Villa Azur — Restaurant in Dallas

⭐️⭐️ | Style over substance — one of the most disappointing high-end dining experiences I’ve had in Dallas

We had a 5:15 reservation this past Saturday night (party of four — my wife, my business partner, and his wife). The restaurant was nearly empty when we arrived — maybe five tables occupied in total — so we expected smooth service. Instead, what we got was one of the worst service experiences I’ve ever encountered at a restaurant of this caliber.

It took nearly 15 minutes just to get water, and our server was completely disengaged from the start. He didn’t introduce himself, explain the menu, or offer any recommendations — just asked, “Do you want any appetizers?” We said yes, ordered a couple, and before we could even place drink orders, he walked off.

Drinks finally came, and they were fine, but that’s about where the positives ended. My business partner’s wife asked about gluten-free options; the server admitted he had “no clue” and said he’d check — then never came back with an answer. She ended up ordering something she hoped was safe.

We ordered four simple steaks with sides — nothing elaborate — but our food didn’t arrive until 6:45, a full 90 minutes after being seated. We mentioned multiple times that we were heading to a show at American Airlines Center and needed to stay on schedule. Despite that, there was zero sense of urgency. I actually went to the service station myself at one point to grab a bottle of water and refill our glasses because no one was checking on us.

The food, once it arrived, was fine. The ambience is actually quite nice — the interior is beautiful, with a great atmosphere and attention to décor. But those two factors don’t make up for the lack of basic service competence or coordination.

When you’re spending hundreds of dollars for dinner, it’s not unreasonable to expect professional, attentive service. What we experienced felt like a restaurant that’s either new, poorly managed, or completely untrained. Everyone seemed out of sync, unmotivated, and unsure of what to do.

Bottom line: • Ambience: 9/10 • Food: 7/10 • Service: 0/10 • Value: 2/10

If this had been a packed restaurant, I’d have given some grace. But with an almost empty dining room, there’s no excuse. I genuinely hope the management reads this and invests in better training — because as of now, Villa Azur is all show and no substance. The only reason it’s getting two stars instead of one is because the food was decent and the space itself...

Terrible overpriced food, slow and apathetic service, and poor upkeep. Our experience here was not a positive one. We booked for a work dinner, and were excited to try Villa Azur as it appears nice from the street, and the website promises "elevated Mediterranean cuisine" and "the glamour and allure of the South of France". What we experienced was a run-down wannabe nighclub that happened to serve food. The dress code on the website was not enforced, and the hostess was not personable. The waitress was extremely slow (we did not see her at times for 20 minutes) and put in an order entirely wrong. Things we ordered:

Polpette (meatballs): overcooked and tough Burrata: the only highlight of anyone's meal Lobster Risotto (special): tasted like it came from a box Cacio E Pepe: More of a fettuccini than cacio e pepe, but was essentially butter noodles - both people who ordered had upset stomachs afterword. Mushroom ravioli: they initially brough us JUST a plate of mushrooms?? When we asked "where's the ravioli" they brought us back an entirely different dish. Sea Bass: a huge serving, but "not a fish dish you really want to dive into". Broccolini: undercooked, but not as terrible as the other food that we ordered. At least they can kindof cook vegetables?

The booths and furniture and flooring are all beat to heck, scratched, and falling apart from careless patrons.

The ONLY saving grace of this place was the cocktails. Simply not a luxury experience in any sense of the word. It's completely overpriced for the quality and attentiveness (or lack thereof) you would expect to receive at similarly priced restaurants in Dallas. I'm surprised this place has remained open as long as it has, and I would have expected a better experience, especially with something affiliated with the W hotel. Which, by the way, is under construction, leaving the valet spot IN THE STREET. Also, the only available restrooms were on another floor, about a 10 minute journey away. Horrible experience, but we had a good laugh about it. If you are going for a cocktail, MAYBE?? But otherwise, there are too many other establishments in Dallas that actually get it right to waste your time...

What a cool atmosphere. We walked in, had reservations and were seated immediately. The host did remind us that the reservation was good for 1 1/2 hours. The staff were extremely friendly. Our server brought out artisan water, we ordered some Chardonnay and looked at the menu. We decided on the seared octopus and the server also recommended the lobster balls, so we ordered those as well. My girlfriend and I enjoyed the wine, listened to the music, admired the decor. The music was loud enough to enjoy but not so much that you couldn’t converse.

The appetizer arrived and the plating of the octopus was fantastic individually charred pieces of octopus on different sauces. There were about 12 piece of octopus. The plating of the octopus was superior to the appearance of the lobster which were balls in a cannelloni dish sprinkled with parm. The octopus was fantastic and my girlfriend said it’s the best octopus she’s ever had. She’s Italian decent and octopus is one of her family traditions for holidays.

We decided on sharing the pasta that is prepared table side in a cheese wheel. That was fun to watch. The pasta had a nice finish, the sauce was great.

About half way through our shared pasta I had to stop eating I was stuffed. All this happened in 30 minutes. We continued to drink wine and pick at the pasta. The service was great, they never tried to rush us out. We ordered desert to go. The bill was roughly $300 for 6 glasses of wine, two appetizers, one entree, and two desserts. And I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Sorry no photos. It just wasn’t that kind of evening. What a fantastic Valentines experience and my girlfriend was absolutely blown away and happy!

We left before the party started but the DJ was setting up, a female singer was walking around while someone played on a keyboard. That started about 7pm. I think I enjoyed the background music more than the...