Cafe Rule & Wine Bar
Fresh, sensational flavors and exquisite wine pairings are yours to enjoy as your palette is spoiled by our culinary team. There is simply no comparison to the array of dishes, the extensive wine selection or the fabulous ambiance that Cafe Rule invites you to savor. We offer a variety of private dining options for parties, business meetings and special events (up to 35), as well as an inviting outdoor patio with fountains, sculptures, and beautifully manicured gardens.
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Popular dishes
Waffle
6 reviews
Broccoli
Fried or steamed add cashew aioli: $2
3 reviews
Sautéed Salmon
Goat cheese polenta, 12-hour tomatoes, asparagus, horseradish cream
5 reviews
Super food and service
My husband and I sat outside on a beautiful evening. Food and service was great!
Food was great. Server was very personable, but service was slow.
Daniel is an absolutely fantastic server. The food is fine, nothing to rave about, and the menu hasn’t changed in a long time. Would love to see nightly specials for some variety. It’s nice to have a place in Hickory that has decent cocktails and glasses of wine for $10.
As always, a great place for great food! One of our favoirites in Hickory!
Great atmosphere. Good food. A little pricey, but it was for moms 70th birthday. A little disappointed that they didn’t do anything for her. They knew all about it being her birthday too.
We had the Calamari, it was fabulous! We also enjoyed the chicken and fish tacos. Our friends had the pizza and a salad. Everything was excellent!! Our waiter was fantastic!
The best ice cream!!
My husband and I just had a wonderful date night at Cafe Rule. The cocktails were delicious as was all of the food (try the popcorn ice cream, it is strange and scrumptious). Fantastic experience from start to finish. Our waitress, Ashlee, was also extremely kind and attentive.
It was nice.
I was very disappointed with the quality of the food as well as the serving size. We ordered the salmon dinner, chicken tacos and the burger. When they brought the burger out I was shocked at the size of the burger, actually embarrassed as we took a friend there for dinner. The chicken tacos lacked any flavor and the salmon was so overcooked it was almost inedible, I won't be going back to this restaurant again
We are 3 for 3 for having a fabulous meal at this fine restaurant. Everything is delicious and the drinks are as well made as the fine food.
Marvelous service! Tyler was exceptional!
Incredible food and service, new favorite place in Hickory! Fired bacon and grit fritters are amazing!
Love Cafe Rule . The food and the atmosphere are great.
We just moved here & recently tried Sunday Brunch with our daughter visiting from S CA. Food was great, but quite rich. We also shared a couple of glasses of Prosecco & a Spicy Bloody Mary, both very tasty. After that visit my daughter & I stopped by for Appy Hour a few days later and munched on 1/2 priced Flat Bread Pizza's (reg. & GF crusts) plus a shared piece of Pecan Pie Cheesecake. Wow, that was delicious & amazingly not too sweet. I'm not a sweet lover & I'd order this again. In fact, I'd order a whole pie as a gift. That good! We'll be back. Btw, both servers were very attentive & really knew their food & drinks menu's.
Gluten Free crust of pizza was soggy in middle.
Wedge salad was tiny for $11...iceburg lettuce isn't expensive...This serving was maybe 2" at the widest part.
Our server, Jessica, made up for the shortcomings of this meal.
They advertise as a wine bar. But, there beer list is longer than their wine list - not very good.
Enjoyed the food and service.
So glad we ventured out of “hotel row” and followed reviews to Cafe Rule. Inventive cocktails and a pretty good wine list, even better by the bottle. The wasabi cream deviled eggs were outstanding (just the right amount of heat) and the Parma ham and fig jam pizza was amazing. Switching to the cauliflower crust to accommodate my gluten free wife didn’t downgrade the pizza at all. Perfectly sized wedge salad with just the right amount of blue cheese.
Urban chic restaurant with eclectic menu. We were celebrating my husband’s birthday. He can’t stop raving about the food. Chicken and waffles was a delicious dish with the sweet potato “cream” and chipotle maple syrup. Pork chop with roasted brussels and sweet potatoes, and baked apples was a hearty dish, both savory and sweet. For dessert we had the pecan pie cheesecake with creme anglaise. It was spectacular! Great service and ambiance. Will definitely go back when in Hickory!
Delicious as always. Very accommodating and friendly staff. Lovely date night.
It took 1 hr and 20 mins for food to arrive.
As usual, everything was fantastic except for the Whiskey Sours! Too SOUR as usual!!
Everything our party ordered was well imagined, perfectly prepared and well presented. Service was attentive and ambience (outside patio) was lovely. Very pleased with the experience!
Always a fantastic experience!
Took my son with me to celebrate my birthday. Food was fabulous. Daniel was the BEST!
Food was good, although a little pricey. Our waiter, Tyler, was excellent.
We used to go to cafe rule a lot and had not been there in a while do to the pandemic. We decided to give them a try. The bar staff were yelling back and fourth like we were in a honky tonk. We were shocked at the food. My husband ordered steak and didn’t even finish it due to it being burnt and he ordered it medium. My salmon was awful and I was sick Sunday. Our plates still had lots of food and she didn’t even bother to ask why. Doubt we will be back or recommend
Outstanding Food and Service. We have visited many times and also enjoy
I am convinced there is nothing bad on their menu. Really love the Broccoli Baffle and Popcorn Ice Cream! Will definitely return!
It was great! My wife of 32 years and I love coming here when we can to enjoy a great “DATE NIGHT” out
Ricky out did himself the food was awesome as was the overall experience
Menu items and what actually came out were mot the same.
The display and presentation lacked from what I have grown accustomed to for their items,
We're new to Hickory and have been trying to get to all of the "popular" eateries in town. As of this past weekend, Cafe Rule stands heads above the rest. Fantastic meal, great service and very nice vibe. Excellent cocktails...and best burger in town! (sorry Hickory Station, you've now dropped to number 2)
Great food, great service, fair price. That says it all. We are regulars there and love the atmosphere. Highly recommend .
Everything is always excellent! Pleased with the service and brunch was the best!
Great as always
Always great food and service. We will be back soon!
Great for meeting friends during this difficult time and the food is always amazing.
We had an amazing experience at cafe rule! Dinner was delicious, service was amazing , and the atmosphere was perfect for a night out. We will definitely be returning for another round!
FAQs
Cafe Rule & Wine Bar offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (828) 324-2005.
Cafe Rule & Wine Bar is rated 4.7 stars by 1071 OpenTable diners.
Cafe Rule & Wine Bar does offer gift cards which you can purchase here https://onelink.quickgifts.com/merchant/cafe-rule-and-wine-bar-hickory/.
Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable. Due to local restrictions, this restaurant may not be accepting reservations at the moment.