The Mason Jar Tavern — Restaurant in Fuquay-Varina

I can’t attest to atmosphere or service, but food was excellent. Just noted a few small points to consider for improving quality.

We ordered through Door Dash and we were thrilled to sample one after another of great tasting dishes. One detail I’d recommend is not placing the delicate Mahi (or Salmon) on the bottom of the bag when packing a large order. The container and the fish were smashed by the multiple other items we ordered.

The dishes we enjoyed: The Dessert Flight - we aren’t sure what they were since DoorDash doesn’t give a description of what is included in the “flight,” but each of the four desserts was delicious. There was a tiny plastic ramekin of a bitter chocolate mousse type thing included as well. We assumed it was intended to be a topping for one of the four desserts, but we had no idea which.

The flavor of the blackened mahi with risotto was wonderful. The filet was a decent size. My husband admitted this morning that the risotto was not as good as he first described. He said the risotto was slightly under-cooked and gritty. I’ve never heard of a gritty risotto so I hope this isn’t the norm for TMJ.

The sourdough club had a ton of meat and was wonderful. I removed the tomato since it was mealy, so I’d recommend that staff leave it off the sandwich if there aren’t great tomatoes in stock.

The side of Fried GT was delicious. The three slices quickly disappeared when we found them. Of the three tomato slices, the one on the bottom was soggy and cold. But the flavor of the others still made the dish a hit.

The side of chicken tenders was great. We loved how hearty the cuts of chicken were. It’s a shame that only 2 come as the side order. But they were very enjoyable and we’re glad we tried them.

The buffalo chicken egg rolls were delicious as well. We appreciated that the chicken was so finely shredded. That made the texture perfect.

The potato salad side was delicious as well. The hint of bacon made it.

The side spinach strawberry salad was lovely. The only thing we would change is that the dressing ramekin be placed on an empty spot next to the spinach. Instead, it was smashed on top of the little cluster of cheese and strawberries, even though there was space inside the container to set it down next to the salad ingredients.

We would absolutely order again and are so happy...

Disappointing. This place has such great reviews that I was really surprised by what I actually tasted and saw. I’m only giving it three stars because my daughter really enjoyed their chicken and waffles. Server was great, as well. Burger seemed like a pre-made patty and was very bland- the hangover burger with an egg, avocado, hot sauce and a fancy mayo. $13! If you’re gonna sell a bland burger then make the toppings extraordinary, and plentiful. Missed the mark on both, especially when the egg was supposed to be Over Medium but came out clearly Over-Well (no gooey yolk, cooked all the way through) as the egg was hanging out of the burger, so it was sent back they didn’t even reset the burger. Meaning they used the same bread and toppings. So there was no special mayo or buffalo sauce by the time it came back. Opted for salad as a side that is a $2 extra option. It came out in a small side dish, with one HALF of a cherry tomato and two thin slices of cucumber and a ton of shredded carrots. The honey balsamic vinaigrette just tasted like a thin balsamic vinegar, sweetened. Basic Ranch tasted like the vinegary generic ranch you get instead of Hidden Valley. French fry appetizer was actually great but would have been better if they’d used fresh made fries. They gave themselves away when it came out 2 minutes after I watched the server put the order in. My other daughter got the fried chicken sandwich. It’s supposed to have a dill mayo on it but she said the sandwich was dry and asked for more mayo. After quite some time (after they cooked another egg and brought the burger back at the same time) she was brought regular mayo but she said it still tasted dry. I think that was either the bread being too thick or the chicken was overdone and she doesn’t know how else to describe it. lol I think this is just a local favorite with loud supporters. $65 plus tip and I left hungry. None of us finished our meals. Management must’ve not been there. And what I saw, was a lot of dust everywhere and food in the bench seats. This means there’s not a lot of cleaning going on. Maybe it’s not always like this, but first impressions...

Visited on 6/5/2018. The only reason I cannot give a negative rating is because there is no way to do so. Was in for an early dinner around 4:30-5pm. Cole was our waiter and HE WAS phenomenal. My better half had a question concerning a wine selection. Mr. Cole wasn't familiar, But a bearded gentleman wearing a ball hat who was either a manager or working the bar happened to be walking by at the time. Cole got his attention, and my better half posed her question. The guy barley acknowledged her, gave a terse response and briskly walked away as if it was to much of a bother. It should be noted there were probably all of 3 tables of customers seated and maybe 3-4 at the bar. Cole apologized for the clown which embarrassed him. Because of Cole we decided to stay anyway. We ordered an app that was some type of egg roll deep fried. They came out greasy and half cooked, cool in the center. We ate two and decided not. My better half ordered a salad with grilled chicken. The chicken was some left over stuff that was dry and way over cooked. She barley ate it. I ordered the buttermilk fried chicken chicken sandwich with home cut fries. The sandwich was just OK, the fires were again way under-cooked, soft and lots of little pieces, like scraps that were left in the bottom of the basket from the last order. We had two adult beverages, our bill was a tad over $50.00. What a disappointment, and waste of money! My better half and I work crazy hours and rarely have any time on a pretty day to spend together. DO NOT waste your time here. There are FAR better places in Fuquay for food and service, such as Garibaldi's right down the street. Cole, again you were GREAT! Pls go apply at Garibaldi's where your service will be appreciated, and you will not have to deal with the type of management (guy in the ball hat) that you have there. Let's see if they even bother to respond to...