Daniel's Restaurant & Catering

After hearing and reading about Daniel's my husband and I decided to dine there last night (Fuquay Varina). If you are not looking for this restaurant, you'll pass it. It is set back from the road and not well lit. There is a bar just beyond the front door which is not at all inviting. I'm sure that is why it was empty. The dining area is divided by a half wall. One side has booth seating and the other has tables and chairs. The atmosphere is busy and noisy like a cafeteria. The wait staff is friendly and accommodating. That is as good as it gets. We were presented with a 3 page wine list. However, when I ordered a glass of Pinot Grigio I was not offered a choice of labels. I was served a glass of inferior white wine. After hearing the "specials" recited by our waiter, I decided to try the Italian Wedding Soup for an appetizer. It looked very nice with fresh spinach leaves and 3 "meat" patties. Unfortunately, it tasted like warm water mixed with a jar of oregano. Progresso is far better! My husband had the Baked Sausage and Peppers. The sausage was pretty good. The sauce was very acidic and tasted like it came out of a can. I tried another "special"; Pumpkin Ravioli. There were 5 or 6 large ravioli with a very tasty pumpkin filling. Unfortunately, they were drowned in a huge bowl of cream sauce with cranberries and walnuts. Way too much of a good thing! I had to hunt for the ravioli then scrape off the sauce. A small drizzle of the cream sauce would suffice. Or serve it on the side. Midway through the meal our waiter brought a small plate of mass produced bread (I've seen it at Sam's). No butter, no olive oil, just a small bowl of that same tomato sauce for dipping. We will continue to wait for a good restaurant to come to Fuquay Varina. Until then, Olive Garden and Macaroni Grill will satisfy our Italian food cravings. more

Great for lunch or for a night out for just the 2 of you. As I said, I think the pizza is the best in Apex. Pros: Pizza, service Cons: none more

My boss first recommended Daniel's in Apex to my husband and me when we were in search of a great restaurant for "date night". We both loved it! When we found out they were opening a restaurant in Fuquay we couldn't wait to try it. We were not disappointed. We had several out of town visitors during the month of August and we took each one to Daniel's. We went 4x in August. Since we had a reservation each time, we were seated immediately and the staff was always friendly and accommodating. We enjoyed everything from the dinner salads (grapes, pears, pecans, and bleu cheese - YUM) to the delicious entrees (Penne alla Casa with chicken is my favorite) and the heavenly desserts (Chocolate Truffle Cake with Rasberry Sauce - rich but worth it). We are thrilled that Daniel's Restaurant has come to Fuquay. more

We took my in-laws to Daniels in Fuquay Varina when they were here visiting from NY and we all loved it!! The food reminded us of the great meals we got in NY, and the atmosphere was cozy and warm. We had a reservation for 8 people and were seated as soon as we entered. Every coarse was wonderful. My in-laws want to go back next time they visit and we hope to go efvery chance we get!! I've also been there for lunch with friends and the prices were reasonable for the food, and we weren't rushed out (we sat there for 3 hours!). We are so glad they opened one in Fuquay Varina! Pros: The food and atmosphere is great. Cons: none more

We recently visited the new Daniel's on Main street in Fuquay Varina. The restraunt was extremely noisey and could use better accoustics. My wife and I felt that the food was all right, however it was extremely pricey for pasta. In looking at the menu of their Apex restraunt the prices at the Fuquay restraunt were a great deal more. I had their ravoli in what was suppose to be a white cream sauce but it looked more like a brown sauce (possibly the butter was burnt in the sauce) and the fried onions on top did nothing for the pasta dish. I would not consider this the type of restraunt that I would frequent on a regular basis. Pros: good service, tasty food Cons: price, noise, parking more

I was visiting friends in NC and we went to Daniels for dinner one night and we had such a nice experience. The food was delicious and hot, the service was spot on and the manager, Dale, visited the table and recommended the kind of wine we should have with our dinner. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone I know who visits Raleigh, NC. I will come back to this restaurant the next time I visit my friends. Pros: Food, Service, Ambiance Cons: Advise to make reservations on the weekends. Very busy. more

I love going to Daniel's it the best place to eat. I frequently go to both locations in Apex and Fuquay and every time it's a pleasure. Their food is great and I enjoy the menu selection and of course the extensive wine list. There desserts are to die for, I suggest the white chocolate raspberry cheese cake, yummy! There service is very good as well, from the moment you walk in the door till the time you leave it's a great place to go. I promise you will be pleased. Pros: Great food and a great value Cons: A little crowded on the weekends more

I just recently moved back to the RTP area after two years of being away and a few weeks ago, decided to revisit one of my favorite restaurants, Daniel's. Let me just say, I was just appalled how quickly this place has deteriorated, not just physically, but particularly in the management style. Thankfully, I had a server whom I remember working there from previously, because she was excellent. In fact, from what I could see, most of the servers did a pretty good job. But getting back to the management, I had a slight issue with my food, and was informed that the manager would take care of it. He was rude and obviously had no clue what he was talking about. His attitude was totally demeaning and talked to me like a child. It was so embarrassing for me to hear this in front of my wife and two friends that I nearly walked out. Sadly to say, I will absolutely never be coming back. Clearly from the looks of it, alot of people are not going back, because there was next to no wait the entire night and it was a friday evening. We ended up going to Ciao's the next friday in downtown Apex, and the place was crawling with people. Arrivederci, Daniel's! It is much easier now to find a nicer restaurant with comparable prices without the snobby management. Pros: good waitstaff Cons: everything else, save your money more

I've been to Daniel's a handful of times after listening to people yammer on incessantly about its worth. Daniel's is everything it was advertised as being... if you've never been out of Wake County and your only previous Italian food was a Pizza Hut buffet. Aside from their dumbfounding popularity, Daniel's is just okay at everything. Food was okay; service was okay; the place is always crowded; the layout is cramped which leads to the place being unusually noisy; the parking lot is difficult and the mussels smelled like cat unrine. There are a multitude of better options in the area. Pros: Looks like a doublewide trailer Cons: Not worth the hype more

Great food, Great Staff, Great wine. Been going to Daniel's on a regular basis for over ten years. Best Calamari we have had anywhere. The staff is sincere and concerned about your experience at daniel's. more

We have been going to Daniels on a semi-regular basis for the past 3 years.. We have a large family and get together to go out to dinner on a regular basis,with Daniels being one on them. However, tonight will be our last night there. We had a group of 14 people as always to celebrate a birthday in the family. MY Aunt who is almost 80- always orders off the childrens menu and they have never had a problem with it before. She just cant eat much of anything. We didn't care if there was an extra charge, but the waitress said that she couldnt do it and then she got a female manager to come over and said that they weren't allowed to do it either. Which is "age discrimination" by the way. We told her that we were going to just go, because of the "principal" of this matter and then she stated that she would do it just this once. But by this time, we had such a horrible experience with rude people there, that we had had enough. It's not like we werent going to spend money there. Well, they lost a table of 14 people due to one elderly person being denied a kids meal purchase. We had ordered a bottle of wine and some drinks, and paid for those and told them goodbye.. We then went to Carrabbas off Hwy 55 and had a great time with friendly staff as always. Too bad Daniels will not be receiving our business anymore. I think that since they opened their new restaurant in Fuquay, they have there trained, proper staff working at that new location and are settling for rude, mete ocher staff at the Apex location... Pros: close to home Cons: rude, unfriendly staff more

I have live in the Triangle since I was a child and of all the restaurants Daniel's is my absolute favorite. The atmosphere is cozy and perfectly Italian. The food is wonderful and there isn't a thing on the menu I wouldn't order. The best tried and true favorite being the Penne a la Casa. I have used them for both catering functions as well as taking my family there and every time they raise the bar of excellence. YUMMY!! Pros: Delicious, Ambiance, Price, Service more

I just went to Daniel's for to take advantage of their "Wine Wednesday" (20% off all bottles) and was glad that I gave it a 3rd try. I have attempted to go there twice before and decided not to wait out the crowd. Last night, I had no problem getting a table (I'm told this is because they now have a 2nd place in Fuquay). I sat on the patio thanks to a break in the heat wave that we've been having and had a great meal and great service. The cranberry chicken salad is excellent and l loved the seafood bisque that I was able to steal from my husband. My shrimp meal was spicier than I liked, but I did ask for hot. Next time I will be sure to ask for medium. My husband said his Veal Cannaloni was awesome. We split a monster-sized strawberry shortcake and had a nice bottle of Pinot Grigio. All in all, a nice "date night". This was totally worth the wait, but I'm glad there was no wait. Yeah for the Fuquay restaurant! Pros: Great wine list, nice patio atmosphere Cons: Small-ish parking lot more

We have tried so many Italian restaurants and always come back to Daniels for real Italian food. They have great pizza, the ONLY real greek salad around and all the pasta's are delicious. Only problem is the crowds so try take out which can also get crowded on weekends. We have seen a trend of increased prices over the past few years. Our biggest regret is that there is not a Daniels in North Raleigh where a good Italian restaurant is Much needed. We've got just the spot of real estate if they are interested!!!! Pros: Great food, ONLY Greek salad in town Cons: Location... We need a Daniels in North Raleigh more

I have to admit I was very spoiled by Guarino's Restaurant in Cary for many years and was very sad to see them close. I have yet to find Italian food as good as theirs. My personal test is Egg Plant Parmigiana and I was very disappointed. The egg plant should be soaked in milk to keep it tender, lightly fried, then Layered ( I stress Layered) in a dish with marinara sauce and cheese, many layers, like lasagna. This way the flavors all combine with each other and the egg plant is moist and delicious. Daniels egg plant was about the size of a silver dollar (never have I seen one that small), fried hard and crunchy, with cheese melted on top of it. They also serve it over pasta. I prefer my pasta served on the side. The marinara sauce reminded me of salsa, a lot of chunky tomatoes without a whole lot of flavor, like it had not been simmered enough. I couldn't even taste the garlic! My husband had a deluxe pizza, which he said was "okay" and could get the same quality in a mall. We went on a Monday night so we did not have to wait but a few minutes to be seated. The service and atmosphere was good. I was surprised at the rating of 90.5, which now I know has been a constant problem. If they took the course for 2 extra points, that means their rating is actually a "B". Will I go back? No. My quest to replace Guarino's continues. Pros: Service Good on a week night Cons: Average tasting food more

Was impressed with the menu! Would recommend. Have been there a few times and enjoyed the food. Salads were good. more

All I kept hearing from everyone was how good this place was for authentic Italian. Finally, an Italian resturant that did not disappoint me in any way. The food was perfect. Perfect temperature, seasoning, flavor, the waiter was helpful and attentive. The atmosphere is comfortable and could be utlized as casual or for a special occassion. Everything was what I kept hearing - I HIGHLY recommend this place. Pros: Best tasting Italian food in Triangle Cons: Small parking lot more

After going to Daniels for dinner a few times, I have to second what people say in recent reviews, obviously there are more negative reviews recently and there of course is a reason for that. One of the biggest issues is here in the Triangle, even with the incredible amount of transplants, no one steps to the plate and opens a cutting edge eatery. Daniels has been around for some time, and their food is OK. No biggie. If however you put them up against a leading NYC trattoria or say something in Chicago, off Lincoln Park, Daniels wouldn't last a minute. Service is a problem....they don't seem to pick up on that. Consistency is another issue, we see it in our own dining experience. With profit margins at about zero for a non-franchised restaurant, you do have to give these folks credit for surviving. But unfortunately, you have to do far more to remain on the cutting edge. more

I took family friends from back home in Syracuse to Daniels last Sunday. We had a party of 5 and called for reservations for 7:30 and were seated as soon as we got there - no waiting at all. If you have never met people from Syracuse you may be surprised how much we complain - it truly is an art form. Let me say that everyone couldn't have been more pleased with the prompt and friendly service and the food which is pretty impressive considering each one of us is picky when it comes to Italian food. The first good comment of the night from our group went something like this - "Oh, they got the salad right. It is at a perfect room temperature". This should give you an idea of the detailed examination of food I am talking about. All the food turned out great and I must say that their new veal dish was out of this world good. One of our party commented that the Fettuccini Alfredo was the best he had ever had. A bold statement considering we have a Little Italy back home is Syracuse. Other dishes included the Lasagna, Veal Parmesan and Veal Marsala. Anyway I am always hesitant about taking people out to eat who are visiting from out of town in the Triangle because we are saturated here with fly by night operations and tgi-McFunnsters. Daniels is truly a diamond in the rough. I highly recommend it. Pros: Good Italian food, great price, prompt and friendly service Cons: Seating was a bit cramped more

was at a wedding a few months ago.the food was great with alot of variety.i did something i never do i asked about the food,it was from daniels.i found the restaurant to be the same,great food,tremendous variety.the manager was very helpful when i asked about their catering services and the restaurant more