The Chimney House - Grill & Cafe — Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale

Now, I'm not one to leave a poor review. However, the service we received last night was simply unacceptable. Food was decent but let's talk basic professionalism.

First, our server Juliet initially forgot, yes she forgot and even admitted to 2 members of our party of 5 that she forgot to put the order into the kitchen. We understand mistakes happen so we did not make a scene, we waited patiently for them to get their entrees. However, she then double charged for the Loma Saltado. We did not notice until the day after, so yes, perhaps the oversight was on us...but seriously..first our order was forgotten, then we were double charged??

Second, my buddy ordered another Stella after his first. Juliet said "no", which we thought was a joke, but then she truly did not bring the second beer out.

Third, when another lady in our party asked for a togo box, she also said "no"...imagine our surprise when she actually brought the box for us given our experience with the beers...

And finally, we were not looking for any compensation at all for the initially botched order of entrees, or an apology for her attitude about the beer and take out box...but then we were hit with a 20% gratuity. 20% for that?! I mean seriously...

I'm not someone who's salty but I believe anyone in our situation has the right to be upset. We were overcharged, provided sub-par service with an attitude, but at least the calamari was decent.

I would recommend this place, but maybe as a take out spot, like a local diner - but a dining experience of over $200...this is not it, at least not from...

Very lovely neighborhood restaurant that we haven’t been to since before the Covid slowdown. I’m very glad we went and took friends with us. We had a reservation but arrived a bit early to allow for traffic slowdowns due to rain. There was room for the five of us at the bar to have a cocktail (seats about 11 people). Our bar waitress Amanda was lovely, very energetic and upbeat. We were seated outside on the patio under the awning with the clear curtains rolled down in case of more rain. Amanda showed up to continue as our waitress and she did a wonderful job keeping everyone happy. We prefer outdoor seating when possible and they are very accommodating here. We each ordered something different and everyone raved about their meal. It came out quickly as we didn’t order appetizers and we shared a couple of deserts, both of which were fantastic. I’d asked if they had Key Lime pie and Amanda suggested the Passionfruit desert that has similar sweet/ sour taste-wonderful stuff. All in all a really lovely evening that we’d highly recommend. The atmosphere is fine, I only deducted a star because outside you are under a tent next to a fairly busy road. There is limited seating inside, mostly two tops where the decor is very nice and inviting especially when the fireplace is lit. This is more cosy and intimate for a couple on a date. Outside more accommodating for families and groups of friends. Go give them a try, I promise you’ll be...

The food was really yummy. I started with a guacamole with Ahi tuna tartare appetizer. It came with banana chips, and the server suggested some Peruvian hot sauce...nice! For the main, I had the charred pork with onions (Lechon Asado), along with my favorite of the simple black beans and rice. The pork had a nice char and was very moist and not salty, as is the big mistake at a lot of places. I sinned with a final course of Flan...yowza! Not overly sweet and smooth as silk with that delicious caramelized flavor.

I did not have a reservation, so I sat at the bar, which turned out fine. I was aghast, however, that in order to have the prix fixe menu for the Broward performing arts venue (yes, I had a ticket) that you had to be a couple...two or more people. Doesn't say that anywhere, and frankly, this doesn't make sense because there is a no sharing policy. At any rate, they told me that the gentleman server who proclaimed this emphatically was misinformed, and all are welcome, even solo diners.

I wish the server had just apologized, but he was rather indignant. This was not a good way to experience The Chimney House. The server I had at the bar was excellent (Angie), and she made sure I had a great meal, and it was. 😋

On show nights, make a reservation....but me traveling from up north, I wanted to experience the...