YaYas Euro Bistro - Chesterfield — Restaurant in Chesterfield

Hello and … Happy Holidays. I am a frequent guest (fan) of YaYa’s Euro Bistro. I would like to offer my reviews on several items: food/drinks, service, management and atmosphere. I will be limiting my comments to focus on a few of my favorites.

FOOD

Prince Edward Island Mussels - the best in the city; I was a changed person after the first order; the heavens did open; PEI mussels in a curry cream broth … ‘nuff said

Gnocchi - perky potato pillows floating in gorgonzola cream with spiced walnuts … be still my heart; I have had none better … anywhere

Tomato and Burrata Salad - a classic salad … classically executed; fresh, crisp, clean; a perfect balance between the creamy, buttery sweetness of the burrata and the sharp, tangy sweetness of the balsamic

Wild Mushroom Ravioli - delightful dumplings; the umami brought forward from the mushrooms wrapped in a delectable butter cream sauce is simplicity at its finest; close your eyes and think of a (less heavy) steak with hollandaise; savor this dish one raviolo at time

Lamb and Frites - as Homer (Simpson) might say, “Mmm..."; bolder than pork … milder than venison, this lamb is cooked perfectly (prefer mine a bit on the rare side) and strikes just the right note; and the sauce … the citrus from the cilantro combined with the coolness from the mint makes for the perfect accompaniment; oh yeah, Greek Frites as well … a great excuse for Feta

Shrimp Risotto - risotto and curry and shrimp … OH MY! Dorothy would have stayed in Oz for this dish; it’s THE (OK … MY) Holy Trinity in a bowl; when asked what I like on my shrimp risotto, my response is … “More shrimp risotto!”

Phyllo Dough Brownie - is it food … is it art … the debate rages on; there is one truth and that’s this … it’s a win/win for anybody that orders it; think of a chocolate version of a Beef Wellington; the sweetness and softness of the chocolate brownie and vanilla ice cream are counterbalanced by the crispness/flakiness and saltiness of the phyllo; as for the crème anglaise, I usually ask for a straw

SERVICE and DRINKS

I generally (OK … exclusively) sit at the bar which I so enjoy. From martinis to margaritas, ingredients are freshly prepared and cocktails freshly shaken. My bartenders/servers (OK … friends) are remarkable. Shannon, Crysta, Jessi and Kelly (“The Fab Four”) are fantastically loveable as are their drinks. Stories are told. Fortunes are made. Good times are had. This is a first-class act … second to none. Thank you, ladies, for all that you do … for all of us you grace.

ATMOSPHERE and MANAGEMENT

I mention these two areas together … they are tightly woven. The atmosphere is upbeat and welcoming as are the servers and bussers. This is in large part due to the management and their support. Bridgette (an absolute treasure) never fails to stop by and to say hello. She puts a smile on my face at every visit. AND …if you were to have the inclination (or the luck) to be there for Sunday Brunch and Bridgette is managing, be super nice and ask her to play her “Sunday Brunch Chill” music. It sets a Sunday mood that you will enjoy for the remainder of the day. Thank you, Bridgette, for always taking care of us and making us smile.

PRO TIP

Sunday Brunch and Happy Hour are musts.

SUMMARY

From the back-of-house to the front-of-house, from the grill to the greens, from the pizza to the pasta to the piccata, YaYa’s Euro Bistro is a must. I encourage you to stop by and experience the food/drinks, the service and the atmosphere.

"A restaurant should remove you from the mundane burdens of everyday life and transport you to another world." - Danny Meyer

Thank you, YaYa’s, for the amazing world that I have the fortune to visit...

I was very excited to try this restaurant but walked away quite disappointed. I ordered the house soup, gnocchi, and butter cake. The house soup was delicious, albeit a small serving. The worst part was when I received my gnocchi it didn’t have the roasted chicken. Once I brought this to the servers attention she apologized and went to get the chicken. So there I sat for 10min as my food got cold trying to decide if I should should just eat it without the chicken but also wanting to experience the full dish. I was eventually brought a bowl of plain chicken by maybe a manager. He didn’t apologize for the mistake just asked if I was the one waiting for the chicken. So then I had to mix the chicken into the dish but by that point the sauce wasn’t warm anymore. I really wish I could have experienced that dish the way the chef had intended, not stirring chicken into my dish at the table. Again it just seemed so disappointing for what appeared to be a fancy and classy establishment. After not finishing my entree we ordered the butter cake. Sadly, it was another disappointed. This was perhaps more based on taste buds as others in my party liked it. But I felt it lacked flavor and was very hard and crumbly and wouldn’t recommend it. The bread was pretty basic as it is just white bread. The dip with the bread was good but again it’s hard to get those things wrong. The most disappointing part was there was little care to the mistake with my food. I understand that mistakes happen and wasn’t going to chastise the waitress as she isn’t the cook. But when that has happened at other establishments (because again it does happen) they were more apologetic and have offered a free dessert or a discount/comp on the meal. I just feel in that regard the restaurant could do much better. If you choose to go here, I hope you have a better experience.

*edited to add: I called the sauce with the bread a dip and not baba ghanoush because although there was some baba ghanoush in it, it was ...

We used YaYas as the caterer for our son & daughter-in-law’s rehearsal dinner. We have eaten at this restaurant a few times over the years. And have always had wonderful meals. Up until the night of the rehearsal, I was impressed with their catering manager Bridgette. She was responsive & thorough. She was not present on the night of the event. But her assigned lead was and her name was Kelly. It was very discombobulated from the get-go. They did not bring the requested table linens, the food that was prepared ended up being served cold. They forgot the tomato soup that was to go with the grilled cheese. The specific wine and beer choices that were requested in the catering order were ignored. The tacos & tequila made on site were the only menu items that were delicious. Plus Kelly seemed flustered & ill prepared. I emailed Bridgette the day after & again she was impressive & apologetic. She apologized profusely for the disaster & said to call her the following Monday and they would make things right. Talked to her on Monday, again she was professional and responsive. Said she would talk to her manager and get back to me on Thursday. No call on Thursday. I f/u the next week. No response. Finally, she responded and said she was going to immediately send gift cards for my son & daughter-in-law and hadn’t talk to her manager but will get us some sort of credit. Lots of no responses then she would respond saying she would talk to manager about credit. Fast forward to a few back & forths with no action. We still have no credit & no gift cards. Our catering bill was $4800. She did finally offer a $300 credit before Christmas but again now no response. I responded immediately on 10/21/22 and it is now 1/19/23. We should have disputed the charges on our CC immediately but really thought they would make things right. They have not. Please do not use them for...