City Grille — Restaurant in Elizabeth City

We recently visited this restaurant as a family of four — myself, my husband, and our two daughters — and had a truly enjoyable dining experience from start to finish. The service was warm, attentive, and accommodating. Our server was knowledgeable about the menu, handled all of our requests with ease, and maintained a pleasant balance of professionalism and friendliness. While there was a slight delay between the appetizers and main courses, the overall pace of the meal was relaxed and pleasant, perfect for a family dinner.

As for the food, every dish brought something to the table — both literally and figuratively. My husband ordered the ribs, which were fall-off-the-bone tender and full of flavor. The barbecue sauce had a wonderful balance of sweetness and smokiness, and the portion was hearty enough to satisfy even the biggest appetite. He couldn’t stop raving about them.

I opted for the Caesar salad, which was fresh and generously dressed. The romaine lettuce was crisp, the croutons were crunchy and clearly homemade, and the parmesan was nicely shaved. The dressing leaned a little heavier on the anchovy side than I personally prefer, but still had great flavor. A touch more lemon would have added a nice brightness, but overall it was a solid, satisfying salad.

Our older daughter chose the scallops, which turned out to be one of the stars of the evening. They were seared beautifully — golden brown on the outside and silky tender inside. The accompanying sauce enhanced their natural sweetness without overwhelming them. It was a refined, well-composed dish that showed real care in preparation and presentation.

Our younger daughter had the fish sandwich, which was another hit. The fish was flaky and moist, encased in a crispy batter that wasn’t greasy at all. It came on a soft toasted bun with fresh toppings and a tangy tartar sauce. It was simple but very well executed — the kind of dish that’s easy to get wrong but was done just right here. The fries served on the side were hot, crispy, and perfectly salted.

Overall, the experience was excellent. The food was consistently well-prepared, the portions generous, and the service welcoming. Whether you’re in the mood for something casual like a sandwich or something a bit more elevated like scallops, the kitchen delivers. We left full, happy, and already talking about...

Okay first off I want this to reach as many people as possible due to how embarrassing this was for me and my boyfriend. So to start off I wanted something light, like a sandwich so we decided to come here. I ordered a club sandwich with the BREAD toasted. (Meaning the meat and everything else inside should still be cold, at least every club sandwich I’ve ever had has been this way). I received my sandwich and it was luke warm on the inside. The cheese tasted as if it was sitting out for hours and they threw it on my sandwich. The bacon tasted so old. It was just awful. Not good AT ALL. so as polite as I could I said to the waitress “I’m really not trying to be difficult but I don’t like this at all can I order something else maybe” She then says “I mean you can but the manager gonna make you pay for both” ....ummm no. So I asked to speak to him because I’m not paying for a meal I barely even touched let alone didn’t like at all. He comes out and starts questioning me stating “the sandwich is perfect there is nothing wrong with it” meanwhile embarrassing me while everyone in the restaurant stared because he could not do this quietly. It had to be done so EVERYONE could hear. As he continues to go on and on about how there’s nothing wrong with my sandwich and I’m literally being refused to be served anything else. We then ask for the check and we’re ready to go. He put this sandwich on our ticket. Which I stated to him I’m not paying for. I did not eat it because it was disgusting. He then starts harassing my boyfriend at the front counter telling him all their food is perfect and he doesn’t know what is wrong with me because that sandwich was perfect. I have never in my life been so disrespected and embarrassed at a restaurant before. He was so unprofessional and I’m trying to figure out how he’s running a restaurant with people that actually respect him enough to work for him. I have never heard of a policy “if you don’t like the food, too bad you’re still paying for it because our food is perfect always” pretty much saying well the customer is always wrong. His customer service skills are lacking and I pray he doesn’t do this to another customer who has an issue with their meal or anything of the sort! I will NEVER be back...

Worst restaurant experience ever! I have traveled up and down the east coast for my previous job as a zone rep for over 35 years. I have been to hundreds if not a thousand restaurants in that time. I can honestly say that this place is absolutely awful. The only bright side of the experience was our waitress, she was fast, professional and courteous. However the food, the owner (I assume that's who he was ) and cashier were some of the rudest people I have ever encountered. The lunch that my husband ordered was the chicken gizzards and I had the fried chicken and French fries with hush puppies. the chicken gizzards were cold, mushy and the outside of the coating had the consistency of glue. My chicken was cold and had no flavor. The fries that were served to me were ice cold and under cooked. The hush puppies were dry, hard as a brick and also cold. When our waitress noticed that we had not eaten much and none of the gizzards had disappeared she asked if we would like a box to go. We informed her of the situation and she said that she would see what she could do. When she returned to the table we were given our check and told that there would be no adjustment to the bill. When we arrived at the check out the owner asked us how we liked our lunch. We told him about the chicken gizzards and that's as far as we got. He boldly told us that " NO ONE HAS EVER CONPLAINED ABOUT THE FOOD ". Really? ? ? ..You have two people who are telling you about it now. I asked if they ever read the food reviews ( which I should have done before we picked this spot ) before he could answer the question the cashier proudly told me that they never read them and could not care less about what they say. So if you don't care about what your customers say or how they feel I am guessing that you probably don't care about what you are...