Kaluz Restaurant Wellington — Restaurant in Loxahatchee Groves

My wife and I were really looking forward to celebrating our Anniversary here, especially after reading positive reviews and looking at photos of the menu items. We had a pretty positive experience overall, but could not bring ourselves to give 5 stars.

A quick background. I moved from Louisville, KY about 20 years ago and although it is not considered a 'cosmopolitan' town, there is a plethora of outstanding, high quality restaurants there. Since the move down I have been mostly disappointed with the local restaurant fare in So. Florida.

So... we had early reservations and were greeted by friendly, smiling staff and seated immediately. Our server was professional and friendly enough and she checked on us regularly. No complaints there.

We ordered the Shrimp Cargot to share as an appetizer. It was pretty dang good, just like you would imagine when you combine butter, cheese and garlic. My wife ordered the Bone-in Ribeye which was quite tender. I had the Chilean Sea Bass and it was nice, as well. A little too under cooked, but I prefer fish to be slightly under cooked than over cooked.

We also ordered the Creamed Spinach and the Truffle Mac and Cheese as extra sides. They were both decent, although a little on the 'dry' side.. but still a step up from the chain restaurants.

For desert we ordered the 'Going Bananas'. I thought it was pretty decent but my wife was disappointed with it. We took home an order of the Bread Pudding and tried it the next day. It was massive in size for a desert, VERY generous serving size... but somewhat unspectacular in taste and texture.

I ordered a margarita with my dinner and definitely do NOT recommend you do the same. It was closer to nasty than good. I could not finish it, and this is coming from a person that makes and drinks margaritas 3 nights a week... my favorite cocktail. Had I realized at the time it was a $20 drink, I certainly would have sent it back.

Other than the food being a bit less than 'perfect', a couple of somewhat unexpected practices occurred. First, when the check was delivered... it was simply laid on the edge of the table (think Denny's) without any privacy 'book' or cover. And when we asked for a take-out box, that is exactly what we got... a box was set on the table. I know these seem like trivial things... but at this price range I have never encountered such an 'inelegant' practice.

To put it into perspective... when I was in Louisville a couple of months ago I dined at Volare's. At an almost identical price point the food was simply remarkable, the transaction was dealt with in a more elegant way... and when we asked for take home boxes they gathered up the dishes, took them to the kitchen and boxed and bagged the leftovers and brought to the table a 'claim ticket' that you presented to the staff on the way out, who then matched the ticket to the one on the bag. A true 5 star experience all around.

Sorry to have sort of combined a bit of my 'South Florida restaurant frustration' with my review.. but it just doesn't seem 'right' that I have to travel out of town to get that 'perfect' meal. A couple of years ago my wife and I dined at a Thai restaurant while in Las Vegas, the food (and service) was so amazing I almost cried. One of those rare occasions where I am compelled to tip the chef.

But the short of it is... yes, I plan to go back... but not with expectations as high as before. Maybe for lunch and order a couple of their appetizers (but paired with a beer, not...

Incredible experience at Kaluz last night! As someone who's always looking for the perfect spot, this place exceeded every single expectation. This is the second time I went and had great service, the same bartenders, the consistency is so welcome! Want the best SERVICE?! You must go, the bar team here goes above and beyond, but I have to give special shoutouts to the absolute angels behind the bar - Tori and Bree! I am absolutely OBSESSED with these bartenders! These two are not just bartenders, they're straight up entertainers and mixologists rolled into one. Their energy is infectious and they make you feel like you're hanging with your besties. Get there early and grab a seat at the bar! The bar full of regulars tells me these bartenders are fire! 🔥 The tea on the cocktails... the cosmos here are NEXT LEVEL! 🍹 I'm pretty picky about my drinks, but wow - perfectly chilled, beautifully presented, and honestly some of the best I've had in Wellington and the Western Communities (and trust me, I've tried them all!). This was a return visit for, me last time Tori recommended the Chilean sea bass and OH. MY. GOD. I was a little hesitant at first, but this dish was phenomenal! Perfectly cooked, and honestly one of the best seafood dishes I've had in a minute. This time I had the Artichoke, and I will be ordering this on repeat. The whole vibe of this place is just chef's kiss - upscale but not stuffy, fun but still elegant. Perfect for date night, girls' night, or honestly any night that ends in "night"! 11 out of 10 would recommend anyone in Welly looking for the best dining experience. Finding a reason to go back soon, I NEED THOSE COSMOS again! #WellingtonEats #KaluzRestaurant #DateNightGoals #WellingtonFoodie...

I like this restaurant’s ambience: it’s spacious and very nicely decorated with fancy lighting fixtures all over the place and even a fountain in the dining area. They have a big indoor bar and an outdoor patio. They offer valet parking, but there is also plenty of free parking in the plaza where the restaurant is located.

We never planned to try this restaurant for lunch or dinner: the prices are very expensive and in my personal opinion there is nothing special on the menu that justifies them. Yes, Palm Beach County is not cheap but you can find many other restaurants with more menu variety and cheaper prices.

However, before Covid we liked coming here for HH and we always enjoyed both drinks and bites, even if wines and craft cocktails were never part of the HH menu. Yesterday we finally had the opportunity to come here early (the bar gets crowded very fast after 4pm), but… it was a huge disappointment: it seems that while the prices went up, the quality went down.

The craft cocktails were very light (the wine instead was good).

I had thought of ordering the French fries but changed mind after seeing the very little portions that were given to other customers (for $7). Same for the meatball: $5 for just one piece seems exaggerated.

The flatbread is ok but the 2 prime rib sliders were definitely not worth $12. The worst however was the ceviche mixto: they say it’s made of shrimp and sea bass, but there were no shrimps; it came with a lot of tortilla chips but the portion was very small. I didn’t like the taste either: the fish came in a lime or lemon juice that was something between bitter and acid.

It was one of the most expensive HH we had, and absolutely not worth the money: we’re definitely not...