Simpsons Beef & Seafood

I first came upon Simpson's due to my GPS and decided to stop there with my boyfriend. We both went and were so pleasantly surprised...we were just dressed in jeans, but that doesn't matter (all are welcome). The food is amazing and the service is fabulous. The owner Mel Simpson is so friendly and this restaurant has it all-a private piano player, great food, and great service (this includes the bartender). Some dishes are less expensive, but seafood is about $25 and this is not really different than other establishments. The cook, Frankie, is really great and he makes everything by hand (even the dinner rolls). I have visited this place numerous occasions since I first discovered Simpson's. My now husband and I are not ""old"" (we are in our 20's) and I think it is so limiting considering this just and ""old people restaurant"". Simpson's is so perfect for all occasions and I recommend it highly. Pros: Friendly, great parking, nice atmosphere Cons: $$ more

Beware of the food served. Fresh??? I don't think so. Kitchen Nightmare! Staff was ok. It was obvious though they were not fond of the manager on duty. Not very professional. Pros: Location - That is it! Cons: Food more

I can't understand why more people are not coming here. It has been in Raleigh for a long time, excellent menu and food, a rose for the women, great live piano music, friendly owner. Had a great meal Friday night. Steaks are perfect, dessert tray, reasonable price when you consider the higher priced restaurants like Flemings or Sullivans. Much better. Pros: Food, Service, Atmosphere Cons: Too Quiet more

the owner rude and the waiter rude.he was young. he nice to other people. he back talk rude to me. he rush to get rid of me.he said he not want to write down the order.he toldme he is the perfect person. he gave me the food and he ran. he knew he brought me the wrong items. it did not match my order. he ran away and not come back. i had to get up from my table and ask him to come back. he not say anything to me. when i complained to me. he knew i needed more iced tea. he would not volunteer to give me refills. he would not volunteer to give me the bill. he demanded i give him a tip. he gave me the bill and ran away. he was nice to other tables. i not dressed up. i complained to the manager. he got angry at me. the waiter also complained about the mangement being rude. and waiter told me he needed more money. i not leave a tip. Pros: not many. the food Cons: the owner,management and waiter service more

Simpson's was a restaurant I went to with my boyfriend--we were hoping for a nice, romantic restaurant & boy did we ever choose well! This has the perfect atmosphere when you want a intimate experience -has a marvelous piano player that really loves what he is doing & the restaurant is just really comfortable without being really stuffy (I don't see how it being romantic being catered to senior citizens). I am a 23 year old & I can say I LOVE SIMPSON'S! I think it is sad if people my age avoid this restaurant--- Pros: Ambience, Parking, Service, Piano player, drinks, rose for women, fresh flowers on the table more

My husband and I have been to Simpson's many, many times. We eat there every year on our anniversary, and often several other times throughout the year.....any time we want a very romantic, special dining experience. Pros: Elegance, food, wait staff more

Simpson's appears to cater to the senior citizen and good old boy crowd. The atmosphere is at best nostalgic/throwback, but generally comes off as corny, dated, and much like a cheap country club. Our food was acceptable, but not for the prices. There are *so* many restaurants in Raleigh that serve far, far superior food at this price point. So, why spend $25/plate for food with such simplistic seasoning and presentation? If you can't make food like this at home, then you haven't really tried. The service was prompt and attentive, but our waitress appeared to be inexperienced, uncomfortable, and unfamiliar with basic fine dining protocols. more

Love Love Love the Piano player. Go sit in the bar on a Friday or Saturday night just to hear him play. He likes to take requests and he looks like he loves what he is doing. He is great for the atmosphere. more

Just had another great dinner at Simpson's. Dinner for two with wine and drinks came to $88.00 plus tip, and it is well worth it. There are lots of restaurants in the high end price range in Raleigh, but none of them have such great ambiance, great food and great service. We started with drinks and an appetizer, coconut crusted jumbo shrimp, and we both had the shrimp and scallops in a white sauce. OK, we had red wine, a nice glass of merlot, and the book says white wine with fish, but it went well. Usually I like to get the bacon wrapped filet mignon, which is the best in town. My wife had the orange cheesecake for desert and I had a Drambuie. I know of no place else in town where you can get such wonderful food in a quiet, pleasant environment. You can carry on a conversation in whispers. Our favorite place for the past 10 years. Pros: Great food, great quiet setting, great service. Cons: Can't think of any. more

Simpson's has a simple and traditional American style menu to choose from. Traditional beef and seafood meals are offered and some specials that have not changed for the last 18 years are offered as well. While the food taste delicious and is consistently the same, there are some serious flaws at his restaurant. First, he does not care to repair the hole in his wall that has existed for 2 years yet he prefers people to not wear jeans. Secondly, his staff is always up in arms due to the treatment of his employees. They are constantly complaining amongst themselves and to the patrons sometimes. He has a five star chef whom he pays only $15/hr and he does not cashout charge tips for his servers nightly but weekly,thereby earning the interest on their money. While he has a great bartender and allows him to free pour, Simpson does not carry a great variety of liquors and spirits. For instance, Belvidere and Chopin along with the very popular flavored Stoli vodkas are not sold there. Furthermore, when we ordered a bottle of wine the waiter returned to say we don't carry that brand any longer. Update your wine list Mel. He is an older restaurant owner that caters to the older and slower crowd yet he wants everyones business. Apart from consistent food and great drinks, Simpson's is an antiquated relic of the past. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS PLACE. NOT A TRUE FINE DINING EXPERIENCE. Pros: Great food, awesome drinks, not too pricey, flowers for the women Cons: Old fashion and cheap owner, lacks upgrades, caters to old snobs, treats staff like slaves, lacks great ambience more

This restaurant may be Raleigh's best kept secret. This is where we go for special occasions and celebrations. Every entree is wonderfully prepared. Often the appetizers are large enough to serve as entrees. Fine wine list. Do listen for their specials. Deserts are great. The ambiance is absolutely the best in Raleigh; you are not on top of other diners and it is not the least noisy, unlike so many other Raleigh restaurants. The owner, Mel Simpson, and the wait staff go to great lengths to make your dining enjoyable. Mel gives each lady a rose and your wait person normally is at the door as you leave. Piano music on weekends just sets everything off. It is in a strip mall just north of Crabtree Mall, but do not be put off by that. Pros: Ambiance, food, service Cons: Strip mall location more

I went to this restaurant with my husband for an anniversary dinner. It was wonderful. He is a picky eater and was very happy with all of his menu choices. I had the specialty fish of the evening. It was wonderful. The restaurant is very romantic and nice for a quiet evening out for adults. more

I had my wedding reception here 2 years ago. The owner of the restaurant went out of his way to make it really special. He even called in the piano player when he wasn't scheduled to come just for our wedding. He made special personalized menus with really cute paper for everyone. Pros: Everything was truly wonderful! Cons: parking, location (strip mall) more

Went to Simpson's on a whim (and a 50% off coupon). Was intially put off by the strip mall location and having to park a ways away. But the combination of really good food, atmosphere and spacious seating changed that. We had pretty good service, yet we were not rushed (they're not really in a hurry here, so consider that). After moving to RDU all I heard about was Angus Barn. Well, forget it. The food is better at Simpson's. And do you really want to eat in a barn? Or would you rather eat in a Restaurant? Pros: REALLY good food, Atmosphere Cons: Strip Mall, Parking more

Subject says it all. Service, food, owner all wonderful. Simpson's is my ""special events"" place to go. Pros: Flower for the ladies, atmosphere, food more

We've been ""frequenting"" this place for probably 15 years. We're always impressed and happy. We go about once a year. It's a staple on our list. Pick an evening when you are not rushed ... Enjoy your time ... as you will possibly be there for 90 minutes or so. Sometimes less than an hour ... but plan for more. It's a fine dining experience with typically great servers. In our opinion, the food is great ... one notch below excellent. The owner just might bring the lady a rose. I think it's a tradition there. He's a very nice man. Pros: ambiance, never rushed, owner more

This was my first time dining at Simpsons. I liked the atmosphere and the menu choices. I had been told that the service is slow but it literally took over 2 hours from the time we ordered until we received our meals. During our 2 hour and fifteen minute wait the waitress told us that our meals would be out very shortly but thirty minutes later we were still waiting. We had to approach the owner to do something about the situation. When we were served, the bread was slightly burned, the rice was dry and cold and the meals were skimpy for the price. We left angry and hungry. Pros: atmosphere, menu choices, good parking Cons: service, value more

This is a must try dining experience! Everything was wonderful and the server is outstanding. Thanks for the rose at the end of the meal. Had a great time at this restuarant. I almost forgort the bartender - Gary makes out of this world drinks! more

great atmosphere. very good food. I was pleasantly suprised given the strip-shopping location. Inside was an elegant enviroment with tasty steak cooked to perfection. Great place for a special night out. Pros: atmosphere, great steaks, good service Cons: strip center exterior more

Best food I have ever had in my life. The wait staff was so good, I had to buy them a bottle of DOM!!! I plan on going back at least once a week. more