Silvia's Honey Tree — Restaurant in Winston-Salem

My friends had recommended Sylvia's Honey Tree for dinner and I like Greek food as well as Lamb so we went. We got seated & my friends asked for beer and the other for wine but were told they had lost their liquor license, so we had tea. Our salads came first with crackers on the side... one friend ordered the Shrimp plate ... the other had Prime Rib & I had a Greek platter with a variety of items on it. Our food was OK nothing to rave about... not the best Shrimp or Prime Rib that we've ever tasted but the Prime Rib was almost cold although my friend didn't say anything & just ate it anyway. The real problem came later when we got the bill. Our waitress had added a side of Texas toast to the Prime Rib order without asking my friend if she wanted it. She doesn't like Texas toast but I ate it because I don't like to waste food. Well it turns out that she was charged for it ... we assumed it came with her Prime Rib since she wasn't asked if she wanted it. It wasn't expensive really but I've never had a waitress add something to our bill without asking us first!! The waitress said most people oder it with the PrimeRib so that's why she brought it... huh !?! So next I noticed on the bill a 3.5% operational fee which is something I've never heard of & I go to restaurants all over the country. I do not recall seeing that printed anywhere on their menu ... nor posted at the front door before entering. I have seen restaurants post signs on the front door and menu of an extra charge to cover customers who pay with credit cards instead of cash ... which makes sense to me ... but not just a blanket fee regardless of form of payment. I asked our waitress what the fee was for... does it go to the workers to supplement income... is it supposed to be considered as an mandatory minimum tip... she said she didn't know what it was for. Ok... so I Googled it & now I know ... but that is something that should be Promenantly Posted so customers are made aware before dining there. We got our updated bill with the unasked for Texas Toast taken off but... she slipped in a higher priced meal which I didn't notice until later after we left... and ... charged us for the Shrimp & Flounder plate instead of the Shrimp only plate!! Wowwww ... just Wowwww. How unethical & sneaky is that?!? Bottom line... I will tell everyone I know what happened & I certainly won't be back. If they pull weird upcharges like that who knows what corners they're cutting on the food they serve... how fresh or old is it... what can did it come out of ... how long has it been sitting around and then tossed in the micro to heat it up? This place was like something from an episode of Hells Kitchen. Yikessss. And... I kept my paper receipt... so if they try to slip any unauthorised extra charges on when my statement comes in I'll be calling my card company or my lawyer to have a chat...

Honestly, the food was solid, but there’s a story about how the business is run that needs to be told.

When I walked in, the establishment was nearly empty. The hostess greeted me with a pleasant attitude and gave me a quick rundown of the menu. She introduced me to the waitress and even assisted with putting my order in. I ordered a Deli Stromboli, requesting to substitute the ham and salami with Italian sausage, effectively creating a sausage and pepperoni Stromboli.

The adjustments were made, and I waited for my food. When it arrived, the Stromboli looked appetizing, with a lightly browned crust, plenty of cheese, and a modest portion of meat. After eating half, I asked for the check. To my surprise, the bill read: Deli Stromboli $12.95, No Ham, No Salami, Add Sausage - $3.50.

This resulted in a significant 27% increase in the price of the item, despite removing two meats and adding only one.

I addressed my concern with both the waitress and the hostess, who acknowledged my point. The hostess consulted the owner, who was present, and was told that the charge would stand because the sausage was flown in from Italy. Whether this is true or not, I can't say. However, I do know there is another Italian restaurant right down the block, Francesco’s, that serves a very similar Stromboli with excellent service and doesn’t charge 27% more for imported ingredients. Francesco’s is just as good, if not better, and offers a comparable Stromboli at a more reasonable price.

The ambience at Sylvia’s is fine, and both the waitress and the hostess were very friendly. However, I question the judgment of the owner. The hostess did her best to make things right, but that doesn’t excuse the decision made by the owner. Staff should not have to cover up for such pricing...

I have been going here pretty regularly for a few years. There are some items on the menu that are better than others, the marinated beef strips and the chicken breast from the grill are both consistently delicious. The chicken Ceasar wrap and rueban are great, the flounder and catfish are always good and cooked perfectly. The mozzarella sticks and marinara sauce are amazing. The real winner every time though are the fries, I don't know what they do to them but they always have the perfect amount of crunch. The lasagna and burgers are good, but I've had better. Their beef stew is delicious but when I got it there were only 2 pieces of beef in it and the rest was potatoes and carrots and stuff, I personally like more beef in my stew than that. I personally like the garlic bread and always get it with marinara since their marinara sauce is absolutely spectacular, they should honestly jar that and sell it in stores it's so good. I wouldn't get their pizza again, it's not the kind of pizza I like, tastes a little like pizza that they make at the cafeteria in college. Their spaghetti isn't the best, I think they might oil the water so the pasta doesn't stick but that means the sauce won't stick either and just slides right off the pasta. Their marinara sauce is better than their meat sauce. So some items are really good, and others aren't so good, but that's to be expected when they have such a huge menu. All in all I think this place is great, its not too expensive for the amount of food you get. It's a small business and I'm happy to support it over a large chain restaurant. They did just start adding a service fee, but it's like a couple bucks, nothing crazy. Again, I'm happy to pay that over them upping the prices of everything...