Irregardless — Restaurant in Raleigh

I didn't take pictures this time because I had reviewed this place in the past, even though it appears Google has made that one disappear. This place has been hit or miss for a while now and this time was a huge miss!

I went there with a client to get some lunch and the menu had three options listed for someone like me who is gluten free and vegan. I went ahead and chose the Tofu Scramble. But since the menu clearly states that the vegan sausage that is served with it is not gluten free, I couldn't have that. So I asked if I could just get some sort of greens with it instead. The server asked if I meant a salad. I told him no, just some greens would be great with it.

When it finally came out, which took forever along with everything else this time (even though we showed up around 2:00, which is about 30 minutes before they close) it was wrong. He brought me out a side salad, which I did not ask for, and the plate of Tofu Scramble had two of the sausage patties on it. But he didn't ask me anything when he dropped the plate...he just ran off.

So I had to wait another 5 minutes or so for him to come back by and for me to get his attention to ask him about the sausage patties being gluten free. He said he was pretty sure that they were. I told him that the menu stated that they were not and I needed for him to please double check because I have Celiac. He said he would go check and let me know. Another 10 minutes later he finally came back and told me I was right they were not gluten free, so what did I want him to do with them? I just asked him for an extra plate so I could put them on it. The food was okay but nothing to write home about. The scrambled tofu was very runny and the roasted potatoes were nothing exciting. But that was the whole plate of food, which was $17. Are you kidding me?!

On top of that, when I got the bill, eventually, he also charged me for a side salad. Needless to say, I am a little more than irritated that he almost gluten poisoned me, even though the menu was clear, and he didn't do what I asked him to do and then charged me for extra stuff I didn't ask for. Overall, not a great experience and I don't plan to be back...

I've been to the new Irregardless twice now. Once for a rather disappointing late brunch and a second time for a fabulous welcome back to town dinner. Their prices have definitely risen to The point where I won't be able to visit as much as I used to (and they also don't know what Eastern versus Western BBQ is, but I won't hold that against them).

They're very conscious about vegan options and the dishes are still as high quality as I remember them being under the old management. Disappointed not to see any Raleigh brewing on the draft menu but the drink menu was very good.

I got the most expensive vegan option of course. A "North Carolina BBQ" prepared maitake mushroom on mashed potatoes with a gorgeous, perfect amount of broccoli. Now the fiction kitchen has an Eastern BBQ plate which I love So I was very surprised when it showed up with a ketchup/tomato-based sauce. It was delicious Even though it was a western NC style barbecue sauce. Haha

(My mom got the salmon.)

The time blackberry cheesecake was divine. I hope they keep that one around because I'm definitely coming back for another slice.

I'm happy to report that the staff are excellent, warm, friendly, and professional. Our waitress was friendly and delighted to answer all of our questions since we hadn't been for dinner yet.

Brunch, the music was a little loud and by the time we actually got a table they were out of everything we wanted to order which is a little disappointing and speaks to poor planning. We did get was small but delicious. Not sure I would try brunch again unless I was really hankering for their brunch specifically and if so I would get a reservation a week ahead of time.

As a person who's gone to this specific restaurant for over 2/3 of their life, I'm just glad that it's still exists and is in such good hands.

I just hope they read up a little bit more on barbecue in North Carolina. And make more...

Only giving one star because the food was pretty good. That’s the only positive thing I’ll say. Parking is a pain, since it’s street parking. There is a small lot available down a steep hill from restaurant which is very seedy and dark and unsafe looking. We had pepper spray on hand to walk back to car at night to give you an idea of how dark and unsafe it felt.

Service sucked. Every single wait staff including bussers were touching glassware, dishes, and even silverware where your mouth would go. Gross!!! I saw countless waiters and bussers delivering glasses of wine and champagne from the rim of the glass. I saw a waiter adjust a knife on someone’s table by touching the blade part right in front of the guest. I saw waiters put their fingers in dishes they were clearing from a table hand delivering my dinner and drinks with the same hands that were in someone else’s dish. Talk about disgusting hygiene from customer service!!! Who trained these people?! Clearly no one! They also don’t believe in using trays to assist in delivering and clearing plates. Not once did I see anyone use a tray. Using a tray ensures prompt service. A lot more can get delivered and cleared away using trays. Wait staff carries everything by hand while spreading germs and they don’t even care.

This is basic common sense and logic so either the wait staff lacks logic (unlikely), or they simply don’t care (more likely). My husband asked for a new knife, and it was delivered to him blade facing him without a napkin or anything! The waiter literally handed him a knife that had the blade aimed right at him.

The food is decent except way too expensive for the small portions. I ordered fish, and literally the fish was in chunks and crumbled on top of veggies. I was told it was a filet without any bones. I got chunks of fish instead which was maybe about 3oz total. Unacceptable. This...