Le Bistro — Restaurant in Incline Village-Crystal Bay

I planned on proposing to my girlfriend locally and was looking for a nice restaurant to celebrate the special occasion. I made reservations at Le Bistro Tahoe at 7:30 pm on 08/09/2024. The proposal went faster than I expected, so we arrived at the restaurant at 7:00 p.m. We had some trouble finding it, as it is a bit off the road. We eventually made our way to the outside seating area and explained to a man that we had a 7:30 reservation and wanted to see if we could be seated early. He agreed and took us through what I now know was the back door. We were sat and immediately given two glasses of water. Still a bit high on the fact that we had just engaged, we sat and enjoyed conversation for a few minutes, eventually looking at each other and stating how hungry we were. At 7:30, we still hadn't been brought a menu or asked if we wanted anything to drink, so we asked each other whether to leave. Right around this time, we were brought an amuse-bouche, which calmed us down; we decided to stay. However, at this same time, we noticed two tables were sat directly next to us; they were brought menus and had drink orders taken immediately. After 40 minutes of sitting and waiting for a menu and a drink, we had had enough. At 7:40 p.m., we decided to get up and leave. I have never done this at a restaurant before. I felt bad for eating the complimentary appetizer and leaving, but after 40 minutes, it was pretty clear that we had obviously done something to offend the staff and were not wanted there. I worked in restaurants faor ten years, and I understand that reservations are taken for a reason; there is only so much capacity that the kitchen can handle. If the restaurant takes reservations, it typically helps space out the guests and ensures the staff can handle the volume. But dropping a menu and taking a drink order takes very little effort. Completely ignoring a table for 40 minutes is rude and unacceptable in customer service. Honestly, this was the worst experience I have ever had at a restaurant. They tried their best to ruin a very special night. There are many dining options in the Tahoe area. I suggest you choose anything other than Tahoe Le Bistro, or you might eat leftovers on your engagement night...

Way over-rated. We came here for our anniversary dinner and it was mediocre at best across the board. It felt more like your great grandmother’s living room ambience-wise. The amuse bouche arrived after our appetizer course and was meh flavor-wise. The $4 bread add on tasted like yesterday’s bread (kinda dry and stale and not fresh/warm like great bistro bread should be) and the accompanying butter like what you’d get at a local diner. Our wine was difficult to order because they didn’t have numerous vintages and specific options listed on their menu, in spite of trying to upsell a more expensive bottle (which to their credit, they gave us at a discount, but only after they failed on the first few tries without apology or acknowledgement). The main server was austere and did try hard but without much EQ or real fine dining get it factor. One appetizer we ordered didn’t arrive at all, and was repeatedly promised to us AFTER we were 10 mins into eating the entree course. We cancelled it at that point, but it still showed up on the bill; requiring us to send the bill back awkwardly. The two appetizers we did get were good (crab cakes and hamachi crudo). The portions were tiny though, and way smaller than expected for ordering a la carte (and they certainly didn't advise that would be the case). The caesar salad was not good -- it had the tiniest pair of white anchovies to a massive piece of Romaine and a dressing that tasted like it was made by a cooking school dropout. The duck breast entree was decently prepared but nothing to write home about.

Alas, we won’t be back and if you’re after a great experience, I’d...

The food was great, but I was concerned by the behavior of one server whose name starts with ‘J.’

I want to share what happened in the hope that the owner will address the issue appropriately.

My boyfriend and I attempted to walk in, but this server informed us that without a reservation, we couldn’t be seated—even at the bar. The restaurant wasn’t fully seated, and the bar was empty. As tourists, we initially thought this might be the norm for the bistro, but it felt inconsistent after later events unfolded.

Later, we checked online and saw that reservations were available for that evening, so we booked one. We returned before our reservation time to check in, and this time, a different server greeted us and seated us immediately.

As we were finishing our meal, we noticed that another customer walked in, and ‘J’ seated them at the bar without issue. This inconsistency in how we were treated compared to other guests was concerning.

I’m sharing this feedback because I trust the owner will handle the situation in a way that ensures all guests feel welcome and treated fairly. Addressing this type of behavior is crucial for maintaining a positive atmosphere and ensuring the bistro...