This place is a gem! Delicious food (even for picky vegetarians like myself) great selections of wines, ambience and customer service never disappoints. My favorite eats here are the bruschetta, white truffle mac + cheese, and the tiramisu! YUM! Super good! They have various dinner specials each night the rigatoni is great and vegetarian friendly. I have made numerous last minute dinner reservations here and they always somehow someway manage to squeeze my party and I in and for that I am a customer for life. Keep up the good work Bistro! read more

What a HUGE disappointed!! Just had New Year's Eve dinner. Had a 5:30pm reservation, and was literally back in my home by 6:48 pm. What a terrible experience. Arrived to bread, butter and water with melting ice sitting on our table. Pushing us and rushing from the moment we walked in. Not given the opportunity to have an appetizer or a second glass of champagne. Pushed to order. We both had the scallop and prawn sauté. What a joke! U needed a magnifying glass to find the 6 scallops. They were not much larger than a pea. To go boxes were offered long before we were finished eating, our plates were literally grabbed from us. I've eaten here multiple times and even had a group event here. Will really rethink about dining here again. My New Year's Eve was ruined. read more

Just moved here and found this little secret! Love the service and environment. You could bring friends or family- great wine list, and wonderful patio. Not good for small children, as the menu does not cater to those - however, a great classy joint to take out of towners. I've been back several times. read more

I have to agree with a couple of other reviewers, the service was good, but the heart was missing. There were four of us and we asked for bread at the table. We received four tiny slices of a dry baguette. We all looked at one another and I commented that I hope we didn't put them out too much. When we received our food it was very good and the dessert, peanut butter/chocolate cheesecake was excellent. This was lunch so we all had salads, water, and the dessert. $104. Too much for what we got. Sorry, but probably won't go back. Too many great restaurants at half that price for the same thing. read more

We ate here twice in the past month because we had a gift card to use but both of our visits were sadly disappointing. Service today was very slow and our meal came MUCH later than for a group of 4 that were seated some time after us... we only ordered a burger with side salads shared by two, nothing difficult. Pam our waitress was much more interested in the 2 guys at the counter than in helping us but thankfully the cute blonde hostess was very helpful, she brought us what we asked for because our waitress never returned, plus her personality was non existent... no smile, no interest in what we may need or if there was a problem. The chicken croissant filling had an off after taste on our first visit as did the hamburger today. How can anyone mess up a hamburger? My niece had the turkey pesto sandwich and she didn't care for it either, leaving half behind. I'd prefer a basic meal over one where the cook try's to get creative and fails. Needless to say we won't be back which is sad because the setting is very nice when visiting downtown. I know it's difficult to get good help and I hope things get better. Wishing you well. read more

Went here for anniversary dinner, had the New York steak with fresh grilled veggies and garlic mashed potatoes. Wife had the Alaskan halibut with asparagus and parmesan crusted au gratin potatoes (to die for). Service was excellent and the food was delicious. Highly recommend for that special occasion or just a Tuesday night. Atmosphere was great, low key, and quiet while still upscale. Deserts were delicious as well, creme brule and Diana torte. Head chef Leroy Walker does an outstanding job. Will definitely go back. read more

Bistro 234 - New York with Vegis and garlic mashed potatoes - New American Near Me - Turlock, California

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I really wish this review was better. We looked so forward to this reservation of two weeks as we have had wonderful food and service in the past. I love craft cocktails and felt confident ordering a Cadillac Margarita. Unfortunately I was disappointed as I received a very standard cocktail. No orange liquor or Grand Marnier added. Boring tasteless expensive drink. Next my husband ordered the special, artichoke ravioli entree which arrived with five tiny ravioli. A small child would eat twice as much. My spouse left the restaurant still hungry...and we had appetizers. My salmon was under cooked while the vegetable side was over cooked. We were dining with great friends so nothing was said or sent back. Very disappointed. read more

The evening started out promising enough, nice room and a pleasant server. She mentioned it was half price wine night, which was unfortunately disappointing. The list was pretty much all overpriced supermarket wines. I mean though it's just fine, but who has Butter chardonnay on a nice restaurant wine list? Food was barely ok. The burger could have been good, but was well done, not the ordered medium rare. Inexplicably, the lettuce was covered with fries, making it limp and useless. Likewise the gnocchi though with a decent tasting cream sauce, was really dense and tough. On the upside they made a delicious Paper Plane. read more

Loved how quiet Bistro 234 was on a Wednesday night. It made it great to catch up with friends. It was half off wine, which is amazing. Many of our top choices were out of stock, which was a bummer. I wish this could have been noted on the menu. The sea bass was delicious. read more

First visit. I was excited to see all the seafood dishes on the menu. I had the tiger prawn and bay scallops sauté. The sauce was fine, but the tiger shrimp were small and rubbery, the bay scallops were the size of a garden pea and the penne pasta was really undercooked. This is a fairly highly rated restaurant, but you have to remember, this is Turlock. read more

My hubby and I decided on Bistro for lunch today. Because the temperature was over 100 degrees outside we each chose a salad, Grilled Chicken Tuscan Chopped Salad and Peanut Thai Salad with Chicken. Both were salads were delicious but the highlight of today was the Spicy Mango Margarita! It was out of this world!!!! read more

Bistro 234 - New American Near Me - Turlock, California

Extremely unhappy with the meal I ordered today. I got the BBQ pulled pork sandwich & it was not what I was expecting. The pork tasted as though it was drenched in red wine & the sandwich bread was extremely soggy from it. It was awful. My friend ordered the fish tacos, and those were disappointing to say the least. I was expecting much more coming to this restaurant for the first time. Especially since prices are so steep. The waitress completely ignored the fact that clearly we did not like our meals, especially mine, considering my sandwich was only missing 2 bites. The lack of acknowledgement was noticed. read more

Very inconsistent. I do like their turkey cranberry sandwich because they us fresh roasted turkey meat and a good bread, if it's fresh. Their homemade fries can be outstanding or soggy. read more

I order the Ahi Tuna with jasmine rice, was very disappointed, the rice looked like grits with no flavor, the tuna had the sesame seed rub that help add flavor to my dish.... I think the cooks need to sample their food before sending it out. I won't be visiting this place any time soon. read more

44 years of marriage and decided Bistro 234 was the place to have a nice celebration dinner. Started with trying to find a suitable table. Took 3 tries. Ordered Chicken Marsala - which had some chicken but should have been called Mushroom Marsala. The waitress wasn't friendly at all throughout the dinner, and when she "served" the plates she just dropped them - clank - while walking by. Coffee could have been delicious with desert but came lukewarm. Overall, not worth price or time taken. Reg read more

Consistantly on point. Love the service and food, both in house and to go. They always pack up things nicely. It's tough going out with two little kids so having the extra touch to dinner is an awesome way to go. read more

went there Friday evening at 6:30pm made no reservations . The hostess said we could sit at the main bar and be served. I was given a Gift card from my Staff for my Birthday so we decided to go unplanned. I must say the way I was treated with the service I thought I made a reservation. Our server was OUTSTANDING! "Brida" The setting was very nice bread plate / and fresh water w/ lemon brought to us without asking. Hors d'oeuvre : seasoned asparagus and Capreses very good main Dish : Jumbo Prawns w/ scallops SeaFood risotto Desert : the Diana yum ! I will be back again and I thank the wonderful staff who work for me that sent me here for dinner thank you so much. And to Bistro 234 I waited to long to come and see you I will not wait long for the next time. V-Day is coming I highly recommend Bistro 234 to take your sweet heart . But don't wait; make the reservation. Turlock again makes the mark and sets the standard very high. Great Job to the Staff and Chefs at Bistro 234 Thank you , J. Tenorio read more

Went here last Friday night for a rehearsal dinner and sat in the wine area. The menu was house salad or Mega Huge Caesar Salad Chicken Marsala, Halibut, or Ribeye Steak. Finally Cheesecake or tiramisu My wife and I each got the house salad, Halibut, & tiramisu The food was Great and the portions were Large ! Don't know anyone who finished the ribeye ! We all had a Very Nice Time ! read more

I came in with my friend to enjoy a nice dinner. I asked for the Chicken Marsala pasta and requested the pasta without chicken because I am vegetarian. The waiter told me that they would accommodate. In the meantime, my friend and I enjoyed their flatbread appetizer and then our food came. As I was eating the pasta, I noticed a foreign piece of food and looked underneath my pasta to realize there was a huge chunk of chicken in my pasta. I'm not sure how much chicken pieces were incorporated and how much chicken I ended up eating- but I let the waiter know. They were able to make a fresh new plate of food but by that time I didn't have an appetite left.I rarely make posts like these but I felt that it was a lazy preparation and a lack of customer service from the cooks. Fairly disappointed and wouldn't recommend this place to anyone. read more

Four stars because I realize we're in a pandemic and everyone's trying their best, otherwise I would give 3 tops. Hats off to the cooks for doing a great job for what they had to work with, ribeye was seasoned great and cooked right, but for $38 it should be a prime cut and it wasn't. Definitely on the tough side read more

Made reservations for a birthday dinner at 8:00 pm and when we arrived we were turned away, we were told that we didn't have reservations when I had called 30 minutes before to confirm the reservation??? The staff was very rude and it was obvious we were being racially profiled because we are Mexican and they didn't apologize for their mistake, they wouldn't let us wait for a table when there was at least 4 tables open. They refused us service for no reason. My family are all professionals and some in law enforcement and looking forward to a nice evening but it was a horrible experience. We didn't make a fuss because it wasn't worth our time. Will never go there again and will post on social media about the bad experience! Do not support this restaurant especially if you are a minority. I guess it's the sign of the times! read more

I've never rated Bistro 234 until now, and I've been a customer since day one. I truly understand that with the pandemic it has been hard to keep staff, but we were quite disappointed last night. Not dissatisfied with our server, who worked his butt off, but with the amount of service you expect. Food was ok, a little sloppy compared to past. The poor waiter was also mixing drinks, hell I think he had to do everything! I think we will take a break and head to Table 26 for a while. read more

Food is ALWAYS amazing!! Specialty drinks were fantastic too. Excellent quality and service.

I'm pretty sure everything here is freshly made by hand. Their alfredo is absolutely perfect and so is everything else. We had the asparagus which was so good, I ordered it twice in the same meal. The macaroni was also amazing as an appetizer. It was much larger than I expected considering it was served and labeled as an appetizer. They give you a lot of food for each dish, which is really nice because you'll definitely want to savor those left-overs later. Even their hot chocolate is better than everyone else's. I can't wait to go back. read more

AHA.... now I get the shoddy reviews. Came back here on Saturday to try the Chicken Marsala ... and then began a mediocre and disappointing experience. We were greeted by the hostess who couldn't find our reservation ( I had made it earlier that day). So up comes the manager , who looked like she'd received a cancer diagnosis 10 minutes ago........ (not a good look for an elegant establishment), and in a very tight lipped manner gives us a table in the middle of the room right next to the bar. It was a terrible table ... it shouldn't even be there to begin with. My partner and I are both over 6'3" and we kept on having to swerve and dodge the staff as they moved around us , I felt like I was playing laser tag. So we asked to be seated outside. I felt like I was being punished for them losing my reservation. Outside, the heat lamps couldn't have warmed up a hamster on crack. But anyways, we persisted. My partner's iced tea came without ice (so I guess it was no -ice tea) . The over eager, waitress could have been a poster child for how NOT to train wait staff. She kept on talking over us , like we were naughty school children. She tried to take away plates that were half finished... to the extent that one of us had to actually tell her to shoo off while we finished. She was a nice girl, but no one had trained her in how to be a competent server (something that should NOT be the case in a high end establishment where you pay for service). She never came to ask us how our meal was, and then she later tried to talk over the train! (that was actually quite funny). Now about the chicken marsala ... bistro's piece de resistance. It was good but was it spectacular ?... ummm not really ... it was just good. When one plans a special night and is willing to drop mucho dinero, one expects excellent service along with excellent food, That's what makes good dining into an EXPERIENCE. Sadly Bistro fails (FAILS) to deliver. But I don't think my review will change much. There isn't anything in Turlock to compete with Bistro. What we need here are at least two more good restaurants that would make Bistro sit up and take notice ... which isnt going to happen. So we'll do what the rest of us do when we want a decent dining experience. Drive over to the city and get what we pay for. read more

Unfortunately, yelp doesn't allow a zero selection for ratings so I rated Bistro 234 a one star. First of all, I have no problem or issue with the facility itself. In fact, I think it's one of the more impressive restaurants in Turlock in regards to location, venue, and decorations. Unfortunately, their service and food quality speak louder to me than their decorations and nice location. I have given them several chances - not to wow me, but to meet mediocre status. Sadly, every time I have been there, their staff showed contempt to their customers and their food was less than mediocre. Their prices were far too high for the quality. I don't get it. If you're in Turlock and looking for a restaurant, I recommend 10 East, Dust Bowl, or La Mo. They're all a stone throw away and are Giants compared to Bistro 234. Not only will you eat good food at these restaurants, their staff will actually care about you - unlike Bistro 234. Cheers my friends! read more

I used to get dragged to "The Bistro" every once in awhile when I lived in Turlock. I always felt like I was getting screwed. Luckily, we knew several of the servers, so we couldn't complain about the service, but the prices are ridiculous. Growing up in Turlock, I remember people complaining that it needed a nice restaurant, not another mexican place. However, the owners believe that having a nice restaurant with good (on occasion) food warrants charging big city prices. Either that or the lack of competition allows for them to inflate prices...who knows. I've been to great restaurants in higher-dollar locales that have far more reasonable prices. During the real estate boom, I was not surprised that Bistro 234 did well. People cashed out their equity with no regard to the consequences and families making $50k per year were driving $80k cars! Turlock became virtually overrun with wannabies, who moved to Turlock because they couldn't afford to live in the Bay Area (but ironically believed themselves to be some sort of gods in Turlock). Of course this led to free spending on over-priced restaurants as well. However, with 25% unemployment and low household incomes, I don't see why anyone would spend their money here of all places. Sorry for the commentary... All in all, the food was good on occassion, but never great. The chef is a pretentious a-hole and the owners are the same. If you don't know the waitstaff, you're screwed...don't waste your time. If you want a good meal with less headache, maybe try Toscana's...though I think it's overpriced too. read more

If you have food allergies you might want to stop reading this and go to the next restaurant on the list. We dined at Bistro 234 with our kids who have milk allergies and before we made reservations we asked if accommodations could be made to work around the allergies and we were assured that they could accommodate us. Our waitress started off the evening poorly. First she got our drink orders wrong three times in a row, how do you do that? Then when she brought the correct drink, mine had a dead fly in it again, how does this happen. No apology given, she just got me another one. When it came time to order we asked about what accommodations could be made to work around our child's dairy allergy. In EVERY restaurant with a chef we have eaten at we never had a problem with this, especially now that food allergies are becoming more common. Our waitress Billie, seemed annoyed at us for asking if olive oil could be substituted for butter on some dishes. She suggested that our kid eat a salad. There were only two dishes to choose from that they would not put butter or cream on. I cannot believe the chef could not accommodate our simple requests to omit butter but our server was being a wall. Service summary, poor. 3 out of 10 The food was pretty good with the exception being the caprese salad, it had tasteless pucks of mozzarella. The ribeye was properly cooked although slightly over salted for my taste. Overall we liked the food. This place needs better servers AND a involved manager. Not once did a manager stop by to ask how things were, especially after I discovered the dead fly in my drink. IMO the kitchen is being let down by the front of the restaurant. With better service this review could have been a 4-star review. Not sure if I would give this place a second chance however. read more

Came in for a last minute late night birthday dinner. The spicy mango margarita was good but just a bit too spicy. I love spicy but it was a bit overboard. However the scallop pasta was amazing. It had just the right amount of citrus and was very flavorful. 4 of us got the burger and all fries were a bit over cooked, granted the restaurant was closing soon. read more

The food was below average for the price. $130 for dinner for 2 should come with 5 star service and 5 star food. I've been to many restaurants all over the bay, So Cal, and around the world. I have given this restaurant a fair shot but time and time again Bistro has failed to keep its so called reputation. I ordered the special. It was an over priced salmon that was served in a bowl on top of lima beans...really lima beans. I felt that this restaurant is taking advantage of the nice people in town this town. The only reason this restaurant is able to survive is because there's now other expensive restaurants around. I did give Bistro an 2 stars because of their drinks. They tend to pour on the heavy side. read more

We were about to eat down the street, but it was closed,so we went to this Bistro ..wow. It was a little pricey, but the food was out of this world. We had the gnocchi..great...the halibut which was a little small,but I would get it again because it was perfectly cooked,and the Parmesan augratin potato patty was luscious. Also my daughter got the chicken which was moderately priced but huge portions and delicious. We all shared a bit. Then for dessert,we shared a rich peanut butter cheesecake and an ice cream macaroon pie with toffee bits on top. Everything was just spectacular..some of the best food around...we all agreed. Also the ambience was perfect..nice cloth napkins. The servers and staff were well dressed and made us feel right at home....Rochelle seated us, and Francesca served us well. ..Both lovely young ladies..we had a great time with them as well as each other. I hope you get a chance to eat there. We spent just into three figure for three dinners,water,and two cocktails. Bottom line...great food. read more

Marsala sauce is my Favorite ! And I get it at every restaurant, unfortunately bistro 234s tasted of bbq sauce I have no idea how that is even possible but I left the entire chicken and ate the charcuterie read more

Not impressed whatsoever! Will not be back. We had reservations and were sat at a bar table then we weren't given menus "they were out". It took 20 min for someone to acknowledge us. The drinks took 15 min and the food even longer! $14 for 3 scallops! RIDICULOUS! The restaurant was smoky from the kitchen. Then when the bill came we were told to pay in cash or check because the "dial up was down" we had to leave to find an ATM and come back with cash. Will never come back! read more

Delicious food and kind staff. I had the burger, it was well flavored and juicy. The tap beer fresh and cold. Other diners had the steaks which they raved about. A good choice. read more

Last Night - the wife and I took in the culinary trappings of Bistro 234. The food was very well presented, the service was timely, and the atmosphere - A BUZZ! The waitress was clearly moving at light speed to manage the many requests coming from the growing crowd. Yet she managed to balance that with keeping our food and drink needs in synch and prioritized accordingly. The young man I will call her 'Water Wing Man' assisted in overflow support to keep our water glasses filled with some of the most refreshing water I had ever tasted! Coming from 'a water quality depraved community in the west hills' it was definitely a note to self the efforts taken. The House Chardonnay was very good and tasty! My wife had the NY Strip! The seasoning was superb and could only have been enhanced with less fat to increase the experience! Overall - It was a CLASS A EXPERIENCE! KEEP DOING YOU BISTRO 234! read more

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My husband wanted to try something new and he found great reviews on this place not to mention it boasted awards for it's food. We were able to place reservations online and based on the menu & prices the place sounded upscale. So we got dressed up and to my disappointment it was nothing more than a cafe with steep prices. The tables and chairs were eclectic and the place was small. It would have been cute as a lunch cafe but not as a nice dinner place. Not to mention it took 35 min for our food to come out, a little too long for my liking. I got the Atlantic Salmon which was actually good but the ambience Sucked. I think it was misleading..... The website, menu, descriptions, and reviews. Turlockians not to offend you but I do understand that this is the best you got in your town and unfortunately it is not good at all. read more

My wife and I and our first experience at Bistro 234 last night (07-21-12) After reading some of the reviews on here first, I must say we were a bit concerned. We soon found out that these concerns were not warranted. From the atmosphere to the service and food, this restaurant delivered. I had the NY Strip, which was good but not phenomenal. I ordered it medium but got it more medium well. There was a bit of grizzle that I felt should have been trimmed from the meat as it was not edible. The veggies and garlic mashed potatoes that came with it were divine! The veggies were fresh and cooked just right. The potato's were some of the best garlic mashed I have ever had. My wife had the Potato Gnocchi. Awesome! She loved it and so did I! (I found myself stealing more than my fair share of her dinner) The sauce was heavenly and the dumplings perfect. Our server, (Andrew I believe was his name) was very attentive to our need and did an excellent job of keeping us happy. Our bill totalled $66 but considering we had an appetizer, and dessert, it wasnt too bad. Overall a very positive experience! I will recommend this Bistro to my family and friends. As for us, we will be back soon! read more

First the positive comments. The food was fantastic. I had the filet and my girlfriend had the seafood ravioli. Both were incredible. On the down side, the service was just horrible. Unfortunately, this is not my first experience with bad service here. Secondly, the menu has not changed in a year, and that includes the specials! Yeah, the same specials as four months ago! That is a regular menu item, not a special. We also ate outside on the patio, which I thought would be very nice. However, the constant passing of grossly over accelerating Harleys really ruined the ambience.and conversation. This place is probably priced about right for Marin or Paso Robles. Unfortunately, this is Turlock. Bottom line. You should eat inside, and expect an over priced, but excellent meal coupled with very poor service. read more

Evidently an apology makes all better for Lexy and Bistro234: Dear Mr. O, Thank you for your patronage of Bistro 234. We sincerely apologize for your and your clients' inconvenience last Wednesday night. Our AC went out last week and was fixed as quickly as possible. I completely agree that customers should not be uncomfortably warm while dining. Again, our deepest apologies for your experience and we appreciate your feedback. Sincerely, Lexy On Mon, Jul 8, 2013 at 1:50 PM, Chris wrote: I brought clients to your restaurant last Wednesday for a 7:45PM dinner reservation. The hostess was efficient. I questioned why she chose the table right at the door but was told it was the coolest spot. It was quite warm. The server also confirmed it would cool down later. It never did. I had to request small pours of wine in hopes the wine would still be dinkable after a few moments in this sweltering restaurant. To no avail. The food was fine, the wine was served in proper temperature but the room was way too warm to enjoy either. +$200 spent and not a single apology offered. Not even a comped desert. Perhaps they assume we did not notice? I did not go out to eat, to be uncomfortably warm while I dine. My clients certainly did not think much of the experience. This is how they run a restaurant, one I will not return to. Chris O read more

Made a reservation, told them its for our Anniversary, when we got there the restaurant was pretty empty, but they still put us at a tiny table by the kitchen. Took forever to order. People that sat down after us were getting taken care of before us. My husbands ribeye was like carne asada. Food is not worth the price. Customer service was horrible. Very disappointing. read more