Shared a supper together with work colleagues; everyone was happy with their orders. Service was solid and the atmosphere was nice - a little on the formal end but still felt very relaxed. This was a great place for tasty and well-prepared food in an environment where you can enjoy each other's company, easily hear each other for conversation, and leave highly satisfied. An ideal place to unwind after a long day at work, hanging out with good company.
This place is Valpo's little secret. Located right downtown next to the court house. Parea offers a great atmosphere for drinks after work with friends, a great place for a reunion, a business meeting, or even a romantic dinner with your significant other. I had the fig jam and goat cheeseburger. Shelley had the mahi mahi potatoes and broccoli. The burger was cook to perfection and the mahi-mahi has never been more tender. The magician behind the bar Amber made some amazing drinks. (Ask her about her signature drinks!)
We went with another couple on a Sat. afternoon. Men had filet mignon and women had the chicken scallopini ( I think it's called?) Ladies chose the salad which was visually appealing but omg, how small! The steaks were excellent. Some things were way too salty but the most annoying thing was how they put one soup on the menu as an add on in fine print but when you tell the waitress you choose soup, they neglect to tell you that one soup comes with your entree but one does not. It's $2.50 extra which is a rip off since the steak alone is $32.00!
Stopped in here for first time and found it pretty relaxed and comfortable. Drinks were good (raspberry martini) and bartender was friendly. I ordered the filet mignon medium rare and although it was more toward medium really enjoyed the taste of the steak. I really haven't had a better tasting steak in area for a while, mashed potatoes were good too. I will be back to sample other things on menu.
Good food and drinks. As we think about going back not at the top of the list. Couldn’t believe they still are only seating every other table and huge gaps at bar between chairs. We like to go earlier and sit at bar. Only restaurant we’ve seen in last few months still being ridiculously “cautious “. Bartender was great but should’ve had another (waited long time before she got back to us). The avg reviews on this place say it all. Couple of tweaks and we’re happy to be regulars but not yet.
2nd and final visit. Requested med well Ribeye ($38), it was burnt like black. Seafood risotto ($27) had no flavor with 3 shrimp and 3 scallops no larger than a quarter. Risotto was very sticky. The tirokaftiri also needed flavor. Considering it was made with feta it should have had a salty flavor. We had a play to go to at 8pm and we arrived at 6:40. Our food finally came st 7:50. We took 2 bites and threw them in to go containers and left. Our server was polite so we left a $20 tip.After the play the steak and risotto went in the trash. There was no helping those meals to taste even somewhat etable. I thought it was a Greek owned restaurant. If it is, I wouldn't recommend a Greek to eat here. It would be an insult.
Food was good, service was subpar. We had a table of 4 and 3 ordered filets. All the filets were over cooked. One medium rare was sent back because it didn’t have any pink. I’m assuming a manager delivered the replacement, but all she said was “is this yours?” Typically one would ask you to cut into the steak to make sure it is cooked to order the first time, but they didn’t even ask the second time. I guess there is a reason why this is the only place without a wait on a Friday night.
I’ve had the opportunity on three occasions to visit this past summer in Valpo. The customer service and food quality exceeds my experiences in other Valpo restaurants. Both my friends and family enjoyed our visits. Thank you
Hostess saw our group of 6 entering the lounge and gave us a heads up that it might take a little longer than usual to order drinks, due to short staffing, which I totally get. There was indeed 1 bar tender working on a Saturday night, which must be stressful. So we wait maybe 20 mins until the hostess decides to let us know that we all have to be seated at the bar before the bar tender will take our order. There were not many chairs at the bar at all, perhaps due to covid, but the hostess could have told us about the seating rule upfront when she initially greeted us. Otherwise we wouldn't have hung around patiently for 20 mins!
My husband and I always had great dinning experiences here! The food is always impeccable and so is the service. Great place for a date night, weather you want to go on the dinning room side or bar side!