Back to Tuscaloosa
Forte' - Steakhouse in Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Forte'

3.1 (58 reviews)

2321 6th St, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401

Restaurant

About Forte' - steak house in Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Customer Review Summary

Forte' has received mixed reviews from diners. Many guests reported long wait times for both drinks and food, with some stating they waited over an hour and left hungry. Service has been described as inconsistent and sometimes terrible, with instances of diners having to retrieve their own drinks. On the food front, experiences varied widely; some dishes, like the meatballs and focaccia, were noted as stale or tasteless, while others praised specific items like the grouper and soufflé. Positive reviews highlighted a friendly and cozy atmosphere, attentive staff, and some enjoyable menu items, indicating the potential for a pleasant dining experience. However, several patrons expressed disappointment with the overall quality and preparation of their meals, leading to a general sentiment of unease about returning. Overall, Forte' appears to be struggling with service and food consistency, but there are glimpses of excellence noted by some diners.

Key Features

From the business

  • Identifies as women-owned

Service options

  • Outdoor seating
  • Takeout
  • Dine-in

Highlights

  • Great beer selection
  • Great cocktails
  • Great coffee
  • Great dessert
  • Great wine list
  • Live music
  • Sports

Popular for

  • Dinner
  • Solo dining

Accessibility

  • Wheelchair accessible entrance
  • Wheelchair accessible parking lot
  • Wheelchair accessible restroom
  • Wheelchair accessible seating

Offerings

  • Alcohol
  • Beer
  • Cocktails
  • Coffee
  • Comfort food
  • Hard liquor
  • Organic dishes
  • Private dining room
  • Vegan options
  • Vegetarian options
  • Wine

Dining options

  • Breakfast
  • Brunch
  • Dinner
  • Counter service
  • Dessert
  • Seating

Amenities

  • Bar onsite
  • Restroom
  • Wi-Fi

Atmosphere

  • Cozy
  • Romantic
  • Trendy

Crowd

  • Family-friendly
  • Groups
  • LGBTQ+ friendly
  • Tourists
  • Transgender safespace

Planning

  • Dinner reservations recommended
  • Accepts reservations

Payments

  • Credit cards
  • Debit cards

Children

  • Good for kids
  • Has changing table(s)

Parking

  • Valet parking

Customer Reviews

Rating Distribution

3.1 out of 5
5
24
4
3
3
5
2
5
1
21
Based on 58 reviews

Linda R

4 months ago

The restaurant was nice and cute but we couldn’t hear our conversations over the loud band and we sat right in front of the patio door which was freezing every time someone would open and close the door. Our drinks took 30 min to get and our food took over an hour to get. The steak frites was chared and black and some of the pasta dishes were over cooked. I don’t know if I would go again and I saw the reviews were low so I should have known what to expect:(

Joshua Kesling

4 months ago

This is just not a good restaurant. Our service was terrible and the one dish that made it out to our table wasn't edible. We left our table to get our own drinks at the bar twice. Horrible. Spend your night waiting in line at Chuck's and know it's time well-spent. We stayed here over 1 and a half hours and left starving.

William

My girlfriend and I went to Forte for our anniversary and was expecting to have a great time. They started with complimentary champagne which was very sweet of them. After that nothing was good. We got the meatballs and focaccia along with the arancini to start, the bread was stale and the meatballs had no taste. The arancini was fine. My girlfriend got a cocktail that came out wrong. She also ordered the salmon which came out raw and when we asked if they could cook it more they said sure and when it came back out the manager said they were sorry and completely redid it… but her knife cut was still in the salmon so how could it have been a completely new dish? I ordered the bolognese which had ragu but there idea of ragu is chunks of meatballs and not braised beef. We left upset and will never go back. For $200 you would expect one dish to be good.

Julie-Ann Burch

It is the best meal I have had in a very long time. I made reservations, and sat by myself at the chef’s counter. I had a great server, and she was very attentive. My only recommendation for improvement is having more staff or further limiting the reservation list. BEAUTIFUL, friendly environment, and FABULOUS food!

Nick

It seems that Forte has gotten some bad reviews these past months. My wife and I went to celebrate a very special occasion anyways to see what had changed. I reserved online and the staff (Caleb) messaged me to make sure everything was set up and even offered us a nice table because they weren’t busy that evening. I asked if they would set out a bottle of champagne for us cold on the table when we arrived and they were more than happy to do so. Really nice servers and staff, everyone at least seems to enjoy working there which is a sign of a nice restaurant. Food: Really nice. I had tried this place when it was a French menu, but I think Italian suits this place well too. The food was well thought out and delicious. The Grouper was a delicious dish I really loved it. Everything was super nice and delicious. The house made foccacia was really nice. Drinks were really reasonably priced for being a bit more of an upscale place. Atmosphere: It’s cozy and the lights are a little low. It’s nice and if you want an intimate date night I highly recommend. I think it seems maybe we missed the rough patch that Forte supposedly had because last time we had it years ago it was fantastic and just yesterday it was fantastic too. Highly recommend for the price.

2put it bluntly

1 year ago

Decided to try something different. Tried the onion soup and some fries for appetizers. The entree was the duck and the lobster tail over rice. The duck was just ok and the potato cake was pretty much the same. The lobster was cooked just right but the bed of rice it was on was very undercooked. Top that with 2 adult drinks and a slice of cheese cake. I was out of about $160 gave the waiter $40 and we left and went to directly to Wendy's

Yi Ting Chua

1 year ago

I have been to the restaurant on multiple occasions. The experience has always been positive. I was very much blown away by the octopus. The chef cooked the octopus to perfection and reminded me of dishes I have had while living abroad. The dessert menu is also to die for. The souffle was amazingly rich and tasty! I highly recommend this restaurant to everyone who wants a taste of being in Europe (without having to fly there).

Wendy Lancaster

Will never be back. Chef was eating off of every plate sat on counter to come to tables. Waited and was walked past numerous times when we had reservations. No one spoke. 30 mins waiting once at table. Waitress recommended a wine and then tried to give us what we didn't want. Horrible experience all around. Food is very salty....very salty. Broccoli not even cooked.

Location

Contact Information

Hours of Operation

Friday 3–10 PM
Monday 3–8 PM
Saturday 3–10 PM
Sunday 3–8 PM
Thursday 3–10 PM
Tuesday 3–8 PM
Wednesday 3–10 PM

Price Range

$50–100