I'm honestly surprised that Starlight Cafe still operates the way it does. The menu has been the same for years -- and not in a "classic staples" kind of way. It just feels stagnant and uninspired. Nothing new, nothing seasonal, nothing exciting. If you've been once, you've basically seen it all. The food itself was bland and boring. Dishes lacked seasoning and creativity, and nothing stood out as memorable. For the prices they charge, you expect at least some depth of flavor, but everything felt flat. Service was also slow, even though it wasn't especially busy. We waited far too long for basic things, and the staff didn't seem particularly attentive or professional. There was a noticeable lack of urgency and overall polish. Overall, it feels like a place that hasn't evolved in years -- same menu, same energy, same issues. Unfortunately, it just doesn't live up to expectations. read more

We had a superb dinner at the Starlight Cafe! Started with the carpaccio (highly recommend it) and then enjoyed the sea bass and the NY Strip. We ended our amazing dinner sharing an incredible white chocolate bread pudding. The place is kitschy & cool, taking full advantage of a busy storefront display. The service was perfect, not too invasive or pushy, just the right amount of southern hospitality and menu knowledge (we got the steak sauce on the side and the amazing dessert as suggested!). We look forward to returning. read more

My experience here was nothing short of amazing. The best fine dining in Greenville by far. An amazing soothing atmosphere with a good drink menu. I got the chicken and it was so delicious, juicy and tender the flavors just melt so perfectly together. What really set this place apart was our server Amari he was a fantastic server super nice and helpful. I will definitely be coming back! read more

Starlight Cafe - Chicken - New American Near Me - Greenville, North Carolina

TLDR: Farm to table, higher end restaurant that would be good for a date but horrible for families. I asked some locals at a *very* nearby brewery for their recommendations for dinner, and several said Starlight. They mentioned farm to table, higher end, and slightly pricey in their description. I would say that was accurate. The ambience is definitely "date night". Walking bass 3 piece jazz playing on the speakers, limited (but craft) beer offerings, and a small menu with most entrees in the upper $20 to low $40 range. Honestly, it was good food and a nice atmosphere, but felt just a tiny bit pretentious. The service was good, the flounder was delicious, and it was a nice experience. If you were looking for a nice dinner as a couple or to impress a date, I'd highly recommend Starlight. If you're on a budget or dining with children, it's definitely not your place. read more

Starlight Cafe - Flounder - New American Near Me - Greenville, North Carolina

Parking was conveniently across the street with entrance to the restaurant on the Fifth Street. We were immediately greeted and seated. The service was quick, friendly, and flawless. The menu has a variety of dishes. Everyone in our party got a different dish and each maintained their choice was the best! read more

A fine farm-to-table restaurant worthy of a 5-star rating in every way. Although it is pricey, you get commensurate quality of food, drink and service. Being aware of this I only come on special occasions, celebrating someone or something and it is always a delightful time. It has a lovely ambience, the service is attentive, efficient and very friendly, the food is very high quality and tastes very fresh. I highly recommend. read more

Great BBQ, great sides, Great tea! Perfectly Southern! Great service too! A must go to for BBQ!

Food and service were great and love the ambiance!! Great menu and wine bottle list! read more

Of course, I recommend Starlight Café in Greenville! What is not to recommend? Essentially every food item you can order is amazing, and don't even get me started on the espresso martinis... There's no other place in the world that compares to theirs. The ambience is perfect for a date night, night, out with friends, business meeting, or even family celebrations. A staple of downtown (uptown) Greenville. read more

Always a good choice when looking fur a good meal in Greenville NC. Oysters, tapas trio, shrimp and grits, or steak and frites with excellent drinks... lots of great memories and meals here. read more

Alli was our waitress and we loved her! She was so sweet and kind to us. She came and checked on us a few times and made the dining experience wonderful. read more

The food was disappointing and overpriced. The restaurant itself is nice inside. It seems to be a restaurant without a vision. Service was ok. Strange to have the waitresses wearing what they wear. I will not go back. read more

Interesting place! There's public paid parking across the street and free 2 hr parking behind the restaurant. Ordered the kumquat old fashion, mussels and the saffron ice cream. I thought everything was just ok, the old fashion tasted a little watered down and the mussels were really small. The ice creams are made in house I think but the flavor I choose was not too great. read more

See all

Great spot in Uptown Greenville! Our table was ready when we arrive. The waitstaff was friendly, knowledgeable, and speedy. Cool ambiance. Food came out in a timely manner and was very good. read more

Great wine list and service. The food is really good to pretty good. The Brussels and pork belly appetizer is a fave and their seafood is some of the best in the area. read more

Food was very good. Ambiance was really nice and relaxing. The service was ok but not great. Not real customer friendly.

The food, service,and atmosphere are all exceptional. Amari is the best server ever! The drinks are very good. Don't miss the Atlantic Beach pie. It's the perfect place before the theater. read more

The base menu at Starlight does not change too often, so when there is a special, I often order it. Tonight, an oyster stew which was just divine. We started sharing a watermelon salad-- a touch of sweet apple cider vinegarette added something delicious that I hadn't experienced with watermelon salad. Delightful. We finished our meal sharing a peach shortcake-- homemade biscuit, roasted peaches and cream. Really, a perfect meal. Great service: friendly, observant, discrete when we are immersed in conversation, prompt. Check out the cocktail menu, I think the bartenders are the best in Greenville. Live music on Thursday evenings, best time to sit at the bar. From the regular menu definitely check out the oysters raw & fried. During Autumn they'll often feature pork from their farm. My wife loves their avocado relleno. read more

I really, really wanted to love this place. I guess growing up in a family of restaurant managers I couldn't. And that's on them. PROS - Food is good. I ordered Steak Frites, which is some type of sirloin with hand cut fries. The fries were divine, the homemade steak sauce, too. With a yummy bernaise type butter. Problem was the steak itself was sinewy. They are supposed to be farm to table so I truly expected much, much better. I could have gotten a nice Grade A from Harris Teeter, and have, actually, with much more personal flavor and less saws all with the steak knife. Good doesn't cut it at a restaurant, however, especially one that touts itself as they do on freshness. The atmosphere is ok. It's very decent, actually. Nice tables, happy to see you weren't piled onto the person next to you, but I specifically asked for their Covid precautions when I made my reservation, and there was no way those tables were six feet apart. It was great to see that all wait and kitchen staff wore masks, but f they had been busier there's no way tables could have been kept socially distant. Hubs had the Catfish on vegetables, very good, but again, nothing to scream this is worth the price. CONS - Hate to move right to this, but to begin with, you're not Hooters; why are your waitresses all 20 years old in very short outfits? I'm no prude, but I truly couldn't decipher this one. Most of the clientele seemed to be late 30's to 50's, so this stumped me. If anything, it cheapens the restaurant. I don't need boobs without bras in my entree; enough said for a place that seems to want to take itself seriously. Friday night and zero specials? Huh? Not even apps. Waitstaff also stands around waaaaaaayyy too much clustered together like high schoolers. Pick up my empty plates since you have that much free time! Our table for two was not huge; let's make the most of it. I hate that I even have to say this, but my White Russian had a maraschino cherry in it. Oh, yes, it did! In a milk based drink. At least my first one did. My second one came in an entirely different glass, tasted completely different, and had coffee beans. Still not a hole in one; I didn't order a sambuca. In summation, though I could go on, this restaurant seems to try way too hard to be hip, cool, farm to table and everything else in between when it should just pick a lane. The chef also came out several times and walked through the restaurant ignoring the patrons. If we see you, you better say something dude, unless you're on the way to smoke a dube. You still should have asked if everything was ok. Because it wasn't. read more

Amazing food and ambiance at the Starlight Cafe. I was lucky enough to go for dinner while staying in the area and enjoy several items on the menu. The Raw and Fried oysters were both great and the staff was very helpful in selecting a good raw selection since we weren't familiar with the local varieties. The avocado relleno was tasty and I appreciated this on the menu since it was a bit different than the other entree options. Lastly, I can't say enough good things about the steak and frites. It was the best meal I had while visiting NC and don't hesitate to try it if you're thinking about. Can't wait to come back. Cheers! read more

We liked the general decor of this restaurant, and really liked our server, Austin (good luck on the PHD), but the food was kind of hit or miss, time out of the kitchen was slow, and nothing really grabbed you! We started with a Margarita and a Hemingway - delivery time was really slow in an almost empty restaurant, and taste of both cocktails was off, especially the Margarita, which had an underlying hint of bitterness. We split a dozen Oysters On The Half Shell - six of which were Blue Points from MA, and they were not at all fresh tasting - the other six were from MD or RI and were better, but very small. We finally received our complimentary bread 40 minutes into the visit, and I simply didn't care for it, very soggy texture. Our entrees arrived finally, nearly an hour after we sat down - Alice chose the slow cooked Brasstown Farm Beef Brisket, braised in Uptown Brewery Coffee Porter, served with cheddar polenta,and wilted local greens ($25). I picked the 12 oz NY strip with house-made steak sauce, béarnaise compound butter, and Belgian frites ($28). The Brisket was excellent with great flavor, and falling apart tender. The polenta was ok only, but the wilted greens were exceptional. The steak was decent, cooked to the proper temperature, but more than a bit on the chewy side - I really prefer a different cut of meat for this dish, a rib eye or shell. The frites had a nice flavor but lacked the required crispness. We ended the meal with a Southern Sundae (Coca-Cola ice cream, banana, whipped cream, salted peanuts) for $6. This sounded better than it tasted, and was a bit awkward to eat as served. At the end of the meal, we were not really impressed. While our waiter was excellent, the kitchen had a bad cases of the slows, and other than the brisket and wilted greens, the meal was very ordinary for these prices. The 3 stars is probably a bit of a stretch, but 2 seems punitive - either way, don't see a return visit. read more

See all

Visited the Greenville area during some rest time in between disaster relief work in another city. We were a big group and this cafe did a great job of accommodating us. Eclectic menu for sure. A relief worker/teammate from Hawai'i was surprised to find loco moco on the menu which is beef over rice, an egg on top with gravy over it. Other teammates opted for chicken and waffles as well as huevos rancheros. For beverages many of us either had water or sweet tea. There are two pescatarians on our team including including myself. They were able to accommodate us by using vegetable oil and not pork fat for the shrimp and grits. Overall, our team was satisfied with our lunch. The wait stuff did a fantastic job and were dressed in Halloween costumes. Great ambiance and there is cute decor in the top of the back side of the restaurant of what looked like Jim Henson puppets. I did not take pics this time as I was just taking in my first time experience visiting North Carolina and resting in between serving on a disaster relief team. read more

Literally one of the best meals I've had ever of homemade pasta and the freshest vegetables, snow peas, squash, broccoli rabe, onions. The staff was incredibly nice and the atmosphere was perfect. Quiet and spacious. The bartender made me a delicious fruity drink. I can't wait to go back again. read more

Starlight Cafe - New American Near Me - Greenville, North Carolina

See all

First time at Starlight during lunch. I wonder if it was a sous chef taking over. Our dishes were accompanied by pom frit or Belgium fries. They were a little burned and soggy. They were also served with ketchup. We had to ask for mayo. Come on now- it's Belgium frite! I got the fried green tomato sandwich, which was quite lackluster. The Caribbean squash soup was quite tasty but found it interesting that the waitress didn't know what the ingredients were before ordering it. The salad was spicy and probably the best dish. Service was spotty. Our water glasses went dry, on the person who ordered ice tea was refilled. I like Starlight, but maybe only for dinner... read more

Had a great date night. Service was excellent. We split a bottle of excellent Pinot Grigio. The tapas trio was good and the half dozen oysters on the half shell were perfect. I enjoyed the soft shell crab special for dinner and my girlfriend enjoyed the steak frites. The soft shell crab special was one of the best soft shell crab dishes I ever had. Also enjoyed the Tangerine Old Fashion cocktail special for dessert and it was exquisite. Thank you for a memorable night in Uptown Greenville, NC. read more

Fantastic service from Alex on a busy parents weekend. Timing was impeccable. Great knowledge of the menu. Food was superb. Vegetarian Mac and Cheese was a highlight read more

We were seated promptly. ECU was playing a night game so we had the place to ourselves. Our waitress was professional, friendly and helpful. There were 4 of us and we had fried oysters and Oysters Rockefeller and split salads. The food was excellent. Nice ambiance. We have been here several times before while visiting Greenville and we will be back. read more

Absolutely disappointed in the quality of their dishes and services. My fiance and I are huge supporters with eating local especially when it's a farm to table concept. We ordered the house burger,NC flounder, 2 specialty drinks and 4 beers= delayed service and poor execution of their production. The burger it was over cooked and bland pattie, however the waitress was understanding and apologetic. Not her fault... The NC flounder was bland and flimsy. Lacked texture and seasoning. The quality did not justified the price. Dixie Queen is 3 X better and much more affordable. So shame on me for ordering this dish. Last but not least, our guest! Her salad was an embarrassment. She thought that they accidentally brought out a side salad instead of a dinner salad. We were politely corrected that it was a dinner portion. The salad was sad and wilted, but she loved the salad dressing. We couldn't stop feeling bad for the salad and her...it became the running joke of the night, that was until they wanted to charge $2 a piece for cutting a sheet cake for 20+ people. Again, we understand the challenges of the restaurant business, but this place was chosen for a celebration. Rather than attempting to charge $40-50 for cutting a cake, your ROI would have been further improved by someone coming over and congratulating the engaged couple or thanking us for all coming in. We both understand the restaurant business can be challenging at times due to unpredictable challenges. However, when the patrons food are not properly executed and there is a delay in process, something should be done. Maybe sending a manager or someone to update us on the current event, instead we saw the "chef" at least a couple times walking out back for a break. On a positive note, the foccica bread and roasted garlic oil dip was delicious. We could have just eaten that and been very satisfied. The vibe and ambience was dark, odd and unwelcoming. Not what I had expected due to the name of the restaurant and concept... So good luck to those who decide to eat with faith here and willing to pay for poorly excuted food like we did. read more

We've been coming to Starlight 3-5 times a year for the last three years, and sadly have to say this place has really gone downhill. Their menu hasn't changed, though the prices have gone up and the portions have shrunk. The service is spotty. They used to have new items on an amazing dessert menu. Sadly, that appears to no longer be an offering. We went for date night last Saturday, ordered a dozen oysters, shrimp and grits, and a burger. The food was not worth the $85 bill. read more

The waiter was a start and finish to a great evening he was the best. He knew the menu in and out and was able to explain everything as this was our first time here. We started with the cheese plate and he was able to lead us to two amazing cheeses to try. Then our entrees were amazing and so were all the drinks we tried. We didn't have any room for dessert. I don't have any complaints as he made the night and the food came out in a timely matter and the flavors were great. read more

See all

Medium sized new American restaurant. Had dinner after a football game, making a reservation on the way out of the stadium for a table in a 1/2 hour. Seated immediately in a cute window 2-top with a reserved sign was on the table. Very quick. Amazing seasonal menu. This is the last week for an avocado relleno, filled with shrimp and scallops. Yum!!!!! Also had their shrimp and grits, which other Yelpers loved. Very good and best presentation I have seen for that dish. Friendly and prompt service. We finished and were out the door in 45 minutes on a Saturday night. Well deserved 5 stars for innovative meals. read more

Starlight Cafe - New American Near Me - Greenville, North Carolina

See all

This place is both great for lunch during the week and a Friday night date night. The food is excellent with a well stocked bar and you really can't choose wrong when you look at the menu. If you haven't been this is a place you must try! read more

First time visitor and the service and food were EXCELLENT!!! Raw oysters from Harkers Island, Lamb Meatballs, Morrocan Salad, Bucatini Carbonara, Clam Chowder, Shrimp & Grits were the dishes served to my families table. Our server, Nina, the chef, Toby and the owner Susan made the experience even better! We shall be back! Oh, Strawberry Shortcake and Atlantic Beach Pie sealed the deal! read more

I've been there several times, often for a special occasion and am always impressed with their food, service and atmosphere. It is a local gem! read more

I sat at the bar the first time visiting Starlight, just for drinks. I'm sensitive to the taste of alcohol and usually like sweeter cocktails, but when I asked if they could make me a sweet drink, the bartender said, "We don't make sweet drinks." Uhm, okay. So I just ordered water and left when my partner finished his drink. The second time we went was better. It was for a special occasion with family, but the price to portion ratio has discouraged me from wanting to return to Starlight. The service was also really slow and we didn't get our food until half an hour later. On the plus side, our waitress was really nice and enthusiastically affirmed all of our drink and food choices. read more

We have been coming to Starlight since they were a few blocks down on 5th street. This restaurant is the best and most consistent in Greenville. My wife and I shared the red Chile oysters that were the best oysters we have ever had! She had the seared scallops with a carrot purée and I had the Salmon cakes with pickled cucumber which were amazing. The bread pudding with banana foster sauce was the best bread pudding ever. Blackbeard Roasters cappuccino was made by Kelly, our excellent waitress, who happened to attend the Elementary School I taught at and now attends ECU. This restaurant favors quality over quantity. If you are looking for a gourmet dinner, I would suggest Starlight Cafe. read more

I have been coming to Starlight the last 7 years that I lived in Greenville. The NY strip is the best steak in Greenville, hands down. The menu is small, but everything is really good. The atmosphere and food make this a great place for a nicer meal in Greenville. read more

Always a favorite. Had the Avocado Rilleno and it was delicious, as was the Atlantic Beach Pie.

The food and service are always excellent. This is one of my favorite restaurants. It is very noisy though and different to have a conversation with others at the table. read more

Fine dining at its best. The bartenders are absolutely amazing! What a cool drink selection. When I have guests in town this is my go to restaurant. read more