Napa on Providence — Restaurant in Charlotte

No productive feedback? I laid out a laundry list of problems. Problems that a decent restaurant with attention to detail would rectify immediately. You’re taking it personally because it directly affects your business. I’m sorry that you have to hear the truth from someone who actually knows what they’re talking about. As for the comments made between your corporate chef and I, I was actually being sincere about helping your team, but David felt it was ok to leave me hanging between texts for weeks at a time. Hats off to you for getting on here and showing your true colors. I would never even consider returning to any restaurant in your group after this disgraceful behavior from you and your colleagues. Have a nice day, and I wish you the best. .

Update Jan 2024: The day after I posted this review, I received a call from both the corporate chef, David Sears, and the GM who responded to this review (who was also the manager on duty the night of our visit, and could have prevented this whole situation from getting to Google in the first place.) After they “took notes” on all the issues I informed them of, I received a $150 gift card in the mail. While it was a nice gesture, it should be noted that this would not have even covered our original bill, had everything been cooked and done correctly. Therefore I decided to discard this gift card, because I don’t want any of my friends or family to experience this terrible food and service. Save yourselves some time and stress, and just pick another place in town, there are plenty to choose from.

Absolutely one of the worst experiences of my life in a restaurant. Arrived on time for our reservation, sat in the loudest (non soundproofed) dining room ever, and took over ten minutes just to be greeted by our server. Ordered drinks and apps, and ten minutes later ordered entrees but hadn’t even received drinks or apps…. Scallop crudo came out and was way too spicy. Jalapeño seeds visible on plate (rookie mistakes..) drinks were ok. Flatbread we ordered for our kid was subpar but for a 4yo so not a big deal. Short rib pappardelle came out with good flavor but some undercooked pasta (another rookie mistake). Scallop entree that I ordered was far from the menu description. The “brown butter truffle jus” tasted like turkey gravy from a jar of Heinz, the sunchoke degustation was a trio of sunchoke trash. Gluey puree, overcooked braised bits, and half burnt sunchoke chips. Manager replaced with a Caesar salad and mussel app. Salad was ok but didn’t come with little gem lettuce as stated in menu, just haphazardly chopped romaine. Mussels were way too small a portion for the price, cooking liquid was mainly butter with barely any seasoning (have you guys heard of lemon, white wine, and salt?) and the bread was from a metal third pan sitting on top of the heat lamp that had presumably been sitting there all day, as it was cold and stale. What an absolute disgrace of a restaurant. I didn’t take any photos because nothing here deserved to be photographed.

The service was also probably the worst I’ve had in my recent memory. We sat for about ten minutes before being greeted. Server was awkward and too quiet for the loud dining room. Took forever to get our drinks, and very inattentive for the most part, until I complained about my first entree. She approached the table and began talking to me while I was chewing my food, which is a huge peeve of mine, and I’m sure most other people… overall just a completely terrible experience, and we will not...

If you’re looking for a restaurant that combines overpriced mediocrity with shockingly poor service, Napa on Providence is the place for you. We had the misfortune of dining here recently, opting for the $100 per person prix fixe menu. I can confidently say it was one of the most disappointing meals I’ve had in years.

For a menu that touts itself as a fine dining experience, the food was absolutely abysmal. The mashed potatoes and asparagus were the epitome of bland—tasteless, cardboard-like mush that clearly hadn’t been graced with a single grain of salt or spice. The crab was bone-dry, as if it had spent hours languishing under a heat lamp, and the lobster was firm to the point of being rubbery. And bland. Oh, so bland.

As for the steak, it was mediocre at best—uninspired, lukewarm, and a far cry from what one would expect at this price point. The entire meal screamed of a kitchen that had either completely checked out or lacked any culinary talent.

The service, unfortunately, was just as bad as the food. Our entrees took nearly 45 minutes to reach our table. When the food finally arrived, it wasn’t even worth the wait. To make matters worse, a busboy banged into our table so hard during dinner that it almost sent the sauce on my plate flying into my lap. No apology, no acknowledgment—just careless disregard for the dining experience.

Adding insult to injury was a neighboring table of six who were clearly VIPs or friends of the staff. They were obnoxiously loud, their conversations audible across the dining room, ruining any semblance of atmosphere. Their food and drinks arrived at lightning speed, making it painfully obvious that regular customers are second-class citizens here if they’re not part of the inner circle. The disparity in treatment was infuriating.

What’s most disappointing is that Napa on Providence wasn’t always this terrible. Like others, I’ve dined here over the years, but the decline in food quality and service is staggering. Recent reviews have highlighted the restaurant’s inconsistency, and I can only confirm that these complaints are well-founded. The management clearly has no interest in maintaining standards or ensuring all guests feel valued.

For $100 per person, you expect something—anything—approaching quality. Instead, we were served flavorless food, endured unacceptable service, and witnessed a blatant disregard for fairness and professionalism. Napa on Providence has fallen so far from grace that I can no longer recommend it to anyone. There are far better places in Charlotte to spend your money and enjoy a good meal. Save yourself the disappointment and avoid this restaurant at all costs.

⭐ 1/5 (only because zero stars...

I went there with my family for my mom’s birthday. The restaurant itself looked nice. We were very disappointed in some of our food, though.

I ordered the steak frites, and it was very chewy. And my sister in law’s steak frites was close to rare, when she asked for medium. We couldn’t find our waitress (maybe very busy with other tables). So we had to ask another waiter to get her for us. She apologized and asked if we wanted anything else. It took a very long time for my sister in law to get a salad (and for me to get the quiche). I really liked the quiche. My sister in law’s salad, sadly, was absolutely soaked in dressing. She could not eat it. But she didn’t want to complain again. Strangely, my mom loved the same salad and it was perfectly dressed. So, there are clear inconsistencies in the kitchen.

My husband ordered the Bistro Burger. He liked the fries, but the burger was soaked in sauce. The bun got absolutely soggy and he couldn’t even pick the burger up after attempting for a few bites. So he sent it back and just asked for more fries (to not be a burden). Again we couldn’t find our waitress and the same waiter helped us by getting her for us. I noticed another waiter bringing a different table a burger and it looked perfect (not soggy at all). So this further makes me believe there are inconsistencies in the kitchen.

The manager did come by and apologize for everything, and comped my husband for his burger (still charged for the fries). And they comped my steak and only charged me for my quiche.

We ordered dessert. My parents shared the bread pudding and it was amazing. My husband and I shared the chocolate mousse cake, and it was amazing, too. My mom received a cheesecake for free for her birthday, and it was very bland and dry (it was like ordering from a totally different restaurant). I would have preferred her get a few dollars off her dessert that she actually ordered.

Overall, I would not go here again. I was very sad because my family came here back in 2021 for dinner and it was absolutely amazing all around (I think we had came for Mother’s Day). I wanted my mom to have a special birthday lunch. Thankfully my mom really loved her salmon and her salad. But the clear lack of consistencies in the kitchen with quality of food makes it not...