A group of friends dine regularly in the Ann Arbor area, and one of us had heard a strong recommendation from a work colleague to try dinner at Mediterrano. It also turns out one couple in our group had been here before, years ago, so...we happily made a dinner reservation for the five of us early last month. The bill overall was over $500 for five of us, so with that high of an average check, we had reasonable expectations for good service and unique, enjoyable entrees. The food overall was satisfactory, and the members of our party were pleased with their selections. What was so appalling about the restaurant, and what ensures we would never go back, is the approach of the restaurant in its policies and practices for patrons. As a higher-cost dining establishment, we felt it was petty the way Mediterrano nickles and dimes its patrons who are already spending hundreds of dollars to dine there. First, there is a charge for bread service: $3.00. I assume the restaurant justifies this by serving the bread with a hummus-like spread. But we wouldn't know as the server never identified it. Charging for bread service at a finer dining establishment where most entrees are $25 to $40 or so dollars just seems petty. And a suggestion might be to just serve bread to the table as is customary at restaurants of this level, and if you think your patrons might be interested in the unidentified spread for the bread, sell that as a separate item on the menu. And of course this is a small issue, but when we got to the end of the meal and were even more appalled by the money-grubbing and anti-customer policies of the establishment, we determined the night was a disappointing regret. When the bill came for the five of us (two couples and a single), we asked if the check could be split. The reaction the server gave us might have been more appropriate if we had insulted her, but we only asked for a common dining request, one that it appears most restaurant billing software seems highly capable of handling. Once we moved past that unnecessary awkwardness with the server, we decided we could handle going over the bill and telling each couple/person what their share was, roughly. In doing so, we came across an unknown charge:" S/C SURCHARGE FEE." Once the server was able to stop back at the table and we could inquire about this additional $12.00 on the bill, she informed us that it was for use of a credit card. We had not even shown our hand as to how we were going to pay for the meal, but the restaurant just assumed we would use a credit card? This kind of charge is petty enough at lower-end restaurants, let alone one like Mediterrano. If your food profit margins are that tight, bake that kind of cost into the menu price instead of tacking it on top of already substantial prices. The waitress did kindly offer that the charge would be removed if we were to pay in some other currency besides a credit card. Very helpful. The final insult with the bill was the forced gratuity of 20%. Again, I know this is not uncommon for a lot of restaurants handling large parties, but I guess I never thought 5 people at one table was a large dining party. We dine out regularly and consider ourselves generous tippers of at least 20% or more when the service is at minimum satisfactory. We both worked in restaurants in our younger years and know how hard it is. So, we are never accused of stingy tips. But this money-grab showing up on the bill threw us over the top. No where on the menu or a sign near the door or the web site did we see a policy about a table of 5 being subjected to an automatic gratuity. Most establishments with class message this to customers with grace and finesse, and usually for parties much larger than 5! I did not see anywhere where Mediterrano explains this policy to its guests in those challenging times when it's serving efforts are troubled with having one more guest at a typical table of four for dinner. The last insult of the night was just asking if the bill charge could be split between two credit cards. Our single friend chipped in her part in cash, and the two couples were going to split the overall charge on their respective credit cards. In keeping with the restaurant's theme of polices that annoy customers, the waitress inexplicably stated that they can't do that with their charge cards. What??? Most credit card processing units in stores and restaurants allow a manual input of the charge amount. What would have kept her from doing one amount on one card and then another amount on the second card? I guess only her indifference, knowing she already had the 20% tip in her pocket. Just annoying and off-putting to customers who just spent over $500.00 with your establishment. These issues had us griping all the way home, and clearly drove our determination to never dine here again. It's just disappointing and annoying when a higher-end restaurant chooses to annoy its customers with petty policies like we experienced here. We dine out in finer establishments quite frequently, and higher prices don't always steer us away from making an enjoyable evening out with good food and friends. And we do so full well knowing that the establishment has charged us higher prices that ensure they make a healthy profit. Perhaps Mediterrano can learn a lesson from better restaurants and avoid embarrassing itself and putting off customers with numerous ways to shake money out of patrons who only come willingly to spend money for a nice experience.More

While I enjoy a liesurly dining experience, I detest one where the wait staff disappears for 15 to 30 minutes at a time. The sad truth is, since I was in a party of "6 or more" the waitress knew that she would be getting...an 18% tip, so why bother, so she didn't. I am perhaps excessively generous when it comes to tipping wait staff, but in this instance IF I wasn't forced to pay the 18% tip, the waitress would have received the tip she deserved-- nothing!More

Went for an event in their event room. Cannot say enough about how friendly and efficient the staff was. From set up to take down. We opted for a vegan-friendly gnocchi dish which was amazing. Tiramisu dessert was delicious. If you are looking for an...event venue, please consider this restaurant.More

The food we had was fantastic! Starting with the dipping oil for the fresh baked bread - it was amazing. We even asked the server about it - it's a Greek olive oil that they sold at the restaurant (we bought a bottle). The pear/arugula...salad with fig balsamic and seafood paella were sensational. There were so many other choices on the menu we want to try...we'll be back!More

I must have ordered the wrong thing… when I saw all the positive reviews I figured this place was a no brainer cause when your on business it’s hard to find a good local place without taking a chance…I was really excited to see rabbit...on the menu, cause you never see rabbit on me yea anymore… unfortunately I’d order something more basic then I’m sure it would have turned out ok… the rabbit was wrapped in bacon and stuffed with their version of a duxcelle stuffing… all that did was mask the taste of the actual rabbit… Al I could taste was the salt I was of the rabbit, which also came out over cooked… I guess that was ok, since the whipped potatoes came out ice cold… the carrots at least came out perfect… My point is, if your gonna come here order something not so extraordinary… Too bad, cause for the price of the entree it should have been extraordinary rather than an underwhelming dry overcooked salty dish with cold potatoes… Won’t be spending my company money here again… Ps- the charcuterie plate came out very well…More

Travel the cuisines that border the Mediterranean...visit Mediterrano. The small plates are actually big enough for one for a lighter meal but nice to share as an appetizer. The charcuterie plates are lovely and interesting to share over a glass of wine, The paellas are...as good as any in Spain. Service is attentive and the wine prices are reasonable. Nice sedate atosiphee where you can actually have a conversation, Outdoor seating is available.More

One of the better up-scale restaurants I have eaten at in the Ann Arbor area. The dinner menu provided many food choices to appease your appetite. The gnocchi dish was one of the best I have ever eat, although filled with calories to match! :)...Plenty of appetizer options available and warm bread served with dinner as well. Great service and clean restaurant with proper social distancing.More

Stopped in to our standby favorite in AA. It’s been some time since we visited and we were pleasantly surprised with everything. Interior has been updated, cleaned up some of the previous clutter, great colors and textures. Outdoor seating is available during this COVID time,...plus plenty of room inside to spread around. Staff was masked and very attentive. We sat at the bar as no one was inside and thoroughly enjoyed our two appetizers, the flat bread ish mushroom pizza was great! Mediterrano is proof that an oldie can still be a goodie. Off the beaten track in AA means getting a table or not , don’t forget that. Highly recommend and will return.More

DON'T COME HERE IF YOU ARE A PERSON OF COLOR OR WEAR A HIJAB, OR LIKE US, ARE BOTH. We waited and shopped elsewhere 45 minutes for a table. When we returned to a patio table we sat down happy but were treated poorly though...out the evening. The waitress did not offer us bread though we could see other tables getting bread so we had to ask the hostess who brought it to us. I clearly specified we would share a salad but to put shrimp on the side. This was due to my husbands food allergy. It was brought with the shrimp on top and when I asked (nicely on my part) the kitchen staff that brought the food, they remade the salad with the shellfish on the side. The waitress Jamie came by and asked how it was going and I said good but informed her the salad had to be remade with the shellfish on the side. Well, it was further downhill from there!! She made a face and walked away. Later she cleared out dishes she taunted us that 'oh you cleared the plate' meaning that salad and also said 'well I guess you didn't like it huh?' in a high pitched irritated voice. I said that 'no' I liked it and informed her we had it remade due to a shrimp allergy. She saiid 'oh I didn't know' and went away. After that we waited 15 minutes for our plate of pasta with fish before I asked the waitress if it was coming reminding her politely that 'its just one plate of pasta.' We could see other people seated after us get their dishes, their bill and their to go bags in that time. She did not apologize for the wait or give us an update and said they are making it right now. We waited another 15 minutes and the people from those other tables started leaving then we went inside and asked for our bill and to talk to the manager. At the start he was truly defensive stating that he has 200 people to serve and 4 people 'what do I want him to do?' I informed him that his staff are treating people differently based on their background. He stated in a huff that he would cover the bill to which I told him 'I don't need him to cover my bill and that I'm a doctor and I have enough income to cover my meal but that even a doctor has to have courtesy and give people updates and apologies when things are running behind. After that he came down a couple notches and heard about what went on during the night. He apologized and asked us to accept his covering the bill as a sign of sincere regret so we reluctantly did. I don't know that he would have behaved so much better if I had not let him know I was a doctor. Overall, very bad evening and service. Worse than bad, discriminatory service. I don't think its just the servers that act out these microaggressions and racist behavior. I think it is not counteracted or made a priority to stamp out this type of behavior by the management. So sad when I love Italian food & culture so much and was just out to relax with my husband!More

Description of the restaurant sounded great. We went hoping to taste the paella during lunch time unfortunately it was only available in the dinner menu. Ended up trying the salmon and three small plates: octopus, patatas bravas and mussels. Dishes presentation was fine. Taste average....Of everything we tried the patatas bravas was probably the best tasting. Creme brûlée was average as well. Service was very good: María did a great job at serving and encouraging us to try other dishes. Restaurante ambiance inside is nice. Outdoor space looks great particularly during evenings.More

Amazing meal! We had dinner with our daughter before leaving her in AnnArbor. We had a few drinks and appetizers at the bar, then ordered the seafood paella. The service at the bar was top-notch. The recommended appetizers were huge and flavorful! The paella was...a large dish that was too big for the three of us to finish. The seafood in the paella was excellent/fresh and abundant! We will be back every time visiting in Ann Arbor!More

Well unfortunately this was a horrendous experience. This restaurant is not restrictive diet friendly, no options for substitutions for allergy. Management was completely unfriendly. The food was something putrid! I rather eat from assisted living center cafeteria where individuals are just storage. The service was...probably the most horrendous part of the experience, I had to have three different servers wait on us because we could not get consistent server.More