Neighborhood Services

Neighborhood services is such a fun spot! Nice enough for a celebration or special night out, but chill enough for a weeknight date night as well. A rare find, in my opinion.My wife and I hadn't been since before COVID, but really enjoyed our experience. Our waiter was so fun and the food was top notch!We really enjoyed it and look forward to going back!

After deliberating our dining prospects one night, I offered to my better half that we try Neighborhood Services, a joint that's been around for well over a decade. For some reason, I'd never been there (or so I thought), and, that night, I was in the mood to wander off our beaten path of familiar chow houses.My better half assured me that we had indeed been there, some years previous. While I was sure she was right, I couldn't remember that visit. My ability to recall the faintest remembrance was akin to staring into a proverbial black hole. This fact made me a tad nervous...since my lapse in memory of a past event normally meant that I wasn't impressed with the outing and had decided to cross the encounter off the list for some reason.Before I could backtrack, she made the reservation and told me, in no uncertain terms, that we were going. But to be truthful, based on the fact that my memory had gone AWOL of that long ago visit, I wasn't expecting much.Our reservation at Neighborhood Services was for 7:30 pm on a mid-week night, and the joint was packed and noisy. Immediately, I mentally subtracted some points. Crowded and noisy isn't my cup of Oolong tea. But the hostess said she had a booth for us, which quickly caused me to cancel the previous subtraction. After being seated, our waiter was quick on the scene and snapped up our drink orders. Taking a look at the menu, it was decidedly American fare, but offered some twists and turns in what one might find in another restaurant that offers so-called American selections. For some reason, today's daily plate of meatloaf caught my attention. I usually recoil from any thought of ordering comfort foods or a traditional home-cooking style of dish. But, it did push me towards my ultimate pick of chicken piccata, preceded by a simple salad of greens.While I'm no fan of eating in noisy and crowded restaurants, the food rose above my small discomfort. For some reason, the simple, but tasty dish of chicken piccata left an indelible mark in my memory.I have no idea why my memory of my first visit to Neighborhood Services went missing. Maybe it was a longer than expected wait. Perhaps it was due to some fellow diners who had a bit too much too drink. But this trip has been firmly placed in the memory banks.

Ambience and service was very good. Of the 4 meals we had, three of us loved our meals and one did not like theirs (chicken Piccata). The presentation for all the meals was awesome, just seems that the chicken (for the piccata) was not pounded and was quite dry. The salads we ordered were excellent and specialty drinks were also quite good. We also ordered some bread since the meal portions were small....(Bread Order Consisted of 3 pieces smallish slices of bread, which we were charged for).All in all, very good restaurant but more than a tad bit over priced.

I've been here three times now and have enjoyed each visit. The specials are always amazing and the service is consistently good.

Neighborhood Services is wildly popular in the Dallas area. They're a part of a restaurant group that includes Montlake Cut and Town Hearth. This is my least favorite of the group by a large margin. Don't get me wrong, nothing is bad. .. just not what I was expecting considering the reputation. The "CFS" or Country Fried Steak is one of their signature dishes. It's made with wagyu beef. I can't say my pallet was sophisticated enough to discern the difference. I found it to be a little greasy, yet dry. .. could've used a bit more seasoning too. The Crispy Shrimp were pretty good, but standard. The hand pie was exceptional. I'd go back just for dessert. Service could've been more attentive, though not rude. I'd revisit if someone really wanted to go. I'd stick to appetizers, cocktails, and desserts though.

Thumbs up:1. The tempura asparagus is awesome. Never had it like this before and it is so tasty. I could eat three plates of this.2. Love the pizza. This was unexpected because this is not a "pizza place". But it was just the right amount of flavor, light chewiness, airiness in the dough, and tasty blend of toppings.3. The fried shrimp are good. Batter is good and not overwhelming.4. Brussels sprouts are good. A little too toasty but still in the good range, and very tasty.5. Server was very friendly and enthusiastic.Thumbs down:1. The chips and crab dip sounds good but it is kind of meh. I don't taste the crab that much and the overall flavor is bland. It's not bad, but for the price I expected more.2. While the scallops are good and on par for what I expected, the rest of the entree seemed like decoration and was not very filling for a main dish. 3. My friend who loves the original location insists the beef entrees are not the same and not as good at this location.

NHS has long been on our rotation. We used to eat at the Preston/Royal location weekly for years. Went to the original Lovers Ln location tonight for my birthday. Pains me to say it was a big disappointment. Prices have doubled like many places. But the quality has slipped dramatically. The schnitzel was1/2 the size it used to be and twice the price. Plus it was over fried. The Thursday pot pie special was not special in the least. Wasn't bad but not much better than Stouffer's. Service was wonderful as always, but did find it telling that neither the server nor the host asked how our meal was. I think they know what the answer would be.

We went to have the double cut chicken parmigiana Tuesday special. I asked the waiter specifically how the chicken Parmigiana was prepared and what it came with. The waiter said it came with a little salad they put on top of the chicken but didn't mention the dish came with a pasta. I told him to put the salad on the side and I specifically would have told him to make sure the pasta is on the side too. When it came out it wasn't hot and the chicken was lying on top of the pasta with red sauce which made the entire breading on bottom soggy. Totally annoying. Also because there was no way to know if the chicken came with pasta we ordered a pasta special called "lemon pasta." You shouldn't get that, it was terrible. It smelled like hot trash and the sauce seemed like it needed a lot more work. I told the waiter I was pissed about the food and how I asked him directly about the preparation to avoid the soggy fried chicken. He messed up. They took the pasta dish off the bill but I felt bad about having them take the chicken off the bill too. I didn't want to throw the waiter under the bus with the manager but in the days since the experience has gotten under my skin. If you really love food and are particular about your tastes, skip this restaurant. This place is probably just a pretty place to grab drinks. Don't count on anything exceptional. This place is just a vibe.

The food is amazing (especially these Thai tacos!!! These NEED to be a menu regular)!!! The service is amazing, Danee, Dale, Sharon, Chris, Nick are all amazing ... I eat here a lot but these Thai tacos took me to heaven!!!!

Mediocre food at best. Fish tartar sauce was not much more than mayonnaise. The malt vinegar was weak cheap stuff. The burger was raw in the middle and lacked any taste. The meatballs at least had some spice on them, but basically odd tasting. We had a few other things, but nothing to go back for. Wine is marked up 300% so our $50 bottle of wine was $150.There was a 2 year old kid that was all over the place at the next table. I like kids, so it was a positive. Service was good. In a nutshell, this place wasted a perfectly good evening and lots of $$$$. Overpriced and underdelivered. I recommend finding some other place to eat.