City Cellar Wine Bar & Grill — Restaurant in West Palm Beach

I’m speechless and have no idea how to address this matter, my wife and I came from New York to visit our best friends and they recommended your restaurant knowing that my wife and I are in the industry and I’m a chef myself and adore what I do. Our night started by no one to greet us and we stood at the door for a while for someone to approach us and try and greet us and sit us down , a server came by and his first words was the kitchen closes at 10pm and it was 9:20 when we came in, no greeting no how are you ?! Welcome ?! How may I help you ?! Do you have a reservation with us tonight ?! Nothing...! Eventually he sat us down and we were told that we should hurry up to order because the kitchen will be closing soon. That was the first impression. We started of with 4 cocktails and a bottle of wine witch was on the specials menu, we received our cocktails and shortly after that the server came back saying that they are sold out of this wine. I choose another one and his response was that I will go and check if we have it I can’t guarantee you that we have it knowing that it’s the second time I order a different bottle ! And when I asked him why wouldn’t you ha it knowing that there is only 5 wines to choose from which he should at least know if you have them or not ! However he responded these are manager specials wines that we are trying to get RIDOFF ! I was shocked by the answer and the attitude however I didn’t react , I’m from New York and I have seen and dealt with worst. The service was terrible we almost served ourselves when we received a pile of plates with 4 steak knifes on top witch I would understand and comprise if you were busy but unfortunately he only had 2 or 3 other tables to take care of and he had time to serve it probably, I’m so disappointed and sad about the fact that the place is gorgeous and the food is outstanding and I really enjoyed the food, the servers attitude literally ruined our night and our vacation in general, I did not tip him 20% instead I tipped him 15% hoping he will get the hint and understand he did not serve well and try and improve himself and that’s if he takes his job seriously and cares for and respects the place he is working in , the lovely part comes next, my wife and my friends wife they leave first and shortly after that I follow them because I had to use the restroom, when I went downstairs I noticed that my friend was looking upwards and he kindly asked the same server DAVID if he throw lemons at him intentionally! He replied with a smile, then I know from my wife that on the way down leaving the restaurant he approached my wife and my friends wife saying that you should tell your boyfriend or teach your boyfriend how to tip better, in that case I wish I was not there when that happened because I would have reacted in god knows how what matter but I find it extremely rude and unprofessional to Address your clients who came and spend over 240$ for an hour long experience witch was so unpleasant and we were rushed from the beginning . I wish there was a manager or someone who actually cares for the company and cares for the money invested into the business because it’s a beautiful place and the food is excellent but the service might just ruin the whole image for you . I would love if someone gets back to me ASAP and thank you for the...

I had hoped for better here. I still think they may be capable of better, but not a great first impression.

I went with my wife and a friend of hers to celebrate a milestone for my wife. Our waitress seemed bothered to be serving us from the beginning (I have my suspicions as to why, but let's not even go there). She grimaced when we didn't order cocktails and again when we didn't each order $30+ entrees. Our friend ordered the spinach and artichoke dip as an appetizer and the chicken schnitzel as her entree. My wife ordered one of their pizzas. Seeing 4 entrees that interested me, I asked that or waitress choose one for me as a surprise.

We enjoyed the spinach and artichoke dip as a group without issue.

The food took longer than we expected, which makes sense considering everything arrived overcooked except the pizza.

The chef had burned the spätzel and onion on the schnitzel plate, but not to the point of being inedible, just enough to be disappointing. The gravy with which it was served was lackluster as well, but again not the worst thing I'd tasted.

The part that really gets me is the plate that was selected for me. The choices were between the bronzino, the lamb shank, yellowfin tuna and her selection, the pork chop. I love a good pork chop. This could have been a great pork chop. The port wine reduction and rosemary butter with the pork were actually delicious, but it was served with an overcooked chop. It was a good enough piece of meat to survive and still be somewhat tender. The green beans were also mushy, with no snap to them whatsoever. Easily, the biggest disappointment on the plate is the horrible excuse for a mushroom risotto they tried to serve me. Did chef forget where the spice rack was? Milk, rice and mushrooms, that's all it seemed to be made with, based on the flavor. I actually mentioned how terrible the risotto was to the waitress and get this... She looked me dead in the eye and said, "yeah, it can be real hit or miss here. It really depends on who's in the kitchen."

WHAT??? ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU HAVE SELECTED THAT FOR ME, KNOWING FULL WELL THAT IT'S HIT OR MISS?

Never mind the fact that you never say things like that about the restaurant you work in, for fear of damaging the reputation, but wouldn't you think that picking the best of the four options would have been the obvious choice for someone who relies on tips? I didn't end up paying for this meal, our friend did. I have no way of knowing if the waitress was tipped well or not, but I kind of hope not.

I spent a lot of years as a waiter so I know exactly what the job entails. All you have to do is try a little bit. Not even that much. The mistakes the kitchen made are just mistakes. The waitress was absolutely atrocious and it was always going to be that way...

I don't know her name, but she's the arrogant blonde with glasses and a long...

Disappointing Birthday Experience at City Wine Cellar

I had high hopes for City Wine Cellar to celebrate my birthday, but the experience turned out to be one of the most disappointing restaurant visits of my life. It left me in tears.

Check-In Disaster From the moment we arrived, things started off poorly. The host at check-in was visibly overwhelmed and aggrieved, wearing her emotions on her sleeve. There was no greeting, no smile, and not even basic courtesy. Instead, she huffed, puffed, and told everyone they were running 30 minutes behind on reservations. No eye contact, no apology—just a palpable air of frustration that set a terrible tone for the evening.

Great Server, Decent Food When we were finally seated, our server was fantastic, and the food looked good when it arrived. This part of the experience offered a glimmer of hope, but it didn’t last.

The Cake Debacle I had a custom cake made just for me, complete with personalized candles, and I was so excited for the moment they’d bring it out. I even asked my family to get their phones ready to record. But to my shock and horror, the servers lit my candles and took my cake to another table. Someone at that table blew out my candles!

When I brought this to the manager’s attention, Carmen apologized and offered to bring the cake back to our table—as if I’d want a cake that someone else had blown on. The suggestion alone was insulting and completely unacceptable. She also offered a $50 gift card, which felt like a slap in the face considering how ruined my night was.

Failed Resolution I expected more from the management. A proper resolution would have included a refund for my cake, a comped meal, and an acknowledgment of how mishandled this situation was. Instead, they offered drinks and discounts as if that could erase the experience.

To Jeff, the bartender who came outside to try to salvage the night by inviting me back upstairs so my friends could sing happy birthday and offering another round of drinks—I appreciate the effort, but it was too little, too late.

In the end, they deducted $100 from my bill, but even that didn’t feel like enough for the emotional distress and mishandling of such an important occasion.

Final Thoughts I love wine, and the venue looked promising online, but this experience was beyond disappointing. The staff, from the overwhelmed host to the poorly trained servers, desperately need better training, and the management must learn how to handle sensitive situations with grace and fairness. Drinks and discounts are not an appropriate bandaid for ruining someone’s birthday.

I won’t be returning to City Wine Cellar, and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone looking for a memorable or special...