We had a lovely dinner as a family celebrating my birthday while staying in Bismarck. The service is quite friendly, as are most of the people in North Dakota. The ambiance is that of a traditional upscale restaurant, with (most) patrons dressing in their Sunday best. Our kids enjoyed their food off the kids menu. We ordered a lobster bisque, Caesar salad, and crab cakes for starters. The lobster bisque was very, very bland--even for me! And I never add salt to anything, not even to most of my cooking lol! My husband was dousing it constantly. Unfortunately, even with all the added salt, it was tasteless. The crab cakes were ok, and the Caesar salad was standard. I ordered the pecan-crusted walleye for myself--it seemed a bit overcooked and I ended up eating only half. We tried chocolate cake for dessert and it was also just ok, a bit dry and also bland, surprisingly. I hate to give this place a lower rating because it's hard enough as it is to come by a fanciful restaurant in such a small town. They're trying, but need to step it up in the taste & preparation department. read more

Enjoyed a great dinner here on a busy Friday evening. Warm bread with olive oil, Parmesan and vinegar dip started the meal.

My sisters and I found the Bistro 1100 in Bismarck, ND, for lunch. What a lovely, delightful restaurant. We ate in the bar for a less formal experience. The restaurant was clearly more formal, with cloth napkins and impeccably designed tables. Angela was our wait person. She was friendly, helpful, and very responsive. She was knowledgeable about the menu and the specials and brought our drinks right away. They had been made correctly. The food was exceptional! We ordered the crusted ahi appetizer. It was very good. The entrées were equally impressive in terms of portion and scrumptiousness. Angela talked us into sharing a Crème Brûlée. It was divine! This is a high-end establishment, and our bill was $170 for the three of us, including cocktails and a tip. We were traveling and visiting, and it was worth it. Great find! read more

The service is as fantastic The atmosphere was delightful Delightful The food was great read more

The Bistro has been a staple of good dining in Bismarck for the past 25 years, and it still delivers. Since the Bistro opened, there have been a couple of new "fine dining" restaurants in town, but in many ways the Bistro can still hold its own. Be warned though... the portions are large and this is some rich food. Lots of cream and butter and cheese in the entrees we had. One of the great things here (which is absolutely free) is their fresh baked bread with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and freshly grated parmesan. Our waitress was very nice, and even brought me samples of the draft beers when I sounded indecisive. Our Bananas Flambé dessert was also huge. It's a good thing we chose to split it. Trust me, you will definitely not leave here hungry. read more

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The wine I ordered off menu was not available Next they gave us the list of daily specials...turned out that all were no longer available Not impressed...why give us the list of daily specials if they are not available read more

My biggest pet peeve is walking into an establishment where the employees are talking amongst themselves and completely ignore me - which is what happened here. Finally we had to ask "is it seat yourself" their response "no kids in the bar" okay patio? "Patio is 21+" alright rhen so we sat ourselves in the dining area. Ramiro our waiter was great - he saw we were without kids menus so he brought some over to us and was attentive and friendly. The bread was good and the kids liked their meals. I ordered the Cesar salad which was really good and very filling the salad is huge! read more

Bistro 1100 - New American Near Me - Bismarck, North Dakota

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It's been about 9 years since the last time I ate here and for no specific reason. Tonight we went with the 2orlteeam to celebrate a great quarter and wanted a place that was known for its food and service and also had a great wine and drink list! This place checks off a those boxes! Service fromRoman was very good and he was knowledgeable about wines and specials which I appreciate. We ordered a couple of apps which were on special for Wednesday night. We got the bruschetta and the Chipotle chicken quesadillas. Both were very tasty. The bruschetta came out pretty small and the waiter apologized right away anshad another order already being made at no extra charge. (Good service on his part). The quesadillas where a large portion and like I said packed with good flavor. They next brought the salads and again nice size salads and then the meals came out. I was excited to have the blackened seared ahi tuna as it was highly recommended. One of my favorite things to eat! Most others got the 12oz ribeye which they all said was excellent and very good flavor. Now you are probably wondering if it's been a o good why a 3 star? First off it's closer to a 3.5 but that option isn't available... second my meal was not good. The first few bites were fine but then I started to notice the tuna was pretty rubbery and very cold on the middle. It becamw hard to chew especially since this is suppose to be melt in your mouth type food! The veggies for all of us where overcooked and not crunchy (big kiss because the veggies had awesome flavor). The lemon basmati rice was a hit for sure and that I was grateful for. I did not send it back as I felt eating half the plate I would be asking to much. I'll also chalk it up to a bad meal for me but the other 6 very happy with there's besides the veggies. Now will I stay away... absolutely not the service and the other food options available will bring me back in the future. My suggestion is if you are a big fan of ahi tuna this might not be your first place to eat it! To see more pictures of this place and others go to Kam Finds Food page on Facebook and Instagram and join the foodie community! read more

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Great food. Great service. Every plate was perfect. Flavors were flawless. Presentation outstanding. Service was fun and upbeat. I would go back. A thoroughly enjoyable dinner read more

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Caramel Apple Martini was delicious! A must order is the Ahi Tuna!! The duck was wonderful as well but only slightly overdone. The waite staff was fast efficient and friendly. Bismarck is fortunate to have a restaurant that serves delicious meals of Tuna & duck! Overall, for this region I would rate the Bistro 5 of 5 stars. read more

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The bread here is AUH-MAZING! I will honestly admit, I come here for their bread plus oil and vinegar and shaved cheese. Additionally, I come for the excellent service and nice atmosphere. The bar area is where you'll get very quick and amazing service. I'd recommend their crab cakes and lobster bisque soup. The lobster bisque soup is super delicious, it randomly has avocado chunks in it, but it totally works, tastes delightful! Once in a while, I will get the cheese tray, which is pretty good depending upon the cheeses they offer that week (hit or miss). Lastly, I love the raspberry cheesecake. I think that is their best dessert. I come here a lot, it is definitely one of the "classier" places to eat in the Bismarck area. I will continue to keep coming back! read more

Bistro 1100 - Crab Cakes - New American Near Me - Bismarck, North Dakota

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Wonderful blackened salmon on fresh greens. Came with perfectly ripe melon and pineapple slices. Light, healthy and filling. Fresh bread was delicious! read more

On January 25 2023 my wife and I decided to go to the Bistro for dinner without a reservation. It was almost 7:00 PM and the place was packed from dining room to the bar. I asked the Hostess if there was any chance to get a table. She said I'm sure I can find room . Seated us and we were waited on almost immediately. Although the staff was running from kitchen to tables like crazy we were brought our orders in a very timely manner. In a very special moment the owner Moe served us our dinner plates hot from the kitchen himself rather than letting it sit under a warmer until our server was available. A shout out for the food and for Moe and his staff! Both were impeccably great! All on a very busy night. A place to return to over and over.!! read more

I stopped by here this past Saturday with my wife and her parents for dinner. Whenever you first walk into Bistro 1100 you are greeted with the bar are which consists of a bar and a number of tables. It was full on the day that we were there and so our whole party thought, oh crap, maybe we won't get a table. Even so we headed over to the hostess station. While waiting for the hostess I noticed on their seating chart that a number of people had made reservations for that evening. Thankfully that didn't stop us from getting a table and we were immediately seated in the dining room. You can tell that the dining room here used to be something else as there were old brick pillars as well as a huge s shaped tray cut in the ceiling. From my seat I could also see what I assumed was the brick pizza oven which looked pretty legit. For dinner on this evening I decided to have the basil pesto linguine with chicken. The menu described it as Zucchini, Squash, Sun Dried Tomato & Spinach White Wine Basil Pesto Sauce, Parmesan Cheese. Before our dinners came out we were given some bread as well as an oil, balsamic vinegar and Parmesan cheese mixture to dip it into. I rarely mention these things in my reviews but will here because it was delicious. The bread had a nice little yeasty flavor to it and the dip tasted like it was made with quality olive oil and balsamic vinegar and I appreciated the cheese in it. It also helped to hold off our hunger as the wait for our dinner was a bit longer than I had anticipated. Whenever it came out though it was worth the wait. Even though the menu called it a pesto, I was curious how it was going to work with the white wine sauce. The short answer is that I certainly wouldn't call this a pesto because even though it had basil on it, the sauce was surely the white wine sauce mentioned on the menu. That's not to say it wasn't good as I really enjoyed it. As a matter of a fact I ended up eating it all from the bottom of the bowl even after my pasta was gone. Still, it wasn't a pesto. Anyways, the pasta and items in it ended up being good as well. The chicken tasted good while the vegetables led it to feel healthier than it probably really was. I especially appreciated the sun dried tomatoes which gave a nice pop of acidity and flavor to the dish. The bottom line for me is that I would head back here again in the future. I thought that the bread and dip at the beginning were good and that my entree was tasty as well. read more

Freshly made sauerkraut-rye bread-corned beef was in a wild Class Reuben Sandwich The "best" lobster bisque we have had! read more

Bistro 1100 - Lobster Bisque Soup Rueben sandwich Chicken penne - New American Near Me - Bismarck, North Dakota

They have the best bread and it is always fresh. The service is great, staff is nice, and food is delicious! I would definitely recommend!

Food and service was outstanding . We sat in the bar , our server was no less than spectacular. I had the tuna appetizer along with a Caesar salad and my husband had the pecan crusted walleye! He loved it , my food was awesome ... def a must stop ! Great place to eat in Bismarck for over 30 years !! read more

I have eaten at the bistro many many times. The staff is awesome and the food is impeccable! By far my favorite eatery in Bismarck!!!

Fantastic, Lobster Ravioli. I am from Sioux Falls SD . Love this place. Highly recommended.

This place is ALWAYS busy at night. Best to make a reservation, but you can eat in the bar too! It's a little cozy in there though. The dining room is much better. The service here is great and the bar is wonderful.. We forget about stopping here due to location, but we like it a lot.. we're not amazing at planning or I'd have a dining room review of recent. My husband had the ribs and I snuck a few bites... wow! My food was good, but his stood out! Great food, great staff and nice atmosphere.... Good date night, family night or hanging with friends stop! read more

The Bistro is EXCELLENT! The wait staff was prompt and professional. I tend to be indecisive and our waiter didn't mind at all. He answered my many questions and I settled on the Blackened Ahi Tuna. We we starving so we ordered a side of Chicken Noodle Soup which, in all honesty, was the best soup I have ever tasted! My sister and I both loved our meals. We opted to take leftovers home and have desert. We ordered the Chocolate Caramel Turtle Tart (or something of that nature) and it was phenomenal. It might be strange, but it tasted like Autumn...which almost guarantees that I will be back this Fall to have it again! I would recommend this place to any and everyone! read more

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I love the Bistro. Amazing food, service, atmosphere. I think the Bistro has the best Chicken Caesar Salad! I have never had a bad experience here. read more

I have always been impressed with the bar at this restaurant. I know this is one of the premier places to go in Bismarck for fine dining. There's a bunch of really really good things on the menu, but I really prefer the bar burger and eating in the bar. The staff is friendly and they have a pretty good selection of drinks. To me this place has good options for almost anyone. read more

Welcome yourself into this restaurant, because no one that works there will. The hostess was literally facing away from the entrance, and she looked startled to see that people were coming in to be sat. No hello or welcome whatsoever as she marched us to a table and slapped the menus down on a sticky table. You'll notice a few things right away--the dated, dusty decor that clutters every aspect of the restaurant, the prelude to bad service that the hostess gives you, and the lingering, musty smell of decomposing carpet. You'll wonder why you didn't turn around and bolt out the door. You'll also wonder how so many people gave this place positive reviews. My friend ordered the reuben. Pretty basic, and it looked fine, nothing remarkable. I ordered the "Asian" scallop salad. I like how if you splash soy sauce on something it's suddenly Asian. The scallops, on appearance, looked good. They were large, and there were four of them, which I hadn't expected. They were nicely seared and cooked to temp. There was, however, absolutely no seasoning on them. No salt; no pepper. Oh, and the salad greens weren't dressed--the dressing was on the side. It's always a mark of a poor kitchen when the salad isn't dressed and when components of the salad are not seasoned, as if the dressing is supposed to season everything. The souffle (haha, yes this restaurant had a souffle on the menu), was not a souffle. I have never, not once, seen a souffle served outside of a souffle cup. No one that goes to the trouble to prepare such a technical dessert would cause it to flatten by dumping it out of the souffle cup. This was a chocolate polenta souffle, which, granted, sounded odd, but I was willing to give it a go just because I thought it remarkable that a Bismarck restaurant had a souffle. It was gritty, and it was almost as if the polenta was there so they would have an excuse for it being gritty. It was dumped onto a plate, which obviously caused it to collapse. There was none of the light, eggy, custard quality at all. Indeed, this was a 9-dollar brownie made with no finesse with two giant scoops of low-quality, store-bought ice cream. The waitress might as well not have said anything, because I couldn't hear a word that she mumbled under her breath. The real cherry on top of this delightful experience was as we were leaving there were three staff members sitting at the bar, one appeared to be drinking wine, and they were loudly talking disrespectfully about one of the previous guests. Classy! The owner of this dump clearly takes no pride in training the employees to be of quality nor of the food to be of quality. Every aspect of our visit was a disappointment. read more

This completes my trifecta of mediocre Bismarck restaurant reviews. NOT that Bismarck doesn't have more so-so ones, it is just these three (Bistro, Toasted Frog, and Walrus) are probably considered by many as some of the best places to eat in town (we've long given up on Peacock Alley....). The last time we were at the Bistro was Valentine's Day. We had hoped to either go to the Brazilian Harvest or Roby's in Mandan (the former we like, the latter we wanted to try again), but had to settle for the Bistro as the former was packed and the latter was closed. Our waiter was slow and bored. Seriously. My wife had the scallops and asparagus linguine in creme sauce. For some reason the chef apparently thought pencil eraser-sized bay scallops (obviously frozen) were the way to go, instead of much larger and sweeter sea scallops. He also must have used the asparagus tips in some other dish since all my wife got were 1" stalk pieces - yes, like the tough, fibery bottoms. To complete this dish was a creme sauce that tasted exactly like - you got it, creme. That was ok though as it was much to hot to eat. I had a hankering for meat, which is why we tried the other places first. Now, normally I order the ostrich at the Bistro, but I went with their very large porterhouse - medium rare, of course. Sure, part of it was medium rare, along with part which was medium, another location was well done, and to demonstrate his complete inability to judge meat temperature, the chef was able to cook part of the tenderloin rare - or perhaps it just didn't hit the fire at all? I had a nice glass of some indifferent Merlot, but paid for it (something like $8 a glass) and my wife had a warm Sam Adams Lager. I thought about complaining but seeing how hard it was to get a hold of our waiter, I let it pass (besides, some business acquaintances of my wife picked up our tab, so I didn't want to ruin it for them). The restaurant's atmosphere is nice, but I was also very surprised and disappointed by how dressed down people were. I get jeans and a collared shirt, but there were several tables of people with logo'd t-shirts and baseball caps. Yes, men wearing caps. I'm not old but that is just not very couth, so I guess that speaks for the Bistro. Overpriced, average food, served to uncouth slobs. On second thought, I may have to swap Peacock Alley with the Bistro. Same complaints save the slobs... read more

Was expecting better in terms of both service and food. Ordered our wine and it took ten minutes to get it, on a Wednesday evening...We had crab cakes for an appetizer that were almost soggy from all the grease used to fry them. I did enjoy the fresh baked bread and a starter salad with mozzarella, red onions and tomatoes. However, when the menu says "fresh mozzarella" I would think you would get more than three tiny spheres of the stuff. I ordered one of the specials, a fish flown in from Hawaii with lemon saffron rice and sauteed veggies. The fish was supposed to be cedar smoked with a spicy chile garlic sauce. I did not taste one hint of the smokiness and there was little sauce on it. I had to ask for something to dip it in because it was lacking in flavor. Rice was dry, veggies were veggies. Overall, I do not think I would return again especially for the price. read more

We celebrated our 33rd anniversary at the Bistro last night. Once again, the Bistro did not disappoint us!! My husband had the Smoked Pork Ribeye for the first time and it was out of this world!! One more for our favorites list!! It makes it so hard to decide what to order - we have so many favorites! read more

Have only been once for lunch , and once was enough to know this will most definitely be one of our very special spots!! Lobster Bisque was so so yummy!!! Most definitely one of the very best burgers ever!!! You can request your burger cooked any way you like, medium rare is always our preference and it was done to perfection. While we waited we were served in house baked bread and a lovely plate of Oil and Vinegar and freshly grated Parmesan. Scrumptious!! The service and atmosphere beyond:). This would be a great place for a luncheon for a group or intimate dining experience. Looking soon forward to returning and experiencing more from their varied menu. The staff and atmosphere, top notch... Please don't miss out on this !! read more

Let me start by saying, in the land of dairy farmers and cattle ranchers who come to "town" on weekends, I have not experienced the quality customer service in any sector of the hospitality/service industry that I am accustomed to and have experienced in other cities. Sometimes I have felt that I should hate the job FOR my service provider; they tend to be flat, dryly courteous, or just disinterested. I guess it doesn't take much to satisfy a cowboy! That said, Bistro is a bright spot in the Bismarck dining landscape. Not that the service is so great, as much as it's better than average in the area. I enjoyed a EUROPA PIZZA on my first visit. Good crust, diced chicken, dried tomatoes, feta and mozarella cheeses, kalamata olives, pine nuts, and white sauce surpassed my expectations for food served at the bar as the dining room was closed. Reasonably priced, a view of the dinner menu helped me decide it was worth a return trip for dinner. Points deducted for my server's pink underwear bunched up above her pants, as well as the kitchen workers who hung out in the bar who appeared a bit dirty. The following day, a coworker was leaving to go back home, so I suggested Bistro for the "going away" dinner. I began with WILD SHRIMP SAUTEED; the description was limited, but I wanted shrimp. I received an aromatic bowl of creamy, mango and curry-seasoned saffron with five large shrimp. It was listed on the appetizer menu, but was enough for two. The dish smelled great, and tasted just as well after a salt and pepper adjustment (typical for most dishes I've had in this part of the Midwest). My entree order, with my somewhat sloppily dressed server, consisted of a SMOKED SEA SALT-CRUSTED RIBEYE, medium well, with SOUR CREAM AND CHIVE MASHED POTATOES and VEGETABLE MEDLEY. I received a well done buffet-quality ribeye and barely warm garlic mashed potatoes. There was absolutely no hint of smoked sea salt flavor in the dry steak. My waitress asked if I wanted her to warm up the potatoes... seems to me the best option would have been to return with some hot mashed potatoes as ordered. Being not in the mood to make an issue of it, I just dealt with it... it's not like I'm in a world-class city, so why expect world-class food, right? I considered dessert but wanted to avoid any further disappointment, so I settled for something the restaurant had no part in making... a NAVAN COGNAC after-dinner cordial, the highlight of the meal along with closing out my $55 bill. The 3-star rating is based on area comparison... they offer something a little different from the typical. read more

Meh. That's what I think about this place. They want to be upscale, but they have to start by providing high quality food and sevice. I had the portobello mushroom appetizer, the vegetable soup, the greek pizza and creme brulee trio. Portobello had tons of melted greasy cheese, not in description. Same case for pizza. Soup tasted like canned tomatoes. Not fresh. Not coming back. read more

The Cajun tortellini is soooo good! The environment and staff is very relaxed and peaceful. We never feel rushed when we come here! The service is outstanding! read more

Let's face it, y'all. Bismarck is rather slim on choices for fine dining. Most of the time I feel like I'm limited to places like Applebee's and the Ground Round. This was the first time I'd visited Bistro, and I can now say I'm a fan! My family and I visited for lunch around noon. Neither the bar nor the dining room were busy. We were seated immediately. Our server was attentive and sweet and made sure we were well cared for. We started with the beer cheese dip, served with tortilla and pita chips. It wasn't unlike a cheese fondue made with a beer base. Since the Bistro is famous for their burgers, we each had one. I was not disappointed! The burger itself was huge, and I could tell that the beef was of rather high quality. I could only eat half my burger and couldn't even fathom having dessert! I would have given the Bistro 5 stars, but the food service itself was rather slow, especially considering it was lunch time and was not busy. I definitely recommend it, though! read more

I thought this was an OK restaurant on our overnight stay in Bismark. The chicken curry pasta had an overly thick sauce with a nice curry flavor. The chicken was cooked well and was very tender. The ostrich was perfectly cooked but overpowered by some sort of cream sauce with kalmata olives. As much as I love greek olives, these didn't accentuate or add to the flavor of the ostrich at all. And frankly, there just wasn't enough of the ostrich to justify the price. It came with just three small medallions. I ordered it medium rare and it was cooked exactly right. The rest of the plate was filled up with way too much potato and veggies. read more

One of the best restaurants in Bismarck. I've dined here dozens of times over the last 2 years, and the only bad meal I had was the sushi. Stay far, far away from the sushi at this place. Everything else is awesome, though. I'm a big fan of finding dishes that aren't served anywhere else in town, and Bistro has quite a few. My favorite is the lamb gnocchi. Portion sizes are pretty big, so plan to take some home with you, or share with a friend. Bistro has a large private room that we use twice a year for business meetings. The staff does a wonderful job, serving lunch quickly and efficiently. As far as I know, they've never gotten an order wrong. Other than the private room, however, there's not much space for larger parties (more than 8). You don't need a reservation, but if you're planning to go during peak hours, I would recommend it. read more

I've been here twice and haven't had a bad experience. In my opinion this is bismarks nicest restaurant. A wide variety to choose from.

Finally made it back here and am glad I did! We arrived barely after the dining room opened for dinner. Again, the service was impeccable, though the attentiveness of the water boy/girl gets a little tedious. The bread is fantastic. More than one appetizer and entree appealed; it was a tough choice to make. By the time I devoured my share of the bread and appetizer, I was pretty full. My meal (protein, starch, veggie) was enough food to give me a full-size meal of leftovers today. Meal for two adults, appetizer and two entrees was about $60. Less food for the price than at other places in town, but the atmosphere is better, and the service is top-notch. read more

Super cool place for ND. Stopped with the kids had a good time read more

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I was hovering between 3 and 4 stars but I finally settled on 4 due to the service I received. I have been here twice, once for lunch and once for dinner. Both visits were pleasant yet could have been better. For lunch I had a bar burger and lobster bisque. The burger was good but could have been outstanding if it had been cooked medium well as ordered, rather than medium rare as received. I had heard rave reviews on the lobster bisque and will say it was pretty good, although not as great as I had been expecting. My second trip was for dinner and I ordered a crab cake appetizer (after the waiter raved about it), a pecan and cranberry salad and a mahi-mahi special. I was totally underwhelmed by the crab cake - for the price I expected a top notch, lump crab cake. Instead I received a mediocre, breadcrumb breaded lump of shredded crab meat and filler. Not impressed. The salad and mahi-mahi, however, were fantastic. The only other slight issue I had was the price of wine by the glass. I had a glass of merlot and a malbec and while both were good I'm sure they were sub $10 a bottle wines so $8 a glass was a little steep, especially considering the amount in the glass. Overall I was happy and will certainly stop back on a future trip to town - it just won't be my first choice. read more

Upscale atmosphere. Really nice restaurant for a date and dinner. Went there with co-workers when I was in town for work. Great beer selection, and I tried several local-ish brews. Very nice. I had the Lamb Gnocci, and it was great. Huge portions and very good service. I can recommend this place for all occasions. read more

The food at this place is always good. The service is always lacking. Today, I sat at the bar. The manager was working the bar. He poured an Arnie Palmer. Then over the next 15 minutes, he did other tasks even cleared tables, yet not once did he ask if I was ready to order or if I had any questions. There were only 2 other people sitting in the bar area, so he was not that busy. This guy needs a lesson on customer relations. I'd give him an "F." My co-captain ordered the hamburger special. But he got some other burger. He mentioned this to the bar manager. Like I said, the food is always good. They just need a huge boost in positive personality. read more