Pirogue Grille — Restaurant in Bismarck

Quite bad. When you're paying about at least $50+ per person without any drinks, the expectations are naturally higher. We went for the Spring 3 Course Menu and it was still pricey, but a reasonable enough rate to venture trying. Imagine our disappointment when none of the 6 combined food items we had truly stood out in any good way.

Overall, the food quality resembled that more of a diner than an elegant restaurant. But when you're paying 3-4 times as much, naturally we will come away unhappy. There wasn't anything creative or unique about the food here. For appetizers, the spicy Italian sausage tasted good, but left a lot to be desired with its presentation. Adding some green would've made it look more appetizing. The cous cous dish tasted good and had the best presentation of any of our plates - the asparagus was cooked well. Both main courses seemed very basic and bland, not to mention the small portion sizes. They came with very generic vegetables and potatoes as the sides and also had some weird sauce that didn't taste very good. The Hawaiian snapper seemed too smoky and fishy in a bad way. Out of the desserts, one of them tasted like yogurt, so nothing special. The other dessert tasted good, but not better than any grocery store kuchen. I've definitely seen desserts have much nicer presentations elsewhere. They give you generic free bread and butter at the beginning, but it's cold and not anything special. One would expect a more flavorful or special butter. Loved the fancy decorative presentation of the butter. There are many other restaurants in town that do a much better job wowing customers with their flavor profile.

The ambiance didn't fit the high priced restaurant, where a more elegant vibe would have been expected. There is a paper sheet over the nice tablecloth and crayons provided. The restaurant was very loud for a fancy restaurant with the echoey walls. If we wanted that type of vibe, we could've easily gone to any dive bar for 1/5 of the cost and been happier. We could hear the dishes banging in the background, which made it difficult to have a relaxing meal. For someone with longer legs, the tables were shorter than the average 2 person table and didn't seem to offer much leg room - even airplanes offer more. The place was very nicely decorated - the painting style was chosen well.

The service was good, but overbearing to the point that it was bad. It's annoying when the water keeps getting filled when it's only 1/8 empty. One time, they took my water glass when it was still 4/5 full and I didn't receive it back for almost 5 minutes. There's absolutely no reason to leave me without water for that long when I haven't even finished my glass. There are too many people filling water. Instead we would've enjoyed a higher focus on interacting with the patrons such as small talk or a joke here and there.

Maybe we'll give it another try in the future to see if different dishes taste any better and sitting in a different area makes any difference. For now, we'll stick with Butterhorn as our favorite restaurant in town and the one with the best food and dining experience because it wows us every time.

Edit: Gave it another try on a weeknight and this time it was a 4 star experience, so upgraded review from 1 to 3 star. The food was much better in presentation and taste. The apple spice cake was amazing and the butternut squash soup tasted unique and satisfying. The music was on point for a fancy restaurant. Sitting in the lovely booths with overhead lighting that were more separated from the larger groups made the evening more enjoyable. Also, our servers were delightful leading to much better service as I didn't have my water taken away for no reason this time. Maybe the fall menu is much better or maybe this is a restaurant more suited for attending on a weeknight instead of a Saturday night like...

I always wanted to try the fine dining experience here. We have tried their three- course Valentine Dinner menu.

Positives - The hostess greeted us with warmth and she escorted us to our table. I have never seen a more efficiently run restaurant in the Bismarck-Mandan. Our water glasses were always filled. Our waitress is the right amount “chatty”. The food portions are on the plus side to me. I never like big portion plates.

Neutral - Ambiance was fine. I feel like the table were too small for two people. But I would imagine it could be uncomfortable for people that needs more leg room. I did like that it was not really noisy for a busy day.

Negatives - I didn’t think the food was special. I mean if you’re paying 75+ per person, you’d be expecting something elegantly different to your palette. Something special or creative. I had the fish cakes and bass and they were okay. The fish was cooked perfectly but the sauce and the vegetables paired with it didn’t create a magical moment for me. The only thing I enjoyed was the dessert served. I love Pavlova and they actually nailed it! It’s a shame though because the entrée should have been the main attraction.

We might give it another try next month or so...

Dining at Pirogue Grille was nothing short of extraordinary. From the moment we walked in, we were greeted with warmth and hospitality that made us feel like cherished guests rather than customers. The ambiance is refined yet inviting, with a cozy, upscale charm that sets the perfect tone for a memorable evening.

Every dish was a masterpiece — thoughtfully composed, beautifully presented, and bursting with flavor. The bison medallions were cooked to perfection, the walleye was flaky and fresh, and the seasonal sides were clearly crafted with care and creativity. Even the bread and butter were worth writing home about!

What really sets Pirogue apart is their commitment to quality and community. You can taste the local ingredients, feel the passion behind the food, and sense the pride in the staff’s every detail. The dessert (we tried the crème brûlée and chocolate-espresso tart) was the perfect finale to an already unforgettable meal.

Pirogue Grille is not just a restaurant — it’s an experience. Whether you’re celebrating something special or just want to treat yourself, this place deserves to be at the top of your list.

Bravo to the entire team — we can’t wait...