Michael John's Restaurant (MJ's), Bradenton FL

We had been to MJ's several times and really enjoyed it. When my brother-in-law visited we thought it was a place he would enjoy as well. While the food and service were very good, it was a policy they have that will result in our never returning. My brother-in-law is a bit of a wine enthusiast and purchased a bottle of wine that he wanted to have at dinner. We understood the corkage fee at MJ's is $35, which is high (in most restaurants it is around $20 to $25). Because he purchased a magnum, the waiter informed us he would have to charge a double corkage fee or $70 to open the bottle. We declined and instead ordered a bottle off the menu. I understand that restaurants would prefer to have the profit of selling their own wine, but $70 simply reflects a greed that we will not support. In my opinion, that fee represents a short-sighted goal that does not consider the cost of a lost customer. I have no interest in supporting a business that displays that level of avarice. We will not be back.

Finally a perfectly cooked medium well steak and they had the placed all decorated for out Christmas Eve diner!

This is my favorite place also for sentimental reasons.always friendly staff and delicious food. Great wine list. See you again soon. Thank you. Michael John's.

This was the 1st time visiting but will not be the last for sure. Absolutely everything was spot on and so good.

Best steak I've had in a long while. The entire dining experience was 5 star all the way!

Sirgio waited on us and was perfectly attentive. Had an old-fashioned before dinner, it has to be the best one I've ever had! If you've not had one before, read a description of what it is. That is how this old-fashioned tastes! PERFECT! The Dirty Cesar, was inspired! A little pop of spice that invited you to keep eating. Nearly fork tender filet mignon cooked to perfection. I had the blackened jumbo shrimp appetizer. The sauce was a perfectly balanced blend of blackened seasoning and lemon. Make sure to use the pamisan bread to clean up that sauce. For my main course I had the liver and onions, I know, who eats liver.well, I do. This selection was second only to my grandmother's cooking. I was mentally transported back 40years to my first experience eating liver. Damn it was good! In fact the only thing we wanted for was some seasonings on the veggies and potatoes. This is why they have salt and pepper on the table though. Overall, a great night out with my wife!

We've heard so many good things about MJ's, but just never made it there even though it's only a few miles from our house. Our first time dining there for my husband's birthday did not disappoint! We ordered appetizers, entrees and adult beverages and everything was absolutely delicious. Our server Maddy was just the sweetest thing, so attentive, and offered excellent suggestions. We enjoyed our dinner so much that we are excited to visit early next week for our anniversary.

Chose this place for an anniversary dinner since the menu looked great and definitely made the right choice. The food, drinks, and service were all great! The drinks were strong but still tasty. The appetizers made it hard to leave room for dinner. And the dinner made us want to try and find room for more bites. By the end, we took a lot to go which they boxed for us. Best of all, THEY LABELED THE BOXES! The atmosphere was nice as the seating isn't all in one big room that can get loud during a rush. All the food we had is pictured but we ordered mostly off the "specials" menu so go soon! (Except the crème brûlée cheesecake that had to be taken to go.and that I'm eating while I write this!)

We had a great first-time experience! We will be back! Food and drinks were delicious and our server and staff were wonderful.

Me and my dad came here for dinner and the food was absolutely delicious! You can tell that the cook truly cares. Also our waitress Jennifer was great. Great service! Cant wait to come back!

Absolutely wonderful dinner. Maddy and Dennis took such wonderful care of us. The food was divine and the service was exceptional.

My husband and I enjoyed an amazing dinner. The Dirty Ceasar (a play on the dirty martini) salad alone is worth a reservation, but the steak on the specials menu was second to none! Always a great meal!

A solid thumbs up. Fabulous grouper and a sensational fillet tips in mushroom sauce. Waiting on the lava cake to finish a wonderful experience with my fantastic wife and partner Viki. Excellent suggestion for special night. A touch elegance flanked by the common touch of the Bud's mini mart next door. Fantastic recommendation from a friend.

Fine dining? No! The ambiance was nice, the service was excellent and the food was tasty but not well presented. The mixed vegetables served with the entrees appeared like a pile of mush, which they were. While the vegetables themselves do not offset the positives mentioned above, all of the food is overpriced. That, coupled with men seated with baseball caps (when will they learn and/or “fine dining” restaurants require them to be removed?), means that I won’t return and cannot recommend this establishment.

Beef tips were incredibly tender and delicious. My date's meal was great too. A lovely esspresso cup sized sip of soup was provided while we waited. Reservations are highly recommended. We were not in a hurry so we were able to wait the 30-40 minutes until a table was available at the bar.
The only problem I had was the person who delivered my food insisted the onion ring was a cornstarch based tempura batter when I said I had a wheat allergy (which our waiter knew about). It was not, or contaminated enough that I reacted to it. I had one bite based on her insistence it was safe before our waiter rushed over to take it saying the chef was gone (at like 730) and he wasn't sure.
I will be back but just be extra cautious with different people delivering the food than the waiter.

This was the first time eating here and I had high hopes for this place. Started out ok with the seafood bisque sample and bread. Appetizers tasted good, 13 dollars for 4 shrimp seemed high. But ok, I can deal with that. However, my 56 dollar ribeye was awful. Lots of tendons and was cooked on what I assume was a waffle house fry top. The mashed potatoes were obviously out of a box and the creamed spinach wasn't worth the 4 dollar up charge. I won't be going back here. Anyone that has been to a true 4 or 5 star restaurant would rate this as a 2 star at best. When you go into a restaurant, pay attention to the lighting. If you can't read the menu without a flashlight, there is a reason it's that dark. If you can't see your food, they can pass whatever they want in front of you.

I have lived here for over 20 yrs and this was my first time. Wow. I enjoyed it immensely! Love the dark romantic ambience.

The escargot was tasteless. It was supposed to be garlicky. It was in some cream sauce with no garlic. Crab cakes were only fair. Baked cod dinner, I had to ask for salt. I don't think they use any salt, much less garlic. The beef medallions with the sweet sauce was tender, but not much of a taste. The sauce was sweet. For the $100 spent on dinner with no drinks, extremely disappointing.

It’s always so nice to find an unexpected surprise when trying a new restaurant (well, Michael John’s was new to us)! MJ’s was exactly that! We were invited out to dinner and discovered MJ’s in a tucked-away, obscure little strip mall. They had absolutely terrific service all around from our changing tables, dropping forks, and some initial indecision about drinks (so many to choose from)! My husband and I typically split a meal as we can’t eat larger portions - and with no fuss our meal was split in the back and elegantly presented. Typically we decide what we’ll order before arriving (and always try to order a meal we wouldn’t make at home) - and while it was a toss-up decision as their evening specials all sounded great, we ordered the “Dirty” Caesar salad and Le Cordon Bleu with Honey Champagne Mustard sauce - GREAT choices - along with the Pineapple Upside-Down cake - topped with creamy sea salt caramel sauce! The price was right - and did I mention how great the service was? ! Parking is a snap as not only is there a light at the intersection, but the neighboring day-time shops share the lot with Michael John’s, and their customers are gone by the time we were there. Wednesday may have been a “first” visit, but it won’t be the last!