Unreal experience. Old school diner serving up too notch eats. You cannot miss the mac, wow truly stellar. I get what the fuss is about. Our waitress was outstanding and we started with a seared avocado and salad both great. My wife had the chicken which she loved and I loved the steak. Unique cocktails too and the apple cobbler with peanut butter ice cream can’t be forgotten. Well worth the carbs!

Nice selection of regional foods! Very nice wait staff, who were very willing to help with my food selection. Counter space was a little tight… the only suggestion is to increase the single wine serving size!

My colleagues were in Raleigh North Carolina for business. We made reservations at Poole for 7 people, showed up and were told they couldn’t accommodate us do to being overbooked. Two days later, we made reservations again. Was told we were all set, until we showed up in person. Again, we were denied service and told that our reservations were only for 2 people. The “manager” was dismissive, saying she didn’t have time for “this.” It was quite clear, with no seated people of color, that Black and Brown people are not welcome at Pooles Diner. Which is fine!

Delicious! Excellent service. Bright aesthetic, tasty meal and great cocktails. The eggplant parmigiana wasn’t too heavy. Focaccia pillowy soft.

The good:
The service was great (except for being mildly slow int he beginning). Our waitress was patient and helpful in explaining the dishes.

The mac and cheese was above average (not the best I've ever had.) but had a nice crust and a nice unique flavor.

The baguette had an amazing crust to it and was cooked to just the right level.

The onion and gruyere tart was an interesting dish. Wasnt amazing but wasn't bad.

One of the deserts we had was strawberry hand pies with lemon ice cream. The crust was light and fluffy with a tasty strawberry filling. The lemon ice cream was also really nice and I'm not usually a fan of lemon flavored things.

The cons:
The entrees were Bad. We got The beef shank which came out pretty dry and flavorless though the onions on top were tasty. We also got the cider pork cheeks on a bed of peas. The pork cheeks were cooked to a good level of tenderness but were pretty utterly devoid of flavor as well and the peas were super bland as well. At $30-40 a pop this should not be your experience.

One of the deserts we had was the a chocolate hazelnut pudding type of dish with soft creme on top and it was just truly awful. The whole dish was bitter and earthy. Truly disappointing.

We won't be back and I think there are many better places to spend your money in the Raleigh area.