Plane & Level Coastal — Restaurant in Fairhope

We went for my moms birthday, I was so excited as I had heard a lot of good things about them but I hate to say I was very bummed out. The first waitress/hostess greeted us like she was annoyed we were there, not smiling, she placed us and then went to go serve her own tables. A few minutes later our waitress introduced herself & asked us if we would like some water to get us started. We all said yes, so she went to get that & came back. This is where things kind of took a turn...for 20 minutes we were waiting for her to come back to take our drink & appetizer orders. She was catering to a couple who had walked in after us & sat at the bar. All of us were at least wanting something to snack on. I was basically staring at her in order to get her attention so she would come back & take our drink orders & appetizers. The drinks came back to us within 15 mins & apps about 15 mins after that. The apps were not my favorite as some of it was burnt but I didn't want to say anything in hopes it would turn around when dinner came. When we finally got to order dinner it came out relatively quick & hot. Although the portions were atrocious, the food was ok, but after the fact it didn't agree with our tummy's: (. My mom didn't like her main course & only had two bites but didn't want to say anything because she was pretty upset at this point & just trying to make the most of the night. Honestly our main concern was how horrible the service was, our server was very kind and smiled the whole time when she was with us, but it felt like we were begging for her attention all night when it was really slow in there so no excuse. I'm so sad at the outcome of tonight because it was supposed to be special for my mom...it's her birthday and we just lost our uncle so we needed a good night:(. I do think we must've just come on an off night since I've only heard amazing things. I will still give it another chance in the future & recommend it to friends in hopes we just had an...

I attempted to keep this a private review and messaged the restaurant directly a week ago, but never received a response. I’m a little embarrassed about leaving a negative review but the experience of this restaurant is still on my mind. My husband and I arrived at this restaurant and both used the restroom. We came out laughing about how awful the napkins were and how it was like drying our hands off with toilet paper. We both had to wash them off again. Everyone around us was getting bread so we asked for bread when we were a few appetizers in and when it came out, it was cold in the middle. It’s not our nature to complain so we just ate around the outside of it. As the meal went on, it was absolutely freezing in there and with the slower rhythm of the service (not a bad thing), the temperature was even more obvious. At the end of our meal, we decided to order tiramisu and when it came out there was a fly that came out with the first bite. We killed it and showed our waitress. She replied with no apology just, “we’re in the south, there’s flies.” She came back with a piece that was a 1/4 of the size and then when she brought the check, it was never comped. We never asked for it to be comped but when you’re killing bugs on your plate, you’d think it’d be automatic. The south comment gave us and our family in magnolia springs a good laugh. My husband and I have both worked in the restaurant business and this restaurant felt like we were being punked. We paid over $265 and still tipped 25%. I hope this review helps whoever...

We finally got out for a date night, and where we spent it was 10 out of 10 incredible! Plane & Level is the new Spanish tapas and wine restaurant in downtown Fairhope, and I can not say enough, but I'll try.

•The food was delicious and elegantly presented, and the recommendations were superb. Each of the tapas were a fantastic bite into Spanish cuisine. You could close your eyes and transport yourself to Spain with the flavors and aromas.

•The wine was the best wine I've had since I've been to Italy and my husband to Spain. Fun fact, the wine is very exclusive to Plane & Level. Most of their wine is not sold anywhere else in the world, and again, the recommendations were spot on.

•The atmosphere was beautiful and warm, and the service was 5 star quality. Each person we spoke to were not only incredibly knowledgeable, but you could also hear their passion for Plane & Level.

We had the absolute best time and will be back and bring more people next time. Thank you so much, Plane & Level for an incredible dining experience. Fairhope is so lucky...