Bloomsbury Bistro

We went there to celebrate my birthday and had one of the best meals ever! David, our waiter, was knowledgeable and awesome! He made our experience even better!!! Bloomsbury is a must go!

One of the best Raleigh has to offer. Impeccable service and ambiance… relatively quiet and intimate, fresh linen tablecloths and napkins. Freshly baked bread. Caesar salads light, refreshing and expertly dressed. Friendly and knowledgeable service. Food preparation is a delight… top notch ingredients and not overly or crudely spiced, there is actually some subtlety in the flavors, a rarity in Raleigh. Relatively small but excellent wine list.

Had the beef bourgogne; it was fantastic, incredibly tender and flavorful. The waiter (Dave, I think?) was very good, and very responsive to our (nitpicky) needs. Highly recommended.

There are far better restaurants in Raleigh; however, the Bloomsbury isn’t bad. The food is good, but not great. The presentation is good, but not great. The wait staff is good, but not great. For the price, I would have much preferred Second Empire or St. Jacques, but again, Bloomsbury wasn’t bad. It was just… meh.

Had a really lovely dinner there last night. Nice menu, great cocktail. The service was excellent. Was nice to be in a restaurant where you could actually have a nice conversation because it isn’t loud. Will definitely go back again.

I’m still thinking about the meal I had there five days ago. My parents, boyfriend, and I took advantage of the prix fixe deal for two. For an appetizer, I had the gnocci. The poached egg was to die for. For the main entrée, I had the pork loin. Everything was cooked to perfection. Service was excellent as well. If they are running the prix fixe menu deal, I suggest you take advantage of it. Otherwise, this place is a little on the expensive side to come often. Definitely a great place to celebrate something special.

Delicious meal, great service! from wine, appetizer to meal, all phenomenal !!! Jeff, our server tonight, was more than great! This is a place you should give a shot!

I called and spoke with the manager today regarding our experience and he was absolutely 100% apologetic and helpful. His customer service and and understanding certainly will have me returning sooner rather than later.

Had a lovely «date night» dinner out. Great food, the beef bourguignon was fabulous and my boyfriend is a hard sell! A little noisy but not too bad. Worse thing about the place is that the tables are really small. The wait staff did a pretty good job of keeping the table clear. Our waiter very friendly and really made out dinner fun! Would definitely go back.

Been here 20 – 30 times and NEVER had a complaint… not with the food, not with the service, never… you can’t go wrong! Great dinner before a show!

I love this place, BEST restaurant in Raleigh. We go here quite often, since the menu frequently changes to reflect the season. There is usually something for everyone: chicken, game, vegetarian, fish. Intimate setting, great for group parties too-​they have private rooms you can reserve. Don’t miss out on desert either!

You can’t go wrong here! I always check the menu online before I go, since it changes frequently. Some call out to me more than others, and this Monday a Duck dish in particular was calling out for Sis & I to come spend our monthly dinner-​out here.
We like to share things, and could not have been happier when our Waiter offered to have each dish separated for us in the kitchen… love that! We ordered two appetizers and two entrees, and loved that they served them to us as four courses. We started with a crab dish in filo over sherry-​spiked corn with bacon. Very good! Next dish we chose was a Vegetable puff pastry «Samosa», over a kale & wheatberry salad with vidalia onion chutney. Very different, and quite good.
Next up came the Tiger Shrimp over corn chowder, with asparagus and roasted spaghetti squash. While very good, it was too similar in taste to the crab appetizer, so I wish we had ordered something different just for variety. In hindsight, I would have gone with the Ravioli.
Star of the show, imho was the Reuben Style Duck over a sautee of rye bread spaetzle and riesling braised sauerkraut, gruyère cheese fondue and thousand island aioli. Yes, as good as it sounds.
All the dishes were prepared in an expert, subtle way. Flavors are combined without anything overpowering. Deft.
We washed it all down with a bottle of chardonnay, and also enjoyed their delicious bread with herbed butter.
Portions are very generous, and prices for the quality aren’t crazy. Around $ 9 to $ 12 for an appetizer, $ 20-​$ 30 per entrée.
We were too full for dessert, but it sounded good. Highly recommend this Five Points restaurant! Also note there is a small bar area with a separate bar menu!

Was definitely not impressed with this place. I’ve had much better food for much cheaper prices. The entrees were good, but just nothing special for the price. Probably won’t go back.

This was definitely one of the best meals I have had in the Triangle. All of our food was wonderful – from the bread and soft herbed butter right down to the dessert we shared. The menu changes so often that I won’t go into details about the specific items we ordered, but I will say that we were really impressed with the creativity of the menu. The items were really well thought out, the flavors went well together, and the presentation was spot on. Really, this was one of the few $ 50/​person+ meals I’ve had in the Triangle that wowed me.
The only reason this isn’t a five-​star review is the atmosphere… it just wasn’t anything special – neither traditional (think Second Empire or the Wine Cellar at the Angus Barn) nor modern (think Mandolin or Lantern). It felt sort of stuffy – murals on the walks, a definitely older clientele. And the tables were very close together for a fine-​dining restaurant in Raleigh (the two-​person tables at least).

Oh. My. Yum. Andrew and I have been gazing at the Bloomsbury Bistro with longing eyes since we moved to Five Points, but have never felt like we could splurge on a night out here. Thank goodness for visiting parents! Definitely one of my top three meals in the Triangle EVER.
The ambiance is intimate and candle lit. Elegant, but not stuffy. I was thankful that even though the restaurant is small, it wasn’t so tight that we were overhearing the conversations of neighboring tables. Our server was cheery and attentive and she gracefully accommodated our indecisive nature.
Dinner began with a complimentary bread basket paired with a delicious herbed butter. The wine menu has a good selection of wines by the glass and the bottle (I chose a stellar Sonoma Pinot Noir). The rest of the table opted for specialty cocktails which were very strong (too strong for some), but well crafted with interesting flavor profiles. From what I understand, the menu changes often, but I have to describe our food as it was incredible. We started off with appetizers — a divine truffled potato torte and a «rueben-​style» quail that was perfectly cooked. Textures, flavors, presentation, spot on.
I ordered the mushroom risotto cakes with butternut squash which was incredible. I literally said «wow» on the first bite, the second bite and the third. Others at the table ordered the swordfish, the venison (very rare to find at a restaurant!) and the short ribs. The portions were significant — this is not a restaurant that gives you a tiny pea-​sized entrée– and everyone still cleaned their plate.
We ended the night with cappuccinos and desserts — the hazelnut chocolate torte, apple cobbler with rum raisin ice cream and «figgy» crème brûlée were all delicious. This is certainly one of the best fine dining establishments in the Triangle. A perfect choice for your next celebration!

Just when i almost gave up on the entire fine dining industry in Raleigh area… i came cross upon Bloomsbury Bistro! Tears in the eyes!
Although it has a slightly weird location and a not-​so-​upscale storefront everything looks fantastic once you step in. Very very cute ambiance. I love that they have a spacious coat hanging area right next to the front entry. Host can not be more hospitable. Waiters know the strong suits on their menu and make recommendations that perfectly cater to our request. The timing of every course and every check-​up is the most satisfying one i have had so far, even if i have dined in many acclaimed fine dining restaurants in big cities.
The menu changes often so i cannot really make any specific recommendations. Having said that, I love their general execution on the quail dish and fish dish so if you are not sure what to get, dive into these two pools. In general terms, I find that the chef here knows exactly how to pair taste (salty VS sweet) and texture (softness VS chewiness) so that you get such a harmonious complexity in one bite. That is exactly why i go fine-​dining so this place is like a dream-​come-​true.

5 of 5 stars (excellent, fine dining)
(see explanation of ratings below)
Always a fave of ours. We buy $ 500 worth of gift certificates each year (for $ 400) and give them to ourselves!
Chef Toler is amazingly creatively and he changes his menu about every six weeks.
Allow 60 – 90 minutes.
Cost: about $ 25-​$ 35 for food alone.
$ 15 corkage fee.
About my ratings:
Only fine dining establishments can garner five stars. Until Unilocal realizes that a fast food joint cannot possibly be ranked equally with a $ 100 per person place, I need to draw the line somewhere. If we were only talking about the quality and presentation of the food, it would be a different story. But, as we know, Unilocal’s rankings take into account the entire dining experience.
Therefore, I divide restaurants into three categories (and I wish Unilocal would do the same):
1) fast food and «fast-​casual» (no table service)
2) casual and «polished casual» dining (table service)
3) fine dining (linen napkins, no plastic cups, no TV’s in dining room, typically more expensive than casual dining)
Fine dining can earn a max of five stars. Casual dining can earn a max of four stars. Fast food can earn a max of three stars.

Went here for our anniversary dinner and had one of the best meals we’ve ever had in the Triangle. Everything was delicious from appetizer to wine to dessert, along with a very friendly and helpful waitstaff. I love the changing, seasonal menu as well. My venison was cooked perfectly and paired with delicious veggies.
The atmosphere is not the best, as our table for 2 was very close to the other 2 person tables, but we still felt like we could talk without being infringed on or infringing on our neighbors.
In short, if you’re looking for a splurge I would highly recommend Bloomsbury Bistro.

Bloomsbury Bistro is soooo good. This is a locally owned restaurant located in Raleigh’s 5-​points area serves a version of french cooking with a new twist on the menu and its menu changes every 6 weeks. The menu usually has a chicken dish as well as steak, fish, pork. Bloomsbury Bistro will accommodate any dietary needs you have. On this most recent visit, I had the shrimp dumplings «dim sum» style sitting in a soy-​black vinegar broth as an appetizer. For the main dish, I had the pan roasted duck breast over mashed butternut squash with wild rice summer bean «Hoppin John.» For desert, hot blueberry crisp with pecan streusel topping with a small scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. Our meal was very good, but expensive. But nice waiters and a wonderful time and a nice bottle of wine to complete the meal.
Food A
Staff A
Décor B
Location C
Health Inspection Grade 94.0

My Fiancé took me here for Valentine’s Day this year. I had been once before, maybe about 12 years ago. I remembered it being good… good enough that 12 years later I still remembered what I had eaten (Calves Liver). I also remembered feeling a bit out of place… my friend and I were 20 at the time and this restaurant was definitely a bit stuffy and catered to an older crowd.
So fast forward 12 years and here we are. I have to say I can’t wait to get back to this place! The service was friendly and servers were knowlegeable without being overbearing. I had been eyeing the ‘Savory Maine lobster crème brûlée topped with cracked lobster claw salad, asparagus and sauce Louis’ online all week (doesn’t that just sound amazing???) so of course I immediately ordered that as my appetizer. I could seriously eat it every night. It was that good. My Fiancé had Thai Mussels in green curry as an app and that was pretty amazing as well.
For my entrée, I had Tuna over a sauté of frenched green beans and roasted red potatoes with grilled Bermuda onion, pancetta and Sugar beets in red wine beurre rouge. This was incredible. I didn’t want to stop eating it even though I was stuffed. I can’t even remember what my Fiancé got. I was too involved in my own food :)
For dessert, the Deep Dish Banana Crème Brulee and Bittersweet Chocolate Bread Pudding were both incredible.
Overall, everything was beautifully presented and tasted every bit as good as it looked. I was really impressed. The restaurant does have an atmosphere that is kind of old school fine dining… very quiet and proper, though I didn’t feel as out of place this time. You can tell a lot of the people there were regulars. That’s always a good thing.
I hate that I waited so long to get back here! I definitely want to go back soon! This time it won’t take me 12 years :)