Restaurant Review: Red Bowl Asian Bistro Raleigh, NC

Are you looking for something different and unique? Do you have a need for something new and exciting? Red Bowl Asian Bistro in Raleigh, NC has all of those attributes. Being a brand new restaurant in the area, they are up against some steep competition.

First Impressions of Red Bowl Asian Bistro Raleigh, NC

At first glance, Red Bowl Asian Bistro Raleigh, NC stands out from the numerous eateries in the Raleigh area. The particular restaurant was in a prime location for customer traffic. Red Bowl Asian Bistro Raleigh, NC is directly off of the highway and adjacent to the mall.

When you enter, you notice a well designed décor filled with color and vibrancy. The wait staff is professionally dressed and everyone was friendly and smiling. They did have signs stating the wait staff was in training, so be patient. This struck me as odd, since the training should have been in an established restaurant.

Wait Staff and Menu at Red Bowl Asian Bistro Raleigh, NC

When we sat down our waiter was pleasant and charming. This is where the pleasantries ended. After we ordered and our food was brought to the table, we never saw him again. I did see him chatting with friends who came in to the establishment. Our drinks were refilled by someone working at the full service bar who noticed our drinks were empty.

The menu was surprisingly pricey for the comparable bistros in the area. Since we went to Red Bowl Asian Bistro Raleigh, NC, I expected the pricing to be a bit cheaper, but the prices were similar to the dinner menu.

Lunch at Red Bowl Asian Bistro Raleigh, NC

We decided to order two General Tao's chicken meals with egg rolls and two drinks. We each ordered a roll of sushi. One was a California roll and the other was a Philadelphia roll. Here is where the experience went sour. I received my meal, but my wife never received her meal. We couldn't complain since the waiter never returned.

The sushi was excellent. The eggrolls were overcooked and chewy. They tasted as if they were cooked, refrigerated, and then cooked again. The rice was dry as well. The garnishments on the plate attempted to compensate for the poor quality of the food.

Check Please at Red Bowl Asian Bistro Raleigh, NC

This was interesting due to the fiasco of the missing meal. Our check totaled roughly $40 for two people. Pricey, but we had ordered rolls of sushi costing $5 per roll. The management on duty gave us a $20 gift card since we had terrible experience. So our meal cost $20. This was better, but I would rather have had a positive experience.

Pros

Excellent sushi

Great atmosphere

Not adequate for large parties

Full service bar

Location

Cons

Service was severely lacking

No attention to details

Not adequate for large parties

My Take and Thoughts Red Bowl Asian Bistro Raleigh, NC

Being that this was the soft opening of Red Bowl Asian Bistro Raleigh, N, I gave them some leeway. But, being a franchise, the owners should have studied under successful franchise owners prior to Red Bowl Asian Bistro Raleigh, NC soft opening. There were high levels of confusion, orders not being delivered, hostility toward management reflected on the customer service provided by the waiter/waitresses.

The food was not to the standard I expected from an Asian Bistro. I expected hand crafted meals which looked and tasted exotic. What I received was nothing more than heated prepackaged food with exotic garnishments.