Oakwood Cafe

Doesn't Recommend

ghost of walter raleigh

Joined 2 years ago

worst food in raleigh. This is the worst restaurant I have eaten in since 2003.

I can only conclude that many of the 5 star ratings are more artifical than a couple other things you will definitely see in the Oakwood Cafe.

The 'salad' was more dreadful than something you would get in a high school cafeteria from the 1980's. It was a few shiveled pieces lettuce, a couple shavings of carrot and an old tomato slice thrown on top.

Definitely stay away from the fish. None of it is fresh. The tilapia tasted and smelled so fishy I was afraid to eat it. I left most of it untouched. If they had not fried it to an unrecognizable crisp, I may very well have eaten a live harmful bacterial culture.

The plantains were obviously frozen but OK.

The beef my partner had was barely passable.

It was as if they buy the absolute cheapest ingredients they can find and then charge the highest prices in Raleigh. It is so unbelievable, it makes me want to open a restaurant.

We could have had a better meal by buying fish sticks and spinach at food lion.

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princesv85

Joined 3 years ago

great place. this is one of my favorites places. The churrasco is the best. A friend told me about this place and since i tried I felt in love with their food. The food is very authentic. I love the sangria too- you will not find a sangria anywhere like this one.

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pardop

Joined 4 years ago

great food! awesome atmosphere!. I am half cuban half argentinian.This restaurant was recomended to me. The atmosphere is awesome, it is a family runned place. Both the mom an dad are the cooks and the daughter's are the waitresses. He actually lived in miami and is argentinian. We had the chicken milanesa and the steak milanesa (argentinian) the portions were huge! the best empanadas ever! chicken is my fav. He gave us a free dessert and free glass of sangria for moving to a smaller table(voluntarily-b/c we were on our way out, and there were others waiting). The second time i went, my mother in law had the palomilla (cuban) and it was not cooked right, it lacked seasoning. I had the churasco and it was overcooked. Also the rice looked like instant rice.

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ArgeInTri

Joined 4 years ago

Authentic in everyway, the good and the not so good.. I can only comment on the Argentinian side of the menu, my knowledge of cuban food is very limited.

Since I'm originally from Argentina I can recognize an Argentinian menu and I must say the empanadas, churrasco and milanesas (with it's different variations) are all traditional and very good. Last time, I got the shortribs from their "specials" menu served with salad and fries and it did more than enough to satisfy my craving for my father's "Asado".

The pasta side of the menu is very much tailored to the American taste. It's missing some Ravioli or some kind of stuffed pasta and maybe some sauces that are more traditional to an Argentinian menu such as Bolognesa (meat sauce (beef)), Roquefort (Blue Cheese), or Estofado (beef and tomatoes stewed).

About the service, unfortunately, it also reminded me of home where customer service standards are not set very high; The staff is not very promt or concerned about you having an A+ experience. They do what they have to, at their own pace and that's it. If you need something you may have to interrupt their animated conversation behind the bar. We also got a little attitude when we told our waitress that we had the wrong dressing for our salad.

Overall it's ok. If you are craving some milanesas and that's all you want ...Go ahead. If you are looking for a nice dinning experience you may want to look elsewhere.

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whiteythelawyer

Joined 4 years ago

One of the best kept secrets in Downtown, pinche cabron.. (Brazilian and Cuban w/ some Italian thrown in for good measure) - There might be some issues with the size of the place, even though the owners have recently made renovations, that doesn't stop Oakwood from being one of the best kept secrets in Downtown. The food is absolutely addictive. I started going there on the advice of BlackytheLawyer who knows his food and I must eat there no less than three times a month. I think they must put "coca" in the charrisco steak, its that good.

Plus the wait staff consists of the owners' drop-dead gorgeous daughters, they could not be more attentive, helpful and again, straight up hot.

Go for lunch, if you can get a seat. I promise you, you'll be back two, three times later that month. -Whitey

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SAV80

Joined 4 years ago

Now Hours. Now open for breakfast daily M-F 7:30 to 11:00 and Saturday Sunday 8:00 to 12:30

Also open for Dinner on Thursdays now

check out the website

oakwoodcaferaleigh. c o m

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fairylights

Joined 5 years ago

Raleigh's Best Kept Argentinian Secret. This is a fantastic restaurant. I love Argentinian food and being from LA, am used to being able to get it delivered to my door. So imagine my delight when I stumbled across the City Search website and found an authentic reasonably priced Argentinian restaurant in the Raleigh area. Unfortunately, my family and I arrived just as they were closing for lunch. I was quite disappointed but hopefully asked the waitress if we could order some empanadas to go. Much to my delight, she agreed. The help was quite personable and warm and seemed genuinely sorry that we could not stay for lunch. When my empanadas arrived, they were steaming hot, the crust was flaky and crispy, and the filling tasted just as good as the last time I visited Buenos Aires. I was thrilled with the helpful service, delighted with the food and excited to return. My only reget (regret not complaint) is that they are only open for lunch. I also thought the prices were much more appropriate than those at Metro 8 on Ninth St, though to be fair Metro 8 is a much more refined restaurant and clearly, one pays as much for atmosphere in restaurants as they do food.

All in all, I was highly impressed, with both the employees and the menu. This is a must-return restaurant and I am difficult to please when it comes to food. Do yourself a favor and check it out - you won't be sorry.

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Puddleduck1

Joined 5 years ago

Best kept secret in Raleigh. Give this slightly out of the way restaurant a try and you'll be hooked! I've been a frequent diner since they opened and if you like a bit of the exotic that you don't get in the over-priced "in" restaurants that seem to open weekly in Downtown Raleigh, then this is the place. The best Tiramisu I've ever had, great empanadas that Amalia makes fresh, and Norberto's signatuere dish - Chicken Milanesa Napolitano.

The deserts are magnificent and I've never had a bad meal. The place is family owned with 3 daughters

waiting tables and Norberto and Amalia cooking. Only the busboy is not a relative. Truly great. But, call ahead on Friday and Saturday nights.

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susannahc

Joined 5 years ago

true argentine flavor. This is a delightful place. I've been to Argentina many times. The milanesa tastes just the same as you would fine anywhere in BsAs. The chef cooks with a love of his homeland and seems very happy to see his customers enjoying their food.

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Slaczkaroza

Joined 5 years ago

Authentic. The family is actually from Argentina. How much more authentic can you get? They have some Itialian in their family line. On top of that, when the 1st came to the US they lived in FL and learned Cuban food straight from Cubans. Don't believe me, ask them yourself. You can not get any more authentic than that. If you asking how I know, I'll tell you. I've asked them were they get the three types of food from. Besides, notice that almost everyone who has a negative thing to say about the Oakwood Cafe speaks of another Resturant. Could they be advertising their own resturant? Could they be trying to make the competition look bad? Go there and find out for yourself.