Open Kitchen — Restaurant in Charlotte

I had a terrible experience at this restaurant from beginning to ending! We had a reservation at 7pm for a party of 11. We got there on time and was seated. The waitress did not come to our table for 15 minutes to take our drink order. 15 min after that another waitress came to our table and stated that the previous waitress had lost our drink order and she needed to retake it. We then got our drinks around 7:40pm. Once we got our drink orders the waitress walked away and did not come back for 10 minutes to take our food order! This waitress was so confused about our food order it took her 15 minutes to write everything down. We then got our food around 8:20pm. The waitress was serving our food and she dropped a whole TRAY of hot food on my 3 year old nephew. My nephew was screaming and his back was burning. The waitress did apologize but not once did the manager/ owner come out and apologize to us. 4 of us ordered lasagna and it was so disgusting it taste like it was store bought or frozen. We all sent our lasagna back. The cheese on the pizza was absolutely disgusting and taste like it was microwaved. The complimentary bread was soft but cold. The alfredo sauce taste like it was canned.

When it was time to pay our tab the waitress informed us that the owner had comped our meal because of the incident that happened with my nephew. We still left this waitress a $60 tip after such a terrible experience. As we were walking out the door the owner/manager run up to us screaming " you didn't pay your bill". We argued with this man for about twenty minutes and he still insisted we pay for our bill because apparently he never told the waitress to comp the whole party, only to comp my sisters check since it was her son that the food fell on. We went inside to pay and he asked the waitress for our tabs and she told him " you told me to comp their meals" . The owner/ manager then told the waitress well now you're going to pay for their food out of your tips. We then insisted that we pay because we felt bad for the waitress and he said no for us to leave.

I will never go back to this restaurant ! He is very unprofessional and we felt discriminated against because of...

I'm 36 years old and my boss has told me stories for years about this place. So, here's how my very first visit went:

Short Version: had reservations at 6:15pm, seated at 6:30pm, ordered at 6:45pm, walked out at 7:30pm. Owners & waitress were unfriendly. What a shame for a place with such history and such a reputation.

Long Version: I made reservations a day ahead of time for Valentine's Day 2015. We arrived right on time. They were overwhelmed and understaffed. The female owner was seating people, answering the phone, and walking around like she had no idea what to do. She barely took time to acknowledge me when I attempted to check in. Then she seated two other couples that had later reservation times before she seated my wife and I. What is the point of a reservation? She was very unfriendly and was actually commenting to herself out loud about all the people waiting being in the way! Well, excuse us, the ones who are here to support your livelihood, for standing around in your way lady!

We finally got seated 15 minutes later only to find out that our unfriendly waitress was also feeling overwhelmed. One time, when I got her attention to ask for drink refills as she walked by, she actually said "What?" instead of "Yes sir? May I help you?". Seriously? Later, the owner lady started to seat some people and the waitress told her not to and that "she didn't have anything to work with". So those people got to go wait some more! We also heard our waitress complaining to patrons at another table. I think they needed 3 waitresses to work the area that this 1 waitress was working. It's Valentine's Day, so you would think they would have extra help on hand.

So we eventually got a chance to order, then waited for food for another 45 minutes, and then we had to leave before our food even showed up (so we could make our show at the Charlotte Symphony on time). The male owner was running the register, so I offered to pay for our sodas, but he said not to worry about it. He offered several excuses rather than a sincere apology.

We eventually grabbed a bite to eat elsewhere after the symphony show ended a few...

Look, this is a beautiful, intimate family-styled restaurant with character and charm. If you want a Michelin-star meal, then go into uptown and spend $50+ per plate. That is not what Open Kitchen is about. I’m tired of reading all of these pretentious reviews that are ranking a small and intimate city gem based on upscale and unnecessarily inflated expectations. You’re paying less than Olive Garden, you’d be a fool to come and expect $$$ taste (yet still, some $$$ places are riding the name and fame and offer taste nowhere near what open kitchen does).

Now, if you’re looking for a place that has rich culture, a gorgeously charming atmosphere, and a menu that generations have tasted and loved, this is the place for you. The food is all unbelievably reasonable in price and infinitely nostalgic in flavour. It tastes like what you’d have in someone’s loving home on a thankful Thursday night. The service is like something you hardly see anywhere. This isn’t the place where your waitress is trying to get you off of her table; the place begs you to stay a while and savour, while the prices allow you to.

This place embodies melodically the warm and syrupy Italian culture of “dolce far niente”. You come to eat and to sit and to talk and to enjoy. My memories at this restaurant are all poetry and while I’m there I feel like I’ve gone on holiday.

It’s hardly about the food, and if you don’t feel that, you’re missing out and this place is not for you. Take yourself to Dean’s and spend wads of money to posture as posh and instagram your plate. It’s better that way; the rest of us want there to be room for us when we return here again and again.

As for the rest of you, Open Kitchen is the type of place that invites the bright and romantic soul. Go! Go! Go! There’s a reason why this place has been here for decades and our retired parents will never forget it.

P.S. They’ve a simply grand tiramisu here. It’s maybe not the best or most perfect traditional slice, but I’ve never finished one and not...