Chow — Restaurant in Bend

Highly recommended by friends, we came around 9-10am on a Saturday. We got seated right away, though it started to pick up and the next day when we stopped by, there was a long waiting line.

Simple and wonderful decor in a good area with its own parking lot and plenty of street parking. When we got in, there appeared to be three hostess, and two servers. One of the hostess was sick so she had to leave early. Apparently they were also training someone new who had our table.

So I preface this by saying this could have been a one off, and just my personal experience. We got seated then the hostesses were on the side talking with themselves. The two servers were running around. 8-10 minutes after being seated, one of the hostess came to apologize and pour us water. Another 5-8 minutes passed then the supposed new server came to take our order. The food came first after 10 minutes and our drinks a few minutes after that (the bar is in a separate area, so they have to exit the main building to go to the side bar building to make the drinks, then bring it back into the main building). After we finished, it took a while to get the attention for our check, and then a box, then to pay. We weren’t sure if it was just us, but saw 2 other tables in our area also wait a while and one even voicing their displeasure. Then overhearing that someone was training and first day on the floor. Personally when I hear that, I give more benefit of the doubt, but the service did leave me feeling some type of way where I’d have to pause if someone brought up Chow. But with the circumstances, I took one star. The friendliness of the staff though was great.

Now food, delicious. 14 hour braised corn beef hash, bacon cheddar grits, a crab cake, chicken sando, Bloody Mary with bacon. Food was good, no complaints on the actual taste. Even ate the leftovers 2-3 days after and still solid. The price is up there to $15-$20 a dish. With $12-$15 cocktails. So it’s a typical price “fancier” brunch spot. Just know you’ll be paying for that.

Overall, great place. I see why there’s a line and hype. If you’re a brunch person, def recommend, if you aren’t a fan of lines and higher prices for food. Then that’s for...

Visiting from out of state we chose Cho based on the higher star reviews and really wish we would have read the not so great reviews because those experiences is exactly what we got. We were told it would be a 15-20 minute wait - which needed up being a 45 minute wait. Longer wait must mean it’s good right? WRONG- food was mediocre and luke warm if that. The only thing we collectively agreed was decent was the semi burnt breakfast “taters” which when I asked before ordering if those were tater tots I was condescendingly told by our server “if you read the menu it says they’re breakfast potatoes”. What really got us was the horrible service- being from Seattle we’re used to the “Seattle Freeze” but it this was one place I can’t stress enough not to go to based on service. The male host was not friendly and our female server seemed like she did not want to be at work. It took about 10 minutes after being seated to get water (in dirty glasses mind you) and just the way she answered our questions about the menu was just rude and not helpful. Not once while we were there did we get a :how are you today, how’s everything tasting, do you need anything else? Also I get the patio seating is outdoors… but there were branches and dirt everywhere and flies kept landing on our food…not hard to sweet or blow off a patio, other restaurants we visited were exceptionally clean so not sure what was happening here. Not once while we watched people leave were the tables wiped down- they just cleared cups and sat the next people down. Also the person next to us took their shoes off and were straight up picking their feet and toes. Brunch and a show? LOL. I guess if you’re OK with bad service, bland food and some toe jam to accompany your toast this is the spot for you. I will say the best service we had was at 10 barrel brewing for dinner - the server even came to us as we were leaving and recommended some great brunch spots like the Lemon tree! Bend OR was a gorgeous spot and it was just a bummer to have spent almost 2 hours...

I used to love this restaurant. I can attest the food used to be amazing, unfortunately I will no longer patronize this establishment. As most people know from my other reviews I try to be impartial but this time I can not. I was treated horrifically by the hostess who yelled at and chastised those of us who were willing to wait for a table. My first encounter with the young woman manning the bar was to try and find a cup of coffee while waiting which used to be the norm. I was rudely told no drinks unless at a table and then was promptly ignored. I went back outside where other patrons shared they got coffee next door while waiting. I will acknowledge that the was an sign stating by the OLCC no outside drinks but since that is the liquor commission my partner and I assumed it meant alcoholic drinks (yes I know the saying about assuming! 🙄😉). What I was unprepared for was the hostess/bartender yelling from the door, "I see outside drinks out there! Can't they read!" She said several others things then proceeded to yell at a group of people who missed there calls for a table. They too were in search of some coffee. Having enough of being treated like a child I went to tell her I did not appreciate her treatment when she (melodramatically) accused me of thrusting my hand in her face (which I did not) and slammed a door in my face. A few more words were exchanged, me trying to say anything and her yelling at me, ridiculing me for being a long term Bend resident, then ignoring me. We promptly left and will never be back. No food is good enough to be treated like that.

This is for the owner: A few words of kindness makes all the difference. If we had been kindly asked to dispose of our coffee we would have apologized and promptly ditched the offending beverage. But to have wait staff being so awful to customers is unacceptable. I don't care how short handed anyone is. That kind of disrespectful aggression is never okay. We are all in this together trying the best we can and no one...