The Stanley

We love The Stanley! The food is always so incredible. It is hands down our go-to spot in Charlotte. Highly recommend the duck if it is available. It is the best duck I have ever tried and, I constantly compare every other restaurant's duck to theirs because it is so good. Everything they make is amazing though. The staff and management is also top notch. They are always so accommodating and friendly. We are always so excited when Ricky is our server! Would recommend this place to anyone who loves fine dining and a great experience.

We finally got to The Stanley. I’ve been looking forward to trying this place for a while. We’ve been hesitant because of Covid. We requested seating in a more spaced out area. The staff is happy to accommodate and friendly. Amber (our Server) was delightful & made our visit even more memorable. My husband is quite the cook so I’ve become more picky. We love farm to table. Supporting local suppliers etc. The small plates that came out looked like “art on a plate.” They were tasty! I recommend ordering everything to try as much as possible. When they say small plates, they mean “small.” Go big, get it all and sample everything. It’s an experience!

Cozy back area, great decor and ambiance. The food was delicious, with great presentation. Will definitely go back, many more items to try! Had the Surf and Turf appetizer, it was light and refreshing, an interesting twist to most Surf and Turf. Had the Mahi and Shrimp and Grits for dinner, both were excellent.

Service was excellent!!! Small place, so it doesn't get too loud. Perfect for an intimate dinner. Food had amazing flavor! Shrimp and grits we delicious!! Because of the small restaurant the food came out very quick. We had 2 small plates and a large plate, which was plenty to share between two people. The menu almost changes daily based on supplies from local farms.

Amazing food and service. Great people and great Tapas style plates we loved to share. Had a very attentive wait staff and enjoyed all the different takes on fresh preparation of food. Almost feels like they have a farm right outside. Recommend the cocktails as well - Ultra Violet was a great pick if you like Gin based cocktails.

We had a couple of good recommendations to try the Stanley, so we used our anniversary as a good excuse to check out out. Reservations are recommended, although if you eat early like we do, you can probably get away without one. We started with The Cortez cocktail which we both loved. It was refreshing and not too sweet. We always go with small plates at a restaurant like this. They change the menu almost daily, so you never know what will be on it. We tried the Surf & Turf, Foie Gras, Steam Buns (pork belly), Braised Chicken Tostada, and Short Rib Ravioli. We loved everything with one exception — the ravioli. It wasn't bad, but it definitely didn't compare to how good everything else was. It was supposed to have goat cheese in it, but we tasted no cheese at all. The chicken tostada was our favorite followed closely by the surf and turf. For dessert we got the Swiss Roll. I think the menu was misleading on this one. I don't like chocolate, but the menu said white chocolate, cranberry, and pistachio. I assumed it didn't have chocolate because it said white chocolate, but that was not the case (it just had a white chocolate drizzle). My husband loved it though. It's a farm to table restaurant and you can definitely tell the ingredients are fresh. I wasn't super impressed with the service. It was good enough, but our waiter felt a little cold. There's a lot of complaints in the reviews that I think are not the fault of the restaurant. Yes, it's fairly pricey. This should be expected at a farm to table small plates restaurant. We felt like the quality of the food lived up to the price. I think The Stanley is definitely worth checking out. Just make sure to have the right expectations coming in.