Edit: I am changing from 5 stars to 2. I came back today and was so let down. They’ve changed the menu to an “Italian” one and it was terrible. I got pasta with mushrooms and it was completely flavorless, watery, and the chicken tasted/looked completely unappetizing. Everyone else in our party was also let down. Several people got Cajun pasta that was supposed to have blackened chicken and it clearly was not that. Also, it tasted like blue cheese or something. Overall, terrible. Their food used to be so good. Way too expensive to be eating food of that quality. Many people wanted pizza but we were told they were out of dough. Don’t waste your time coming and money here. We waited nearly an hour for our food to come out.
This is my favorite restaurant in Hickory. Every time we’ve been, the food and drinks were phenomenal. Exceptional service as well. Their fried chicken, pizzas, steak, Mac n cheese, and seasonal veggies are always spot on. If you are thinking of eating here, please do yourself a favor and absolutely do it!
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 3
Nery Rivas
They have changed their menu to an Italian theme since last time I visited. I can’t say it was a change for the better as the food lacked flavor. Tried to order a pizza but they were out of dough. There are only 3 pasta options so I ordered the Cajun Pasta which was supposed to come with blackened chicken. The chicken was not blackened and there was no Cajun flavor to be found in the dish. Disappointed because this place used to be much better.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
J C
I took my girlfriend here on a date. Very nice place, very nice servers and excellent customer service. I thought the food was good, but I did expect a litte more out of the $55 ribeye. I'm big on ribeye and have tried many resturants. I'd give the ribeye a 1 star just to be truly transparent. Everything else was great though. For the price, not sure if it really matches the food as it is very pricey.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Derek Mace
It took about an hour to get food for four people . The food was mediocre. Don’t waste your time and money.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Meatballs
Martina Kent
Went for dinner 3/8/25. Had not been there in a year but previously enjoyed food. I was very disappointed. The chicken caper dish was a mess. Way overloaded with capers, which made the dish too salty. Chicken was dry and tough. Crab cakes were mostly fillers and nothing like a crab cake is supposed to be. Very expensive meal and low grade quality. Will not recommend or return
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 3
Wyn Flo
Hi, went to your restaurant last night and what a disappointment. We heard you had an Italian menu and you didn't. i ordered the raviolis ad they were just ok. Friends of mine order the pork chop and it was so small and no very tender for $32. One wanted pizza and the waitree said you were out. Limited menu. The waitress said you were starting the Italia menu on Monday. We will try again Our bill was $95 nor including tip. I tried to put this on your own review page but it came back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 3
Fred Johnson
Severed me 2 day old mashed potatoes that were sour then brought me fresh ones and told me they were 2 day old potatoes that I was served. I’m sorry but for the price and caliber of restaurant food should be made daily If the food is made daily how come a manager brought me fresh potatoes after I sent the soured potatoes back and said “These are made fresh today” and I said mine weren’t made fresh? To which she replied the kitchen made a lot Saturday and this was Monday but she assured me they had a shelf life. So don’t lie about made fresh daily. For a $187 meal it should be though
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 5
Frank DeSimone
Menu was curtailed for valentines holiday, even though it was the day after valentines day, wine list was extensive but marked up higher than what should be expected, items delivered were cold but replaced in a timely fashion steaknover cooked but replaced too.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 4
William Steinhoff
Had the Bianco Marsala....had a ham and cheese slice on it was nasty, it was like someone dumped a 1/2 can of mushrooms over the whole plate. After scraping it off left me the chicken broccoli and mashed potatoes that I ate. Other meals were rough as well, shrimp scampy had no flavor as it it was frozen, 3 full deserts were thrown out, food was cold, meatballs were over seasoned. Will not go back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
julie adolphson
Party of 6 this evening to celebrate a birthday. Have been here before and had a wonderful experience but not this time!!! Service was great but food was awful. The meatballs were extremely salty. Meals were cold, shrimp scampi was as awful. Bill was over $350- won’t be back! Something in the kitchen is way off!!
Service was outstanding. The chef however......oh my gosh was it awful. Our party of 6 was SO disappointed with all the dishes.....not one thing was good. Sorry Cafe Rule, even the 25.00 gift card you gave us won't bring us back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 5
Ki Bishop
Super disappointed. The fried calamari was absolutely delicious. Seasoned perfectly. This is what we started with. Tasting this dish lead us to think the rest of it was going to be good. We ordered a thing of yeast rolls. The oil and balsamic wasn't for us. The beans I thought was random and odd but my wife said it at least best the oil and balsamic. I got some butter to go with the rolls but they were just so dense and heavy that I didn't really want to keep eating it. We both got the ribeye. It was cooked how we wanted but the meat self lacked flavor. We could taste the fire or smoke and that was about it. Didn't seem to have any salt or flavor and the sauces we got to go with them were okay if dipped but if you poured the sauce on the steam the flavor seemed to disappear as if wasn't concentrated enough anymore. The steak itself seemed like I could have gotten a better cut at the store. It was very chewy and had a lot more hard fat that made t difficult to cut. The garlic potatoes were subpar for a $9 side. The side we both wanted which was the potatoes au gratin they no longer serve but haven't removed it from the menu. my wife got the broccolini and she said it was great but once it got cold it wasn't very tasty. I added a crab cake and it was good. Nothing special though. For both of us, with only water to drink and the tip and taxes we spent $200. Extremely disappointed with the majority of our meal and we both felt we should have picked another restaurant. The bill did not equal the experience sadly. We have heard great things from before the menu was changed, and not sure if it was better before or about the same but we left feeling like our taste buds were let down and still wanted something else.
Patrick Stilwell
We have eaten here several times over the years and have always enjoyed our meals and the ambiance. We have brought friends and family for special events, however after a recent visit in November 2024 we probably will not be back.
We made an early reservation because we had a show to catch later, and it is a good thing because even though there were only 4 other tables in the dining room the service was extremely slow. Our server only came a few times over the 2 hours we were there and food took an abnormally long time to arrive. We had water to drink, no alcohol. We had some shareable appetizers, 2 mains, and a shared side. Nothing crazy. They had a recent menu change according to the server and we are NOT a fan.
They changed the bread app and it is not very good. The old bread app was chefs kiss, new one, 2 thumbs down. We had the meatball app, flavor and good, but they were literally cold inside. We would have sent them back, but they took so long to arrive that we didn’t want to run out of time. My wife had the scallops, they were literally cold, had grit on them and there were 5 small scallops. I had a steak, it was cooked perfectly and was fork tender. However it lacked flavor and if i hadn’t added the sauce it wouldn’t have had any taste. The shared potatoes were just ok.
Our food was cold, service was slow, portions were lacking, and our bill was over $180 with tip. We routinely go have a nice meal like this once a week and happily spend more than that on a killer meal, but this was lack luster compared to past visits.
I can’t say we will be back this time. Hope I hear they improve. To those about to dine, you have been warned.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 1
stacy collins
Was excited to try it the chicken Marsala. Huge disappointment. The whole meal was “tough” the sauce was not a traditional Marsala sauce. As much as the meal was, definitely not worth it. But Landon, our waiter was killing it!!!!!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
lee muncy
redoing the menu still (months later) I ordered off the menu and then was told 10 minutes later when the server showed up and by a coworker of hers 'thats permanently discontinued and its not supposed to be on the menu', A month after supposedly redoing the menu. Pizza was marginal at best. I do hear that the calamari is awesome though. Just not for me. its more like 2.5 stars
Edit: I am changing from 5 stars to 2. I came back today and was so let down. They’ve changed the menu to an “Italian” one and it was terrible. I got pasta with mushrooms and it was completely flavorless, watery, and the chicken tasted/looked completely unappetizing. Everyone else in our party was also let down. Several people got Cajun pasta that was supposed to have blackened chicken and it clearly was not that. Also, it tasted like blue cheese or something. Overall, terrible. Their food used to be so good. Way too expensive to be eating food of that quality. Many people wanted pizza but we were told they were out of dough. Don’t waste your time coming and money here. We waited nearly an hour for our food to come out.
This is my favorite restaurant in Hickory. Every time we’ve been, the food and drinks were phenomenal. Exceptional service as well. Their fried chicken, pizzas, steak, Mac n cheese, and seasonal veggies are always spot on. If you are thinking of eating here, please do yourself a favor and absolutely do it!
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 3
They have changed their menu to an Italian theme since last time I visited. I can’t say it was a change for the better as the food lacked flavor. Tried to order a pizza but they were out of dough. There are only 3 pasta options so I ordered the Cajun Pasta which was supposed to come with blackened chicken. The chicken was not blackened and there was no Cajun flavor to be found in the dish. Disappointed because this place used to be much better.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
I took my girlfriend here on a date. Very nice place, very nice servers and excellent customer service. I thought the food was good, but I did expect a litte more out of the $55 ribeye. I'm big on ribeye and have tried many resturants. I'd give the ribeye a 1 star just to be truly transparent. Everything else was great though. For the price, not sure if it really matches the food as it is very pricey.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
It took about an hour to get food for four people . The food was mediocre. Don’t waste your time and money.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Meatballs
Went for dinner 3/8/25. Had not been there in a year but previously enjoyed food. I was very disappointed. The chicken caper dish was a mess. Way overloaded with capers, which made the dish too salty. Chicken was dry and tough. Crab cakes were mostly fillers and nothing like a crab cake is supposed to be. Very expensive meal and low grade quality. Will not recommend or return
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 3
Hi, went to your restaurant last night and what a disappointment.
We heard you had an Italian menu and you didn't. i ordered the raviolis ad they were just ok. Friends of mine order the pork chop and it was so small and no very tender for $32. One wanted pizza and the waitree said you were out. Limited menu. The waitress said you were starting the Italia menu on Monday. We will try again Our bill was $95 nor including tip. I tried to put this on your own review page but it came back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 3
Severed me 2 day old mashed potatoes that were sour then brought me fresh ones and told me they were 2 day old potatoes that I was served. I’m sorry but for the price and caliber of restaurant food should be made daily
If the food is made daily how come a manager brought me fresh potatoes after I sent the soured potatoes back and said “These are made fresh today” and I said mine weren’t made fresh? To which she replied the kitchen made a lot Saturday and this was Monday but she assured me they had a shelf life. So don’t lie about made fresh daily. For a $187 meal it should be though
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 5
Menu was curtailed for valentines holiday, even though it was the day after valentines day, wine list was extensive but marked up higher than what should be expected, items delivered were cold but replaced in a timely fashion steaknover cooked but replaced too.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 4
Had the Bianco Marsala....had a ham and cheese slice on it was nasty, it was like someone dumped a 1/2 can of mushrooms over the whole plate. After scraping it off left me the chicken broccoli and mashed potatoes that I ate. Other meals were rough as well, shrimp scampy had no flavor as it it was frozen, 3 full deserts were thrown out, food was cold, meatballs were over seasoned. Will not go back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Party of 6 this evening to celebrate a birthday. Have been here before and had a wonderful experience but not this time!!! Service was great but food was awful. The meatballs were extremely salty. Meals were cold, shrimp scampi was as awful. Bill was over $350- won’t be back! Something in the kitchen is way off!!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Service was outstanding. The chef however......oh my gosh was it awful. Our party of 6 was SO disappointed with all the dishes.....not one thing was good. Sorry Cafe Rule, even the 25.00 gift card you gave us won't bring us back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 5
Super disappointed. The fried calamari was absolutely delicious. Seasoned perfectly. This is what we started with. Tasting this dish lead us to think the rest of it was going to be good. We ordered a thing of yeast rolls. The oil and balsamic wasn't for us. The beans I thought was random and odd but my wife said it at least best the oil and balsamic. I got some butter to go with the rolls but they were just so dense and heavy that I didn't really want to keep eating it. We both got the ribeye. It was cooked how we wanted but the meat self lacked flavor. We could taste the fire or smoke and that was about it. Didn't seem to have any salt or flavor and the sauces we got to go with them were okay if dipped but if you poured the sauce on the steam the flavor seemed to disappear as if wasn't concentrated enough anymore. The steak itself seemed like I could have gotten a better cut at the store. It was very chewy and had a lot more hard fat that made t difficult to cut. The garlic potatoes were subpar for a $9 side. The side we both wanted which was the potatoes au gratin they no longer serve but haven't removed it from the menu. my wife got the broccolini and she said it was great but once it got cold it wasn't very tasty. I added a crab cake and it was good. Nothing special though. For both of us, with only water to drink and the tip and taxes we spent $200. Extremely disappointed with the majority of our meal and we both felt we should have picked another restaurant. The bill did not equal the experience sadly. We have heard great things from before the menu was changed, and not sure if it was better before or about the same but we left feeling like our taste buds were let down and still wanted something else.
We have eaten here several times over the years and have always enjoyed our meals and the ambiance. We have brought friends and family for special events, however after a recent visit in November 2024 we probably will not be back.
We made an early reservation because we had a show to catch later, and it is a good thing because even though there were only 4 other tables in the dining room the service was extremely slow. Our server only came a few times over the 2 hours we were there and food took an abnormally long time to arrive. We had water to drink, no alcohol. We had some shareable appetizers, 2 mains, and a shared side. Nothing crazy. They had a recent menu change according to the server and we are NOT a fan.
They changed the bread app and it is not very good. The old bread app was chefs kiss, new one, 2 thumbs down. We had the meatball app, flavor and good, but they were literally cold inside. We would have sent them back, but they took so long to arrive that we didn’t want to run out of time. My wife had the scallops, they were literally cold, had grit on them and there were 5 small scallops. I had a steak, it was cooked perfectly and was fork tender. However it lacked flavor and if i hadn’t added the sauce it wouldn’t have had any taste. The shared potatoes were just ok.
Our food was cold, service was slow, portions were lacking, and our bill was over $180 with tip. We routinely go have a nice meal like this once a week and happily spend more than that on a killer meal, but this was lack luster compared to past visits.
I can’t say we will be back this time. Hope I hear they improve. To those about to dine, you have been warned.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 1
Was excited to try it the chicken Marsala. Huge disappointment. The whole meal was “tough” the sauce was not a traditional Marsala sauce. As much as the meal was, definitely not worth it. But Landon, our waiter was killing it!!!!!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
redoing the menu still (months later) I ordered off the menu and then was told 10 minutes later when the server showed up and by a coworker of hers 'thats permanently discontinued and its not supposed to be on the menu', A month after supposedly redoing the menu. Pizza was marginal at best. I do hear that the calamari is awesome though.
Just not for me. its more like 2.5 stars
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2
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