Fratellos

Fratellos is closed now and a new restaurant has set up shop. My husband and I loved this place, though. We will miss Anna Marie. She did a great job of having quality, authentic Italian food and she remembered us every time we came in, making us feel like family. more

I asked the waitress for a tablespoon of olive oil and she informs me the owner Anna says they can't afford it. I spent $86 on a dinner for 2 and didn't ask for FREE olive oil. I asked her directly and she said ""olive oil is $24 per gallon. Lets see.. 256 tablespoons per gallon=9 cents the difference between a satisfied customer and a pissed never go again ex customer. I noticed leaving a note on the door that they didn't honor their own coupons. Arrogance beyond belief customer service non existent. more

The food was good, but several members of the party felt that our waitress had an attitude, and the manager told us that the only way they would split the check was by dividing it evenly between all 12 members of our party, when we really needed the ability for each individual to pay for what they had ordered. Of course, some people's bills were a lot larger than others and we had to try and figure out how to swap cash to make things fair. We weren't able to work out who really owed what, so one person got stuck paying more than her fair share... I felt that the service was disappointing, especially when our group spent $320 for dinner and drinks. They made a lot of money on us, but couldn't be bothered to provide great service. more

My wife and I have had lunch at Fratello's once and we both enjoyed the meal. Especially the Veal Marsala was very good, actually one of the best I have had in a long time. The price was quite comparable to prices of other restaurants at Brier Creek. We do understand that people have different tastes and expectations. The latter one usually dictates from the start in what frame of mind you enter a restaurant. You need to adjust your expectations to the kind of restaurant you decide to frequent. If you set your expectations at the level of that of the ""Fearrington House Restaurant"" in Pittsboro, NC or a Lattanzi in New York, or a Bel Canto in Paris, you will no doubt be disappointed. Set your level of expectations at that of the ones in Brier Creek and I do not think you will be disappointed. We were not and I was there this afternoon for lunch and I enjoyed it. Yes I did not get a refill, but that did not diminish the fact that the meal I received for the money, was well worth it. Do not dwell on the negative, try to see the positive and give the servers a break. Like us they are human too. We will go back and enjoy another meal at Fratellos. more

My husband and I had etten at Fratello's a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. So, when I decided to have lunch in the area it was the 1st place that came to mind. After reading the reviews I was hesitant to recommend it to my friend. We decided to give it a try and I'm so glad that we did. The lunch buffet ( $7.99) had more choices than I would have expected for a moderately-sized restaurant and it was all wonderful. The atmosphere was inviting and cozy. Even with an almost full house, the staff was not just prompt, they were also very friendly. It reminded me of being in Italy with just the right food, service, and warmth. I have eaten at some of the highly rated Italian ristorantes in Raleigh and would definitely choose Fratello's over most of them. more

I went to Fratello's for lunch with a friend today after seeing their advertisement for a $7.99 lunch buffet. We were on our way to another restaurant in Brier Creek and should've gone there. Upon entering the restaurant, we were seated at told to go to the buffet when we were ready. The food was sparse and the chafing dishes had metal spoons which were hot from the dish. So, I burned my hand trying to get the first spoon. The salad dressing bottle was broken and there was only one dry looking slice of pizza on the buffet. The server never came to refill our drinks and we had to ask another server who brought the wrong thing. The owner of the restaurant rudely sang loudly while patrons were trying to eat and have conversations. He went to every table and greeted all the patrons, with the exception of me and my friend. Our server only came back to give us the check and to take our payment. The food was not replenished until the owner yelled ""fresh pizza"" when he brought out more. As we exited (happy to leave and vowing never to return), the owner sat next to the door and still did not say a word to us. I would not recommend this place to anyone. Use your $8 at many of the other good places to eat in Brier Creek. Fratello's was a waste of our Fra-time!!!! Pros: Price for buffet, location Cons: Service, owner, buffet more

after walking by the front of the restaurant to take a peak at the menu board of what was being offered on the lunch buffet, someone (maybe the owner) came out and lured us into the restaurant. he was very ""aggressive"" in convincing us they had THE BEST italian buffet. With hesitation we went in cause he got us to check it out. It was hard to say ""no thanks"" after walking right into the restaurant to the back where the food was. We decided (against our better judgment) to give it a shot. It seemed like half the stuff listed on the board outside WASN'T even on the buffet. The chicken was dry, the meatballs tasted/looked like they were made from a frozen pack, none of the sauces tasted homemade and the pasta was overcooked, the salad dressing bottle was broken causing the dressing to make a huge blob on the plate. Not to mention the food at the buffet wasn't being refilled very efficiently leaving empty serving trays - very bad, especially since they don't have a lot of different dishes. The service was so poor. No one came to take our drink orders until we had already started eating and weren't refilled until we were ready to leave. Our plates also piled up and weren't cleared away until we were finished our meal. How awful to have to eat with dirty plates taking up the rest of the space on the table. The table beside us had the right idea to just drink from water bottles they already had because it didn't appear they got drink orders taken either. It also took them forever just to get extra napkins! You'd think the servers might walk around with things like straws/napkins on their person like most other restaurants. Brier Creek has so many dining choices so for $7.99/person during lunch, please take my word for it and skip Fratello's all together. It is so far from worth it. Don't even walk by there or you may get caught by the guy luring you into his awful restaurant. If I could have, I would have given this place 0 stars. Really. Pros: nothing Cons: food doesn't taste homemade, pricey, HORRIBLE service more

We walked in on Friday evening around 7PM without any reservations, and the restaurant was very accommodating by placing several tables together to get us seated. The restaurant was half full at this time. Later on in the evening, it filled up to about 80%. Anyway, we had attentive service and ordered two bottles of wine since we were told that they could NOT split our checks based on each person's order. This was a tad bit inconvenient, however it ended up working out. Since we ordered a wine that was out of stock, we ended up getting a break on the second bottle of wine. I really liked the atmosphere of the restaurant. The alternative would have been a 30 minute wait at Brixx Pizza, which is also good and has wine ... but this was way less noisy and crowded on a Friday night. The setting was much more relaxed. Everyone in my group enjoyed their meal. I had the grouper, which was pretty good. Someone else in our group had the chicken dish, which she also liked very much. I was able to sample the potato croquette that came with her meal and that was good as well. I would recommend trying this place out. The price is on par with a chain like Carraba's, but the restaurant maintains that it makes its ""authentic"" italian food fresh daily. Pros: Food, Service, Atmosphere Cons: Could not split checks separately more

I went awhile back with a friend and I thought I'd share my thoughts. If you're going to ask the public to put aside the jarred sauce and boxed pasta and pay around $15 per plate, they better feel as though they had some of the best Italian to be found. Unfortunately, Fratello's falls short. Everything was good- just not spectacular. I think that their particle board tables with nice linens on them is a metaphor for their food, too- it looks nice, but just doesn't have the ""bones"" of something extraordinary. Plus my friend and I split a dish and the split charge was $3.95. I think that getting a pasta dish for a nearly 30% add-on is a bit over the top. The service was a bit indifferent- the server stood in the hall with our appetizer chatting with a coworker before serving it to us- mind you it was for about 45 seconds to a minute, but it isn't something a patron should see. I won't be going back. Pros: convenient Cons: price, service, food more

I was there for dinner tonight with some co-workers we all had a fantastic time. Our waiter was very friendly and had great food and wine knowledge. I had a small caesar salad and it tasted fine to me. The veal saltombocca is incredible. The best I've had in years.They have a solid wine list as well.We all finished with tiramisu, a good double espresso and a sambucca. Need I say more. Pros: 2 thumbs up Cons: They should add gelato to dessert menu more

My girlfriend and I recently moved to Raleigh, North Carolina and decided to go out for a nice romantic dinner and we decided that the meal should be Italian. We chose to go to Fratellos in Brier Creek Commons for our nice evening. What I thought was going to be a nice evening turned out to be a disaster from the moment we walked in the restuarant. We ordered mozzarella caprese salad and that was okay but as the meal went on it got worse. Next, we ordered a caesar salad and it tasted like something out of a brown paper bag that was made 24 hours ago, so we do not recommend that selection. After that we ordered penne alla vodka and that was awful. The pasta was overcooked and sauce tasted like something out of a jar, not to mention if you put both of them together it tasted like cardboard. We opted not to go for dessert and we will never go back there again. If I could have given this place a half of star I would have and this would be very nice of me. Pros: Service Cons: The food more

We didn't set off to eat here; we were just in the area and remembered that it was a place on our list to try. Pros: Nothing wrong with old school Italian fare... Cons: Unless it's overpriced and you keep the door locked. more

What an excellent meal! Responsive service & perfect ambiance. After reading several less-than-flattering reviews of Fratellos, I felt compelled to offer a different perspective. I'd eaten at the restaurant before and afterwards read the reviews. So, on the second occasion to dine at Fratellos, I notified our waiter, Kenny (a self-proclaimed Boeing Brat from Seattle, WA), that his task for the evening was to refute the prior reviews. To his credit, he was aware of them and provided a credible explanation. Pros: Great service, substantial portions, variety of dishes. Cons: Closes at 10 PM on weekends. more

I've been to Fratello's a number of times...this past weekend was the worst experience I've ever had, not only at Fratello's but at any restuarant in the area. Pros: Ambience is nice Cons: Too many to list more

We friends went to this restaurant having high expectations as being in Brier Creek . more

A group of friends went to Fratellos for a preplanned birthday party for one of our friends. The restaurant was decently decorated. Mind you, we?ve eaten at a lot of Italian Restaurants in Raleigh-Durham Area. Pros: In Briar Creek Cons: Poor Service, Food is subpar, don't have computers or educated waiters to split checks more

As much as I wanted to try this place, it was not open for lunch on a Tuesday afternoon. The hours posted on the door said 11:30am. We got there at 11:45 and the door was locked. We were not the only people standing outside waiting. So instead of waiting around, we went up the street to Johnny Carino's. I made a call to managment when I got back to the office and was told that they did open at 11:30. Then the young lady proceeded to tell me that they opened a few minutes after 11:30, which was not true. She didn't offer an apology or an invitation to come back. As a potential customer, it upsets me to think that restuarants, who are providing a service to the public, could act so nonchalantly about opening on time. These days time is valuable; so before you visit this establishment during lunch hours, I would definitely call first! more

I visited Fratello's for the second time in a week. The first time I went - at 11:30 last Friday afternoon - the restaurant was closed. I waited with a friend for about 10 minutes, then went across the street and had a great Greek lunch. Pros: Excellent Food Cons: Cleanliness of Restaurant more

Fratello's is a great little Italian restaurant in the Brier Creek shopping center. This shopping center is plagued with so many chain restaurants, so if you are looking for a unique dining experience than Fratello's is the much needed answer. My husband and I have been a couple times so far and the food has been exceptional. The portions can be pretty large so it is also conducive for sharing. They serve liquor, beer and wine and offer some wines by the glass. However my only complaint is you only have a choice of one of each varietal when ordering by the glass. The service is fantastic, everyone that works here is like one big family. The owner is typically seen walking around the restaurant and talking with the diners. He has a great time visiting and laughing with everyone. We had such a great conversation with our server that we now know each other by name. The restaurant is small and very simply decorated, casual dress is not a problem. Pros: great Italian, friendly staff, large portions make it a value Cons: wish there were more wine choices more

My wife and I ate at Fratello's and came away thoroughly enjoying our respective meals. Portions and service were good. Price was reasonable. We will be going back again. Pros: Very good food and ambience Cons: Average service more