BIMA Bistro at Bainbridge Island Museum

Kudos to the cooks and staff at BIMA Bistro! Ate there recently on a Monday and enjoyed
a wonderful Mexican dish, Tlacoyos. This is the type of gourmet food you would expect to eat at a fancy restaurant in the interior of Mexico! And did I mention everything was house-​made, beautifully presented and incredibly well-​priced? And of course, the service was friendly and efficient… yet another gem on beautiful BI.

BIMA is a hidden gem of a café located inside the Bainbridge Island Art Museum. I frequent there a few times a week and am never unhappy.
The majority of their food is organic and in many cases local. They have gluten free options (a necessity for a celiac like myself) and specials every day. The food not only tastes good but is presented and garnished beautifully. The café itself is clean, simple, and provides indoor and outdoor seating
The one problem I have with BIMA Bistro is that they do not allow tipping. As a former long time waitress this makes me uncomfortable. Tips don’t have to be expected or mandatory but that is a normative perk of working in food service. This is a busy location at times and the service is exemplary, employees should be rewarded.

BIMA Bistro is located in Bainbridge Island Museum of Art and is open every day with the museum. It is the brainchild of the museum founders and Melinda Lucas– who was the original owner and chef of Café Nola until she sold it 14 years ago. I will admit that I am a former server there, and was there since it opened, but I can say that everything I am about to gush is 100% honest.
The bistro shares the mission statement of the museum through food– it aims to educate and provide a great experience reflecting Kitsap county. All ingredients used at BIMA are crazy fresh and local– farmers from Bainbridge and Kitsap farms bring in produce, honey, etc daily as well as local bakeries, creameries, tea shops, fisheries, chocolatiers, etc. They also have local wine, beer, cider, and damn good coffee! BIMA bistro was actually honored by Sound Foods for serving so many local products.
The dining room isn’t huge– with 4 counter seats it sits about 27 people inside — but in the summer the outdoor seating doubles this and is really nice! Located within the museum, if you want to enjoy a reasonably priced, delicious lunch, surrounded by art, you’re in luck! The gallery extends into the bistro.
The menu is fairly condensed and features a few signature items: a croque madame and monsieur (which many people say are as good as any in France), salmon tartine, DELICIOUS cinnamon toast, Greek yogurt parfait (with the best granola I have ever had made-​house) and a few others. There is always at least one soup, salad, and sandwich/​special of the day. The soups here are seriously the bomb and the specials range anywhere from adobo king salmon sandwiches, chopped salads with salumi meats, polenta with sauteed mushrooms, gremolata and goat cheese… long story short, freaking good.
Overall, the chefs Melinda and Rosa have put a lot of heart into a place that was supposed to just serve cold sandwiches. They have freedom to get really creative and make delicious, locally produced food. BI natives constantly told me it was the best new restaurant on the island!