Bistro Provincia

Needed to treat ourselves after yet another long and stressful week. What better way than with great food. Our first experience here was amazing so we decided to come back for another round. BEST DECISION EVER!!!
Our waiter from our first trip remembered us and he was just as awesome. We were so pleased with everything! We had the chance to speak with Veronica, co-​owner and Manny, chef and co-​owner and we thanked them for the amazing food, service and experiences. This outing, they had a gentleman playing live music and he was awesome!
We ordered different items than before and were just as pleased. The man ordered the kurabota pork chop special, I ordered osso bucco, we shared the beet burrata salad and a side of garlic truffle fries. After all was said and done, we ordered their signature yin yang cake to go and it was good. It was all scrumptious and we can’t wait to go back and try something new off the menu. Total for everything including one iced tea was around $ 110.
We were very pleased with everything. They do a great job with service, ambience, food… everything! Love em!

My husband and I didn’t want to travel out of the way and fight crowds to celebrate Valentine’s so he made reservations to Bistro Provincia which wasn’t too far from us. Upon arrival the hostess seemed like she didn’t know what was going on when we told her we have reservations for two. She looked perplexed but we gave her our name and were seated promptly. That already threw us off a bit to start out our night then we were greeted by a rather grumpy waiter. He didn’t smile and made us feel rushed to order drinks. We needed a minute so he walked away. My husband and I told each other to brush it off and not let this weird vibe in the atmosphere ruin our night.
Once we ordered our food and drinks, our waiter seemed to warm up to us a bit. We were glad to see his change in mood. Next thing you know our food came out and he even brought it with a smile and our spirits were lifted! There’s nothing worse than feeling unwelcome at an establishment. With live music playing we were ready to dig in.
Let me tell you, the food was delicious! We ordered a bacon mac and cheese to start, the night’s special of chilean sea bass, and the short ribs. Everything on my plate paired so well together with the fish. From the rice pilaf to the sauce and vegetables. It was perfect. My husband’s short ribs were tender and flavorful with a side of green chili mac and cheese. We both thought the mac and cheese was too heavy for the dish but we still enjoyed this dish.

I am so happy that my boyfriend and I decided to try this place for Valentine’s Day! We originally had reservations to eat by NewPort beach but decided at the last minute we did not want to travel that far.
We arrived around 7pm and we prayed that we would be able to get seats since the place is so fancy. To our surprise we were seated immediately it was closer to the back but that was fine I preferred a little more personal space. The décor was a absolutely beautiful. Each table had a single rose as the centerpiece and it was very romantic.
We served champagne and water right away. For Vday they had a prefixed menu that was $ 80 per person for a three course meal. We were a little skeptical about it at first but we said what the heck we’re here might as well try.
We started off with the soup. I do not remember any names I apologize lol but it was excellent! It was somewhat a take on clam chowder almost. Then I had the burrata salad which was strawberries on top of this sweet cheesy goodness with a rose petal.
Next I had the Chilean sea bass which was also nothing short of mouthwatering deliciousness! I wanted to lick the plate lmao jk but you get the point. Lastly I had the chocolate dipped strawberries with champagne sorbet for dessert. Yes it was the perfect way to celebrate our Vday!
Overall the customer service was excellent and the ambience is perfect for you and your lover. I definitely will be making a trip back! Thank you for making my Valentine dinner perfect!

Thanks to other Unilocalers, we are very pleased to find a new place down town off citrus ave that is delicious and has awesome service and ambiance! And affordable too! Romantic of course

I had gone to Bistro Provincia for a friend’s birthday. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting and of course, silly me didn’t check the Unilocal reviews. I was basically going at this blindly.
Luckily, there didn’t seem to be a dress code, which is great because I’m not one to dress nicely for an hour or two of ugly-​face grubbing. But with that being said, the ambiance here is very intimate. And by intimate, I mean there was a candle in front of me. When candles become a minor source of lighting, you know this is meant for dates.
With that being said, I totally felt out of place with my snapback. Regardless, I was seated without hesitation or a raised eyebrow.
I’m not necessarily sure how things normally work here since it was my friend’s birthday, but from my experience, we got bread with this garlic-​esque sauce and water in a wine glass. Raise your pinky for brownie points, y’all.
Two friends of mine ordered appetizers: lumpia (a Filipino staple by the way) and calamari (a deep-​fried favorite of mine). I was ready to scrutinize. The lumpia came out and had this fusion taste of what’s expected in an eggroll and as well as a curry sauce. It wasn’t my appetizer, but I didn’t hesitate to swipe another lumpia because it was good. The calamari is, well, it’s calamari.
For the main course, I ordered the kobe steak burger ordered medium rare. I like it when it still moo’s.
Ya’ll. It was worth the 18-​some dollars. Definitely juicy and thick. It even begged for mercy as I chomped away. And since my friends were so willing (kinda) to share their appetizers with me, I let them claw away at my french fries — which by the way — were also good. I swear, add garlic to anything and it takes that dish — even if it’s a side dish — to a whole other level.
Now there were some complications with the check which is why I bumped this down. It was such an inconvenience that could’ve been avoided, but I remembered… we’re human. And mistakes will happen. Which is why this is 4 stars.
Everyone that I came in contact that worked at Bistro Provincia was really nice so I have no complaints there. I didn’t drive, but we had to do street parking. It wasn’t really much of a problem because Citrus is a pretty long street. I’d definitely come back… but I’ll dress up next time… even if I don’t have to. ;)

The food was really good! My friend is a picky eater so I had to compromise with her and find a place that served both seafood and non-​seafood items. I love seafood, she doesn’t. She had me choose the place because she knows I’m a Unilocaler and know the good places. I felt major pressure. Regardless, I found one on Unilocal to try and crossed my fingers she’ll approve.
We ordered the short ribs with mac and cheese ($ 28) and the Chilean sea bass special of the day ($ 40). The Chilean sea bass on risotto was super delicious! The fish was cooked to perfection. It wasn’t dry. It was tender. The dish had a lot of flavor. All of the flavors mixed very well together. The sauce they used for the short ribs were tasty too. The meat was cooked well where it was not too soft, not too chewy. It was just right. The mac and cheese was surprisingly good too. It had a hint of spiciness to it, which gave it a kick. My friend really enjoyed her food and thought everything was tasty. *Two thumbs up*
The ambience was nice. There was a guy playing music in the background that suited the restaurant. The service was fine when I went. I went with a friend for a belated birthday dinner and they ended up singing (as well as the guy playing music) me happy birthday and brought out a complimentary small dessert.

A hidden gem. 5 star restaurant for sure. This place is classified as a steakhouse. I really liked their Japanese rib eye, swordfish, and filet minon.

Now that’s some good braised beef short ribs. Moist and melt in your mouth. Little over sauced for my preference, but still great. The fish of the day chilean seabass was just as melt in your mouth buttery goodness. Also had the soup of the day which was corn and crab soup, this was also great, not too salty is a big plus.
Had a sampling of the filet minon from another person and this was pretty good as well.

food was pretty good. came here for a work holiday party. service was okay. ordered the prime peppered new york steak. i enjoyed the vanilla bean crème brûlée more than the yin-​yang signature dessert.
will come back and try other things on the menu!

My family and I came in after watching a football game at Charter Oak High. We were definitely in the mood for a pick me up. The Pinot noir and Cabernet we shared was a great choice.
The Chilean Sea Bass with Risotto was perfectly cooked and tasted delicious. I would definitely order this dish again. It was nice and light too.
The restaurant is so cute and has a touch of romance to it. Everything from the cool water goblets to the size of the dishes makes you feel a lot of thought went into planning the décor of this restaurant. The server was super nice and friendly as well.

I must agree with other Unilocalers. Food is good but service needs work. Our waiter took awhile to come take our order and he wasn’t very personable. Staff doesn’t come to refill your water unless you ask.
Curry Chicken Lumpia– good appetizer! The curry was kinda thick but it made a nice dipping sauce. I would prefer the curry in a small dish instead of drizzled over the plate to make dipping easier.
Organic Kabocha Squash Gnocchi– sampled this and loved it! You can really taste the kabocha and it was very sweet. The gnocchi was soft. I’m usually not a fan of gnocchi but would order this in the future.
Alfredo Basil Pesto Lobster Ravioli– delicious and came with a good amount of ravioli. I couldn’t really taste any of the truffle oil drizzled on top but then again, I only had a piece of ravioli.
Lemongrass Grilled Chicken– my preggo friend ordered this and she liked it a lot. That’s a good thing because her taste buds are all over the place these days! The chicken was moist and tender. Not dry at all which is usually the case at most restaurants. The lemongrass flavor is very light. This could be a good or bad thing depending on your preference. I would have liked a stronger flavor.
Japanese Inspired Vegetarian Lasagna– after sampling everyone’s dish, I was slightly disappointed in mine. Lots of eggplant and it was good! But it’s only because all the other dishes were really good, too!
We were so stuffed that we didn’t get the chance to try any dessert. Such a bummer because the desserts at other tables looked mighty fine! Great ambience with the live music, clean, and the portions are big.

Food is decent. Horrible customer service.
Please do not bring your own desserts or else you will be charged per person for bringing your own birthday cake. They wont tell you up front but they will add it to your bill. When confronted with the bogus charge the hostess just stared at us and shrugged her shoulder pretty much not caring with an attitude. A simple «sorry about that», «I understand» would have made a big difference.
After spending $ 400 they are willing to loose 10 customers over $ 9 way to run your business

A nice local restaurant to celebrate a birthday, at least 5 parties were also celebrating a birthday that night! It’s dimly lit with live music on Saturday night although people were still dressed pretty causally
The food is good, we all enjoyed our dishes, I just don’t think the dishes are worth the price (although every dish was a hefty portion except maybe the scallops)
—complimentary baguette with pesto to dip: I liked the pesto but the bread was nothing special
—sesame crusted scallops: comes with 3 nicely cooked scallops served on a yummy bed of mashed potatoes with mushrooms! I liked the addition of seaweed salad on top
—Chilean sea bass fish of the day: also cooked perfectly and served over a tasty pasta
—lemongrass grilled chicken: HUGE amount of chicken, you coils definitely share this with someone. I was surprised at the spiciness but I love a bit of heat
— lamb chop special: a bit gamey for me but my dad enjoyed it
—kahlua crème caramel: like a flan, not bad but not really a $ 9 dessert
NOTE: they charge $ 1 extra if you ask for hot versus iced water

Fantastic place! Downtown Covina is being revitalized with great restaurants, new housing, farmer’s market and growing shopping. Bistro Provincia is definitely on the top of the list of restaurants building this little city into a great city.
My wife and I had scallops and sea bass. Highly recommend!

Great food, great service!
Decided to try this place out for my Mom’s Birthday & it was a great choice! Everything we ate was delicious. We ordered:
— P.E.I. Steamed Black Mussels: The sauce was amazing! Dip the bread they give you in it!
— Braised short ribs: Very tender meat, chef told us it is cooked for 4 hours! Served with mac&cheese
— Cedar wood plank salmon: top of salmon is crunchy and salmon was not dry at all, very good pairing with the potatoes & veggies
— Fruit Sorbet & Passion fruit Crème Brûlée: Crème Brulée was good, but I definitely enjoyed the sorbet a lot more! You can ask for one scoop of each flavor (mango, raspberry, lime). Really refreshing dessert!
We got to meet the owners of the restaurant as they introduced themselves to us and are very friendly people. The service is great and on Fridays & Saturday’s there is a musician who plays live music and you can request songs to be played! This restaurant is definitely a place I will be visiting again

Wife and I were looking for a change on date night. What a find! Great service and delicious food. Caesar salad is boring, but the shrimp ravioli is Amazing.
Ha! We just came back again and I saw that I hadn’t completed my last Unilocal (above).
Might as well update and finish now.
Wife had the butternut squash soup which was ridiculous! OMG! Soooo good. Creamy with a Parmesan cheese or something added for extra yummy.
I had the special of the day — Chilean sea bass on creamy risotto with lobster chunks an capers with grilled Brussels sprouts. Wow! I normally don’t clean off a plate, but I couldn’t stop! Delicious! Risotto was perfect, sea bass was seasoned perfectly and the capers and Brussels sprout gave a great crunch to each bite.
We finished with the passion fruit crème brûlée that was amaze-​balls! Damn!!!
If you haven’t eaten here yet you are missing out. Great upper echelon dining in downtown Covina. Yum!

Took my mom here for her birthday and everything was so good! I really wanted to try their Beef Short Ribs, but unfortunately they ran out.
We ordered the Lobster Ravioli (my favorite and best I’ve ever had), Seafood Pasta with Scallops & Shrimp (scallops were nice and tender), and Shrimp Risotto. They also gave us a yummy chocolate birthday cupcake with whipped ice cream.
I definitely plan on coming here again!

My friends decided on Covina to celebrate a joint birthday dinner!
They had a a man playing on his guitar and singing some good classic songs, which really added to the ambiance.
The service to me was just alright, we waited quite a bit to get our drinks and food ordered.
However the service was the food was actuall not bad, a bit oily but overall good enough to finish.
My friends had some decent steaks but one thing that set me off was the fact that they didnt warn us about the cake cutting. I know most establishments charge for that fee but they had ALWAYS ALWAYS warned us about it.
Regardless the ambiance wasn’t bad but def can see an older crowd enjoying this spot a lot more.

The food was delicious. I ordered the Rainbow Seaweed Salad and was pleased with my selection. A lot of times a salad won’t fill you up but the portions on the ahi tuna, salmon, and veggies ware generous and the presentation was beautiful. Mom ordered the Shrimp Chile Relleno that i had a bite from and recommend and an order of the Macaroni & Cheese that I also tasted and found mediocre but everyone else in my party was crazy about. My sister ordered a side of Brussels Sprouts which were my favorite things on the menu and the Japanese Inspired Lasagna, which like the mac n chefs, I found to be pretty mediocre from the taste I had. I didn’t try my grandma’s dish so I won’t comment on hers.
Although I was pleased with my food, I wasn’t very pleased with my server. He was difficult to understand and didn’t seem to be too crazy about our table. These two things mixed together made for an awkward dinging experience. I seem to be in the minority but I feel I’m leaving an accurate review from my perspective. Unfortunately I have to go back to this place soon for Sunday Brunch in a couple weeks but maybe this second experience will motivate me to change my review.

Found my way to Bistro Provincia this past weekend and was pretty impressed at the existence of this type of restaurant in Covina.
Upon entering the restaurant, you will find yourself in a dimly lit, classy looking restaurant with plenty of seating. The crowd on a Saturday night was definitely older (50−70s) and family focused. Their menu is an interesting mix of Asian/​Mexican/​Italian/​American fusion. I felt a little confused by this at first.
Under the starters, I saw items such as:
Shrimp Chile Relleno
Curry Chicken Lumpia
Seared Ahi Poke Napoleon
Calamari Fritti
Charcuterie
Say whhhatt??? I did not expect to see a lumpia curry item listed on the same menu as calamari, a cheese plate and chile relleno. As I moved down their simple bi-​fold menu, I assessed some of their salad and soup options.
Soup de Jour — chowder
Organic Wild Arugula Salad
Petite Caesar and Petite Warm Spinach
I am a lover of salads and although some of these options sounded good, when I read the description, I was not impressed by any of them. For example, under Organic Wild Arugula Salad, the description read «red onion, shaved-​reggiano, organic extra-​virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice $ 8.» Hm. I felt like I could probably make that at home so I decided to go straight to entrees.
We ended up ordering a calamari to start, followed by the shrimp risotto and boneless beef short ribs. Both entrees were presented beautifully and had a good flavor. The risotto was cooked nicely but the shrimp was a little lacking in flavor. Boneless beef short ribs were delish and came with a side of mac and cheese which also lacked a little bit of oompth. Not sure what type of cheese was used for the mac and cheese but it was lacking a bit of flavor and kick. We finished the meal with their warm bread pudding which I thought was delicious.
Since it was Saturday, my dining companion and I also polished off an entire bottle of Pinor Noir along with our dinner. After all, vino makes any meal 10x better! Wines on the wine list were all reasonable priced ($ 7−10/glass, $ 25−40/bottle) but the selection I felt was a bit random. When we asked our server if she had recommendations on a soft red, she recommended a ’12 red blend called Deadbolt ($ 31/​bottle menu price) and said she often gets it for $ 10 at Sam’s Club and drinks it while eating popcorn and watching TV at home. Haha uh… Also, there was live music at the restaurant which was nice. Except… it was this elderly gentleman crooner singing off key renditions of the theme song from Snoopy and Married with Children! That was really, really odd…
I applaud the attempt but I think the restaurant still lacks a bit of focus. Of course, in my mind, I am comparing this to many of the restaurants I’ve dined at in LA, and this is a bistro in the burbs which should be evaluated with different standards.

Although I think some elements in this restaurant still need fine tuning, I would still come back to support this local eatery.