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La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings

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202 W Rosemary St
Chapel Hill, NC 27516

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(919) 967-2506
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La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings - Chapel Hill, NC
La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings - Chapel Hill, NC
La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings - Chapel Hill, NC
La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings - Chapel Hill, NC
La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings - Chapel Hill, NC
La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings - Chapel Hill, NC
La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings - Chapel Hill, NC
La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings - Chapel Hill, NC
La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings - Chapel Hill, NC
La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings - Chapel Hill, NC
La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings - Chapel Hill, NC
La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings - Chapel Hill, NC
La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings - Chapel Hill, NC
La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings - Chapel Hill, NC
La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings - Chapel Hill, NC
La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings - Chapel Hill, NC
La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings - Chapel Hill, NC
La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings - Chapel Hill, NC
La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings - Chapel Hill, NC
La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings - Chapel Hill, NC
La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings - Chapel Hill, NC
La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings - Chapel Hill, NC
La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings - Chapel Hill, NC
La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings - Chapel Hill, NC
La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings - Chapel Hill, NC
La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings - Chapel Hill, NC
La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings - Chapel Hill, NC
La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings - Chapel Hill, NC
La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings - Chapel Hill, NC
La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings - Chapel Hill, NC
La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings - Chapel Hill, NC
La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings - Chapel Hill, NC
La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings - Chapel Hill, NC
La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings - Chapel Hill, NC
La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings - Chapel Hill, NC
Reviews
( 42 )
( 13 )
( 7 )
( 8 )
( 4 )

Best

I have been a frequent user of CitySearch for years, and have been a Chapel Hill resident for even longer. These two facts have caused me to question the legitimacy of ORAMGES com...

Worst

We'd had two really top-notch meals there in the past, but the last two times we've gone, both the service and food quality seem to be diminishing. After our last visit (incredibl...

A Chapel Hill institution unfairly under attack 3/8/2011

I have been a frequent user of CitySearch for years, and have been a Chapel Hill resident for even longer. These two facts have caused me to question the legitimacy of ORAMGES commentary. I have never had any such experience at La Residence in the 10+ years I have gone there to eat and drink; in fact I count it as one of my favorite upscale eateries/bars in the area. The staff have always been professional and helpful to myself and my wife and always make accommodations for our disabled son. The manager, who was unjustly attacked in the aforementioned review, is always friendly and remembers us every time we come there to eat. In regards to the comments made towards the bar business La Residence runs at night I could not disagree any more, as a middle aged professional I believe I would have noticed ""a mix of underdressed overdrinking women, and the most flesh crawling of fratboy perverts"". This simply could not be farther from the truth, I find the atmosphere past midnight to be as tasteful as it is at 8 o'clock at night. I would encourage every person who has not been to La Residence to check out its dinner scene and bar business. Furthermore, the user makes several quite personal and nasty comments regarding specific members of the staff, leading me to question whether this review was written as some sort of vendetta against the mentioned individuals. This sophomoric personal attack plus the slew of grammatical errors and misspellings make the review cruel and childish, and I urge the CitySearch moderators to remove it from this page. more
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Relaxing, charming, and exciting! 3/8/2011

The welcoming staff make me feel as if I’m coming back home. The food is prepared as if I am royalty. The servers are extremely knowledgeable of the menu and wine list. The atmosphere is an oasis --from the outdoor garden patio to the private rooms to the warm dining area. This charming restaurant will not disappoint. I have been coming here for almost two years for all occasions - family dining, celebrations and night life music and I have never had anything less than a wonderful experience. And if you have the opportunity to meet the owners, you will find they go out of their way to make sure your dining experience is second to none. Relaxing in the afternoon, charming in the evening and exciting in the evening makes this a five star dining experience if you are looking for everything from elegance to excitement. more
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Personal Attack? 3/8/2011

I found ORAMGES rant more of a personal attack upon the owner, staff and patrons of La Residence and nothing near a review. \r \r The staff is charming, the food wonderful and the after hours crowd stimulating. I frequent La Residence about once a month and at different times and have never hesitated to ask friends and family to join me.\r \r Perhaps ""reviewers"" should be reviewed for content befored placed on said page. \r \r more
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ORAMGES REALLLLLY TRUE STORY 3/6/2011

The woman below is on videotape being an obnoxious, bellligerent inebriated patron at La Rez and had to be physically removed by her friends, and our bar back and the off duty police. Its quite the thing that CITYSEARCH thinks this is really a review of an establishment when they have been sent information to the contrary. WE pride ourselves on well behaved patrons who come out for a good time. NOOOOOOT, patrons who are out of control... Where would you like to go for a night out. West Franklin will accomodate these folks but at La Rez we like our patrons to have a good time and be in control...You decide and meanwhile write to Citysearch about the appropriateness of this review. La Rez owners-- all of us who try to make it a good place for the rest of you. more
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Do NOT go to La Res, it is all kinds of awful 2/6/2011

When La Res becomes a bar, the idiots swarm. The smug owner, a pudgy man named John G who has recently taken the helm of the family business, cannot control his staff behind the bar, or those on the door, and self described his drinking bar crowd as ""between the ages of 19 and 23."" This is readily apparent in the clientele, who are a mix of underdressed overdrinking women, and the most flesh crawling of fratboy perverts festooned in their short shorts, visors, popped collars, and other cloyingly invidious regalia, resulting in a constant cycle of what must be considered La Res' signature dish: puke and pick up lines. The pathetic excuses for bouncers have the keen eye of the troglodyte, and while there escorted our designated driver from the premises. This required three bouncers, which with our DD at 5'6"" and female, was more due to a need for greater aggregate intelligence necessary for these clowns to find the door, rather than any physical threats. Needless to say we will never patronize this cesspool again as no level of underage drinking, terrible pop music, or overpowering vomit aroma is worth such intense disrespect. more
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Outstanding! 1/21/2011

La Residence is a charming and elegant restaurant that created a cozy ambiance that enhanced our dinning... more
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Amazing! 1/21/2011

La Residence is a charming and elegant restaurant that created a cozy ambiance that enhanced our dinning experience. Our table was arranged in a way that we could enjoy the fireplace while we ate. The restaurant also had the music playing at the appropriate volume enabling us to talk easily without having to shout across the table. We had outstanding service. Every member of the staff was extremely helpful and professional. The manager was in creditably knowledgeable about the extensive wine list. He helped us pair a bottle of red wine with our dinner, which brought out the exquisite flavor of not only the food but also in the wine. The food was brought out in a timely manner and not only did it look amazing but it tasted delicious. I highly recommend the scallops. Overall La Residence was everything that I was looking for in a great dinning experience. It exceeded my expectations of what I thought fine dinning really was. more
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Excellent Staff 11/8/2009

I've lived in Chapel Hill for over 25 years and La Res is a staple of this community. There is a reason this establishment is one of the few that have not come and gone like so many other restaurants in the downtown area. While I have not eaten dinner here, I was prompted to write this simply because of the class and professional demeanor demonstrated by the staff at La Res. When I my iPhone went missing here one evening, every single member of the staff -- from the bus crew. bartenders, door attendant, night manager, and even the following day manager-- immediately came to my assistance. They used their personal cell phones to ring my phone, they searched behind the bar and around all the tables, and tag-teamed with other staff to ensure other sections of the restaurant were searched thoroughly. All this was done while tending to the needs of other customers in an highly efficient manner during an extremely busy time in the evening. When I called the next day, the day manager was just as attentive and searched the restaurant (again) for me. She passed the message on to her night counterpart who she assured me would continue the search. This is a highly professional, well-run business and the staff should be commended for their efforts in customer service. Pros: Atmosphere that exudes ""Class"" Cons: None listed more
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Inconsistent 9/22/2009

We'd had two really top-notch meals there in the past, but the last two times we've gone, both the service and food quality seem to be diminishing. After our last visit (incredibly bland scallops for me, overcooked lamb for him, and a cheesecake we could barely taste - for $100, this is just not acceptable), we decided, you know, we love the atmosphere, maybe we'll just go for drinks one night. This turned out to be a bit of a mistake - the evening cocktails crowd is very different from the dinner crowd, and the bar area ended up smelling like Players at 2am. We couldn't hear each other over the drunk, rude clientele. I could barely get to the bathroom for all the co-eds stumbling and dancing over one another. We were sitting on the patio - which is just a truly, truly beautiful place, the atmosphere is stunning - but eventually it became uncomfortable there, too, so we left. Don't know now if we'll ever go back. Pros: The most beautiful atmosphere Cons: Sub-par food for the $$$, ""fratty"" night crowd more
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OK restaurant, but there are better places 7/21/2009

We just went there last night. The overall asmostphere is pretty good. Apperently there was only 2 people working as hostess/server/bartender altogether. We sat outside. The bread came out in decent time. I like the bread they served. It's kind of herbs and cheese roasted, pretty light but tasty. The menu we were offered, however, had only 4 entree items (lamb, chicken, NY strip, and some kind of pasta I forgot the name-graffy or something like that) . I was excited to see the grilled lamb, but the was informed they were out of it. Flat tire. So I went with the steak and my girlfriend decided to get 2 appertizers: the mushroom and asparagus flambee and Grilled tenderloin with salad. The food came out in decent time, not too long, not too fast. My steak was decent, avegare. It was not bad but for 30$, you could have had a better steak somewhere else (Ruth Chris has awesome steak) or you can go to TGI Friday and have the same quality steak for half the price. My girlfriend's food was better. The tenderloin was served cold (we were told this when ordered), there was about 5 slices, cooked medium rare to rare, with a Asian-like salad. You have to eat the tenderloin and the salad together to bring out the flavor. It's pretty creative. The mushroom and asperagus were a sautee mixture served over bread. It also had some pretty good flavor with it. Overall, it wasn't bad. But there are places in the triangle you can if you want to spend 60-100$ for dinner and it's much better quality food and ambiance. I recommend Sain Jaques (Wake Forrest Rd, I think) or Second Empire (downtown Raleigh) before this. Pros: Food is good Cons: service, price, lack of menu items more
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Great Dessert, Other food fine too 5/15/2009

I have been to La Rez a number of times. In the past year or so, it has shifted up in terms of desserts (excellent!!!) and a touch down in terms of entrees/appetizers. I recently went and ordered the pork loin and the chocolate tart with almond brittle for dessert. The pork loin was fine, but not great -- I think the chef was going for ""interesting challenge to the palate"" and achieved ""fine."" Perhaps my palate needs increased education. But the dessert -- what a terrific concoction! It married just plain tasty (a well made chocolate tart is always good!) with interesting touches like the almond bark that kept it fresh and original. Keep up the good work! Pros: Dessert is terrific! Cons: Entrees are fine, but not spectacular more
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Poor Ambience, Poor Service, Bad Food 4/24/2009

My fiance and I went to La Residence for our 3 year anniversary. For slightly more money (~ $20) we could have gone to the Carolina Inn and had amazing food. Instead, we experienced the worst meal we have ever had together as a couple. Service: We were seated immediately by the hostess. Water and bread were brought to us quickly. Our server smelled like a pack of cigarettes. He described the appetizer special as: ""Tomato soup with fresh red onions and stuff."" He described one of the meals as: ""Delicious because it has so many interesting items in it."" Our waiter did not check on us once our main course was served. After we finished eating, it took him 20 minutes to return with the dessert menu which he threw on the table. In general, the staff was exceedingly slow. However, they were very speedy around the check. Food: The bread was very dry and the type was not discernible. I had the Soup Du Jour (Tomato Soup with red onion, & cream of some kind), Roasted Pork Chop, and bread pudding with bananas foster. The soup tasted like a store bought soup with a piece of bread thrown in and a dollop of sour cream on top. My pork chop was severely overcooked and very dry. It did have an interesting apple mix on top that was very tasty. The pork chop also came with a side of roasted potatoes. The potatoes were mealy and completely unseasoned. My fiance had a Caesar Salad, Cheddar Grits w/ Shrimp & Chorizo Sausage, and a chocolate tart. Imagine a head of lettuce with the base cut out dumped on a small plate. This is what her salad looked like, the greens had not been chopped or even picked over. Some of the greens had brown edges! The salad was poorly dressed with no dressing on the inner greens. The dressing tasted like nothing and was very grainy. The croutons were clearly from a box. The cheddar grits were very tasty. We both thought this and the tomato sauce with ham that surrounded the grits to be tasty. However, the shrimps and ""chorizo"" sausage were both over-cooked. Both of us are convinced that the ""chorizo"" sausage was plain Italian sausage. Both of our desserts were delicious. This was the one redeeming part of the meal. We both recommend this as a nice dessert place, but nothing else! Pros: Desserts Cons: Everything else more
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Don't bother 11/25/2008

Helene Provided by Partner
The food was vile, expensive and limited in selection. Service was merely adequate and they added a 25% gratuity to the bill. more
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Wonderful Atmosphere! 6/2/2008

This was a great place for me to go with my friends. We went on a Tuesday evening, and there happened to be live music for ""Tunes on Tuesdays."" We sat outside on the beautiful patio, and even though it is the middle of the summer, we were quite comfortable under the fans and the tent they had set up. The music was at a perfect volume so that we could still talk at our table, and there was even a ""cafe style"" menu that we could order from with lighter food and cheaper prices. The servers were also extremely attentive and the food was delicious. Our dinner party couldn't have had a better experience in a more unique atmosphere. more
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Great ""First French Experience"" 6/2/2008

I took some of the students from my French class to La Residence to experience French fine dining at it's best, and it was definitely the right decision. The warm hospitality of the staff really went above and beyond my expectations, and I give my most sincere compliments to the chef and pastry chef. I look forward to making plans here again in the future. Everyone had a blast!\r \r Merci beacoup, La Residence! more
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Extremely disappointing--food and service below par 5/27/2008

My wife and I went to La Residence to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary expecting great service and good food. I followed positive reviews on this site and others and decided to try it out. We immediately were disappointed with the quality of the service--in a 1 hour time we had 3-4 different 'waiters' serving us. This was completely unexpected for a fine dining restaurant. The waiter seemed rushed and distracted, and forgot to respond to our requests. When the food came, we were greatly disappointed with the quality and presentation of the food. My dish, shrimp & grits, was cool and had a cheap/rubbery taste. My wife's scallop dish was OK, but not great. I would not recommend this restaurant, it would seem they make more on the wedding/bar and focus less on the restaurant customers. more
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Don't bother 3/24/2008

The food was vile, expensive and limited in selection. Service was merely adequate and they added a 25%... more
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It was a Wonderful Experience!!! 1/7/2008

My daughter Andrea chose LaRez Restaurant for her wedding ceremony and reception site. To sum it up in 5 words: It was a wonderful experience! \r \r The quaint and intimate atmosphere was perfect for such a joyous event. 150 people were in attendance. The service and food were excellent. The transition from the wedding ceremony into a reception site was seamless. While formal pictures were taken, guests were served appetizers and wine and the skirted tables magically appeared. Food stations were set, the DJ played songs for all generations, wine and beer were served and I cannot forget the beautiful wedding cake.\r \r The food was delicious and the service impeccable. All I can say is that the planning staff at LaRez know how ?to do? weddings! Again, I would highly recommend LaRez as a wedding and/or reception site.\r more
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Perfect Party Spot 11/11/2007

I have been a guest at 2 La Rez affairs in the last few months and I am incredibly impressed with their staff, food, and overall ambiance. My steak came out perfectly, even though 40 of us were being served at the same time, and the waiters made me feel like a special guest in a gracious home. The dessert tray was spectacular. I especially liked the passion fruit mousse. Pros: Super Staff, Great Dessert Cons: Have to pay for parking more
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great romantic dinner spot 11/4/2007

My husband and I had dinner at Le residence for his birthday on Friday. It was an amazing evening. The ambience of the restaurant is so romantic and cozy, with candlelit tables and soft music playing. The staff were very warm and friendly and made us feel welcome. The food was delicious. You can't go wrong with the filet mignon with maple pecan collared greens. I would recommend this place for a quiet dinner or special occasion. more
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Menu for La Residence Restaurant Chapel Hill, Fine Dining Restaurant Bar & Weddings


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Editorial

  • In Short
    Soothing desert sunset colors set the scene inside, but true fans know to head outdoors for an intimate meal. The terrace, with its splendid facades of mirrors and trellis work,...

  • 7/7/2006 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Hours: Mon. - Sun. 6pm - 10pm
  • Payments: Diner's Club, Master Card, Visa, American Express, Discover
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