Cortez Seafood and Cocktail

Will miss the current iteration

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Disappointing Experience – Poorly Cooked Steak, Long Waits, and Broken Promises

I had high hopes for this restaurant, but unfortunately, my experience was a letdown, on Valentines Day no less. First, my steak was completely undercooked—not even close to the medium I requested. When I pointed it out, there was no effort to fix it, just a half-hearted apology.

The pacing of the meal was even worse. I waited 45 minutes between my second and third course, which completely ruined the flow of dinner. At that point, I was more frustrated than hungry.

To top it all off, the waiter told me he would be "taking care of it." Well, I don’t know what that meant so I took that as the meal was going to be comped due to the wait and undercooked steak. What he apparently said was that he would be taking care of ....
and still to this day, I have no idea what he was going to be taking care of as the set price for the dinner was $75 per person. There was a clear misunderstanding that he would be taking care of it due to the poor service and undercooked steak, so my wife and I left. I even told the waiter goodbye, and he made no attempts to stop me or even bring the check. I get to my car, and I then receive a phone call from the restaurant stating that I didn't pay my bill. So, all in all I paid $188 for a meal to sit and listen to the kitchen scream out orders for two hours.

I won’t be coming back, and I wouldn’t recommend it unless you enjoy long waits, undercooked food, and empty promises.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 3

I visit this place often with my wife for all types of occasions and this place never misses!
Food is always on point.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

Food was good, staff was fine, but after reserving well in advance we got put in a breezy tent on a bare metal unstable stable for Valentine's dinner. Will not book for this event again.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 4

Service: 3

Great spot with cool vibe. Food was really great, really enjoyed the crab avocado toast. The music was good and the restaurant wasn’t too loud. Only negative was the service, it was okay- nothing to brag about. Our waiter was not attentive and didn’t really answer questions about the menu or make recommendations.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 2

Recommended dishes: Pinche Carne Asada

Amazing place

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Flight of Raw Oysters, Gambas Al Ajillo, Chargrilled Oyster

March 2, 2025 was our first visit to Cortez, happens to be the LAST dinner service before they close for a few weeks to renovate the property! So glad we did! Mexican influenced food, taking advantage of local high quality NC ingredients and a few from elsewhere, super fresh. I don't know if they'll revamp the menu upon reopening, but I'm sure whatever it is will be good! The wine list is short and concise but with good matches for the menu. Raw oysters - Two NC, one VA choices, all good. Roasted oysters - good Grilled pulpo with some greens and local butter beans - outstanding Roasted brussels sprouts with Bulgogi sauce - wow, one of the top five restaurant veg dishes I've had anywhere. We didn't have eating capacity left but the smoked papas would have been next. We'll be back when we get back to Raleigh!

For years Cortez has been my partner and I's go to for birthdays, anniversaries, date nights, and just feel good food. Consistent quality and top notch service every meal. Oh and our favorite place to get oysters. We will miss you, Cortez. Excited for what's next.

So glad we were able to go one last time before the renovation to a new restaurant. Will miss this unbelievable food and ambiance!

So sad this place is closing! We're looking forward to the new venture/space, but please keep the ham as, pulling, and charred oysters!

We will miss you Cortez. Dozens of date nights, and four or five Valentines dinners. Looking forward to what's next.

Not great. First time here, and unfortunately the last. To be fair it was a fixed menu for Valentine's Day but there were only two entree options and only one dessert. Nothing was spectacular, and it wasn't inexpensive. 🤷🏻‍♂️

We dined for the Valentine's Day Prix Fixe. The food was delicious and service was attentive.

Shrimp tacos to die for and carne asada is melt in your mouth

Dietary restrictions: Accommodates dairy allergy

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Pinche Carne Asada, Shrimp Tacos

Dietary restrictions: They are very accommodating to modify data she’s or at least steer you in the right direction!

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

Recommended dishes: Gambas Al Ajillo