Foxcroft Food & Wine - Raleigh — Restaurant in Raleigh

Tonight I went to dinner with one of my high school friends. It’s been a while since I’ve been out locally to anywhere other than a bar or pub, so I was looking forward to it. We chose Foxcroft Wine Company in North Hills. It’s a wine bar with a nice reputation, so my expectations were decent going in.

We started with drinks. I ordered a flight and then a glass of Riesling afterward. The Riesling was really, really good - probably the highlight of the night for me. For food, I ordered the lamb sliders, while my friend had a salmon salad.

Here’s where things got rocky. The menu is simple with limited options - not such a bad thing. The lamb sliders were listed under “small plates.” Honestly, they should have been under “appetizers” or “starters” because that’s really what they were. I even asked the server if they came with anything, and he said no. Still, I ordered them because I really wanted the lamb.

The manager actually brought out our food. He complimented my friend on her salmon, telling her the fish had just filleted within the last 30 minutes. But when it came to my sliders, he didn’t mention a thing. I joked and said, “I need something more than this - maybe some fries,” but he just chuckled and kept it moving.

Then came the real letdown. I bit into one slider, and all I could taste was the sauce and pickle. I took another bite just to be sure, but the lamb had no flavor at all - no seasoning, nothing. As someone who actually loves lamb, I was disappointed. I set the sliders aside. When our waiter finally came back, I told him the meat needed seasoning. He offered to bring me something else, but I declined. I didn’t want to risk another miss, and I wasn’t in the mood for just a salad. He did take the sliders back, but the manager never came to check in, which felt like another miss in service.

The check came to about $30 for my flight and glass of wine. At least the setting made up for some of the experience. The patio is simple and understated but the interior has a great aesthetic with wine racks, well-spaced tables, dime sectioned by region and an inviting bar. The hostess was very kind and welcoming, and some of the other dishes I saw coming out looked really appetizing.

Overall, my experience was mixed at best. The drinks and atmosphere were lovely, but the food and service left a lot to be desired. I purposely leave negative reviews - I try to point out the good along with the not-so-good. But on this visit, outside of the hostess and the wine, there wasn’t much to praise.

Would I give Foxcroft Wine Company another try? Maybe. But tonight, in this...

*Edit 9/26. We did take them up on their offer to come give them another try. Service was much better this time. Food was good, a little pricey for what it was but on par with the area. I still think it's odd they don't have a bottled wine menu, even just a QR code to scan and see prices. Tried this place for the first time tonight, 9/12, and will never be back. The manager and host were kind, cleaned off a table outside for us. After we were seated it was 25-30 minutes before the server came by. We asked him about prices for bottles of wine (not having bottle prices on the menu at a wine bar is strange to me) and he told us to go inside. Okay, my friend and I go inside to look at bottles... Our server comes up and asks if we are ready to order a bottle. We tell him we are still curious about prices since none of them are listed. Suddenly now he knows the prices, even though when we asked outside he told us to go inside. We order a bottle and he brings it a few minutes later, I barely got an appetizer order in as he is walking away. Probably 10 minutes later the appetizer comes out. Server is nowhere to be seen. It was fine, toasted garlic bread. Eventually I go back inside and ask the host if we can pay because we've been there an hour and still haven't ordered entrees. The server suddenly appears once I get back outside and asks if we want to order. I say no, we just want the check. It was incredibly awkward because he's standing there with the handheld machine waiting for me to chose a tip, while I'm not sure what I should be ripping for because we received hardly any service. We still spent over $50 for one bottle of wine and some bread. There's plenty of places in Raleigh that actually want your business, don't waste...

For my son‘s birthday today, I decided to take him to lunch. He previously heard about a new restaurant (Foxcroft Wine Co.) in the North Hills area that first opened in January 2025, and opened for lunch last week. He was eager to try it, so we decided to go there.

I arrived at about 2:10 pm and was seated right away while I waited for my son to arrive. Luckily, there was capacity for us to have a walk-in visit.

Everyone at this establishment was very professional, courteous, and friendly. The ambience was beautiful with slightly modern decor, and the atmosphere felt homely.

Our server, Victoria, was quite a delight. She was patient with us knowing that this was our first visit at the restaurant. She also took the time to answer our questions and clarified items on the menu as requested.

We ordered two sets of Flights, Truffle Fries, Shrimp Cocktail, and Pear & Serrano Ham Flatbread. The Truffle Fries were flavorful and had just the right amount of crunch. The flatbread dish was good and had a diverse taste with the mixture of rosemary, ham, and honey. The shrimp cocktail was also good but I felt the portion should’ve been larger for a lunch size dish. And of course, the various Flights brought all the flavors together for a smooth finish.

We will definitely visit again, but next time I would like to experience their...