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    Encore Ristorante

    4.7 (36 reviews)
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    Tuna
    Mike B.

    Excellent meal at this spot in the Wakefield area. Encore is located in a space formerly occupied by Bruno's. Interior is essentially the same, with a dining room to the right, a bar area in the center, with a few tables adjacent to the bar. It's bright, clean and bustling. On this visit, sat at a table on the bar side. The tables and bar were full, and it was loud. Definitely opt for the dining room side for a more sedate meal. Service is superb. Our server orchestrated the meal perfectly: as ordered and in the right order. Glasses full. Thank you! I tried the yellowfin tuna. Hi quality tuna is grilled to perfection - wonderful crust with cool pink rare center, sliced thin, sashimi style, bathed in pistachio and basil puree. The tuna is served atop a blend of orzo with mixed grilled veggies and artichoke hearts. Honestly, I can't think of how I would improve this entree. Really, really good. I was fortunate enough to snag a bite of the Chicken Encore. It's chicken franchaise-esq. A succulent breast, simmered in wine/lemon /butter sauce, adorned with mozzarealla and served atop risotto infused with garlic and spinach. The sauce is tangy and rich, the chicken is moist and flavorful, and both are complemented by the creamy, garlicky risotto. Another really tasty dish. There was barely enough room, but couldn't resist a bit of dessert. A delicious torte, topped with carmelized sugar (like creme brulee), drizzled with raspberry sauce. Sweet, tart and just enough to satisfy that sweet tooth. Recommend Encore for an upscale meal that is unpretentious. Food, service and atmosphere are great. Go!

    Pasta dish
    Dan O.

    Our server was great, the place was clean and beautifully decorated. The food was good but a little pricey for what you got. It's a nice meal- but our server made it a great night.

    Complimentary bread round 1
    Lori R.

    This new Italian restaurant is where Bruno's used to be. In the Wakefield area, by Harris Teeter. It is the new venture by the folks who brought us Northside Bistro, which we all know and love. They are open for lunch and dinner, but you will only find the dinner menu online. I have managed to get my hands on the lunch menu and will post pics of both. Two of us tried this new restaurant for an early Saturday dinner. Service, delightful! John did a great job. We were also checked on by a manager and Chef. Plus food was delivered by others, so this is a team venture. Drink menu is also not online at this time, but I will post pics. We started with a dirty martini with blue cheese olives for Husband (he loved), while I started with a glass of Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay, followed by a red with my entree. Complimentary breads are delicious, and olive oil and balsamic with spices are excellent. We shared a Caesar salad with complimentary added anchovies. Light and tasty with garlic croutons. Anchovies really made it. Loved that they were kind enough to split it for us. Husband chose the vodka rigatoni with added sausage while I had Grandma's Sunday Gravy with handmade pasta. Ironically we both preferred the other's dishes. Red sauce is nice and rich. Heavy on the fresh oregano for the Sunday Gravy and heavy on the vodka for the vodka sauce. Quality all around. Biggest yum of the night one of the best desserts we can remember experiencing...their lemon tart with berry sauce!. Husband's coffee and my Limoncello and Prosecco Float went beautifully with it.

    Lori S.

    Food was amazing and service was above and beyond! My parents treated my family to dinner there and we were all pleased with our food!

    Meatballs
    Jacob B.

    Came here for birthday reservations, visiting for Xtreme Xperience. The menu was fairly limited, had some good food items I was a little surprised by the portion sizes of the pasta (kinda small) it's pretty crowded inside and was a bit loud for this caliber of restaurant. The server was kind and attentive, but I got skipped over during drink orders. Food was good but surprisingly most of it felt it needed a dash of salt. A little on the bland side. Worth checking out but wasn't my favorite

    Espresso chocolate cheesecake, cinnamon maple gelato and the lemon tart with blueberry crust and raspberry puree

    Encore Ristorante is perfection! From the moment you walk in the door you are greeted by a wonderful gentleman named Payton. Charming, funny and very knowledgeable of all the wonderful dishes served here. Our server was named Will or "socks," because he wore amazing socks Will was awesome as well! The venue is small and quaint. Very clean and simply decorated. My kids and I ate lunch. First let's talk about the hot, fresh bread! Encore makes their own basalmic vinegar and the olive oil is high quality. My daughter and I ordered the Caesar salad. Fresh romaine lettuce with focaccia bread crumbles and a very light dressing. If you're an anchovy lover you can have those added to your salad at no charge. I will say the salad could have used a tad more dressing but still fantastic. I'm not sure how they prepare the chicken that was added to my daughter's salad but it is the most tender and moist chicken I have ever eaten. Our entree's included rigatoni bolognese, chicken Marsala and shrimp scampi. All three meals were divine and very well portioned for the price. The crowning moment was the desserts. Encore makes all of their desserts in house. The lemon tart with a blueberry crust and a smear of fresh raspberry puree was divine. We also shared the most decadent chocolate espresso cheesecake. Very light and well balanced with the dark chocolate. My favorite had to be the homemade gelato! Payton said to try the cinnamon maple and I'm so glad we did. Smooth and indulgent. I highly recommend eating at this glorious Italian restaurant. Nothing but perfection all the way around!

    Watermelon cocktail mmmmm
    Tresa W.

    Came here for the first time from a recommendation from a family member and this place did not disappoint. We love farm to table restaurants and even though the ambiance is a cafe the food was so far above what we were expecting. Loved our waitress I want to say her name was Tara or Kara and Will the bartender was phenomenal. Our waitress was absolutely so friendly and made us feel welcome and Will's personality is on point. Loved the watermelon cocktail and lunch flounder mmmmmmm. Hubby got the beet salad and it was awesome. Sad they don't have local draft beer and the bread service could be stepped up just a little with focaccia would push this place over the edge. Totally worth the 45 min drive from Garner. Can't wait to return.

    Split Caesar....with complimentary white anchovies.  My husband's half did not have those!  Hahaha.

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    2 months ago

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    10 months ago

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    16 days ago

    I've eaten all over the world. There is none better. Their lamb dishes are the best ive eaten.

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    17 days ago

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    1 year ago

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    3 months ago

    Service was spot on and food was great. Bartenders know what they're doing! Definitely will be back

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    2 years ago

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    10 months ago

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    7 months ago

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    2 months ago

    Excellent dinner and service. The chic parm was good size and delicious. I've never had a bad meal here. The Italian food is top tier.

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    2 months ago

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    4 months ago

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    10 months ago

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    10 months ago

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    3 months ago

    Food was spectacular! Service was great and bar seating was a lot of fun with bartenders and other regular patrons.

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    4 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    8 months ago

    Loud clanky atmosphere; outdated decor; burned sauce on the lasagne; soggy crust on the canoli; slow service.

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    1 year ago

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    6 months ago

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    6 months ago

    Have eaten there any times and never disappointed. Ask for Paton the waiter he is terrific in fact all the staff are excellent.

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    1 year ago

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    9 months ago

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    2 years ago

    Superior dining experience. Food is incredible, service is top notch and the environment is very inviting.

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    1 year ago

    Excellent food and service. I strongly recommend reservations on the weekend. It's a small restaurant.

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    El Chapin - Wake Forest - Mojarra frita , mixtas, camarones al ajo

    El Chapin - Wake Forest

    4.7(37 reviews)
    0.8 mi

    First time visiting. Food is authentic. I had the Sopa de Mariscos; was very good. Definitely…read morewill return to try other items on the menu.

    We live in North Raleigh, so it's about a 25-minute drive to Wake Forest. The upside is that once…read moreyou're there, shopping and dining are all close together--making it a convenient outing. After running errands, we drove just six minutes to El Chapin, a Guatemalan restaurant. Forget Tex-Mex--this is a completely different Latin cuisine experience. The two of us spent $76 (including tax and tip), but we intentionally ordered extra to take home leftovers. Parking was easy, right out front, and the restaurant itself is spacious. Since we arrived just a few minutes after opening, we had the place to ourselves at first and were seated immediately. Service was prompt and very helpful--the server even suggested we might have ordered too much food (he was right, but we didn't mind!). Here's what we tried: Plato Chorizo y Longaniza - a sausage platter with salad, rice, refried black beans, and two delicious housemade corn tortillas. Pollo Adobado - marinated chicken with rice, salad, refried black beans and two housemade corn tortillas . Ceviche de Camarón - fresh and tangy, though light on shrimp, which tasted a bit tough Fried Plantains - perfectly done, sweet, and satisfying. Plus, I had an unsweetened iced tea with lemon. The highlights for me were the flavorful rice (with vegetables mixed in, including carrots and squash), the marinated chicken, and the sausages. The plantains were also excellent. The ceviche had great flavor but could've used more shrimp. The only miss for me was the salad--generous in portion but iceberg-based, so a bit bland. Overall, the food was fresh, flavorful, not heavy or greasy, and we left with enough for another one or two meals. We'll definitely be back.

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    El Chapin - Wake Forest - Chorizo sausage

    Chorizo sausage

    El Chapin - Wake Forest - Breakfast

    Breakfast

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    Mamacita

    Mamacita

    4.3(27 reviews)
    3.0 mi
    $$

    Really REALLY good Mexican food at this spot in Gateway Commons. It was packed on a Weds night,…read morealways a good sign! Menu is straighforward, all of the usual Mexican fare is listed. Tried the Fajita Quesadilla. A beautiful and well stuffed quesadilla is grilled then quartered for the plate. Served with rice and shredded lettuce, guac, pico and sour cream. The portion is big, it's served piping hot within minutes. Margaritas are cold and well mixed - not too strong, not too weak. Shout out to Luis, who took care of us. He is super-attentive, charming, funny and pleasant and does a great job. As an example - we split our entree... and without being asked he brought an extra plate. This might not seem like a big deal, but somehow this nearly never happens unless we ask. Great work, Luis - thank you! This may well turn out to be our go-to Mexican spot in town. GO!

    All Mamacitas are not the same! A few weeks ago I reviewed…read morethe Mamacitas on Capital Blvd - good food and drink with underwhelming service and atmosphere. So we tried the one in Heritage Commons - COMPLETE GAME CHANGER! The food and drink was even better because the staff was friendly, engaging and efficient - and the decor and ambiance wa-a-aay more pleasing and comfortable. I got the exact same things - margarita, wings, and carne asada burrito - the tastiness and presentation of the margarita made my eyes roll back in ecstasy - and the food was delish. I've seen other Yelper's reviews, mostly positive, and gotta tell ya: GO EXPERIENCE IT FOR YOURSELF - you won't be disappointed. Very affordable, relaxing and unpretentious - the robot server was a nice surprise and perfect accent. GO. SOON.

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    Mamacita - Front of Mamacita's Heritage; awesome jalapeño margarita, cool robo server, tasty burrito and amazing staff members.

    Front of Mamacita's Heritage; awesome jalapeño margarita, cool robo server, tasty burrito and amazing staff members.

    Mamacita
    Mamacita - House Margarita

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    House Margarita

    Cape Fear Seafood Company - Hush Puppy Basket

    Cape Fear Seafood Company

    4.1(117 reviews)
    2.1 mi
    $$

    First Timers. Hubs had the Crab Bisque complete with fresh crab pieces on top; I had the Cape Fear…read moreChowder. We couldn't decide which was better, they were both delicious, not at all the cafeteria restaurant soup we almost expected, but very homemade. $5 a cup, but $3.90 since we ordered lunch menu items. Well worth the money! Lunch was Fish 'n Chips for me; super good crispy fried white fish, not greasy at all, which is the sure fire way to ruin any fried meal. The fries are really good, too, almost McDonaldy. Comes with tartar, ketchup, malt vinegar (asked for), and a really good garlic aioli. Hubs had Shrimp Risotto, which was blackened shrimp over really creamy risotto with red peppers, scallion, and tomato. Delicious. Also couldn't decide who got the better lunch. Our lunch specials were less than $15 each, a bargain today, and we each took half home. Hubs also had a beer, and I had the house Cabernet, which was really smooth. Around $50 for everything; didn't mind spending that at all since everything was so good. Really glad we found this newer place; fingers crossed it doesn't go the way of so many downhill the longer they're here.

    Nice dinner here, the service was slightly slow, but the restaurant was absolutely packed. It's not…read morea very large restaurant either so we gave our servers some grace for the delay on the drinks. The crab dip was very good, we ordered the chicken fettuccine, the blackened salmon and the shrimp and grits. Our entrées were very good. Parking was a bit crazy on a Saturday night., if you're local, you know why. Would definitely visit here again.

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    Cape Fear Seafood Company
    Cape Fear Seafood Company - Coleslaw and hush puppies

    Coleslaw and hush puppies

    Cape Fear Seafood Company

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    Encore Ristorante - italian - Updated June 2026

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