Bonterra Restaurant & Wine Room

The food was delicious and the service was great. This dinner was a graduation celebration and there were several large groups that night. The food came out hot. Our server was on her game. We both got the pork porterhouse and it was perfectly cooked. The grits were delicious but not a large portion. The deserts were the only disappointment. The donuts were a little dry but very nice flavor. I would definitely go back again and get the filet because it looked outstanding. Great spot!

I have been to Bonterra probably a half dozen times and I was surprised to see that it was rated as middle of the road as it is. I have always found it to be a good restaurant in a terrific setting, though I will say that it has never been really awesome. We went a few eeks ago and had a good experience. Amber has the ribeye and LOVED it, I had the filet and it was quite good as well. I understand from my wine drinking friends that the wine list is huge and great. I would say give it a try — the setting is worth it for one visit anyway.

My boyfriend and I went to Bonterra for the first time this past Valentine’s Day for dinner. Bonterra is usually closed on Sundays but was told they open their doors for special holidays. The downside was that we could only order off of their 4-​course prix fixe menu. For the entrees, I ordered the steak (which was cooked well), and my boyfriend ordered the chicken. We enjoyed our meal but think we would have enjoyed it more if we were able to order from their regular dinner menu which has a lot more options. Either way, Bonterra is great for a nicer dinner, and they have a large selection of wine ranging from inexpensive to expensive.

I don’t hand out 5 stars lightly, but this place earned it. It’s a pricey joint, make no mistake, but the food is amazing. The wine list is HUGE, most bottles in the $ 34-​$ 40 range surprisingly. Beautiful ambiance in a renovated church (there is now a bar where the alter once stood). Great romantic date spot, or serious business spot. I had the lobster tail and it was essentially a 12 ounce «lobster steak». The most dense bites of lobster meat I’ve ever had. I will give a restaurant a bad Unilocal review if the waiter looks at me the wrong way, but this place was (I kid you not) 5 stars fabulous. Been here before, and will def go back (once the monthly direct deposit kicks in).

Everyone go here and ask for Cary!!! Oh my god. Best night I have had in my life. This guy was seriously the best server I have ever had. Food was amazing. Dessert made me want to sell my soul. Will be back!

Went here last night for restaurant week and was a little underwhelmed. The atmosphere was okay, not amazing like I had heard. The service, again, was average, was not blown away like other restaurants during restaurant week. I had the cheese plate for an appetizer which was fine, but we had to ask for bread and our drinks took a while to arrive. I had the trout which was very underseasoned and did not blow me away. However, my husband got the chicken which was AMAZING. Again, the desserts were average. Not sure if they’re trying to cut costs for restaurant week but I was not impressed. 300 east right next door is way better in all categories mentioned, and more affordable!

You can definitely tell this place was a church as you approach the building and make your way in. There is no main parking lot so try to get there early to claim a street spot. However, they offer complimentary valet. My husband and I had dinner here for Queen’s Feast. Service was on point. We both went for the Grilled Octopus as our starter. A little on the overdone side but still edible. Flavor was a little bland but good to still enjoy and devour. Friendly staff and service was prompt and professional. For our second course I went with the NC Catfish. Loved it. I think the portion was perfect but for someone with a bigger appetite it may not be enough. Flavor was just right overall, nothing to powerful. Everything harmonized. My husband ordered NC Trout which doesn’t appear to be on their regular menu. Looked much smaller than my dish. It was more on the salty side and he had a hard time finishing it. For dessert I ordered the Panna Cotta and he ordered the Bread Pudding. Both just right for not sharing :) Would I come here again? Probably not. But definitely worth checking out if you haven’t.

We really enjoyed our romantic night out at Bonterra. The Roasted Leek and Parmesan dip was delicious! My steak was well seasoned, served very hot and ended up dry and a bit overdone for being «Med-​Well». I wasn’t able to enjoy most of the steak but my French Martini and appetizer were perfect.

I really liked this place; The food, the building, the ambiance. I have been twice– one a date night and for Restaurant Week. Both times were excellent. I know people who have booked the upstairs room and the basement wine cellar rooms and thoroughly enjoyed themselves so keep that in mind if you are looking for a place with a group of 10 – 30 people like a rehearsal dinner, milestone birthday, etc.

This place is so wonderful. Very beautiful on the inside and out! The atmosphere is great and just makes you feel comfortable and cozy. Food is always great. Service is good too. Really good happy hour specials!!! I can’t wait to go back.

Great spot for wine. Best wine selection in Charlotte. And ½ off glass special on every Wednesday. Don’t miss it! If you are wine lover.

Meh.
I’ve been here half a dozen times including this last weekend. I always have a hard time finding anything on the menu that excites me.
I had the fish this time which had a nice pan sear without breading (lovely).
Call me crazy but I think salads should be served tossed in dressing, not w dressing poured on top.
There is one waiter who has been there forever. He sucks– does not pay attention at all. Jeff is better and I would ask for him. Parking not bad.
Better places to spend your money.

I was in Charlotte for business that happened to coincide with restaurant week. A former customer and mentor was available for dinner and selected this place. Short answer — it was a great choice!
The three course tasting menu was $ 35. Add in a glass of wine, tax and tip and out the door for about $ 55.
The appetizer I selected included pickled and smoked shrimp. I certainly picked up on the smoke flavor but the pickling was lost. Beautiful and well constructed dish.
The entrée of my choosing was a seafood medley. It contained a mix of shellfish and fish but everything matched well. I especially liked the flavors in the sauce. Difficult to describe but bright and herbal.
For dessert I selected their flan offering. Nice, firm custard with a rich sauce and a slight saltiness. Another winner!

We went during restaurant week in July. I wish we could have chosen from both menus because the food was just ok.
First off our waitress was a little off/​bread didn’t come until we asked, only 1 kind of bread when other tables got more of a choice. My steak was not very special but I did enjoy the gazpacho.
Could do better for such a beautiful space

Restaurant Week Review:
I have heard great things about Bonterra for several years and was excited to finally have a chance to go tonight during restaurant week. They did offer complimentary valet at the door, which was nice. The interior of the restaurant itself was interesting, although did not meet my expectations seeing as the building is over 100 years old. Sadly, the renovations have obviously taken a more modern approach and it would have been nice to see some of the original wood/​brick structure. However, overall the atmosphere is pleasing.
My friends and I were promptly seated at a comfortable table in the center of the main floor. A few minutes later, out waitress came by to take our food & drink order. All was well, however regrettably this is where things started to take a turn for the worse. Let me preface by stating that I am not a picky eater in the slightest. I enjoy most all foods I come across and therefore I am writing this review solely based on my shock as both the service and food were not great tonight. Sad to say, this was an example of a restaurant that participated in restaurant week, but was unprepared, understaffed, overbooked and cutting corners on the quality of their food preparation.
We waited 10 minutes for our wine to arrive and the waitress fled immediately from our table before we could ask about bread, which we could see on all of the neighboring tables. The bread (plain white bread) actually ended up coming out with our appetizers. I had ordered the Summer Gazpacho, which came highly recommended by our waitress. It was obvious that the kitchen had used too much smoke flavoring in the dish and the 2 of us whom had ordered it ended up only taking a few sips before pushing it aside. Also, the chef had made the decision to add sorghum popcorn to the gazpacho — why?! Nobody wants to bite into anything crunchy when they are eating lump crab meat. I failed to mention that we never received spoons, so for the first 5 minutes I sat there staring at my bowl and trying my best to flag down a waiter. Eventually one of my friends stood up and walked to the serving station to grab spoons. At that moment I saw the table next to us do the same. This is embarrassing for the wait staff, but annoyingly enough, they weren’t even around to notice.
For my entrée I had the Brasstown Farms Sirloin. In general it was a nice dish, however overcooked (even though the waitress had made it clear that «rare» meant it would be «mooing», it was definitely medium). The dessert was tasty, we all had the Flan, but this too was ruined because I had to desperately signal over our waitress to see if she could retrieve our wine bottle from wherever she had taken it to ‘keep it cool’ and she retorted with a snarky comment about how she hadn’t had time to get to it. Well DUH! It was painfully evident that Bonterra was not at their best tonight. Unfortunately, I will not be returning at my own will and I would bet the same for my friends.

Speaking only about their bar, and to be specifically their ½ off glass of wine night (currently Wednesdays) — this place is a nice place to hang out after work. The bar area is pretty small, and this is a popular night, so plan accordingly.
They offer bar bites as well as the full menu at bar. I personally enjoy most about their LARGE wine list. Ranges from $ 9 to $ 20 a glass regularly, so ½ off night is a good deal.
They have other drink specials on other nights as well, but this has been my favorite evening! Service is nice, the place is quaint. AND apparently they have a cute little patio area (but not sure if it counts as «bar area»).

Ummm where do I start? Atmosphere — check (old church with great art on the wall) Wine list — check (a billion) menu — check (basics, classics, specialties, and specials). Seriously. This place has it all. There are rooms for parties and the dining room is open and fun. The bar is cozy and busy. Bonterra often represents the Panthers and Charlotte at Taste of the NFLPA at the Super Bowl.
Opened up with the charcuterie and it was a great place to start. Waiter suggested a bottle of wine which was perfect. Wife had the fried lobster tail which is a dish famous here. Really good dish. I had the ribeye which was cooked perfectly and loved the sides too. Dessert? Forget it about. Awesome special which was a strawberry soufflé. I need to get here more often. Remind me.

Where do I begin?! My girlfriends and I chose to sample Bonterra for Restaurant Week (Wed. 21 Jan), and our reservation was handled beautifully by the hostesses. The bar was very crowded, and the setting was a tad awkward with the open setting of the loud crowded bar abutting the attempted ambiance of the dining room…
We were seated, served water, and given time to order… our appetizers came, and they were decent. I was expecting more crab and lobster than cheese in the dip, but during Restaurant Week it seems most establishments dial things down a notch (though I don’t approve of this), so I can almost excuse them for being a bit stingy…
Our emptied appetizer plates were promptly cleared, a few minutes went by, and we were presented with… … our desserts?!
After exchanging awkward glances, we informed the servers that we had not yet had our entrée course… they looked around awkwardly, and then cleared the the desserts… About 10 minutes went by, and our entrees arrived… Two were spot on, but one of my girlfriends received the wrong dish… so ALL entrees were removed from the table at once. TEN MORE minutes went by, and all of our correct entrees were brought out.
THROUGH ALL of this, no one (not our waiter who kept our water glasses full, not a manager, not a hostess…) NO ONE came out to apologize for the mistakes!!! We were a little stunned by this as ALL of us have spent time in service!
The food was fairly good… well cooked, well served… nothing terribly spectacular… the desserts were also good and not overly portioned, which was nice…
At the end of dinner, we were presented with our checks, and I asked our waiter if he could break a $ 20 for me as I had no smaller bills for the Valet Service. He asked if I could wait a moment, and came back with two $ 10 bills. It was «all he could come up with.» At this point, we were done. We went out to the valet, said our goodbyes, and I asked the young man getting my car from 12 feet away if he had change for a $ 10… shockingly, he did… I’m amazed that a waiter couldn’t come up with it!
In short… although the wine list was good, and the food was ok… the inadequate service indoors, and the valet service within an awkwardly small parking lot is enough to have made this a one-​time visit for me!
I give this place 3 stars because the food was not bad, and the hostesses were excellent at their jobs.

This was a conflicted review, and it was Restaurant Week, so keep that in mind when reading.
Bonterra has one of the more unique atmospheres in Charlotte, being in an old church. There’s a large bar with a vast array of wines in stock and a small second floor where the choir most likely used to sit.
Our party of four was sat upstairs. Unfortunately since our table had absolutely no view other than the drop ceiling and water station, I recommend asking to be sat downstairs. Our waiter was not rude, but really wasn’t present either. There was a large raucous group of diners in the private room nearby, one of which decided it would be fun to play waiter and ask to refill our water glasses three times during our meal. He came to our table almost as much as our actual waiter.
Our table stayed full for the appetizers as he did not remove the empty wine glasses that were preset on our table. My appetizer, a cheese plate, was just ok, and noticeably small compared to the other options.
The entrée I had, trout, rolled up and served on top of a stack of potatoes au gratin, did not match my expectations at all, both in taste and presentation. It was dry and had little flavor. The rest of the table had the steak, which appeared to look very good, though two steaks that were both ordered ‘medium’ and had noticeably different amounts of blood.
The desserts were decent, though not overwhelmingly good. I enjoyed my spicy chocolate mousse, though I could see how others may find it off putting. The lack of good service and forgettable food at such a fine dining locale will have me choosing elsewhere for a nice meal out.

Paul’s Unilocal Elite Rating: 4.85 Stars
Yet Another AMAZING dinner during Restaurant Week… which is surprising from my experience. Met my Unilocal friend Kate for dinner and I’ve never been here before (thus my selection for RW).
First off, I discovered their WINE BAR!!! Where the &$^!&#$! have I been??? This is an AMAZING BAR! About 200 wines BY THE GLASS! I almost soiled my pants when I saw that selection! Who does this… let alone in CHARLOTTE??? JD does that, that’s who! He’s the really cool owner of Bonterra, who was drinking wine next to me as we started up a convo… he’s got a very educated palate (he better for offering 200 wines by the FREAKIN glass!!!), and a super nice guy to boot! He made me a deal as I brought in a bottle from my cellar (the 2008 VinStrata Oregon Pinot Noir)…no corkage fee if I give him a sampling of my wine. DEAL! Win win for everyone! Anyway, I got a Gigondas Rhone and got an Italian Pinot Grigio for my friend Kate. I actually had a HARD time selecting a wine… did I tell you they have 200 WINES BY THE GLASS??? LOL…
OK onto the meal. Just take a look at the Menu I posted a picture of. And look at the amazing dishes we both had. The Cauliflower soup was excellent, and that Pumpkin seed oil was delicate yet refined. Soup had good consistency and balance. Kate ordered the Lobster and Crab dip. That was very good too, but Kate named a not to be named restaurant (Dresslers…OOPS) that she said was even better. OK, put that on my TO DO list!
Kate got the Osso Bucco and I got the Waygu Sirloin. Both were really good, but I liked my sirloin better. While the osso bucco was very tender and good, it wasn’t mind blowing. But I still thought it to be a very tasty dish. My sirloin was VERY good, done Mid Rare and that Horseradish butter was an excellent accompaniment (not too hot).
For dessert Kate got the Sea Salt Caramel Triffle and I got the Chocolate Mousse with SMOKED Paprika and Passion Fruit Caramel. Now ANYTHING with homemade Caramel I get. And both were really, really good. But my Chocolate Mousse was OUTSTANDING as the SMOKED paprika really made this dessert unique! I don’t believe I’ve ever had a DESSERT with smoked anything (sounds kind of savory huh?)…but it worked! And with that Passion Fruit, well, it was stellar.
I hit the proverbial grand slam by selecting that 2008 (97 Point vintage in Oregon BTW) VinStrata Pinot Noir… man did that go with everything superbly (sans the dessert of course). Hard to pick a «universally matching» wine but I seemed to do it this night… the Wine Gods were with me! Woo Hoo!
If Bonterra is this good during Restaurant Week, I can’t WAIT to return. But for SURE I’m coming back just for this AMAZING WINE BAR…
Did I tell you they serve 200 WINES BY THE GLASS? Holy crapola Batman!
Kudos to JD and the entire staff (Bartender, Server, Hostess, Chefs and JD himself) for providing me and Kate an awesome dinner experience!
Highly recommended!