Passerelle Bistro — Restaurant in Greenville

I am one to praise often and criticize as seldom as possible. This place has a very cool setting, overlooking Falls Park at the Reedy, BUT the staff is absolutely assinine!

Our party of 4 arrived after 3 pm and were told that the kitchen staff takes a break from 3-5, but we were free to have a seat at any open table and have drinks.

We found a comfortable table with a view and placed a drink order: (2) persons had (2) alchoholic drinks and the other (2) persons had lemonade over 1.5 hours.

While we waited to pass the time, we played cards, enjoyed our drinks, and found ourselves flanked by separate parties on either side of us... both also having drinks and passing the time woth conversation or on their telephones. One sweet girl was heavily into her virtual game on her phone but her companions chatted joyfully.

At 5:08pm, we requested a menu to place orders for appetizers and dinner, but were told we would have to move for a reservation.

Since we had not even finished our drinks, we asked what time the resvervation was due in. Apparently, the lady did not expect that question and had no answer, stumbling all over herself to finally say, 5:30 OR 6.

Within minutes, 2 other staff members also told us we would need to give up our table and let them reseat us if we wanted to order.

Let me note, for the record, no member of our party was loud, boisterous, drunk, or out of line in any way.

By this time, we were apalled at the rudeness and chose only to finish our drinks and dine elsewhere.

Most interestingly, we noted that neither of the other two tables to either side waa notified of the supposed resevestion, although we were very specifically told they would require our table and those two also.

The funniest part of their mistake in tresting us so impetuously is that they truly had no concept of who they insulted. One of our party is an international experience consultant who develops adventures for the most affluent clientele and the restaurant literally strucl themselves right off of the chart for consideration because they were utterly repulsive.

Perhaps admirably, the very lovely Scottish couple that were seated on one side of us were kind enoughbto share that even while they had not specifically been told of the intent to utilize their table for a reservation, they overheard how the restaursnt trested us and also opted NOT TO DINE THERE EITHER.

They finally told us at 5:38pm that it was time to fice up the table as their reseeved party had arrived, but this was also a LIE. I know because there was not a soul waiting and the place is very tiny. As well, they still had not told the adjacent tables that they even needed to move, which makes the first notice a LIE.

We are questioning whether their motive was discriminatory because ours was the only table that had Hispanic members of the oarty who were speaking Spanish, wheras the other tables who were not removed... did not.

Makes one wonder.

Nonetheless, a visit to this quaint little establishment just lost a couple lf tables today and a ton of future business.

Que lastima!

There is absolutel no justification for such...

Once upon a time in Greenville, South Carolina, I embarked on a quest with my wife and two children to satisfy our cravings for authentic French cuisine. With visions of baguettes and escargot dancing in our heads, we ventured into the heart of downtown and discovered Passerelle Bistro, a so-called French restaurant with a stunning view of the park and river. Little did we know, we were in for a hilariously underwhelming experience.

Being the spontaneous adventurers that we are, we arrived sans reservation but managed to snag seats at the chef's table. This, we thought, was our lucky day. The atmosphere was enchanting, with the beauty of the park and river transporting us to the banks of the Seine. But alas, this illusion was short-lived.

As a native of France, I am well-acquainted with the subtle nuances of French cuisine. I initially considered ordering the bouillabaisse, but quickly changed my mind when I spotted the scallops sitting in a bucket of water near the grill. Instead, our meal at Passerelle Bistro consisted of a comical array of decidedly un-French fare: burgers, coffees, and a kids meal. We couldn't help but chuckle at the irony of the situation. I mean, who goes to a French restaurant for a burger?

The plot thickened when we caught sight of the telltale boxes of frozen beef patties, bags of fries, and chicken nuggets sitting nonchalantly on the kitchen counter. This was no ordinary French culinary experience; this was a masterclass in the art of deception!

The pièce de résistance, however, was the service. Our waitress seemed to have mastered the art of invisibility, as she scarcely appeared throughout our meal. She didn't refill our coffees or check on our food. The situation got so dire that I had to physically get up and fetch condiments for my kids' meals since our server was nowhere to be found.

In the end, our dining experience at Passerelle Bistro was more of a comedy sketch than a feast for the senses. While the location and ambiance were undeniably charming, the restaurant's take on French cuisine was more like an amusing parody. If you're looking for a genuine taste of France in Greenville, don't be fooled by the enchanting view. Your quest, dear reader, must continue elsewhere, preferably with more attentive service and fewer impromptu condiment-fetching missions – and certainly no scallops...

Second time eating at Passerelle. I really enjoyed it the first time, my wife and I sat outside and had great food and great service. Tonight we went with a larger group. Naturally, we intended to share our experience with a group of friends that have never been. Unfortunately it wasn't nearly as good as the first time we went. We called ahead, early in the morning to schedule a 7pm reservation, which went smoothly however, this time we sat inside and it really wasn't an enjoyable experience. The tables we were given were set near the entrance underneath a large fan where there were no lights. We asked if the could turn the lights up so we could read the menu and the hostess was so accommodating, she went and asked the manager to turn up the lights and the manager did but it just didn't do anything to help see the menu or the food. It was so dark. And the worst part is that there was plenty of light against the wall and there wasn't a single person sitting there. Considering our bill was large enough, meaning we paid enough to be treated fairly,, and we were not a disruptive crowd, we could have easily been seated against the wall where there was plenty of light and no overhead ceiling fan. They were able to turn off the fan but the lighting situation really was just an unfortunate terrible experience and for that reason I won't be going back. I gave a fair review. The hostess was amazing, and the food was good, except the fries for my bistro burger were so over salted they were inedible. I gave them 3 stars overall. 1 star for atmosphere because we had to use the lights from our phones to read the menu. 4 stars on the food because of the salt with a few fries. Take a look at the photos to see just how dark it was. Thanks, we had a good time but just not good...