Gandy Dancer Reviews

We are so happy that we chose the Gandy Dancer courtyard for our wedding reception venue. Kristina made all of the planning straightforward, was extremely accommodating, and was such a pleasure to work with. All of the food at our cocktail hour and dinner was incredible and blew our guests away. We’re still getting compliments weeks later! We ended up having around 75 guests and felt that the courtyard was a great size for our needs, including the entry tables, dinner tables, bar, DJ stand, and dance floor. The courtyard is also a beautiful location that didn’t need a lot of decorations to feel elegant. A train went by twice during the evening and we cheered each time. The Gandy Dancer staff were wonderful and attentive, and helped make sure that our night went smoothly. Thank you for a fantastic evening for us and all of our guests!

Absolutely amazing! Everything was perfect. The staff was so wonderful and helpful. Kristina the head coordinator for weddings was terrific. She made everything go so smoothly. The food was delicious and proportioned well. My husband and I had the wedding of our dreams. I wish we could do it all over again. :) thanks Gandy Dancer for a dream come true wedding!

The Gandy Dancer was a perfect place to have our reception. We had so many guests describe our wedding reception as "magical" and "beautiful" and we think the ambiance at the Gandy Dancer definitely aided in making our wedding day unforgettable. The food was INCREDIBLE! The majority of our guests traveled a long way to be with us during this special time, and we wanted to make sure that they received an excellent meal. The Gandy Dancer definitely delivered. The staff was unbelievably accommodating. From Joy the bartender to countless waiters and waitresses, we were so impressed with their hospitality and good humor. Last, but certainly not least, Kristina Spurlock was invaluable in making our day memorable. Before the big day, she was always quick to respond with my millions of questions, and she was more than accommodating with my requests and wishes. On the big day, Many times during the night she assured me not to worry, and I definitely didn't need to because she did an excellent job. She went above and beyond to ensure that all of the guests, and especially my husband and I, had everything we needed and that this day was everything we hoped it would be. We are already planning to go back for our one year anniversary!

We loved this venue! Such a great place to have our wedding reception. We couldn't have been happier!

My husband and I were so happy with our experience at the Gandy Dancer! After searching for weeks trying to find a venue that would accommodate our wishes (having an intimate dinner only without all the typical wedding hoopla (DJ, dancing, cake cutting, bouquet throw, etc.)) we finally decided on having our dinner in the Wolverine Room at this amazing historical landmark that went with our literary/book theme perfectly!

Kristina, the events coordinator, was so helpful from the moment we toured the facility to the end of our wedding dinner. She answered all of our questions promptly, thoroughly, and guided us through both the process and journey.

The food was amazing, and we were so glad our guests could enjoy their meal. We received so many compliments on this portion of the evening; everyone seemed to appreciate the fact that it wasn't your typical "wedding food." In lieu of a cake, we were able to select desserts off of the restaurant menu. Additionally, my husband and I were able to stay within our price range due to the many selections and packages that are available.

Final jury: I would recommend Gandy Dancer to any engaged couple who is looking to have a twist on the traditional wedding ballroom reception!

We had our wedding reception in the courtyard of the Gandy Dancer a couple weeks ago and I am still smiling ear to ear! :)
Despite the cold and rainy weather and the courtyard technically being outside, our reception was warm and cozy! The bistro lights added a free special touch to the decor. SOOO many of my guests commented on how much they loved the ambiance that the courtyard provided!
Kristina, the wedding/events coordinator at the Gandy Dancer, is absolutely fabulous! She is very flexible, so nice, and so helpful. I planned a submerged flower centerpiece, which required pebbles at the bottoms of the vases to hold the flowers down in the water. The pebbles I brought ended up not being heavy enough to hold down the flowers, so while helping a few of my family members set up the reception a few hours before the wedding, Kristina went out to the railroad tracks behind the restaurant to gather more rocks for the centerpieces! - WOW! She really went above and beyond there! Kristina was also very quick to respond to any random question I had for her all throughout my year of wedding-planning.

The food- oh my gosh! Delicious! Our guests raved! Not only about the filet mignon or mahi mahi, but the cake, too! Our cake (made by Lisa, Gandy's pastry chef) was honestly the best cake I've ever had.


We had a total of about 90 guests and it felt like the perfect amount of people for the space, just FYI.

I would definitely recommend you book your wedding reception here!

I cannot say enough good things about the Gandy Dancer and their coordinator, Kristina. Everything was AMAZING!! We had both our ceremony and reception at the Gandy Dancer and everything turned out perfectly. Our top priorities: great food, great service, room for up to 150, fun ambiance, close to the airport and activities for guests, and all at a reasonable price. The Gandy Dancer not only fit the bill, but they went above and beyond my expectations! People could not stop raving about the food and the service. We ended up having 110 guests, which left plenty of room for an aisle, the sweetheart table, the place card table, and room for guests to mingle. The fact that this building is practically the only building on the street provided such a magical, old world ambiance, and every couple hours when a train went by, guests got super excited. It was totally, totally awesome!

We also knew that we wanted a venue with a great coordinator, since we planned our wedding on our own, and I have so many good things to stay about Kristina, I could go on and on. From our first meeting, she was professional, communicative, and flexible - in two words: she rocks! I knew that everything would go so well, but everything turned out better than I could have imagined. Kristina and her staff helped with the setup of decor (which looked amazing) and when we made a couple changes to the timeline during the reception, she rolled with the punches and was super accommodating; she even helped keep me calm before I walked down the aisle. I would recommend the Gandy Dancer in a heartbeat!

Absolutely AMAZING!

My husband and I were so impressed with the Gandy Dancer team, ESPECIALLY Kristina! She was quick to respond to all of my questions and was willing to meet with me on multiple occasions to discuss the details of our day.

Our wedding reception at the Gandy Dancer was absolutely incredible. The staff was on point and the plates of all guests were served hot and at the same time. I can not tell you how many rave reviews I received on the food! And the CAKE! Our cake was designed to perfection by their pastry chef Bryant, he turned my inspiration image into a real life replica and it tasted phenomenal!

I would HIGHLY recommend this venue to future brides!

We absolutely LOVED having our wedding at the Gandy Dancer! Our only concern was that the space would be too small for our 130 guests, but it was perfect. There was ample room to eat, dance, and socialize, and the cozy space just made it feel like more of a party. The food, as always, was EXCELLENT. Aside from being in our favorite city and being a fun, unique location, the food was the main reason we chose the Gandy Dancer - and it did not disappoint. The bar service was also great, and the pricing was more than reasonable for food and drink, with no fixed rental fee. Last but certainly not least, Kristina was AMAZING at helping coordinate everything. She is incredibly friendly and made the planning process much more enjoyable. She was also very accessible in helping address our questions, and consistently provided great recommendations regarding food options, seating arrangements, timing, etc. We would highly recommend her and the Gandy Dancer to anyone looking to do a fun wedding in Ann Arbor! Thanks Kristina!

We had 100 people at our reception outside next to the wawater fountain this past August. The wait staff, servers, and wedding planner at The Gandy Dancer were 5 star the entire evening. It was worth the delicious choices for dinner, which included salad and bread, tea and coffee, and they even cut our cake for free. Did I mention the wedding planner was included as well? We also decided to pay extra to have an open premium bar all night, which was perfect IPA beer selections and wine. If we renew our vows and have another gathering, we wouldn't hesitate to use their services again. Excellent!

We hosted our wedding reception in the Mezzanine Room at the Gandy Dancer. We originally had our event planned at another venue that cancelled a couple of weeks before our event. The Gandy Dancer took care of us quickly and was very responsive during the planning phase.

We could not have asked for anything better the day of the event. The service was amazing, the food was delicious, and the venue was beautiful!

Having our wedding reception here was an amazing experience. I felt as though Kristina - the event coordinator for the Gandy - was at my "beck and call" for any question or issue big or small, despite having many, many other events to attend to throughout our contracted time. She took care of nearly all of the decorating, which was a huge weight off of my shoulders the day of. Our guests were very impressed with the waitstaff and the food; having a plated meal as opposed to a buffet was a nice touch! Aside from our personal decor items, they took care of clean-up as well.
We are so happy that we chose the Gandy Dancer!! Thank you Kristina and staff!

We had both our ceremony and reception at the Gandy Dancer. Talk about a great decision! Not only does the building itself have character and charm, but Kristina is an incredible coordinator. I am still floored by her superb attention to detail and crazy organizational skills. We got so many compliments about the intimacy of the venue and the incredible brunch spread. Our guests didn't even have to worry about searching for parking, since the Gandy Dancer includes complimentary valet service. Five stars!

Our son and daughter-in-law were married in Malaysia earlier this year and we had a reception for them at the Gandy Dancer Courtyard. I was very impressed with their coordinator Kristina. Our reception went very well. People raved about the service and food. We did a mingling cocktail party with some live music and a photo booth (Shutterbooth) for some fun! It was a great night.

Our ceremony was supposed to take place a mile away in the Arboretum. Unfortunately, the weather turned and there was no way we could have had our ceremony in the pouring rain. The staff created a sweet little area were we could say our vows, literally minutes before the ceremony was to start, and everything went beautifully. The food was amazing, our guests raved about every dish they ate, and the desserts upstaged the wedding cakes they were that good! I'd recommend the Gandy Dancer for every event, the staff, food, and decor is worth every penny. Oh, and try the dynamite mahi...it's fabulous!

Loved it. We had our reception in the Gandy Dancer's Courtyard on a crisp and rainy night. The heaters worked well and everyone was comfortable (well, the ladies were cool and the menfolk were a little warm with jackets). The restaurant's valet service provided car to table umbrella service which was greatly appreciated by our guests. The food was phenomenal and, from my perspective, Kristina was a genius. She handled problems and made sure everything went smoothly. Table service was great (Thanks Will!) and all of the staff was friendly, helpful, and accommodating. And... somehow we came in under budget on food and beverages, when does that happen?

We had our Reception on the patio at the Gandy Dancer. We loved the look of the building and knew the food is amazing so we decided to do our reception there. The food definitely didn't disappoint. We chose a strolling style dinner with appetizers. We expected small bit sized apps. but they were much bigger and even better than what we had expected. We had more than enough food for our guests and everyone kept saying that this was the best wedding food they had ever had and was amazing. We set the patio up in more of a lounge feel and only offered seating for half our guests and had bar height tables because we really wanted people to mingle and move around, which worked out great. People danced, partied, had a great time and had plenty of room to grab a seat at one of the 6 tables if they needed to relax. We loved our experience with The Gandy Dancer and would recommend them to anyone for their reception.

My husband and I had our small wedding ceremony and reception in the Wolverine Room at Gandy Dancer, and we had an absolutely amazing experience! Kristina, the event organizer, was extremely helpful and organized, and she did a great job of getting to know us and what we wanted and helping us create the perfect event. The service was great, the staff was very attentive, the food was delicious, and the cake was exactly what we were picturing. My husband and I, and all of our guests, were extremely impressed!

We had our reception in the outdoor (covered) courtyard at the Gandy Dancer. It was beautiful. They arranged for chair covers for us at $2.50 per chair. Their banquet manager, Kristina, was an angel -- so organized and helpful and willing to go out of her way to help our reception be perfect. All of our guests LOVED their entrees and were very impressed when all of the entrees for the table were delivered at the same time. We had an open bar, seated dinner and 133 guests.

We had our small ceremony (30 people) and reception (120 people) at the Gandy Dancer October 2014. We felt completely taken care of, accommodated, and most of all, we also felt like the staff was also having a good time. Food was awesome and it was great to have all of our guests comment on how good everything was! It was so nice to have tables, linens, chairs, and the bar set-up and including in the banquet pricing. Kristina, the group sales manager, was our contact person and was able to assure us that everything would go off without a hitch, and it certainly did!

We had our reception at Gandy Dancer and it was great! We had a custom menu (all vegetarian) and the food was delicious. The weather was perfect that day, so we had all of the sides up on the outdoor patio and the fountain looked so pretty at night. We had about 95 guests, which was a good number for outside to leave enough room for people to move around. Throughout planning, Kristina was flexible and pleasant to work with, and always willing to meet to go over additional details. I recommend the Gandy Dancer in Ann Arbor as a fun, unique wedding venue.

We had a wonderful brunch reception at The Gandy Dancer!! Kristina is just awesome to work with and I would highly recommend this venue if you are looking for something that doesn't feel like a big banquet hall.

The Gandy Dancer made planning the reception the easiest part of the wedding. Since it's a restaurant, the conduct their catering in a manner that provides an intimate feel, no need for menu cards! Their seafood and steak selections are top notch! Their outdoor patio is perfect for the outdoor reception feel, without worrying about the elements. Kristina, the catering coordinator is super friendly and knowledgeable.

Gandy Dancer is an old Ann Arbor staple. The food quality and service is always outstanding. Hence the reason why I decided to have my reception at this restaurant.

The food service, bar service were perfect. We could not get enough compliments about how everything tasted.

With that said...the event coordinator is, to be nice, very difficult to work with---and I suggest despite her assurance that you have a wedding planner to look after the event coordinator at Gandy to make sure she is staying on top of exactly how you want things.

Overall though, the food and dancing in the courtyard was perfect.