Here's a polished review you can use: Cape Vinum 121 delivers an exceptional upscale dining experience from start to finish. Every dish was beautifully presented and cooked to perfection, with incredible flavor and attention to detail. The atmosphere is elegant yet welcoming, and the service was attentive and professional. You can truly tell they take pride in every aspect of the dining experience. This restaurant exceeded expectations, and I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a memorable meal. read more

We love to eat out and we chose to eat here for my birthday this year. I sent a letter to the restaurant a week ago. This is an edited version. First impression: We were not automatically offered a table inside or out but were told "Follow me" to the outside table. Please see the photo. Does this look like a nice setup for an almost $300 meal? The table was wobbly. The paint on the wall was peeling. Maybe they should hire an artist to decorate that blank wall. The inside is very dark. First course: Oysters. Sauce delicious: BUT I HAVE NEVER SEEN SUCH TINY OYSTERS. Barely a blip in your mouth, 1/4"?? These are on the menu also as charred? Huh? Do they have different oysters for that? Nothing would be left. We got tiny oysters on seaweed did not match even the photo on their web site, decent size oysters on ice. One week later I ate at a restaurant in Hickory and got six fabulous oysters for $13.25. CV charges $21. Main course: Branzino and asparagus. $52. Very nice. But (and I just had to look back at the menu on line to see what this was), the charred radish was so hard you could hardly poke a fork into it, inedible. And I was not aware of a single fava bean as advertised on the menu. Swordfish special: $52. Slightly overcooked. Blackened carrots rock hard, inedible. Whoever is in charge of vegetables needs to taste before sending out. While we were eating the fish, the server placed two steak knives on the table. Huh? Dessert: Dubai chocolate eclair sounded great. Maybe bought at Costco or Sams??? Two arrived on a plate with absolutely no presentation. One with a squiggle of chocolate underneath would have been better. Absolutely no pistachio flavor and VERY COLD. Should be room temperature. Did they come out of the fridge or freezer? Perhaps at room temperature flavor would have been more obvious. It was nice that when I had mentioned dark instead of milk chocolate the kitchen used dark. Table not cleared for dessert. Steak knives still there. Irish coffee: there is more to Irish coffee than adding whisky to a lukewarm cup of coffee and asking if I wanted cream after coffee was delivered. I enclosed the recipe and photo in my letter. Wine: wine list fairly priced. Our server did not know anything about the Cotes de Rhone we questioned but brought the bottle for us to have a look at. As vineyard and winery owners we grew viognier, this is why we were interested in this particular bottle. The server took our photo and I mentioned it was my birthday. In many cases this would be referred to the kitchen. Nothing special ensued. The well dressed owner (Doreen) walked past our table a number of times (sometimes carrying used dishes or glasses) without even glancing at us. I guessed she was the owner and spoke up. A nod and hello would have been nice. We came here with an open mind prepared to spend a large sum on a birthday dinner. Read the captions under the pictures. One oyster shot from their web site. Wish I had photo'ed what I got. The other oyster shot Hickory Restaurant one week later for less money. read more

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Everything was WONDERFUL! Went in on a Saturday for lunch. Owner and bartenders were all very polite. Quiet vibe, but the perfect spot! Had the Reuben and the Italian Salad. Both were AMAZING! The fries with the Reuben were perfectly hand cut and fried. Dorene - the owner - gave us an idea for a wine to have with our lunch. It paired perfectly with the italian salad. Will definitely be visiting again! read more

I attended a five course wine pairing dinner hosted by carbon venom 121. This was a private ticketed event, and the restaurant was closed to the public throughout. We j‍dined at a long community style table and enjoyed an amazing selection of food. The service was out of this world and the owner actually joined us for the meal. There is no other place in Rowan County to have this type of experience. The restaurant recently hired a new chef who has been nominated for multiple Michelin stars. The chef and the Somalia, who was visiting from Napa Valley came out before each course and described what we were enjoying guests had the opportunity to ask questions and walked away with a wealth of food and wine knowledge. The restaurant itself was absolutely beautiful with fresh flowers and candles, creating an intimate and relaxed environment. If you have not had a chance to enjoy carpet venom 121 you are really missing out. This restaurant is on the price of your side for this area but is well worth it. read more

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We were in town just one night for an event and our hotel was surrounded by chain restaurants and fast food. Fine, if that's what you're up for. We wanted something small, a local favorite, maybe a little special. Carpe Vinum 121 was that place. We didn't have a reservation but were able to sit at the bar after a short wait. The staff was welcoming and the other patrons (obviously regulars) were up for conversation. We ordered old fashions to drink and noticed Demerara sugar cubes were muddled in preparation, nice! I stated with a burata frisée salad and it was so fresh and herbal. My husband ordered the crawfish bisque - it was rich yet light and delicious. Main entrees were scallops and steak brochette. Both were done perfectly. The scallops had a nice risotto and finished with chili oil crunch. Dessert was dulce de leche cheesecake and it was smooth and sweet. Definitely a popular date night place, we did see at least one little one, so families certainly seem welcome. It was fancy without being uncomfortable quiet fancy. The surrounding businesses and street are inviting. Parking might be an issue on a busy night but we found parking right out front. We throughly enjoyed our visit. read more

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Clutch find. A co worker and I meet every other month and each drive more than an hour away to have lunch at this establishment. The service is outstanding, the owner is a gem, and the bar is phenomenal. read more

We just moved here from a big city and found this spot to be most similar to the types of restaurants we frequented. It seems this spot is upscale for the area but well loved and supported. I would describe it as simple and bistro like. Not fine dining. We tried their Sunday brunch and enjoyed it. I could tell the chef put thought into the menu items. My only complaint is i wish they had some starters on their brunch menu, we wanted to try more food lol. Everything was very delicious and we finished our plates for sure. We'll definitely be back for both lunch and dinner. read more

Carpe Vinum 121 - Bars Near Me - Salisbury, North Carolina

Stopped in for a quick drink and snack. This place is really coming into its own new identity. Drinks, service and food were all very good. read more

Carpe Vinum 121 - Clams and Lump Crab Cakes along with Pearl Martini - Bars Near Me - Salisbury, North Carolina

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Our travels to the American Legion Regional baseball tournament took us from Charlotte to Asheboro NC. As we drove, we looked for a place to stop for lunch that wasn't a chain. Wow were we lucky to stumble upon Carpe Vinum! My wife and I had a wonderful and tasty lunch as well as a nice visit with one of the owners as she worked the bar where we sat. It was exactly what we were looking for after a long day of travels. Thanks!! read more

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We went here for lunch today and were so pleasantly surprised. The atmosphere is perfectly relaxed. Warm brick walls with stunning black walnut tables. Lovely artworks on the walls. The wine was fantastic. A French red called Chateau Greysac 2016. Hubby ordered the Wagyu Burger & and I the Open Faced Turkey. Both were perfect. Hubby is a man of few words who said that his burger was very juicy. As for me, the open faced turkey was perfect but really didn't require the bread. Just delicious. The waitress was warm and knowledgeable. Anyway, we'll be back to try their dinner menu. read more

This is a place for you to take that special someone when you don't want to go to the big city. You get all the atmosphere of elegance and sophistication. The service was friendly and quick. Though we tend to expect large amounts of food on our plates, what I ordered was delicious and satisfying. It has been quite some time since I have tasted real Safran in a dish, and my taste buds went into shock. Next time, I will try the escargo. read more

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Great food and drinks. Ambiance was chill and the staff was very nice. I would only say that the potato salad needed some salt and seasoning. read more

Stopped in for drinks and enjoyed both some nice wine as well as a selection of hand crafted cocktails. The bar is well stocked and the cocktails are properly made from fresh ingredients. The menu looked both large and high quality. There are a lot of gluten free options which is always nice for us. We will bring our friends back to eat here for sure. They seemed popular and it looks like reservations are essentially required in order to get a seat, so keep that in mind. read more

Carpe Vinum 121 - Stocked bar - Bars Near Me - Salisbury, North Carolina

I had lunch there and the tea was old because it was sour. It was left over tea from the day before.The owners / managers are not friendly never made a table visit. Very rude to their staff. Doreen, the manager /owner made a comment that Black people don't tip in front of my wife, who is mixed. Would not recommend working there because the turnover rate is outrageous because how bad they treat their employees. read more

I consider myself a little bit of a foodie. As a fan of Carpe Vinum when they first opened, I absolutely loved the food. So much so that my husband and I frequented once a week. Now that it has new owners, I have to say it's awful. The menu has been reduced down to very little choices and the prices have gone way up. $14 for a side Caesar salad and the lettuce wasn't even fresh. 4 small scallops were $52. And they weren't anything exciting. I still love the ambiance. And the service was good. But knowing the owners were sitting at the bar and micromanaging made me nervous. With all that said, that's our last visit. read more

If I could give this restaurant a sixth star, I would! The food was absolutely amazing, but the service was even better. The staff went above and beyond to ensure everything was perfect--even the bartender came over at one point because she thought we might need something. For dessert, we decided to try a port, and the owner personally came over to explain the differences and offer recommendations, which made the experience even more special. It was a fantastic evening from start to finish. I visited last year under different ownership, and I have to say, it's even better now! If you go, be sure to try the lamb! read more

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Excellent atmosphere, food and service. Beautiful presentation. Can't wait til next time.

Big City restaurant in a mid size town! Elegant, charming & great food! Wait staff & bar staff very professional A must when in the area & a short drive from Charlotte & Greensboro! read more

I was hoping for a different experience. We drove 45 minutes to come to this restaurant. When we arrived, all the tables were empty and eight out of the 12 bar seats were taken. We asked to sit at the bar, we were told that the seats were reserved. We asked to sit at a table we were told without reservations we could only sit at the table for two hours, not a single table was taken at the restaurant. As soon as we sat down we were informed of all things they were out of such as bread and only had one dozen oysters. Needless to say we had one drink each at the table with the time limit and left. So disappointing. read more

Lamb kofta and milk bread with miso butter were superb. Cocktails are inventive. Service is attentive.

For a small town in Salisbury, the food and service was as good as any nice restaurants in a big city! We enjoyed the small plates. Everything we ordered was delicious! They also had our favorites like foie gras that was differently made and very good. Our server had already tasted all the food on the menu and was very very knowledgeable to answer our questions. We are always impressed that the kitchen lets the staff have a taste of the food on the menu. Makes the better service for the diners. Our server was also a very enthusiastic and she truly enjoys her work there. The restaurant is also tastefully decorated. The tables at big windows gave it a big city vibe. After dinner we were able to stroll the small town streets. Very pleasant evening! read more

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I was long overdue to try this restaurant after hearing so many good things, and it did not disappoint. Great menu, wonderful hospitality, solid service and food was excellent. We will be back! read more

Why is this place not on Yelp ???? I added the business because it's a must to go to! In Salisbury, NC..in their quaint little downtown this little gem opened up last year, wine bar, small plates and raw bar is how they advertise themselves. They do them all really well! I got treated to this place for my birthday and had researched the menu before hand and it looked so good and I couldn't decide what to eat here because everything sounded so fantastic. Their bar was really nice when we walked in, full of all your vices, also a nice wine list and beer, some choice cocktails . We had a couple of glasses of their southern belle red blend, Prosecco, and an old fashioned. All excellent. Beautiful glasses too! They have an amazing small plates menu plus specials our server told us about. We were hooked when she said they had a seafood board. Almost like a seafood charcuterie, of oysters, crab, shrimp, tuna, and lobster. All fresh, nice raw oysters and tuna. Amazing start. Their bread service was also to die for, just delicious. The house fries, also a must, I know it's fries, but these are yummm. Then we went for the lobster cocktail served with grilled bread, this also superb, nice tangy sauce, lemony. Definitely get this. The scallops, my favorite, nicely pan seared, perfect with lemon juice. The Lamp lollipops, amazing, meaty chops, great seasoning , I couldn't believe how meaty they were, and not gamey tasting. The steak bites, also well seasoned, not over cooked, such good flavor. I'm not a red meat eater but this I could do. Even though there was more that sounded great on the menu, we were done! Well except for dessert, always room! The cheesecake and the lemon blueberry cake came out with birthday candles! Tired of saying how amazing everything was but again the desserts were incredible! Not too sweet and the cheesecake was my favorite. Creamy and great crust. I cannot imagine anything here isn't good. One little hiccup we did have was ordering drinks! It took forever to get the first round, the second round we cancelled because we were done with dinner and it still hadn't come, and we wanted espresso martinis as a final drink, so we did get those , and yes they took awhile too. But were delicious. So hopefully they can sort that out ! Carpe was a nice classy place, great menu, great food, nice staff, I wish it was closer to me so I could go more, but I will drive to Salisbury to go because good food calls for traveling sometimes! I'm hoping more people on Yelp will discover this little gem! read more

BEST meal out in a Long time! Food was fresh and delicious. The owners were lovely to chat with. Staff were very accommodating. Looking forward to returning when we are back in Salisbury. read more

Ok. So we loved the restaurant. Like the foid.owners are great... but...but...you are only as good as the front people. I tried to give another chance. Sorry. read more

Second time going over past few months. Excellent food, staff/bartender and atmosphere. Excellent bourbon selection, highly recommend!

Was here for a business event. Outstanding service and menu selection. Not pictured is the bread (unbelievable) and the salad with grilled apples and prosciutto. The tapas menu has good variety and very reasonable prices. Plenty of beverages to choose from as well. Quaint downtown location is very fun. I will find a way to go here as often as possible. read more

Carpe Vinum 121 - Lamb chops. Incredible! - Bars Near Me - Salisbury, North Carolina

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noticed a few menu changes since the last time we visited but glad to report the food is still phenomenal. crawfish bisque especially stood out. couple different drinks ordered around the table, happy to report all were as expected and well crafted. service was attentive without feeling rushed to turn the table. new owner even stopped by to make sure we were happy with the evening. we will definitely be back more often and glad to see how busy they were for a Wednesday night. read more

My sister and I stopped in for a drink after a day of shopping. Bartender made us a drink after we asked for recommendations. I had a pomegranate Aperol Spritz and my sister has a cosmo. Bartender was nice and we stayed for dinner too. Sliders are very good. read more

Basically the food was terrible and the service was slow and made repeated excuses for the problems in the kitchen. Examples: 1: The hard boiled eggs in the 'chef' salad were green and stunk of sulfur dioxide 2: The avocado in the same salad was so unripe you couldn't stick a fork in it. 3: The rolls were microwaved and super chewy and unpleasant 4: the "special" Atlantic Halibut was inedible (a really weird sour/fishy taste and over cooked)- and they wanted $48 ! 5: the special "linguini" was way over salted 6: a crossiant that was actually gummy! And the server admitted it! Took an hour and 20 minutes to get a plate of linguini and a piece of fish- and they tried to claim that "fish takes a long time to cook" Were told at least three times that our food was on the grill and next up...over a span of almost an hour. Note that aside from the bar, they were not busy...and they were turning away customers without reservations even though they were at maybe 40% Word is they are closing by September- good riddance is all I can say. read more

I am so thankful to live in the sophisticated small town of Salisbury, NC and have this restaurant as part of the mix. We had a great meal on Friday night. The food, service, and the ambiance were all fantastic. The staff obviously took great pride in their work, and in their restaurant. Service was far beyond any expectations and equal to what one would expect in a Michelin rated restaurant. Prices are reasonable compared to the experience.Music was a little loud but that would be my only nit. We will be back many times I expect. read more

One of my favorite restaurants in the area! Always top notch service with the best quality food! They never disappoint!!

Definitely coming back if I'm in town. Delicious foods, great service and lovely ambience. Greatly recommend it! read more

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Everything about this place is top notch! We found it by accident and it was fantastic! The ambiance, service, and food was as well. It's in a narrow building but that just adds to the charm. We had the steak bites and caprese salad which was out of this world! My date had dessert and said is was great too. A hidden gem we knew nothing about, but glad we do now! read more

We've been to Carpe Vinum a number of times and have been very happy with each experience. Their menu has changed a bit and they offer a tapas style selection that has something for everyone. Everything is prepared with attention to detail, great flavor and presentation. The service is top notch and the wine selection is on point, so is the bourbon. Great place for date night or a gathering of friends. read more

I thought this place was going to blow me away.. since all the reviews did. I came in on a Tuesday Night for my Anniversary dinner. The service wasn't that good.. I waited forever before someone came to even greet us let alone ask what we wanted to eat. The food was good I will say.. and came out fast. I was expecting more.. I may try on a busier night and see how that goes. read more

Absolutely delicious! Service was outstanding. Great drink selection. Beautiful atmosphere. Highly recommend!!

It was my go to fancy restaurant here in Salisbury but they really disappointed last time I was there. For a 300 ticket they should train their staff better. Food and service 1 out of 5 stars read more

Absolutely our favorite place in Salisbury. Not inexpensive, but very good quality and excellent return on the price. Creative menu, exciting options, tapas style allows to try many different things. We love this place read more

Best place I've been to in a while. We were passing through and decided to stop to eat at Carpe Vinum 121. The place is beautiful when you walk in and we were greeted immediately by a cheerful waiter. We had a few of the small plates, all of which were great, the fries and mussels were highlights for us. Our drinks were also really well made and when I was unsure about my selection they offered to replace my drink if I didn't end up liking it. But there was no need for that because the French 75 was wonderful. We were celebrating our anniversary and I mentioned this to who I believe was the owner. She brought us a complimentary slice of cheese cake with a lit candle and card. The slice was very large and incredibly rich. I have never been given a card at any restaurant I've been to when celebrating a special occasion. It was hand written wishing us a happy anniversary and it was signed by the staff and owners. I regretfully got distracted and walked out without the card but it meant a lot to us. I could not recommend this place enough to anyone in the area. I have no doubt it is the best in town. read more