Coco's Bistro — Restaurant in Dayton

I am not one to critique restaurants, especially post pandemic. Yet, with several decades of experience in the fine dining world, and predicated on my recent experience, I chose to write the following so that at the least management might take notice and address the issues of my experience for the benefit of future patrons.

On June 30, my wife and I dined at Coco Bistro for our wedding anniversary. I checked out the restaurant reviews and menu before booking a table. Everything I read indicated it would be a good choice. I particularly checked an online menu that advertised Filet but upon receiving the menu at the restaurant I was told the online menu was not the updated one and Filet was not available. My particular interest in that item is that my wife can be very selective about what she does and does not eat. As it was our anniversary, I wanted to ensure the menu options would accommodate her interest.

When inquiring of the waitstaff as to whether the filet was available I received the aforementioned explanation. My wife asked if she could modify the pasta dish on the menu so that it was only the pasta with butter and mozzarella. She wanted nothing more.

In the meantime my wife asked for a cocktail recommendation and the waitstaff recommended one based upon my wife’s expressed likes. When the drink arrived it was so tart it could not be consumed. I even tasted it and found it too fast to consume. Rather than have the bar remake the drink, the waitress offered to bring my wife some Simple Syrup so she could “blend the drink to her liking.” I replied that this was not acceptable and passed on this suggestion. The waitress took the drink from the table and walked away with no further comment or suggestion let alone asking if she might bring something else for my wife to drink. After three steps from the table, the waitress looked back over her shoulder and asked, “Do you want something else to drink?” My wife requested a soft drink, which took another 10 minutes to bring to the table.

When the entrees arrived, my wife’s portion size was small and the pasta was over cooked and mushy in texture. As our waitress had disappeared and was not present on the floor for us to hail we asked another remember of the waitstaff to please let the person attending to our table and that we wishes to speak with her. The waitress did not come to us for another 10 minutes at which time my wife did not want to wait for another entree to be prepared.

I had ordered a large Caesar salad to which I asked if they might substitute blackened salmon for the chicken the menu advertised. They did indeed accommodate my request, but the portion size of the salmon was disproportionate to the size of the salad. The blackened salmon was not what I have experienced to be a blackened piece of seafood, and for that matter was under seasoned. This surprised me as the menu included an entree of blackened salmon so I presumed they would prepare my request as well. I was disappointed by the preparation of the fish, and the romaine lettuce was not cut well for a Caesar Salad.

The ambiance is pleasant, but the walls are stark and would benefit from some artwork. Perhaps soliciting pieces from local artists would prove beneficial and supportive of the community.

While the restaurant ranked high on a list of the best romantic restaurants in Dayton, I was underwhelmed and do not feel compelled to return or recommend it to any friends looking for a place to celebrate an occasion such as a wedding...

I came in early afternoon on a Wednesday to order lunch for myself and do some food Togo for my passengers on our flight in a few hours for our jet. This bistro seemed upscale, professional and had good reviews so I stopped in. There was only one other table and not an employee anywhere to be found. I wasn't ever greeted and finally started walking around looking for any staff member I could find. No luck until I walked around two corners and INTO their server side station where I finally found someone who apologized. I sat down at a table only to be told the kitchen would not prepare (or even begin to prepare, I said I could prepare the rest inflight for my passengers) anything off the evening menu and that they would only do their skeletal mid-day menu items. I said no, I'm a private flight attendant looking to plate and serve something really nice from y9ur Chef. I ordered lunch for myself while I was there, meaning I was now a paying customer, and was STILL met with NO. The atmosphere is clean and cute, but the service and respect for their guests is terrible. I ordered the kale salad with steak and the server never even brought a steak knife. I also asked for the check early on which he forgot. When he finally did bring it at the end of my meal, he never came back for the card even though I had asked for the check as soon as I had ordered (knowing they were not going to fulfill my wishes and I needed to go somewhere else). I finally closed out and took my business for the flight back elsewhere. As I was walking out, the events guy was at the front podium, didn't even look up to say bye or thank you. How hard is that when I am the only guest in the restaurant?? If they can't give good service to one person in an empty building, I'm not sure how they do it on a busy night. Incredibly disappointed and their credibility lost, which I was bummed because this place has so much potential. If you want a venue that has class and professionalism with respect for their guests, I suggest you look...

The food is mediocre, overpriced and overall, the service was AWFUL!!!

After meeting with a client in the area, my colleague and I decided to treat ourselves to lunch in Dayton. We searched for fine dining restaurants and settled on Coco's. Upon arrival we discussed the exterior- how lovely it was and were incredibly excited for what awaited us on the inside. Once inside we stood at the hostess stand for 15 minutes in a nearly empty restaurant. Someone eventually walked by and I asked if there was someone to seat us. A young man said the hostess had stepped away for a minute (he clearly didn't realize we had been there for 15 minutes) and seated us. We then waited for another 20 minutes just to get water and another 15 minutes to place a drink order. From there it was more of the same slow service. We never actually had a designated server. Anytime we wanted something we had to flag someone down. Finally the food arrived COLD AND GREASY! Eventually my colleague, who is African- American (concerned that the terrible service was due to her being the only POC in the restaurant) waived down the young man who sat us, introduced herself, and express how disappointed we were. She told him that we were visiting from another city and how our excitement turned to disappointment at quality of the food and level of service we received in their "fine dining" establishment . The young man (Simon) apologized and did his best to rectify the situation. He was the best part of the entire experience!

We would've had a better time finding a tavern and eating bar food. If you are looking for a fine dining experience, do not waste...