Klara's Restaurant

My wife, who is from the Czech Republic, and I just recently moved to the Raleigh area and were in search of a Czech restaurant for some good food and beer. We came across Klara's Restaurant and as we entered, we knew the food and service was going to be great. We were attended and seated quickly. There menu is full of typical and classic Czech dishes which we were interested in. I order the garlic soup to start with. It was pungent (the way it should be) with a hint of minced garlic, cheese and egg. The soup was excellent and the portion was just right considering I was going to order my favorite dish called Svickova. The slices of roast beef were well cooked along with flour dumplings, covered with a delicious cream based sauce, which really made this dish POP. This food reminded me of how it tasted back in the Czech Republic. Be sure to pair up your food with the decent selection of Czech and Slovak beer. The chefs are from the Czech Republic, as well as most of the waitress staff. That is what makes this restaurant a place which I would definitely recommend to my friends and family to eat at. more

This place is awesome! I've always loved this beautiful building, and I'm happy now to see this fine restaurant in it. Delicious food, great service and wonderful atmosphere! Everything is super, prepared fresh and tasty! Reminds me of so many wonderful village restaurants in Europe. The kind you wander into at the end of a day of sightseeing and settle down to a relaxing glass of wine or beer and a thoroughly delicious meal to restore both your energy and soul. They have a kids' menu and a wonderful wine and beer selection so the whole family will be happy! I've been with the family, on a date with my hubby and for a girl's night out. This place suits everyone just fine. I love this little bit of Europe right here in Cary! more

Great food, my favorites are the Urquell beer on draft, the garlic soup, the chicken schnitzel, and the beef stroganoff. more

We had excellent food, excellent service, and the decor was lovely. We lived in Europe for 11 years so know what European food should be --and this is it. The soup, salad, entree, and dessert were all excellent. We will be regulars now that we have tried it, and recommend it highly. more

We absolutely love Klara's! The atmosphere is cozy and inviting. The service is wonderful and the food is very good and will not break the bank. I love the pork tenderloin, chicken sunrise...it's all good! And the kids' menu is so inexpensive.\r \r We only dine out about 2 x /week and Klara's is definitely in the rotation. Be sure to try Klara's Sundae with raspberries for dessert--what a way to end a great meal! more

Wonderful food. Excellent service .... will be returning often Pros: Atmosphere, service and food more

I enjoy the food of the best restaurants in the area, and am a good cook myself. I'm amazed that Klara's doesn't have a hour long line out the door. This is one of the best restaurants in the area (aka as good or better than Second Empire)... with a lower cost, bigger portions, better service, and very earthy delicious food. My wife and I wanted to go out on Friday evening, and had no trouble getting in. Want a special place to go without breaking the bank... Klara's is it. Don't let the fact that it's Czech restaurant fool you. The flavor palatte is something Americans will love. Pros: Outstanding food, no wait more

We have eaten at Klara's three times and the best meal was the Oktoberfest buffet. The pork was excellent and my husband loved the head cheese. I was pleasantly surprised to see strawberry dumplings for dessert.\r But the bread umplings(knedliky) are not the same as we've had from my mother in law, the Czech restaurants in New York and those in the Czech Republic. These are more like just white bread. The bread cubes are missing and the texture just doesn't make the grade.\r However we will be back and try other things on the menu. We haven't tried the strudle yet, but the palacinky(crepes) are wonderful. Pros: Nice atmosphere, good service, good beer Cons: Disappointing dumplings and not enough sauce more

We visited for the first time last night and were pleasantly surprised. The interior is upmarket but not stuffy, there is plenty outside seating and the place is spotlessly clean.\r \r The menu has Czech traditional dishes and some that appear to cross into German territory. For those that are unadventurous, one of the specials was a boring old steak (that actually looked really good).\r \r Bread is served quite quickly. Two large slices of home made bread that was delicious plus some bread sticks that tasted home made but were not as crispy as the commercial version. Real butter (of course).\r \r There is a nice selection of Czech and Slovakian beers. Czech beer is good, especially the Budweiser Budvar which has a rich, hoppy flavor that beats the watery USA version hands down.\r \r My wife had two appetizers: garlic soup and the ""cutting board"" which is assorted salami, ham, cheeses. The garlic soup made her evening - ""best I ever tasted"" was the quote. The ""cutting board"" is large, that is all she would say about that one.\r \r I ordered the roast duck. Yes, it does arrive swimming in red cabbage that is quite soft and sweet and sour in taste. The dumplings are made from bread with herbs. The gravy is a bit salty and a bit oily but used sparingly is excellent with the dumplings. But it tastes like home made. The duck - my quote ""best I've had"". It was slow roasted and, I believe, basted with salted water. The fat layer under the skin was almost entirely absent and the meat was succulent and tender. The skin was better than the so-called Peking Duck at most local Chinese eateries.\r \r By the way, Czech food is supposed to be quite heavy, as with food from other ex eastern bloc countries with cold cloudy winters. If you want lighter fare, go with the schnitzel - you can have pork or chicken and it is served with potato salad. Update - the fish dishes are fantastic too.\r \r Dessert - we shared the apple strudel. It was quite good - different to the German version in that it had walnuts in place of raisins and it was not particularly sweet. The apples could have been cooked a bit longer. However, the pastry was the real deal, flaky and browned nicely. Of course, as it typical in this area, it was totally messed up by being ""decorated"" with that darn chocolate sauce that every chef around here seems to think enhances their presentation. Come on!! Leave this off!\r \r In summary - great foreign food in a pleasant unhurried atmosphere in the heart of Cary NC. What more could you ask for if you live in Cary? Perhaps the chef could work with someone on ""Americanizing"" the presentation or the side dishes to please those who hated the food in earlier reviews, but we noticed plenty happy customers. This was our first experience with Czech food and we enjoyed it. Some of the other reviewers need to realize that this is NOT an American restaurant (thankfully). We will go back !\r \r And in fact we did - went back on 08/15/10 and received excellent service and fantastic food. I added a star and this is now our favorite.\r Pros: Garlic Soup ! Roast Duck ! Romantic upscale atmosphere Cons: Service can be a little slow more

I go to Klara's a few times per week because the food is excellent. I absolutely love everything on the menu, so when i think of a restaurant, Klara's is always my first choice, and not just because of the tasty food, but the place is very friendly and i feel great there. I am very happy for the first Czech cuisine in the Triangle area. Thank you, Klara!!! :-))) Pros: VERY TASTY FOOD more

My wife and I went there for lunch with friends. We were seated promptly and the waitress took our order fairly quickly, but then the wait began. After quite some time, they brought out the hot sandwiches for my friend and I but then kept us waiting even longer for a salad and sorbet that our wives had ordered. The food was nothing special and then our wait for the check took forever. We had been hoping to go there for dinner but I don't think we will be back. We loved this place when it was Vespa but this was a real disappointment. Pros: Nice try at a change of cuisine Cons: Slow service, not particularly pleasant more

I've always been interested in finding out local restaurants that the owners and/or chef actually CARE about the food they are serving. Klara's is one of them. What a hidden treasure in downtown Cary! Romantic atmosphere makes you feel like you are in Europe. Food is very well cooked. Outdoor dining experience pleasant too: right across the street from an old church. Just sit there and watch the sun set and casual cars and folks passing by. Pros: romantic European atmosphere, outdoor dining, good food Cons: a little delayed service more

We made a reservation more than 24 hours ahead of time but once we arrived, we were told we could be seated only at a table for two (there were three of us) with an explanation a large group was expected later in the evening (???). By the way, a party of two who arrived after us, and apparently did not have reservations, was seated at a table for four. We placed orders for drinks, one beef broth with noodles and carrot soup, one mixed green salad, and one shopsky salad. After a long wait, the waitress brought the drinks, two pieces of bread (!!!) and some dry stale tasteless breadsticks. After another long wait, she brought the soup and the salads. The mixed green salad was extremely small but it tasted good. The Shopsky salad was very big, the vegetables were fresh and tasty, but there was perhaps 1/4 teaspoon of dressing at the most. There was not a slightest taste of vinegar in the dressing. There was no dressing on the table, either. The soup was horrible. It tasted just like warm water with very few small thin noodles, three thin slices of carrot and some chopped parsley. We tried to find the waitress but she disappeared for a LONG time. One person in our party ordered beer to be served with the main meal. After a VERY LONG time, the main meal was served but no beer. She left to get the beer and never came back. For the main meal we ordered one order of roasted pork tenderloin with sauerkraut, potato dumplings and gravy. It was OK but nothing extraordinary. We also ordered two orders of Szegedin goulash which was supposed to be a pork goulash with sauerkraut-red paprika sauce and flour-bread dumplings. The meat was OK but there was a sauce with NO sauerkraut and NO dumplings. Instead, two thin slices of bread were placed in a lot of sauce. The only way it could be eaten was with a spoon which was not provided. Our server had disappeared again. She totally forgot about the beer. As we finished the dinner, we tried to find her in order to pay and get out as quickly as possible. I had to find another waitress who then found her. Then, as the empty plates were removed, the beer was served. Later, the person who I believe was Klara came to our table to give us the bill and explained a large party was expected later in the evening (???). She also suggested we make a reservation next time (???). Our waitress never came to refill our drinks or ask if we needed anything. It was the worst service ever.The food was mediocre at best. We will not be going back again and are telling all of our friends about the experience.\r \r Pros: Location Cons: Food and (lack of ) service more

I have been here twice and both times had an excellent meal with great service. The pork goulash and the stuffed potato dumplings were fabulous!!! For and appetizer, we had the devils bread and it was amazing. I'm definitely going to be a regular here. Pros: Food!! more

I first tried Klara's with my daughters for lunch on a Saturday (My grandparents came to the US from Slovakia and I have visited Prague twice, so I was curious). I couldn't wait to go back - I have been there now 4 times for lunch or dinner. What a great place, unlike anything else in the area. Very European feel to the restaurant, with great ""old world"" service, they know when to be attentive, and when to give you time to enjoy your meal. Menu is eclectic but with a wide selection of very good, very traditional eastern european dishes. I have sampled some of their mainstay czech dishes, they were better than what I experienced in Prague! The restaurant is one of those places that somehow has the ability to feel very upscale, but also very warm and comfortable - I have brought young kids with me twice and they have been extremely gracious and making sure they enjoyed their dinners too. If you want something better than the typical night out, you need to give Klara's a try. Pros: Unique dining experience more

We went to Klara's for a birthday recently. Prompt seating, attentive wait staff. Food arrived in an appropriate timely manner. We had the duck. Our friends had the pork loin. Ours was tasty, but a bit overdone and heavy. It was swimming on top of creamed red cabbage. Just a bit much. Dessert was an apple strudel which was excellent. Overall, an average dining experience, whereas, every time we left Vespa, we were thinking of our next visit back. Pros: atmosphere, authentic Czech, lots of variety Cons: nice presentation but mediocre execution more

We tried Klara's for the first time for dinner last night. The food was exceptional. I had the Gorgonzola Chicken, which was delicious. The veggies were crisp and the roasted potatoes were to die for. The gorgonzola sauce was so good that my husband kept sneaking it off my plate. He ordered the trout and it was also very tasty. We each ordered wine by the glass and their list seems to be well selected. My Sauvignon Blanc and his Pinot Noir were both quite good and reasonably priced. The service was attentive -- Klara waited on us herself. We never wanted for a re-fill of water or bread, and dessert menus were promptly delivered after our plates were cleared. I asked to have my leftovers boxed and they were accidentally thrown away in the kitchen. I was impressed with how they handled this -- they apologized to us and offered free dessert for each of us. We decided to split the crepes, which were delicious. We will definitely be back and can't wait to try other items on the varied and interesting menu. Pros: Prompt seating, nice wine list, varied menu Cons: Can't think of any more

Having enjoyed a trip to Prague a few years back, I was excited to find out we had a local Czech restaurant! We tried it last night. Their Sunrise Chicken was one of the best dishes I recall ever eating (and I am an admitted culinary snob). The only drawback was that my husband ordered it, instead of me, so I had to share it with him! As I sit here eating the leftovers for lunch, I'm wondering how soon we can go back, and which friends I should tell about Klara's first.\r I had the (Czech) pork tenderloin with sauerkraut and bread dumplings. The dumplings were authentic, and excellent. The pork and sauerkraut weren't bad, although not particularly memorable... the sauerkraut was the cooked-to-mush type; while probably authentic, not something I'd order repeatedly.\r The atmosphere was very nice - quiet and relaxing, although I was comfortable having my 1 year old there with us. The waitstaff was very pleasant and courteous. I was particularly impressed when, en route to the car to change the little one's diaper, another waitress asked if that's where I was headed, and suggested that I consider using the changing table in the ladies' room. Which was clean, *and* had disposable changing table covers. The rest of you moms out there know what a wonderful surprise that is!\r There's also a small bar, and a small selection of 'bar food' which included potato pancakes and stuffed brie, not to mention homemade potato chips. I was impressed with the kids' menu - $2-3 for pasta or a chicken breast, much more reasonable than other kids' menus I've seen. \r All in all, we're going back, and soon. I know hubby will get the Sunrise Chicken again (and again). I'm torn between trying the goulash, or getting the chicken as well. I'm still trying to figure out the flavor combinations in that; unsual but amazingly good. I highly recommend Klara's, either for a romantic night out or just catching up with some friends. Pros: Sunrise chicken; atmosphere; service; wide menu selection more

This restaurant is exactly what this area needed! The restaurant is inviting, unique, and fabulous! The authentic Czech/Slovak cuisine is my favorite! However, the menu is very comprehensive and has something from all over Europe. If you?re looking for a comfortable place to eat with family, friends, or just by yourself, this is the place to go! more

Klara's restaurant had excellent service and really good food! The atmposhere is really nice, great for both families or a romantic dinner. more