Bistro of Santa Monica

Great service. I ordered the broiled salmon and it was very well seasoned and moist. Our server recommend a great entrée for my date as well. I thought I was going to be high priced because if the set up but it was about $ 50 for my date and I

Great service! The live piano music was relaxing, the food was yummy, and the servers were so accommodating. I really enjoyed my seafood soup! My grandma said the spinach and cheese ravioli was the best she ever had! Definitely a repeat. Be sure you try the bread pudding!

Slow service — I finished my glass of wine as soon as my meal was served and they did not bring me a second one until everyone was finished eating. The online menu did not match menu in the restaurant which is very unfortunate for vegetarians.

Great food, GREAT piano. The Bistro was a terrific find. The cocktails were excellent. My sand dabs were truly delicious, as was my husband’s prosciutto wrapped halibut. The service was a bit slow but sincere.
We loved Dick Tash, the piano player. Well versed in the classics and
American Songbook, Dick was happy to take requests. He played a particularly inspired set of riffs on These Foolish Things.
Overall a highly recommended restaurant.

What a great restaurant! Food was amazing, perfect ambiance between lighting and piano music. Service was personable and relaxing. The chicken and pork chop was exquisite, and they accommodated a modification to the scallop special. High quality food and ingredients. Can’t wait to go back for more dip and bread! Super yummy!

First time here! Really good service, we were immediately seated. comfortable setting. Great food!

Absolutely adore this place. The piano player is INCREDIBLE, and the food is amazing as well. The staff is nice, and the vibe is elegant. I recommend this place to my friends all of the time, and they love it!

Would give zero stars if that were an option.
Made reservations through OpenTable for lunch on a weekday for 9 colleagues. Arrived on time and saw only two other parties in the restaurant. Our table had not been set up but they were able to quickly pull something together for us. The lack of other customers and no A/​C (on a hot day) or music were our first clues as to how this lunch would go.
As this was an Italian Bistro, we were looking forward to great bread sticks and dipping oils. Imagine our disappointment when, by what can only be described as dark corn bread, was placed in front of us. When the waiter went to put down the dipping oils onto our table, he spilled half of the oil onto the shoulder of one of our colleagues. Things are quickly going downhill.
We overlooked the bread and the spillage (how can an Italian bistro not serve good bread?!) and moved onto the drinks. As no drinks were listed on the menu, we inquired. Our waiter’s response to our question about their drinks was, verbatim, «we have all the regular ones», and he would not elaborate. He was also the only waiter in the bistro. We then asked if they served Italian sodas and learned that they do not in fact serve Italian sodas at this Italian bistro.
On to lunch: the lone waiter could not helpfully describe portion sizes or explain ingredients in main courses on their menu, and was in no hurry to prepare our drinks or appetizers. It took about 20 minutes for the food to arrive after we ordered, though by this time we were the only party ordering food in the place. As the waiter was bringing out the dishes he somehow managed to spill hot marinara sauce on the SAME WOMAN that he had previously spilled oil on. Her once white shirt was now a mess of oil and marinara sauce. The waiter laughed this off and went back to delivering our less than appetizing entrees, all of which at best looked like glorified diner food, certainly not traditional Cuccina Italian food as described on their website.
We ordered cappuccinos to end the meal, all of which came out at different times in different variations of China. This might look eclectic elsewhere but for us, having been served poor food by an inattentive and spill-​prone waiter, this appeared unorganized and distasteful.
To the waiter’s credit he gave us free dessert (4 desserts to split between 9 people), and offered to dry clean the soiled shirt. However, as that colleague was heading home to Europe the next day, she could not make use of that offer.
Notes:
— Tables are made up formally with cloth napkins and tablecloths but then covered with butcher/​craft paper like you would find at Macaroni Grill. But they don’t give you crayons to play with so you’re left with just the sound of crinkling paper all through your meal.
— No Italian sodas (or drink menu to speak of).
Will not be going back or recommending this business.

This place must be the best kept secret in LA. Everything about it is so on point – the food, the service, the atmosphere… did I mention the food?
My boyfriend and I came here for dinner this last New Year’s Eve, and I had salmon and scallops. I said that was the best meal I’d had in LA – the scallops basically melted in my mouth. I was floored. I also loved the piano player and the dim dining space – it felt like a special occasion.
We went back last Friday night before we saw a movie, and the food was just as good. This time, I had lobster ravioli with shrimp and scallops – which, again, were perfect.
My boyfriend says he’s been coming to this place since it opened about 15 years ago, and takes his family there when they come to visit. It’s a good spot to take the ‘rents, if you need one. We can’t really decide why it’s never packed in there with food and atmosphere that good – maybe the location? It is a little far from the center of the action in Santa Monica.
Anyway, I highly recommend checking this place out! It won’t disappoint. :)

We have enjoyed coming here several times now… delicious sauces, and a gluten free linguine! The breads were yummy, back when we did not follow a GF diet! Thank you, James… interesting information you shared about the Panamanian islands, and the Mayan language differences!

This restaurant has the best atmosphere and the most delicious food ever… I loved it… It’s a cozy comfort place and the menu is tons of different options for people with different tastes. its recommended to everyone specially during events

Food was par at best. Services was decent but my complaint is the bar area and bartender. The bartender looked disheveled. Shirt half untucked and sloppy. The manager needed to step in and clean the guy up. The bar itself looked unclean. Needed a good wipe down.

I ordered the sandabs per the server’s recommendation– he said it was the top seller. Imagine fish battered in scrambled egg coating and fried on a pan covered with a butter lemon sauce and sprinkled in capers. It wasn’t appealing to me. Another place that you have to ask for water or bread repeatedly and then it may, or in my case, may not come. The piano player was the best part of this visit. I’m positive there are better places in SM to dine.

Awesome restaurant, delicious food, great service at Bistro of Santa Monica perfectly located. Highly recommended!

The Bistro of Santa Monica was recommended to me by a friend. On our anniversary, my husband and I had dinner at the restaurant and loved it. We
loved the warm, friendly atmosphere. The servers were very attentive and friendly.
We loved the food and the presentation was very nice. The location of the restaurant is very convenient, and we loved being so close to third street and go for a walk after a full three course meal. My husband and I highly recommend the restaurant to everyone, specially if you have a special occasion to celebrate.

Don’t Oder the cheeseburger! First ordered it I asked for it to be warm pink and it came out raw. They brought it back cooked much better with a new slice of cheese. Except they left the old cheese on it and burnt it to the burger. See photo I posted of Doughy bun. The bun was not fully cooked. Big disappointment! #badburger

I always eat at bistro of Santa Monica… I love everything about this cozy, relaxing place with amazing foods.
I always eat the chicken ravioli… yummmmmm the best in the country.
Also don’t forget the bread pounding is the so delicious.

My husband and I had heard about this restaurant several times and after reading the Unilocal reviews we decided to give it a try. And boy am I glad we did. Everything was spectacular. I loved the food… they have a great selection of pastas, seafood and steak. I loved the atmosphere, it was so chic and romantic. The ambiance was antique vintage romance. Everything was well designed and you could tell the owners really love what they do.
My husband had the lamb shank served in a creamy sauce and was perfect!!! The meat was tender and juicy and the sauce was right on point. I had the Insalata Di Mare with shrimp and calamari and it was excellent. Seafood can be tricky, but they nailed it. The shrimp was large and flavorful, the calamari was perfect, not rubbery like most places. I am so thrilled about this place. I think I found a gem of a restaurant.
Their service was also terrific. Our waiter was so pleasant and helpful. Very knowledgeable about the menu and had great suggestions! The also have a great selection of red and white wines as well as a full bar.
Great food, excellent service, and a full bar. What more can a girl ask for? I most definitely recommend trying this place.
Tip: There is parking in the back. And on most days they have live music :)

I really love staying in Santa Monica when in L.A. First of all, the people who work at Bistro of Santa Monica are kind and a joy to talk to. There is a large selection of food and a full bar. Whenever I see lamb shank on the menu, I just have to try it. This lamb shank was served in a Bordelaise sauce and was excellent. Hubby had the Insalata Di Mare with clams, large shrimp, calamari, and mussels and was very good.
The prices were very fare and the atmosphere lovely. We’ll be back!
Ciao!

Great deal on Yummy dessert… Chocolate soufflé!
I drove here just for the dessert.
Also have huge variety of seafood.
Thanks…