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Le Bistro
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
18 reviews for Le Bistro
18 reviews in English
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Review from Travis N.
Portland - East Woodlawn, NS
5/15/2012
I have been wanting to come to this restaurant for some time now. I decided we would try it out as a group. Some members of the group got to experience Le Bistro in its former days and he was very excited to try the new and improved.
I am glad we made reservation on a Saturday night because I think every table was full, so that was a good first impression.
When arrived, we were greeted by the biggest smile I have ever seen. I felt like I have known this lady all of my life, it was almost like I was going to a friends place for dinner.
Our server first arriver and was fairly standard. There was very little interaction and warmth, but as the night went on the personality changed and was he was friendly and very interactive.
The ambiance was amazing. The decor was simple, tasteful, and inviting. The music playing was at a great volume where you could still hold a good conversation. I admit I got very worried when I say a gentleman set up a guitar and a mic. I thought, "oh God." But, it was really really nice. He did not sing just played the guitar at a nice level.
The food. There was so many good choices on the menu. The menu was not overwhelming there was a great amount of options. I ordered the muscles in a white sauce, and scallop pasta. My food was very good. One of the diners at my table had a minor problem with his food, but it was fixed VERY promptly. The thing we liked the most was that our server took responsibility for the error instead of blaming the kitchen or the fact that it was busy.
The thing that we all loved about the food was the portions. It was not too little, and it was not so much that we felt like we ate too much. It left room for the most amazing deserts. I have the lemon parfait pie, and it was to die for.
The bill. The cost of the dining experience was by far exceptional. I didn't feel like we were robber, and I didn't feel like there was something on the menu that I wanted but couldn't afford.
Overall. I am looking forward to returning and trying other menu options. It was truly an experience that I felt like I went to a friend's house for dinner. Can't wait to go back. -
Review from Krista R.
Lower Sackville, NS
4/26/2012
So this was my first experience here at this charming place. I loved the decor, and the staff were helpful and very sincere.
This a place we have been coming for our Bookclub meetings, but for the past meeting I was not able to attend.
The reviews for the food, are so-so. You have to be picky and single out what you think will be good. The waitress said most of the items were pretty good, so ... it didn't really give you much to go on.
I stuck with a personal favorite of mine - French Onion Soup ( although because this is a french place it was in French - don't ask me how to spell it on here lol)
Some of the other folks at my table as well we not as impressed with what they got. My soup as o.k .... pretty much standard . Fresh bread was served to start, with was great. A nice was to lighten up the table, and we talked about our book.
Dessert was my favorite - and I only had one thing to pick about that, - maybe the tissue paper could have been left out of the bottom of the take-a-way-plate.
Service - o.k./ poor, Atmosphere- great, Food - o.k... Overall i would say I would not be back for much if we do go back again. -
Review from Andrew P.
3/5/2012 1 Check-in Here
Once upon a time, my parents lived in Halifax after I was born and dinosaurs walked the earth.
Back then my mother's favourite restaurant was Le Bistro, and she would visit multiple times a week for their famous caesar salad. Even growing up, I would hear how great Le Bistro was.
So you can imagine how excited I was to hear that they were reopening!
I could barely contain myself as I ordered the caesar salad and their signature steak frites.
However, the first disappointment (and perhaps the greatest) was in the caesar salad. Lifeless was the only thing I could say. The lettuce was limp and the dressing, although identifiable, was just as underwhelming.
Then the steak arrived just as I had ordered it... with melted cheese and fried onions (what??) I asked if they had bearnaise sauce to which I received a resounding "no."
Without it, the steak was bland, even with the addition of onions and cheese.
HOWEVER, it was among the most tender steaks that I have had in the city...
It wasn't a poor meal, but for the price and the hype I had expected something better. -
Review from Meghan R.
Dartmouth, NS
2/29/2012
I was delighted with my first venture back to Le Bistro. I went with several of my best girlfriends for my birthday. We shared several of the starters including the pate with was gorgeous, as was the onion soup, and of COURSE the classic potato skins.
For my main course I had the Moroccan Crepes. They were so delicate and flavorful.
I can't wait to go back again some day with my sweetie for a romantic dinner for two. -
Review from Ruth B.
Halifax, NS
4/9/2012
Having spent a lot of time at the old Le Bistro back in the mid-to late 90s, I was anxiously looking forward to visiting there again.
Sorry to say after my visit today, I likely won't be headed back there in the near future. I am vegetarian, and eat no meat, fish or chicken, and there was practically nothing suitable for me to eat, not even a pasta dish. When I mentioned it, the waitress did suggest they could just 'leave off' the meat, fish or chicken' from some of the dishes. I ended up with a mediocre spinach salad, with a dressing that nowhere matched the sour cherry dressing I'd had previously, and was somewhat bland.
Also, my co-diner who has to search out gluten-free dishes was somewhat upset to realize that there was one pasta dish and the club sandwich (which could be served on gluten free bread) available for her to select. Really?
In this day and age of folks with allergies, those who follow specific diets, it would have been nice to realize that they'd been taken into account when thinking up the menu. Too bad. Shall just have to keep my memories of the former Le Bistro and give my dollars to other dining establishments. -
Review from Ben B.
12/14/2011 1 Check-in Here
I'm very sad to say I had a really lousy first experience at Le Bistro last night.
Having missed out on the original in its hey-day, I was excited to get caught up on what's clearly a Halifax favourite and popped in for an early evening dinner with my mom on a fairly slow weeknight. We had no problem getting a table for two without a reservation and were seated in the corner of the atrium portion with some nice privacy. I completely appreciated the amount of work put into redesigning the interior despite it bordering on a little too faux-France for my liking. It was cozy, there was lots to look at, and it came to life after sunset in a way that could lend itself nicely to spending the night with a couple bottles of wine and good company.
Now, things started to take a turn for the worse when I looked through the menu. It has a wide range of options and price points but absolutely nothing jumped out at me. Even outside of the single vegetarian main course (a stir-fry of sorts), I just didn't get excited to order anything which is never a good way to start a night out.
Luckily, we had a strong start with the bruschetta that came topped with fresh goat cheese and the perfect amount of balsamic. Four pieces were perfect for sharing and it really was miles above your average appetizer. We followed that up with a bowl of soup each - the french onion and the daily special of broccoli with aged cheddar. The french onion, while very delicious, came in your typical ramekin but arrived a little less than half-full. That may just be the amount they serve, but the optics of it were rather disappointing. I did try a bite of the broccoli soup which was okay but definitely lacked any distinguishable cheddar flavour so it fell pretty flat.
For the mains, which at this point would also be the swing vote on whether the $70 dinner for two was worth it, I ordered the caesar salad minus bacon and mom ordered the escargot. The caesar was barely worth yelping about -flimsy lettuce without an ounce of crunch to it, chunks of parmesan (yay!) that had next to zero flavour (boo!), and a sauce that wasn't strong enough to make up for the rest.
My mother said she really enjoyed the flavour of the escargot concoction though...so there's that. But the really unfortunate part was that she burned her finger so badly on the dish that she had to spend the rest of the meal with it in a glass of ice. I understand dishes can sometimes arrive hot, but this one left a visible burn on her fingertip which seems a little much. When brought up to our server, she explained why it was hot (um...we got that part) and that she usually warns people but no apology and not a whole lot of concern over the fact that it happened.
After all that, I can't see myself going back in the near future but I do sincerely hope they rise to their former glory once they get back into the swing of things. Maybe this place just isn't for me. -
Review from Bessy N.
Halifax, NS
12/12/2011 ROTD 12/27/2011
It was like walking into 1992 all over again, only this time I could actually afford to buy my own lunch.
I've been anxiously awaiting the opening of Le Bistro - mostly out of nostalgia for a place that holds a million and one memories for me. First real date, first profiterole, first fancy meal (I was 16 ok?)...
So my bestie and I (we were regulars in high school - sad no?) went for lunch on their first day and were so happy to see that Liz's dream has come to fruition. Every diner in the restaurant that day had a similar story - all old regulars, all carrying fond memories of a lovely Bistro that cited Francs on their menu, as well as CDN $$ (now they have the Euro on the menu - nice touch LIz!).
As for the food - sweet and simple and delicious. It was fun to see some old faves still on the menu as well.
I will definitely return and will most likely become a regular again. There's something nice about a dining venue that's not pretentious, that makes you feel at home, where everybody knows your name again.Listed in: Good for Groups
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Review from Sue A.
12/17/2011 3 Check-ins Here
Le Bistro is to restaurants in Halifax as Studio 54 is to nightclubs in NYC. If you were around the first time, you have distinctive memories of this iconic cafe and even if you weren't, you've had to listen to everyone else's memories.
So when I heard Le Bistro had reopened in its old space, my spirits lifted and my husband and I popped in for lunch today. The décor had definitely been updated and the fresh black, white and red palette deserves four stars. But the food, mes amis, was just a ho-hum meh.
We were seated very quickly at a nice table. Our server may have perhaps been new or not really into the serving thing. Little oversights like incorrect cutlery, cutlery not being reset for the next course and not providing ketchup for frites can add up over a meal and create an impression of disinterest.
I started with a bland, uninspired Caesar. The only zip provided was by the extreme green bean garnish. Some horseradish, tabasco or even an inquiry about my spicy preference would have been useful.
My husband and I both ordered a cup of the soup of the day: curried chicken with market vegetables. The soup came in an extremely hot French onion soup tureen. However, because it was the cup serving, you had to peer down to the miniscule layer covering the bottom. And, most strangely, no chicken or vegetables save tiny shreds of carrots were visible to the naked eye. Perhaps it had been pureed? Tasty as all get out, but very strange presentation.
For my main, I ordered the French classic, a Croque-Monsieur with fries. The fries were delicious. They appeared to be fresh and handcut with just the right amount of salt. What would have made them even better would have been a fun condiment like mayo or an aioli.
The Croque itself was very strange. Served on what appeared to be a grocery store baguette with the staples of Serrano ham and gruyere cheese, the rather strange addition of caramelized onions detracted from the whole thing. Plus the lackluster baguette had been dipped in egg so it was kind of like a French toast-Croque hybrid. A croque-monsieur is traditionally a hot, grilled ham and cheese sandwich. The addition of an egg makes it a croque-madame.
All round, I know the place is experiencing opening pains, but with such legendary memories behind it, they had better step up their game. I was so underwhelmed, I don't have to go back for another couple of months.
If a single change could result in a fast improvement, it would be to serve decent bread. The place operates under the pretense of being French and no, Boulangerie La Vendennee wasn't around during the first Le Bistro, but it's here now and serving their products could greatly enhance the food.
Oh, and this is the strangest thing, when I asked about the dessert menu, it did not include the legendary Lemon Chiffon Pie which was a house specialty of the old Le Bistro. The server said a lot of people ask about that and they are having trouble getting the recipe from the old chef. Seems strange that it can't be recreated somehow because if a lot of people remembered one thing from the original menu, this would be a big one. -
Review from Bob S.
Halifax, NS
2/10/2012
Best casual dining downtown .
Liz is great hostess/ owner
Pays attention to the details. Nice to have Le Bistro back -
Review from Stephen M.
Halifax, NS
3/15/2012
I finally got to try this place (took long enough considering I live in the building). I quite enjoyed it and have nothing to complain about really. Went there for lunch, my food was pretty good, and their french fries were amazing. Very friendly service, and a nice table the two of us got: leather seats and everything. I thought the faux french decor was fun for a casual lunch, but might be seen as a bit corny (as some other have mentioned) for a romantic dinner.
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Review from S. H.
Eastern Passage, NS
3/21/2012
I have enjoyed lunch twice in the lst couple of weeks and returning for an evening meal soon.
I have to spread the word on their burger and fries which are amazing! The burger is made from scratch and tastes as if you made it on your barbeque but even better than that. The home made French cut fries are addictive and so delicious! I sampled their famous potato skins and they too are wonderful! If you want one of the best burgers in Halifax - check them out! Le Bistro is wonderful and sunny with lots of natural light beaming in, pretty red checkered table cloths on the tables, a parisien, warm decor that makes you want to stay as long as you can and relax and have an extra drink or 2. Looking forward to going on evenings on the weekend when they have a fantastic guitar player for a romantic ambience. Everyone is so friendly and service is great! -
Review from Sarah H.
Halifax, NS
2/24/2012 1 Check-in Here
My fiance and I went to Le Bistro for Valentine's Day. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get a reservation, but was able to score a spot even though I only called the day before (I'm such a lazy planner sometimes!).
We showed up right on time, and the hostess led us to our seat. It was pretty romantic, with the checkered tablecloth and candle in a wine bottle. We quickly settled on a glass of wine each - which is quite generously portioned for the price. The food we ordered was delicious. Forgive me for not remembering the French names, but I had a delicious chicken breast with crispy ham pieces on top, sage butter sauce and smashed potatoes and asparagus. My fiance had steak, also with the smashed potatoes and asparagus. Both were delicious, and cooked to perfection. Before we had our mains though, we had pomme frites. They were delicious as well, but the way they served was a little unorthodox. They were put in a cone, which is pretty normal, but the holder for the cone looked like something I would have used in a chem lab in high school. Actually, I think I did use it, to hold my beaker over the bunsen burner. It was awkward to eat out of because I couldn't actually see what I was reaching for.
The only other thing that bothered me was that the service was a little disjointed. Sometimes things were brought to us by our waiter, and sometimes by another person. It meant at the end we had our dessert delivered to take home with us, but no bill, and no waiter in sight. Then when we finally did get the bill, we weren't instructed where to go to pay. I'm guessing this may have been because it was Valentine's Day and busy, so I'll have to go again to see if it improves. -
Review from Sheva S.
Halifax, NS
1/17/2012
Back in the day, Le Bistro was the restaurant we went to for every occasion, every trip into Halifax (we grew up in the Annapolis Valley), every family dinner out. It was a special place! Fast forward to December 2011, after probably more than a decade closed, the reopening of Le Bistro made our Holidays, and my family decided that we would gather together for a post-Holiday meal. It was just as I had remembered. Please see my sister's review below mine to see how the night went. Although they did not have the famous Lemon Parfait Pie, they said they would be getting it at some point, so we would eagerly await its return. (I have to say, that we used to order the Lemon Pie every single time we ate there and if we were in a rush, we would always order one to go and split it!)
Yesterday, out of the blue, I heard word that the Lemon Pie was now back on the menu at Le Bistro. I wasted no time in texting everyone in my family the news. I was so excited, that my hubby and I decided that we would go out for dessert. We made reservations, brought along some friends and headed out that evening. We were seated in front of the kitchen, which was great because it's fun to watch everything going on. There were seven of us in total, four adults, one child, and two babies. We ordered some wine and got right down to business. Five Lemon Parfait Pies please! When the desserts came, we all looked in awe at the great portion sizes. It looked exactly how I had remembered and it only took one bite to take me back to my childhood. It made me realize what an amazing dessert it actually is. It's like a frozen lemon cheesecake, with lemon sherbet, a graham cracker crust, lemon sauce and mandarin oranges. It's not rich like a cheesecake, would be perfect on a hot summer's day (or in our case, one of the coldest nights of the year) and I will get it each and every time. We all loved it, I took one to go for my mom, and to sum it up, in the words of my baby daughter....Bravo!! -
Review from Aleyah S.
Toronto, ON
12/30/2011
After anticipating the come back of a much beloved childhood restaurant, my family and I planned a night out for a holiday dinner treat. Walking in, everything appears to be if not 100% very close to the original decor and atmosphere.
We had made reservations and were seated at the back, at the largest table then, and now, which has been made into a half booth, with seats on the opposite side which to us, was much cosier. Wine bottles with water were never ending, and service was very friendly. Though there were a few hiccups with our orders, I would not hold anything against them, as we were a table of 9 (well 8 and a half with a one year old), and they were more than helpful to fix any error (we ordered potato skins with cheese no bacon and got potato skins with bacon no cheese). I ordered my fav noodles and cheese from the kids menu, which I am sad to say has switched to my fav real mac and cheese to kd, but my niece loved it and it allowed me to order the special soup of the day: leek and potato and side spinach salad w/o bacon which were so good, I was not missing the noodles and cheese at all.
Everyone else enjoyed their dishes of the bistro burger and fries (and boy were those fries amazing!), haddock and rice, salmon and rice, a chicken asian noodle dish.
The desserts were amazing as we all sampled one another's: creme brûlée (best I have had in ages...so smooth!), tia maria choc cheesecake, flourless choc cake (which was especially loved by my niece). Sadly, the infamous lemon sherbet pie was not available, but will soon be!
I think if you are going expecting the old bistro then you should ease up and welcome the newer version of the older bistro so adored by all who went. Similar enough, but with a few tweaks here and there to bring it into the 21st century. I will go back when I return to Halifax in the summer!
And note, definitely a good choice for a first date ;) -
Review from Alex C.
Halifax, NS
1/6/2012
I had a really good experience here - and it started with a warm welcome from the owner! Liz! We were seated immediately and made to feel welcome and comfortable. Fresh bread was brought out promptly and it was delicious! For my main course, I had the chicken stuffed with cheese and topped with proscuioto like meat... (I forget the exact name). The chicken was to die for and the side mashed potatoes brought back memories of Christmas Dinner. Will definitely be returning!
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Review from Ellen P.
Dartmouth, NS
2/20/2012
The new Le Bistro is as good as the old one, the Eggs Benedict were the best I had eaten in quite some time. The Brunch menu was great and all entrees came with an alcoholic beverage. I will be back in the near future to try out the dinner menu. This 'new again' restaurant is wellworth a visit.
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Review from Ann K.
Halifax, NS
1/27/2012
An old favorite for many. I had the linguine which was fine, others enjoyed crepes. We shared the frozen lemon pie which was delicious. A very pleasant waitress who offered one of us who had to wait a bit for his haddock a free drink to make up for the delay, which was exceptionally kind. Convenient for a pre movie dinner. Very reasonable prices.
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Review from Glenn M.
Halifax, NS
Well...after a long wait of watching from the street we finally got to sample the fare at the newly re-opened Le Bistro by Liz. A long ago favorite, they have brought back so much of the ambiance that we remember from years ago. Re-opened.,..and re-invented by past manager Liz Ingram-Chambers you will find many of the original items from the original menu as well as some with a new twist. So much of this restaurant has a French flair, where others have an eclectic flair which they think is French but really just comes of as a confusing mish mash of items with the odd French Provencale items thrown in....but doesn't work...at Le Bistro by Liz it does work! Gone is the original clutter as well as the large glass boxes that housed the whimsical fabric figures from original Le Bistro designer, David Ripley. Service was brisk and clean. The Atrium has been re-opened with the original glass ceiling and feels wonderful. We both started with the French Onion soup....just salty enough, with a wonderful slice of Baguette and a broth made from scratch..no packaged mixes here! I opted for the chicken breast stuffed with brie an almonds and awesome "Smashed" potatoes. My partner went with the burger....Angus beef and fresh cut fries. Both were absolutely delish! The chicken was moist and flavourful and the potatoes we creamy and flavourful. The burger was (or so I am told as HE WOULD NOT SHARE EVEN A BITE!!) was DELISH!! For those of you who remember the "Moroccan Crepes are back as well as many other all time favorites. Everything had been so wonderful we decided to go forward and went for dessert! I had the chocolate cake (Flourless, dense moist) while my partner went for the Apple crumble. The cake came with Grapefruit, which didn't do it for me so I added a scoop of French Vanilla Ice Cream. The only downfall, if you can even call it that, was the coffee. That all comes to a personal preference. The coffee was pretty run of the mill and if I wanted something dark and rich I "could" have opted for a fresh cappuccino, but I went for the reg java. Liz assures me that they are working on the coffee and to hang tight, as I would see something new! :) The best of luck to Liz and her team as I know this will become the same famous haunt that it was many years ago! All in all |Le Bistro by Liz is AMAZEBALLS|!!"
