J Betski's

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SWrenn

Joined 5 years ago

More Than We Expected!. Chef/Owner John K is a family member of ours. He had invited us to come and dine for several months. And being of a Southern Heritage, We really had not been exposed to German food before. Finally we decided, Lets give it a try, we really think a lot of John and we should support his new endeavor. So.. A few months ago we called for reservations (after reading the suggestions on the website) and went to dinner with 2 other couples. Our first experience was so wonderful! We love the small atmosphere and the wait staff was excellent. We did not realize how delicious this cousine was! Since then we have made this one of our favorite places to dine. My husband loves the Hanger Steak dish and I love the Pork Schnitzel w/Dill Cucumber Salad & New Potatoes. As a matter of fact we will be dining at J Betskis tonight . We are very proud of John and his accomplishment and I would say to anyone who has not tried it . Do yourself a favor and treat yourself to a delicious meal and wonderful glass of German wine!! And as a special treat after dinner try the Blueberry Dumpling its Fabulous!!

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nicholeAW

Joined 5 years ago

Great place to eat and relax!. My husband and I had plans to go to another restaurant, but found that a private party had it booked and J. Betski's was the alternative. Boy am I glad! Being of mostly German heritage, I have tasted a wide variety of heartburn inducing sausages and saurkraut to last me the rest of my life. This is where JB's differes. They have a variety of foods that do not just have sausage, in fact a friend who came with us in vegetarian and he found a variety of foods to eat while there. There was a lag in between the apps course and the main course, but that may be attributed to the fact that one of us got two apps as the main course and the timing was all off. In any case, the rest of the service was excellent and the somapny was great so the time didn't affect our experience all that much. I loved the ambience. It was dressy casual, perfect for coming straight from work (business professional attire). The prices were exactly what you would expect to pay upon entering this type of establishment and the service was friendly. Now, the food? my god!!!!! My husband and I could not stop gushing over how good it was! I loved it! I had the stuffed chicken and my husband had the pork chops, whew, it fills you up, but you want to keep eating it because it tastes so good. It was a Tuesday night, so you wouldn't expect for it to be too busy, well during the dinner rush it was packed. All in all a very enjoyable experience.

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mikewqa

Joined 5 years ago

Excellent dinner. Good service. Small place, so make reservations on weekends!. You DO need to make reservations on Fri/Sat night. It's such a small place and was completely packed. I was a bit concerned about some of the reviewers' experiences here. My (half-German) wife had eaten here a couple weeks before and said she thought it was great. I've been to Germany several times, so I was eager to try this place out.

We were greeted by two friendly hostesses when we arrived for our reservation at 6pm. After being immediately seated, the waiter promptly arrived and took drink orders and went over the specials. I love weissbier, so I ordered the Schneider Weisse on tap, which was very good (for weissbier). I ordered one of the specials-- smoked thick pork chop. My wife ordered a vegetable plate (off menu). She's a vegetarian, and they were more than happy to hook her up-- sauteed mushrooms, beets, a veg casserole that was made that day, potatoes, onions, and asparagus.

Our meals arrived at 6:24.... so-- Seated at 6:00...drinks arrived and meals ordered at 6:10. Meals arrived 14 minutes later. I'd say that was pretty fast! I also noted that the couples on both sides of us got their food in the same amount of time.

The smoked pork chop was about 1" thick and was cooked well. The sweet onion gravy was excellent. I noted that one was delivered to each of the two tables beside us. Excellent dish.

As for dessert... I have to partially agree with another reviewer here about our two desserts. I had the Erbeertorte (Strawberry torte) and my wife had the Bittersweet Chocolate Cherry Cake. Both were pretty dry. (Neither was too salty though, as mentioned in another review.) I have to note that this type of dessert is VERY authenticate to eastern europe. I also found some odd strawberry "pectin-y" chunks in mine, about the consistency of a gummy bear. We'll skip dessert next time.

I highly recommend the homemade lemoncello. Very nice digestive.

I should also note that our waiter was VERY friendly and helpful.

Doesn't Recommend

porcelina08

Joined 5 years ago

wonderful food, terrible service. I brought my family to J. Betski's to impress them with the wonderful beer and wine list, rich cuisine and fantastic service. My family and I were seated on the patio and from there it was down hill. Our server took far too long to bring us our drinks and take our orders. He was quite shmarmy. We enjoyed a few drinks and diner salads, and then we waited, and waited, and waited. The restaurant was by no means crowded and my family and I were patient until we noticed that everyone around us, that had been seated later than we had, were munching on their meals. I politely signaled our server, who seemed to be avoiding us, and politely asked if there was a problem with our meals as we had been waiting quite awhile. Instead of receiving an apology or polite response I was met with "Well, some things take longer than others...". It had been about an hour. We then continued to wait for about twenty more minutes, time that went by, much like the hour before, with no communication from our server. My aunt, a service industry veteran had had enough, she flagged down our server and said that we had been waiting quite awhile for our food. His response, "Yes, an hour". That was the last straw, my aunt told him to bring us our check and to forget about dinner. The manager came over to try and smooth over the situation by offering us some desserts on the house. We declined citing the rude treatment we had received along with a complete lack of concern. He said "ok". Then the chef came out and offered to wrap up our food to go. My aunt declined. The chef then got rather heated and stated several times "Well, I don't understand what the problem is". Here is the problem, I understand that sometimes things happen and food can take a while to prepare, but such things much be communicated to the customer that has no idea what is going on in the kitchen and only sees table after table receiving their food. Most problems can be fixed with some simple communication.

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vtguy22

Joined 5 years ago

Incredible!. I brought my wife here for her birthday, and all I can say is wow! I had the beet salad, chicken, and chocolate cake for desert. She had the fish and stuedel, and an appetizer I can't recall. We were both blown away by all of the dishes. The service was attentive without being annoying. We went on a monday, it was a quiet pleasant atmosphere.

I wouldn't change a thing! Well, maybe lower prices so we could go more often ;)

Doesn't Recommend

Joezilla

Joined 5 years ago

No way. The place was small, and the service was great. However, $8 for one bratwurst on the appetizer menu? What? The bratwurst was mediocre and tiny, the chicken we ordered was horrible. Too greasy, nothing special at all. Way Way overpriced for the quality of food that was served. If I didn't have a gift certificate I would have been livid.

Doesn't Recommend

nedlymandiko

Joined 5 years ago

Everything but desert. I have been here quite a few times, and have really enjoyed myself in the past. I am going to review my most recent affair at j-betskis. Excellent bar-tending with prompt friendly service. The room itself is quite small, and they really pack them in! Salads have been the same, it seems since they opened almost 2 years ago. I had the Bibb salad which was ok. Sausages were great as usual! For entrees I had the hanger steak special (stroganoff sauce was little too acidic) and my wife had the fried cod. Sauteed spinach on both plates was cooked to perfection and seasoned perfectly. Steak was an excellent medium rare and the cod was crunchy on the outside and still very moist on the inside.! Excellent! Now for the deserts.... Do yourself a favor and stay away from them, they are consistently dry, boozy, or salty? I really think they need a new pastry chef. I ordered the quark strudel and my wife the cheery cake. Quark strudel was seasoned with salt instead of sugar i presume, and the cherry cake was boozy and dry. They replaced my strudel with the bread pudding which was a far fetch from any bread pudding I've ever had. Extremely dry and cold in the middle.

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jacektu

Joined 5 years ago

Tasty food, but a long way from Germany.. The food here is good, sure, but for the price there are other, better venues to eat at. The whole place has a snobbish new age vibe I didn't enjoy and the staff was downright rude. I'm still looking for an authentic eastern European restaurant in the Raleigh area because sadly, this isn't it.

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IFinley

Joined 5 years ago

One of Raleigh few true. I simply can't reccomend Betski's highly enough. I've eaten there three times, and each experience was better than the last. Homemade sausage, dazzling wines (a Hungarian Tokay!), and a seasonal menu that's both fufilling and surprising. Whenever I've brought friends from Dallas or NYC here, they exclaim, "I didn't know you had food like this in Raleigh!" If you like true, slow-cooked, passionately crafted food, you owe yourself a trip to this gem.

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b16agirl

Joined 6 years ago

This is the only place I ever want to eat. Ever.. I had almost completely written off "cuisine" in Raleigh. There were 2 or 3 places I truly enjoyed eating. Then I went to Betski's. Fantastic. The menu is exceptional and changes seasonally with local products and sausages made in house. You can seriously taste the love. The beer, wine, and spirits can be perfectly matched to the menu. If in doubt, ask the staff. They are always knowledgable, polite, and helpful.



The prices are exactly in line with the food. People who are not true foodies might balk at the prices, but considering the quality of the food, the fact that they do support local farms, and the presentation of the food and dining areas, you are paying for what you get. Also, as this is an upscale establishment, do not expect a plate overflowing with food. They serve perfect portions. Remember: you are paying for the entree, NOT the sides.

A word of warning: Don't fall too much in love with a particular dish. Because the menu changes seasonally, it may not be available on your next visit. If you catch the season, though, try the cabbage rolls. They are the most perfect food created. Or the duck. I hate duck, but Betski's manages to prepare it in a manner that does not leave a plate of grease and really showcases the natural flavor of the fowl. Or anything, really. I have now eaten there 4 or 5 times and every time I try a new dish and it is perfection.

Be sure to save room for the homemade limoncello (just don't expect to drive afterwards) as dessert. It will knock your socks off and leave you nice and warm.

So head to J Betski's with a full wallet and an empty stomach and you will not be disappointed. Just remember to savor your food. Eat slowly. Enjoy a drink and remember that this is what the finer things in life are like.