Latest Reviews
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Bistro 501 poses as fine dining, but it is far from it. While the service was acceptable, the food was abysmal--especially for the price! The evening …
Matt W.
Bistro 501
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This place is awful and has been for years. It is grossly overpriced and the service is overrated by those who've posted positive reviews. Locals alre…
Dustin Allen
Bistro 501
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Love the food, atmosphere. In the few months I've lived in the area, I've dined here three times...more than any other downtown restaurant. The servic…
Rebecca Goodman
Bistro 501
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Bistro 501 serves French and International. Incorrect or missing information? Make a report, or claim the restaurant if you own it!Details
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7 Reviews on “Bistro 501”
Bistro 501 poses as fine dining, but it is far from it. While the service was acceptable, the food was abysmal–especially for the price! The evening began with complimentary bread for the table. The bread was cold and stale. The $8 cocktails, a gin berry fizz and Moscow mule, were both diluted and flavorless. The pork belly entre was very disappointing. It was the driest, toughest pork belly I’ve ever eaten in a restaurant, and it is a dish that I order frequently. It was served on a plate completely slathered with what I can only assume (rather confidently) was pre-bottled pre-purchased barbecue sauce–presumptively to cover up the subpar pork belly. It came with whole Brussels sprouts that were obviously frozen, not fresh, and dried out roasted potatoes. The Brussels sprouts were steamed and thrown on the plate with no seasoning or preparation to speak of. For $25, an entre should be a composed dish, not a protein with two random scattered vegetables, posing as artfully plated. The seafood cannelloni entre was deemed inedible after the first bite. It came with shrimp, crab, and mussels. The first red flag was the smell as soon as the dish hit the table. It was reminiscent of low tide on a hot, muggy day–very fishy and far from fresh. The shrimp were overcooked and rubbery. The mussels were dry and shriveled up. The seafood looked like it had been sitting under a heat lamp at an all-you-can-eat buffet for the past few days. Our server was apologetic and very kindly comped an entre, but at the end of the day, no level of service can compensate for terrible food at a pricey restaurant. Needless to say, we will not be visiting Bistro 501 again in the foreseeable future.
This place is awful and has been for years. It is grossly overpriced and the service is overrated by those who’ve posted positive reviews. Locals already know this so this place must survive on naive travelers.
Love the food, atmosphere. In the few months I’ve lived in the area, I’ve dined here three times…more than any other downtown restaurant. The service is impeccable, the food is delicious, and I feel like I’m sitting the middle of a bustling metropolis. MAJOR PLUS – they didn’t mind that I brought my baby. I asked if I could sit in a corner, away from other guests because I didn’t want to bother patrons. But the hostess was so friendly and told me not to worry, brought over a high chair for me, and even put the car seat on top of the chair for me.In my first visit, I ordered the salmon. It seemed a little under-cooked in the middle but everything else – the bread pudding, cheesecake, salad, appetizers – was delicious. My second visit was for lunch and i had a salad and chicken sandwich. Absolute heaven. All of my friends enjoyed their lunches. I remember putting my daughter’s toy on the table next to us and our server came over and handed the toy back to me. I apologized but she didn’t seem to acknowledge me. The third visit was for my birthday. I ordered the filet, medium, and it was perfect. We ordered dessert, a creme brulee and the bread pudding. What a way to celebrate my first birthday in a new state! Our server was the same from our first visit and he remembered us. He asked us how we’ve adjusted to our new home..he was so genuine, not something you find in many places. He made such an impression on us during our first visit, we even remembered his major at Purdue, that he had a wife and kids, so we asked about everything going on in his life, too. My baby spilled water on the table and i was so embarrassed but several servers came over to help us clean up and we were told to not even worry for one second about the mess. Everything was clean and back to normal in a few minutes. By how busy the place was on a Wednesday evening, i can tell this place is a treasure.
Fine French Inspired Cuisine. Bisto 501 is my favorite place for a high end meal. Everthing I have had there has been exceptional and worth the price. Though serivce can sometimes not be up to the standards of the food, its still worth the time with a nice atmosphere. Good comfort in the winter with the mac and cheese (thanks for the suggestion, Erin!). THe quiche is great year round. The bar is a favorite of mine for occassional drinks with freinds after work. Very reasonalbe drink prices and good variety. The wine club is must if you are into wine.
Soooooo good. Had a hellish week and needed to just go out for nice meal and forget it. I’ve been to the Bistro for a handful of business lunches so we figured we’d try dinner. No regrets here!We started with a bottle of burgandy and nibbled on the tasty fresh bread with the whipped butter. The butter is sooooo good.My wife had the fillet, medium. It was cooked to absolute perfection and did not require a knife. She got it with the blue cheese crumbles, which isn’t my preference (she would note that she didn’t order it for me) but it was absolutely outstanding. It was served with fresh string green beans and garlic mash. Again, fantastic.I had the rack of lamb, mid-rare, served over garlic mashed potatoes with asparagus. It was cooked to absolute perfection as well, and had this sauce that was absolutely killer. I could taste rosemary and a hint of anise. Seriously good food.We then had the dessert spoons since we couldn’t decide on dessert. This is a cool idea. They’re $1.50 a piece and they’re literally prepared on a large tablespoon. We ordered a spoonful of creme brulee, mint chocolate cheesecake, and the pot au chocolate. The cheesecake was good, but not particularly memorable. The creme brulee I’ve had before and knew it was spectacular. The pot au chocolate was the richest thing I’ve had in a long time. It was so good, but so rich I’m glad I didn’t order a whole serving of it!The best part… Sully, our waiter. This guy knows his sh*t! Perfect wine presentation and pouring. Our glasses were never empty (wine nor water) yet he never seemed to loom. Seriously the best waiter I’ve had in years. Kudos to you, sir! We’ll be back!
Questionable Reviews. After reading these reviews, I question if these people even dined at the Bistro 501. The portions are huge, especially considering there is a complimentary first course with every entree. The staff is very nice, there may be one bad egg, but if you have only dined there once, do not assume that just because your server wasn’t to your liking that the entire staff is that way. Also, the prices are in line with any fine dining establishment, and for the portions you get, very reasonable. The entrees range from 19 to 29 dollars, The desserts are amazing and all made in house from scratch. I don’t know of anyother restaurants like the Bistro that offer homemade desserts.
Good, but not worth the hype.. Went to 501 tonight with family, expecting a great meal. We ordered wine but it took almost 40 minutes to get to the table; we had to remind the girl coming around to fill waters that our extremely cocky waiter had forgotten to bring the wine. When the food came out they brought 4 plates on a stand and just left them by the table for about 10 minutes, saying they would be right back, and then when the rest of the plates came out, my grandmother’s salad was missing the steak, which took another 15 minutes. The Vegetable Napoleon was amazing and no complaint was made about any of the meals. When the waiter finally came around to show the dessert menus a few people in the party were interested, and even picked out desserts; when the waiter came back around 40 minutes later we had all changed our minds and left to find some ice cream instead of waiting any longer. Overall a really good meal; don’t expect anything from the wait staff. The nicest person in the place was our water filler.