Poole’s Downtown Diner

My fiance and I went to eat at Poole’s on a Friday night. We got their at 6h30 and took stools at the bar.

The atmosphere was really retro and unique, very cool and pleasant…. By 7h15 though, masses of people came in and crowded the bar section to discomfort. As diners, it was not ideal. Especially where mid-way through our meal we were interrupted by a request to move over stools to accomodate another party. Of course, there’s little management can do about other impolite diners; however, I would imagine they would be concerned about the building being over capacity.

The food selection is not what you would expect from a “diner.” Indeed, it was gourmet food. We ordered the duck and chicken liver pate ($9) and the baguette ($3) for starters - delish! My fiance ordered the “special,” of bone in NY strip with an au poivre sauce and fries. After seeing the bill (they charged $36 for the steak) it was highly disappointing as the steak was unevenly cooked (medium on the outside, rare in the bone nook..) one would expect a $36 steak to be cooked perfectly throughout. I had the roasted beet and avocado salad ($9) which was divine! We also ordered a side of the Macaroni au Gratin ($9) which was very tastey, too.

Overall, I really loved the meal and the service was great.

With the gourmet food and price tags, I would expect a little more in terms of seating comfort, but I guess that is why it carries the name of “diner.”

By Lizounette 01/27/09

I came in at about 6:30.  Restaurant not particularily busy, but atmosphere good, lighting tuned down, etc.  I was dressed appropriately for dinner anywhere in the city.  I do not have any physical or speech deformaties.  I ordered a glass of wine and a salad (after some discussion) and indicated I would order an entree in a bit after thoroughly considering the choices (they all sounded good; I wanted to get a bit of a look at what was coming out of the kitchen to help me make up my mind).  It was a bit uncomfortable not to have a printed menu and to have to turn around to consult the chalk board as other diners/staff were walking by (it’s really not that hard to put out a menu even with a daily changing fare).  My salad took a very long time to arrive despite the apparently snappy service to other tables, and of course my waiter did not serve my salad.  As a matter of fact he didn’t speak or look at me again for 45 minutes.  I thought I had on my invisible cloak.  He chatted up the guy to my right and the guy to my left and never so much as checked in with me to see about the state of my wine or salad, or more to the point, if I had decided on something else for my main course.  Am I way off here or do other single ladies in Raleigh like to be ignored when they are out alone for dinner?  I was soooooo primed to love this place and unfortunately, the service ruined my meal and any taste I might have for coming back.

By invisible 10/08/08

So far, I have only been to Poole’s for brunch, but have been several times. The food is absolutely wonderful. I’ve tried several different dishes on the ever-changing menu and have not be disappointed (even when my “favorites” were not available). I understand how some can be annoyed by the chalkboard menus, but when a restaurant’s menu changes often, it seems like a reasonable solution to try to have new menus printed constantly.

I love Poole’s and am thankful it’s walking distance from home.

By miamiblue 08/13/08

I love everything about Poole’s. The food is always delicious. The prices are reasonable. And the menu changes frequently - I love to go in and check out the as-yet-untried delicacies on the chalkboards!

By {screen_name} 06/30/08

I’ve described my second and third visits to Poole’s as the triumph of hope over experience. I appreciate the thought that has gone into the concept but I wish whoever came up with the chalkboard menu would please let go of this tedious gimmick. While I appreciate the execution of the food, something just isn’t clicking with the deconstructed diner concept. Rather than creating an intriguing contrast the low and high elements are sabotaging each other.
If these can be reconciled, I think Poole’s could be a valuable part of the downtown dining experience.

By Michael 06/25/08

Finally had dinner here over the weekend and it is easily one of the best quality food places in Downtown Raleigh.

By Jedidiah 03/24/08