Jujube

Service is okay. The menu has not changed in two years. Same desserts, same entrees. more

My rating scheme: up to 3 stars for food, plating and originality up to 2 stars for service, atmosphere and... more

Terrible experience from the rude waitress to the horribly seasoned food. I guess we figured out why their slogan is ""almost Asian"". It's not good enough to be considered Asian food. Although this restaurant has relatively nice ambiance for Chapel Hill, the food is awful!!!!! We ordered two appetizers and two entrees - and went home feeling disgusted. First the appetizers, the Vietnamese Spring Rolls - they were overstuffed with too many noodles and not much else - and the Gnocchi - the Gnocchi themselves were tasty - but the dish was not cohesive at all. The two entrees were the Cornish Hen and a Vegetarian noodle dish with ""Soy Chicken"". The soy chicken was inedible - it should have been called ""soy sauce Chicken"" - because it seemed to have been marinated in soy sauce - the soy bits- wreaked of soy sauce - it was disgusting!!!! The Cornish hen was pounded flat and seasoned with pesto over polenta - nothing special at all! Don't waste your money here!!! Go across the street for Thai food instead. Pros: nothing Cons: Terrible, inedible, overpriced food & a rude waitress more

Truly excellent service and yummy food. I know what I like, so I always get the same thing. The pan-fried... more

One of our favorite restaurants in and around Chapel Hill. The food is Asian, the service is excellent and... more

I'm a total foodie and I've lived in Paris and New York. Jujube could be located in a much larger city and still crush the competition. Their food is mouth watering and creative. Charlie is a fantastic owner who really seems to care about his customers. Pros: Food is fresh, creative and portions are generous Cons: At times it can be cold in there more

As a vegetarian, I am always on the lookout for restaurants that have meatless entrees that have been created from the ground up as opposed to having to subtract the meat from one. The Soy section of the menu gave me hope and the execution left me wanting more. more

Our first visit to Jujube won't be our last. The wonton soup was delicious, and the teas are quite nice. Creme brulee was the best I have had in the triangle thus far. Our server was very polite and attentive. We walked in a busy Saturday evening, were seated with minimal wait time, and the food came out promptly after order. Way to go, Jujube! more

We have been to JuJebes several times and it is our new favorite place in Chapel Hill. The short rib wontons are to die for! We can't come to the resturant without ordering these wonderful things. Sitting at the bar can be a bit warm but its the best seat in the house and the chef is really nice and engaging with our questions and comments. Love this Place! Pros: Great food and service Cons: A bit noisy, but what place in the triangle isn't? more

In New York's Chinatown you can get 6 dumplings double the size of Jujube's. They only give you 4 and it took 20 minutes to get them to go. Pros: Nice ambience Cons: Not good for lunch crowd - take out. more

We went to Jujube on a Friday night at about 8:30. We had planned to go earlier, but when we called to make a reservation (just in case), we were told there would be no available tables until 8:30. We arrived about 15 minutes early. Our tables wasn't ready, but the hostess seated us at the bar where we had some wine and beer. We were seated a few minutes late right near the bar, and our waitress came right over to take our order. We enjoyed the dumplings, but I felt that both the main dishes were lacking something. We got Kung Pao chicken and a noodle dish, both of which were heavy on the scallions and celery. I couldn't taste the ginger in the noodles, and there was just no kick (maybe they need to use more garlic or red peppers or something). We wee also pretty cold during our dining experience-ever time someone opens th door, cold air rushes by the bar and the tables behind it, which is where we were seated. Pros: Clean, nice decor Cons: Cold near the front door, food was bland, drinks were expensive more

I LOVE this restaurant! I eat there at least once per week. The restaurant staff really knows how to cater to their customers. I went in there for their Late Night Tapas (special occasion) and they were having a private wine tasting dinner. In addition to allowing my date and I partake in our own private wine tasting, they held a bottle of our favorite wine from that night for our next trip in. We didn't even ask them to do so! Honestly, I've had everything on the menu. If you like seafood and spicy dished, the curry is to die for. Both types of dumplings are very good, but I do prefer the pork and cabbage. In terms of specialty drinks, The Whippet is amazing. But, be careful -- they go down way to easy and before you know it your chop stick skills become a little uncoordinated. Oh, and Stephanie is our regular waitress -- she is the best! Pros: food is amazing; drinks are perfectly blended; dessert is to die for Cons: The dining room can get a little hot when they are busy from all the cooking more

My wife and I have been to Jujube several times and consider it one of the best restaurants in the Triangle. The food is consistently excellent and I enjoy the atmosphere, particularly when sitting on the side with the open kitchen. Chef Deal is clearly passionate about food, given the attention to detail and his willingness to experiment and innovate. Jujube frequently offers tasting menus to showcase new items. I?ve never had the same meal twice and I?ve never been disappointed. My favorite experience so far has been a beer tasting event, where each course was paired with a Dogfish Head microbrew. One piece of advice for those thinking about going to Jujube for the first time: the more adventurous you are with your menu selections, the more you will be rewarded. I can understand how someone might be disappointed after ordering Kung Pao Chicken or a basic noodle dish. Go for the gusto! Finally, I find it interesting that some of the reviews complain about the service. It never crossed my mind as being extraordinarily good or bad - maybe I?m too busy enjoying the food to take careful notice. more

After reading so many recommendations for Jujube, and after hearing about it from several Chapel Hill friends, a group of us from Durham headed over last night. I don't know what I was expecting, but I don't think I was expecting a restaurant tucked in the back corner of a strip mall. (To my credit, I am still transitioning from DC to NC and I try not to judge a book by its' cover.) At 7pm, it was incredibly empty and we were seated immediately. One of the members of our party of four went to wash her hands, and I was surprised that the server came to take our drink order while she was away. Pros: Nice atmosphere Cons: Food and service are no where near top notch! more

I have been to Jujube several times, most recently on a Tuesday night. We walked right up to the bar, and were served promptly. Pros: service, good value more

My husband and I have been going to Jujube since it opened and it remains one of our favorite restaurants. We went last night and sat on the patio which is lovely. We got two of their specialty drinks- a tangerine martini and a manhattan. They took a little while- actually longer than our appetizers- but were well worth the wait. My husband got the steak as usual. Normally I get the crab and shrimp cakes, but was tempted by the soft shell crab special. The black bean sauce that came with it was pretty spicy, but just delicious. Definitely the best meal I've had in awhile. more

Because of raving reviews from both media and friends, we decided to celebrate a special occasion here. However, our dining experience was disappointing. The staff was not knowledgable of their own menu, everything served was too salty (I'm not talking regular asian salty...I'm talking salt-bomb-on-your-tongue), and my cocktail was not even cold. Pros: It's new. It's clean. Asian-inspried ambience is nice. Outdoor seating. Cons: Food. Drinks. more

I went to Jujubi with some friends because of the good reviews, but I was disappointed. The food itself is decent, similar with the flavor of Lantern restaurant on Franklin street. But I was surprised that they don't provide rice with the dish (any restaurant you go, the dish usually goes with bread, or rice, or pasta, or flour tortilla, right?) Fortunately, my friends and I shared the food and we ordered two noodle dishes. But our most expensive dish (coconut mixed seafood something), which is supposed to taste very good is difficult to swallow without rice or noodle because it is too spicy and salty to just eat itself. I asked for some bland noodle for the dish but they never served it, so we had to take the dish home as leftover? more

I brought my fiance to Jujube to celebrate his birthday, in October. We are both ""foodies"" and enjoy nothing more than going out for a nice dinner. With our first visit to Jujube, we were not disappointed! We were seated promptly, according to our reservation time. Our waitress was attentive, and even intuitive. She was accessible, without hovering. We started out evening with cocktails off of the menu; a Chi for me, and a Jujube Manhattan for him. We were pleased with our drinks - I loved the Chi. (All ingredients were fresh!) After drinks, we shared a noodle dish. I can't remember the name, it was shrimp in a sweet and spicy brown sauce. It was very flavorful, and filling! We were so pleased with the noodle dish, we thought it couldn't get any better. Thankfully, we were wrong! We both enjoyed our entrees immensely. I had the Crab Cake entree. He had the Duck in plum sauce. We couldn't have been more pleased! Everything was so unique, fresh, and delicious! After dinner, we had another drink at the bar. We spoke at length with the bartender, who was engaging and friendly, and increbibly knowledgeable about the area. (Single ladies - he's also very attractive!) Eventually, the chef/owner came out. He took the time out of his evening to sit and speak with us - perfect strangers. He is obviously extremely passionate about what he does and expressed his appreciation for open-minded people who walk into his restaurant with no expectations. Jujube is unlike any other asian-inspired restaurant in the area! When we left, he encouraged us to call ahead next time, so he can create a meal for us of things not on the menu. We are planning on returning soon, and we will do just that - trust the chef to create something unique specifically for us. Open your mind, and visit Jujube. It was truly a spectacular experience! more

I won't beat them badly, the dumplings were good, but the rest including wait staff, meal and dessert were only average at best. Won't return. Pros: few Cons: many more