Unique 4+ atmosphere, good food and service. Lovely grounds with flowers and tranquillity.

Went to a special dinner at Royal Eagle recently. The theme was opera houses of the world, and the different courses were in keeping with the theme. The first course - Teatro La Fenice, Venice - offered a choice of dates with Gorgonzola or figs with mascarpone. I got the stuffed date - very nice. The co-diner got the figs, and found them enjoyable. The next course - soup - was dedicated to the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow or Teatro Alla Scala in Italy. For this course, we had a choice between Russian borscht with sour cream and red beet sprouts or golden Marsala broth. We both got the borscht. Excellent. Next, dedicated to the Metropolitan Opera in New York, was a Waldorf salad. Good palate cleanser between heavier courses. For our main course, I got the wiener schnitzel. Usually, this dish consists of a boneless veal cutlet. In this case, the veal was bone-in, with a large bone and very little meat. While visually impressive, the meat was tough. Disappointing, to say the least. The co-diner got what was described in the menu as "Beef Wellington." However, it was not exactly the classic beef Wellington. In the classic recipe, the beef is wrapped in pastry and cooked. In this case, the beef was underneath a pastry "bird's nest." Not what was expected. Also: while the co-diner had ordered his beef medium-rare. It came well done. Again, disappointing. Now, the dessert. We had a choice of 3 different desserts. One was a Pavlova. Another was a chocolate dish. The co-diner ordered the chocolate dessert. When it arrived, it was a piece of chocolate about the size of a hockey puck, with gold leaf on top, sitting on a plate. When the co-diner tried to cut it in order to eat it, he at first tried his spoon. No luck there. Next, he tried to cut it with a knife. Again, no luck. He ultimately sent it back to the kitchen, to see if they would be successful. They weren't, and finally gave up. So, they offered what they called a Pavlova as a replacement. We know what a Pavlova should be, from watching the Great British Baking Show. It is a meringue-based dessert, frequently topped with fruit and whipped cream. This dessert had no meringue. Instead, there was a cookie on bottom, with some custard and a couple of strawberry slices on top. The cookie had an almost elastic texture, making it (again) hard to cut. Once again, not as described. Through this whole experience, we never saw a manager or anyone coming around to apologize for the missteps. For an expensive meal at a restaurant that we had enjoyed on a prior visit, this was a letdown, to say the least. I doubt that we will return, despite the uniqueness of this restaurant in the metro area. Unfortunate.

An unusual and delicious, artistic experience. Once you're there and sitting in the palace like atmosphere, you will be asking yourself, how did I ever happen upon a place like this in Michigan. In the middle of a neighborhood across the street from Detroit it is situated within an Orthodox monastery. The food is absolutely devine and the waitstaff, charming. Even if you only come once, you must. But you'll be back, at least for special occasions!!!

Royal Tea What a wonderful experience! The grounds and atmosphere are amazing. The music and dining area was fantastic and transported me to a peaceful place. There were 4 courses during the Royal Tea luncheon. I selected the Blackberry Bellini tea offering. Each participant received their own unique teapot and tea leaves. We started with soup, topped with beet sprouts. Next, we were given 6 different tea sandwiches. Some were sweet, others savory, and fresh! The Chicken Paprika with side salad was delicious. Everything was seasoned well. Finally, there were two desserts. One scone and a mini bundt chocolate dessert that was to LIVE for. Service was wonderful, thanks Bianca! There was one server, so patience was a must. Don't miss this experience!

Dusting off the keyboard, cracking these fingers and coming out of Yelp retirement specifically because of the experience I just had. It has been around twelve years since I wrote regularly. I choose to stop writing because I was actually working for a company that considered itself a competitor of Yelp, plus I got married, went for my masters, you know - lived life! Anyways - I am back - typing away! Anyways back to the Royal Eagle! I watched this a few years ago show called Under the Radar Michigan on, I think, PBS. They highlighted this place. It is much more than a restaurant. I always wanted to make it here. Being a Metro Detroit east sider for life, I was shocked I never heard of it. It is located in Harper Woods! Here I am in St Clair Shores and never heard about it! This place is a beautiful Monastery, located on a residential street in Harper Woods. The grounds are adorn with gardens, the buildings are ornamental and filled with detail and historic items. You walk up to this sprawling property with gardens and multiple buildings. It's interesting because there are typical ranch homes literally across the street. It's a little intimating arriving because you walk through the gate and notice the sign advising of no shorts, cell phones, bad language, gum etc. You follow the stone path to another smaller building on the property and arrive at the restaurant. As you open the door, you notice a small dining room, with two smaller rooms off to the side. Red chairs and lots of detailed and antique items around the room. Church music plays lightly in the background. Important to note that the restaurant is only open for dinner on Thursdays from 5-10pm. Very limited amount of tables - a reservation well in advance is required. You are allowed to bring wine with you, I do not believe there is full liquor license. I enjoyed that because my wine at home beats most restaurant wine by far. There is also no corking charge. I knew we planned on having beef so red wine it was - a fabulous Cab. I really, really, REALLY enjoyed myself. I loved the experience. It is a MUST to pay attention to the dress code posted online. Seriously - make sure you read it. No hemlines above the knee, no visible tats, piercings, nothing low cut, no jeans, no sandals, no exposed arms for female etc. I wore dress slacks, high cut blouse and a blazer with heels. Alrighty, if you have made it this far....drumroll...the FOOD! This is European / Russian food. The chef - Chef Petr is the mastermind behind the menu. Changing it often. Reading the website, you can clearly appreciate the love this chef has for food and preparing it. Embracing fresh and whole ingredients and has some cooking classes. We started with the Pelmeni Dumplings - Siberian dumplings, hand stuffed with chicken and beef with creme fraise. They were little nuggets of goodness that were true appetizers - got me ready to eat (as opposed to filling me up). 4 stars. Next up was our entrees, Beef Wellington for the birthday girl (me!) and Beef Stroganoff for the husband. Amazing!! Beef Wellington, was cooked perfectly, puff pastry perfectly fluffy and crispy. Beef stroganoff (of course I had a few bites, that's my job as a wife) was something to write home about - the sauce lingered onward in your mouth, revealing the layers of cream, butter, salt and onward. This was amazing. 6 stars out of 5 possible. Finally, dessert - we ordered two. The Napolean with a strawberry champagne type of mousse (I thought it was hazelnut, whatever it was - it was so so so good), the puff pastry, filling and perfect whipped topping were amazing. We also ordered the Lavendar Creme Brulee, topped with a honeycomb. The lavender was a little forthcoming for my taste, but the honeycomb was a royal treat. You know how when you order an appetizer, have a few glasses of wine, eat all of your entree AND get dessert - you are basically feeling like you are Violet on Willy Wonka and someone needs to get you down to the juice room before you explode? Shockingly, we did not have that miserable feeling, we felt nourished, content and thankful. Appropriate portions and fresh, real ingredients. Real cooking with real (not processed or cheap ingredients) food left us with a smile on our face and room in our waist! ha-ha. Please take someone you love here - it is an experience of lifetime. Glad to be back!

I've experienced both the Tea Service and the Themed dinner service. The food was excellent for both events. The chef crafted vegetarian items which were all very good. The decor is very interesting and the experience is just very fun all around. All of the staff are volunteers and as such they enjoy their work and it really shows. Do not hesitate to explore this food and gardens.

Royal Eagle is easily one of the most elaborate establishments I've dined at in the Metro Detroit area. Reservations should be booked well in advance, as the restaurant is only open on Thursday evenings. The grounds are beautiful, and the interior of the restaurant itself makes you feel like you went back in time. The Eastern European theme is apparent, as paintings, statues, and other decorations are scattered about. The staff is polite and professional, and their attire is in line with the overall theme. Although no alcohol is on the menu, you are able to bring your own wine. There is no corkage fee. Appetizer and entree portions are on the smaller side, but everything I tasted was top tier. My favorite entree, out of the four I tried, was the Chef's Wooden Block. The desserts were to die for, as well. Royal Eagle is an elite restaurant option based on its extravagance alone, and the food just makes it that much better.

To be quite honest, simply writing a review doesn't encompass my experience at the Royal Eagle. Being my birthday, my friend surprised me with a romantic evening at the Royal Eagle. I was so impressed by his effort, everything about this evening was perfect! He told me weeks ago that he had a special surprise for my birthday celebration. Of course, I was trying to figure out where we were going. His only words to me....show no tattoos and dress modestly. To be honest, I was in shock! Where could he possibly be taking me? He also mentioned that they do not serve alcohol but we were able to bring in our own bottles of wine. He picked me up and swept me away for a few cocktails before our evening began. I was so excited to see where he was taking me. He always says it's a challenge to surprise me, but this time he truly pulled it off. We drove into a neighborhood, which I was not familiar, I found it rather strange that a restaurant would be situated in such a location. You can only imagine my surprise when we pulled up to the most stunning structures resembling Old Time Russia. We had arrived at the Royal Eagle which is part of a monastery. Walking through the grounds, you could feel the energy of this spiritual place. I was mesmerized by the quaint space and overall decor. I was also surprised to find out how difficult it was to get a reservation. They only serve dinner one night a week so getting in is an epic feat! We decided to get an appetizer and of course uncork our special wine. It was nice to be able to bring our own wine and they don't charge a cork fee. Our entrees were absolutely fantastic. I had the rack of lamb and he ordered a specialty chicken dish. We always share our dishes that way you get to enjoy more! lol The dessert was absolutely fantastic, lavender infused creme brulee! We are still talking about this dessert. It left an impression on our palates. :) YUMMMMM We can't wait to come back in the summer when we can spend some time walking the grounds and enjoying the beautiful gardens. My friend most certainly outdid himself this evening. It was a night of a lifetime and I was so fortunate to be able to spend it with him.