Caprice bistro — Restaurant in Wilmington

Caprice Bistro Review: Disappointing Service and Lackluster Food – Not Worth the Visit

My wife and I visited Caprice Bistro in Wilmington, NC last night to celebrate our anniversary, hoping for a memorable evening. Unfortunately, our experience was far from what we expected.

Our evening began on a positive note: the hostess seated us promptly, and a busboy quickly brought us water. Our waiter arrived soon after, explained the specials, took our drink orders, and then came back to deliver our drinks and take our dinner orders. He promised to return with bread, but that was the last we saw of him all night.

After about 20 minutes, a bartender, not our waiter, brought our meals. I inquired about the bread, which eventually arrived, but by then, the service had already begun to sour. I ordered the Steak Frites, expecting a high-quality meal given the $42 price tag. What I received was a thin, flavorless ribeye that was tough and chewy. The lack of a proper steak knife made it even more challenging to eat, and I had to flag down a staff member just to get one. Throughout our meal, not a single person checked on us to see if we needed anything – not even another beer or a water refill.

We finished our dinner and waited, hoping someone would come by to clear our plates or offer dessert. That didn’t happen. We noticed that the couple next to us, who were also celebrating their anniversary, were similarly neglected, as was another table nearby.

After waiting far too long, I finally went to the bar to ask for our check. What was meant to be a special evening ended in disappointment. The inattentive service and mediocre food made for a regrettable dining experience.

Caprice Bistro failed to deliver on all fronts. Given the many great restaurant choices in Wilmington, I highly recommend choosing another establishment for a better dining experience. Save your money and your evening – Caprice Bistro is...

Had been wanting to try this place all week, staying about an hour north of Wilmington. There are too many places that call themselves French restaurants because they make crepes or French toast. Having read both reviews and the backstory of the restaurant, I was sold on finding an excuse to venture back down to Wilmington. I have had some good food this week, eating at the top rated places in Jacksonville, Snead’s Ferry, and Topsail. This was far and away the best food we have had all week. My 8 year old will try anything but hasn’t really been eating much this whole time. He won’t eat but a couple of bites of anything then stop. Tonight, he had the cleanest plate of the table after eating their fettuccine (it smelled wonderful, can’t vouch for the taste because he ate it all). I had the waterzooi, my wife had Salmon au Vert. Usually she will let me try some of what she orders in such circumstances. She said it’s at a minimum on the list of best things she’s ever eaten. My waterzooi was fantastic too- fish so tender a person without teeth could eat it. I didn’t want to pass up a chance to try Creme Brûlée the way it was meant to be (as compared to a redneck with a welder and some tapioca pudding). Absolutely delicious. I hate that it took all week to eat there, had I eaten there first I would have made two trips. If you decide to go and you have kids, if a babysitter isn’t an option, I suggest going right when they open. The environment is very “nice date night” to “anniversary” grade. By the time we finished dessert our baby started getting inconsolable it compelled us to take her outside to not risk ruining the evening of the couples who had just came in. I love seeing local businesses succeed, I hope this one continues to do so, that way I can make it back to...

I've only been here twice (I live in Raleigh), and overall I did like it, but in both my experiences, it's not worth the price. I'm going to be picky since it's supposed to be more of an upscale restaurant, and here are my cons:

1. The first time my husband and I went, we had to wait 10 mins after our reservation time to be seated, and then we waited another 15 mins before anyone even came to our table. The hostess actually came over and asked us if our server has been to our table, and when we told her no, she was the one who actually brought us water
2. We still waited another 5 mins before our server came to our table, bit we eventually were able to order drinks and starters. The starters we ordered were very good, and we were happy with them
3. I never received my drink, and when the server came back to take our orders, she asked if I did receive it, and when I told her no and not to worry about it now, she did being me the drink anyway, on the house, so I thought that was nice
4. Both of our entrees were also very good

The second time we went, it was with my in-laws. The starters we ordered were very good again, and there were no issues with drinks or waiting for someone to come to the table. However this time, my entree (I ordered the fish special) was not very good. It was overseasoned, and it was dried out like it had sat under the warming lamp too long. My father in law ordered the fillet mignon,band when he received it, it was in three pieces and was gristly. The husband owner actually ended up cooking him another fillet, which turned out perfect.

Overall, I did enjoy my experience, and will probably go back in the future. However, I will also probably stick to starters and drinks... That is unless there is some amazing entree I feel...