Bonnie's Bread & Butter Co. — Restaurant in Chandler

I wish I could give Bonnie's more stars, but the execution just wasn't there. When we arrived in the parking lot, we were immediately hesitant because of the sketchy surroundings, but I was convinced we had found a hidden gem, so we proceeded in to find a surprisingly polished looking design. They hid the bland drop ceiling with warm Edison string lights on patio-style angular awnings, and every table was neatly set (and empty). We had the choice of the whole restaurant on a Friday night around 6pm near downtown Chandler. Maybe it was the holiday weekend, maybe something else. The menus contain a selection of house cocktails, a veggie fondue, a variety of spins on traditional sandwiches, and some appetizers. The most interesting sounding appetizer was the bread and butter candle, which allegedly includes a burning wick in whipped butter, but this option was unfortunately not available due to holiday bakery shortages. So we started with the veggie fondue, which is the first item on the menu and a self-proclaimed speciality. Well, the cheese was luke warm and bland, the bread was oversized chunks of stale baguette, and the vegetables appeared to be the rejected cuts of bell peppers and broccoli. We ordered two sandwiches, the southwest Reuben and the Veggie. Both arrived without their promised garlic dill pickle which we received much later upon request. The Reuben was accompanied by extremely soggy and oversalted house potato chips, which were ultimately replaced with another batch of the same. The Veggie was received lacking the eggplant entirely (the menu had not been updated since removing the most expensive ingredient) and "avocado" supposedly in the form of an unannounced spread we could not detect. So it was a tomato and arugula sandwich, which I don't think anyone would knowingly order. The cherry old fashioned tasted like cough syrup in its first attempt but was graciously replaced with a more spirit-forward iteration upon request, at no charge. The potato soup was a heaping portion but unfortunately not tasty. The "brew" list from the subtitle of the restaurant was shockingly limited to a few standard domestic and local options, so we stuck with Church Music, which is always a fine if not exciting choice. Overall, instead of a hidden gem, Bonnie's proved to be at best a diamond in the (very, very) rough and at worst a complete flop. I sincerely hope they are able to take the constructive criticism and become the dream their owner envisioned, but it comes down to attention to detail. Don't put something on the menu if it isn't ready (house chips), don't call something a speciality if it is a single, uncustomizable, meatless option that needs work (fondue), don't print your menus on expensive, glossy paper if it's going to be changing as you make early adjustments (Veggie sandwich), and most importantly, don't bring a dish to the table if it doesn't meet the quality standard you are trying to sell. For a restaurant that names itself as if it knows exactly what it offers, Bonnie's feels like an extended soft opening in search of...

Last night we finally made it to Bonnie’s Bread & Butter in downtown Chandler—it’s been on my list forever! We went specifically for the fondue and the bread bowl with the butter candle (I mean, come on… how could you not?!).

When we got there, they were out of fondue and we were honestly just going to head somewhere else. But as we were walking out, this lovely woman stopped us at the door, asked what was wrong, and when we explained, she said something like , “Well I’m Bonnie, I own the place—let me go check!”

A few minutes later, she comes back from the kitchen and says, “Take a seat, we’ve got you.” And sure enough, they made the fondue happen!

We ended up having such a wonderful night—the fondue and butter candle bread bowl did not disappoint. The atmosphere was so warm and cozy, the service was amazing, and there was live music—a woman singing and a young boy playing piano. It felt like something out of a movie.

We’ll definitely be back. Loved the food, loved the vibe, and loved getting to meet Bonnie...

It was a pleasure discovering this cute place and meeting the owner. My friend and I ordered the cheese fondue and the dessert fondue. Bonnie expressed it best when she described her place as high end food not high end.

The entree fondue had pieces of fresh green pepper, cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes, grapes, and bread. The cheese fondue was delicious but a bit thin (liquidy). I would prefer a thicker sauce.

The dessert fondue consisted of a delicious mousse cake, flat cookie, grapes, apples, strawberries, marshmallows, rice krispy treats, with a yummy chocolate sauce.

Both fondues were generous portions. We got the smalls but they could have easily fed 3-4 people. The pieces were a bit bigger than bite size, so cutting them was tricky.

Definitely adult and kid friendly.

I will go back to try...