Chez Nora

12/31/08

Maybe I am wrong, but...

by nkyfoodie at Citysearch

I am slightly tipsy having just spent the entire night at Chez Nora. First dinner downstairs. Unfortunately we made a reservation during the busiest portion of the evening, which is always a mistake on New Year's Eve. But, even with a full restaurant, our food arrived in reasonable time, the way we ordered it and not a bit was wasted. Our server was friendly, seemed to know his stuff, and didn't get in the way of our evening.

We had the Crab Cakes for an appetizer -- no disappointment there at all... theirs don't have many equals anywhere in this city that I have found. Since it was a special kind of night, we tried a couple of their dinner specials, butterfish and and a different take on pepper steak (t-bone). The butterfish was amazing, moist, flavorful and allowed to be the star of the plate instead of the sauce. The steak was also good, if not cooked quite to specifications. At least it was undercooked as opposed to most restaurants' method of overcooking. Though we should not have, we even went for dessert. There is no mistaking they are homemade!

The music was fantastic. The place was packed. Everyone was enjoying themselves. I guess that others have had legitimate complaints but from our experience those seem to be exceptions. If a restaurant can serve good food and function reasonably well during a hugely busy night, it has to have something going for it.

No, it is not 5-star. It doesn't seem to pretend to be. But they seem to know what they want to be and it works. We will go back.

• Pros: Solid food, good service, friendly, comfortable
• Cons: Dining room a little too crowded for intimate dining

11/15/09

Favorite

by Murano4 at Citysearch

We come all the way from near Dayton to eat here, usually for brunch or lunch. We've never had a bad meal. Love the atmosphere, food and service with a smile. I really cannot believe the reviews I've seen on here. Are we talking about the same place???

• Pros: Atmosphere, food
• Cons: Distance for us

01/02/09

New Years Eve 2008 Not a good experience

by CincyFoodieChick at Citysearch

Hmmmm I was there as well on New Year's Eve and my experience was awful!! We had a very early reservation (6:00 pm) and THREE hours later our dinner mercifully ended.

To the waitress that did try her hardest....I am sorry that you were called in to work but it is not my problem so I didn't need to hear that.

8 people in our party. I had Ahi Tuna requested rare as well as someone else at the table. Both of our plates were cold and tuna was dry and overcooked. Our waitress also suggested the butterfish and someone at the table ordered it. It was dry and again the plate was cold. The waitress noticed that not much was eaten and even she admitted the butterfish seemed not as tasty as normal. It took 45 minutes to an hour before we ordered, salads arrived late, soups were cold. We had to request water for heaven's sake! We did not stick around for dessert, though someone at our table got a very watery ice tea and a warm coffee. The difference in our experience and the other poster is we were on the second floor. Could that have made a difference?? Sorry to say but I would recommend only for the bar upstairs and live music. Eat somewhere else beforehand

• Pros: Great live music
• Cons: Horrible service Food not prepared as requested

12/11/08

We loved the food and neighborhood feel!!

by BotanyHills at Citysearch

We had an opportunity to go to Chez Nora's the other night before we read some of the reviews. We must be totally missing something? The food, drinks and service were excellent! We loved the casual atmosphere and excellent music at the Jazz Bar. The crab cakes were delicious (and hot) and the salads were very fresh and plentiful. Ample parking was just a short walk. Had a great time. We're going back for New Year's Eve.

• Pros: Food and Service
• Cons: None

12/03/08

Seen better days.

by Jarocho at Citysearch

Great if you want geriatric food. Everything was overcooked and tasted like cardboard. I was amazed at how much this restaurant has changed. Years ago it was one of our favorite places to eat across the river. Now I warn everyone against it. Sorry. There are some much better places in the same neighborhood.

• Pros: Good service.
• Cons: Mediocre food.

05/19/08

CHEZ NOT!!! DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME OR YOUR MONEY!!!!

by zagatfoodie at Citysearch

We went to Chez Nora for drinks and dinner and were completely disappointed. We should've read the reviews on here first!!!! The drinks are of poor quality and the food is completely overpriced and completely disappointing. We followed our servers recommendations on some dishes and must admit we were very surprised at the extremely low quality....there is not a single reason I can think of to recommend this place. STAY AWAY and STAY HAPPY!!!!!!!

04/22/08

I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone I know.

by questionbox at Citysearch

My husband and I tried Chez Nora recently and I must say I was disappointed. We went after 3:00 yet before 5:00 so we were limited to sandwiches and salads. The prices were steep and didn't align with the food. The food didn't taste fresh, therefore, I picked over my food, basically wasting the majority of it. I then went on to take another chance and tried the desert and much to my surprise, the desert was worst than the food. I was upset at how much we spent on our meal and yet was so extremely dissatisfied with the experience. It was our first time eating at Chez Nora and I'm pretty sure it will be our last time.

The service was the most decent thing we experienced. It wasn't A -1 service but it wasn't that bad either.

I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone I know.

• Cons: Limited parking, pricey menu, food didn't taste fresh

10/03/07

High cost, low quality

by applecore57 at Citysearch

The recommendation and the tables on the rooftop initially seemed to justify the high prices on the menu, but some of our food was cold, and didn't taste fresh. I understand why the downstairs dining room was empty at 8:00pm on a Wednesday. They could use a little attention to detail - candles on the tables to make up for the minimal outdoor lighting. Serve the food warm!

The service was good enough, and the live music give me hope to one day try Chez Nora again, but I will do so cautiously.

07/07/07

OVER PRICED - BAD FOOD

by thisandthathereandthere at Citysearch

I searched and searched for a quaint romantic restaurant. Money was really not an object. After finding Chez Nora decided to make a reservation based on the menu as well as the reviews. WHAT A MISTAKE!!! The service was McDonald friendly, the atmosphere was okay but you would expect quite a bit more considering the prices that are charged. All in all I didn't want to judge until the meal arrived holding out hope that the prices would be vindicated. I was very disappointed! The appetizer was the worst. The salad was bagged and old. The entree was so bad that it actually made me gag. I had the filet migon oscar style. How can anyone mess that up? My boyfriend had the pork chop which was overcooked and nothing better than I could have made at home. The prices were ridiculous in relation to the atmosphere of plastic glasses and big lot silverware that didn't match and the food left MUCH to be desired. We actually left and went to J-Alexanders for dessert. I do not recommend this place unless you just want drinks on the rooftop.

• Pros: One of two restaurants in the area
• Cons: Severely over priced for atmosphere and quality of food

05/11/07

Don't Go . . . You'll regret it!

by jbkelly at Citysearch

Seriously . . . I've been there 4 times in 7 years . . . each time seems worse than the time before. The staff is uncanningly rude. The food takes forever. And don't ask to speak with the manager . . . he's known to argue with customers.

In a nutshell, the food is good . . . but, don't go . . . you'll regret it. You'll leave in a terrible mood.