Black Forest Bistro — Restaurant in Gleneagle

Second Visit, May 2024: When placing a reservation tonight, I was taken aback to see threat of a $75 no-show charge. However, we'd had such a wonderful first experience at the Bistro that I gave them the benefit of the doubt and placed the reservation, assuming they'd been plagued with a surge of no-shows that cost the restaurant money due to unfilled seats and pre-purchased fresh ingredients.

My mother was in town visiting, and with this as our only night to take her out to experience the area, we were excited to share the Bistro with her. I even sent her the link to the website, where she read through the menu.

After arriving on time, being seated, and presented with menus, we discovered the only entree option was pasta alfredo. None of us were interested in dairy-based meals and asked the wait staff for clarification.

All of the staff members we interacted with were friendly, and they politely confirmed there were no meal options other than pasta alfredo. At that point, we all chose to leave and seek dinner elsewhere. My husband and I were disappointed, but were still willing to consider returning in the future after finding out which menus were available on which days of the week.

However, a staff member followed us to the parking lot to inform us we would be charged the $75 no-show fee. Despite explaining that we had arrived prior to our reservation time and departed due to dissatisfaction with the available dinner options, the member reiterated that we would be charged. Further, they emphasized that the reservation website clearly states that Thursdays are Cheese Wheel days. I explained that neither the reservation site nor the Bistro's main website include this information. The staff member continue to argue that the information was clearly listed. I stated that regardless, the $75 fee was clearly listed as a "no-show" fee and that it is inappropriate for a restaurant to attempt to charge patrons who arrive expecting a menu matching or reasonably similar to the one posted on a restaurant's website, then find only one entree available - an entree not even listed on the posted menu. I returned home to find a charge posted for $75 ($25 per person). I double- checked the website and am including screenshots for full transparency of the information available to us before visiting this establishment.

Original Review, June 2023: We had a magical time at Black Forest Bistro last night. It was our first visit and they exceeded our every expectation. We lucked out with weather and were able to enjoy a great jazz/blues/standards duo on the wonderful patio. The cocktails were refreshingly creative, the presentation was spot on, and the food was fantastic. Our favorites were the Korean Sticky Street Noodles and the Cobbler. Everyone was personable and we enjoyed the welcoming, relaxing environment that isn't easy to find with such outstanding food. We can't...

I have always wanted to try cheese wheel pasta since the first time I knew that it was a thing. I've looked for restaurants that do it, but have never had the opportunity to go to one. Needless to say, I was very excited when I found out that Black Forest Bistro has a cheese wheel experience.

I looked on their website to find out more and to make a reservation. I have a couple complaints about that- and they are the reason this review is 4 stars and not 5. First of all, the cheese wheel pasta experience is not clearly listed on their website. When you look at the menu, it just has their regular menu. So, I had no idea how much the meal was going to cost. Second, is their reservation system. My boyfriend and I were pretty excited about it and decided to make reservations for an upcoming weekend. I put in the request and I got an automated response that they would review the request and get back to me. That first time probably took about 24 hours or so. Unfortunately, they were completely booked. Disappointing , but as we were less than a week out, not totally surprising. So, my boyfriend and I chose another date, about 6 weeks out when we could go. I put in the reservation right away. I did not get confirmation for the Saturday reservation until the Tuesday before. It's petty frustrating to have that planned and not know if the reservation is confirmed for weeks - especially because this is such a popular place with limited seating.

Now, for the actual experience. We got there about 5-10 minutes before our reservation time and were seated right away. It was a bit loud, but not overwhelming so. Everyone in the restaurant seemed to be enjoying themselves. They had the cheese wheel pasta menu with all the add ons. They ranged from lobster to sausage to chicken to mushrooms all at various price points. The waitress came by and took our order. We had to wait about 20 minutes before the cheese wheel got to us. Not bad considering that's it is made table side. When the cheese wheel got to us, the server brought out our meat and garlic bread. They make the pasta right there at your table and serve it piping hot. It was delicious. Cheesy as one would expect. Easily one of the best pastas I've ever had. The chicken I had was grilled perfectly and added a nice touch to the pasta. And the garlic bread? Let me just say if you go, get the garlic bread. It was so good! Toasted perfectly with what tasted like homemade garlic butter.

It was a bit on the pricey side ($25 per person for the pasta, plus add ons and wine/cocktails if you choose). But it was worth it. We'll...

My husband and I celebrated our 32nd anniversary at Black Forest Bistro. It was our first time there and definitely will not be our last.

When I saw the menu and pics of the food, I knew I wanted to eat there. I was slightly concerned that it was a “dress up’ kind of place until I saw pics of the interior. I was thrilled to find out it has a comfortable “mountain town” kind of vibe. We opted for jeans and sweaters. Yay. (Though I know you’d be comfortable in about anything.)

When we got there the hostess greeted us. She had a sense of humor and family-feel welcoming style. We were seated at a cute little table to the side of a huge rock fireplace, next to a rock wall. It felt like a vacation-in-the-mountains restaurant. Right away, they presented us with a card signed by all the staff for our anniversary, gifting us a complementary piece of cake … and a bag of chocolate truffles. Wow. The server came by quickly.

We decided to lead off with a couple of their award-winning old-fashioneds. My husband got the maple bacon and I got the smoked. They were both fantastic. I thought the maple bacon was a tiny bit more sweet, not much. I loved the smoky walnut flavor and smell of mine. Plus, to be honest, it was just really cool when she took the top off and the smoke came pouring out, dramatic.

Right away we noticed that there’s a tremendous team spirit with the staff. Everyone was working together and friendly but not at all obtrusive.

The food was all served with great timing. Everything we ate was absolutely delicious and the presentation was stunning. The sushi nachos were so tasty. If I go for lunch, I may just order that as my entree. My husband had the Korean sticky noodles. Huge portion and really tasty. The sea bass was one of the best pieces of fish I’ve ever eating in my life. Incredible. Absolutely incredible. The mushroom ravioli that came with the sea bass was perfect. This chef is amazing.

The bartender came by with complementary drinks in the cutest tiny mugs. It was a “special hot chocolate drink”. I don’t know what magic this guy performs, he’s gooooood, but these little drinks were really tasty. I could have drank a 12 ounce mug of this delight … but probably shouldn’t. It was warm, chocolatey and you could taste a bit of roasted marshmallow.

For dessert, we opted for the chocolate cake … to go. Honestly, we were really full. We shared the cake a few hours later … bliss. It was a yummy multi layer cake with different textures, sponge, mousse, chocolate delight.

We can’t wait to go back to Black...