Bristol Seafood Grill — Restaurant in Creve Coeur

Overall: 9.6/10 - Excellent service in an intimate setting make this seafood restaurant a smash hit! Offering superb food, drinks, and service to match, I highly recommend this place to anyone - especially those who are craving phenomenal seafood. Highlights of our evening include Crispy Calamari, Superb Shrimp, Delectable Drinks, and Splendid Sea Bass and Salmon.

1. Atmosphere: 10/10 - Classic, old upscale restaurant with low lighting in an intimate setting. While the rooms and tables seemed to go on forever, it wasn't loud and didn't feel crowded. Comfortable chairs whether you sit at the bar or a table.

2. Service: 10/10 - Calvin treated us well. He was attentive without being pushy or overbearing, interacted well with our group, and gave excellent recommendations. We would love to have him again.

3. Allergies: 10/10 - They use nuts and nut-based oils in their dishes. If you have allergies to just about anything, they can accommodate you. Just speak with the manager/server and they will take great care of you.

4. Drinks: 7.8/10 for selection. 10/10 for execution. While they don't have an exhaustive list compared to other places, they do execute their list well. Beer selection is acceptable and par for the course. I go here for their wine and cocktails. The cocktails are inspiring and different, which is what I'm looking for. Finally, a restaurant that has unique and VERY delicious cocktails for everyone. Wine was priced well and had exceptional choices - we're wine snobs and we're pleased with the selection. The whiskey list was decent, albeit nothing rare or exciting.

5. Appetizers: 9.3/10 - Warm, freshly made biscuits await you while you sit down and check the menu out - don't skip these! The appetizer list was on the small/medium sized and all were very good. The highlight of the apps was the shrimp in our sample platter. None of us had experienced shrimp that well done before. The calamari is exceptional as well. Overall, extremely well done and my new favorite place for seafood appetizers.

6. Food: 9.4/10 - Offering exceptional seafood and steak, Bristol hits it out of the park. We ordered the appetizer sample platter, Arctic Char, miso glazed sea bass, blackened swordfish, scallops, and salmon. We initially were blown away at how exceptional the shrimp and calamari were in the appetizer platter. Then, our main dishes arrived and we loved Bristol even more. The lobster bisque is the best I've ever had, and I've dined at many exceptional restaurants. Lobster risotto was the perfect texture and flavor, as were every single fish dish my group had. Truly amazing all around. The swordfish was perfectly seasoned and cooked; something that isn't easily done.

7. Dessert: 9/10 - delicious options that don't miss. The selection was not exhaustive, but they executed it well. The ice cream and lava cake were fantastic. However, the apres drink menu was ok - I wish the port selection were better.

8. Reservations: easy to book by calling or going online. Highly recommend reserving for popular times.

9. Cleanliness: 10/10 - bathrooms are clean, floors, tables, plates, silverware, and employees are all neat and clean.

10. Bathrooms: 6/10 - Nothing fancy - older but clean...

Our family recently visited Bristol to celebrate two special occasions – our niece’s 40th birthday and our great-niece’s 13th. We made a 5 p.m. reservation for a party of seven (six adults and one child). Unfortunately, what should have been a memorable evening turned into one of the most disappointing dining experiences I’ve ever had.

Our server began by explaining it was only her third day, which we understood — everyone has to learn. However, service was extremely slow from the start. Our drink order wasn’t taken until 5:15, and we didn’t receive the first round until 5:25 — and even then, they were incorrect. It took another 10 minutes to have the correct drinks brought out. After taking our food order, our server disappeared for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, several tables seated after us had already received their drinks and appetizers without issue.

By 6 p.m., we had yet to see biscuits, salads, or appetizers. I approached the manager, and shortly after, salads arrived — though they were oddly warm — and we were missing two appetizers. One appetizer we did receive was incorrect. Entrées then arrived immediately after, before we’d even touched the appetizers. The manager sent the meals back to be refired, but 30 minutes later, it was clear they had simply been reheated.

The food quality reflected this. The risotto was gluey, the “medium-rare” steak was now well done, the halibut was dried out, and the twice-baked potatoes were burnt to the bowls. To make matters worse, the sides were forgotten entirely and had to be brought out separately by the manager after another delay.

By this point, we were two hours into a dinner that should have been finished in that time, and we had only just received the full meal — which was subpar at best. While the staff did offer complimentary drinks and desserts, the overall experience was beyond salvaging. On a bill of several hundred dollars, the quality of the food and service felt closer to fast food than fine dining.

We frequent this location for brunch and have had good experiences in the past, which makes this all the more disappointing. We are not people who complain lightly, and I generally prefer to leave positive reviews, but this was an experience that can’t go unmentioned. It will be a long time before we consider returning to this...

I attended Bristol Seafood Grill upon recommendation about a year or so ago. There was much praise of the food and atmosphere. When it came to the atmosphere I do believe it delivered with it's dim lighting and spots of resplendent decor scattered about the establishment. The positives aside...my partner and I arrived at this establishment with a reservation detailing that the occasion was an anniversary. We were met with much joy and jubilation by the staff and were offered a desert with whatever food we partook in over the course of the night. We really appreciated the gesture but after speaking with staff for a bit, we asked if we could be seated as our reservation time was upon us. We were taken to the back of the establishment which was a bit odd. We were seated at a table where waiters and waitresses were coming in and out of. I joked, that they seated us here so our food would come out quick, the staff member just smirked and walked away. My partner and I noticed that the table cloth had a couple of wine stains on it. Upon further inspection, our napkins were dirty and our silverware also were coated in pasta sauce. I was a little more than disappointed but I waited for the waiter to return with our waters to discuss with him. After twenty-two minutes of waiting for water I informed our waiter of our concerns, we were assured that he would bring new silverware out with our food. I asked if they could move us to another table, we were not able to because "this is the table that was reserved". Now this was honestly frustrating but not wanting to increase the tension of the situation we ordered our food and tried making the most of the night. Our food wasn't brought out for another hour and I want to also clarify, that there were about 4 other parties in the establishment at the time. We were not given new silverware until another 6 minutes after our food came out. Overall, we had a very poor experience but I'm fortunate enough that my partner has such a good head on her and a great sense of humor. You would think nothing was going wrong with how much we enjoyed our night despite some of the worst service and food experiences we have ever had the pleasure to share in St. Louis. I pray our experience was just the result of a couple of people having a bad...