The Laughing Owl

My family and I had dinner here and were very disappointed. We were a party of seven adults and one toddler. The ambiance is nice but that’s about it. The menu is too diverse and large (generally a bad sign), they did not have lobster for the surf and turf, and it took 10 minutes just to get waters and teas to our table. The beers we ordered too even longer (about 15 minutes). Our waitress was apologetic about the beers, citing that she herself was not old enough to pour beers and therefore had to wait on the bartender to pour them (understandable excuse but unprofessional to tell us so). I should also mention that the place was relatively empty, and this was 3 days before Christmas. The bartender wasn’t especially busy, so I never came to understand why the beers (and subsequent beer refills) took so long. Our waitress was nice but she was clearly not well-​trained. Overall the service quality seemed like the place was packed, when really it was rather empty. And the food was really like over-​priced takeout. Most people in our party got some type of stir-​fry dish, and they were all swimming in a generic soy brown sauce. Most of us didn’t finish our meals or take them home because the food was so unappetizing. The draft beer selection was decent for a town like Goldsboro, so you might have a better time just having a beer at the bar. I think this place as a lot of potential, but the staff should be better-​trained and more professional, and the food quality should be much better for the price. This place reminds me of somewhere you might see on Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmare show.

We really enjoyed our meal. The crab ragoon was delicious and we had honey chicken and lemon chicken, they were really good. The prices were reasonable. The waitress was nice and accommodating.

One of the better places in the Goldsboro area to eat with a great mix of food. Food has always been consistently good. I love the Spicy lemon chicken and the salt and pepper chicken as well! I highly recommend if you are looking for a nice comfortable atmosphere and great food.

Service was a bit wonky here. We came in for lunch and had to beg to have our order taken. Not great. The food was very good though and I would go back for that reason. Big tall waiter did not seem organized in the least. Needs some training somewhere.

My mom and I ate here for our shared birthday. We both loved, loved what we ordered — Pad Thai, chicken curry, and the lotus fried rice. Ricky, our server, was amazing! The restaurant is clean, the atmosphere is pleasing, the staff is nice, and the menu includes so many wonderful options — Asian, burgers, pizza, sandwiches, salads, soups, etc. This is going to be my go-​to restaurant when I’m in Goldsboro!

This place was awesome, from the moment you walk in the service is fabulous, the décor so eclectic and classy, I loved the diversity of the menus and everything we ordered was amazing… Especially that burger!!! Anytime I’m back in town this will be my spot!!! Kudos!!!

This place was outstanding. Phenomenal food, service, and atmosphere. Can’t believe it wasn’t packed. This is hands down the best meal I’ve had in Goldsboro … Ever!

The food here is average to slightly above average (which is good for Goldsboro). Service has always been slow (and I mean really slow) which I’ve expected since the second time I came, so it’s not that much of a problem unless you’re in a hurry. However, today I experienced an absurdly rude woman, who may be the manager, a middle aged Asian woman. She was openly rude, unwilling to wait on the table, and easily angered by salad dressing. I won’t be going there again. I’m not actually sure who our waiter was, the girl who normally refills drinks took our order but only because I asked if we could order since it had been 10 minutes and no one had told us they were our waiter, there was a man who didn’t speak English who brought out some of the food, and then the impolite woman.
Now for the play by play if it so interests you. When the woman brought the straws I had asked for again after another young girl forgot she said ‘we’re just waiting on the burger’ (food is nearly ready because it took so long to find someone else to ask for straws again). When I ordered from the young girl I had asked the food be brought out whenever it’s ready even if it’s not all together because I was starving. I reiterated this to the older woman when she mentioned the burger, annoying her, to which she replied ‘well she didn’t tell me that… etc’ in a tone trying to invoke something in the vein of ‘that isn’t my job… I don’t care… why are you telling me off? (which I wasn’t trying to do)’ and I just said ‘ok well that’s why I said it again in case you didn’t know.’ Well, all the food came out at the same time: my seared tuna appetizer, my house salad with just lettuce (nothing cooked on it), and my mother’s burger. Next came an issue with salad dressing. Salad dressing. I asked for more bc the amount I was given on the side wasn’t going to be enough for me and a young man brought it out by which time I had tried the dressing and preferred balsamic vinegar so when he brought the extra I asked if I could just have plain balsamic vinegar instead and he didn’t speak English so he went to get the woman and I asked for the balsamic vinegar again and she goes ‘so you don’t want this’ pointing to the extra dressing and I say I’d prefer the balsamic and she goes ‘well I don’t know if we have any because it’s all used for the balsamic dressing. (Pointing to the extra dressing again) So I can take this away?’ and I was just dumbstruck. I felt attacked for asking about something that I didn’t think would be that difficult to get. My thought process: I mean I want the balsamic if you have it, but if you don’t then I guess this will do, but why are you so intent on taking it away without knowing if you have what I’m asking for? And why does your tone tell me that you want to get into an argument? So I say I want the balsamic if she has it so she takes the extra dressing away and brings back a minuscule amount of balsamic vinegar (imagine a small amount of soy you’d pour to eat a cucumber roll). My thought this time: if I had asked for extra of the first dressing bc it wasn’t enough, then wouldn’t I logically need the same amount I would have used of the other, ie 2 normal sized amounts in the mini dressing cups? I was just fed up at this point and asked for the check without eating the salad.
Now I was hangry (hungry angry) when I arrived bc I was starving. But I didn’t go in trying to start something with her, I just wanted food. I wrote other things about slow service and people forgetting things just for more info on the restaurant, those aren’t things that bother me. And as you can probably tell I like things a certain way. So when I’m paying for the food and service, and when I’m not asking for anything extravagant or difficult, nor am I being rude I expect to be treated with respect and be served something that I can enjoy. Even my mom, who’s non confrontational and likes to see the best in people said that woman definitely ‘had a chip on her shoulder.’ So there’s my saga. Eat here if you don’t mind the chance that you may have to deal with this woman and if you do run into her I suggest not asking about dressing…

Came here with my family, we showed up early (4:30pm) so there was no wait, service was great and the food was delicious. We will be back!

Delicious dinners of orange peel chicken & orange sesame beef. Service was great and the iced tea was tasty. The restaurant is very clean and the temperature of the food is perfect.

As a native Goldsborian, I am very happy this place is around. My siblings and me came into town to celebrate my mom’s birthday. We were really at a loss as to where to eat in town. A friend of ours mentioned the Laughing Owl so we decided to try it out.
We had a very picky group with lots of modifications and requests. Our waittress Sharon was super patient and happy to work with us. She also got everything right and everyone loved their food. I consider this a small miracle and would definitely recommend this place.

First time here. I thought the food and service were great. I had the burger (awesome). My friend had the soft shelled crab, she enjoyed it as well.

I ate here tonight and I was absolutely disappointed. After sitting down I immediately became confused if it was a bar or a restaurant. Soon I learned it was a bar trying to be a restaurant. The appetizer we ordered was was not fresh and even my entrée tasted like it came straight from a freezer bag. I didn’t understand the menu at all, there was no clear focus on what kind of restaurant I was eating at. Our bill was over $ 70 and I left completely dissatisfied. If I could, I would give this place negative stars.

Love this place. Keep up the good work… Gboro needs you. What we don’t need is another Texas steakhouse… More local joints downtown!
Great food, atmosphere, service.
EDIT: after man more times going, the service is going downhill, quickly. Pick it up guys!!! You’re gonna lose out otherwise.

Cool atmosphere and pretty decent food. But it is too expensive for for the quality and quantity! Still an overall good place, 2.5 out of 5.

Great food. Outstanding atmosphere. Took a while to get food but I wasn’t bothered by the wait.

Excellent food, great service. Very nice employees

Place is crap. No tofu that day and service was terrible.

The place looks fantastic inside, menu has great options and most of the food is great… BUT, service was awful, to the point that I just don’t even want to come back.
If you have a complaint about your food, well good luck… get ready to butt heads with the owner that will defend whatever crap is in front of you, even if it is literally crap.
It is obvious there are some leadership and management problems. Our waiter changed halfway through our meal, so we didn’t know who we were leaving a tip for. Good thing my husband took care of it.

In summary: food-​fair, service-​poor; atmosphere-​fair. I heard great things about the laughing owl, but I honestly wasn’t impressed. The ahi tuna appetizer wasn’t fresh and it was paired with an overly wasabi dip. The fish and chips were so-​so and no tartar sauce was served with it. How can you serve fish and chips with no tartar sauce? The burger was okay, but the service was horrible! Our food took forever and it was easier to get an audience wIth the pope than a beer. Granted, this is new place and they might have some kinks to work out, but if they want to survive in this town the Laughing Owl needs a lot of work.