The Attic Door — Restaurant in Winter Garden

Well what to say. Showed up at 5:40 to grab drinks and dinner. Met with the hostess who was standing behind the Hostess stand. I was asked if I had a reservation. I answered no. She said ok, and asked if we wanted to sit at a table or the bar. We said the table would be fine, just as two people took the bar seats. As we were about to sit down a young lady/ server stopped us and questioned if we had a reservation. We explained the hostess sat us at the table a few minutes ago. I asked her if there was a problem and she stated “no” and walked away. My wife and I took our seats and started to peruse the menu to see what we wanted to order. About 4 minutes went by when a very energetic and forceful woman approached me and asked me to confirm my name for the reservation at that table. I stated we didn’t have one and indicated to her that the Hostes sat us. She giggled and stated she was the MANAGER and they didn’t have a hostess.

We then stated to her that we were leaving. She then became overly dramatic about how sorry she was. I stated we would never be back as they made us feel like going to eat and drink there; we had done something wrong. I said that I would post about my experience. She then followed my wife and I outside to wish us a merry Christmas. Classy, way to chase us out of your restaurant.

Hmmm. I was sat by a hostess. I was stopped and questioned by a server. I was interrupted by the MANAGER and accused of lying. I must have certainly been mistaken about being seated by a hostess. All in all The Attic Door wine bar which my wife and have been frequenting since they opened. Yes sir, my wife and are Regulars. I want to personally thank the MANAGER for ruining my kickoff holiday weekend with my wife. Thank you BOSS LADY MANAGER....

Date: Nov 30.

Disappointed. I’ve enjoyed this restaurant in the past for its food and live music, so I was excited to bring friends to showcase how great it is. Unfortunately, this visit was far from my expectations.

The ribeye was one of the worst cuts I’ve ever had—tough and flavorless. The risotto was undercooked, and it wasn’t just my plate—another family at our table had the same dish, and theirs was equally hard and uncooked. The saving grace was the salmon, which was as excellent as always.

After paying the bill (as I didn’t want it to seem like I was avoiding payment), I spoke to the manager, who seemed genuinely surprised and apologized. I hope this was just a one-off experience, but it left me disappointed after what has previously been a favorite spot.

—————————————

OLD Review was 5 stars. I WILL recommend. From the reservation process to the actual meal everything was excellent. The salmon was the best I have ever taste (the rise was just right and the temperature was just right). The tuna nachos was one of the best I ever had. Overall this place atmosphere, cleanliness, and service is A+. I failed to take pictures, but I will on...

Seems like most of these reviews were from at least a year ago, some from much further back than that. My wife and I have been to The Attic Door twice so far this year. The first time was from a Groupon-type coupon that we received for Christmas 2012 and we immediately fell in love with the place. Downtown Winter Garden is already beautiful, and the outside seating here is to die for. Both times we've gotten a cheese board with wine for appetizer, and they have both been wonderful. The best part about the cheese boards is that they were completely different both times, so there's lots of variety, and the selections of cheeses and sides were superb. This past time I had a burger, which was quite possibly the best burger I've ever had. Sounds weird coming from a wine bar type place, but it is what it is. The chef even came out and asked us how things were, and let us know the burger was a new recipe that he was trying and wanted to know our thoughts. If you're reading this, keep it up, please! We will be back...