The Pasta Bistro — Restaurant in Sydney

We dined at Bistro 32 as we had quite a few times before which had previously been very good. Our last visit however, not so much. We were contacted by Bistro 32 to provide feedback and I did - we received no response or acknowledgement - please don't ask the question if you are not interested in the answer - here is my feedback which I provided directly to them.

Hi,

We had a sudden change of plans on Friday night so were looking for somewhere local to dine. Both couples had been to Bistro 32 before and thoroughly enjoyed it. Last Friday though – not so great.

Firstly – the booking process was a little onerous – I mentioned that I had been there before and that seemed to cause a problem because the person who answered the phone could not find my name – finally, when I gave my email address, we came up under my husbands name – I simply wanted to know if we could book in! It took at least 5 minutes to do so. After being told that the booking would only be held for 5 mins past 6:15 (the only time available) we got our skates on and arrived on time. Having been to Bistro 32 on at least 3 prior occasions I thought this was a bit over the top. I do feel for restaurants when potential patrons simply don’t turn up – not only rude but a negative financial impact for the restaurant – it just seemed a little heavy handed when I explained we were on our way and only at Miranda – most restaurants have a 15 minute rule.

A pleasant greeting on arrival and we were shown to the table and offered water etc – all good.

We ordered drinks and all going well.

The hiccups started at the entrée. One diner received their entrée a good 10 minutes (my husband thought it closer to 15 but sometimes when you are waiting it just seems longer!) prior to everyone else – not a great dining experience. We finally asked if the other entrees were coming and they arrived shortly thereafter. I had the scallops and whilst very tasty they were only lukewarm. We began to wonder if there were issues in the kitchen on the evening?

After entrees our wine glasses were changed for the wine we had ordered – again – all good. All the staff were very pleasant.

The mains arrived fairly close together so not an issue there – unfortunately – one diner ordered the steak and asked for it to be blue – it came out medium at best. It was a nice piece of meat just not cooked correctly. The diner did not want to make a fuss at the time as we really wanted to eat all together. Both the issue with the entrée timing and the cooking of the steak were brought to the attention of the wait staff at the end of the evening when we were asked how everything was. We let her know just so you were aware.

We have always considered Bistro 32 to be one of our favourite local restaurants and closer to fine dining than many others in the Shire but on this occasion the experience was marred by a lot of little things – nothing major – it just took the edge off the experience.

In any case – as you asked – I thought it best to share our experience of the...

Restaurant Review: The Pasta Bistro Rating: -1/5

I visited The Pasta Bistro with high expectations, especially given the positive ratings carried over from the former Bistro 32. Unfortunately, the experience was deeply disappointing on multiple levels.

Service and Treatment of Families

Despite promoting a weekly “Kids Eat Free” event, the restaurant provided only one highchair for families, making it difficult for parents with young children. Staff behaviour towards families was noticeably dismissive and at times rude, which set an uncomfortable tone from the beginning.

Excessive Waiting Time and Poor Customer Care

We waited 1 hour and 20 minutes for our meals to arrive. When we politely asked to cancel the order after such a long delay, we were refused and told it could not be done. This inflexibility, especially given the unreasonable wait, reflects poorly on customer service.

Food Quality and Handling of Feedback

The meal I received was disappointing, particularly the barramundi, which was heavily over-seasoned with salt. When I expressed my concerns, the chef/owner publicly insulted me in front of my children and friends. This was not only unprofessional but unacceptable behaviour in any hospitality setting.

Several members of our group became unwell after dining, raising concerns of possible food safety issues.

Billing and Unauthorised Gratuity

To add to the experience, a tip was added to the bill without our consent. When we questioned this, we were told it was “normal,” despite the fact that we raised concerns about the food after the first bite. This felt misleading and unethical.

Overall Atmosphere and Lasting Impact

It is disheartening that businesses like this overshadow honest and hardworking hospitality venues. The treatment we received was so distressing that we now feel uncomfortable even walking past the restaurant, out of fear of further insults.

Misleading Reputation

Many diners are likely drawn in by the previous reputation and reviews of Bistro 32, unaware they are now walking into a completely different establishment. This is misleading and unfair to those expecting a pleasant dining experience.

Final Verdict: AVOID AT ALL COSTS. It is not worth the time, money, or the embarrassment of having to apologise to the people you bring with you. Dining at home would offer better food, comfort, and peace of mind.

Rating: -1/5 from myself and others...

I feel so frustrated by my experience here. We sat down for our reservation on a Tuesday (were told at the door we didn’t have one before it being found) and used the QR code on the table to order our food, pairing off into couples to place our orders when 20 minutes later the host / owner comes out with our receipts, sitting down at our table in frustration and asking us what we have done. Asking us why we placed so many orders and asking what we wanted. We explained we had used the QR code to place our orders as couples to pay separately before completing the order and finding you still had to pay at the end of the meal. He told us that we should have ordered all at once instead of placing so many (3) separate orders and left. Our starters came in half an hour and after 50 minutes from placing our mains order, asked the waiter if he could let us know how much longer our mains would be. He let us know the kitchen was understaffed but would check. He came back letting us know that none of our orders had been started. We decided to cancel our order as it had been an hour at this point and we could see around us that no one else had their mains (maybe another 5 or 6 tables). The same host/owner comes to our table and asks, again in frustration, if we had cancelled our order and we started to answer, saying, ‘yes, so sorry—‘ before he waived his hand at us and walked back to the kitchen. We stood up and waited at the door to pay, waiting another 5 minutes for someone to give us our bill until I had to walk to the bar at the back of the restaurant to ask if we could pay. The waitress told me she was doing our bill but had take all our orders off the bill and it was taking a minute. I’m sure there was pressure of being short staffed and possibly stressed at the situation but the attitude of everyone we encountered, excluding the young man, was unfriendly and uninviting. Can’t comment on the food as we only had garlic bread and arancini in the hour and a half we were there. Had read the reviews before going and felt good about trying this place but we will...