Rare Steakhouse on the Piazza

Food was amazing. The service was great, BUT it was to dang hot in this place. I hade to get up twice and go outside to cool off. Had the lamb chops and my girlfriend had the salmon l, both dishes were great.

Decided to splurge on a nice meal downtown and chose Rare steakhouse on the Piazza. Nice place but the food just didn’t quite live up to the expectation and the price point. Wife’s filet was cooked nicely. My Kansas City strip was in no way a Prime cut of meat though. Pretty good flavor but not a «steak lovers delight» as was touted on the menu. And you might say then send it back, well knowing what happens sometimes in the kitchens of even the best restaurants when food is sent back, I just decided to eat and be happy. Ha. Besides that the mussels were very flavorful and the Grilled veg tasted great although a little oily considering they were grilled. Sweet potato fries were good but not amazing. The only other things to mention were that MoD spoke to everyone around us to ask about their meal and skipped us! and the table we sat at was warped so badly that items would slide across the table. Was comical at one point. Seriously, level the tabletops.
All in all a good meal but not great for the price point.

This place never disappoints! The décor the ambiance the food presentation as well as the TASTE… is just superb! If your in the mood for different or just want to shock your palette this is the place! I strongly recommend the calamari steak and the shrimp and grits!

My boyfriend and I dined at Rare after a particularly difficult day. Neither of us was in the best of moods, but our dining experience here truly turned our night around. Our server, Tre, (who we later found out is also the general manager) was awesome! I am a server at an upscale restaurant in Charlotte, so I can be extremely picky and judgmental of service and food. Everyone from the hostess to the busser to the food runner to our server, Tre, were so nice and attentive. We had two glasses of a Syrah-​Gernache that paired wonderfully with the Filet and asparagus. We also had the calamari appetizer, which was delicious. Finished the night off with a decadent piece of cheesecake, which Tre took care of for us. I was so pleased with the meal and service that I left the restaurant in a much better mood than I came in with. I later e-​mailed Tre because I forgot to get my receipt. He sent it over in the course of five minutes and was yet again so kind over the phone and e-​mail. I will definitely be back to Rare the next time I am in Greenville and I am raving about it to all my friends and co-​workers. Thanks Tre!

Great first time experience! Ordered the Kansas City Strip along with the cheese plate, and everything was perfect. Steak cooked to perfection, nice variety on the cheese plate. Items are a la cartel and sides are good for two people to share. Good wine selection (although I opted for beer).

I was really excited that we got to finally check this place out. Whenever I’m downtown Greenville I park at the Richardson garage more often than not, and so we always walk right past this place saying, «We have to go here sometime!» Well, we’ve been saying that for almost two years at least, and finally decided to come have a nice dinner here before seeing the Newsies at the Peace Center.
The atmosphere was great with a really nice ambience. They were easy to make a reservation wtih as well through Open Table. Convenience via technology is really becoming a much more important thing to me when it comes to food particularly. The food was good. They had a lot of interesting choices on the menu, and specials that actually were worth while to hear the evening we went.
One thing that was a definite AWESOME about this place was the service. There was a mix-​up in the kitchen with one of my friend’s steak and it came out cooked like no steak should be cooked ever. She had no sooner cut into the steak, and the waiter was all over it, «That’s NOT what you ordered!» He had a new steak out in a matter of minutes cooked correctly, and he included a free desert for the mix-​up. Any restaurant that goes above and beyond to fix something like that gets an A for service in my book.
The four star review isn’t because anything stood out as bad (especially the service), but more because nothing really stood out in my mind as anything that would make me choose this as one of my top restaurants in Greenville. Also, while everyone left happy with the meal, it just wasn’t comparable to some of my other fine dining experiences in greenville, but it is definitely a nice place that I wouldn’t say no to again if they offer was placed on the table.

I was extremely surprised that this place was not packed. When we arrived we were seated promptly. The interior of the restaurant is decorated tastefully and has great lighting. The only thing that was an issue with the décor was our table was tilted down slightly and it always felt as if my glass was going to topple over. I was here with a company for our Christmas dinner. Some people ordered appetizers but I didn’t try them since I am not a big fan of seafood. I ordered the ribeye with mashed potatoes and sweet potato fries. I was also able to try the lobster Mac and cheese from my wife as well. Before I rate the food I did want to mention one annoying thing the servers kept doing. They would bring all the food at various times. They brought the appetizers at various times and they brought out the sides at least 5 minutes before the main dish was brought out. This meant that a lot of the sweet potato The Ribeye was ok, it was definitely not worth the $ 36 though. It had a fishy flavor to it and it. The sweet potato fries were great. They were crispy and had powdered sugar on them. They also came with a honey mustard sauce that was extremely good. The mashed potatoes were done good as well but could use some more seasoning. Overall I was pretty disappointed in the lobster Mac and cheese as it really lacked seasoning and just tasted like the Kraft Mac and cheese one can make at home. In conclusion, the quality of the food here does not match the prices.

I went to Rare after a bad experience at Stellar Wine Bar (see my other review). Very frustrated from our experience there, we walked across the street to get drinks and apps during the last few minutes of happy hour. We sat down at the bar at Rare and were greeted by Melissa – a funny, friendly bartender who was extremely kind and courteous.
We ordered two glasses of house wine, the shrimp cocktail, and an order of mussels in broth. The two wines were delicious (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay), and the plate of mussels was much larger than either of us anticipated (a steal for $ 10). All of it was delicious.
What sealed it for us was the customer service. We arrived about 10 minutes before the end of happy hour. After we ordered our glasses of wine, Melissa informed us that she went on ahead and placed a second order in the system to ensure we received the discounted price on our second glass (even though happy hour would have ended by that point).
Additionally, while we were eating dinner, my boyfriend accidentally dipped his jacket sleeve in the small bowl of olive oil used for dipping bread. Very frustrated, he took his napkin and attempted to wipe it off. Without being asked, Melissa walked up to our table with a black cloth and a cup of club soda. She then proceeded to take my boyfriend’s jacked and wipe off any excess oil. She also told us to put hairspray on it when we got home to help break down the oil and ensure it doesn’t stain. We were blown away with her courtesy.
Although this was my first time to Rare, it definitely will not be my last. The courtesy and level of service was impeccable – some of the best I’ve ever had at a restaurant in Greenville. I’ll definitely be back.

Everything we had here was good and the outdoor seating is nice on a pretty day. They had $ 3 mimosas and $ 4 bloody marys on Sunday, which is what initially drew us in, but the food had a nice mix of classic, modern, and southern style food. I would go back.

Good food tonight! I had 2 apps mussels and tuna. They were both awesome! The wife had the pork chops and they were great. They had caramelized onions that were like an onion jam! Great time and Gabby at the bar was great!

I recently moved to the Greenville area and was very excited to visit this restaurant as I’ve heard very good things about it but on this particular visit they definitely missed the mark. 25 minutes after placing our order we flagged our server down to inquire about where our appetizer was and to have her fill our empty water glasses (mine was empty for at least 4 or 5 minutes). She replied oh no, I forgot to put that in for you, but your food should be up shortly!
I get that accidents happen, and she did try to right the wrong by offering us ‘free birthday desserts’ (it wasn’t our birthday) but this was definitely not the service we’d expect when paying $ 80 for a meal for 2!

I like the ambience of rare and I think it is in a great place. It is a beautiful restaurant. I ate the filet with asparagus and mashed potatoes. The asparagus was the best thing on the plate, followed closely by the steak. It was cooked to perfection. The sauce was interesting it was good but almost like it could use a little nutmeg or something. The potatoes were really good as well. Overall very good restaurant. I enjoyed it and had great service. I wasn’t blown away by the food so 4 stars but it was extremely tasty. I recommend if you are ever visitong greenville and want to be fancy go!

Third time here and it was amazing!!! Had the oysters on half shell, wedge salad and the ribeye. All were perfect. Fantastic way to celebrate my 16^th wedding anniversary. We will definitely be back. Best steak in Greenville. By far!!!
Great atmosphere and great pricing. Chef is amazing.

Second visit to this place while visiting SC. Excellent both times. Rib eye was seared perfectly and the sides were very enjoyable. If they offer the pork chops, get ‘em. The spicy flavored oil is so good, we bought a mason jar full and sending it home. Most, importantly, the service is Amazing!!! Kimberly rocks! Can’t say enough about excellence. I’m coming coming back for sure.

Once again I’m here, at the place i really like in G’villr. Thesteals are always great and the server, Lydia, is PHENOMENAL… saywhat you will this is the best steak in Greenville and a great price… if you’re looking for a higher tier steak, come here.

Great experience on our anniversary dinner. I’ve tried every ‘steakhouse’ in Greenville and this was easily the best. My wife and I both ordered the filet, which was perfectly cooked top quality meat that almost melted in your mouth. Sides were unbelievably good mashed potatoes and tempura asparagus.
For any fried green tomato lovers, Rare’s is a must try. We order these anytime someone offers them and the server vouches for them as a specialty, but these were unmatched. Absolutely delicious, maybe the best I’ve had. Wish they would sell the slaw by itself.
We ordered a bottle of Justin Cabernet that was great, but even better was the service that helped us select that tasty choice. Judi (our waitress, a true pro) brought us samples of the wines we were considering which made the choice a no brainer.
Top all that off with a complimentary piece of cheesecake for our anniversary and we had an excellent experience. I know some people had less-​than-​perfect experiences when they first opened (which happens a lot), but it’s safe to say that they’ve worked those issues out. We’ll definitely be back (soon I hope). I’ve heard their sandwiches and weekend brunch are both great, so we might give them a shot this weekend. Highly recommended!

Prom night (we were not part of it)
Bottle of Heitz cellar Cabernet 2009 was well priced.
Iceberg wedge was typical but have had better.
Bread was good and the pepper dipping oil was spicy but tasty
Smallest steak was a 7 ounce filet. Properly done and very good,
Sautéed spinach with garlic was excellent
Very nice menu with fish and cow — pork chop looked really god but was 14 ounces! Roll me out
Service was excellent — Trey from Iowa was friendly and efficient.

This food is great.
We each had a filet, medium and medium rare, and both were cooked to perfection.
We also had garlic mashed potatoes, a wedge salad and asparagus. All the dishes were fantastic, but the star was definitely the steak.
We also ordered 2 interesting cocktails and those were really good. The bread is warm and crusty with a soft center, but don’t fill up on that while they’re cooking your steak. I’ve read some other reviews that complain of the service, but our server was excellent.
I’ve eaten at Rick Erwin’s once and it was such a let down that I was hesitant to go out to another fine dining steakhouse when I make an excellent steak at home! Rare did not disappoint!

Maybe it was an off evening ¹¹⁄₂₁. Our group of three walked out after being seated and waited for twenty minutes for our waitress to take drink orders. A couple of observations to why we departed; Friday evening 8pm, the restaurant was 30% full and no one had food on their table, staff was making more trips back and forth than was needed, hostess could care less. When it comes to their prices I expect more. Total lack of leadership at this place. I give this place 6 months until they close their doors.

We enjoyed our anniversary dinner at Rare. We were seated at one of the banquettes in the back, which is very nice for a special dinner. You can ask for this when you make a reservation.
We started with an appetizer of fried green tomatoes, which were by far the best I’ve ever had. I could probably make a meal of these along a salad whenever I’m not craving a steak. But red meat prevailed this particular evening, so I then had the petite filet and my husband had the rib eye. Both of the steaks were cooked perfectly and were so tender. The have «family sides» which serve 2, so we tried the duck fat fries and then offset them with something a little more healthy, the herbed sautéed veggies. I was not impressed with the fries, but the veggies were delicious.
The wait staff was fast and friendly, and the atmosphere very nice. It can get a bit pricey but no more so than most of the better restaurants in town. They have a Groupon that may still be available, which always helps.
We don’t eat a lot of red meat and when we do we usually go to Longhorn, but it’s nice to have this option downtown. We’ll definitely try it again.