It's kind of sad, expensive, but sad nonetheless. The decor of the restaurant is impressive, but frankly my chair was uncomfortable and the table was quite small, even for two people. The music is... More

It's kind of sad, expensive, but sad nonetheless. The decor of the restaurant is impressive, but frankly my chair was uncomfortable and the table was quite small, even for two people. The music is techno/trance/rave which is okay I guess at least it wasn't very loud. I started with the curried oysters. The oysters were perfectly cooked, but there was just no curry taste to it at all. They were served with an apple/spinach salad which might have been better if it was slightly warm. The presentation of the dish was a bit contrived and simply added to the overall disappointment. My main was the pan seared rare tuna with sesame. Again, a rather disappointing dish. The sesame simply overwhelmed the taste of the tuna, which by the way was lukewarm and just not that good. The soba noodles and spinach (again with the spinach) salad was good and seasoned quite well, but frankly I didn't pay that much just for the salad. A brief glance at the desert menu didn't yield anything of interest, although they did offer a green tea creme brulee. However, my dining experience did not predict that the kitchen could produce a good creme brulee, so I passed, went to A Southern Season and got some good quality chocolate instead. At least that part of the meal was quite nice. Overall, though not exactly a "bad" place to eat, the quality of the food certainly didn't rise to fine dining, and certainly didn't match the price. Of all the places in Chapel Hill that purportedly offer fine dining, I will admit that this one tried the hardest. It's almost painful to note that all the trappings were in place, but the food simply wasn't. Pros: Nice decor, attentive wait staff, lots of parking. Cons: Disappointing food.
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Ok, so the place is really nice and huge, there was a Christmas party going on so we sat upstairs and were waited on by a Chris Kattan look a like (old SNL cast member), didn't get his name b/c he... More

Ok, so the place is really nice and huge, there was a Christmas party going on so we sat upstairs and were waited on by a Chris Kattan look a like (old SNL cast member), didn't get his name b/c he quickly offended me so much that I was ready to leave but decided to try and not let it bother me. When he was reading off the specials I asked about something I read on the website about half price apps. Well, he looked at me like I was crazy and asked if I had a coupon, to which I replied "no" it was on the website, and he condescendingly said, "unless you have a coupon, like from a coupon book or something they pass out on campus, then there are no half price apps, plus we don't run any specials on the weekend since that is a time when we actually get a lot of business and don't have to offer coupons to get people to come in" and then started laughing at me. Well, I was ready to walk out b/c I'm not a college student, can easily afford a very nice meal and did not need to be treated like an idiot. Since it was a friends birthday I decided to stay and stick it out. It only got worse as he didn't come around for long periods at a time and you could tell he just didn't want to be there. In the end as we were waiting to get our check for about 20 mins, he was folding napkins for the next day and we had to get somebody's attention. In all, the food was good, service was soo bad that if I ever do go back to this place I will make sure we don't get this a-hole again!!! Go to their site at ghgrestaurants > see Sat night specials. I was right and he was obviously unaware or didn't care about his company's website. To help you avoid this guy, he is about 35 years old, black curly hair and probably 5'8". On and don't get the calamari, it's really greasy. Pros: Nice bar, friendly good looking hostess. Cons: Worst waiter I've ever had!!!
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We first went to Spice Street as part of a big event- a few hundred people. It seemed like a small restaurant but was actually quite big. It never felt crowded and we all had a lot of fun. We... More

We first went to Spice Street as part of a big event- a few hundred people. It seemed like a small restaurant but was actually quite big. It never felt crowded and we all had a lot of fun. We also went for dinner after that night and really enjoyed the food. We love all of George's restaurants.
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This is a great date resturant. The lighting is low the food is fancy and if you are trying to impress that special someone then this is the place for you. They also turn into a night club very... More

This is a great date resturant. The lighting is low the food is fancy and if you are trying to impress that special someone then this is the place for you. They also turn into a night club very often through out the year. And the parties are usually for the older crowd.
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Good food but only if you have an eating disorder.....lame lame lame lame lame lame portions!!! I've travelled all over the US and this is one of the worst rip-offs yet. Shame on the owners.... More

Good food but only if you have an eating disorder.....lame lame lame lame lame lame portions!!! I've travelled all over the US and this is one of the worst rip-offs yet. Shame on the owners. You'll leave hungry and disappointed. We weren't going to say anything until a table of 12 next to us had a five minute conversation about how small their portions were too. We actually leaned over and talked to them for a minute about it! Unbelievable how this joint has pushed the limits of acceptable amount of food per price! Shame on you Spice Street....we left hungry after dropping over 120 bucks. Pros: Food tastes good. Cons: Ridiculously small portions and extremely over-priced.
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Spice Street definitely has the potential for great atmosphere but it fails to truly impress. Each time I've been there the bartenders have outrageously overcharged. $14 for a mixed drink and a... More

Spice Street definitely has the potential for great atmosphere but it fails to truly impress. Each time I've been there the bartenders have outrageously overcharged. $14 for a mixed drink and a beer, when it should have been $9, and $8 for a $6 LIT that didn't come close to actually resembling a Long Island Iced Tea. When you pay such a high cover to get it, it is definitely not worth going to a strip mall establishment like Spice Street to get sub par service. Pros: Classy Cons: Over-priced
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Spice Street is an artful representation of the confluence of diverse peoples in modern America. Something about the eating experience is mystical. It must be the physical set-up - the high... More

Spice Street is an artful representation of the confluence of diverse peoples in modern America. Something about the eating experience is mystical. It must be the physical set-up - the high ceilings, the fountain of water, the relationship of lighting and space, the Arabic food - that makes me feel I am eating fruits in the garden of Eden. The menu, the interior design, the wait and culinary staff merge the whole world in one kitchen and dining room. Some think the colors, sounds, and smells fight, but I see a microcosm of the mosaic that is Chapel Hill. What an appropriate restaurant to have in this town. It is a total testament to our cosmopolitan, open-minded, forward-moving community. The food service is simply remarkable. The staff gave me a tour behind the scenes. I inspected the kitchen and the two room-sized fridges. The kitchen is at the heart of the restaurant. It is meticulously organized and clean. The vegetable storage is stocked with fresh, whole produce - pyramids of romaine lettuce, eggplant, okra, chickpeas, parsley, cilantro, tomatoes, russet potatoes, zucchini, green chili, red bell peppers, yellow squash, onions, yardlong beans. Raw black and white chocolates and custards sit behind a smaller glass fridge. In the meat storage are packages of fresh squid, beef steaks, whole chicken. The head baker kneads dough and bakes pastries and bread in a large oven in the center of the kitchen. If you imagine that Spice Street is overpriced, you do undercredit the freshness of the food and the authenticity of its preparation. Seven dollars for a Fatouche Salad is a pretty good deal, considering that Spice Street has "kept it real," or at least as real as it can get on Estes Drive. I recommend that you have lunch or dinner at Spice Street. You would have a luxurious and delicious experience, but just as important, you would patronize the local color(s)! Pros: Architecture, interior design, cuisine, service, parking Cons: Spice Street is simply fine dining.
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My boyfriend and I went to Spice Street last year and had a great experience. We've gone back 3 times since then and things have been progressively worse each time. The food tends to be bland--... More

My boyfriend and I went to Spice Street last year and had a great experience. We've gone back 3 times since then and things have been progressively worse each time. The food tends to be bland-- tonight I had orange beef and perhaps one bite actually had orange flavor. The service tends to be poor-- there are lots of waitstaff, but little coordination between them and simple requests take forever to fill. We've had problems with our orders in the past, but been unable to flag down a server within 15 minutes to fix the issue. I would suggest trying somewhere new-- there are a lot of new restaurants in the Triangle and I've had better experiences at most for much less money. Pros: Good parking, easy to get a reservation Cons: food, service, ambience.
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We also went to Spice Street on Valentines Day. Even with a reservation, we sat in the bar 20 min past our reservation time. The service was very slow and the food was very uneven. One entree... More

We also went to Spice Street on Valentines Day. Even with a reservation, we sat in the bar 20 min past our reservation time. The service was very slow and the food was very uneven. One entree (bouillabaisse) was excellent; the other (fillet mignon) was badly overcooked. We were eventually able to get the server?s attention, the meat replaced, and removed from the check. We also experienced the "intimate dining" seating at card-tables, the knee slamming and uncomfortable seating (see an earlier poster). There are too many excellent dining options in the Triangle to have to put up with this place. I would never go back. Pros: some ofthe food is great Cons: some of the food is poorly done; service is very slow
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I went there for lunch because it was on the way home from UNC, and being very finicky about food in general, this gets a moderately positive review. I ordered steak and frites with sweet tea... More

I went there for lunch because it was on the way home from UNC, and being very finicky about food in general, this gets a moderately positive review. I ordered steak and frites with sweet tea alongside. They started with this complimentary fresh baked thin bread to put a wonderful olive tapenade on--delish.The tea was remarkably fresh, always a good sign. The ambience was really delightful, too, right down to the bathrooms having raised sinks and teak counters scattered around different parts of the restaurant. Service was grade A (could only have been improved, perhaps, with an earlier "how is it," though having a bit of time alone with my food was, too, appreciated). My central problem came with one part, though only one, of my food. My portions were closer to $20 than $12, not complaining mind you! The frites=perfect in texture, flavor, etc. though they could stand to offer more dipping sauces if they want to use the Belgian term. The steak=tender, served with a red pepper sauce that was great, not my usual cut of choice but still well-prepared, but oops, I could only eat 3 bites... coated in fresh ground pepper was good... salt being heavily added along with the pepper (probably to make it seem hotter)... ugh. I just couldn't do it. Not enough water in the world could get that "just ran a mile" sweat taste out of my mouth-was just too salty. That said, she asked if I wanted a box, and when I said I couldn't eat any more b/c it was too salty... no problem, taken off the bill. When she asked if there was anything else she could get me, I pondered and asked about dessert-anything salt-containing was unwelcome by then. I got a bloodorange sorbet for $4, and it was enough to serve 2--2 very large scoops, like Ben and Jerry's size scoops, beautiful and fresh. All in all, I'd probably go back and give it another try, being mindful to ask about anything that might be too salty and probably just steering clear of soups and the like. Pros: service, ambience, no arguments if something isn't to your taste Cons: my main course was way too salty, though 1 trip might not count for much
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