The Heritage Grille — Restaurant in Wake Forest

First and last time eating here. Fortunately we were in the good company of family otherwise we would have left an hour in.

Party of 8. 7 adults and 1 teenager. It took about 30 minutes to be served drinks. We didn't complain though. I ordered a glass of wine which was served in a flute that was only 1/2 filled. I was confused but didnt ask any questions. After the three sips that glass provided I tried to order another glass and she said they were out. That explained the small pour in a flute but whats interesting is this place is a wine bar too. I didnt complain though. Later, she comes back and says the wine bar has some wine and shes able to get me a glass. That one arrived in a regular wine glass and was appropriate size. I was ordering basic, popular wine. Such a weird experience.

It took 1.5 hours for our food to come out! It wasnt only our food that was delayed, it was literally every table in the restaurant. No one had food after waiting more than an hour. Multiple tables of people just ended up leaving. They got no apology, no visit from the manager, nothing. After they started serving our food the waitress said to my mother in law that they could not prepare her BLT because they were out of tomatoes. She asked if she wanted to order something else! And wait another 1.5 hours while everyone else is done eating, no thanks. They should have addressed this issue when the order was placed not as meals were being served. We asked for a plate so that we could just share our entrees with her. The plate was brought out half way through dinner, by that time she had already resorted to putting her food on a small appetizer plate that was on the table. No apologies or ownership that they had failed us, but they did say "no worries, we wont charge you". Haha. We didnt complain though. The birthday man's (hes 44) mother in law always makes a birthday cake for him. She makes the best cakes! The cake was sitting on our table the entire night (hours because it took that long to get our food). We quietly sang him happy birthday and enjoyed a slice of cake. We eventually had to ask for the checks to be brought to us. When the checks came, the waitress let us know theres a $20 fee being applied for bringing an outside desert. We should have been informed of this at any time during the multiple hours it took to be served. We didn't complain though. After 25 minutes, the waitress had still not come to collect our checks/cards. We actually had to take them to someone and politely ask for them to be processed. We had been there for many hours at this point, and were at this point pleading for some level of decent service so we could get home before midnight. They also charge a 3.5% fee if you pay by credit card. The service was awful, management and hospitality was non-existent, the food was just okay. We never complained as we know the restaurant business is tough, but we will never return and would not advise any of our friends to visit either. The family still had a great night, and we made some funny memories about the worst service we've ever received, so giving this place 1...

I’m giving Heritage grille 2 stars for a few reasons. When I ordered a medium fillet mignon, it was presented to me rare it was not the warm pink that I was told it would be. They took it back and, the same steak came back to me (cut in half) that was squished on a flat top and cooked to the medium temperature that I asked for. This also happened to another person at our table who ordered medium rare, and her steak was rare (barely cooked) and had to also go back to be cooked to her preferred temp.

The vegetables that were presented to us when our meals arrived were not including all three of the vegetables that were noted when the waitress explained the ‘vegetable of the day’, green beans, carrots, and onions. The manager or somebody in charge brought us a family style of those vegetables, noting that they were not all included well after our meals arrived.

When the steak Oskar was recommended, we were not told the cost of the up charge and it was not listed on the menu at all.the lump crab meat was scarce.

We were told the table behind us had a birthday there (person who worked at the restaurant) and a professional photographer. The owner/manager spent a lot of time at that table but didn’t see concerned that our $43 steaks were not cooked order.

We were concerned when the waitress told us that we should order the steak more well done that we normally would.

Overall, the restaurant was OK, but I believe that it was overpriced. I do think that I have had better steak in other local establishments in Wake Forest (Amelia’s is a thousand times better for your money). Nothing was comped. There was no option of free dessert. There was also no bread that was offered. I probably will not go back to the establishment seeing that I spent a lot of money for something that was not that great. Not to mention it was also our first time visiting and it was for my husband’s birthday.

Response to owners comment At the time that my phone rang, 7:30 pm, I was sitting down eating dinner with my family and friend. We don't allow phones at our dinner table, therefore I definitely missed your call. I never received an email - maybe that went to spam. The issue I have with the response is that, the review originally posted 5 days ago and you aren't patient in allowing me to 'respond' in the same amount of time. It was 30 min after you call that you posted your comment - which tells me that you are a little impatient so you probably understand our frustrations when it comes to less than mediocre food and service when spending $200+ per couple. I have tried to return your call, this morning at 9:15 am and the phone just keeps ringing. I would definitely like to hear what you...

For those who rated this a 5-star experience, it seems they may either be unfamiliar with the standards of true fine dining or are showing courtesy to the staff due to personal connections. Having dined at many fine-dining establishments across the country, I can confidently say this is not one of them.

While I initially drafted a more detailed review, I’ll keep it brief. First, the chef clearly lacks the ability to properly cook or season a steak. My wife’s medium steak arrived raw and cold, I honestly thought it mooed when she cut into it. This is a most unfortunate error for any kitchen, especially one claiming to offer fine dining. Second, if you’re looking for a well-seasoned steak, you’d be better off at places like Texas Roadhouse or Sawgrass—where you’ll pay less and get a tastier meal with sides to match. (Note the menu shows two steak sauces at no extra charge, however if you get one of the ones the waitress offers you too could pay $14 extra for something that may have cost the kitchen $0.75)

Finally, a note for management: If you're trying to offer a French-inspired dining experience, it would help to ensure your servers can pronounce the French terms on the menu correctly. It was a bit awkward for both the server and guests. Additionally, consider training your kitchen staff to cook steaks to order and, more importantly, to season food properly. The dishes were underwhelming and lacked flavor. If a customer has an issue with their meal, offering a simple apology or a small gesture like a drink or dessert would go a long way. I didn’t notice any manager interacting with guests or checking in on their satisfaction, except for one instance where a manager seemed more concerned with a photo session happening at another table.

This is the first time I’ve ever written a review that includes the phrase "never again," but I can say with certainty that I will not be returning to this establishment.

Response to owner's note You did reach out to my wife, however, we were in the middle of dinner with our family at that time (roughly 7:30pm). Approximately 30 minutes later, you posted that you had not heard from her. Before making such a post, it might be more reasonable to allow 3-4 days for a response, which is roughly the same amount of time it took you to respond to the initial reviews. It raises some concern that you would wait that long to reply, yet only allow a brief window for the individual to respond before suggesting they were in the wrong for not replying immediately. Just be fair in...