Amelia Wynn Winery Bistro — Restaurant in Bainbridge Island

This weekend we decided to celebrate my friends 40th birthday at Amelia. Visiting from Seattle we had done our research and based on reviews and the menu felt like this would be an awesome place. The 110 degree heat with absolutely zero ventilation and no air conditioning indoors made it difficult to enjoy our meal. We requested for a table outside when one comes available. However, the owner came and informed us that we had “chosen” to sit inside and that they could not ask other patrons to leave to give us a table outside. We were shocked as we had never even suggested that they do that. To top it the food was bland unseasoned and absolutely meh. They forgot my friends cola until mid way through the meal and charged us for a pasta dish which we had canceled. All in all they successfully ruined a special dinner! Spend your money and time somewhere else!

Updated Response to the owner's below Dear owner, I definitely do not want to argue about the exact temperature inside your restaurant as I am sure you will agree that it was sweltering and uncomfortable with no ventilation inside as someone else also mentioned in their review yesterday. You are right, we did intentionally book a table inside because of the predicted heat wave, in order to stay cool. But if your HVAC cannot keep up, I would like to suggest that you have some strategically placed fans maybe to help with some ventilation. I dont believe that is an unreasonable ask. The fact remains that you and your staff were inhospitable to your customers discomfort, and your wait staff was rolling his eyes and even went and laid his head down on the bar right after going from our table as though to say he was fed up. Inspite of this and our overall experience, we still left a 20% tip as we felt that that was the right thing to do due to the recent hardships the pandemic has caused.

You mention the free prosecco - yes you did give us that. But let me remind you that, that was the only drink that is not produced at your winery AND its rather unconventional to drink a prosecco at the end of a meal right? Also our dinner reservation was for 7:15 and the prosecco was offered to us at 10pm when you placed us at a table near the entrance even though other 5 person tables in your back patio were available at 9:30pm. Additionally, the free dessert you offered was something we were told about as soon as we were seated, so its a nice gesture that you do for all customers that are celebrating at your restuarant and NOT as some kind of gesture for the discomfort that we experienced.

With regards to your nuanced menu, yes the food was incredible on paper and presentation - but no matter how great any cuisine, made with the freshest and best sourced ingredients, a lack of seasoning (just salt, I might add) leaves it bland. I am sure its hard to hear this feedback, but at the end of the day, restaurants are catering to the customer correct? I am so glad you had generous customers who's palette is accustomed to unseasoned food and hopefully more such folks will show up for you. Like you rightly said to...

As a visitor from out of town, I was genuinely excited to explore the charm of Bainbridge Island. Up until our lunch at Amelia Wynn, the day had been a lovely experience. Unfortunately, our visit to this restaurant was disappointing.

We waited about 20 minutes to be seated, which was understandable. However, once we were at our table, the service went downhill quickly. I mentioned to the staff that my friend would be joining shortly after moving her car due to time restrictions, but it took quite a while before anyone came by to greet me or offer water. The atmosphere felt cold and unwelcoming, and I didn’t feel like we were genuinely cared for as guests.

Throughout the meal, the service remained impersonal. When our appetizer was brought to the table, the server didn’t greet us, ask if we needed anything, or even smile he simply placed the dish on the table and walked away. It felt dismissive and rude, as if we were an inconvenience.

I also observed the bartender speaking curtly to a couple of women who came in to inquire about the wine tasting, which added to the overall sense that hospitality was lacking. While I will say the food itself was quite good, we were never checked on or asked how everything was during our meal.

Customer service is a huge part of the dining experience, and sadly, that’s where Amelia Wynn fell short. The staff appeared disengaged, and the vibe made us feel unwelcome. Where I come from, we’d say, “Bless your heart” and in this case, it’s not meant kindly.

There’s potential here, but the lack of warmth and hospitality was disappointing. I hope the management takes this feedback to heart and re-evaluates the guest experience, because the food deserves better...

Wife made the reservation for an early (Saturday) dinner for us and my parents! Nothing but WOW! Yes, on the pricy side but well worth it! We ordered 5 separate tapas to begin with. We have lots of experiences eating at wine/bistros and the portions are on the much larger size. So, we ordered too many. The shishito peppers were amazing, possibly the best I’ve ever had (it’s hard to go wrong with these but if bad, real bad - the bowl it came in were perfect and my Japanese mom was impressed …… she’s hard to impress!). The octopus calamari was absolutely spot on and a must get with a thick leg portion vice in small pieces! They forgot to put in the order for the olives but that was ok bc we had too many tapas. As for the main course, mom got the halibut and said it was the best she ever had with the sauce. She even tried to get the recipe!!! My wife got the steak and although she asked for it medium, it came medium rare but she said it was yummy! Dad got the lamb rare and loved it. I also got the lamb but asked for it well done and it came medium rare. Although minor, I still gave this place 5 stars! It was just me that was a bit disappointed with the lamb being undercooked for my liking but with 4/5 giving them a 5 stars, I’m sticking with 5 stars! Our server was training a young gentleman and he was perfect in how he treated my parents so that’s another huge plus as they are very particular! If you can impress my mother who’s a professional cook, you’ll always win! Great place, great atmosphere, great food and great customer service. We will be...