Midtown Grille

4 of 5 stars (very good, fine dining) (see explanation of ratings below) Wines appear to be marked up... more

Before my husband and I settled into Raleigh, NC a few weeks ago, we were ""tourists"" of the city and we would make this place one of our regular spots to dine! The wine list is amazing and the staff is superb! Definitely try to save room for the beignets!!! They make them fresh (15 min or so) and they come with this incredible caramel dipping sauce.....sooo wonderful! more

It goes by Midtown now, and this place is a little ""above it's raising"" now. The wait staff is very professional but not personable, and the atmosphere is one of pretentious excess. The salad was nothing but mixed greens with a hint of their house dressing toasted sunflower seedson top. I had their baked pork chop, and it was acceptable, but not tender, and the Macaroni and cheese sidedish was nothing special. Every entree is in the the $27-$28 range, Appetizers $8-$10. Nothing is noteworthy except that it was presented beautifully. The portions are very small.\r \r \r Go somewhere more fune. This is a just a way to spend too much money. more

My wife and I dont regularly get the chance to go out on a ""date"" anymore so when we do we want it to be very special. The folks at Midtown and Bar 115 definately made it just that for us on Saturday Night. The weather was perfect for grilling out but we opted to dine out instead. The service on the patio was superb!! Great wait staff and management. Even the chef came out to check on us, where else do you get this kind of service. We had the best mussels ive ever had, my wife never had Gnochi and shes already wanting more. The management was very attentive as well, as the temperature dropped they were asking if we wanted to have the patio heaters turned on. Very Special place and great staff too. Dont miss out on this hidden gem. Pros: Staff, Product Knowledge, Wine List more

Best looking dinning room in north hills.Simple great affordable food.Class without all the fuss.My wife had the Salmon with white beans and I had Pork osso bucco.Near perfect.Waiter pointed out the 25- 30$ selection of wines.Right in the sweet spot for us.Rabbit gumbo was a great starter even with the weather being a bit warmer.Had a amazing cocktail post meal with Strawberry,basil, jalapeno simple syrup,and grey goose!Who comes up with that?You can tell they trying very hard. Pros: Food,Best wine prices in the whole triangle seriously Cons: Lack of space in my belly! more

Hands down.No contest.Easy money.The rest are fighting for second place.You want the best skip the others and just try the mussels they have as a special nost of the time.Somkin! Pros: Specials,Specials,Talkin 4-8 specs on weekends Cons: hard to find look hard more

What a disappointment. Overpriced for what you get. There was no host at the door so we had to stand there and wait for a while. Then after being seated, no one ever came with water or greeted us and we sat there for more than 10 minutes with nothing on our table but two empty wine glasses. The place was half full but the service was still horrible. We ordered water without ice and got two waters full of ice. The food was fine, but nothing amazing. We had to ask for our check and no one ever checked on us or asked about the food. We had to hunt up the hostess for our coats. The attitude of the waiters was nonchalant and there appeared to be some discord among staff. Ridiculously bad service for the price. Our two lunch entrees with two waters totalled $29 without the tip. If you want to sit in a foo foo restaurant and get McDonalds service and pay exorbitant prices then this is the place for you. We will not be back. Pros: Good food Cons: Horrible service more

My family and I recently visited Midtown for our daughters 21st Birthday, it was our first time there as well and we were all blown away. Portion sizes were great and the food was spectacular. We were a military family and have traveled the world over and never have I seen plating of food match the quality. My daughter was able to buy her first drinks, legally, ha ha and I must say the blueberry martini and the chocolate martini the bar manager bought for her were out of this world. I had called earlier in the day to confirm my reservation and go over the details of my daughters big night. During our visit a young man in a black chefs coat stopped at our table and informed me that ""we"" had spoken already and not to worry about a thing, he had it under control. She had her own cake delivered along with a burning candle with out my asking. It was truly a great experience. With my daughters birthday mixed in with the holidays, the entire restaurant made it an unforgettable evening. We will be back, and you should go too!!! Pros: Service, Creativity, Ambience Cons: Parking more

We recently had lunch there for the first time. It's nicer than it is pricey. Good value! I liked the cozy bistro style layout, with booths and tables, and what looked like a private room in the back. They have a good looking bar, and a little front patio. We really enjoyed it. Didn't like the paper layer on top of the table, but it really didn't come into play that much. The chicken club sandwich with some really good fries was awesome! Chicken, bacon, gouda, and mayo, damn! Such flavor! She had the grouper sandwich with some sort of tartar mayo and their potato chips. She said it was good, with a really big portion of crispy fish. It was somewhat busy. Our waiter was really hustling the room. Kudos! We'll definitely return. (Not sure about dinner, as it is a good round-trip drive for us, but the prices looked reasonable, $20-30 entrees.) We have found a great new lunch spot! Pros: Food, prices, service. Cons: Paper tops on tables. more

I am relatively new to North Carolina and Raleigh. I've lived in Chicago and LA most of my life, traveled the world over and have eaten at some of the greatest spots around. I have to say that Midtown stands up with some of the best eateries I've ever experienced. My date and I went on a Saturday night. Although the regular menu looked fabulous, we both opted to go with the specials being offered. For an appetizer we had the Steamed Mussels that were absolutely the best I've ever had. We also shared a Portabella Mushroom Bruschetta that made me feel like I was back in Tuscany. For entrees we shared the Game Hen Trio with fresh Foie Gras and the Housemade Duckwurst. Portions were ample and by the time we reached dessert we had to split one because neither of us had room to finish one by ourselves. We split the ""Cheesecake of the Week"" which was a peanutbutter and banana with chocolate ganash! They offer a great wine flight menu which allowed us to sample some of the selections from their regular list. The staff was very attentive without being overbearing. We chatted up with the GM (he looks like Vin Diesel) who happen to run in some of my old circles. Bottom line, everyone made us feel very welcome. The live music was a perfect backdrop to a great meal and we stayed for a nightcap afterwards to hear the musician finish his set. \r \r If you haven't been here yet, you're missin out! Pros: Great food, service and overall value Cons: Parking seems to be an issue so leave early for your reservation. more

I thought of giving Midtown Restaurant one more chance, but once again they proved me WRONG. As i have dined at this restaurant for many year's, last week was my last time. I know now that until their is some form of drastic change, Midtown will still continue to be the same, no special's , BORING SAME OLD FOOD, SAME HO-HUM SERVICE. In this economy i hope you are getting your money's worth out of your management and kitchen staff because it sure doesn't show at dinner. Before i thought the Chef was BORED, now i am certain he is LAZY. No difference in food or menu. Go outside and look around at all business that is available to you. Look at where they are going. Now the sad part, the owner's are allowing the management and kitchen to continue in this manner. Seems Management and the Chef have NO INTEREST IN JOHN Q PUBLIC, ONLY IN WHAT IS BEST FOR THEMSELVES. You had great food. You had great service. You had great management that was there all the time. Now you ask to speak to the manager and along comes a bartender, what kind of management value are the owner's getting there........in today's economy, i wonder!!!!!!! Keep that old tired food and ho-hum service...........I'm lookin for something new and exciting Pros: has hopes Cons: boring and lazy chef more

I am very fond of Midtown and really like how they have recently changed the layout of the restaurant a little. Food is always good and service friendly. However, I don't know whether times are a little tough but the cutlery was definitely in need of complete replacement. The regular knives and forks were extremely chipped; the hospital canteen where I regularly frequent has higher quality. Plus, the steak knives were of similar quality as the free pack of 6 you seem to get with each order of Omaha steaks. Plus, they were made in China.\r \r I'm no snob, but was really taken aback by how such a high quality restaurant could present such low quality cutlery. Just a heads up for any management of this otherwise fine and recommended establishment. more

It was my boyfriend's birthday and we wanted to try something new. The menu looked different so we chose Midtown. What a great choice. The food was incredible. Luckily we had a wine expert dining with us so all our wine was great. Service was good and the deco was ""chic"". We'll definitely be returning. more

Great evening with good food, good wine selection, and nice atmosphere.\r BUT my food was over cooked, the shrimp in the scampi was tough, knife required to halve them .\r Deserts as always were superb .\r Waitperson was attentive and not intrusive . Pros: Atmosphere, parking easy and convienent. Cons: Overcooked shrimp more

After the unfortunate demise of the Wild Orchid Grille, we have been looking for an upscale place to go that does not necessitate paying the babysitter for the extra hour required to drive from north Raleigh to downtown and back. We have tried Fins and Jibarra, but 115 Midtowne is our favorite thus far (besides Nina's, when we want Italian.) I called on a Friday to request reservations for 7:30 on Saturday--no problem. We were greeted by a friendly hostess and seated immediately upon arrival. There is a pianist on weekend nights, which added significantly to the already impressive ambience. (Yes, it's in a strip mall, but don't judge until you go inside. BTW, there are outside tables, but I do not enjoy sitting in a parking lot.) \r Our waitress was friendly, knowledgeable, and prompt. The crab cakes appetizer was excellent. I had a tasty filet and my husband had some sort of Asian-style tuna, which was delicious despite the fact that I'm not a fan of tuna in general. The portion sizes seemed appropriate for both of us, and my husband can put away some food. The only disappointment of the evening was his seven-layer chocolate cake--quite dry, but he ate it anyway. My tiramisu was among the best I've had, which is not a small feat considering we love it so much, we had a tiramisu-flavored wedding cake.\r In summary, leave the kids at home and go out for excellent grown-up food for a reasonable price-- everything, including the above plus my glass of Pinot and a tip, was around $100. You might even have time to catch a movie! Pros: location, ambience Cons: chocolate cake more

This restaurant has an amazingly eclectic menu and it?s all done with just the right amount of elegance and flare. The live piano on the weekend makes it the perfect romantic dinner, while the chic atmosphere and service are ideal for a corporate outing. Our fillets were perfectly cooked, the Ginger martini was astounding, and the spicy crab appetizer was a breathtaking compliment. We were most impressed by the personalized service that this restaurant offers, the manager in particular made us feel right at home as we shared a nightcap at the bar and spoke with him about this new Raleigh addition to the gourmet dining scene. Pros: The food and very creative drink menu are great compliments to each other! more

If you want amazing food, this is your restaurant. If you want to be treated with respect, this is NOT your restaurant. Not only was the service as slow as a school bus, our waitress had the worst memory. After making our orders, we found out the specials from a different waitress talking to a different table. I got the straw that I wanted 20 minutes later after my husband asked her for it twice. The waitress made me feel like an idiot with a very rude and insulting comment to me when I had finished my meal. It was a horrible experience. It is just a shame because the food was outstanding but I would never go back unless management did something about their servers. Pros: excellent food Cons: horrible service more

After having surgury on my back I was sent home and told to ""take it easy"". I was sure I would be able to make Thanksgiving dinner for my family of 6. Well that Turkey Day rolled around and I still was not in any shape to do it. I called around town to find out that many restaurants had been booked solid. I called a place that a friend had recommended months ago called 115 Midtowne. \r \r Well to make a long story short...my family was treated to a wonderful dinner. All of our traditional items were served and that made it feel more like home. To make it feel better than home they prepared a ""maple and paprika roasted Turkey"". I left with the recipe!!!\r \r Thank you to our server Louie who listened to me rant for about 15 minutes and everyone that worked on Thanksgiving at 115 Midtowne. I cant wait to try out the regular menu.\r \r more

Normally we cook our own Thanksgiving dinner but we are having some renovations done at our house and after seeing a great review in the News and Observer for this restaurant and an advertisement that they would be open for Thanksgiving dinner we decided to go. The only positive point was the charming hostess who greeted us at the door. Although the restaurant wasn't all that busy, service was terrible and the food cold. The mashed potatoes were so cold you could barely mash them with a fork. The turkey tasted salty and processed although I called in advance and was assured that the restaurant was roasting their own turkeys for the dinner. Probably one of the worse meals I've ever gone out for. Boston Market would have been a far better choice. Pros: charming hostess at the door Cons: food was cold, turkey tasted like processed turkey roll more

If you have not been here...run don't walk to 115 Midtowne in North Hills. Once you get inside you are transported from the crazy shopping and grocery parking lot strip mall to a cozy old school casual fine dining experience. The atmosphere is very simple and classic. Could wear jeans or a cocktail dress and fit in fine.\r Now on to the food! I have had nothing bad here and have eaten here dozens of times. Some highlights of the menu are: the chopped salad...I'm not sure the exact name but it is a very simple looking salad and believe it or not...it tastes like a steak! They grill the lettuce and it's the most interesting and mouth-watering salad I've ever had. The pancetta wrapped mahi mahi is always a pleaser. Every night they have at least 4 specials, which are always amazing. Never a bad experience here. Great for pre-movie dining (North Hills movie theater is a short walk away). Pros: good specials, consistently good food, never a wait for a table. Cons: none! more