Taverna Agora

Recommends

musicislife228

Joined 3 years ago

Fantastic Restaurant Overall!. First of all, I would just like to say that I am extremely surprised by the amount of negative comments about this restaurant. Everyone I know that has dined at this restaurant has nothing but wonderful things to say, and I couldn't agree more.

Upon entering the restaurant, the atmosphere captivates you - vines winding on a trellis and decorated with twinkle lights create the perfect mood for a romantic night out, or even a lovely evening with family and/or friends. The bar is a beautiful area, showing off their assortment of wines, and the wine barrels hanging from above offer a traditional look of an actual Greek tavern. I have had the pleasure of traveling to Greece before, and I can say that Taverna Agora does a fantastic job at capturing the feel of Greece.

The patio outside is my absolute favorite part of the restaurant. Vines covered with twinkle lights wind up and down the outer-edge of the patio and make you feel like you are dining in a mediterranean paradise. Weather-permitting, the patio is definitely the way to go!

Next, the food is phenomenal! You cannot go wrong with anything on the menu - I have been many times and have tried a variety of things on the menu, and I am never not satisfied. If there is ever a whole fish on special, it is a must! I have tried 2 of the whole fish that Taverna has had on special, and they have been simply fantastic...I feel almost as if I am sitting by the waters edge in Greece and feasting on a whole fish caught right in the ocean beside me and just freshly cooked. As far as red meat goes, I recommend the Lamb Shank!

The servers present a desert tray after the entrees, enticing their guests with sweets by allowing them to view their desert (which is definitely better than simply reading it on a menu!!)

Overall, this is one of the best restaurants in Raleigh! The food is made-to-perfection, the service is fantastic, and the atmosphere is beautiful! If you are looking for a night out with your significant other, friends, and/or family, Taverna Agora is definitely the place to go!!

Doesn't Recommend

Happikarma

Joined 3 years ago

Great Start / Bad Finish. We went for the wine tasting event on Wednesday evening and had a wonderful time in the beginning. Food/wine/service was great. When it came time to get our check there was a mix up. Mistakes happen and that was fine. However, after waiting for over an hour for the waiter and manager to straighten things out, we were all a little put out. The waiter apologized but the manager was rude and didn't even offer an apology...nothing...he did not speak to a single patron. Never again.

Doesn't Recommend

oublietteeve

Joined 5 years ago

Great Start, Horrible End. When my family decided to go to the Food and Wine tasting event, I was very excited to go. I had never been to this restaurant before and although it's a bit of a drive (Garner to NW Glenwood), I was willing to give it a try.

The couple that were responsible for serving the wine were great. They were knowledgeable and very friendly. We were offered four selections.

Heavy appetizers were served as part of the event. All of the food was excellent and we were able to sample close to ten different apps, some that are not on the regular menu. Desert was not included, so we decided to order some.

Here's where the evening plummeted. We waited an unusually long time for the deserts and an even longer time after for the checks (no explanation or apology for the wait). When the checks finally came, the waiter explained that one of them was wrong and he was going to go to back and correct the error. After what seemed like an eternity, we decided to just go inside and wait (we were pushing the 3 hour mark by this point). We tried to go ahead and take care of the correct tickets at the bar, but the bartender was far more interested in watching the Stanley Cup Finals game than helping us and was rather rude in turning us away because "he could not close other staffs tickets". We then stood by the register for a good bit while the manager and our server argued over the bills. Apparently, everyone that had come for the tasting ended up on one ticket and they were having trouble splitting the checks. We were finally allowed to pay and leave.

I think had the manager simply acknowledged our existence while we stood and waited, I would have been a lot less upset. I wasn't after any sort of freebies, although an offer for a least a glass of water would have been nice. In the end we received no discount and no apology (except from our waiter). In fact, after the staff gave up trying to correct the error and just started over, the manager disappeared into the back of the restaurant.

I must say that when the evening started I was excited to go back and try another Wine Tasting event. Sadly, I cannot stomach going to a restaurant where patrons are forced to resort to begging to pay the check. After my 3.5 hour fiasco, I will not be returning.

Doesn't Recommend

skeeter88

Joined 3 years ago

Good Food, Terrible Service. Our party of 5 went for the wine & food tasting. Food & wine was very good and the outdoor seating was perfect. It went downhill fast from there. Once the tasting was over we ordered dessert, 2 glasses of wine & some coffee..it took almost 30 minutes for it to arrive (no apology)..once finished we requested our check...another 30 minute wait, when the checks arrive they were incorrect, mixed up with two other tables of guests seated close by. The waiter said he would fix them and bring them back out. Yet another 30 minutes goes by and we finally just get up and go inside to pay. The manager & waiter are still trying to figure out what went wrong...it took another 15 minutes before we could pay. Manger was obviously mad at the waiter and yet never gave us any sort of apology or even acknowledged our lengthy wait. One should never be kept waiting to pay...the way the situation was handled was very unprofessional...the manager needs to be replaced. After reading other reviews, I can't recommend your going to dine here. I just wish I had read the other reviews before we went.

Doesn't Recommend

MillerHighLife

Joined 5 years ago

TERRIBLE SERVICE/VERY RUDE MANAGER. The restaurant itself is beautiful, but the moment you step in the door you know it's all for show. We werekept waiting at the door for at least 15minutes while the restaurant was nearly empty. When the hostess finally arrived at the door, she did not even apologize for keeping us waiting so long.

They advertised belly dancers and Greek music. The music was blasting from the speakers and the CD kept skipping every few minutes. There were NO bellydancers anywhere.

The server we had was new and unknowledgable, but friendly. However, when we found a piece of plastic in our food the owner/manager was completely rude and unhelpful.

Bill was so obnoxious!! Right in front of us, he actually yelled at the poor server for the mistake (it clearly wasn't her fault). This was completely unprofessional. Bill singlehandedly ruined our meal and our evening. My family and I will NEVER go back to this place...hopefully you won't either.

And to the servers --You really don't have to put up with that kind of abuse!!! You should find a job where they will value your efforts and reward you for them not belittle you in front of the guests (or anywhere else).

Doesn't Recommend

4golfers

Joined 5 years ago

Save your $$$ , Poor service, Mediocre Food, No belly dancers, and 2 fat r0@(hes. We had 7pm reservations & when we arrived, TA was nearly empty except for 2 large parties. The ambiance was pleasant, but things quickly went downhill. Our harried, & inexperienced waiter couldn't talk wines(Mainly Greek vintners) took our drink orders, and delivered 2 beers in bottle, no glasses. We asked for glasses, and later a 2nd beer, again no fresh glass. Both bottles were carried with his hands OVER the openings, one (luckily) was still uncapped. Waiter did not take empty bottles off the table until we literally handed them to him.

We had to ask to order appetizers, then silverware, then for Pita for the dip. Waiter asked if we wanted more bread, then realized he never gave us any! 2 ordered the Filet Mignon & 1 arrived looking , the other was 1/2 the height & 2x length looking just like a RibEye, the other cut on the menu. Tthe owner came over & angrily said "That is what happens when you cook a Filet to MW, it shrinks (I have NEVER seen a filet go from 2" think to 3/4" thick & elongate). It was a RibEye, & he would not concede they made a mistake.

The server came back and said "Did you want dessert?" like he would rather we not. We asked for a dessert menu, and as he was leaving another server walked by with a dessert tray so she passed our order along to the waiter. No coffee or after dinner drinks were offered. The waiter told us there was no belly dancer, and she had not been coming there for some time now.

I should mention that toward the end of the evening I saw 2 HUGE r0a(hes about 1 1/2 - 2" long on the north wall by the paintings (in Florida they call them "Palmetto"). I was too disgusted to tell my fellow diners as dinner had already been such a dismal failure, I couldn't bear for them to know we had taken them to a r0a(h haven.

The bill for the four of us was over $150 for this nightmare. We will NEVER go back there.

Recommends

raleigh2dine

Joined 7 years ago

Greek place to dine and enjoy. The fish was incredibly tasty. Outdoor dining is in a superb setting. The owner(?) greeted us at the door, provided samples of several of his favorite wines. A very pleasant experience at this place. Looking forward to going back.

Recommends

Sai37

Joined 5 years ago

Good food - Fun atmosphere - Friendly Staff. I think this is one of the best places to get Greek food. The menu is authentic with great weekend specials. The staff does a wonderful job and is always friendly and the bartender pours one hell-of-a drink! The outside patio is very romantic and relaxing with lots of flowers and intament lighting. Saturdays is "Greek Night" with music and a belly dancer to keep you entertained.

Doesn't Recommend

stickyicky4

Joined 5 years ago

Garbage.. Clearly the people who wrote past reviews on Tavera Agora know nothing about greek food. Eating there reminds me of eating form the garbage can behind Greek Feista. The service and atmosphere was fine. Trust me, I know greek food, and Agora clearly does not. Save your money.

Recommends

bestpaw

Joined 8 years ago

Romantic, great service, delicious food. Very romantic atmosphere. Great service. Varied menu and everything was beautifully presented and delicious tasting. No kids too!