Mozelle's — Restaurant in Winston-Salem

It is extremely rare that I write a bad review; let alone a bad review for what is almost certainly a very good restaurant. My fiance and I had dinner at Mozelle's on a Friday night, outside, and it was perfect... right up until it wasn't. Our waiter was clearly an excellent server. Good chat and perfect level of service. Good knowledge of the menu and of what is a very thoughtful and fairly priced wine list. Service was great for our appetizers and first glasses of wine. We then ordered a salad and entrees and a bottle of wine. This was the point where things went wrong.

The salad arrived almost immediately after we ordered it, but strangely the waiter left the decanted bottle of wine and two glasses without offering the cork or pouring a taste. We were finishing our glass of white so I thought he'd return to do so. He did come back about ten minutes later, by which time I'd poured, and excused the lack of pour as saying he likes to let people drink at their own pace. Then he didn't return for 35-45 minutes. No entrees, no checking in, no updates on progress, nothing. Tables around us arrived and received their entrees while we waited. We watched as other diners received the type of fine dining service we had for the first portion of our meal, but we were totally ignored. 35-45 minutes later he came back and asked if we wanted to see the dessert menu. We were of course shocked and told him we hadn't had entrees. He was clearly surprised. He'd totally forgotten about us. He went back and "surprise" the food was ready just now. Clearly it had been sitting under a heat lamp in the pass for 30-40 minutes. I told him I'd be unhappy if the food was cold. My fried chicken was hot on top but the green beans and mac and cheese under it were cool and it was not hot throughout. Eventually the waiter sent the manager to check on us, a blonde woman. She approached as if expecting unpleasantness and asked how everything was. So I told her about our experience. Then she said "well I didn't need that." I reminded her that she had asked. She also tried to blame the kitchen, saying they'd been backed up. This made me very unhappy as it was clearly a lie. We watched other tables arrive and receive their entrees while we waited. Our entrees were not complicated. The kitchen didn't screw that up; front of house did. It was apparent from the way the waiter was gone for so long after being so attentive earlier in the meal.

I believe the problem was, perhaps, a table of four that came in and sat at the table next to us. They were greeted by the manager as if they were owners or family or good friends. They received the VIP treatment (which is fine, of course) while we were ignored (which was not fine). We were the last table in the row of outside tables and we were simply overlooked. If the manager had just apologized and been honest I'd have had no problem. Maybe offer a free coffee or comp a glass of wine and everything would have ended happily. Just an earnest apology also would have sufficed. Instead she lied and blamed the kitchen, failed to take accountability or apologize. By that point the entree portion of the meal was just disappointing. The initial pleasant feelings of the meal had entirely deflated. I think it would have been excellent had it arrived when it was supposed to and had service continued as it started. The restaurant is fairly priced for the quality but with a bottle of wine and the full thing it is still not an inexpensive meal and one expects a certain level of service when spending hundreds of dollars. Clearly they know how to deliver that level and did so for half of the meal.

My overall takeaway is this place is lovely, has good food, a great setting, good wine, experienced servers, and a good vibe. Unfortunately they really failed on the service side this time. I'd probably return someday and hope it was a one-off, but for the time being it has certainly left a sour taste...

If I had to sum up Mozelle's, I'd say it was "upscale", but not "uptight."

The restaurant is small, but there's certainly an attention to detail from the way they utilize their space, the conscious effort to source locally produced ingredients, and their menu offerings.

I've frequented this place in different stages of my life, so I feel great about the consistency of great service and dining. I'm told that reservations are encouraged, but I've always found myself lucking out with heading in for late lunch or early dinner without one. With my husband, we've enjoyed their indoor space where we could watch the staff prepping the food while waiting on our meals. With our first baby, we would meet other parent friends in the enclosed outdoor space which was surprisingly very cozy, bright and well-decorated considering the space was simply outdoor seating covered with a windowed tarp wall. And in the warm summer days, it's nice to sit under generously shaded tables along the sidewalk to take in the sunshine and get a pulse of the downtown energy passing by as you enjoy your meal.

Most recently, we enjoyed what seemed like one of the last summer days outside, with our now toddler, who had tripped along the sidewalk upon being seated and the hostest was so accomodating not only trying to catch her midfall but bringing out first aid materials to patch her up, and plenty of love and care. Our daughter loved her big blue bandaid and immediately felt better about sitting still for our early Sunday dinner together. This speaks to the customer service I've consistently had with Mozelle's.

Of course, the food is the biggest reason for this review! I enjoyed the house soup of the day which was the refreshing seasonal taste of pumpkin. We also ordered the edamame hummus which was unexpectedly tangy, unique, and perfect to convince our toddler to eat her proteins. I should also mention she loves edamame so it was nice to see she enjoyed it served this way as well.

For our entrees, I my husband enjoyed the beef short rib which was amazingly tender, crispy on the outside, and the little fat on it melted in your mouth. He loved mixing it with the mashed potatoes which were buttery and fluffy.

For me, I enjoyed the mushroom pasta (v) parmesan cream, roasted local mushrooms + crispy sage with salmon. I loved the texture of the noodles, which filled my mouth with a slightly curled texture and paired with the mushrooms, I was in heaven. Two of some of my favorite ingredients! The Salmon was also yummy, generously portioned and left me feeling ridiculously full. A great combo of things as an especially hungry preggo lady!

All in all, make a great impression! This is the sort of place you could happily take your visiting friends and family to, representing some of the best Winston-Salem offers. It's a little pricy, but the food tastes great, the staff is accommodating and friendly, and the space is uniquely utilized as a corner sitting restaurant. I'll continue to keep...

Mozelle's consistently serves delicious meals that never disappoint. I've eaten here many times over the past few years and their classic fried chicken and mac 'n' cheese reigns supreme. The meatloaf and shrimp and grits are also excellent. While I love their classic menu, definitely check out their seasonal entrees as the cold spicy noodle with tofu was perfect for a warm summer evening. Save room for dessert because THEY ARE AMAZING. The crème brulee is so, so good. I tried their caramel peach shortcake this time and it was top-notch: the peaches were cooked and sweetened, the caramel drizzle was subtly sweet, and the pile of fresh whipped cream on top was heavenly.

The only reason I didn't give Mozelle's five stars this visit was because the service was quite slow and the waitress forgot to bring our appetizer. I will visit again and hope the service will be more on par with dining at Mozelle's from two years ago.

Update 1/7/2024: The food continues to excel at Mozelle's! The fried chicken is incredible and the creme brulee is light, flavorful, and just everything I want in a creme brulee. The waitress was great, striking the perfect balance of checking on us but not hovering. But, we were squeezed into a two-person table that was just a few inches from another two-person table, and it was way closer than I wanted to be to other people when I'm trying to have an intimate meal. It was close enough that the couple next to us tried to start a conversation with us and asking us about our food, which wasn't what I wanted to do on a date night with my husband. This was disappointing since I had made a reservation. Next time, I'll ask to be moved to a different table.

Update 4/7/2024: I tried brunch at Mozelle's for the first time! I was very excited to try their gnocchi dish that was posted on the on the menu online, but alas they had switched to their spring menu. I ordered the eggs benedict and it was good, but not amazing. The grits were creamy and flavorful, and were a nice side. But the eggs benedict itself was lackluster, especially since it was just one. It came on a potato bun half that was Pepperidge Farm-style, with just a small amount of collard greens. Sausage gravy and candied bacon on top were good, though! I would stick to Mozelle's for their dinner or dessert options! I was also disappointed in the waiting staff and hope that it just the waiter's first day and he will improve; when we asked for another minute to order food, he didn't return for 15 minutes and then never returned after we got our meal to check on the food or refill water. I'll continue to go to Mozelle's for their fried chicken, but hope...