Bank Bistro & Bar

This review is really just for the mixed drinks: the «Mogul’s Mojito» was pretty decent but the «Millionaire’s Manhattan» was overpowered by Crown Royal… I couldn’t taste anything else, so that was a bummer. The bartender was nice and the space was pretty cool. I would definitely check it out again if we lived in the area.

Had dinner here while spending the weekend in town sightseeing. As pointed out by others, it’s a cool interior space. Food was good too. We had the cheese plate, lettuce wraps and the beekeeper’s salmon, plus key lime pie for dessert. Good wine selection and nice ambiance. Kitchen closed a little earlier than expected that night and they were out of crab cakes (which we’d hoped to try) by other than that, definitely worth dining at if you’re in the area.

We had a great experience and will return asap. We showed up without a reservation and they did a great job getting us in during a busy time. Food was excellent and service great. They made a mistake and corrected it quickly and apologetically. Worth traveling to if you are within an hour.

I had not been to The Bank for several years so decided to take a special guest this evening.
I loved the music, art and photos on the walls and clean atmosphere. Our waiter was good and visited the table regularly.
The bread put on the table after arrival was not stale, but not fresh either. When our entrees arrived the sides were on the wrong plates. Waiter did not seem to notice. We did not complain and ate our meal. The portions are small. My salad seemed to be served in a doll size bowl. It was good…
but a bit of a dink.
No one asked if everything tasted good or if everything was ok. A manager or owner never came by the table as you often see in smaller, intimate eateries to great us or ask about our satisfaction.
We were somewhat disappointed and may not return for several more years if then.

This place is tres cool. Excellent pace, well presented, affordable and delicious. Table was a high top at the window and very private in spite of being in a dining room. it and would come back in a minute.

Food excellent and service is very good I had ribeye and side of shrimp. It is a good place to go for «date night» even though it seems a little more expensive than some places I fell it is worth it.

The shrimp and grits was one of the best I have had (only served on Wednesdays). There were at least 10 big shrimp in the bowel as well as a bacon and green onion topping. Service was friendly and attentive. Great bar selection.

I like this place better as a bar than a restaurant. Not because there’s anything wrong with the food: the food is quite good. We’ve had their rib eye, salmon, and several appetizers and all were top notch (the calamari was, in fact, perfect).
No, the reason I prefer this place as a bar is because the bar is just that good. It’s a large horseshoe that allows you to see back into the old vault where they keep their bottles. They have a fine selection of drinks and excellent service. Although I’m not really a cocktail guy, I noted that they will make you anything you want and don’t shy away from something new. They made my wife a variety of non-​alcoholic cocktails when she was not supposed to have alcohol, which was a nice touch.
If you go here for the food, you’re not making a mistake. However, the bar is my preference.

Very soothing atmosphere! Great food & service! Pricey drinks! We had crab cakes, ribeye & gumbo. Highly recommend!

Nice spot in Washington to enjoy a meal. Bartender did a great job on the martinis, the stuffed mushrooms were heavenly, and the mahi mahi special hit the spot. Great service too.

I have to give 4 stars because the place is a tall glass of water in a relatively dry town. I wasn’t extremely happy with the service but the atmosphere was very charming. I am hoping it survives, as it has been open only a couple months. the service was really only worth 2 or 3 stars for a few reasons. We were sat with no silverware, the waiter noticed which was good and said he would return with silverware and water. He only brought the water. We had to remind him of the silverware after he dropped off our salads. At some point he had told us that he was going to bring us bread but did not, so I asked before we received our meals for the bread and he told us they didn’t have anymore but he would look. I am guessing that he never found it because he never brought it to us but also failed to mention it. The third thing I can complain about is that my water was empty immediately and I was never asked if I wanted more. I was asked about wine but not water. He did have a pleasant personality but it didnt compensate enough for his efforts. I had the lemon caper chicken and it was incredible! My girlfriend felt the same of her ginger soy chicken. Again, poor service but it still gets 4 stars because of the atmosphere. I hope my first ever review helps!

Solid spot. Was very surprised by the elegance of this place for Washington, NC. Classy setting, 14 table restaurant. Menu was not very big, however the food was great. Service was relatively slow, which I didn’t mind because I was nursing a hangover with there $ 6 mimosas, if you weren’t drinking I could see that being problematic. All in all. I would go back, and I would recommend.

Nice to have this restaurant in Washington, NC. Had a good, celebratory family meal there. Fish (rockfish) was great and chef/​waitress was very accommodating with special requests. My only critique was that some of the items (most notably the mashed potatoes) were extremely salty. This has happened twice now, so I’m guessing its just the chef/​cooks taste buds. I’m not one who is squeamish about salt, so when I say «salty», I mean REALLY SALTY! I really want this place to succeed so please fix the saltiness!

Had a Caesar salad with salmon and mint tea to drink. It was wonderful! The atmosphere, Ambiance, and service were all stellar! So unique for Washington! Artful, fresh, well– considered food. Love them!

What a refreshing add to downtown Washington. Portions are a tad on the small side, but I eat too much anyway. Been there twice and great both times. Calamari is tender and breading is lite and just right. I have not had good good experiences with prime rib of late and while skeptical about ordering the Thursday special it was the best I have had. Joanna (sp?) was our server and above excellent. Keep up the good work.

Only wish this place had opened earlier! Amazing menu for the area. Really brought the downtown restaurant scene up a notch. Way to go!

Went inside last night for a drink at their bar. Bartender didn’t even recognize I was there. I approached him outside the bar and asked if we could put a playoff game on the TV, he said no because someone was watching the channel. This is ironic because I asked the few people sitting at the bar if they were watching the channel and they all said no. I asked who was watching it and he said he couldn’t tell me for privacy reasons. I wasn’t even offered a drink. Crazy thing is my wife was having a drink at the bar with two other friends. Horrible service. I have been in there before, and the service was a little better. Food was really good. After 3 visits total, I am not impressed. The dining room is really cool. Food is pretty good. Service is non-​existent.

Tasty upscale option in this quaint little town. Enjoyed the fried artichokes… great comfort food. Awesome grilled carrots accompanying our meal. Nice assortment of Martinis and beers too.

Lunch menu is all sandwiches and mostly gourmet grilled cheese variants. All dinner dishes tried (salmon, chicken with goat cheese & artichoke, crab cakes) were good.
Our hostess and waitress were wonderful!
Hoping they change the menu every so often so we can try different dishes next time we go. For a Washington find, this place is definitely worth a try.
Little seating– make a reservation or get there early!
Cons:
cocktails weren’t that great– way too strong for the martini and the Old Fashioned with Southern Comfort had too much or too little of something.
SO LOUD. The acoustics are terrible, but maybe this is a problem they haven’t had time to tackle yet as this restaurant is new. If they don’t fix it though, this place will not be enjoyable at all.

This is a great find in Washington NC. There are a number of restaurants in this small town, and this is the only one we had a chance to try and are we glad that we did. It is fairly new, so I am the first Unilocaler to review it.
This restaurant is in the downtown of this small town in a historic bank building. It has been restored very nicely as a restaurant, some great artwork, and the bank vault is the bar. We had dinner there on a Thursday evening. The service was friendly, wlecome and speedy, something that we appreciate. The food was fantastic. My husband had the filet, which was one of the best that he had ever had, and we eat out a lot. I had the shrimp and hoecakes, a variation on shrimp and grits. And while this was not as good as some of the best shrimp and grits that I’ve had, it was definitely tasty. The value was there-​entrees with small salad and another side were less than $ 20.00. Chocolate cream pie for desert was outstanding.
We returned for lunch the next day and they had a nice variety of sandwiches available on different breads and wraps. Same friendly and quick service. We go to Eastern North Carolina a lot, but this was our first trip to Washington, and we are looking forward to another detour just to visit the Bank Bisto and Bar again.