The Pickled Onion Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Raleigh

Wow-the food was great! But the service was NOT like the old Picked Onion in Wakefield. They opened last week, so take that for what it’s worth, but not their only location, so you expected more. Once seated, we waited 10 mins to order drinks along with an appetizer and food for my 9yo, and figured she would come back to take mine and my husband’s order. Another 10 minutes later, the chicken crack appetizer came with maybe 14 chips-(in the end they charged us $4.99 for more chips which were rung up as chips and salsa!! They never said there would be an up charge for more chips!?!) My son‘s dinner came and we STILL had not ordered our dinner yet. When somebody walked by we asked if we could order, and their response was “it is tavern style SO anybody can take your order”. So we asked that person if we could order our dinner- she said she would send someone. I also asked her for another beer and she said she couldn’t get it, so I pivoted to a soft drink and she said she couldn’t get that either, but that she would send a server. So how are you going to tell me that tavern style means I can ask anybody, except for you! We finally got to order a refill for my husband, and some more chips for our dip five mins later. Another six minutes later, and the same guy that took our order, walked by, brought my husband the wrong type of soda and said our chips were coming. Another 8 mins later and I think by now you get the point that this was taking forever. We finally received a whole tray of chips along with our dinner. Again, once we finally received our food, it was great! Just go with a lot of patience and time. Things they could improve upon would be less TVs- my husband loves sports, but it was very overwhelming because there’s literally a TV everywhere you look! with massive amounts of sports and nothing else. There’s also a sign that says “ask your server about changing the TV station”. They were so busy + the tavern style = never asked to change it. Telling you about this “tavern style” dining would be key communication from the hostess! The old Pickled Onion was not like that, and to be fair, you expect the same service style when you go to the same place even if it is in a different location. At the end of our meal, the waitress realized after she had run my card that she gave us the wrong check. But I also did not look at it when she brought it because at this point, we were just ready to go. Lastly, they charge you a 3% surcharge for using your credit card (and I would assume debit card too). When you’re charging $17 for 10 wings, I believe you can cover the 3% surcharge. or it’s just a cost that the restaurant should automatically cover in my opinion. Again, we waited five minutes to get seated and the food was better than the previous location. Sadly, the service, wait time between ordering and receiving food, trying to get drinks & refills, and being charged for chips and salsa that we did not order, makes us not want to go back for quite some time. Especially when other restaurants can be on time even when they are busy! Feel free to go, just make sure you have a lot of patience and time. We were not in a rush, but it gets a little frustrating when other people are ordering before you, that have been there for less time than you. Nobody likes being ignored, especially when they ask you to leave a Google review on...

Huge shoutout to The Pickled Onion & their new location in Lafayette Village! 10/10 recommend checking them out :)

(Long story ahead!) For some context, my boyfriend and I were looking for a new close spot for dinner tonight and came across The Pickled Onion on Apple maps. We hadn’t heard of it before, so we decided to check it out… only to discover once we got there they were seemingly closed for a private event. We almost turned around, but a super friendly guy at the door waved us in and welcomed us like we were meant to be there. Welllll…. Turns out that guy was the owner, Greg! He explained they weren’t officially open yet and this was a soft opening for invited guests. But instead of turning us away, he insisted we stay - treated us to dinner and drinks, gave us some fun merch, and made us feel right at home. it was seriously such a kind thing to do and was so unexpected.

The food was super good - the shrimp tacos hit the spot (pic below), and my boyfriend’s burger was gone in seconds- and the whole vibe of the place was upbeat and welcoming. The staff were all lovely, and the space had a great energy. It’s also worth noting that (although we didn’t pay for our food this time), the prices were all very reasonable and more than worth it for the quality of the food. I don’t usually expect a lot food-wise from sports bar type restaurants but I was genuinely so impressed!!!

We’ll definitely be back once they officially open, and if this night was any indication, The Pickled Onion is going to be one of our favorites for a while to come!!! Huge thanks again to Greg and the team for their generosity and hospitality - what a wonderful evening that made for the highlight...

Unfortunately, our experience was less than pleasant. Our order was incorrect,. There were no onion straws on the burger and the side was fries instead of the jalapeño Mac and Cheese I ordered. My burger went back to the kitchen where straws were added but no Mac and cheese came out. Instead it was indicated it would come out later. After waiting a considerable amount of time and eating over half my meal without the side I ordered, I enquired about it. A sorry excuse for Mac and cheese came out. It was dry, mostly bare macaroni noodles, no bechamel sauce was evident, there was barely cheese and no jalapeños. When I called the bartender/waiter who took my order over to complain, he was rude and aggressive, saying “I’m a bartender not a cook” . Well no he isn’t a cook but he is the waiter who got my order wrong and as a waiter he is first in line for complaints. The managers, I ultimately spoke to, were apologetic and comped my meal ~$7.00.. Still the experience was less than desirable and not sure I’ll be returning to give it the other chance the managers...