Bridge Street Bistro — Restaurant in Brandenton Beach

We were there Friday night and it was not busy so we got a table outside with a beautiful view. We had to wait a lengthy amount of time for our waitress who put down waters and never came back. I had to finally flag down the hostess to ask her for our waitress. The hostess was very nice and ended up taking our order. There were only about 4 other tables of patrons so it was hard to understand why our waitress couldn't get to us. The hostess was very nice and did her best to compensate. Then the food came out. My friend ordered the Ceaser salad with and added shrimp skewer. The skewer of shrimp equaled to about 1ounce (for an added fee of $9) which was pathetic. My friend asked before ordering and was told she would get 4 colossal shrimp but they were not colossal. Her salad was brought out by what appeared to be a kitchen staff but my meal did not come out with it. I waited for some time before the hostess/waitress realized this and came out to apologize. She ran back to the kitchen and brought my meal out as soon as she could. She seemed truly sorry that happened. I had the ginger sesame grouper with risotto. The risotto was a bland sticky pile of mush. The grouper was just ok. I had one drink and my bill was $54 for a not so great meal. My friend paid around $26 for a very sub-par salad with an ounce of shrimp. We capped off the night with a huge roach crawling under our table by our feet. We were sitting on the upstairs balcony and one could only hope it was a palmetto bug from the outside but who knows. The kitchen didn't seem all that clean when we walked past it to get to the elevators. We did not complain because my friend is in the restaurant business and is convinced that someone will mess with your food when you complain or ask to send things back. The best thing about this place was the view and the super friendly hostess/waitress on duty that night who tried to compensate for all the other issues. I think this place is in business for it's location, tourism and magnificent views but if your looking for great food or service, bypass this place. We were there 9/6/24 around 7:30-9pm. One more thing....at the downstairs restaurant/bar there was a girl at the hostess stand wearing a tube top with a bra underneath. Her bra straps and part of the bra were on full display. Very cringe. Another waitress had on a half top with her belly hanging over tight shorts (with belly piercing). I know it's the beach but let's have some standards on how staff is presenting themselves. It's not that I'm a prude about showing some skin but they...

We made reservations and got to the host station exactly on time. The lady behind the podium was upset about something but never acknowledged our presence. Minutes go by hardly a soul in the place and dirty tables all around. I was patient for what seemed like a comical length of time to stand in front of someone and be completely ignored. Not even eye contact while she shuffled around huffing and puffing about something that must have happened earlier. I grabbed a guy walking by in a neon shirt and asked if he knew where the hostess worked? He half laughed and said he would be back to seat us. I was ready to walk out many minutes later when the guy came back and reached around the hostess for some menus and sat us at our table as he cleared it. Look folks if you guys are going to set your summer prices through the roof the least you can do is attention to detail to give your customer a fine dining experience other wise ditch the white table clothes and serve burgers at the counter. The calamari had an interesting choice of sauce but our order looked like the bottom of the bag with just little bits and pieces and lots of breading. I had the fillet and lobster it tasted okay but looked like it was plated in a cafeteria. My wife had a filet ordered med rare as was mine. How do you fire the same cuts on the same order and have such a difference in temp? My steak was med rare on the button but hers was medium, no pink at all. She did not send it back but let the server know so the kitchen would know. Waiter said sorry but would it have killed him to maybe offer her a desert or another cocktail on the house. The views off the deck are incredible the highlight of the dinner was watching the storm roll in 7pm reservation on 8/1

EDIT and correction We were there on Tues 7/30 my dates were wrong. And you have black table clothes as I see in the pics that I took. The hostess was a larger Black women, our waiter who did a fine job was a slim younger guy with glasses. The fellow in yellow neon did not look like he was dressed tp work there but was the only one to acknowledge us after being ignored for a very long time. I did not mention that I also stood at the bar before our entree to ask the bartender a question but could not find...

I cannot thank you enough for making our wedding reception so very special. I know every bride has wonderful things to say about her vendors, but Bridge Street Bistro is more than just a beautiful setting with fantastic food (even though that would’ve been enough). From the very beginning, Jennifer was available, courteous, and flexible. Our wedding was initially planned for March 23rd, the start of COVID. We were determined to make it and waited til last minute to postpone. She was so kind throughout the process and I’ll never forget her saying “Even it your guests can’t make it, we will make sure the two of you have a very special dinner.” That meant so much to me as I was a nervous wreck! It was clear she meant every word. Just a few highlights: As we were planning, we asked for a plate of oysters to ourselves in case they all ran out while we were taking pictures. I had sort of forgotten about this. When my tired bride self walked into the reception, the first thing I saw was the BEAUTIFUL cheese/fruit plate on our table, with a pile of ahi tuna (and a gorgeous three color sauce, very well plated). Shrimp, oysters, and mussels were then brought to us. They went far above and beyond with this beautiful display and it was delicious. Honestly the tuna was the best I’ve ever had. Chef Ryan, Anthony, and Sydney, were around all night. They not only provided excellent service but were AWESOME to talk to. They helped keep the environment upbeat and fun. It is clear the staff takes pride in their work and that makes all the difference. Even the kitchen staff said hello and were clearly excited to be part of the fun. Everyone raved about the food. It ain’t your typical chicken and potatoes wedding food, that’s for sure. The entrees looked amazing!! I was so full from my seafood and cheese that I couldn’t eat another bite, but they boxed up my entree for me and even the leftover cheese! Many of the places I looked at had strict no leftover policies, and knowing that I could take my wedding food home to try it made the night even better. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for making our day so special. Everyone knows the reception is the best part and it absolutely was. I hope I didn’t mess up any names or forget anyone. Y’all...