Food, drinks and service was top notch! Minimal wait to be seated. We shared a few small plates and couldn't decide which was our favorite as they were all amazing!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
James Math
Unbelievable meal at Stanbury! Thank you
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Michael Glinter
Falls Short on Living up to the Hype and Recent Guide Recommendations
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Restaurant Review: Stanbury – Raleigh,NC
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After reading a lot of recently good reviews about this restaurant and its mention in the Michelin guide, I decided it was probably worth the time to see what all the hype was about. When evaluating a restaurant, it is important to consider three main elements: Food, Service, and Ambiance.
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Nestled in a Northern Raleigh residential area, the restaurant's initial curb appeal makes you wonder what is truly hiding beneath the walls. With a rustic outdoor ambience and decorated with random vintage décor, you must wait in a line of potential patrons at 4:30pm to secure a table for the evening, no matter the weather. Inside the restaurant, you are greeted with a cabin-like country feel, with a continued theme of random décor, old garage-sale buys, and walls of chatka.
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The service is definitely elevated, with the staff complementing the environment with a 'welcome to our cabin' feel-like ambience, like pulling up a chair to an open campfire with a group of friends. The service staff made significant efforts to make you feel welcome and went above and beyond to ensure the dining experience left you feeling warm and inviting.
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Unfortunately, the food fell short of what one would expect from an elevated restaurant experience.
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We started with the beef tartare and bluefin tuna crudo, per the waitress's recommendation, along with an order of the bread & butter. The beef tartare definitely delivered a stellar combination of flavors, but fell significantly short in overall presentation. The dish's plating lacked creativity, appearing sloppy. It definitely was not inviting and certainly didn't appear to be a very elevated dish from first glance. The beef itself was well-seasoned, and the sharpness of the scallops complemented the overall dish and flavors, the richness of the quail eggs, the crunch and savory depth of the escargot, and the tanginess of the aioli. The tuna crudo did a better job of living up to the overall expectations of a strong dish, with a good appearance and a strong flavor combination with sunchose, chives, lemon, shallot, and olive oil. The bread was baffling to me. Essentially, you were ordering a couple of pieces of toast.
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We decided to go with the Choucrotte Garnis and homemade Tagliatelle pasta for our main entrees. The garnis was a major disappointment from start to finish, falling significantly short of what you expect from a dish deeply rooted in German and Bavarian tradition. From the poor plating to the less-than-harmonious combination of flavors, this dish really didn't have any degree of culinary elevation that would lead you to wanting more. In fact, I have absolutely experienced a much better version of this dish at a small corner pub in Europe. The bratwurst was bland and lacked flavor; the pork was flavor OK, but certainly didn't leave a memorable experience for me wanting more; and the mustard that complimented the dish completely took over, with an aggressively hot, sharpness that destroyed every bite.
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The Tagliatelle did absolutely stand out with the perfectly cooked, tender pasta, and stellar combination of flavors with porcini and chestnut mushrooms bringing a richness to the dish, garlic bringing a complementary aroma without overpowering the dish, pecorino adding a sharp edge, and walnuts introducing a nuttiness, finalizing a well-balanced and flavorful dish.
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We finished with sticky toffee pudding, date cake, eggnog ice cream, rum caramel, and Maldon. It was a good way to end the night and certainly provided the warmth and finale needed to top off a subpar food delivery.
--
I always find it baffling when a restaurant curates amazing images of its dishes but fails to replicate them for actual guests. I wouldn't go so far as to say, " Don't go to this restaurant", but I would recommend tempering your expectations. It doesn't rise to the level of a phenomenal culinary experience
Jeff Roper
This is a hidden Little Gem in downtown Raleigh with an awesome chocolate store next door. Nice for a date night.
Yaniv
As good as it gets! Stanbury is a Raleigh institution, an icon to those “in the know”. A true original. My wife and i are vegetarians and there were more than enough options for us to choose from. My wife had two of their whiskey-sours and we had some desserts too. Everything was off the charts. The atmosphere, the decor, the staff and CERTAINLY everything we ate. Go Joe!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Codie LaPoint
A very nice place to enjoy some excellent food and great service. The bone marrow is delicious. They have a nice selection of cocktails that pair well with most of the dishes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Roasted Bone Marrow, Fried Oysters, Small Plates
gen burns
Bone marrow was amazing
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ruth Starr
The good people at Stanbury deserve all their flowers for creating a magical place that delivers not only incredible culinary experiences, but warmth, welcome, and food times. Grab a drink and some oysters while you wait, a night at stanbury is an evening that promises always to be magic 💫
Recommended dishes: Roasted Bone Marrow
Ryan Howe
We had a party of 6, got there at 4:30 to put names on seating list for 7pm (got 7:30) came back at 7 sat outside having drinks until our turn to get seated (great drink service), no updates on table (we even kept asking) finally at 8:30 a random server came outside and asked if they could get us anything, no introduction nothing regarding table, was very confusing, I thought they were just wanting to get us more drinks. After that I think a manager got hint came and told us likely we won't get table inside and if we wanted to sit inside. Just wish there was a little more communication. Wait staff wasn't really that friendly, kinda killed the atmosphere. Food was good just very $$$ 60-100 a person easily if getting a drink. Not a place for a party over 4.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 2
Marcela Munoz
10/10! we arrived at 7pm got on the waitlist for 2hrs got in at 9pm we were prepared to wait and so happy we did.
Started with the Roasted Marrow! It was out of this world! The marrow paired perfectly with the crispy bread and the parsley shallot side was delish.
Then my bestie and I shared the Grilled ribeye with the potato gratin and arugula salad as well as the Tagliatelle pasta. Both dishes out of this world! The grilled ribeye was perfection! Soft, moist with a great chard and the flavor!!! 100/10
Then the tagliatelle! If you love mushrooms this is a must! This dish was so creamy and flavorful I will be thinking about for years to come!
The cherry on top of this delicious meal ended with the crème brûlée! It was creamy with the perfect crust. Topped with sugared cranberries and 3 delightful gingerbread cookies! I could eat that the rest of my life and be happy lol
Now let’s talk about the service! Another 100/10. So friendly and attentive!
The atmosphere was great! Very retro cozy lodge vibes.
Wow! A friend recommended we try this place. Funky place tucked in a quiet neighborhood that blew us away. The food was great, plenty of shareables. Good cocktails. Service was impeccable. Always attentive and super fast and friendly. Thank you for a memorable meal!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rosalinda martinez
This our favorite restaurant to celebrate special events! They never miss. Food is always spectacular, staff is always so attentive and welcoming, drinks are spot on. 100/10. No reservations but the wait is worth it every single time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Small Plates
Billy Gunn
The small plate options were varied and all fabulous.
Food, drinks and service was top notch! Minimal wait to be seated. We shared a few small plates and couldn't decide which was our favorite as they were all amazing!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Unbelievable meal at Stanbury! Thank you
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Falls Short on Living up to the Hype and Recent Guide Recommendations -- Restaurant Review: Stanbury – Raleigh,NC -- After reading a lot of recently good reviews about this restaurant and its mention in the Michelin guide, I decided it was probably worth the time to see what all the hype was about. When evaluating a restaurant, it is important to consider three main elements: Food, Service, and Ambiance. -- Nestled in a Northern Raleigh residential area, the restaurant's initial curb appeal makes you wonder what is truly hiding beneath the walls. With a rustic outdoor ambience and decorated with random vintage décor, you must wait in a line of potential patrons at 4:30pm to secure a table for the evening, no matter the weather. Inside the restaurant, you are greeted with a cabin-like country feel, with a continued theme of random décor, old garage-sale buys, and walls of chatka. -- The service is definitely elevated, with the staff complementing the environment with a 'welcome to our cabin' feel-like ambience, like pulling up a chair to an open campfire with a group of friends. The service staff made significant efforts to make you feel welcome and went above and beyond to ensure the dining experience left you feeling warm and inviting. -- Unfortunately, the food fell short of what one would expect from an elevated restaurant experience. -- We started with the beef tartare and bluefin tuna crudo, per the waitress's recommendation, along with an order of the bread & butter. The beef tartare definitely delivered a stellar combination of flavors, but fell significantly short in overall presentation. The dish's plating lacked creativity, appearing sloppy. It definitely was not inviting and certainly didn't appear to be a very elevated dish from first glance. The beef itself was well-seasoned, and the sharpness of the scallops complemented the overall dish and flavors, the richness of the quail eggs, the crunch and savory depth of the escargot, and the tanginess of the aioli. The tuna crudo did a better job of living up to the overall expectations of a strong dish, with a good appearance and a strong flavor combination with sunchose, chives, lemon, shallot, and olive oil. The bread was baffling to me. Essentially, you were ordering a couple of pieces of toast. -- We decided to go with the Choucrotte Garnis and homemade Tagliatelle pasta for our main entrees. The garnis was a major disappointment from start to finish, falling significantly short of what you expect from a dish deeply rooted in German and Bavarian tradition. From the poor plating to the less-than-harmonious combination of flavors, this dish really didn't have any degree of culinary elevation that would lead you to wanting more. In fact, I have absolutely experienced a much better version of this dish at a small corner pub in Europe. The bratwurst was bland and lacked flavor; the pork was flavor OK, but certainly didn't leave a memorable experience for me wanting more; and the mustard that complimented the dish completely took over, with an aggressively hot, sharpness that destroyed every bite. -- The Tagliatelle did absolutely stand out with the perfectly cooked, tender pasta, and stellar combination of flavors with porcini and chestnut mushrooms bringing a richness to the dish, garlic bringing a complementary aroma without overpowering the dish, pecorino adding a sharp edge, and walnuts introducing a nuttiness, finalizing a well-balanced and flavorful dish. -- We finished with sticky toffee pudding, date cake, eggnog ice cream, rum caramel, and Maldon. It was a good way to end the night and certainly provided the warmth and finale needed to top off a subpar food delivery. -- I always find it baffling when a restaurant curates amazing images of its dishes but fails to replicate them for actual guests. I wouldn't go so far as to say, " Don't go to this restaurant", but I would recommend tempering your expectations. It doesn't rise to the level of a phenomenal culinary experience
This is a hidden Little Gem in downtown Raleigh with an awesome chocolate store next door. Nice for a date night.
As good as it gets!
Stanbury is a Raleigh institution, an icon to those “in the know”.
A true original.
My wife and i are vegetarians and there were more than enough options for us to choose from. My wife had two of their whiskey-sours and we had some desserts too. Everything was off the charts. The atmosphere, the decor, the staff and CERTAINLY everything we ate. Go Joe!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A very nice place to enjoy some excellent food and great service. The bone marrow is delicious. They have a nice selection of cocktails that pair well with most of the dishes.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Roasted Bone Marrow, Fried Oysters, Small Plates
Bone marrow was amazing
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
The good people at Stanbury deserve all their flowers for creating a magical place that delivers not only incredible culinary experiences, but warmth, welcome, and food times. Grab a drink and some oysters while you wait, a night at stanbury is an evening that promises always to be magic 💫
Recommended dishes: Roasted Bone Marrow
We had a party of 6, got there at 4:30 to put names on seating list for 7pm (got 7:30) came back at 7 sat outside having drinks until our turn to get seated (great drink service), no updates on table (we even kept asking) finally at 8:30 a random server came outside and asked if they could get us anything, no introduction nothing regarding table, was very confusing, I thought they were just wanting to get us more drinks. After that I think a manager got hint came and told us likely we won't get table inside and if we wanted to sit inside. Just wish there was a little more communication. Wait staff wasn't really that friendly, kinda killed the atmosphere. Food was good just very $$$ 60-100 a person easily if getting a drink. Not a place for a party over 4.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 2
10/10! we arrived at 7pm got on the waitlist for 2hrs got in at 9pm we were prepared to wait and so happy we did.
Started with the Roasted Marrow! It was out of this world! The marrow paired perfectly with the crispy bread and the parsley shallot side was delish.
Then my bestie and I shared the Grilled ribeye with the potato gratin and arugula salad as well as the Tagliatelle pasta. Both dishes out of this world! The grilled ribeye was perfection! Soft, moist with a great chard and the flavor!!! 100/10
Then the tagliatelle! If you love mushrooms this is a must! This dish was so creamy and flavorful I will be thinking about for years to come!
The cherry on top of this delicious meal ended with the crème brûlée! It was creamy with the perfect crust. Topped with sugared cranberries and 3 delightful gingerbread cookies! I could eat that the rest of my life and be happy lol
Now let’s talk about the service! Another 100/10. So friendly and attentive!
The atmosphere was great! Very retro cozy lodge vibes.
100% with the wait!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Roasted Bone Marrow
Restaurantji Recommends
Never been here, but I bet they are alright!
Great spot. Highly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Wow! A friend recommended we try this place. Funky place tucked in a quiet neighborhood that blew us away. The food was great, plenty of shareables. Good cocktails. Service was impeccable. Always attentive and super fast and friendly. Thank you for a memorable meal!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This our favorite restaurant to celebrate special events! They never miss. Food is always spectacular, staff is always so attentive and welcoming, drinks are spot on. 100/10. No reservations but the wait is worth it every single time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Small Plates
The small plate options were varied and all fabulous.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
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