Margaux's Restaurant Raleigh

There are lots of restaurants in Raleigh, but this one offers great food, great service and a great atmosphere. I felt like a ""regular"" the first time I visited Margaux's. The decor is exotic and eclectic. It really matches my moods. It offers a romantic setting where I can dine with my husband and it's also a great place to meet friends and enjoy the excellent wine selection at the bar. The menu, like the atmosphere, is distinct and enjoyable. My family consists of meat eaters, seafood lovers and vegetarians and we all find great choices on a menu that changes frequently and is never dull. I love the calamari and the desserts are incredible. The shopping - center location, which hosts fast food and retail, is easily forgotten when I step onto Margaux's covered sidewalk and through the medieval doors. The atmosphere and food are equally enjoyable. The staff at Margaux's is great. It really is a place where you are made to feel welcome no matter how busy they are. I've lived here a few years now and I haven't found a restaurant in Raleigh that surpasses this one in service or cuisine. Its awesome! more

I've eaten at Margaux's six to ten times over the past few years when I have visited Raleigh and I have been consistently delighted. The service has been attentive without being obtrusive, the ambiance is fun and funky, and the food has always been superb. I have had several seafood dishes that I have been very impressed with, the fish in particular has been served in inventive and delicious ways. The desserts are magnificent. My favorite has been the Chocolate Chess Tartlet, which is a special. I am not a VIP or a regular by any means, they would have no idea who I am, and once when I had planned to go there, a friend called and asked if they would prepare it as she knew it was my favorite, they were gracious and immediately agreed. If this is how they treat customers they don't know, who aren't regulars...they are doing something very, very right. \r I am not much of a drinker but I have heard very good reviews about the bar and the wine selection.\r Margaux's is really a delightful dining experience, my favorite place to go in Raleigh. Thank you, Marguax's! more

Was in last night for my 42nd birthday. Waitress was horrible. Acted like she was doing us a favor waiting on us! Very poor form! Food was fair, but expected better for the price. Wife wanted to take me to Bonefish and I insisted on Margaux's. I should have listened to the wife! She is usually right anyway. Was in four years ago for an anniversary and now I remember why we had not been back since. If you are going to spend your time & money there are so many much better options in Raleigh these days. We will definitely not go back again. more

The Mack Daddy of Restaurants. The best experience this side of Manhattan. A must see for yourself. Wine list is exceptional and the desserts will knock your socks off. Pros: Cusine, Staff Attitude, Parking Cons: Zero more

My wife and I ate at Margaux's last Saturday during a get away weekend from Washington DC. Based on the reviews I read about Margaux's, I was looking forward to a great evening. Unfortunately, I was thoroughly disappointed. It started with the smell of cigarettes everywhere in the restaurant (although they were only smoking in the bar) - when I read on their website that cigars and pipes were allowed after dining hours, it never occurred to me that you would allow cigarettes anytime. A big turn off. I ordered the 'Beef Wellington' special and my wife ordered the scallops. The beef itself was tender; however, the crab surrounding the mashed potatoes were cold, the entire dish was over-peppered (I actually found whole peppercorns) and the entire plate was swimming in the mashed potatoe's gravy. My wife's scallops were charred outside and slighly underdone inside. I pointed these shortcomings to our waiter who barely acknowledged my complaints and made no effort to correct the situation in any manner. To top it off, I ordered a second glass of wine as my entree arrived, when I FINISHED eating my entree, the waiter came back and said that they had run out of the wine - no apology for the delay or anything - he just asked if he could clear our plates. I expected much more from the restaurant, food and wait staff. Pros: Menu, Wine List Cons: Smoking Permitted, Consitency of food and service more

I have lived in East Asia, West Central Europe, Southeastern Europe, and the Americas, spent a lot of time in NYC, with broad travel to other regions of the world. I find dining at Margaux's to be one of the highlights of all my travels as I find this restaurant to be a pure delight. Some restaurants decor with their stiff wait staff, tend to keep you uptight and formal to the point you don't really enjoy the dining experience. I find the ambiance at Margaux's is created to open the senses and help one relax. One cannot truly enjoy great food if they are uptight. My personal experiences are that Margaux's management, Steve Horowitz, Andrew Pettifer, and staff, make every effort to ensure a really wonderful dining experience. The entire staff works as a fluid team, taking care of your every need. The ever changing menu offers a wide selection to meet a varied variety of tastes, to include wines, which is important to me as I take my family, customers, and out-of-town business guests to Margaux's. With the ever changing menu, I get to enjoy my favorites from around the world, with many treats having been improved by Chef Pettifer. I highly recommend this restaurant to my friends and peers for their personal and professional engagements. Everyone I have sent, bring words of praise about the wonderful food, world class service, and unique decor. I have yet to have anyone I've taken, or recommended this fine dining experience to, provide a single negative comment about this restaurant - food, atmosphere, or service. Next time you're in, if they have the Lamb Shank on the menu, definitely try it! Pros: Best happening place in Raleigh! more

Unmatched in thier food taste and presentation Margaux offers something for everyone. Siting in a very coozy atmosphere and eating the best Raleigh has to offer margaux's is unmatched by any establishment out there. The Wait staff is always ready to assit wheather it is for a wine selection or an entre' you will never be disappointed more

Just had dinner last night and everything was great. I always enjoy the food, atmosphere, and the knowledge/personality of the staff. I like to try different restaurants and have found a few other nice places in the area but I believe Margaux?s is hands down the best experience in town. As someone who travels all over the world and enjoys eating I must say the food quality and consistency at Margaux's is one of the best I have ever found and tops in the Raleigh area. Keep up the excellent work. more

Be prepared to be amazed! I had the filet a couple weeks ago and it just melted in my mouth.... it was 105 out and I am glad I got the gravy on my potato's... The appetizer was delicious, the main course was awesome and the desert was the best. How could it not be... the best staff, the best chefs, and great owners. I wasn't going to write anything but had to after I saw the longtimewaiters comments... wonder what he was talking about since I have been a patron there for 14 years with NEVER a bad meal did I eat. Transplated from Chi-town... I don't think he knows what he is talking about. Check it out.... Pros: The art work and the food not to mention the staff Cons: Fish tank needs fish more

I am a DC transplant, and I was really happy to see a restaurant like Margaux's in my neighborhood when we moved. I agree that the atmosphere is really artsy and whatnot, but it only seems impressive because this is Raleigh. Larger cities are hemorrhaging artsy spots with ironwork and actual paintings (rather than prints). What is with the giant empty fish tank? Anyway, if the food lived up to the atmosphere, I would be very happy with the restaurant. I will first say that Margaux's calamari is one of the best I have ever had. Really superb. Some of the other food is nice. Margaux's claims to serve a seasonal menu. Maybe they change it seasonally, but they don't seem to have bothered looking at a calendar. A lousy cut of tuna on polenta served with veal stock and veg that have had any life they had cooked out of them is not a summer dish. Risotto is not a summer dish. Gravy does not belong on a plate when it is 105 degrees out. I have also found the presentation and even the quality of the food lacking. Duck should be tender, not chewy. Don't derve those lousy yelowfin steaks that you have to cut 3/4 inch thick to get a 7 ounce portion- certainly don't pretend they can be cooked rare...I suppose it would be a great restaurant, if I had not been to great restaurants. Pros: Looks nice, you can spend a lot of money on wine..... Cons: Menu doesn't work, food quality lacking. more

please take the advice of the servers. they will help you navigate the expansive menu. i heard the chefs have been there many many years,and work long days doing what they do best..playing with food. try a salad as a main course or two or apps. they always have at least four fish on the menu and each one is special. I have eaten the FANTASTIC T-DAY BUFFET EIGHT YEARS IN A ROW ..never ever been disapointed Pros: open til ten on most nites more

My husband and I were recently in Raleigh for our grandsons' graduation. We went to Margaux's to celebrate and I was completely captivated. When we walked in, I was in awe of the unique decor' and the array of art. We were immediately greeted and we could sense that this was a comfortable, welcoming restaurant. Our waiter was very professional and knowledgable about the menu. He suggested some dishes to my husband who is a very health conscious eater, that were not typical of what my husband would order. He took the waiter's suggestion and tried a salmon dish with charred onions and grape tomatoes served on top of spinach and risotto. My husband was thrilled with the selection. I chose Hawaiin Wahoo which new to me and very creatively prepared. It was delicious! The onion soup was probably the best I ever had! I didn't want to leave a morsel of cheese on the crock. I wish we had the opportunity to try more dishes from the menu. We tasted some of the other guest's dishes, which made us want to come back again, and again. I know the menu changes, but the selection offered something for everyone and was truly awesome! I am from New York and have been to many fine restaurants there. Margaux's stands out among the finest. The service was great. Other diners were very friendly and I definitely can't wait to go back and would highly recommend this restaurant to your readers! Pros: Great service, ambience, menu variety, quality of food, comfortable and friendly more

I am sure this place is great, but I wouldn?t know!! A 20 minute wait turned into a hour and a half. The hostess said it?d be 20 minutes and she?d find me and my husband at the bar, sounds good. She walked by us several times, not acknowledging us once, and seated everyone all around us. After a while my husband and I didn?t care, because the bartender nice and the drinks were good. At this point we were curious to see if she would actually ever attempt to seat us. Needless to say, that never happened. We paid our bar tab, took our name off the list and left. I was shocked with the nonchalant attitude of the hostess when I told her she could take our name off the list. She said she looked all over for us and couldn?t find us?funny she found everyone else. The entire time I felt like we were outsiders and not part of the N. Raleigh Margaux?s ?click?. The menu looked good, the interior was interesting and I?m sure this is a nice place to dine, but attitude is everything?I?ll never go back!!! more

My wife and I have been to Margaux's many times. The menu is very creative and food is always great. Service is good. One of the most appealing things to us is the atmosphere. It is very eclectic and sophisticated. The design, colors, and artwork are extreme and well done. Margaux's is a little pricey but worth it. We typically go for special occasions. Sometimes we just go to have a single malt! Pros: Creative menu and eclectic atmosphere. Cons: Hard to find. more

To say that I am beyond disappointed with Margaux's Thanksgiving meal is an understatement. I was very surprised to find out that the Thanksgiving meal was catered...not prepared by the Margaux's chef. The stuffing tasted like styrofoam, the gravy was watered down, the turkey was so dried that one could choke to death. Must I go on? more

The atmosphere is terrific- The food is Not as great those who reviewed before me. I've eaten there 3 times, and 3 times I have felt that the food was over-priced and not anything to rave about. more

We picked Margaux's over Fraziers and Nelsons (we haven't been to any of three) for our special occasion, and we quite happy with our decision. The service we had was excellent and professional. Both items in the bread basket were a pleasant surprise, the corn bread (my wife raved that is more like corn cake) was delicious. The french onion soup and crab cakes were superb and served at the perfect temperature. We were pretty full by the time the entrees arrived (thanks to the bread and corn bread). My NY strip steak was to die for! And imagine it came with a healthy serving of mashed potatoes and vegetable! (no a la carte here). My wife's crusted grouper was the best I have ever eaten, not being a grouper fan, I was made one last night! The dessert, bread pudding, was very good, but in my opinion not the best because the ice cream was store brand. Maybe we did not appreciate the dessert so much because we were pleasantly filled from all the previous courses. All in all, we will definitely be back! Pros: Great Service and well prepared, fresh ingredients Cons: use better ice-cream on desserts more

The menu changes daily and with the seasons. Each week you can find a new menu posted on Margaux's website. Great Asian, Middle Eastern and Thai recipes, sushi, steaks, chops, seafood and pasta concoctions, and ith an artistic reduction drizzle here and there. Choose from an extensive wine and martini selection. Ocassionally Margaux's will have Live entertainment on Friday nights. The ambience is sophisticated, new world gothic with original art (for sale) by local artists. Come by and say hi to Eric, Sean, Kim, Val and Steve. Come experience their excellent customer service and be treated like a queen or king, but you will have to pay the tab at the end of the night. (There is always a downside.) Here is to good times and good eats! Cheers. - The Social Light Pros: Close to home. Thumbs up on service...it is the best in the area! Cons: They should have live music every Friday night! more

To the staff at Margaux's, I can only say thank you for all the time and effort... My Significant other was celebrating her birthday on June 30th and being in charge of all the plans for dinner, I looked at about 20 restaurants. After much ado and not being able to get through to one restaurant that was around the corner, I was told about Margaux's. Pros: Food, Staff, Desserts Cons: N/A more

Walked into this busy bistro and had a gentleman greet us to an intimate table by the fireplace. Awestruck by the art, my date had her napkin folded and wine poured while in the lavatory. Swarming team of professionals tended to each and every one of our needs. We lacked for nothing, and desired no more. The cuisine is probably on par to that of any restaurant I have been in around the world. Our dessert order was taken by the same gentleman that sat us. Later our waitress told us that the gentleman who sat us and took our dessert order was the owner. It's no wonder that this place is so busy. Everything I could have asked for during our experience was delivered upon levels of absolute perfection. A MUST TRY FOR ALL!!!!!!!!!!! Pros: Perfect Service, Incredible Food, Great Attitude more