Vienna Wine Bar — Restaurant in Davie

I'm not sure where to begin . . . there were so many issues, it's difficult to enumerate them all. First of all, I will say it was our first time dining there and we were at a special group presentation in a rear private room, one of two such presentations going on simultaneously that night along with regular diners so I believe the restaurant was overwhelmed and "bit off more than they could chew," so to speak. Problems started immediately with the complimentary bread. All the tables in there had not one but two baskets of bread to nosh on. Ours had zero. We asked if we could have some bread. Six minutes later we asked a second time. 12 minutes later we asked a THIRD time. Finally, someone brought out ONE basket of bread for our table 15 minutes after we were seated (everyone else had two, and had it right away). We looked at each other, all thinking the same thing. When the server darted past we asked a fourth time for the second basket of bread to be brought. Finally, at 22 minutes mark, the coveted second basket was delivered.

Then there was the matter of the small sheet for menu choices they gave all of us. I like to keep those as souvenirs. The server immediately took mine after I gave my order in, but allowed everybody else to keep theirs. I could see where this night was headed.

Complimentary appetizers were delivered shortly and served family style. These were quite good, no issues there. Salads arrived shortly thereafter and were also tasty. But then the entrees arrived. A few of us had ordered filet mignon served with au gratin potatoes and vegetables in a mushroom bordelaise sauce. The potatoes were really what looked and felt like a small croissant with some cheese inside, not what any of us anticipated but maybe that is how they are done in Vienna. The "vegetables" were two small brussels sprouts the size of coins and two even smaller zucchini. There were no mushrooms and the sauce was not what was advertised. Again, we summoned the server and expressed our concerns. His reply? "Oh, yes, we had a meeting about that today and changed the sauce on that dish, we don't have the mushroom bordelaise sauce." This was disappointing especially since we had seen other tables, who had ordered chicken, receive a huge mound of vegetables along with spinach. We asked if we could have spinach since there were no mushrooms and he flatly said "No." Five minutes later we asked the other server and she said she'd ask in the kitchen. First server came back and we asked again and he said NO again, but said maybe the other server could get permission from the master chef in the kitchen.

Others at the table were also surprised we had to hold on to our one fork for all courses of the meal as usually the salad one is not also used for entrees. We inquired about that but the server said it was one per person. Several other people asked about it as well, so finally the kitchen relented and the server returned with new forks for all of us and collected the used one. The motto of this restaurant could possibly be, "Everything is a big deal."

Meanwhile, I was surprised that my meat was so pink inside and that the sauce was on the side, while my dining companion was complaining the sauce was all over the meat and that it was tough and hard to chew. We realized then that the server had transposed our orders and given me his, and him mine, instead. At this point we were over it and just muddled through with what we had been served. Then the server came over with a bowl with four or five small spinach leaves, for the three of us to fight over and attempt to divide among ourselves.

Finally, it was time for dessert. We thought they would bring the dessert out on huge round plates to dispense among the tables as there were 32 of us present. But, of course not. Each server brought out ONE dessert at a time, then went back to the kitchen, so it took a good 20 to 25 minutes for everyone to receive theirs.

We...

It was obvious from the moment we set foot in our once favorite Davie dinner spot that something wasn't quite right. As it turns out, the owner that made this place great over the years sold it several weeks ago and it was apparent in all the wrong ways.

Upon entry, none of the old staff could be spotted. I am not certain if they were on holiday or if they realized that new ownership would be making poor decisions and resigned. Based on our experience, I suspect the latter.

To start, they were out of menu items at the start of the evening. When items on the specials menu are "sold out" before the evening begins, well, they aren't that special. Read into that as you will.

The escargot was not nearly as plump as it once was, and the bread that once accompanied it on time was cold and nearly raw inside. 2/5

The Wiener Schnitzel was 1/3rd the size of the previous portions and dry, and the plating was terrible. This flagship dish went from a 5/5 to a 1/5 and was quite upsetting after enjoying it for many years. This is a non-starter for us. If this dish doesn't return to it's original form, we won't be back.

There were other elements of the meal that were also subpar, but I won't bother commenting further. Overall, the food quality has declined significantly. We didn't even risk dessert, but to top off the evening, an annoying credit card surcharge masked as a cash discount appeared on the check. Another new owner enhancement. Cash is filthy (dare I tell you where I keep mine), and frankly should not be handled by food servers in 2024. If you want a free cashless payment method, try Zelle or low-cost services like CashApp and Venmo.

The server (Mark) despite being new, is likely the best part of what remains there. He was courteous and attentive.

I fear this gem in Davie has now been tarnished, being cut down to melee for profit. We will continue to scan feedback from other locals and hope to hear that things have improved, before we return. I hope new ownership turns these issues...

For the first time in years, the service was horrible. We've been going to the restaurant for years, and for the first time our server was not friendly at all, we brought our friends who are visiting for the holidays for dinner last night, because we love the food and the ambiance. What a fiasco! This visit was not enjoyable at all, the server who didn't even introduce herself, not even asked if we been there before, did not bring the bread as usual, we had to ask for it when the food came, did not check on us, apparently at the moment that she asked for drinks, we requested water and lemonade, her face and attitude changed completely, and maybe thought that we were not going to give her a good tip, which is not what we did, we left 20% (we always give 25% from the total bill, but not this time) because we don't want good servers to be affected by the one who is not.

Later when we asked for the dessert menu, because we were having coffee after dinner, she did not bring the tray with the options as usual, she just said what they have with a bad attitude, the busboy was the one who help us the whole time and made us feel welcomed, he even offer to take a picture of us.

I feel terrible to leave a bad review, and for the first time I felt that it was necessary.

Hope they take action and have a one-on-one conversation with this girl, who unfortunately did not give us her name (she is young, very long nails, and impecable make up), just to remind her that no matter what is happening, if you get good customers, you should give good service, even though you are not...