Vinos Finos Tapas and Wine Bar — Restaurant in Raleigh

I'm not happy that I am giving this restaurant a 1 star rating. I feel very strongly that they deserve it. I will start this by acknowledging that every business owner has the right to run their business their way. After what I experienced I would NEVER choose to return again. NOT EVEN IF IT WAS FREE! Every statement I make I will support with a picture I took on the night I was there.

I feel like the business model of this restaurant is specifically designed to fleece its customers. For example their wine flights are 3, 2 oz glasses ranging in price $13 - $15. Okay you are getting essentially 1, $13 - $15 glass of wine. I call that OUCH! You can buy a single decent Bottle for that price. We ordered the Blind Dates Appetizer. What a Rip-Off! $5 for 3 dates wrapped in bacon. There was probably 1- 1 1/2 slices of bacon between the 3 of them. It was bland and I could have bought a pound of bacon for that price. I ordered a beer...It was warm! I didn't even finish it because it was disgusting. My server was nowhere to be seen except when he HAD to service me or a table near me. Otherwise he was behind the bar. He never checked in on us after dropping our food. My "Mix of Cured Meats and Cheeses" with an "extra baguette" for $28 + $1.50 ($29.50) was a total joke you get 7 small slivers of cheese. 3, 3oz ish piles of Genoa Salami, Speck, and I think it was Hot Sopressata with a heaping Tablespoon of Spicy mustard (think the stuff that you get from a chinese restaurant) Whole Grain mustard and Apricot Jam. I don't know what your meat salesman is telling you but I get stuff just like that from Costco. It was bland and boring. All that meat was nice. But having almost no cheese with it made me feel ripped-off. Finally, this is the part that sealed it for me as to never returning. When I got the bill there is a tip suggestion section on the bottom of the bill. For those of you that don't know. The person setting up the credit card machine has to enable that function. Then there is usually a yes or no for the calculation to be made on the total with tax or the subtotal. The total with tax setting was enabled. You see friends this business has "suggested" that you pay 7.25% more gratuity than is fair and customary. This has a net positive effect for their employees because they make more money. This issue is in the buyer beware category.

This is a free country. This business has the legitimate right to operate this way. In fact they may need to do this to remain to competitive and cover expensive rent prices for example. Personally would not elect to do business here ever again. I suggest you look at the pictures I have attached and form your...

This restaurant leaves a lot to be desired. Was totally not worth the price. The chicken wings were tiny and hard, the ice cream on the dessert was melted, and I can't tell you about the filet mignon, because I never received it. I ordered a coffee and specifically asked if there was Splenda (If there wasn't, I wouldn't have ordered it) to which the server responded that they did have Splenda. I waited a very long time before reminding the server of my coffee and finally receiving it.

Sometime after she took our main course order, she returns to the table and tells two ladies in my party that what they ordered is not available because someone told the kitchen to close down and didn't tell the servers. She took their replacement order and then went to put it in the system. She never looked at me, she never asked me if I wanted something else so I assumed that my meal was available and would be arriving. It did not. When I brought this up to her, she proceeded to tell me that she came back to the table and told us that it our meals were not available. She never told me that. I know that because I would have ordered something else, because I was hungry. She never asked me what I wanted to replace my meal with or if I even wanted something else. And this was strange to me because she knew what I ordered because we talked about the temperature of the steak. In which she told me that I didn't have an option it comes as it comes.

I did order the bacon wrapped dates as well as the crab cakes and they were phenomenal! For dessert I got the ricotta cheese cheesecake, it was outstanding!

My overall feeling feeling on this experience is that the staff in this restaurant were more concerned with going home than they were concerned with ensuring we had a good experience. The restaurant closed at 9:30 we arrived at about 8:45. I'm not exactly sure why the kitchen closed 45 minutes before the restaurant, because in my 20 years of being a server, I have never had that happen. Sure they might close a few minutes early but definitely not 45 minutes.

If you really want to eat here, I recommend arriving way before they close and maybe even double checking to make sure that the server actually got your...

Next up for a savory start, Vinos Finos Tapas and Wine Bar!

We tried the fresh Meat and Cheese Board with fresh baguettes. That was a great selection of meat and cheese, and strawberry jam (served on the side), which was an experience unlike any other. I'm a cheese lover. The meat and cheese board was so picture worthy too!

We tried various appetizer tapas that included:

The Tuna Nacho are a killer! Each tortilla is crisped and topped to perfection with seared tuna, guacamole, and thinly sliced of jalapeño pepper with their speciality blended sauces. You can never get a lame chip. Their guacamole is stellar, one that can't be beat. The greenest, freshest avocados brought out the taste of the seared tuna with each bite.

Next came the empanadas. You can tell that the empanadas were made fresh in house, with care: -Duck with sweet potato -Beef -Corn and Cheese

What is a brunch experience without eggs? Every bite of the deviled eggs was a delightfully fluffy one.

The Crab Cakes were surprisingly a monstrous amount of jumbo lump crab meat stacked and toasted to perfection.

The hearty Grilled Shrimp were beautifully twisted and decorated, and full of flavor!

Last but not least, the desserts were unbelievable! You can definitely taste the warmth and love of these delicious desserts:

-The Pannacotta served with a side of sorbet definitely brought on the combination of deliciousness that's on a next level. This is a must try!

-Cheesecake was perfect for sharing!

I can't wait until the weather gets warmer to enjoy their patio seating. Next time I will order some wine as I...