Unvine'd Wine Bar

I am so disgusted with the negative reviews about Ciao. Yes, the owner is curt, but I prefer my waiter to just refill my glass and bring my food, not try to become my friend. At other restaurants I get so annoyed because I will be in the middle of a conversation and my waiter will just interrupt and start talking. I just think to myself ""Excuse me, but I came here to spend time with my friends... not my waiter."" Secondly, I hate that everytime I go out to a mainstream restaurant, the minute I finish my food, they bring the bill, basically saying ""You can leave now."" If you want a place to run in and shove food down your mouth and leave then Ciao isn't right for you. Go to Mcdonald's for that. They don't rush service because dining in Europe is about socializing and savoring your food. I am glad that there are people who actually appreciate this taste of European culture and the negativity surrounding it only proves that Cary needs MORE of these places so people can start to see outside their world of fast food chains. more

We experienced Ciao on a Friday night recently with another couple who seem to like it, and go fairly regularly. I had been warned by my fiancee, who had been there previously with a girlfriend, that the owner was a bit cantankerous, but I thought since we were going with 'regulars', our experience might be different. Boy, was I wrong! The food was overpriced and the quality was poor (the bread had the faint odor and flavor of mold). We like to patronize independent, hometown businesses, so these things can be overlooked and remedied. What can't be overlooked, however, is the attitude of the owner toward his customers...it's very close to contempt...I really felt as if we were inconveniencing him, and if it hadn't been 7:00 pm on a Friday night, I would have thought he was trying to close up. If you are as selective in how you spend your entertainment dollars as we are, I would recommend you pass this place by. Pros: Location in downtown Cary Cons: Service is angry and awful more

The other reviews complaining about terrible service are spot-on. From the moment we walked in, until the moment we left, the waiter (who I believe is also the owner) acted as if we were inconveniencing him simply by being there - in spite of us being the only people in the restaurant! For example, my wife noticed there was a gnat or something swimming in her wine glass ? no big deal, this sort of thing happens ? so we asked the waiter to replace it. He quipped ?we can?t be responsible for that? and begrudgingly got her another glass. The food was average, but the poor service can't be overlooked. Maybe that's why we were the only customers at 7pm on a Saturday night. There are too many great restaurants around here to waste your time at this one. more

I was shocked by the treatment of newcomers. Atmosphere dominated by the owner's mood of the moment. Huge disparity between the insiders (who seemed to drink unlimited wine on an open tab) and other customers. Never felt like such a wallflower before in my life. I think the good buzz and newspaper profiles during the early days resulted in this intolerable arrogance. Level of rudeness that made the food/wine/atmosphere irrelevant. I've tried it twice -- never again -- and I've heard horror stories from other customers as well. Pros: Location in downtown Cary. Cons: Rudeness of owner. Dreadful service. No interest in expanding customer base. more

A friend and I thought this would be a great place to visit. We were wrong. There was no reception or greeting upon arrival. We seated ourselves at the bar. Obviously, they were busy because the seating was limited due to dirty place settings at the bar. The owner finally tossed us some menus and was very curt. After a lengthy wait we ordered. We were explaining what we wanted and he kept interrupting us and never wrote down the order. Needless to say we never received our full order. When we asked for the check and to cancel the rest of our order he began arguing with us and denied the fact that we even ordered other items. He then proceeds to laugh at the situation and he kept making condescending remarks about us to his friends at the bar. I was appalled at the way he conducted himself and his business. I have eaten at many restaurants but never had such a horrible experience in my life. Please save your money and time and go elsewhere. Cons: Owner, attitude, and extremely rude and insulting more

My husband and I were ignored when we entered the place, so we chose an empty table and sat down. The bar staff saw us enter and ignored us and then went on to serve a group of people who came in after us. When my husband asked if we could be served, the ""owner"" snapped ""did you talk to any of the staff before you sat down?"" There was no sign saying please wait to be seated and they had seen us enter after all!!Needless to say we do not take such rudeness lightly, so we left. I would not call this friendly in any way........ unless as previously stated you are already ""in"" with the staff! Pros: Location Cons: Rude staff, Unfriendly atmosphere more

I have been to Ciao on 6 or 7 occasions, and every time has been excellent. I work at a restaurant close to here, and often came in dressed in jeans and a t-shirt after work. I also came several times with a date, and was treated as a VIP guest each time by the friendly owner. He goes well out of his way to make sure every guest is taken care of. On one occasion we were given a free dessert just for being there, which made the evening. Great Italian wines and cuisine, great service, and one of the best date atmospheres in the area. I sincerelt hope the owner is not selling the place as i heard recently, and will definately stop in more often to see that this does not happen. Pros: Initmate atmosphere, Excellent service more

I've been a few times with friends and the staff are friendly, the dishes scruptious, and the wines always delicious. I've *never* encountered attitude or an unwelcoming feeling (even after moving to 3 different tables on the first visit, trying to find a 'sweet spot'). Note this is a wine bar and cafe- there is an Italian restaurant in the same plaza if you want a full meal. I usually have the well-priced and very generous fennel salad. Yummy! Pros: Staff, Menu, Atmosphere Cons: Patio Car Noise more

My companion and I had heard about this cozy little wine bar quite some time ago. I am glad we finally made the effort to check it out. We had a bottle of wine in the romantic dim (candle) lit room. We ordered a selection of cheeses & meats. (A typical dinner for us). The food was excelent, the wine divine. The server (owner?) was curt, but we weren't concerned with him. His service was professional and prompt. We look forward to returning often. Pros: atmosphere, food, company Cons: ? more

This is a gem of a place for people who are looking for a casual, easy going atmosphere with excellent food. Some of the people who reported bad service may have been in a hurry because I have never received anything but good service. I am now a regular, and along with all the other regulars, we got that way because it was consistently a great place to hang out. Perhaps it is the wonderful European approach to dining that causes problems for traditional ""hurry-up Americans"". We could use a lot more places like this!!! more

The owner was very friendly when Ciao first opened and seemed happy to serve me and my friends. I took friends and hoped to help make this little gem successful. I took my brother and sister-in-law last weekend and the owner was quite rude and made us feel like we had done something wrong by walking through the restaurant to the tables outside. I was so disappointed in this reception. It doesn't matter how good the food is if the owner is rude. I won't be back. more

This light and airy fare is quite delicious, and at the same time fresh and intricate. The Appetiziers are varied, and all the panini's are excellent. Be wary of the Picadilly's-the shrimp, capers and red onions is the only one I recommend. The Mushroom, celery and Artichoke heart picadilly was less to be desired-the artichoke hearts were chewy and the celery was flat. The owner is usually always on hand, as one of the main wait staff. though he can become sidetracked at times, the service is decent. If you're sitting outside, the closer to the far wall you can sit the better. The traffic on Chatham can be quite intrusive into your conversations if you sit at either end of the open air seating. Pros: Excellent Panini's, wonderful atmosphere more

My friends and I found Ciao Cafe before everyone else did and we loved it. It was full but not crowded. Pierro was attentive and charming. Now, I guess we count as ""regulars"" and get good service and attention when we go, but it's not the same as before. I think he just got too popular too fast and can't accomodate the crowds. It's a fantastic place and I hope a few less people start to go, so we can all enjoy it as it was. more

I have to comment on some previous poor reviews of Ciao. This is a wine bar, similar to a quaint cafe, not a full service restaurant. My first experience was great. The owner was extremely cordial and entertaining with a sense of humor not often seen in Cary. My party enjoyed his company and was shocked upon receiving our bill - the prices are the most reasonable in the area!! This place is such a breath of fresh ""European"" air!! Pros: Pricing, Wine Selection, Atmosphere Cons: , Parking more

I have read the other reviews and cannot believe it! I've been there twice and have had a GREAT time - this warm ""FRIENDLY"" little place reminds me of those cute cafes you find around Europe. I wouldn't say we are regulars, but yet were well taken care of. The owner likes to have fun while he works, and as the night moves on the music does get turned up and the fun begins - ladies rarely leave there without a hug or kiss from him. Cary finally has a great place to go after dinner to hang out as an adult! I LOVE CIAO CAFE!!!!! Pros: Great wine list, Romantic & fun Cons: , can be too warm more

Do not go the Ciao if you expect to be treated as if you are welcome...well, unless you are a friend of the restaurant's owner or staff. If it is your first visit, you will be mostly ignored and spend considerable time waiting for someone to acknowledge you and take the time to let you order. This is a very cute restaurant and if it were more customer friendly could be a great spot to go. I was suprised at the lack of attention to first time customers and found this to be case for other diners as well as us. more

I went to Ciao with 2 other women after reading the glowing articles in the Cary News and The N&O and wow was that a mistake. The owner was our server, but could not really be bothered to take care of our table of 3. There was a large table next to us that was of much more interest to him, as were the antics of his busing staff. It took an extremely long time to order and then receive food. We almost left without paying because we could not catch anyone's attention to even get the check. Obviously, the claims of great service and attention were overstated. I will NEVER go to this restaurant again. You must need to be a ""regular"" to get service because the owner did seem to know the people he attended to. This was a long, insulting and terrible restaurant experience. Cons: , pompous owner, bad experience more