OROSOKO Sound Bar — Restaurant in Charlotte

Update: despite the fact that the restaurant commented and told me to reach out. I have yet to receive a response or update on my situation. Definitely will not be returning.

We were really looking forward to dining here for a special celebration—a 25th birthday—and unfortunately, the experience didn’t live up to expectations.

We arrived 10 minutes early for our 8 PM reservation and were seated promptly, which was appreciated. However, it took nearly 15 minutes just to receive water, and even then, the hostess didn’t greet us—she simply dropped off the glasses and poured the water without a word. Another 10–15 minutes passed before anyone came by to check on us.

A server finally approached and asked, verbatim, “Do you guys have a server?” After we told him no, he replied, “Great, I guess I’ll be your server.” At this point, we had already been sitting for close to 30-35 minutes, despite making eye contact with multiple staff members who never acknowledged us.

We ordered a round of drinks, but were surprised that the bartender wouldn’t allow a simple substitution (tequila instead of vodka), which felt unnecessarily rigid. The drinks themselves were well made, but it took over 30 minutes before we had the chance to even order a second round—largely because our server was more focused on dancing through the restaurant than checking on our table.

Most disappointing of all, no one ever asked if we’d like to place a food order. Even after we mentioned after our second round of drinks that we might want to order something, our server never came back—except to ask if we were ready to close out.

What stung the most is that we had included in our reservation that we were celebrating a birthday, and it was completely ignored. No acknowledgment, no gesture—nothing.

We were excited to support a semi-newer, niche spot, but unfortunately, the lack of attentiveness and professionalism made it an experience we won’t be repeating. First impressions matter, and sadly, this one...

Our experience at Orosoko was truly underwhelming. From the moment we walked in, no one greeted us - we stood at the front for several minutes before being acknowledged. When we joined our table, the chairs were so oversized and low that it felt impossible to sit comfortably.

When we were seated, the waitress only brought plates and silverware for two people even though there were four of us clearly at the table. We had to flag her down and ask for the rest. Completely careless and unprofessional.

As first-time diners, we expected at least a brief explanation of the menu or drink options, but the waitress offered none. When we tried to order drinks, we were told that four of the sakes we asked for were sold out - how is that even possible? We also asked if the Kill Guillermo cocktail was spicy and were told yes, but it tasted like straight juice - overly sweet and not even a hint of spice. Instant headache.

The food was just as disappointing! Every dish lacked flavor. The edamame was overcooked, the lobster rubbery, and the “vegetable salad” was literally raw cucumbers and carrots chopped into cubes. At one point, another server dropped off food without knowing what she was even serving. No one checked in to see how we were doing, and when we asked for the check (with most of our food untouched), the waitress didn’t ask a single question. To top it off, she auto-selected a 25% tip on the bill - completely inappropriate given the service and experience!!!

And to make matters worse, the bathrooms didn’t even have paper towels. We had to ask a bartender for some. For a supposedly “upscale” restaurant, that’s just gross and unacceptable.

I understand it’s a new restaurant, but this was unacceptable!!! I wouldn’t recommend...

I was very excited after seeing a content creator I follow share their experience here, but wow did that fall short.

I'll start by saying the service was great. The DJ was doing a great job with the music too, it never really got too loud even though we were seated right next to the booth and under a set of speakers.

My friend and I got four share plates: Smoked Chile BBQ Chicken Empanadas: very bland, meat had zero flavor and the sauces drizzled on it did not help at all Duck Confit Summer Roll: also very bland, the duck itself was alright but the vermicelli noodles were 95% of the dish. The hot garlic sauce was phenomenal, but couldn't save the dish. However it was very good on the other dishes. Okonomiyaki: suuuper tasty. Just all around a great dish. She Crab Spring Rolls: by far the best of the four. Cheesy and with she crab meat, had to stop myself from licking my fingers in public.

We tried to get a few drinks... but they were out of 2 of the 3 I wanted to try the most. The El Dorado and Sakejito were both 86'd. Bullet Train is their version of the Espresso Martini, but it was way too sweet for our preference. My friend asked for a spicy cocktail, and the Lucky Liu was recommended, but there was no spice to it whatsoever. The menu shows that it includes roasted jalapeno, but it was garnished with a lemon skin twist. And someone next to us got theirs garnished on a toothpick, while ours was simply dropped into the drink. We both loved the Kill Guillermo, though; it was the only drink of the three we ordered that was worth getting twice.

Overall, it was cool to try but not worth the money. There are much better cocktail bars and places for small plates with larger servings...