This Tim Love restaurant opened fairly recently in the Fort Worth Stockyards and four of us chose to visit for an early dinner. We had checked their web site that afternoon, just to find out that a jacket was required for the men---lucky we went online. We apparently were the first ones at the restaurant and were told that use of cell phones were not allowed, that we would have to turn them completely off. They then took the phones, put them into a pouch that was then locked. To our surprise the food was very mediocre and service was only adequate. However, the most annoying fact was that when we received our credit card statement, we saw that the restaurant had increased the amount of the total bill. Did they not care for the amount of tip we left? I view this as unethical if not illegal.
LeoM
Our server was very attentive and made sure everything we ordered was to our standard. We will return. We were not happy about our choice for desert so the chef replaced it with a delightful choice. These folks aim to please!
Kelsey T.
I am not one to leave a low review, so this is something that is a little uncomfortable for me. However, my experience here needed to be shared as I was utterly embarrassed, and I feel they should be aware. I was visiting from out of town about two weeks ago, and haven't been to the area for about ten years. After having dinner elsewhere, I decided to try Caterina's because it looked like a nice place to have one drink before going back to the hotel to bed. Full disclosure, I was by myself as my date had cancelled earlier that evening and I was trying to still enjoy my night out. I had done no research on this restaurant prior to me coming in. When I arrived, the bar had one seat in the middle of two couples. I asked the bartender if anyone was seated there, and she told me it was empty. Once I sat down, I immediately ordered without looking at a menu. As stated before, I had done zero research, so I was completely unaware of the no-phone policy, and did not notice any sign anywhere once I was seated, nor had anyone said anything. My drink comes and I take a sip; it was delicious. Since I was by myself, and was not waiting for anyone, I had my phone out to read from my Kindle app. It is the usual thing I do if I am dining/drinking by myself. The couples next to me were enjoying their evening together and not talking to me, and I'm not one to interject into conversation unless invited. That's when the manager comes up to say hello and ask how I was. After exchanging pleasantries, he then informs me of the "no phone" policy. He tells me he has to "unfortunately take my phone and lock it up." This immediately threw me off, and the way it was presented had everyone at the bar now focused on me. I felt embarrassed and without thinking, just handed him my phone for him to put in a pouch that I didn't realize locked. Once he walks away, the bar tender tries to hand me a menu just in case I "wanted some reading material." When I said no, she walked away from the bar. So now, not only have the other people at the bar gone back to their conversations, but the person behind the bar is gone along with her manager. I was alone. I don't want to ramble on more than I have, so I'm going to end with this. I completely understand that the policy is "no phone," and I definitely respect that. As a business, that is the right of the owner to have that policy. When it comes to customer service however, something needs to change. I was at a restaurant, not a performance. I was by myself, and not waiting for anyone. I needed to be informed before I ordered my $20 drink about the policy, so that way I had a choice to stay or not. Instead, I was embarrassed and honestly, felt public shamed, over a policy I was unaware of. On top of it, was then left alone with no one to talk to for some time. It felt like being back in elementary school sitting out of recess while everyone else played. As a suggestion, I recommend not only informing people of the policy right away, but also giving them a chance to follow the policy once informed. I would've put the phone away if the choice was given. But taking it and locking it up once I was obligated to stay made me feel like a child. It was embarrassing. Ultimately, after a few minutes of sitting alone and trying to compose myself, I decided to leave. I paid $25 (added tip) for my drink that was barely touched and went to get my phone out of the pouch. Unfortunately, I had to go back up to the manager who originally embarrassed me to retrieve my property back, which just added another layer to this awful experience. I hate writing this because I love the chef of this restaurant and the policy itself wasn't my issue, it was the execution. Honestly, it'll take a lot for me to come back if I ever choose to, as well as recommend this place to anyone.
TeresaP
The plus sides are it is quiet and intimate environment. The service is timely. The down sides are it is very dark(had to ask for a pin light to read menu). The food is good, but not the quality you would expect for truly high prices. Suggest you read your bill, as we were double charged on one of the meals. Caprice salad was very good, bread not so much, fish was ok. I think for me the biggest thing was not being able to see our meal and the price really does warrant presentation as part of the experience.
Byron Velasquez
I would rate it a zero if I could!!Walked in and sat at the bar, they took forever just to hand us menus. We glanced at the menu and realized they did not have any decent cocktails so we decided to leave. The BARTENDER stated “you can go across the street for more price friendly options”.Disrespectful customer service, coming from a bartender.
Service: 1
Kathy F.
The manager found a table after I messed up my Drover reservation. He was very sweet and it was a Saturday night. Our waitress Michelle was excellent. The food was AMAZING.. It is unusually prepared but to me was flawless. We had the porkchop which was enough for 2 and the huge Caesar. The atmosphere is very sultry and is a good escape from the street activity. The meatballs were the best I have ever had .. and I am Italian! Overall a wonderful night at Caterinas.
Sean Willeford
This was our first time to eat here. We came in with no reservations. Reluctantly, the manager was able to find room for us at one of the 15 or so open tables. After locking up our cell phones, we were led to an upstairs table. Our waitress was outstanding in every sense of the word. Overall, the food was average at best, but over-sauced and over-salted. The stand out dish was the tiramisu, it was very good. We had the meatball appetizer, which was good, but tasted a bit like scorched lemon. The gnocchi was more akin to a spongy scallop than traditional pinched gnocchi, with a very overpowering blue cheese sauce. I had the roasted chicken, which was good. The restaurant was very loud, and the music was competing with the well-pickled bar patrons. I can't say that the value is there for the prices they are charging for the food. They seem to want to come across as pretentious. Come on guys, it's the Stockyards, relax...
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 5
Ginger
We had an amazing experience here. The food was great, everything we ordered was delicious. The service was the best part. And reasonably priced for the quality. Would like to come back without kids as it's more of an adult/ date night vibe.
RandyS
was looking forward to this as we have eaten at Lonesome Dove many times always great, loved the restaurant wearing a coat and turning in cell phone great, service was over the top, had shrimp scampi, pork chop, bruschetta, gnocchi and potatoes. presentation was great food was very bland really not any better than Olive Garden. don't mind paying the price but food needs to be over the top!
Giovanna McBride
Loved it! We came on Valentine’s Day and they made everything so special. Sam was our server and she was attentive and amazing!
We love the food here. Service is always a moving target. We love Chef Love's approach to food & the environment in the stockyards is second to few. I just wish the service was as good as the food.
We were greeted at the door, by name, when we arrived. Our service was Excellent, and our waitress (Lauren) was very attentive, but not aggravating. The environment was quiet and allowed for intimacy. We will definitely go back again.
Went for Valentines Day. Reception and service entire night was great. We were seated upstairs, which gave us more space, and that was nice. I had Veal Parm Chop and wife and spaghetti, both were delicious. Crudo and wild mushrooms were delicious, broccolini did not hit the spot. It was a good meal, but for the price, it was not an “experience”. Ended up being $400 for 2 (including drinks and gratuity)....which isn't crazy, but still didn't feel it valued out well.
Kelsey M.
Tonight was our second time dining here, and the experience tonight was vastly different than the first. Very understaffed (extremely slow service) and not so great food (overcooked pasta, WAY overcooked lobster). Some dishes had great flavor (beef carpaccio) but others (lobster Alison) definitely missed the mark.
EricK
The food was really good but there was really small portions. The real problem was their inability to get our food out to us. We waited forever to get our food and dinner took more than two hours. Will not go back!
This Tim Love restaurant opened fairly recently in the Fort Worth Stockyards and four of us chose to visit for an early dinner. We had checked their web site that afternoon, just to find out that a jacket was required for the men---lucky we went online. We apparently were the first ones at the restaurant and were told that use of cell phones were not allowed, that we would have to turn them completely off. They then took the phones, put them into a pouch that was then locked. To our surprise the food was very mediocre and service was only adequate. However, the most annoying fact was that when we received our credit card statement, we saw that the restaurant had increased the amount of the total bill. Did they not care for the amount of tip we left? I view this as unethical if not illegal.
Our server was very attentive and made sure everything we ordered was to our standard. We will return. We were not happy about our choice for desert so the chef replaced it with a delightful choice. These folks aim to please!
I am not one to leave a low review, so this is something that is a little uncomfortable for me. However, my experience here needed to be shared as I was utterly embarrassed, and I feel they should be aware. I was visiting from out of town about two weeks ago, and haven't been to the area for about ten years. After having dinner elsewhere, I decided to try Caterina's because it looked like a nice place to have one drink before going back to the hotel to bed. Full disclosure, I was by myself as my date had cancelled earlier that evening and I was trying to still enjoy my night out. I had done no research on this restaurant prior to me coming in. When I arrived, the bar had one seat in the middle of two couples. I asked the bartender if anyone was seated there, and she told me it was empty. Once I sat down, I immediately ordered without looking at a menu. As stated before, I had done zero research, so I was completely unaware of the no-phone policy, and did not notice any sign anywhere once I was seated, nor had anyone said anything. My drink comes and I take a sip; it was delicious. Since I was by myself, and was not waiting for anyone, I had my phone out to read from my Kindle app. It is the usual thing I do if I am dining/drinking by myself. The couples next to me were enjoying their evening together and not talking to me, and I'm not one to interject into conversation unless invited. That's when the manager comes up to say hello and ask how I was. After exchanging pleasantries, he then informs me of the "no phone" policy. He tells me he has to "unfortunately take my phone and lock it up." This immediately threw me off, and the way it was presented had everyone at the bar now focused on me. I felt embarrassed and without thinking, just handed him my phone for him to put in a pouch that I didn't realize locked. Once he walks away, the bar tender tries to hand me a menu just in case I "wanted some reading material." When I said no, she walked away from the bar. So now, not only have the other people at the bar gone back to their conversations, but the person behind the bar is gone along with her manager. I was alone. I don't want to ramble on more than I have, so I'm going to end with this. I completely understand that the policy is "no phone," and I definitely respect that. As a business, that is the right of the owner to have that policy. When it comes to customer service however, something needs to change. I was at a restaurant, not a performance. I was by myself, and not waiting for anyone. I needed to be informed before I ordered my $20 drink about the policy, so that way I had a choice to stay or not. Instead, I was embarrassed and honestly, felt public shamed, over a policy I was unaware of. On top of it, was then left alone with no one to talk to for some time. It felt like being back in elementary school sitting out of recess while everyone else played. As a suggestion, I recommend not only informing people of the policy right away, but also giving them a chance to follow the policy once informed. I would've put the phone away if the choice was given. But taking it and locking it up once I was obligated to stay made me feel like a child. It was embarrassing. Ultimately, after a few minutes of sitting alone and trying to compose myself, I decided to leave. I paid $25 (added tip) for my drink that was barely touched and went to get my phone out of the pouch. Unfortunately, I had to go back up to the manager who originally embarrassed me to retrieve my property back, which just added another layer to this awful experience. I hate writing this because I love the chef of this restaurant and the policy itself wasn't my issue, it was the execution. Honestly, it'll take a lot for me to come back if I ever choose to, as well as recommend this place to anyone.
The plus sides are it is quiet and intimate environment. The service is timely. The down sides are it is very dark(had to ask for a pin light to read menu). The food is good, but not the quality you would expect for truly high prices. Suggest you read your bill, as we were double charged on one of the meals. Caprice salad was very good, bread not so much, fish was ok. I think for me the biggest thing was not being able to see our meal and the price really does warrant presentation as part of the experience.
I would rate it a zero if I could!!Walked in and sat at the bar, they took forever just to hand us menus. We glanced at the menu and realized they did not have any decent cocktails so we decided to leave. The BARTENDER stated “you can go across the street for more price friendly options”.Disrespectful customer service, coming from a bartender.
Service: 1
The manager found a table after I messed up my Drover reservation. He was very sweet and it was a Saturday night. Our waitress Michelle was excellent. The food was AMAZING.. It is unusually prepared but to me was flawless. We had the porkchop which was enough for 2 and the huge Caesar. The atmosphere is very sultry and is a good escape from the street activity. The meatballs were the best I have ever had .. and I am Italian! Overall a wonderful night at Caterinas.
This was our first time to eat here. We came in with no reservations. Reluctantly, the manager was able to find room for us at one of the 15 or so open tables. After locking up our cell phones, we were led to an upstairs table. Our waitress was outstanding in every sense of the word. Overall, the food was average at best, but over-sauced and over-salted. The stand out dish was the tiramisu, it was very good. We had the meatball appetizer, which was good, but tasted a bit like scorched lemon. The gnocchi was more akin to a spongy scallop than traditional pinched gnocchi, with a very overpowering blue cheese sauce. I had the roasted chicken, which was good. The restaurant was very loud, and the music was competing with the well-pickled bar patrons. I can't say that the value is there for the prices they are charging for the food. They seem to want to come across as pretentious. Come on guys, it's the Stockyards, relax...
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 5
We had an amazing experience here. The food was great, everything we ordered was delicious. The service was the best part. And reasonably priced for the quality. Would like to come back without kids as it's more of an adult/ date night vibe.
was looking forward to this as we have eaten at Lonesome Dove many times always great, loved the restaurant wearing a coat and turning in cell phone great, service was over the top, had shrimp scampi, pork chop, bruschetta, gnocchi and potatoes. presentation was great food was very bland really not any better than Olive Garden. don't mind paying the price but food needs to be over the top!
Loved it! We came on Valentine’s Day and they made everything so special. Sam was our server and she was attentive and amazing!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
We love the food here. Service is always a moving target. We love Chef Love's approach to food & the environment in the stockyards is second to few. I just wish the service was as good as the food.
We were greeted at the door, by name, when we arrived. Our service was Excellent, and our waitress (Lauren) was very attentive, but not aggravating. The environment was quiet and allowed for intimacy. We will definitely go back again.
Went for Valentines Day. Reception and service entire night was great. We were seated upstairs, which gave us more space, and that was nice. I had Veal Parm Chop and wife and spaghetti, both were delicious. Crudo and wild mushrooms were delicious, broccolini did not hit the spot. It was a good meal, but for the price, it was not an “experience”. Ended up being $400 for 2 (including drinks and gratuity)....which isn't crazy, but still didn't feel it valued out well.
Tonight was our second time dining here, and the experience tonight was vastly different than the first. Very understaffed (extremely slow service) and not so great food (overcooked pasta, WAY overcooked lobster). Some dishes had great flavor (beef carpaccio) but others (lobster Alison) definitely missed the mark.
The food was really good but there was really small portions. The real problem was their inability to get our food out to us. We waited forever to get our food and dinner took more than two hours. Will not go back!