Punch Bowl Social

Photo from Punch Bowl Social - Detroit's Facebook

Punch Bowl Social might be the most hyped restaurant Detroit has seen in a long time. The question we had as we arrived Saturday night was would the place live up to all the hype? We made reservations for dinner the day the space opened and we were happy that we did. When we got to the door we found out that if you did not have reservations you were not getting in. Quicken Loans rented out most of the space that night and we were only allowed in the dining area, we were not allowed to go into the lounge to check out the games and main bar until after 10 pm. We got there around 7:30 p.m. and were really disappointed that we couldn't see the whole place and get the full experience. But, we were still excited to be there and happy to have a table in the first place.

Punch Bowl Social is a restaurant that features gourmet food and craft cocktails along side old school fun, including bowling, ping-pong, foosball, '80s arcade games, shuffle-board and more. They also have private bowling lanes and karaoke rooms that you can rent. It is a huge space located at 1331 Broadway in the heart of downtown Detroit.

Saturday night I was joined by Christie and two of my friends for dinner. We ordered three appetizers, including chips and salsa, their homemade potato chips, and chicken wings. We loved the wings and potato chips, and all agreed we would pass on the chips and salsa next time.

For our meals we ordered a burger, the mac and cheese, the sweet potato sandwich, and the chicken and waffles. I'll break this down for you one by one. The chicken and waffles were to die for. They were topped with strawberries and pecans, they achieved the perfect mix of salty and sweet. The sandwich was pretty solid and the fries that came with the sandwich were on point. The hamburger was nothing special, but it was still a good hamburger. The mac and cheese, well let's put it this way, stick to Rock City in Hamtramck if you're looking for good mac and cheese. The drinks on the other hand were all tasty. I loved their version of the Moscow Mule and found myself easily drinking a few of those throughout the night.

I never expected to be there long enough to see the room at 10 p.m., but somehow we were still there when the other section finally opened. We did a quick loop around the place to see what they had and we were impressed, it is a cool space. We were not able to play any of the games, but I could see how that could be really fun.

I will definitely be going back to PBS in a few months once things die down. Their drinks are really good and the environment is pretty cool. But, in the future I do not suggest that any new restaurant has a private party during opening weekend. We would have liked to have the whole PBS experience! We definetely suggest that you give this place a try, but make reservations before you do! You can call (313)749-9742 to reserve your table. I also made a quick video while we were eating using the Tastemade app, check it out and get a feel for the place before you go! Did it live up to the hype? Yes, we had a great time, had some great drinks and had some good food! We were just a little resentful that we didn't get to game.

~S