Le Cavalier - Wilmington

One of the absolute WORST dining experiences of my life. Ate here for Valentine 's Day and got the prix fixe for 2. We were seated 20 minutes late. Not a huge deal but okay. That 's when it got so bad it was like a joke.Ordered drinks. Bartender came back and said they didn 't have the ingredients for them so had to choose others. What?Then came the appetizers and entrees. The tuna in the app was NOT fresh. Super gross. The waiter comes back and tells us, oops, sorry but both mains we ordered--they 're out. Place new orders. Waiter comes back--oops again, they 're out of my second choice. This literally leaves only ONE main left--the vegan mushroom dish--which the waiter told us at the beginning of our night that only 1 other person had ordered. I literally had no other choice. It was fine. Actually it was pretty anemic. Then dessert. The table next to us starts joking, They 'll probably be out of everything! Hahahaha. I ordered the crème brulee. Was really looking forward to it. Waiter comes back. THEY DON 'T HAVE IT ANYMORE but here 's a plate of random assortments that you must also now accept even though you paid hundreds of dollars for something else. Then comes the bill--someone else 's bill with an extra $150 charge. Waiter! I called. He swapped it out for ours. Nothing was removed for the inconvenience of having to eat their food. Folks--this place is poorly operated, the food is extremely mediocre, and they clearly don 't know what they 're doing. It may have been built in the Guilded Age, but that 's all it is now: guilded. All frills, no substance. P.S. I contacted them afterwards to share this experience. No one called me back.

To start, I should mention that the food was decent, the service was satisfactory, and the wine was average. However, for the prices we paid, both my wife and I were quite frustrated with the layout of the two-person tables, which were positioned just 12-14 inches apart. It was nearly impossible to navigate between them without bumping into the neighboring table, knocking over glasses, and causing a disturbance. This cramped atmosphere turned what could have been a pleasant dinner—though not exceptional, just decent—into an annoying experience. After our third visit to Le Cav, we’ve decided not to waste another special evening there.

The food is absolutely delicious, and the service is outstanding. I highly recommend this place for a date night or even just a lunch outing.

We often dine out with another couple, at least once a week, and we're generally easygoing and polite—we’ve never complained or sent food back. On the night we visited, it was relatively quiet; we had a 6 PM reservation and I believe there were only three tables occupied along with a few patrons at the bar. Our server was incredibly nice—really sweet, personable, and accommodating. We ordered drinks, but they took at least 20 minutes to arrive. I had a Tito's martini, which turned out to be one of the worst I've ever had—how can you mess that up? The drinks were gone in just a few sips. The warm olives were a standout, though it would have been a nice touch to have a bread basket with fresh bread; instead, the butter was frozen solid and impossible to spread. My husband enjoyed his hummus appetizer. As for our main courses, we all had burgers, which were quite good but not notably better than what you can find at other places in Wilmington. The portions were generous. One friend ordered the steak frites and barely touched his steak. Thankfully, the chef was attentive to our gluten-free friend, offering her gluten-free crackers without her even asking and coming out to discuss the menu. However, when it came time to serve her dinner, they omitted everything she couldn't eat. When she inquired about it, the staff was very accommodating. I intended to have a glass of wine, but our lovely server never returned to check in. At the end of the night, our separate checks were so mixed up that I’m not sure how to sort them out. Our friend ended up being charged for our drinks, while we were charged almost nothing. He didn’t want to make a fuss, so we’ll figure that out later. In summary, we experienced both positive and negative aspects during our visit. However, due to the slow service, we likely won’t be returning.

Husband and I went for dinner on a Tuesday early evening. After several minutes were seated and given a menu. A pleasant waitress took our drink order, a glass of wine and a mixed drink. She then took our meal order, 25 minutes before we got the drinks. Apps were served before the drinks arrived. They were fine, nothing to write about. Husband ordered a steak which was ok, I ordered the chicken it was barely warm to the touch and very dry. What a disappointment. I expected more at these prices. I did send a note to the restaurant, no response.