, mussels and shrimp all mixed with pasta and a creamy sauce. It was excellent, all of the fish and shellfish were cooked perfectly. The pasta was al dente and the cream sauce was wonderful. I should’ve asked for more bread. The portion sizes were good too, plenty of food. Dining partner had chicken which I didn’t try but I did have one of her onion rings which was available as a side choice and it was great. It was a casual place but it felt like a place we’d come back to for special occasions too. Service was top notch, good as it gets!

New to the Bradenton area, I checked out Unilocal for good restaurants nearby. I was not disappointed. The service, food, and atmosphere were tremendous. My only regret was not having room for desert.

This place is truly a hidden treasure. It’s in the Carlton Arms area off of 64 in a small plaza where you would not expect a 5-​star restaurant. However, that’s exactly what this place is! The service is always amazing, complete with bussers scraping crumbs off the table and a complimentary taste of a homemade soup of the day (different every time). The menu is so good and although the prices are high, they are not out of hand. I usually get their 8 ounce filet, which comes with two sides and is only $ 32. The quality of their meat makes that price 100% worth it. When we dined last night, I tried something off their specials menu called the «Filet John». This was a center cut filet mignon topped with goat cheese and a sundried tomato pesto sauce. It was absolutely delicious! My boyfriend got the Surf & Turf which he thoroughly enjoyed, as well. They also have wonderful chicken options: including a chicken cordon blue and a chicken marsala. I have tried both and they were great. If you are interested in dessert, I strongly suggest trying the chocolate fondue fountain. When we ordered it, it came with strawberries, bananas, and pieces of Rice Krispie treats to dip into the hot chocolate — sooo delicious. If you are looking for a restaurant to celebrate a special occasion and you happen to love steak like me — this is the place to go!

We went last night with another couple. I told the waiter I couldn’t have sugar, gluten, white potatoes and carrots, plus other high sugar foods. They were very accommodating and brought out pears and raspberries at the beginning of the meal, but I can’t have pears and don’t care for raspberries, so I asked for strawberries and they brought them out. Everyone else had the little cup of soup and bread. The bread smelled really good.
I ordered the filet mignon with shrimp and got mushrooms as my side. My husband got the delmonico ribeye with asparagus and steak rings aka onion rings. It took a while to get our main dishes. In fact we ended up being there for 2 hours or so, but since we were mainly there to hang out with our friends, that was fine.
My filet mignon was extremely tender. You could cut it with a fork and it melted in my mouth. It was seasoned very differently than I“m use to though, it tasted rather sweet and had a subtle flavor that reminded me of my mother’s Sunday roasts growing up. They said it had garlic, but I didn’t really taste it.
The shrimp were a smaller portion than expected, only 4. The first one tasted a bit fishy to me, but the other 3 were fine. They were ok, but I was hoping for better.
The mushrooms portion was also much smaller than expected, but it tasted very good, so I wish I would have gotten 2 orders of it. It was very sweet as well.
My husband said his delmonico seemed like it was an odd cut, but it was good and he could tell it was a prime cut. It didn’t have the seasoning he was used to. He normally gets his steak spicy. I tried one bite, but liked my filet mignon better.
The asparagus was sweet and my husband didn’t care for them, but I tried one and they were extremely tender. The flavoring wasn’t my favorite though either.
My husband said the steak rings were yummy.
The only real issue I had was there were some smokers hanging out in the patio area and when I went out the smoke was very strong.
If I could add one thing to the menu, it would be sweet potato fries! They make every meal delicious.

It’s a hidden little gem, buried in a office park setting. It’s small and cozy with great service and the food is fantastic! I had the firecracker shrimp appetizer and a pear and goat cheese entrée size salad. Friends ordered the vegetarian platter and chicken Marsala. Tried bites of both and both were very good.

MJs majors in consistncy. There Feb 13 extremely busy. The staff had multiple fine wine choices. Sat us within 15 minutes of our final seating for the pm time. The duck is always
is the escargot and cordon blu.
.been there at least 25 times over the years… and will continue to support Michael.

Our first choice for a restaurant on Xmas Eve was closed. We didn’t think to call and see if they were open. In our scramble to find a new place, we saw MJ’s on Unilocal.It was nearby, good reviews, and the food looked great.
When we got there, it was clear that our casual beach attire was in stark contrast to the people who had dressed up for a holiday dinner at a $$$ restaurant. Luckily the staff welcomed us in and sat us regardless, even though we had not made a reservation.
We were sat near the kitchen door, which for some might be seen as a problem, but we were just happy to be sat.
We ordered appetizers, salad, and out entrees. All came out timely and perfectly. We even got a complimentary cup of clam chowder soup. I am not a fan of clam chowder, but I tried it anyways. It was delicious.
My salad was a «Dirty Caesar», word to the wise this is a very strong and very aged salad. It is not for the weak-​tongued.
The bread was simply amazing, and the word around the table was that the entrees were equally amazing. Presentation and taste.
The staff were also very courteous and attentive. They did a very nice job of addressing our needs throughout the night.
Since this was a vacation, I doubt I’ll have a chance to return here, but it left a lasting impression for the next time I visit the Tampa area. I highly recommend this restaurant if you want to have a great fine dining experience.

What a hidden gem this place is! My husband and I went on a Thursday night the other week and enjoyed a delicious dinner. The restaurant is located a bit off the beaten path, in the Carlton Arms plaza off SR 64. Walking up, there is a lighted garden trellis leading to an outdoor patio. The ambiance inside is quite romantic, with soft lighting and candlelit tables. We were seated right away and quickly studied the menu and specials. And there were so many things that looked tempting!
We began with a dipping oil for the hot, homemade bread that you could tell just came out of the oven. The dipping oil consisted of Herbs de Provence roasted garlic, extra virgin olive oil and a balsamic glacé. All of my favorite things. I also began with the French onion soup which was incredible, probably one of the best I have ever had. My husband had the house salad which I tried a bite of, very good. It came with a side of the restaurant’s house dressing which is a creamy balsamic and sherry dressing. We also enjoyed a glass of the house cabernet, and we were both very impressed with how smooth the house wine was! Oh and I almost forgot, we were given a complimentary taste of the soup of the day which was a clam chowder, mmm!
For our main meals, my husband went with the Filet which was finished with garlic herb butter. I went with one of the specials, a Marsala Filet which was finished with a mushroom wine sauce. It was an excellent cut of meat and was huge! I could barely finish half of it. It came with a side of au gratin potatoes and seasonal veggies.
Overall, we were very impressed with the quality of food at Michael John’s as well as the service. What a great addition to Bradenton, and I know we will be back soon to try even more delicious meals off the menu!