Ristorante Mistral — Restaurant in Bellagio

When I read the positive reviews by others I feel a mixture of confusion and disappointment. How could my experience have been so wildly different from some others? Let me summarize at the outset that the service was generally poor, the food was mediocre, and the one star is because at this price point, my experience should have been so much better! I would say I literally enjoyed every other meal I had in Bellagio more, both in terms of service and food.

I went there with a huge smile on my face and excited to celebrate my birthday. From the outset, the lack of hospitality was jarring. The host simply stared at me when I arrived. No welcome, no smile. I said we had a reservation and we were taken to a table literally the furthest and last one at the end of a hallway section of the restaurant. Now don't get me wrong, it was part of the dining area but by far the worst table and in front of a broken window entirely clouded up by condensation. I cannot imagine why, given many other two seater tables were still available and we arrived at the opening for dinner, the host would seat us there. I was made to feel uncomfortable in asking to be seated elsewhere with the host remarking that it's dark outside and you can't see anything anyway. Um, could anyone in hospitality truly think that sitting facing a clouded up window with condensation versus looking out into the moonlight and twinkling lights on the lake are comparable? Fine, we got to move but I already felt very uncomfortable and unwelcome and like a problem. Kudos to my server, though, who tried to redeem the situation and make us comfortable. Generally our two servers we were happy with during the meal and the reason I gave two stars. BUT...

After our meal (we did the tasting menu) we were basically abandoned entirely by our servers. We refilled our own water glasses and eventually someone (not our main servers) came to refill and finding we had already done so, asked whether we wanted more water. We declined, he disappeared and we then spent the next 45 mins doing absolutely nothing but trying to get someone's attention so we could pay and leave. We literally watched others who came after us being dealt with but at that point only one server was seemed to be on the floor and we literally had to flag her down to get her to come over, but it doesn't end here...

After we FINALLY paid and were walking out we were called out by the host from the far side of the restaurant who said (loudly enough for a few remaining patrons to hear) that our cards were declined. We were entirely confused as to what could have happened. First it was that it was my card, then it was that it was the other member of the party's card, then it was both. Turns out the server who had taken payment from another table right before ours without incident had somehow managed to make a mistake with the machine (?) for BOTH of our payments. We had to run the payments through the machine again, which of course worked. They apologised but not before managing to make us uncomfortable at BOTH the start AND the end of our night. The host could have called us aside discreetly to address this issue which wasn't even our fault at all. I don't understand the tone at this restaurant at all!

As for the food (we did the tasting menu), bland and uninspiring flavours, everything came out some degree of lukewarm, lacking the element of surprise in contrasting flavours, textures and even temperatures. Just "meh" throughout.

This restaurant no longer has a Michelin star but it is still a very expensive restaurant in a five-star hotel. It should have been our stand out dining experience in Bellagio. Maybe it was just an off night but I certainly would not recommend (given the...

This is BY FAR the best restaurant I’ve ever eaten at (for reference I live in NYC which has amazing restaurants). Just putting this at the top so you don’t miss it, but if you don’t order the wagyu three ways, don’t even come here. You can send me a thank you note later.

I saw a negative comment about the food, including the lobster spaghetti. We ordered this and I will say it was the most disappointing part of our meal, but by no means was it bad and the portion was very generous.

When we sat down, they offered us a free aperitif of Prosecco and served some incredible bread. We split the spaghetti as mentioned, and then I ordered the peacock tortellini and my fiancée ordered the wagyu three ways. The tortellini was stuffed with peacock breast with a peacock leg ragu on top in a peacock broth - it was incredible. I’ve never tasted meat like that before! I wish the serving size was more.

That brings me to the wagyu. IF YOU DO NOT ORDER THE WAGYU YOU SHOULD BE ARRESTED. It was $95 and my fiancée was the only one who ordered it and I regret it every day. I’d pay double for that steak. It was the best steak I’ve ever had by a MILE. This was the highlight of the meal if I’m being honest, and I didn’t even try the other two ways (which she enjoyed).

We got the lava cake soufflé for dessert which was great, but you will have to order it early as it takes some time. They also gave us some small dessert bites at the end.

Lastly, I have to mention our server. He was a soft spoken gentleman with light blonde hair and was so good we thought he might wake us up in our hotel with breakfast! I’ve never seen a more coordinated wait staff - they would even signal each other when we returned from the bathroom and come running to pull our chairs out.

All in all, we will definitely come back. I would hope they have a Michelin star by then because they deserve it. We’re getting married in Bellagio fall 2025 and will definitely take our guests here! If our waiter is reading this, thank you SO MUCH for...

When we arrived at the restaurant I was notified that I did not meet the dress code, which requires than men wear pants and not shorts. I told them that the website did not mention this and the host/manager told me I was wrong. I asked about switching the reservation to another night then the cancellation fee was brought up, but in my opinion it’s not really a cancellation if you’re forcing me to cancel due to lack of communication from the restaurant. The website does not mention the dress code. This restaurant is in a touristy area with guests from various cultures and they need to be transparent about any requirements in order to dine there. The US has restaurants with three Michelin stars that allow casual wear, which they communicate clearly. Also it’s zero help to put the dress code in the menu at the table. The diners are already there. Pictures are attached.

Thankfully, they sat us outside and we had a pleasant experience with delicious dishes and excellent service, except for the one server that eyed my bare knees during our walk of shame to be seated.

Editing after response: I made this reservation, along with many other restaurants, two months in advance. The NEW reservation page is not the most logical place to check for dress code. I did see after the fact that the confirmation email also did include this, but email inboxes are an abyss and again, not the most logical place to check. People can delete emails and they could potentially have outdated information.

The most logical sources of truth are the restaurant home page, or the restaurant page in a booking app (Tock, Open Table, Resy), which wasn't a popular option in this region.

I want to be ultra clear about something. I was not mad that this dress code was not on the website. Neither is Il Sereno's. I am mad that the host so quickly gaslit me and told me I was wrong in front of a...