Stella — Restaurant in University Heights

Poor customer service from the manager! We are a group of women (from different states and countries) that gather monthly at different local restaurants in order to introduce newcomers to the city or just to socialize. This time we were a party of 8 and unfortunately there was an issue with the manager at the end of the dinner that ruined the whole experience. When we were about to order we were told that we will be charged with a forced tip of 20% and billed with only one check because we were a party of 8. With that said, we decided to continue with our order and be ready to do our own math to pay at the end in order to help the waitress. The food was good.....at least. The nightmare began when we asked for the check. We were ready to pay (we each did the math of how much per person and per credit card including taxes and the 20% tip) and proceeded to give them our credit cards. Then the waitress said that besides billing only one check for our group, she was authorized to receive ONLY ONE method of payment as business policy.....that is something different than we were told at the beginning and different from what is written at the bottom of the menu (It says : "Parties with more than 8 will be billed in one check".......to be clear, it doesn't mention anything about the method of payment). We thought that there was a misunderstanding and we decided to talk with the manager about that and find a solution. He came and we kindly explain him the situation (all we wanted to do was paying). He offered an option of splitting the check in 4 parts and we agreed. Then the waitress came and proceeded to divide the checks. Suddenly, the manager came back in a very bad attitude. He started talking back to us in a very rude and disrespectful manner. He raised his voice against us. He said that they can't do anything. Then he changed his mind and said that they can not take more than 3 cards (which was different from what he said previously), he yelled at us asking us to pay immediately in a very disrespectful way with only one method of payment. We were surprised and dissapointed with his reaction because he refused to received our credit cards. In addition, he told us that we should go to the ATM and pay with cash (This ATM is located at the entrance of the restaurant and just for your information, every transaction in this ATM costs $3). In order to leave the place (because he made us feel very uncomfortable and unpleasant) one of us charged the whole check to her card. This is the first time that we experienced this. We have been in several restaurants around the area with bigger parties and none of them treated us like this man. To name a few ones with very GOOD customer service are, Tin Roost, Big Grove, Thai Spice, Alebrijes, Cooper Board, Basta, Vesta, Tribute, 30 Hop, Red's, Monica's....and the list could continue....we never have had any problem at those places. I don't know if the manager was tired because this situation happened at the end of the day but that is not an excuse to argue with and treat a group of customers so bad. That is a VERY POOR customer service. In stead of winning more potential clients, this place has lost not only 8 customers but 8 whole families. We don't blame the waitress because she was just following her boss' instructions but it is a shame that a well known place like Stella has such unprofessional and rude person as a manager. None of us will come back...

We dined for lunch today at the suggestion of a few Doctors and a Nurse from University of Iowa's Medical Team. Upon review, we noted Stella's had a 4-star rating so our hopes were high. When we arrived it was nice to see the iron gate entrance with a double patio and easy access to menu posted outside the door. We entered and were promptly greeted by Darren. SUPER Energy. He sat us and took our drink order. The environment was very laid back. Fans were running as there was no AC that we could tell. We were quite comfortable with the fans; however, we do think they need a good cleaning. Despite that, Darren took our order. I can't figure out how he can have that much energy in the heat, yet he keeps pouring it out. While we waited, we came to the conclusion that Stella is a hidden gem and a dive. A place that Guy needs to know about. I digress. We order the Cheese Fries with Bacon. The fries are cut in-house. When they arrived, they were packed with cheese and covered in bacon. It was like a bacon explosion happened on the plate. The fries were good. We believe if they twice fried them, it might make them a little more crispy. Our party devoured them. We ordered three different burgers - a Tingley which has green chili, pepper jack cheese, and guacamole - a Beaconsfield which has bacon, cheddar cheese and BBQ sauce which we believe to be house made - and a Colo which was American and Swiss Cheese on rye bread with grilled onions. We elected to have raw onions for a crisper bite.

All three burgers hit the table at the same time - hot. All of them came with seasoned hand-cut fries. The Tingley was served open faced so I could see the guacamole and the green chili. Upon putting it together and tasting the first bite in the "hontch" maneuver. The flavors were a good mix of cool and spice. The green chili mixed with the guacamole and pepper jack to create just the right blend of savory heat elements to the texture of the beef. The Beaconsfield was served open faced so we can see all the melted goo-wee-ness of the Cheddar Cheese. The bacon and BBQ sauce gave the impression the burger was going to be hot and juicy. But alas, the burger did not set off any fire works for this burger enthusiasts. While the BBQ sauce was great, the combo felt like any other BBQ burger from any other place. We expected the something new and exciting. Just because this was not our favorite, absolutely does not mean we will be back for more. I anticipate many more visits. Our final burger de jour was the the Colo burger on Rye. It was served closed faced with the American and Swiss cheese melted. We opted for raw onions versus grilled onions. We enjoyed the combo of raw onions, tomato, pickles, and the two cheeses. It created a virtuoso of flavor on the pallet with the rye bread adding the base notes of every bite. Our only downfall was, we had the darndest time keeping everything together. Despite that, it was much a delightful burger.

While we had a few minor challenges, we enjoyed our time at Stella. It will certainly not be our last. I am eager to try a few of the Black Bean Burgers and a few of the house specialty drinks. The service was great despite not having AC. Darren's enthusiasm never gave up. I would strongly suggest a visit to this little hole just around the corner from...

So my husband and I were looking for a new place to try for Valentine’s Day. We stumbled upon this place and oh my god did it exceed our every expectation! First, our waiter was absolutely amazing. I wish I had gotten his name so I could give him a shoutout… he didn’t hover over our table constantly or check in every time we took a bite, we also never ran out of drinks and he was around enough for us to enjoy the evening without excessive interruptions. He was SO helpful with the menu, and since we had not been there before we had tons of questions. He has clearly tried everything and knew what he was talking about. He made the experience there great!

Next, the food. My husband and I tried the Crab cake for a starter. It’s just one, but oh my god… if you like crab cakes from Biagis, this is 10000000x better and comes with the most amazing mango jalapeño salsa! It was so good my husband and I were practically fighting over the garnish that had little crab flakes left in it. Would absolutely get it again, only might not share next time. It was also the size of a giant burger, it was reasonable for it to be only 1 cake and I wouldn’t change a thing about it.

Next, I ordered the gumbo and my husband got the jambalaya. I was excited that these two did not taste at all the same and we’re beautifully executed. The okra was perfectly tender and not bitter, the shrimp was fresh and crisp, not over done or sitting in some steam pot all day, the andouille sausage was probably the best I have EVER had, and nothing was overly spicy! They were smart and kept most of the heat to the chipotle sour cream on top, so you could adjust the level of spice to your liking. I actually can’t handle spicy food so I got regular sour cream instead, my husband loves it and mixed it all in. It was absolutely perfect, and we haven’t been able to stop talking about how impressed we were and how much we can’t wait to go back to try the rest of their menu.

Well done Stella! I hope that waiter we had reads this, because you...