Black Cat Bistro — Restaurant in Cambria

Extremely Disappointing and Humiliating Experience

I had my first-ever dinner at this restaurant, and unfortunately, it turned out to be a disastrous experience. A waitress accidentally bumped into me and spilled a large amount of scalding hot orange clam chowder on my right hand and clothing. The soup was so hot that my skin turned red and tender from the burn. It was not a minor spill—at least half the bowl ended up on me, soaking through my coat and shirt. My evening was completely ruined, and I felt humiliated having to deal with this in front of other guests.

The staff handed me a bag of ice to soothe the burn, and while they did say “sorry,” the apology felt insincere. They repeatedly emphasized that “it was just an accident,” as if that excused the harm caused. The most shocking part was how unprofessionally the situation was handled. When I spoke with the manager, I was met with dismissiveness and sarcasm. I pointed out the soup stains on my jacket, and she responded with, “Do you want me to buy you a coat?”—a deeply inappropriate and unprofessional remark, especially given that I had just been burned in their restaurant.

While the food and service had initially been pleasant, everything changed after the incident. My daughters had to check on me to ensure I was okay, as the burning sensation was painful and upsetting. When I spoke with the manager again, I was under the clear impression that the entire meal would be waived as an acknowledgment of the severity of the incident. I accepted their apology in good faith, but when I reviewed the receipt later, I discovered that only my individual meal was refunded while the rest of the bill was charged.

This felt dishonest and completely contrary to what I was led to believe. No one clarified that only one meal would be removed from the bill. Any restaurant with a true commitment to customer experience and reputation would have taken full responsibility and comped the entire meal, especially under these circumstances.

This experience was not only physically painful but also emotionally distressing and deeply disappointing. I expected a far higher standard from what presents itself as an upscale restaurant. The lack of empathy, professionalism, and accountability displayed by the staff and management was unacceptable.

I sincerely hope no one else has to go...

'm kay... while everyone is awash with superlatives here..... here is my experience.

tried to eat there last night. reservation for 7:30 pm. showed up at 7:20, was immediately seated. at a "table" in the corner of a converted bedroom that is approximately 12 x 12 feet. the table was about the same size as generous piece of cheesecake.

a napkin would make a reasonable tablecloth, but you'd probably have to unfold it.

in this cozy ambience there were four separate groups dining, giving it the harmony of lane four at melody lanes bowling alley. one group of eight, one group of four, a party of two, and myself and my wife. need a visual?

imagine one of those illustrations of a slaving ship below decks in the early 1800's.

our newest best friends, a pair of the foursome at the next table, nine inches to our left, were a pair of people celebrating their fifteenth wedding anniversary... he was being an overbearing windbag, and if looks could kill, hers would have been weapons of mass destruction. i felt bad for her. she looked very unhappy.

my wife and i shared looks, as conversation was impossible, and as the only thing i'd ordered was a soda (artisan label... Pithy Soda Company) i dropped a $20 on the table, and we left.

the food? dunno. ask someone who made it thru the seating arraignments, to the land of milk and honey.

i can review the soda however. both the soda and the seating had lots of pith. your...

We came here for our anniversary on a recommendation, and honestly we were a little disappointed. We were expecting a romantic atmosphere, and the first thing I noticed was huge sheets of white butcher paper on top of every table. I felt like the servers should be handing out crayons like we were at a Chevy's. It didn't make for a very comfortable dining experience. We got 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, and a dessert. The mushroom gnocchi appetizer was delicious. The fried olives were fine (not as good as others we've had). I got the duck with risotto and bok choy, and it was sadly very bland. You wouldn't think a duck risotto would be bland, so that was quite disappointing. My partner got the baked polenta and enjoyed it. We got the lemon cake and it was, luckily, amazing. However, my partner noted in our reservation that it was for our anniversary (reservation asks if it is for a special event), but then there was no mention of the occasion during our meal. Usually they will put a candle in the dessert or something else to signify the event, but they did nothing. Not sure why they would ask if we are having a special event if they didn't plan to acknowledge it in some way. By the way, skip the butcher paper to protect the white table cloths and just get black table cloths. It matches the black cat theme anyway, and it's a...