BAR BISTRO

✨ If I could give this place 10 stars, I absolutely would! The food was phenomenal every bite was full of flavor and made with such care. To top it off, we had the pleasure of meeting the owner, who was incredibly friendly, welcoming, and passionate about what they do. It’s rare to find a place where the service, food, and atmosphere all align so perfectly. I’ll be recommending this gem to everyone I know and then some! Can’t wait to come back. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Food I would give 7/10. The apps we had were pretty solid (order the brie!!!) but the paella was somewhat lacking in flavor. Cocktails were pretty good (what you’d expect) but the service was pretty slow and the place was not very crowded. The food came out quickly and the person who took care of us was very friendly. Maybe would have ordered more if the service was faster.

I really wanna give this place 5 stars. The food was great, the atmosphere was great, and the servers were very nice. However it seems due to staffing issues the servers were very busy and making minor mistakes. It is at no fault of their own. They were all working very hard and running around the restaurant the entire time. I ordered the ribeye and it was a great portion/ cooked perfectly to medium rare.

The atmosphere was comfortable and medium casual. Their menu was well put together and versatile, all good choices! I got the Mac n cheese topped with steak tips, it was well presented and rich. My friend got a salad, and found it fresh and well portioned. I recommend the fried Brie, the dish was delicious!

I echo other reviewers - if I could give this place 10 stars, I would. Incredible wagyu burger and sweet potato fries (ordered mine with bacon and avocado), and the Alpine Meadows spirit-free beverage was the best mocktail I’ve ever had. Our group ordered a piece of the carrot cake and someone said “this is the best carrot cake I’ve ever had.” So, go here, you’ll leave with a happy stomach.

Had a great experience! Eric, the owner is amazing; he made us feel very welcome and accommodated. The food was well presented and delicious 😋 Can’t wait for our next visit!

What a perfect gem of a restaurant! We were looking for somewhere to celebrate my birthday ( on a Monday night ) and most decent restaurants are closed. Found this by chance and were thrilled by the experience from start to finish! Our server Jacob was the BEST! Food was outstanding and the wine and crafted cocktail menus extensive! My only complaint is that we were so full , we didn’t have room for dessert. We will definitely dine there again! We had the roasted brussel sprouts, wedge salad and ribeye steak and the steak and Gorgonzola fettuccine. We took to go containers and have dinner for tonight!

My first visit here, recommended by a friend and I was thoroughly impressed. The service was efficient and courteous, we sat at the bar and even though they were short staffed with only 1 bartender she was very efficient, making drink after drink and kept up very well. The food is fantastic, I had meatballs and marinara and I was expecting decent quality but they are equal with the best I've ever had. And I noticed that the manager, was training a couple of new staff and he was very supportive, you just don't see that as often as it should be. And the place was very comfortable and well designed, and it was full but not as loud as many places like that, it was just a great experience.

Don't let the location fool you. This is some of the best food around. The menu is refreshing with the creative spins on traditional foods. We have not been disappointed with a single thing we have tried. This is not a place if you want a quick meal because quality takes time. Highly recommend for a date night if you want to make an impression. They will wonder why you are taking them there until the first bite. Little pricey but worth every dollar.

Bar Bistro is a decent spot for upscale comfort food in a bizarre industrial area of Tacoma called "Midland". The staff are consistently pleasant and professional. The drinks are very small and overpriced, however the food is fairly good. (2) complaints and then some praise. My wife ordered the charred romaine salad and although very good, it was severely underdressed. I ordered the wild boar ragu and was extremely disappointed in the sauce. The flavor was decent but it was just stewed tomatoes with pasta, instead of a hearty tomato sauce that I had expected. The boar was fairly absent in the dish, but to be fair, I should have asked about the sauce as I loathe tomatoes in whole form. Positives, the drinks could be a bit more generous, however they are crafted with skill and attention to detail. The elk sliders with pimento and lingonberry are really tasty. The French fries with the parmesan and garlic dipping sauce are otherworldly. The other strange thing was that at the end of our dinner; which was to visit our daughter who we do not see often, was that suddenly the staff rushed us out of the restaurant! The behavior was bizarre, the staff serving us proceeded to bring us our check while we were still eating! She stood there until we gave her our credit cards and then processed our payment. She continued to stand there and uncomfortably tried to engage in small talk...I repeat, we were still eating!! We were the offered water (3) times by the staff...we got then hint and left. Stranger still was that no one was waiting for our table or waiting for any table for that matter. On a side note, one of the employees has truly epic hair, which is honestly worth the visit in and of itself.

I took my boyfriend here for a date night and the experience was amazing! The host Monroe was very kind and welcoming. We had Kylie as a server and she was very knowledgeable about the menu items. She recommended her personal favorites when I was stuck on what to order which made the process way smoother. The mussels were INCREDIBLE! The atmosphere is great and I loved the dim lighting. 10/10 experience!

The only reason I am not eating it 5 stars is because you never know what level Of service you will be getting. Sometimes it's a bit, sometimes it's a miss. I am surprised that they have as much business as they do in the area they are located, so that is an impressive feat. Either way; I'd probably still return for a good drink and appetizer.

Such an amazing experience. Worth the drive from the Eastside. I have to complement this restaurant on unique flavors and takes on traditional meals. For example, the potatoes on the side of our steak were flaky like a croissant and structurally pleasing to the eye. Very delicious very unique. Secondly the Caesar salad tasted exactly like a barbecue Caesar salad. There was a smoky flavor that was absolutely delicious and left you wanting more. Lastly I have to complement the fried brie. This is the exact reason I came out to try bar bistro. Melty, delicious and wonderful. I would say that they should give you more than three pieces of bread. The fruit was fresh and absolutely delicious pairings of toppings on the brie. I have to come out and try this place again and bring my friends and other family members. Such a hidden gem.

This place slaps. I gave it a four star before and I don't think that was right. I know previously I would try to limit my five star interactions so that I felt like I was a strong reviewer. That is out the window. I pick places that are mostly awesome, and I enjoy places a lot. This is a 5 star experience. You can look through my previous posts I often complain about pricing. I am not doing that here. The price is fair across the board. I don't eat fine dining very often and this is a nice midpoint. Its fancy, it feels upper class, but the price doesn't reflect super upper class. Here is what I think makes the difference. One prices are high, but not stupid. I paid $40 for a nice pork chop at a previous location that felt silly. The pork chop here is $28 and feels right inline with restaurant style pork chop. Second, they offer options that are not high priced. Where most places start their menu at $40 these guys have great offering $30 and below. Plus they offer some beautiful steak options for people who want to spend a bit more. Overall we had a great experience before, we had just as great of an experience the other night and I highly recommend for anyone who likes a solid meal. I would suggest making a reservation. The place really filled up after we got there. Great food across the board.

The food is delicious. Especially on Monday night steak nights. The service is good but could be better if staffing was better. Gotta be tough with only 1 bartender and 2 servers. The ambiance is really quite amazing especially for the area it's located. They put fine dining in midland truly a gem you don't want to miss.

Food was great and our server was amazing Two things for the mark down. : bottles of wine we wanted they were out of and our main meal took almost an hour to get to our table. But all the food was delicious and we will be back.

This restaurant is 36 minutes away from Renton. I wanted Baked or Fried Brie and this restaurant posted a Brie that looked the most delicious. Not only was the Brie delicious but we ordered a delicious Steak which was served with an unusually flaky potato set upright on the plate and asparagus with fresh garlic slices. We really enjoyed our meal and definitely will be back. It was worth the drive.

Hmmm...just hmmmm. Interesting joint with one big open room that I think needs some "division" (either between tables or between the entrance and seating...) to make it feel more cozy. It just felt like a ..classroom?? Appetizer of Brie was good and brussel sprouts were ok-seemed like deep fried instead of pan fried which made them hmmmm, but the iceburg wedge salad left much to be desired. It was an entire head of iceburg split in half with all the toppings underneath the whole thing so don't find the description of "wedge" to be accurate and cutting the darn thing was more work than it should have been. It was iceburg overload after that and would be sooo much better as a true "wedge" with toppings sprinkled on top. My 2cents worth here...cha ching...

My party decided to give Bar Bistro a try as we were meeting up in the Tacoma area to celebrate my friend's birthday. This location is not near downtown and is a bit of a drive inland to reach. The outside of the restaurant gives off an uninviting vibe with all the windows being covered up, there is no indication of any lights or activity going on inside besides the neon "Open" sign. Upon entering, the vibe is much better and the restaurant was busy with almost every table occupied. We arrived at 8:45 PM on a Friday night and were seated right away. A note on service: My girlfriend and I like to scan the menu and decide together what we want to order so we can try different items which sometimes takes a bit longer than usual. After our server came by a couple times before we were ready to order, they did not come by again for 30 minutes. I can understand that it was coming close to closing time and they wanted to turn guests out the door but we didn't get our order taken until after 80% of the seated guests had left the building so it felt like we were being ignored. The food: My friend and I both ordered the American Wagyu Burger with smoked gouda and fries. My girlfriend ordered the Seafood Paella. All the food came out at once. My friend and I agreed the burgers were way over salted. We ordered the patties cooked medium but they were more on the rare side. Because of the saltiness, I couldn't taste the beef flavor very well and felt like I should have just ordered the regular angus beef burger which is a few dollars cheaper. The fries were very good! Probably the best part of the meal. They have a battered texture and taste delicious when dipped in the spicy ranch sauce. Oddly, my friend's burger was served with noticeably more fries than my portion (about 2x more). The Seafood Paella was served with a nice spread of halibut, mussels, prawns, snow crab meat, scallops, and Portuguese sausage. The halibut, prawns, and crab were stars on this dish. The rice was cooked well and had nice texture but lacked any distinctive spices or flavors. There were maybe 4 small slices of Portuguese sausage and felt like it was not part of the dish. For the price of $33, I would have expected a more generous portion of seafood. Overall, I wanted to like Bar Bistro but, because it is tucked out of the way and my experience with the food and service was not great, I will pass over this spot the next time I'm looking to eat in the Tacoma area.

Bar Bistro is a gem! The outside is nicely painted and has an outdoor seating area. Of course it is too cold to for use right now. There is a good amount of parking in the back and front. Upon entrance it was practically empty. It was early evening around 4:30. By the time we were leaving it was completely packed. The inside is nice. The lighting in the bar area is modern and definitely gives a bar vibe. We started with drinks My go to is a Cosmo and my husband ordered a dark and stormy. Cosmo was nice. For dinner I had the crab cakes and the grilled romaine salad. The crab cakes are not large but the flavor makes up for that. They were full of flavor and the micro greens and sauce all complimented each other well. The grilled salad and house made dressing was amazing. I added a side of lump crab. The crab was juicy and buttery. My husband had the pork chops with mashed potatoes and collard greens. Okay PNW y'all are out here cooking it up with these greens. Whoever made those greens has some definite soul! I loved them! Potatoes were creamy and filling. I do not eat pork but, my husband raves about the flavor. My husband gave his food a 4.5 out of 5! If say that's pretty good. Lastly the dessert. We ordered the carrot cake. The cake was good but, the icing was buttercream I believe instead of cream cheese and I am not a fan of buttercream. Also the cake was topped with the strips of fried or dried carrots and it was not needed. A great dessert/cake can speak for itself. I don't think it was needed. Our waitress Shea was attentive and kind. Has a very down to earth personality. We will return again!

Always a lovely time at Bar Bistro. I truly love the casual atmosphere. The food and drinks are fantastic, and our server Zachary...THE BEST. He shared his favorites and customer favorites with my friends who had never been to the restaurant. His suggestions did not disappoint. We can't wait to ho back.

Nothing went wrong. Service was there where needed, decor was fine, and the food was presented fairly for the price. Check it out when weather permits.

First time trying this place, was a little skeptical from the looks on the outside. The restaurant was nice and clean inside, very spacious as well. The service was great, the server gave us delicious recommendations. The food was very tasteful, none of us were disappointed with our choices! We would definitely come back and I would order the brisket Mac n' cheese again!

Always a solid choice for a date night. Service and ambience great. Low key, good food.

How did I not take a picture of my food?? Because it was so good I didn't have time to stop. And how have I never gone here before?? How?? Everything from the food to the service was beyond my expectations. (And no... I don't know a single soul that works here!) And I can tell you everyone at my table felt the same. The Wild Boar Ragù was exceptional. I love a little spice in my dish. My dad had the ragù as well and coming from an Italian you know it's good when he says it's excellent My nephew devoured the fettuccine and my brother didn't talk while eating his Cuban... he just ate. The place was clean and charming. And I want Stephanie to be my waitress every, single time. You have a gem with her... absolutely sweet. We will be back again and again. I hear things on the menu gets changed up a bit and I cannot wait to see what's coming! Grazie Mille!

Thank you Zac for our wonderful evening. Thank you Nathan for the deliciousness again! Eric we love your place. The service is amazing and the culinary team: Joe, Glenn, Holly and Manuel did a wonderful job executing Nathan's vision.

Everything from the cocktails and appetizers to the main dishes it was absolutely amazing , along. With the service which was great , our waitress had some really great suggestions , we'll be back soon

Great food and service. Poor ambiance. Expensive. The place is trying to be both a family hangout and a quite expensive fancy restaurant. The food is too well presented to be takeout food. But the music is overly loud and not good for dining, and there are too many screaming children for an expensive restaurant. I don't mind that the decor is plain, but overall it's too expensive to go for a fancy dinner out, given everything else.

Delicious food. Happy welcoming server. We were a group of 7 and never felt rushed to "eat and leave". Wonderful evening

We went on a Tuesday night to celebrate a birthday. The place was not busy at all. We ordered the House Old Fashioned and one of the non-alcoholic drinks. They were good and we ordered the Brussel sprouts as an appetizer. Again, pretty tasty. The lull between the appetizer and the entrees coming was a bit long but that was fine. The Filet was cooked lovely however the pave potatoes ended up not being cooked all the way through with slices in the middle still being a bit white and crunchy. But with the filet being the star of the plate, that can be forgiven. The macaroni and cheese was the real bummer here... the brisket burnt ends were rubbery, bland, and hard to chew. The jalapeño cheese biscuits were bland as well and did nothing to complement the Mac and cheese. However, the winner of the evening and what earned its very own star was the crème brûlée. That was delicious and gave a lovely creamsicle vibe and was tasty to the very last bite.

Dined here before the Pink concert and it started our night off wonderfully! At first it seems a bit questionable from the outside, but inside was a very different atmosphere. Beautifully decorated, staff was friendly and helpful. Food did take a bit longer than we expected. But in hindsight it may have been because we were a larger group and they were trying to serve all our food at once so that no one what waiting while others were eating. They had an array of unique drink options. I had tried one of the non-alcoholic fruity drinks that had Rosemary in it. A couple people in the group did the special watermelon drink and they loved it. I ordered the crab cake and it was full of crab and not a ton of filler which I appreciated. The Birria flat bread was also a happy dance of flavor. Elk sliders had the most amazing fries that came with it and the sliders were so packed with flavor and wasn't dry at all. Hubs had the Cuban, it was full of yummy flavor, but was a bit more on the soggy end compared to other places we've tried. They had the Mac & cheese on special and it was SUPER cheesy my kids would definitely approve of the cheese pulls we were getting. My SIL got the filet mignon and it came with a potato pave that was thin slices of potato layers finished off with all sides fried which was fun to eat for us who love peeling layers . One brother did the duck and the mashed potatoes and carrots were on point. Another had the chili that had the most delicious jalapeno cornbread.

Yup still delicious! Food and service are always up to par. Can't ask for anything better in Tacoma on a Friday night. Wish they wouldn't let kids in though. They can be mood killers.

Our waiter wasn't the friendliest person we've encountered while dining here. We asked if the bartender could make a tasty margarita. To which he replied "she can follow a recipe". But we didn't let that stop us. The food here is amazing. Not your normal bar food but top notch. We will be back

Stopped in for drinks and appetizers after work and had a wonderful time. Service was great, not too pushy yet just the right balance of attentiveness. There were only a handful of people here at the time but she took great care of us. I ordered a cider, side spinach salad and spicy prawns. Everything tasted marvelous and the spice level on the prawns was just right! They played a combination of alternative and classic rock while we were there which made for great vibes. I definitely look forward to returning.

Another five star meal here. We've eaten here a dozen times now and have thoroughly enjoyed our food every time and we always get something different. This time my BF had the ribeye. He loved it and had to take some home it was so big. I had the elk sliders and the watermelon caprese. I cannot stress enough how delicious my meal was! I'd eat it daily if I could! This place is just straight up amazing. If you haven't been, GO!

4 friends went for a birthday dinner mid week. PAELLA!!! Had the first really good Paella since I left New York in 1991. Only minor disappointment was too little sausage. 2 people had Salmon that they really enjoyed. Definitely recommend.

Had a reservation for a party of 7 on a Saturday night for my friend's birthday. The ambiance of the restaurant was really classy, but homey. I liked the vibe in there and the restrooms were also very clean. Our server was excellent. Super nice and it was enjoyable having him as our server. I ordered the rib eye and it was so good. Perfectly cooked to my liking. The sides included the Brussels sprouts and potatoes. Both incredibly flavorful. Would come back again.

The food and ambience is top-notch. We had great service. They seemed a little bit understaffed, but the team made sure to check in with us and communicate when the kitchen was running a little bit late. The cocktails are incredible. I love this cozy spot and the deck is perfect in the summer.

Excellent dining experience with our waiter Jake D. He was friendly, knowledgeable, likable and helpful. My friends ordered the Filet and Fried Brie and said they were both excellent. My Wagyu burger was large and very flavorful with perfect toppings! The fries were crispy and a little greasy, but just how I like them. We will definitely be back.

I had this place saved on my list of places to try, so when my husband happened to be in the area and were hungry for a snack, we decided to check it out. You would not expect this to be a restaurant from the front. When we pulled in, we were a little unsure about if we were at the right front door, but we were right. Inside is a nice space - its not a large space, but more of an intimate space. There are mainly 2 and 4 top tables and I believe a couple booths in the back. We chose to sit at the bar, which was nice. They seemed low staff, only one waitress and the bartender who was also helping take orders. To eat, I ordered the mac and cheese with chicken and my husband got the elk sliders with fries. The food came out hot. My mac and cheese was filling. Hubby likes his burgers and liked the fries because they are on the thinner side. Looks like they had a decent menu. Would be willing to come back and try something else. They have a cute little patio as well for when the weather gets warmer!

We had the most amazing dinner at this little hole in the wall restaurant. You would never suspect a nondescript place like this could put out such food. The reason for four stars is that I ordered the campfire cocktail, expecting it to be flaming. If you have a picture showing that it's flaming but when it's served, it's not that's deceptive. Also the crab bisque was luke warm to cool. We will be coming back, though the food is too.

I really liked this restaurant. You definitely wouldn't expect this in the area. They had lots of different cocktail options. For appetizers we shared the fried Brie and crab cakes. The brie was tasty and came with a big variety of fruits. I had the seafood paella. It was really tasty. It had lots of different seafood in it, I liked the flavor of the rice. I sampled the duck which was cooked perfectly and had a tasty sauce. We shared the citron creme brûlée for dessert. Our server, Michael was very friendly. Overall, it was a very delicious dinner.

We've been going to bar bistro for years and it never disappoints food and drink are amazing as well as the service!

Service was excellent, nice atmosphere inside....great food. Outside looks completely different than the inside. Definitely a hole in the wall for this location. I would expect a place like this to be in Seattle or Bellevue. Definitely going back a few times.

My family came here to celebrate my youngest sister's graduation. I set up a reservation but the graduation ceremony took much longer than anticipated so I gave them a call to let them know that we would be a few more minutes late and not only did they pick up politely but reassured me that it was fine and that the table would be ready any time we arrive. When we did arrive, we were greeted warmly and sat promptly. We received our waters and menus as we all gathered. We all ordered several different entrees on the menu and each of us were extremely happy with our delicious choices. The entrees that we had were the two pasta, paella, steaks, macaroni and cheese, and burger. The food arrived within an appropriate timeframe as well as gorgeous presentation. The portions were filling and there was plenty left even after sharing. I highly recommend this spot for any occasion and look forward to my next visit!

My fiance and I just went back to bar bistro last night and while they didn't have the goat cheese cheesecake that we love, they did offer a timeline on when it would return and an explanation of why it's so hard to keep in stock. The service was perfect, the evening was perfect and the baked mac n cheese was really imaginative! Thanks to Hilary and Zack for making our night out...perfect!

This was our first time having dinner here. The service and food were outstanding. We had the fried brie, crab bisque (so delicious), wedge salad, prime rib, and fettuccine beef gorgonzola. Everything was superb! We will definitely be back.

Date night location... great food, customer service and ambiance and drinks were perfect. Although, I was on a date with my spouse this place is kid friendly which is a plus. I recommend the crab bisque, delicious as well as bar drinks. The bartender was something of a mixologist.

Very good food. Yummy cocktails. Last time we went it was menu change so they were out of some things but never have had that happen before. One of our fav spots

Without a doubt 5 stars! Drinks, food and service are far above average. Clean establishment, great atmosphere & good parking.

Absolutely love this place! The owner is amazing & we did some content for him last Summer. Great guy! His staff do need to step their game up with the service they provide. Paella is probably the best thing on the menu!

Hole in the wall. Great drinks and food. Attentive service. Was extremely clear and modern.

As good as this was the first time, was how bad it was the second time. We went on Sunday, and yes, we did get there at 8p but... there is no but. We tried the calamari this time. They were good but not great. Aside from the salt sprinkled on top, there was no flavor. Had the steak again. Still cooked perfectly, but they have removed the mashed potatoes so I got Brussels sprouts and the first layer was charred. And, no seasoning. My date had the lamb and it was pretty good! Our waiter (the bartender) wasn't as attentive this time either. Again, we went at 8, and as a former server, I understand the time frame. But, just wasn't as great as the first time.

One of my fave places for a burger. The building is very unassuming and at the corner if a busy street. But once you enter, it's like a different vibe. The Angus burger with smoked cheddar with a side house salad is my fave! And I always get it with a bowl of crab bisque.

Unfortunately, this restaurant did not live up to the hype and popularity that was researched. It's my first time in Tacoma, visiting my husband while he's on assignment, and for my first dinner expectation, it was unpleasant. People who came after us, were served their drinks, appetizers, entrees and received their checks. When my husband called to ensure a "special" dinner setting, which they said they could accommodate. They claimed they could deliver on what he requested yet they did not live up to that expectation. Our reservation was at 6pm and at 7pm, we're just now receiving our food. The only reason for the 1-star is because the owner was nice and professional. Food wise: The pork belly left a lot to be desired after. It wasn't seasoned and one of the pieces was over cooked unnecessarily (see picture). The kimchi was good and so were the crisp green apple slices. The Elk sliders and fries were delicious. The polenta and veggies were hot; however, the meat was lukewarm. Serving hot sides with lukewarm-cold doesn't mix. The lack of seasoning on the Osso Bucco and the lamb shank was unfortunate. The beef cheek tagliatelle was good (beef is tender and flavorful, falls apart in your mouth), pasta well cooked, sauce is yum and the burrata mozzarella was a touch of perfection. Service wise: Our server was initially okay; however, throughout the time we were there, we weren't checked up on as often as the table to our left. She was the server for both tables and it was unfortunate how that table was checked on more than us. I had to ask for the manager, but the owner came and spoke with us. As mentioned previously, he is the reason for the 1-star. Drinks wise: I ordered the Bourbon Mai Tai and my husband ordered the Red Cloud. Both drinks were not the best. Ambiance was pretty lively. The decor was pretty contemporary and I appreciated the music that was playing.

My friend brought me here as his work is close by. I drove two hours here to bring my wife

The Old Fashioneds can not be beat. My SO and I have searched for better ones in many different locations. Some of them even being $45 a glass. Still the best is here! Every bite amazing. Every occasion spot on! Steak made to perfection. My SO likes it basically raw with flavor and I love it well done.The biggest and tastiest prawns in WA. Our mussels were so fresh and sauce so creamy. We get the same most of the time because we know what to expect. The pictures are unfiltered. I don't care who in your family thinks they can make amazing Brussels sprouts, this place will knock them out of the park. They are charred to perfection and just the right amount of spice and butter. It's a perfect place for a date night but close enough if you need to dash back home quickly. We have been here so many times I have lost count.