Fairview Dining Room

Similar to other reviewers, I have been coming to the Washington Duke for afternoon tea for over 20 years, with my daughter as she grew up and also bringing out of town guests. The quality of the experience has gone up and down over the years. Back in the day I thought it was the best in the area, hands down. Then it went through changes here and there, small special details all of a sudden gone, menu changes (many negative, sorry), I don't know if it has been a money saving thing or what. It was particularly bad after Covid, I think for a while they didn't even have the afternoon tea service. Anyway, we have stuck with them because even with the changes it is still a generally lovely experience, particularly around the holidays. We went today with family members from out of state. I will say that they seem to be making an effort. Though they are renovating and the seating is in a small stuffy area, the tea and food was on point. There was an excellent lemon bar that stood out - so tart and delicious. The scones were warm and fresh, and I personally like the individual servings of clotted cream and lemon curd so I didn't have to worry about getting enough. What made the visit outstanding was the service we received. Our server, Abagail, was terrific. She is what made the experience special. She came with more hot water before we even realized we wanted it, and checked on us with more water numerous times. Honestly I think the offering of more hot water can make or break an afternoon tea outing and she killed it! She was friendly and helpful and somehow appeared any time we had a need without anybody having to look around for her. I hope that this good experience means that they are on an upswing and that folks can count on a consistent high quality afternoon tea experience.

Made a reservation for the Fairview, knowing nothing about it except that it was in Duke University's campus. Parking is a breeze and there is plenty of it. You can even valet, if that's your jam.The restaurant is towards the back of the hotel and since it is December, it is decorated beautifully. They literally have Christmas trees in every corner. Service was impeccable from checking in, to checking out. Very professional, very top notch. You would bring someone here to impress them. We were a party of three and were seated in a booth, which was perfect for us. They had someone playing the piano, which was a nice touch. Our food came out in a good amount of time and everything was a good temperature and tasted delicious. We did have dessert and the serving size of that was just right. We left full and happy and commented on how we would definitely return.

This restaurant is located inside the Duke Inn & golf club and it is wonderful. Once you step in , it is a beautiful elegant decor , transports you to earlier years and the service is top notch. To start I had the Brussel sprouts and artisan salad - the Brussel sprouts had a sweetness to it that was amazing !!! For entree I had the short rib rigatoni - the meat just melted in your mouth and the sauce was incredible. Everything was so good I could not leave without dessert . I had the vanilla bean crème brûlée , it was perfection! It is no wonder that this place has awards for its dinning . Definitely try it out !

Before I share this review, I would like to preface that my family and I have been enjoying Afternoon Tea at Washing Duke Inn & Golf Club for close to 20 years. I've experienced small shifts in tea service during and post pandemic, understandably. During the summers, my family from Texas visits me and one of our favorite pastimes is Afternoon Tea. I recently noticed a slight change in the Fairview's Afternoon Tea presentation on my July 21st visit. Despite the change, my cousin and I had a lovely experience. A week after that visit, on July 28th, I treated my niece and mother to tea. As I mentioned, they are visiting from Texas and it is one of their favorite things to do when visiting NC. When our server brought our tea, she failed to bring milk for my tea. When she brought the tray of tea sandwiches, pastries, and scones, she did not bring the Devonshire cream or lemon curd. In fact, after she brought the tray of foods, she never came back again. We had to ask another server for help and she graciously brought us the milk, Devonshire cream and lemon curd. As I mentioned, we never saw our server again. As such, no one offered us additional hot water for our tea. My mother, pointed that out to me and vividly noticed the change in service. Last, because our server was not to be found, another server came forward to bring us our check. We had been waiting for 15-20 minutes for someone to come over with the check. I am disappointed not for me, but for my mother and niece who were looking forward to afternoon tea all week. I was deeply disappointed in the service. While this is tea service, patrons should be checked on to ensure they have all they need including extra water for tea. Last, I do have to mention that the pastry team did give us three pomegranate scones that were burnt. I would have mentioned this to our server had she come over to check on us. Prior to posting this review, I contacted the Fairview Dining Room and no one confirmed receipt of my email nor did they offer an apology. I am truly disappointed by this experience. I have always shared with friends and family that the Fairview dining Room has one of the most exceptional afternoon tea experiences in North Carolina and the US. Unfortunately, I can no longer attest to this nor recommend others to visit the Fairview Dining Room for afternoon tea.

I make it up to the Fairview Dining Room at the Washington Duke Inn maybe once a year. It's bit of a drive (about an hour) and it's not inexpensive by any means. But it's a truly a case of getting what you pay for. The ambience is simply lovely and the food is fantastic. I met my sister there for lunch yesterday. She ordered the chopped salad; although that may sound pretty routine, she said it was the best version she'd ever had and it was beautifully presented. Even *more* beautifully presented was my "Duke of Crabcake" entree. As a native Marylander, I am super-picky about crabcakes. For starters, most of them are heavily breaded. I knew from a prior visit to this venue (almost five years ago), however, that the Fairview kitchen knows their way around a crabcake. It was absolutely perfect. A sweet potato, corn and bacon hash surrounded it; although I initially ignored it, assuming it largely served a decorative purpose, I was hap-hap-happy to discover that it was also fabulously good. Our server appeared to be something of a newbie, but she knew what she didn't know (e.g., the wine list) and solicited input from others. Another successful Fairview visit! I'll be back as soon as I can budget for it!

I was here for an event and it surpassed my expectations. The service was phenomenal and the food was absolutely delicious. The soup was small but a good appetizer size (wish there was more seafood in it), the filet mignon was fantastic though the greens were a bit salty, and the dessert was very filling to end off the meal. It didn't seem crowded but the food took a bit of time to come out. The only thing to make it even better would have been live music, but was still a fabulous meal!

This place is fine. They try to be fancy but have more like an outdoor mat on the table, no tablecloth. Piano player was nice but quite loud for that enclosed space. Service was insanely slow, dunno where the kitchen is but if it's near the parking lot, they have a lot of ground to cover to get to the dining area. There's probably better cheaper spots around.

Gentile Southern hospitality on display. Traditional dishes, well prepared, in an upscale setting. If you are looking for creative modern Southern fusion, this is not your place. Service is polite without being too encroaching.Good choice for an upscale dinner in the Duke area. Bonus for me -- Duke basketball coaches and former players tend to frequent the place.

Menu Bait & SwitchThis restaurant is our 'go-to' restaurant for very special occasions -- milestone occasions like 20th Anniversary, Law School graduation, and last evening, our daughter's 30th birthday. So, imagine our surprise when we sit down at the table to find their usual stellar menu swapped out for a "Game-Day" menu. Yes, that's correct, Duke University SPORTS and their fans merit special menus so they may eat quickly & get to the game in time. Typically a quiet eating venue, the dining room was packed & noisy with these exuberant fans.Few of the dishes we'd seen on their regular menu transferred to this eat & run menu. Let's not be fooled -- their high prices remained the same, but dinner entrees were replaced with burger & sandwich options. The look of disappointment on my daughter's face was heartbreaking.See, the thing is, the restaurant gave no forewarning of this change -- neither on their website or in an email to anyone making a reservation for that night. That's just plain wrong.We'll be taking our special occasions elsewhere going forward. (Or make sure to check Duke's sporting event schedule in advance.)Note: I'm giving two stars because their dishes are delicious. Overpriced, but delicious.

Afternoon tea. Food and service were excellent. Decor was grandma. Expensive. Generous serving of finger sandwiches, scones, and mini desserts. Parking is very easy. Signage is okay, could be better.