Restaurants in Novi

Tracing its lineage back to 1939, Lelli’s remains in the hands of its original founders, the Lelli family, and continues its culinary tradition of rich, Northern Italian steak-house fare. Skilled chefs and servers prepare and present à la carte dishes such as juicy filet mignon, fresh seafood, and house-made egg pastas draped with rich tomato and cream-based sauces, or bookend European-style six-course meals with antipasto and palate-cleansing spumoni. The dimly lit dining room plays host to private events, corporate dinners, and family meals, and frames feasts with light that glints from candles and crystal chandeliers, reflecting off of cherry-wood furnishings and roosting in the folds of alabaster tablecloths.

Two Renaissance-style statues flank the doors of Loccino Italian Grill & Bar and set the scene for the comfortable-yet-lavish interior, where each secluded booth showcases an oversized painting and high-backed leather chairs add a touch of luxury. At both the wood-paneled bar and white-clothed tables, the wait staff ferries about margherita pizzas, chicken parmigiana, and grilled spareribs. Each of the 10 salads can be tossed with the restaurant’s signature housemade dressing to showcase fresh vegetables and convince children that sliced cucumbers can be more than just diving boards for forks. In fact, the cooks craft all their sauces in-house, from the tomato-spinach-olive-oil sauce that coats imported rigatoni and chicken to chablis-lemon-wine sauce that they splash over tilapia Mourlet.

A bright neon sign greets diners as they enter Elite Pizzeria, where pizzas rise within brick ovens and sandwiches swell with certified Saad Halal meats. Chefs adorn burgers with hearty toppings of grilled mushrooms, bacon, and eggs, while whipping up a menu of traditional Mediterranean gyros and shawarma. Upon request, the dexterous bakers can sculpt their brick-oven pizzas into the shape of a heart, the silhouette of a kitty cat, or the profile of Susan B. Anthony.

Further cultivating Elite's fun, whimsical reputation, the restaurant's burger challenge has enticed nearly 150 intrepid contestants with a lofty tower of beef patties, mushrooms, bacon, onion rings, and sauerkraut. This surfeit of merriment all occurs within the warm embrace of red walls that shine down onto the restaurant's casual, WiFi-saturated dining area and tabletops that bask beneath the sun on an outdoor patio.

New Seoul Garden’s chefs conduct culinary tours of East Asia without setting foot on the continent. Instead, they bring the food stateside through a hefty menu of Korean and Japanese specialties, including barbecue and sushi. Like shark-themed mylar balloons, most of their entrees celebrate seafood such as sushi with squid and salmon, though many plates star beef or chicken. Hot-pot dishes actually simmer at the table; rolls of soft-shell crab or sweet shrimp come into being at the sushi bar. The restaurant's interior itself bespeaks Asian roots; spindly tree branches open toward a skylight and several low tables are ringed with mats or seats for sitting on the floor. East Asian fans and artwork cover the walls, culminating in a rooftop tier that evokes a pagoda.

At Ristorante Ciao, the aromas of cheesy baked pastas and pizzas waft from a stone oven to mingle with the scent of steaks, seafood, and chicken sizzling beneath the broiler. Amid this scintillating perfume, chefs concoct hearty Italian fare infused with imported cheeses, fresh produce, and rich sauces.

Inside the dining area, Roman-style frescos adorn stonewalls and exposed bricks. Burgundy drapes seclude leather chairs and upholstered booths, creating an intimate atmosphere for dinner dates or clandestine meetings about overthrowing a caesar salad. From behind the full bar, bartenders pour cocktails and glasses of wine from an extensive list culled from Italy, France, Chile, and California. Two private banquet areas house seating for up to 100 guests, and the restaurant’s catering crew also eagerly scurries to offsite celebrations.