WP Kitchen + Bar

Located at 607 Green Valley Road at the Friendly Center in Greensboro, WP Kitchen + Bar specializes in upscale pizzas, pastas, and cocktails. There is a full bar, and patio seating is available.

I gave this establishment a try a few years ago when it was Wolfgang Puck Pizza Bar and walked away unimpressed. In the hopes that more had changed here than just the name, I decided to give WP another chance. For the most part, I’m glad that I did so.

As with before, this restaurant makes the most of its somewhat limited space. Low lighting and classy wall art make for an inviting atmosphere, and there is more seating than one might think. The acoustics are such that it can get a bit loud in here at capacity but not uncomfortably so.

Excluding specials, WP’s menu leans toward the traditional, combining familiar Italian fare with Southern staples. Spaghetti with marinara, pizza margherita, and shrimp and grits are among the classics represented here. While there is nothing wrong with keeping things simple per say, the specials, thankfully, seemed to offer a bit more variety (such as a stuffed trout or the previous concept’s duck sausage pizza). My wife and I tried a mix of old and new, opting for an app on special (toasted feta with speck and fruit compote), a pepperoni pizza, and an orecchiette dish.

All of our dishes were executed fairly well and provided good depth-of-flavor. Toasted feta is no warmed brie, but it’s quite enjoyable in its own right, and the accompanying prosciutto (salty) and berry compote (sweet) balanced each other nicely. The small ear-shaped pasta came with broccolini and tomato for a burst of freshness, and the savory, brothy sauce was the perfect accompaniment. WP sourced the pepperoni for its pizza from Giacomo’s, which went a long way toward elevating such a simple dish. The sausage (standard in the pasta, an add-on for the pizza) was full of fennel flavor.

Though the food did not disappoint this time around, pricing and portion size remain points of contention. Our app ran north of $10, the pasta was $15, and the personal-sized pepperoni pizza was $13 before any add-ons. While WP does use quality ingredients, this price point is unfortunately coupled with small portions, rendering it a poor value.

To the establishment’s credit, service was on-point. Our server was knowledgeable and attentive, and the kitchen had certainly picked up its pace since my last visit. Even still, one should count on a leisurely meal here, especially if dining during peak hours.

All told, WP Kitchen + Bar does a number of things well, but it doesn’t do anything well enough to avoid seeming overpriced.

7.75/10