Barrington’s

Relaxed, yet elegant atmosphere with amazing food and service. Chef Bruce Moffett does a fantastic job of executing every single dish — highly recommend the carbonara pasta and lemon drop martini! Quiet, intimate setting perfect for a date or birthday dinner.

Had a decent experience here. Went for my Birthday and the food was great, we had the gnocchi and the rack of lamb and they were cooked very well. We also did the mussels as an app and it was awesome. The food and wine was reasonably priced for such a nice place. The interior was small and intimate and made for a very cozy feel. I gave it 3 stars based on poor service. Our waitress rushed us from the second we sat down and continuously made us feel like she was trying to turn over the table. When we asked her for recommendations she would cut us off and say «so that then?». She also brought or check almost alongside out entrees. We were some of the younger ones in the restaurant l and our waitress certainly made us feel less important. Sad because we’d heard such great things!

After several dining experiences at Barrington’s, I was torn between 4 and 5 stars. But last night’s birthday dinner for my Mother put Barrington’s at 5 stars in my mind.
We arrived at 6:30 for dinner, and after realizing they messed our reservations up they were still able to accommodate us. After being seated Mike, our waiter for the evening, arrived, offered water and explained the wine list. He gave us a few minutes to decide on drinks, of which I chose the French Martini and my Mother a Martini Straight Up. Drinks were definitely solid!
After we were settled with drinks Mike went over the menu, highlighting some of his favorite dishes, some new and those that have been on the menu since opening.
We started with the Calamari two ways, crispy and seared in Indian spices, delicious with a slight kick. In addition to the calamari we had the mussels. Let me just say these were some of the best I have ever had! A light tomato based broth went perfectly with some of the largest mussels and toasted bread served a top, see my photo.
As for entrees, we shared the gnocchi and Arctic char. The gnocchi is definite home made and although it is served with mushrooms you feel like you are eating meat, very hearty. The char was cooked to perfection with an amazing crispy skin. I still would love to know how restaurants get fish skin so crispy.
We wrapped the evening up with the chocolate pudding cake, which should be described at a chocolate molten cake, heaven! Served with homemade vanilla bean ice cream.
The ambience is very nice, a perfect setting for a quiet, romantic or special dinner, and service was top notch. Mike was on point, seemed to love his job, which I love seeing, and never missed a beat.
My Mom already asked if we can go there next year for her birthday again. Maybe it’ll be our annual dinner.

Barrington’s is my favorite restaurant in Charlotte, and quite possibly, just my favorite restaurant, period. My parents moved to the area in 2000 from the NYC/​NJ area, and we were on the hunt for that «special» restaurant for our Christmas eve dinners and other special occasions. When we found Barrington’s, they did not disappoint. When I am in town from NYC, we always make it a point to go to Barrington’s. It’s our family tradition. The atmosphere is lovely, the food is spot on, and the servers are great — they always seem to remember our preferences. It’s things like that that make this place so special. My 2 favorite things about Barrington’s — First, they do unique things with salads. I wouldn’t say I ever «look forward» to salad at a restaurant, but here I do. The flavors are always inventive and surprising — things I probably wouldn’t normally lean towards, but somehow, it works. Second, The Chocolate Pudding Cake. A tried and true classic, and I don’t think I’ve ever not ordered it here. My one complaint: I could probably easily eat 2 servings… not a terrible problem to have! If you are a Charlotte resident or just visiting, go to Barrington’s. You will definitely leave satisfied.

We had a great first visit to Barrington’s recently and will enjoy coming back again in the future. Great for a romantic date night.
The food, except for dessert, was simply delicious: We started with the PEI mussels (lite, a generous portion) and veal gnocchi (excellent, also light flavor). I had the braised short rib (fork tender, great portion, served with tasty julienne potato + veggies) and the Mrs had rabbit pot pie that she really enjoyed. Our server was excellent; he knew the menu well, very kind, and was patient in answering our questions, giving good recommendations.
The downsides to our visit were relatively minor: service could have been a faster given that the restaurant was far from full (our meal took almost 2 hrs); pre-​app bread was poor quality– it almost could have been Wonderbread™ and similarly, the dessert pastry (cranberrry ice cream with almond croissant) wasn’t very tasty and was rather dry and not flaky.

I like this place and absolutely agree with the other reviews — Barrington’s has a quiet, intimate vibe that is great for a romantic date /​special celebration.
The food is definitely great — we ventured into the new winter menu and had great success with the French Onion Soup, the Veal Gnocchi and the Rabbit Pot Pie. The wines were also good — I relied on my trusty Malbec.
Two caveats:
— It can be a bit pricey, with ostentatious patrons. =/​
— Service was OK, but we didn’t feel special.

It’s a nice cozy and classy restaurant. Good food but a little pricy.

This is a place that I wanted to go to for a while now.
PROS: Food really was excellent. I had the chicken and the chocolate lava cake for dessert. Both items have been on the menu for years and they tasted great so I know why.
CONS: This is a tiny restaurant. I mean really tiny for Charlotte standards. Then you get used to it and it feels homey with a neighborhood feel. But that neighborhood is high end South Park where the people who live there act and look like no others in town. It’s true, every time I have dinner in a South Park restaurant I keep thinking ‘where am I’? Maybe I should get some botox, a Rolex, Hermes scarf, and throw some money around to fit in!
The check– I was in a group of 6 people. The restaurant was full and the service was very slow. There were other tables that came and went when we were still there. They just brought one check and we split it 6 ways (I guess the place is too posh to split out checks). I know that 2 bottles of wine were ordered, and we all had max 2 glasses each. The bill was $ 77 a person plus tip. My dinner and dessert were $ 23 + $ 10. Not sure how the $ 77 happened unless the wine was super expensive. So I was in for over $ 90 with the tip. How could that even be worth the money for what I ordered? I will go back again but with just one other person, a date night perhaps and try my luck again.

Excellent food. A nice place for a date night. The staff always takes the time to make you feel welcomed. You can tell they put a lot of thought into the meals. Good quality ingredients. Very happy with my dinners there.

This place is amazing! My fiancé and I went for our anniversary and fell in love with it! The service was great. Everyone was so pleasant, and willing to answer questions. The atmosphere was romantic with candles and light music playing. Everyone seemed to really be enjoying themselves. The food was by far the best I’ve had at any restaurant! I ordered the chicken and my fiancé ordered duck. Both were delicious and it was my first time having duck. I don’t even want to taste it anywhere else because I know I will be disappointed. I also really love sweets and the chocolate cake was A+. This will definitely be our special occasion spot from now on!

Had a delicious dinner here the other night with my husband and daughter. Food came out in a timely manner and the server was very accommodating with our requests.
My husband had the pea soup to start and was blown away by the flavor. I had the prosciutto pasta and it was creamy and delicious-​my only complaint was that it was about half mushrooms! I’m all for using mushrooms as a flavor enhancer, but not when they take up half the bowl. Also nice that they offer half sizes on their pasta dishes so they can double as appetisers as well.
The rest of the meal was equally delicious, as were the desserts — chocolate lava cake and pretzel bread pudding. Would definitely reccomend!

What a fantastic evening.
Bruce and the team in the kitchen are top shelf.
The food and plating are exceptional.
Started out with a 2008 Rioja Riserva. Drand great and reasonably priced.
For appetizers:
The spicy tuna tartare and fried oyster combo was incredible. Right up there with top 10 appetizers of all time.
The arugula salad was stellar.
Next course: Pasta
We had the famed gnocchi. Pillows made to perfection in a veal ragu. Incredible. This dish would hold up against the finest Italian restaurants in the world.
Next: Fish
We had the trout over risotto. So delicious and light I ate it with the skin.
Dessert:
Coconut bundt cake with house made banana ice cream. So tasty, and so stuffed.
Shared all this with my daughter. A bit too much food with dessert, but had to go for it.
As the night winded down, Bruce came out by the bar, where we ate. Spoke with the chef for about half an hour. Not only a GREAT chef, but incredibly humble and a really good person. Smart, well traveled and my daughter and I really enjoyed the conversation.
We loved it so much, trying another of Bruce’s restaurants tonight.

Guys, don’t throw stones at me. I LIKED Barrington’s. I would give them a solid 3.8 stars. They are better than «Ok» but not as good as «yay I’m a fan.»
As others have stated, the ambiance is quaint, quiet, intimate. I love that. The service was OK for us. The waitress seemed a little «rough» and just didn’t provided the polished professionalism you would expect at a place like this. She had a couple of recommendations for wine based on the description of what I wanted and I think she provided decent options but neither truly hit the spot.
I ordered the butternut squash soup and one of the salads. Both were done very well and I liked that I could order a «half order» so it wasn’t too much and I wasn’t too full before my entrée. I went with the swordfish for my main meal. It was OK. It had a crispy crust around it but the fish itself was pretty fishy. The menu said it came with white beans, broccoli rabe and chorizo. You couldn’t really taste or find many pieces of chorizo and for some reason the flavor combinations didn’t work THAT well. I mostly just tasted fishy fish with bitter broccoli. The truffled mashed potatoes were amazing but they came out lukewarm which was disappointing.
We went against our server’s recommendations (as she had suggested a couple other things we didn’t agree with earlier in the evening) and decided to try the blueberry sticky bun and the smore’s crème brulee. Both get an A for effort, NO doubt. They both get an A for creativity as well. They both get a B in terms of flavor and overall enjoyment.
I just don’t feel confident to say this is the best restaurant in Charlotte. I have had better dining experiences elsewhere. I am not saying I wouldn’t come back but if I got to pick a special occasion place to dine it wouldn’t be the first thing on my list.

We got here about 530 and sat right away, They do take reservations if you call them. The Ambiance is cozy in a galley dining room setting, Holds maybe 60 including the bar area.
The Staff was johnny on the spot, Woody seemed to be the sharpest of the bunch and the most knowledable, (he was also our server) and friendly and was right there for our needs without hovering or hitting you up with the, I just stuffed my mouth «How is everything?» Routine.
Wine was wonderful, Merlot, Food Was very good and it was relaxing without being pretensious like a lot of places in South Park.
Well Done Barringtons We will return.

So we went one night over the summer– I know I’m a little late to review but better late than never. Barrington’s is definitely as good as everyone says it is. It is a tiny place which makes it very intimate and special. The service was really exceptional, our waiter was really knowledgable. Definitely call in advance for a reservation as they book up fast. I can’t wait to try it again.

This place is a remarkable restaurant. I know I haven’t been in Charlotte too long, but I’m pretty sure it’s safe to say that Barrington’s is one of best, if not, THE BEST restaurant in Charlotte (IMO). I almost don’t even know where to begin as the entire evening was one big magical experience. This may sound like an exaggeration, but it’s not — start to finish every aspect was top notch!
I came here for a birthday dinner this past Saturday. The moment we walked in the door we were greeted by a young lady who took our coats and showed us to our table. As soon as we sat down we were greeted by our waitress who presented us with our menus. Throughout the entire meal, I felt like I had a personal attendant, not a waitress. Every need was predicted, service was flawlessly executed, wine recommendations were personalized and I never felt rushed or inconvenienced in any way. She gets an A+
I told myself as I was driving home that night that I wouldn’t turn this review into a novel lol, so I will do my best to keep the review brief and to the point.
Appetizers: French Onion Soup & Bib Lettuce Salad. The soup was not your average French onion soup but it was very very tasty! I would recommend it to ANYONE. Don’t ask questions, just order it! The salad was very good, nothing special (I’m not a big salad person — it did have Brussel sprouts… and I LOVEEEE Brussel sprouts.)
Pasta Dish: Gnocchi w/​braised veal. DEAR BABY JESUS!!! My buddy Paul C recommended this place and he did say that the Gnocchi is a must and OMG was he right! Thank you again Paul. Words can’t descried how delicious it was. The veal literally melted apart… it was unreal. Since we were each getting an Entrée, our waitress suggested getting a «small» portion of the Gnocchi — this is the only time of the night in which I regret listening to her… because once the Gnocchi was gone, my mouth was still calling for more lol… oh well, just another reason to come back.
Entrees: I had a couple of bites of the bacon wrapped trout and it was just PHENOMENAL. With some difficulty, I had to decide on whether I was going to go with their veal loin special or their pork chop — I just couldn’t make up my mind. What did I end of going with? I decide on their coffee rubbed venison rack LOL. After asking a bunch of questions, I learned from the waitress that the rack was down to only one bone — Pork and veal were out, Venison was in — I couldn’t resist. It was perfectly cooked how I asked — Medium rare-​ish. I’m literally lost for words as I sit here and write this review. I took my first bite and before I could even put my fork back down… I paused and asked myself…“Is the real life?”. It was so unbelievably mouthwatering good. I’m afraid of going back and not getting a chance to try anything else… because I will want the venison again. Ughhhh, it hurts just thinking about it.
By this point in the evening, I was in taste bud heaven. Someone could have given me pretzels and I would remain more than content.
Desert: In a way I’m glad we got a smaller portion of gnocchi because I still had a little bit of room for desert. I had the cheesecake… I believe it was called «popcorn cheesecake», maybe? Can’t really remember since I felt like I was part of a fairytale by that point. It was DELISCIOUS! Cornbread crust… popcorn pieces… caramel…just perfect. Finshed off with a coffee and baileys.
Thank you to everyone at Barrington’s for such a pleasurable experience. I can’t wait to come back and do it again. I can now add them to my small list of restaurants that I feel the need to tell everyone about. Thank you again to Paul C for the recommendation — It lived up to everything you said & more.
LONG story LONG, if you want a meal that might just change your life, come to Barington’s!

Words can’t express how great it was. Food, flavor, presentation, service and atmosphere was off the charts.

I’ll keep THIS review much shorter than the Doctoral Dissertation that I left the first time. First and foremost, Barrington’s is still the BEST Restaurant in Charlotte (IMHO)! The quality of the food, the presentation, the atmosphere, the service, the EXPERIENCE is really second to none. You certainly can make a great case for Zebra, the Fig Tree, and maybe one or 2 others, but to my taste buds, Barrington’s still rules.
Went here on a Tuesday night, which thankfully isn’t their busiest, so we had a relatively easy time getting in. Started off with a couple of Rose Wines to whet the appetite. I brought a 95+ Point-​rated Châteauneuf-​du-​Pape as our «main» wine, and that of course turned out to be superb!
Had to try their Corn Soup, with Lobster and Truffle Oil, and that was heavenly! And of course, NO trip to Barrington’s is complete without their Fois Gras du jour, and it didn’t disappoint! Always marvelous, though the accompanying sauce wasn’t the best I’ve ever had but the Fois Gras was just sublime on its own.
I ordered a «mid-​course» of their famous Gnocchi with braised Veal, which is TO DIE FOR! If you order ONE thing here, get this dish! It’s unique and so richly flavored you’ll want to cry… it’s THAT good!
For the mains… my date had the Grouper dish, which normally uses Halibut, but they substituted Grouper, and they got the outside to be deliciously crunchy and the inside soft and moist. I had the Waygu Beef Sirloin which was very tasty, not the absolute best I’ve had but very good.
Our very professional and friendly waiter recommended the Warm Chocolate Pudding for Dessert. Well this tasted more like a Molten Lava cake than «pudding» as the dark chocolate was rich and oh so delicious!
The one big difference since I came last year at this time is that the prices have gone up noticably. The Gnocchi dish was $ 16 last year and $ 19 this year. No biggie, but the CORKAGE fee went up from $ 10 to $ 30! That’s a HUGE increase which I didn’t expect. But hey, I did bring a great bottle of wine but that really is a very large jump in price. My bad… I ASSUMED it was still the same price. Lesson Learned… ALWAYS ASK FIRST so that you get NO surprises!
All in all, yet another 5 star experience here!

First of all, let me say that everything was really good on our first visit to Barrington’s. All of the accolades fit and are justified but I really can’t give them 5 stars. Our friends had been there on a few occasions and he had set up the reservations for the 4 of us. I had heard that it was a small restaurant but was still shocked at how compact the dining area and bar were.
Overall the service was good and knowledgeable with the menu, even if we got off to a slow start with drinks and ordering. We certainly did not feel rushed. I started with a potato leek soup, which was packed with a lot of flavor and delicious. The wife had a salad and it was alright, nothing spectacular she said. We both chose the Arctic char, which had a nice presentation but again nothing spectacular to the point that I would order something else next time. Others at the table chose the mussels and fois gras as appetizers. The mussels also had great flavor and I would highly recommend. The fois gras, for me, was not enjoyable on this occasion but then again while I like it, it’s not something that I would order regularly. The other mains chosen were the duck and a pasta if I remember correctly but can’t remember which one. I recall the pasta being good and the duck being very good having just tasted a little bit of each.
What really blew me and the whole party away was the desserts. We ordered 3 with the berry rhubarb cobbler being by far my favorite. They really nailed it on the desserts, which usually I don’t even order but glad that I did on this occasion. We even had a little excitement when the table next to us set some paper from a birthday card on fire and we were thinking that we would have to evacuate. The flames were quickly put out and we resumed eating as the smoke cleared.
Barrington’s is definitely a good restaurant for a special occasion and I would return to try other dishes.

This restaurant was highly recommended in almost everything we read including best restaurant in NC so of course we had to go check it out. Reservations only. Very small and comparable to «How to Cook a Wolf» (size wise) in Seattle. Quaint, cute and romantic.
I was told they have the best gnocchi in the country. I’ve tried lots of gnocchi in my time, but not enough to say it’s the best. I will say the sauce was dynamite. Spectacular. It’s remained on their menu for the 13 years they’ve been around so obviously they have it right.
The bread — was delicious, but I noticed the tables next to us all got 2 pieces each and we only got one. I was the only nonwhite person in the restaurant and I hope that’s not the reason why. Then again we were in the south. I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt and hope maybe they were just low at the time.
The foie gras was not the best ever, but the presentation and the flavors were well prepared and tasty. I had a mahi mahi with mango purée for my main dish and it was right up my alley! A Caribbean kick with a tangy sweet balance from the mango. Delicious and fresh.
My friend loved the dessert which was a extra gewy cinnamon roll in a iron cast dish. I found it to be dry on the outside but I was told it was very most inside and was good.
My cappuccino was burnt. I was disappointed but didn’t complain about it. I figured they do things differently down there and maybe my expectations probably exceeded most coming from the northwest. I just graciously smiled and fudged a little to the waiter about it being good.
The restrooms were very clean.