Parizade

My experience was so bad I didn’t even make it to a table. The host staff was awful. We waited as we watched several parties with reservation times later than ours get seated, without any acknowledgement from the hostess. I’ve dined here once before and the food was mediocre. Thought we’d give them another try tonight, but no thanks! Parizade is over rated!

Our meal was very good and the ambiance excellent. A big disappointment arrived with our bill. My husband and I asked to share a salad with our entrees. Lo and behold, we were charged a $ 2.00 «share fee». I was very disappointed considering the price and caliber of this restaurant.

I have been eating dinner at Parizade almost every evening. The oysters are always the first thing I order. The spinach, cheese and garlic butter makes them like eating food from heaven. Their ribeye steak is excelent and is making me think of it for tonights dinner. I usually don’t eat deserts but when I do they every desert you love.
I usually eat at the bar with my friends because of the great service from Mary, James, and Maranda. If your not a brockalee lover just ask the wait service for another of your favorett vegtables.

Had a wonderful post Christmas meal with the entire family. The lamb chops were superb along with the braised shot rib. The seafood dishes were very Mediterranean authentic. Desserts were special as always

Wannabe a great place to dine, but unfortunately is poorly managed and the food not so great and very little portions. Service is sub par and you could get better service at chain restaurants. Also for large parties be on lookout because there is a mandatory 20% tip included (even though the service sucks). if you split the bill (that is when the confusion starts) the staff will do whatever they can to charge drinks or food that you really didn’t have. Plus they will, for sure mess up the order for at least two of your parties.

I have been coming here for years. It still has the greatest ambiance in Durham and these days we have a lot of great restaurants. I just had a wonderful lunch with friends. I loved the ravioli special today– cheese ravioli with small pork meatballs, apricots and pine nuts in a creamy sauce. As usual the staff was attentive and Igor gracious.

Went there today for our Office Girl’s Lunch. I’ve been before, but it had been awhile. We were seated quickly and were given water and bread shortly after. Our waiter was very kind. 2 of us at the table chose the Prix Fix, which if you ask me, is the BEST DEAL EVER, as you get a salad, entrée, AND dessert of $ 16. My Parizade salad was great, the risotto was delicious but my absolute favorite was Black Velvet Praline Torte… I was NOT expecting that!!! Had a really great lunch… service seemed a little slow but 1) they looked extremely busy and 2) it was nice not to be rushed. Bravo Parizade, I will be returning!

This place was a disappointment. A group of us went here for a festive dinner. The ambiance was nice for the holidays and they can accommodate a big group with a reservation, so also good.
This is where the positives mostly stop. I ordered an old fashioned drink and it was terrible. It was so sweet I had to send it back. Would not recommend. I asked them to switch it out for a glass of wine because I couldn’t drink it, and they obliged but still charged me for it. I guess I would have thought they would have taken it off my bill. My boyfriend asked for a Manhattan with their house liquor, and he also got up– charged for ‘special liquor’. It didn’t make any sense.
Next, for dinner, we ordered the scallops and the angel hair pasta dish. The pasta was good, but my boyfriend ended up getting food poisoning from the scallops. So be warned, would recommend staying away from the seafood. The rest of the table had mixed reviews of the food. The burgers were not good, the paella dish was good.
Overall, for what you’re paying for the food, not worth it.

Beautiful restaurant, fantastic menu and quality of good. Service is some of the best in the area! Awesome wine list and by the glass selections that are affordable and top quality.

I had the occasion to visit for lunch and was very impressed. I hadn’t been there for some time and never for lunch before. Great menu variety and perfect portions for mid day. Atmosphere was upscale casual and the meal was delicious.
My only suggestion would be to have slightly less onion in the salad, but maybe that’s just me. Certainly would /​will return.

I have been going to this restaurant for 5 years on a regular basis. Very surprised at reading Shannon’s review, in which she even goes as far as to pull a pesto, basil confusion on some poor wait staff at another of George’s restaurants. Frankly, a pesto allergy should probably order off the chicken fingers menu, instead of being so self-​expectant to get everything exactly their way. I mean, if you have a peanut allergy, you don’t dance with risk in a Chinese restaurant do you? Oh, excuse me, I have a specific allergy… and if you don’t get my allergy just right, I’m going on a witch hunt over your restaurant. And btw, «my friend said we’re both on a witch hunt, cause she felt put out over at another of George’s restaurants»…
Parizades is a great place for getting great service from the manager there, and in lieu of witch hunting over one bad experience, after having been a regular client, as Shannon describes herself, I have to ask why she didn’t just mention something to the manager, as I know he would have gone over the top to make sure it never happened again?
Parizades is a busy restaurant during lunch, because it’s popular. I’ve taken business clients there repeatedly, and had tables of 8 on repeated basis. It’s a perfect lunch place for «business», with expediency and professionalism of staff. It’s not a K&W cafeteria where you can sit around and complain that «you only got water» with your meal.

Dined here last night with my husband and his colleagues and I realized I need to dine here more often. Service was impeccable; very professional and personable. For appetizers we started off with scallops, shrimp, and fried calamari. A little bland and slightly overcooked for my taste but the seafood was large, fresh and still delicious. The Caprese Salad that followed was my favorite part of the meal. Slices of fresh, large tomatoes and mozzarella with basil and arugula were marvelous. My husband and I shared the Paella and Lamb Chops that were a special for the evening. The Chops were extraordinary; cooked perfectly and seasoned well. The Paella was ok in my humble opinion. The rice was nicely done, but again the scallops and shrimp were a little over cooked for my liking. My husband loved both dishes and there were plenty of leftovers. The orange cake for dessert was perfect with a fresh cup of brewed coffee. I think Parizade is great for date night when you want to impress. They have several tables to accommodate large parties, outdoor dining and even feature a special pre-​theater menu if you’re short on time. With a menu ranging from small plates to entrees containing seafood, steaks, chicken, pasta and burgers there is something for everyone.

At first when I arrived I thought it was a slow night, but then a bunch of tables were seated after 6:30 so I could see Parizade is really popular among locals. Service was impeccable.
Unfortunately, they 86’d the barrata ingredient which is one of my faves, but otherwise the (mozz) salad was spot on with delicious green and yellow and red tomatoes. I really will have to try again sometime when they have barrata available.
The variety of bread platter was delicious!
My dinner was a tasty sirloin burger with fig jam. The manager said they don’t usually put burgers on the menu after lunch, but since I liked it so much, he’d consider going that route again. The reasons I liked it were it was uniquely presented, and the portion was very adequate for a dinner.
Special Dessert course was limoncello and blueberry cake, since blueberries are in season. It was appropriately portioned, freshly made, and very much enjoyed.

I have a friend who raves about Parizade, so I was pretty excited to check it out for date night tonight! However, I was underwhelmed.
I’d checked out their menu on their website beforehand, but their actual menu at the restaurant was totally different. I was disappointed since the item I wanted wasn’t on the current menu.
Tables come with free bread and oil. Love free bread, but this kind has a tough crust so we didn’t eat much. We ordered fried shrimp as a starter. It was fine, not bad, not extraordinary. I got the Caesar and shared the paella with my husband (the chorizo was amazing!). Paella was good. We shared the chocolate praline torte, which was divine!
Pros: easy parking. Staff was prompt and efficient. Good dessert menu.
Cons: I’ve had a seriously upset stomach all evening after eating there… And food was good but not memorable. If I’m in the area again I’ll probably go to the Local 22 next door.

After a little research I decided the best place for one of my best friend’s bachelorette celebration was Café Parizade. The atmosphere is cheery and lively. Nine ladies made up the party, and we were all treated so well.
I had a reservation, but I also called ahead and asked if there were ways we could enhance the bride-to-be’s experience. The team at Café Parizade blew us all away! On our table was a beautiful flower arrangement, and the table was also sprinkled with little stars. The wine glasses were decorated with pink hearts. The staff all wished the bachelorette congratulations and helped us make her feel special as soon as we entered the restaurant until we departed.
Beyond all that the food was delicious and each person (two with special dietary requests) was thrilled with her meal.
Thank you! Thank you! I highly recommend.

My boyfriend and I picked this place primarily based on the restaurant week menu, followed by the Unilocal and other internet reviews it got.
It exceeded both of our expectations as soon as we walked in– the atmosphere had an eclectic and modern, yet elegant vibe. We were actually seated in their back, more private room, which was even more fantastic. Smaller, quieter, and with a presidential or victorian feel, we felt like royalty.
Almost all of the food was amazing, especially the salmon. I got the roast chicken, which was my only disappointment — moist and flavorful, yes, but very thick and hard to cut, which really took away from my enjoyment of it. The desserts (banana rum Napoleon for him and Tunisian orange cake for me) were prepared beautifully and tasted amazing.
Our server was great, too– just attentive enough, despite how busy he seemed. I have a tree nut allergy, and he was very helpful and understanding when it came to choosing a dessert that would be safe for me. He also happily accommodated our request to switch the side dishes that came with the main courses we ordered, no questions asked.
Though we both agreed it was too pricey to go back just because, it would be worth another visit for a special occasion, particularly if you can get seated in that back room.

I had the chance to check this place out thanks to restaurant week! I had a great time as I was accompanied by great company.
This restaurant is decorated very nicely and gives you this fun and festive feel with a bit of elegance. The tables are set simply but clean giving it a classy feel to it and the tables are spaced enough so that it is not too loud. The kitchen is open so you can see what’s going on, which makes it fun. Interior-​wise I enjoyed it!
For the appetizer I got the Parizade salad, which was a delight. The spring mix was fresh and it had an ample enough of strawberries, sliced almonds, blue cheese, and vinagrette. The portion is generous and the flavoring of it was quite good. It made me excited for my entrée. Definitely recommend the salad as the light dressing and addition of strawberry left a bit of spring in my mouth.
For the entrée I got the shrimp and artichoke risotto. My first impression of it was that of rice porridge — quite plain with some inclinations of shrimp. I took a bite of it and it tasted like sticky rice porridge that had been cooked way too long with lots of water. I had one artichoke heart in my dish. I was taken aback and a bit disappointed. The flavoring was decent but not memorable. Perhaps my friends and my dish was overcooked and left too long to simmer. Who knows, but the entrée was meh~.
For dessert we got the Banana Rum Napolean and Black Velvet Praline Torte. They were both delictable and was pleasing to the eye and tongue.
I would give it a 4, but the risotto was a let down while the appetizer and dessert was good.

I came in as part of a big group, and none of us were sure how many people were coming. After 30 minutes, they hadn’t taken our drink orders. They had only given one wine list for the entire table.
The salad was excellent, and a good size. The bread was great, though it took them a while to notice it needed to be refilled.
I ordered the whole fish, and was slightly amused that they stressed it came with the head. That’s the sort of food I’m used to, but I was the only one who ordered it. The fish was fine, and the server filleted it for me. The sides were bland. But, I have made better fish myself before, so it is hard to feel the price is justified. Not everyone in my group enjoyed what they ordered, though most opinions were positive.
They were happy to give us individual checks, including splitting a bottle of wine between those of us who had some. They also made it clear gratuity was included (presumably since we were a group).

I have mixed feelings about Parizade. It is like a Durham staple– so it’s hard for me to give it under 4 stars. I have had a lot of good meals here so I feel like it deserves a solid 4 stars. I have been eating here for at least the past 11 years. I went here for my high school prom, business lunches after college, wedding rehearsal dinner, my going away lunch for work when I became a mom, and recently my mother-in-law’s surprise party. So this review is based off of my last experience.
We had a great time having drinks at the bar before dinner. The bartender came across as cold at first but warmed up to us throughout the evening. The waitress had a beautiful accent and was SO friendly to us. I felt like royalty eating there and I never got that feeling before at Parizade. I wish I could remember her name.
I got the hanger steak and it was delicious!!! The red wine reduction sauce was perfect! Not too thick, just right. I wish it came with some kind of mash and not broccoli and a couple tiny cut up potatoes. Steak always deserves a good garlic mash… or maybe I am just boring.
Only thing I would have loved different that night is some bread that wasn’t so bland and served warm. It was cold wheat type of bread and just tasteless.
Overall– a great place for a business lunch or dinner. There are a lot of good options now in Durham though and I am not quite sure I’d always go with Parizade these days. but it is one to keep in the mix.

We went here for the summer tasting menu billed as a living social. (I felt somewhat perturbed to learn that my «excellent deal» was actually the standard price for the summer tasting menu, and it was just a lure to get me in). The ambiance looked like a more red, less tacky version of the cheesecake factory, with a nice greenspace outdoors and none of the Cheesecake factory wait.
The good: attentive service with excellent dinner recommendations. Well-​crafted entreés and expertly designed desserts. The summer tasting menu, triangle restaurant week menu, and theater menu are all great values.
The bad: Appetizers were average, cocktails were terrible, and regular menu prices were offensive. Décor was fun but also somewhat tacky.
We found the appetizers and salads to be average and somewhat lackluster. My kefta appetizer had incredible flavor, but I was offended at the golf ball size of it.
The cocktails were terrible when compared to literally anything you can find elsewhere in Durham. The «Pearizade» tasted far too syrupy. Especially at $ 12 a cocktail, this was insulting.
I have to talk about the risotto and hanger steak. These dishes were PERFECT! That is probably why both are on the triangle restaurant week menu. The risotto was chock full of shrimp and scallops, delicately flavored with tomato and basil, and just the right amount of filling. The hanger steak was perfectly cooked, a HUGE portion, and the arugula salad was a light and delicate accompaniment with excellent flavors.
But really, the dessert is where this place really shines. I had at least 6 different textures in my sinful chocolate torte, and the banana rum napoleon really surprised me for the dept of flavors and talent of the pastry chef. Again, this probably explains why these two desserts anchor all of their deal menus.
I’ll probably come back for the Triangle Restaurant week menu to get more risotto and dessert, but otherwise won’t be trekking out to this place. I bet it’s nice to stop in for a quick theater dinner if you live nearby. Just get your cocktails at local 22 instead and stick to the wine here.