Snuff Mill Restaurant, Butchery & Wine Bar — Restaurant in Wilmington

Snuff Mill really has it all. Not only are the steaks the best you will ever have, the sides are completely awesome. So are the drinks, so is the service, so is the ambiance.

To expand: wait staff was very attentive. Offered tastings of wine (no fee) which oftentimes isn't available. Our waitress was able to explain everything on the menu, and what to expect.

The drinks were just great. We had a few different ones before switching to wine for dinner, and the old fashioned was superb.

Food! What can I say. I had the dry aged NY strip and I haven't had a better one in my life. I'm 49 so I can say I've eaten a fair amount of steaks. This topped them all easily. No contest. The sides were really good: the mushrooms weren't run-off-the-mill portabello's, they were a variety of mushrooms I can't usually get in the store and they were absolutely delicious. We had a side of brussels and they were delicious as well.

To get back to the steak: I got the NY Strip medium/rare and they delivered on the temperature perfectly. But it also had a beautiful and tasty char, obviously NOT induced by some sort of messing around, that was skillfully cooked. Really the most delicious steak I have had, ever.

The ambiance is very charming. Not a LOT of tables, so it isn't loud. The music is well picked and stays in the background, it's not annoying; I am very sensitive to loud music for the sake of covering up whatever noise. It just feels like you found some nook that's super comfortable and also has awesome food. Very intimate.

Don't even get me started on desert. The apple cake was ridiculous.

I haven't had that good a dining experience in... I don't think I've had a dining experience that good before. And we eat out a lot. Various "steak houses" could really learn, or perhaps not because they're not as focused on the customer.

Pricing: This is not a cheap place. Expect to pay $150+ per person if you're having a good night out with drinks. But I will tell you, it's worth every penny. I'd rather cut back on regular "going out" if this is something we can do every few months. It's absolutely no comparison to other dining in larger places. And face it, a smaller place needs to compensate for their lower #tables. No problem for me, just look at the menu before you book a table.

10/10. I can't...

Always interested in exploring interesting new restaurants in the Wilmington area (we live in the middle of town), I took my husband to Snuff Mill for his 59th birthday. First: atmosphere--a very casual neighborhood bistro style. Jeans and a polo will do you fine. Our food. Michael: shrimp cocktail, New York Strip with tarragon fingerling potatoes, and blueberry cheesecake ice cream from Gemelli in West Chester. Michael is a man of few words, but everything he had was "very good." Most 4.5 star places get a "good" from him, so this says a lot. Me: much more verbal. Start with the escargot, usually served lazily in butter and garlic by themselves. These: perfectly cooked, served on focaccia with olive oil, butter, garlic, basil and cherry tomato confit. Just delightful! Second course, 20 oz bone-out ribeye, medium (yeah, I know, shut up). Gorgeous char, seasoned, as perfect cuts should be, with salt and pepper. a dollop of herbed butter on top, which I quickly transferred to the same delightful tarragon potatoes my husband had (my dish came with seasonal veg, but I am an obligate carnivore, so that has to be swapped out). We are both huge foodies, all kinds of cuisine, but I can honestly say that I have never been served plain potatoes with tarragon before. It gave the potatoes a lovely light sweetness that was wonderful and unique. Dessert: hubs has the blueberry cheesecake ice cream--I had the actual blueberry cheesecake, and it was just eye-rolling into the back of your head fabulous. Not too heavy, not too cloying, flavor-wise, just a perfect balance. Add a double-espresso, and that's the cap on a pretty perfect evening. But we mustn't neglect the staff. We were assisted by Michael, who I must assume was the owner, or one of, as we got into discussing the escargot, and he mentioned other sources of interesting products that they'd looked into, so he must have a direct hand in the decision making. He was wonderful, took all my annoying foodie questions with the utmost respect and seriousness, without reflecting any sense that he was just placating a chattering client. He was busy, but he took the time, and seemed to appreciate the...

$200 Dollar Mistake at Snuff Mill Restaurant and Butchery. Our recent experience at Snuff Mill Restaurant and Butchery was an unfortunate disappointment. What we hoped would be an enjoyable evening of excellent food turned into a frustrating ordeal that left us regretting the $200 we spent.

We had an 8 p.m. reservation but weren’t seated until 8:20 p.m. While we understand occasional delays, this was not the best start to our evening. We specifically chose Snuff Mill for their renowned steak frites, only to discover they were out. Instead, we were offered filet frites as a substitute, which sounded promising but fell far short of expectations.

When our meals arrived, the steaks were lukewarm at best, though the frites were hot. Hoping for better, we sent the dishes back to the kitchen. What we received in return was a baffling attempt to fix the issue: hot sauce poured over the filets and the frites deep-fried for a second time, leaving them overly crispy and greasy. It was clear that no care or thought had gone into salvaging the meal.

To make matters worse, the ambiance of the restaurant was disrupted by a raucous table of eight women whose loud and obnoxious behavior dominated the space. While a lively atmosphere is often welcome, this was excessive and went unchecked by the staff, further detracting from our experience.

The restaurant did attempt to make amends by comping our dessert and providing a glass of dessert wine, but these gestures couldn’t erase the disappointment of the evening. For $200, we expected exceptional service and food, not lukewarm steaks, over-fried frites, and an unpleasant dining environment.

Snuff Mill Restaurant and Butchery may have a reputation for quality, but based on this experience, it fell far short of delivering. Unfortunately, we won’t...