Brodeto — Restaurant in Raleigh

Quality Italian and Croatian Cuisine with Hidden Fees

Restaurant Review: Brodeto – Raleigh NC

Please Note: Read the fee alert at the end of this review, which soured a fairly strong dining experience.

Located in the Northeast Raleigh area in the Iron Works, you will find this Adriatic region-inspired restaurant bringing raw fish crudo, eclectic small plates, fresh pasta, and a variety of fish and protein options in an open kitchen dining room with an earthy modern décor.

We started the dining experience with Whipped Ricotta with salted strawberry, pistachio, basil, lepinja. I was impressed with the balance of flavors and textures with the creamy whipped ricotta complemented with the sweet and salted strawberries, the added crunch of the pistachios and the slight aroma of the fresh basil. This elevated presentation and flavor profile provided a great starting point for the meal.

Next, we delved into the world of homemade pasta with their Gnocchi with beef neck pasticada, pecorino, and parsley. The presentation of this dish was OK. The excessive pecorino cheese on top really hides the focal point of the dish, which is the Gnocchi itself. It wasn't extraordinarily inviting, but the taste and flavors of the dish certainly made up for the lack of presentation. The perfectly cooked homemade gnocchi was combined with the tender, slow-cooked beef neck in this rich, savory sauce. Combining the dish with the pecorino cheese added a nice, sharp, salty finish to the overall flavor profile. Unfortunately, I didn't care for the added parsley; I actually believed it was a distraction from the beautiful combination of flavors in the dish.

For the main course, we had several entrées and added a side of the asparagus. Entrée # 1 was the Whole Roasted Branzino ajvar, crispy guanciale crumbs, herb salad. The fish was cooked impeccably, sitting on a red pepper sauce, adding a unique smoky, slightly sweet and savory flavor to go with the Branzino fish. It was a perfect balance that complemented the fish, which made every single bite truly memorable. Entrée # 2 was Wood Roasted Pork Chop lemon blossom honey fennel pollen. This dish looked perfect in presentation, bringing heightened anticipation to the potential flavor profile one would be ready to experience. Unfortunately, it fell short with more of a bland, subpar flavor profile, making you rethink what little they did to bring out the authentic flavor of the dish. Lastly, there was the side of grilled Asparagus fava bean, ricotta salata, and almond. While I loved the flavor combination of the pureed fava bean, the ricotta salata, and the almond, it was a bit too much. It completely drowned out the natural flavors of the asparagus. We ended up taking the toppings off the asparagus to enjoy the asparagus alone, which infused some of the toppings' flavors but still truly allowed you to enjoy the main focus of the dish.

CAUTION: Hidden Fees. Upon completing our dining experience, having had a wonderful evening in this lovely restaurant, it was time to pay the bill. After reviewing the bill, I sent the waitress away with my credit card, which came back to the table for me to sign. I unfortunately noticed that they had added a 3% service charge for using a credit card. I was a bit taken aback by the fact they never verbally told me there would be such a fee, and quite frankly, I would have never expected a high-end restaurant to pass that type of charge to their diners. While the manager stated there is a note on the "confirmation email," like many people who don't read the entire confirmation email, this was not something I was warned about before dining. They should go out of their way to let the diner know that such a fee exists upon sitting in the restaurant, setting the expectation of what to expect toward the end.

While the dining experience was excellent overall. I will choose to take my $250+ dining experience for 2 to another restaurant...

My husband and I finally made it here for dinner and were very happy with the overall experience. For me, personally, I wasn't really excited about the idea of this place solely because of my dietary restrictions. As someone with Celiac Disease (have to eat gluten free) and following a vegan dietary pattern, I didn't see one thing on the menu that even looked like it would fall into something I could eat. But.... The chefs here are actually real chefs! They are artists who seemed to get excited to come up with something new and stretch their creative skills. Now... This is my kind of chef!

Chef Connor and his team were phenomenal! I was able to get the Tomato Salad to start and they just modified it to make it gluten free and vegan. The basil oil they use on it not only holds it's own but is a culinary delight. I'm going to have to start making it here at home for my own dishes, it's that good!

I ordered the Rigatoni for my main, which they were able to make gluten free and vegan as well. It was chock full of fresh summer zucchini, which was a very nice touch. The sauce there used on it was also extremely robust and flavorful.

To our surprise, they brought us each out a dish in between the stater and the main to try. They just decided to whip something up on the fly and it was magical! Mine was a zucchini base, but it had some sort of chili sauce with it that was not only spicy and smoky but just the right amount of salty as well. There was also a hint of sweetness to it, and the flavor combination just really made the dish phenomenal. I asked them if it was on the menu and they told me it wasn't. I told them it DEFINITELY needs to be!

I don't want to discount out wonderful server, Amber. She was not only very friendly and attentive, but knew what they could do for me from a culinary aspect for my starter and main almost immediately. She did confirm with the kitchen prior to putting the order in though, which I greatly appreciated. If you decide to dine here, I highly suggest asking for Amber, as she was wonderful!

She also helped me with a drink selection, after Jordan (the head of all beverages for Crawford) had greeted us initially and gotten our first drink. Both of them were very spot on when it came to choosing the right drinks for my specific preferences.

Overall, I can't speak highly enough about this place. Yes, it's a pricier dining experience. So, for us, this would be a very rare treat. But since our anniversary is next week, we just treated ourselves to this experience to celebrate.

If you haven't had the opportunity to check this place out yet, you really must give it a try. If they don't have anything on the menu that looks like you'll be able to eat it, just let them know and I'm sure they'll come up with some delicious creations...

I’d like to share our experience dining at Brodeto.

From the moment you enter the obvious 5-star restaurant your eyes are pulled around the dining area. The space is beautify decorated with art work, plants, and comfortable furnishings. The lighting and music that fill the room creates the perfect environment for a very romantic meal with your loved one(s).

The receptionist greeted us with happy faces and welcomes, and quickly showed us to our table which had front row seats of the open working kitchen, which is a marvel to watch.

Jordan the bar tender is a master at his craft and talked with each one of us about our drink preferences. I personally like the surprise of things, and without fail Jordan made us some “heart made” drinks that made lifting the sprits an enjoyable time.

Amber who recently moved from Michigan and joined the Brodeto team was our waitress. Amber was on point guiding us with our meal selections and made several appetizer suggestions for the table that complimented our dining experience. Again, because I like surprises, I gave Amber carte blanche and she picked my entire culinary selections for the evening. Amber is a very friendly person, with a bubbly personality and smile that suits her. The personal service that she gave to us, was as we were the only people in the restaurant, Yvonne and I never felt that we weren’t being attended to.

Zachary the maître d is an absolute professional, he is a warm and inviting individual who came to our table several times and checked in on us.

Moving to the kitchen, not that I was able to view their highly talented skills at work. However, I have met the with Chris who is the lead chief, Suzanne whom is Brodeto’s lead for pastry, bread, and desserts… save room.

What about the food you say… Each bite is a complexity of robust and delicate flavors. From the Black Risotto, Octopus & Pork Belly, Sardine Toast (my favorite app), Chicken Agrodolce, Porterhouse, desserts and cordials to name a few of the delectable plates that Scott Crawford (the owner) and his fantastic team presented us with last night. All of which stopped Yvonne and I for a loss of words to describe everything that was happening with each highly savored bite.

I’ve been to 36 states, 12 counties, and have eaten at broken down places to the flashy all of which are fantastic in their own ways. However, dining at Brodeto’s was an absolute superb experience and should an absolute must on your list of places to visit and revisit.

To all of those people behind the scenes that make the magic of dining at Brodeto’s happen. I tip my hat in recognition of all that is put forth in effort.

Thanks again for a fantastic time,...