With apologies to the other Ethiopian restaurants in the area, I picked Red Sea for dinner because…read moretheir Yelp page had the best food pics, and rightly so. Red Sea provided exactly the type of experience I wanted, including decor, atmosphere, friendliness, and of course the food. In the background, behind a door on the side of the restaurant, there was a second area where you could hear people playing snooker. At one point in the evening, the woman who seated and served us also roasted coffee beans at a little station in the corner, then she walked around so that the smell penetrated the entire restaurant like incense. What a cool thing, and something I've never experienced at any other Ethiopian restaurant previously. It's such a simple thing, you'd think it would be more common. The food was, of course, delicious. You could order individual foods or combo platters, and the combo platters were very well explained. This was one of the few Ethiopian restaurants I've visited which included beets on the menu both in the vegetable platter and as a side. Each person gets one gigantic piece of injera, so little worry of running out (there is a charge for extra). Tej is available by the bottle and glass, and several brands of beer are available. I would classify Red Sea as a hidden gem and definitely a place to dine.

I have long been wanting to try East African cuisine, and decided it was high time I pick a…read morerestaurant in the area and go for it. There were a few worthy entrants, but after reading reviews and looking at photos, I decided Red Sea would be the place I go to experience these new flavors. Located along Monroe Rd in a stand-alone building painted green and blue, the restaurant definitely appears a bit dated but to me that adds to the charm. I don't think any everything to be shiny and new, I'll go for tried and true when it comes to local restaurants. I went in on a weekday between lunch and dinner, so it was pretty quiet, but I noticed in addition to a fine looking bar, they have a small stage which suggests they sometimes host musical acts. I'd love to come back during one of their busy periods so I can get a better sense of the vibe, but on this particular day I was there solely for the food. The only thing I knew going into this experience is that Ethiopian food is typically served on a large piece of bread which I've come to learn is called injerna. The bread is a sourdough and has a spongy texture. Now I wanted to try different things so I got a combo platter that came with chicken, lamb, veggies, and a hard boiled egg as well. When they serve it, it comes with another piece of injerna and the idea is that you use the second one to tear away pieces and pick up your food with it. I confess that I tried my best to eat it the authentic way, but eventually I found myself getting frustrated and asked for a fork. Like chopsticks I'm sure it takes practice. The platter is a was massive, an absolute feast that could easily feed two people. I loved it, but eventually had to get a to go box. It was ambitious to take that on by myself. Overall my first experience has me hooked and I want to try more. I can't speak to the authenticity, but people in the city seem to rate this place very highly so I think that speaks for itself.

In the area again for a round of golf at Skybrook golf course in Huntersville…read more I was able to meet up with Barby for an early dinner after my round. We both liked our food, she has the bacon wrapped chicken sandwich and I had the BLT salad with salmon just delicious!

Our reservation was at 8pm. The birthday girl was a few minutes late (due to traffic) and they…read morestill accommodate a party of 14. They tried to sit us a a small table for 12 but shortly realizing their mistake, added another table. We sat for an hour before we got our drinks and then another hour before we got our food. The food came out wrong and was room temperature. Someone preferred shrimp and grits and it had some red marinara sauce on it (not the creole sauce advertised). Some of our party sent their food back. My husband asked for a White Russian and they had to remake it three times and still didn't get it right. They had that drink loaded down with milk and had absolutely no alcohol in it. Oh, and let's talk about the Philly cheesesteak eggrolls. The inside had a nice taste but the hot sweet chili drizzle on it made the aftertaste horrible. I would suggest maybe putting that on the side or leaving it off the plate all together. It was not a good experience being our first time there. It was other parties there that were experiencing similar issues with drinks, quality of food and excessive wait times. Maybe it was an off night and originally I thought they were short staffed but that was not the case. This was a one and done for a lot of us that night (people in my party and other visitors).

After a busy morning of whitewater rafting, I was starving for lunch. The River's Edge menu looked…read morepretty appetizing, so I gave it a try. Even though the restaurant wasn't full, I still had to wait 10 minutes for a table. This didn't bother me, because it meant that they were organized enough to space out customers so there was no other bottlenecks during service. The space is rather plain, and very much looks like any restaurant connected with an activity center like. But it was clean and organized, so that's all that mattered. I got the hot honey chicken sandwich. It probably took less than 10 minutes to be prepared and served, which is very reasonable. The piece of chicken was crispy and well coated in glaze, and was probably much larger than the bun itself. It was balanced - I liked it. I got the onion rings at the recommendation of the server, and they were good too. Server was friendly and attentive enough. She topped up my drink without asking. Overall, I was happy with my meal. Sure, maybe it's a bit expensive, and you pay extra for the convenience, but after a very active morning, this meal was a hit.

This is a good option for sit down dining within WWC, but as far as quality/flavor and pricing,…read morethere's definitely room for improvement. I came with a group of friends, 8 of us in total, a few weeks ago. We wanted to listen to the river jam live music and enjoy the nice weather. We were seated first at an uncovered table but then moved one table over which had more coverage which we needed because it did start drizzling about halfway through our meal. We ordered a variety of beers/wines and for entrees- quesadillas, sandwiches and burgers. Although it was a good serving size, I thought the quesadilla was a little lacking in flavor. And the meat was a little dry. Service was OK, but not super fast. A little disjointed and not sure our server completely understood what we were asking sometimes...someone asked for a lager recommendation and he said something like "We have cider?" I will chalk it up to youth and/or inexperience with alcohol. Price wise, this was not the best value. You're definitely paying for the overall atmosphere/environment, not the flavor or dining experience itself. Considering this and Pumphouse are the only real food/drink options, I can't say I won't return if I'm ever at WWC, but I will at least go into it with a realistic expectations. @azfitfoodfun

Stellar service! Lara is outstanding!…read moreSuper tasty steak! Great atmosphere cozy restaurant!

We came in for an early Valentine's Day dinner, as most places book out well in advance of the…read moreweekend. We were seated promptly and had time to look at the menus and special February menu. The place is lively without being too loud, you can easily have a conversation going and not have to shout at each other. Our server, Krystyna, took our drink orders and offered to put in an appetizer to start. We went with the deviled eggs, these are so delicious, but as I have said before, they are pricey. Entrees were next. We decided on the Tomahawk pork chop with charred carrots and ancient grain pilaf. It looked like a caveman's plate! The chop was tender and flavorful and the carrots were 3 whole carrots that you had to cut up. Very different. The best part was the ancient grain side. So, so good. Nice compliment to the chop and carrots. I had to take half home it was just so much food. Next entree was the 7oz Filet with Parmesan mashed potatoes. Garlic butter was added to the steak which finished it off nicely. It was cooked to the right temperature and looked delicious. We were interested in dessert, but not something so big. They have a large portion dessert menu, but we just wanted a small bite to finish our dinner with. If you ask, they can do some mini desserts for you. We tried the mini crème brûlée cheesecake. It is two squares of cheesecake with a bit of whipped cream, raspberry syrup and berries. Perfect size for two if you are quite full but just want a little something sweet. Overall, the service was good. We had to wait a bit for bread, but not a big deal. We enjoyed our night out before Valentine's Day. I still would like to come in for their weekend brunch. Sometime soon.

9 folks having a birthday for one of us. Had calamari for…read moreappetizer. Good choice. Everyone had something different. All good choices. Crab cake, jambalaya, herb chicken, flounder, steak, salmon dishes. Everyone was happy with their choices. Would I go back? Yes. Would I recommend to family and friends? Yes.

I'm torn on this one because while the service was excellent, okay ambiance and the staff were all…read moreterrific, the food just didn't have much flavor. Everything came out hot and fresh, but it was all bland. My husband had the blackened chicken sandwich, and I ordered the Chicken Saltimbocca. The chicken was good quality, but I actually had to reach for the table salt, which I never do. To make matters worse, my portions were rather scant, especially for the price. On the plus side, my husband really liked his vodka lime ginger mule, and the fries were solid. My Arnold Palmer, however, was super weak and watered down. We also ordered a slice of Banana Fosters Cheesecake to go. The bill came to $85 with tip, which felt a bit steep considering the seasoning issues. What really ruined it, though, was the state of the facilities. The bathroom was putrid -- honestly, it was so bad it actually made me feel physically ill. If I were to eat here again, I'd definitely order something else and stay far away from the restroom.

Came here with a friend for lunch. The space is cute and service was good. Parking was a little…read morehard to find during the lunch rush. They do have daily drink specials and $10 lunch specials. It must be a popular place because there was a steady stream of customers. I ordered the Camarones Enchilados lunch special. It wasn't what I thought it was going to be from the name so I was disappointed by that. It tasted fine and the portion was good unless you are a big eater.

Always a good experience coming here. The lunch special is reasonable and the quality of the food…read moreis always amazing. Staff continues to be amazing. Anyone who has waited on me at the bar as always been pleasant and friendly.

I got the Cassava leaf and Lemon Pepper wings. It was my first time having Cassava leaf it was too…read moresalty for me I prefer the potato leaf. The wings were delicious. This is a nice little African restaurant.

This experience o had was bad! I have been here several times for the fish and the potato greens…read more Every time it was delicious. This last time o came here, i ordered the usual potato greens and fish. Well the greens texture was a little different and slightly gritty but was still good so I ate it. The next day my stomach hurt so bad. I have been back since. Instead I go to ZoeWees now. But I still like their fish better.

Food was phenomenal. Insane Spices in the chicken tibs, and almost a nuttiness. Wild combo of…read moreflavors. I definitely will be back!!! Staff was so kind and helped me out as it's been many years since I've had the pleasure of having Ethiopian food. Optimist hall is a great place as well and it has that old mill vibe

Wow I haven't had Ethiopian is such a long time! I'm so glad I came and tried this place. It's…read moreinside a really nice food hall with lots of options! The service was great and there is lots of space for groups or families to sprawl out with a Astro turf area in the middle with games like cornhole available.