Café Bistro at Nordstrom — Restaurant in Irvine

My daughter and I stopped by The Spectrum location on Saturday after a training she gave at Kaiser. After perusing our favorite stores Anthropologie and Nordy, we walked up and down the strip for lunch. After finding out the offerings and wait time at another restaurant we decide to go to Nordy’s cafe, at this location called Cafe Bistro. No outdoor seating is attached to the main cafe but they have come up with utilizing the seating outside their main entrance. It’s was a little awkward at first as the sitting area was initially not manned but our attendant Florentino Jimenez did arrive as expected. Aside from people randomly sitting at chairs and not ordering, we felt just like it was just like the meal and service we normally would get at our many visits to the various Nordstrom cafes. We ordered the Cafe Bistro Burger and the Cilantro Lime Shrimp Salad (both to share) and a soft drink and ice tea. After the meal received a card from Florentine thanking us and inviting us back. Great food and excellent service under difficult...

It really pains me to say (this is literally the first non-rave review I've ever given), but the Cafe has really fallen off in terms of quality. We used to come every Friday evening as a family. The food was excellent, the service was outstanding, the atmosphere was superb, and the price was great given those facts. But now, the menu has changed, the food is just OK, the portions are reduced but the price is twice as high, furniture is worn and torn, the service is seriously deficient, largely because they don't even try, or even care to try, it seems. Management is visible but completely aloof from customers and don't even try to help ensure appropriate service. We kept coming back occasionally hoping we were wrong, but I think we've dined here for the last time. And we're really bummed about it. A tragedy that did...

Café Bistro is nothing short of perfection! I used to frequent a Bistro in Texas before they rebranded and switched management, and unfortunately, it went downhill from there. But this place feels like stepping into a time machine--bringing back everything I loved about the original experience before it got ruined. The food, the service, and the atmosphere here are exactly what a bistro should be. Everything was spot-on, from the fresh ingredients to the perfectly crafted dishes. It's like finding that old favorite spot again, and I couldn't be happier. Five stars for truly keeping the...