My husband made a reservation to celebrate our anniversary on 2/13/25 at 7pm. Parking was free at that time on the street across from the restaurant. The sidewalk was not shoveled from the street to the door, only from the parking lot next to the restaurant, which is unfortunate considering our attire for anniversary celebration. We entered the restaurant and the decor was great! It looks like a fine dining restaurant for an intimate evening. The host did not take us to our table or help with our coat removal like a fine dining restaurant would do. The host pointed to our table and said this is your table. It was close to the door so no problem there. The table we had was a booth. It was a tight squeeze to get into the booth with the height of the table and the closeness of the booth. I would request no booth table next time. The host noticed my husband and I trying to photograph our visit and informed us of the upstairs set up for optimum photo options. There was a very nice Valentines day decor. The host took us up stairs and took our photos for us. It was great! The restaurant is a mix environment of fine dining and bar. The staff were dressed in club/bar attire, the waitress' wore all black tight leggings and t-shirts. I saw people smoking hookah at the bar. The food prices and options scream 5 star restaurant. The decor also seems 5 star at first sight. The waitress and staff were friendly. We scanned the bar code for the menu and ordered with the patient waitress. The food was excellent!!!!! The best lamb chops I have ever had! OMG the sauce/seasoning, tenderness, and presentation was great!!! I will be back for the lamb chops! My husband ordered the lobster rice and jerk chicken. I ordered the lamb chops and stuffed chicken. The food was good! The only improvement I would suggest is shoveling the entire area outside, make the reservation memorable by acknowledgement of occasion for visit, and get taller tables at the booths. I will return, it was a pleasant experience overall.

This place was an amazing experience Jewels and Laylonnie had great customer service and made the environment really welcoming, they kept conversations and had great sense of humors, and made sure we was good throughout out our visit. That jerk chicken was straight fire , hands down the best chicken I ever had, and the music was pure bangers honestly.

Mallory was absolutely fantastic! From the moment we sat down, she made us feel welcome and well taken care of. Her knowledge of the menu, attention to detail, and warm personality made our dining experience at Checkmate Detroit unforgettable. The salmon bites were perfectly cooked and bursting with flavor, and the jerk chicken wings had the perfect balance of heat and seasoning—Mallory’s recommendations were spot on. She anticipated our needs without being overbearing and truly went above and beyond. Thanks to Mallory, we’re already planning our next visit. Highly recommend!

First time there very Romantic, professional Staff. Food was so Tasty, I tried everything on the menu for our Date night, me and Hollywood Show stopped by at 4pm. Food delivery to table was fast and hot, the Fried oysters, the lobster Fried Rice was something that needs to be in a magazine. 5 Star food

The food is delicious. The staff was great! The decor is beautiful!! Very nice atmosphere. It's a 10 for me.

Food was awesome... Had Fatou as my server she was amazing.. she knew the menu was super friendly and professional. Atmosphere was top tier. Place was cute music was a vibe fr. Definitely going back

I ventured into checkmate when I was downtown early for the Kendrick concert and it was a such a pleasure. My waiter/bartender was JV and he was great. I got the crab legs and they were alittle pricy, it was worth every dollar. Great time and I will be coming back with my wife very soon. 10/10 definitely recommend

Date night exploring Detroit led us to Checkmate Detroit. Walking in, I instantly loved the chill vibe and cozy atmosphere. The menu was small, but that’s how you know they know what they’re doing back there. I ordered the lemon pepper wings, cooked Nd season perfectly. The bartend that night had drinks coming out on fire, it’s hard to find a good gin drink around here...and it was perfect. Thank you ladies and gents for running this chill as ice bar.