Bardot — Restaurant in Claremont

Bardot is a modern upscale restaurant that is well situated in the historic and quaint downtown of Claremont. They have a large bar area, a very good sized outdoor patio for dining outdoors and a very much smaller indoor dining area. Only in southern California will you find restaurants that have limited indoor dining space yet huge outdoor dining patio. It never rains in California though (or so the song goes) so no big deal...right? Truth be told, it does rain every now and then in southern California. On the night I found myself at Bardot, I was with family celebrating my mother's birthday. We were a party of 10 and my sister had made reservations for us to eat and celebrate under the stars (and heat lamps) on the patio. Unfortunately, that day and evening turned out to be one of the few days that rain actually fell on southern California. The patio is not covered so by the time we arrived for dinner, the tables and chairs were drenched. Obviously, eating out on the patio was not going to happen and my sister was quite concerned we might end up at McDonald's because as I mentioned earlier, their indoor dining space is quite limited. We were very pleaded to discover that the management and staff of Bardot had anticipated that this would be a problem and they had already setup an area indoors that could comfortably seat and serve our whole party. Bardot was already making a great impression and we hadn't even tried the food yet. Looking at the menu immediately leaves you with the impression that they offer a wide range of dishes that take inspiration from many different cultures. Most of these dishes are grounded in classic American cuisine but are fused in part with European or Japanese cuisine. It is a good sized menu with something to please just about any pallet. They also have a nice choice of wine and a very creative bar staff. I don't drink alcohol so I cannot personally give my impressions of their specialty drinks but my niece was very happy with the choices of top shelf alcohol and the talent of their mixologists. I had gotten the shrimp fettuccini for my main course and was very impressed with the quality and taste. The fettuccini noodles were freshly made and the shrimp were plump and plentiful. The chef knew what they were doing when it came to how much garlic to put in the dish. All too often I run into chefs that are heavy handed with the garlic but not this chef. The garlic was subtle yet not underwhelming and was really the perfect amount. All other members of my party were also very satisfied with the food and my brother-in-law also mentioned that the amount of garlic used for his streamed muscles was perfect. All in all, Bardot is a really nice restaurant that is situated in an ideal location (great for strolling around after dinner) with a staff that strives to make your evening perfect and food that just might...

Love this place for its “vibe.” It’s always like a party there where regulars sit at the bar chatting each other up. I’ve gone at 5 pm after work by myself and by the time I leave I’ve made a few friends! Servers are mostly super friendly and politely chat me up when I have a motor mouth (teaching can be lonely, you don’t get to speak to other adults all day😏) Tara is a master of chatting without missing a beat with service. You’re lucky to get her table. Even with the less outgoing servers, I’ve always had good service. Dystiny, the manager, makes sure of that. She’s always on the floor checking on customers and helping out the waitstaff and table bussers. She does everything to make sure diners are having the best experience. Happy Hour specials are excellent. The food specials are really a stand out, but drink specials are also a decent discount during happy hour. Love that they now allow you to order from the happy hour menu even if you’re seated on their amazing patio rather than in the bar area. No matter how cold out, their patio is always perfectly warm and cozy thanks to the pretty heaters that look like standing lamps, and the fire pits are a cool touch. They even have an electric canvas “ceiling” that they use if there’s rain, or too much sun. The interior booths are super cozy and great for date night. The decor is so lovely….wallpaper, chandeliers, candles. The regular menu is delicious. Burgers. Yum. It’s hard to choose between those and the short ribs and other entrees. The French onion soup is terrific, as is the steak or tuna tartare. I only wish they’d offer a unique dinner special, as well, because I frequent Bardot so often, I’ve had everything on the menu too many times to count. All delicious. Brunch, too, is amazing. Basically, you can’t wrong at...

Outdoor seating restaurant with fire pits in the winter and misters in the summer. Sit outside and watch people walking around downtown Claremont. Enjoy edibles such as the Spicy Tuna Tartar, Cerviche, Cobb Salad, Wedge Salad, Soup of the Day - today it was Lobster Busque. Tuesdays is their version of Taco Tuesday night. Not to be missed, especially if you are a foodie!

The main course menu offers White Fish, Chicken, Steak, Hamburger, and a daily special. The wine list is accompanies the menu and the cocktails are unique. Today I had the Boozy Sangria, they also had an Oh Hunny, Puttin on the Spritz, Late Last Night and other unique named cocktails.

On this venture we sat outside with the misters drinking the Boozy Sandria, with the Spicy Tartar, Bardot Salad with pears, the Cerviche and Lobster Bisque. Our waiter said he was new but spot on and attentive. Reservations aren't always an option but you can call and they will hold a table. The wait gets long if waiting for outdoors but there is also inside booth seating and seating in the bar. The bar island lights up with alternating colors. Fun to grab a cocktail and sit at the bar, it is always lively.

The atmosphere is fun, the food is tasty. The menu offers a variety of choices. Not craveable, but still worth the visit.

Parking could be cumbersome. There is limited parking on the street, parking stalls up and down on Harvard, and a small parking lot behind the restaurant to the west. Saturday mornings is Claremonts' Farmers Market, so plan ahead...