Girasole Trattoria

Bad service, bad food, and overpriced. The worst dining experience my family had had in a long time.

My husband and I recently had our wedding rehearsal dinner here. It was fabulous.
This restaurant shares a kitchen with the Gatehouse tavern next door. The private room (on the other side of the tavern) is great and even has it’s own entrance and bathroom.
The food was delicious and exactly what we envisioned. Todd (the owner) was very responsive and just amazing to work with! So happy we went with this restaurant. We highly recommend it for events. We will definitely be coming back to try more dishes in the future!
We even came back to the tavern the night of the wedding for a little after party!

Terrible first experience & will never go back.
I am not one to complain, but was so disappointed in this dining experience. My husband and I dined here on New Year’s Eve. To begin with I ordered a red wine sangria, which tasted like it had chemicals in it, I kindly asked the waitress if I could have a plain glass of wine instead because it didn’t taste right. When we got the bill, I was charged for both drinks. When I explained to the waitress that I didn’t think it was fair to pay for a drink that I took one drink of and was not able to drink, she said her manager said I should have asked for a sample before ordering a whole glass. Seriously??? When I asked to speak to the manager, we then sat and waited for over 10 minutes. When our waitress finally came back, she said the manager would take it off, but next time don’t order something without trying it.
As far as the food goes $ 17 for poorly made chicken parmesan is ridiculous, and my salad was so drenched in dressing the lettuce was wilted and obviously previously mixed. I will NEVER eat here again.

I live right behind the restaurant in Heritage. I wanted this place to be great. After a couple tries, I won’t be back. The food was okay, but over priced. Both times I went, they didn’t have the entrée I wanted on the menu. The last time I went, we waited nearly an hour for our food. It’s a nice atmosphere, but that’s about it…

I have been in the restaurant industry for several years, and currently manage a restaurant at the beach. I drove home from the beach to Wakefield to take my Father (and Mother) out for an early Father’s day dinner, and my Father chose Girasole. He had been here once already, so he wanted to go again. The inside is very nice! I saw that they had an outdoor seating area, that looked oh-​so-​beautiful and romantic! I would’ve loved to have eaten out there, had it not been so humid (my hair gets too frizzy! lol). So we requested a booth inside instead. The entire staff was very attentive & professional. our server brandin told us all about the specials of the evening, which my Father had one of them (I have NO idea how to spell it! It was a seafood «stew», including mussels & seabass. my father asked for it over Cappelini which they said NO PROBLEM!). well he LOVEDDD it! My Father can be a picky guy and was raving about how FRESH the mussels & seabass were. I had the chicken under a brick meal with the veggie orzo. delishhhh… and my mother had the butternut squash tortolonni & scallops with the sage browned butter sauce.
OMG.its like HEAVEN IN YOUR MOUTH!!! She literally was about to stab us with her fork because we kept eating off her plate! :)
We also enjoyed the $ 5 cosmos (since it was the special on wednesday), and then after dinner we all shared the chocolate fondant dessert… a perfect ending to a perfect meal.
My Father went up to the window to compliment the chef, and the Executive Chef Jason came out and thanked him for the compliments and gave my Father a card for an appetizer on HIM the next time we come out to eat! We all found that very sweet & thoughtful. We most definitely will be back!
We are Italians from New Jersey and we know good Italian food. so we highly reccommend Girasole to be added to your list!

The Wife and I recently embarked on a «let’s try some place new» phase in our lives. We’ve been discovering great hole-​in-​the-​walls as well as restaurants of a more esteemed value.
Our experience at Girasole Trattoria was very pleasant.
We specifically enjoyed the ambiance. There can be little question we were both surprised to find a restaurant with the quality of a larger city in our own small-​town backyard of Wake Forest.
With a romantic low-​lit affair, the interior sets the mood for a very comfortable experience. There are plenty of «one-​on-​one» tables for single couples, as well as booths and larger tables for groups. A patio sits outside for those warmer evenings.
The food was divine. The culinary art is beautifully displayed even on the bread served on a plate to your table.
I tried the Meat Lasagna. Unfortunately, the only complaint I have is they got my order wrong by bringing me «Baked Ziti» at first. The mistake was corrected, but, not before my wife was three-​quarters of the way through her main course. The lasagna was a work of art and tasted splendid. It was full of ground beef and accompanied by copious amounts of marinara on around the dish.
Aside from being slightly overpriced (about $ 58 for the two of us) … this was a very enjoyable experience.
I’d certainly recommend Girasole to many. The wife wants to return for her birthday!

Don’t waste your time. Four tables of customers in the store and the manager never came over to talk. Cold appetizers sent back– bland salads, main course a little better than cafeteria at work. Oh and on the way out… mints for 5 cents… talked to manager and he could not have cared less. should have heeded other reviewers Advice to stay away.

Oh man, I really wanted this update-​review to be better but 2 stars is all it gets.
I have defended Girasole for a while to friends who continually offer up other suggestions instead of going to Girasole to dine but last night, I insisted that we go for a dinner with friends. They didn’t put up much of a fight since Thursday at Girasole is $ 3 wine night.
The place is definitely still a great looking place. I love the ambiance and the general feel of the place is somewhere that I still really enjoy dining. It had a nice crowd, we were quickly seated and greeted by our wonderful service. our server took care of us and was on his stuff the whole time!
The issue lies within the food.
The food is bland, doesn’t seem to have the flavor that it once had. I don’t know if their recipes changed, the cook staff, quality, whatever, but it changed for the worse. All of us, when discussing the food all said «it’s ok, nothing special». It’s such a shame. There seems to be no consistency since each time we go, the bread selection is different. Sometimes it is Italian bread with an oil and vinegar dipping, sometimes it’s just bread, last night it was bread that appeared to be cornbread with pesto sauce drenched all over it (I cannot eat since I am allergic to tree nuts) so I am not sure how it tasted myself but our table did not finish the bread– not even their own servings. Who doesn’t finish their bread? People that think it doesn’t taste good, that’s who. I had a pasta dish, and so did everyone else except hubs– he had the white pizza which has always been my go-​to. I tasted his and it too was bland. It didn’t have the amazing flavor it once had.
I had and still have high hopes for this place. Until it changes, we will continue to venture to the Tavern side for bar food when we want it. I think I am now going to be the one putting up an argument NOT to go to Girasole.
Oh Girasole, please get your act together in the kitchen. I really want to like you again.

Tonight’s irritations. After I order the Grouper special he comes back and tells me they are out of it…“waiter, is the Calamari heavily breaded?” No not really he says. IT WAS! Big time.
Then they bring the entrees before we are done picking the breading off the calamari… hate that!
I ordered Veal Parm as a default because they were out of the special he sold me on and it was edible but not great. The veal cutlet was on the thick side and looked better than it tasted. Actually, it was kind of tasteless. The spaghetti that came with it was not over cooked, but not al dente either.
So I order a beer with my dinner, no glass was brought or offered. Just set the bottle down and walked away. For $ 20 bucks a plate, one would think a cold glass should come with the beer.
So my wife and I spent $ 60 bucks plus tip and I walked away thinking I wood rather spend $ 100 and have all the details in place with better quality food or just a pitcher of beer and a plate of Buffalo Wings.

3 of 4 stars (see explanation of ratings below)
Read their menu on-​line and was intrigued by the app Shrimp Limoncello: shrimp, shallots, scallions, and limoncello liqueur. It lacked pop. Had to add cheese and salt to finish the dish.
In fact, three of the four dishes we had lacked flavor.
Pizza with shrimp, goat cheese, garlic oil, arugala and ricotta salata needed some lemon. Lemon segments, lemon pepper or even just a squirt of lemon would have done the trick.
Pizza crust is average. Reminded me of a cracker crust.
Good service. Fair prices.
About my ratings:
Only fine dining establishments can garner five stars. Until Unilocal realizes that a fast food joint cannot possibly be ranked equally with a $ 100 per person place, I need to draw the line somewhere. If we were only talking about the quality and presentation of the food, it would be a different story. But, as we know, Unilocal’s rankings take into account the entire dining experience.
Therefore, I divide restaurants into three categories (and I wish Unilocal would do the same):
1) fast food (no table service)
2) casual dining (table service)
3) fine dining (linen napkins, no plastic cups, no TV’s in dining room, typically more expensive than casual dining)
Fine dining can earn a max of five stars. Casual dining can earn a max of four stars. Fast food can earn a max of three stars.

Maybe it’s April… but overall, April has not been a good eating out month for me.
Girasole has always been one of my favorite Wake Forest eateries, and I take almost all vistors that come to visit here for a meal. I normally sit at the bar and visit with Mark, whom I just love. He’s awesome, and a fellow foodie, so you can talk food and wine pairings with him all night.
Now I have to rate this place «Meh, I’ve experienced better» and I mean. from Giralsole! I am pretty sure they must have had some change in kitchen management because the food quality is really going down hill fast. I’ve been here about 6 times since my last review, and I’ve been avoiding writing this post b/​c I keep hoping it was an off day.
First, lets start with the change in the bread. I do not know what these people were smoking when they approved the new bread (crusty pita looking bites with what looks like some kind of dry pesto rub concoction spread on them) in the test kitchen. Do you guys remember the old bread? Fresh bread with the homeade basil/​pesto oil and the freshly shredded cheese sprinkled on top of the oil? OMG, we would go there just for that deliciousness. Now. they throw out more of their new bread than people eat. Disappointing. When you say «let’s break bread together» you really mean it with this bread. It is so hard people could probably pop a veneer right off.
The amount of honey they put on the pear pizza is off; the scallops and butternutsquash was rubbery on Monday night. If a veggie is not in season. change the menu, don’t serve poor food quality. The crème brûlée was not crispy enough, however the flavor, was one of the better ones I’ve ever had.
Kitchen needs some consistency and a better eye on the quality of food they are serving. Service is great, and go visit Mark the bartender before he goes off to law school. He rocks.

What an awesome place to have a Great dinner! In Wake Forest
Have been there twice and can say nothing but good things!
It is really hard to find a place like this!

Girasole is one of our favorite date spots in WF. Each time we have gone the food and atmosphere has been wonderful. The tables as mentioned in a previous review are on the large side, even the two tops, but we did not mind. It was a very comfortable arrangement and the chairs are extremely comfy.
As far as the food goes, I have been very pleased each time. Their Pizza Margherita was delicious and authentic with just the right amount of cheese, sauce, and basil. The crust was also tasty which I ate all of mine and my husbands ends. The calamari was light and crispy, but a tad chewy. The pasta here is my favorite. I have tried a few different kinds, but surprisingly the children’s menu’s macaroni and cheese is my favorite. It is not the normal yellow cheese kind, it has a white sauce that is to die for. I really wish they would add it to the adult menu so I wouldn’t have to bring in my nephew to get it. I figured I wouldn’t try and order off the kids menu and get an odd look, which I did do one time.
As far as cons go for this restaurant the only one I have is that the times we have been their it has taken a while to get our food. This has not necessarily bothered me as those dates we really wanted to take our time, but if it had been a regular dinner outing the delay wouldn’t have been acceptable. We have gone when both this restaurant and the tavern, their attached sister restaurant, were busy. Since they share the kitchen they can get backed up when both are busy. It is fun watching them cook though as the kitchen is open view to Girasole’s dining room.
The owner and manager seemed nice from watching them interact with surrounding tables, but they didn’t stop by to speak to us.

Since we had a groupon we decided to give this place a try. I would say first off that I would definitely go again. The décor was ok, and the place kind of loud but that didn’t bother me at all. Our table was large for 2 people and our waitress was top notch. Our water was kept full the whole time.
Our waitress brought us out bread promptly which comes with olive oil dipping– in an off putting green color that reminded me of green jello– but it tasted very good. A great first impression in my book is always serving bread with a meal. Refills on bread were always offered though we didn’t partake of any after our first serving.
We decided to try two appetizers as we couldn’t make up our mind which one to order. We chose the meatball sliders which were good, and the crab risotto, also very good as it was stiff and flavorful.
I ordered the fettucini with sausage and spinach. I was a little dissapointed by this as I thought it contained fettucini noodles, but the noodles were much thinner and the sauce a bit on the watery side. It was not your typical «fettucini». Still this was good and I think I want to try the classic fettucini next time to see how that is. Also, for a small serving it cost $ 12 and I had an entire second portion to bring home. You only pay $ 3.00 more for a large and I can’t imagine how big that serving would have been, but our waitress told us it was a lot of food.
Hubby went for the chicken under a brick. A big dissapointment to him as one chicken was overcooked and the other underdone (I saw way too much pink in it and I would have returned it immediately)! He was not pleased at all with this non flavorful and boring dish, but did not mention or return it, which he most certainly should have.
I would also like to mention that this is two restuarants in one– a bar side and a nicer side. The kitchen cooks for both places which might account for the inconsistancy in our meal.
We skipped dessert as both of us were full. We both would like to give this place a second shot and see how our next visit compares.

Tried this on Saturday night with Paula, using a Groupon.
Girasole is in the Gateway Commons Shopping Center, on the corner of the 98 bypass and Jones Dairy Road on the eastern edge of Wake Forest. If you don’t have up-​to-​date maps in your GPS you might not be able to find it (I didn’t but Google Maps on the iPhone came to the rescue). It’s right next to the Gatehouse Tavern, both of which are run by the same people and apparently out of the same kitchen (at least that is what our server said).
Plusses:
1. The bread is fantastic when hot out of the oven. It’s served with an excellent oil and pesto dipping sauce topped with cheese. Our bread came out with a nice crunchy crust and a slightly soft but not overly doughy center.
2. The appetizers were quite good, although they are not made for sharing. We ordered meatball sliders, which came with a marinara sauce that was actually not needed — the sliders themselves were moist and spicy. We also ordered crab risotto, which was perfectly cooked and flavorful although a little more crab would have been nice.
3. Service was excellent. Food came out quickly, server was efficient in keeping water glasses filled, etc.
Minuses:
1. No *small* tables for two. Paula and I felt as though we were sitting across the restaurant from each other at times, especially as the place got louder. They could really use a handful of small booths.
2. Entrees. The restaurant is Italian-​themed and the portions are certainly large, but the presentation was somewhat offputting. The fettucine dish that my wife ordered — which was not the Alfredo, but the one with sausage and white beans — came with what looked like a bland and somewhat insipid sauce and the noodles were closer to spaghetti than fettucine. I ordered the chicken under a brick — two chicken legs, one of which was overcooked and the other of which was undercooked, with a «very» thin jus that added almost nothing to the dish (it was basically just chicken stock with a hint of garlic), garlic mashed potatoes that looked like they’d come out of a box, and fresh green beans that were cooked unevenly — some too little, some too much.
I almost feel as though the kitchen staff handled the entrees as though they were bar food — maybe that’s a downside to having both the tavern and the restaurant run out of the same kitchen. Perhaps there needs to be some separation there.

Awesome place. Visited a friend in Raleigh and heard great things about this place. I had the rib-​eye which was amazing — can say confidently that it was the best rib-​eye that I’ve ever had. Ever.
The ambiance was pretty nice bc it was glowing yellow but still had a nice comfortable feel to it. The staff was nice and the girls were the kind that you’d bring home to mom.
Menu was priced well.
dmo out.

My wife and I discovered Girasole a couple of months ago, and it has become my favorite restaurant on Wake Forest. The first time we went I ordered the chicken picatta. That is my go to dish when I go to any Italian restaurant. You can tell how it is going to be by ordering a simple dish. Wow, it knocked my socks off. The chicken was cooked perfectly and the sauce was divine. Went back recently for the brunch on Sunday. I got the Smoked Salmon Benedict hollandaise and prosciutto on a house-​made biscuit. It was amazing. The eggs were poached perfecting with a good running yolk. The hollandaise had that nice hint of lemon. The smoked salmon and prosciutto combo was perfect. Yes, this place can be a little out of the way, but do yourself a favor and get there. You will not be sorry!

Wife and I recently ate here for dinner and unfortunately we both felt the experience was 2 stars (but fixable).
The place is beautiful with a Tuscan feel to it. THE place you want to be though is the patio. It’s amazing with a fountain and landscaping covered by a clear, textured plexi-​glass like roof that enables a lot of light and view of the stars (while protecting from the elements) …this alone gives the place the potential for 5 stars.
Upon arriving, the pint glasses which are placed on every table for water were all dirty/​white streaks (significant). We looked around and almost every table had the same issue with dirty glasses. Our waitress tried to swap them for us with another table and looked at them herself before going to the back to grab more.
We ordered the sangria specials and both the white and red were pretty tasty. Great deal as we caught the end of the $ 2.95 special before 6:30p.
Food was a bit hit or miss. My wife’s Caesar salad was good, unfortunately the mussels I ordered were not so good. About ¹⁄₃ of them weren’t opened, the other 2/​3rds were rubbery. The tomato-​based sauce lacked any real flavor.
I was a big fan of the wood fired pizza. Great, crispy thin crust and the fresh parmesan added a nice kick.
Overall though the problem was the service (and I’m not talking about just the waiter/​waitresses). Everything was slow, except drinks from the bar. It took almost 10 minutes from being seated to get a waitress. Wait for bread, wait to place order, almost 45 minute wait for entrees, 20 minute wait to get our check after they cleaned away plates… and the place was only about ¹⁄₃ full on a Tuesday night. It didn’t look like a staffing problem, several in the kitchen and a couple of people dedicated to bringing out entrees when ready.
We will probably be back for the atmosphere and the patio, but probably more for apps and drinks vs. another dining experience. I hope they can fix some of the issues as I think the place has a lot of potential.

One of my favorite restaurants in Wake Forest!
I’ve always had a more than pleasant experience here and find myself coming back for more!
Not to forget, Thursday nights are wine flight nights! You get your choice of six wines (by the glass) to sample for $ 15. For fellow winos out there this is not be missed! You get a little less than half a regular glass each «taste». Excellent value!
My one recommendation to make this place even cooler would be a sangria flight as their sangria is out of this world! (Try the white sangria!)
The food has always been tasty and service friendly.
If you’re in the Wake Forest area and find yourself in the mood for a snazzy Italian treat be sure to check in and check this place out!

Still in love with this place.
Strolled in here last Saturday night knowing we could get a good quality dinner and drinks without leaving WF.
We shared an order of the fried mozarella. Their mozzarella are tiny fried bocconcini — bite sized deliciousness served with a tasty marinara. We loved every ooey gooey bite!
I had the chicken marsala. I normally do not order chicken when we go out because I eat it at home on about a daily basis. HOWEVER, this was some amazingly tender and flavorful chicken in a brown butter sauce — uh huh — this stuff was goooood!
Everytime we go here we have to get dessert. This time I opted for the flourless chocolate cake. Chocolate overload and a definite must for anyone who loves chocolate. (Just be careful to wash it down with something or you may leave with brown teeth.)
The drinks were still spot on, and really cured my ills. A great way to relax. Still have to root for the Lemoncello Martini — so lemony — so refreshing — so perfect!
Love this place, and love it even better that it is in my zip!