Marion Street Bistro — Restaurant in Lake City

My work week in review (July 19-24): The high point of the week was the dining at Marion Street Bistro in Lake City, FL. While traveling, I like to have at least one meal at Marion Street Bistro. I have found the food to be consistent and good. The best experience I’ve had with servers is with Jen (Jennifer?).

Last Wednesday (21st) I went in, asked for a table for 1,… the hostess did not even stand to greet me. An apparent young trainee noticed and responded in a very cordial manner with the offer of a table on the patio,… I was a little reluctant as an out-of-the way table for 1 can be easily ignored. The young lady assured me that would not be the case,…. she was right!

I came to learn it was table 4,… Jen came onto the patio, promptly noticed me, asked if I had service yet and said (to the effect of) I’ll take care of you.

Of my dining experiences in Lake City over the past 6 years (work travel), Jen is by far the most professional server I have had,… Lake City might even be too small a market for her skills and execution,… I’ve had professional servers in Tampa, Orlando, Miami, Atlanta,… who have put their children thru med and law schools,… truly professional waiters/servers who bring integrity to the table (pun intended).

I asked Jen for a variation of a dish,… she went to the kitchen, consulted with the chef and immediately reported back that it was too busy of a night to prepare the specialty dish and offered an alternative that I readily accepted,…. the place really was busy so I certainly understood and accepted the chef’s position.

My salad came promptly soon to be followed by the entree: Shrimp Alfredo (I had requested a shrimp scampi that is not on the menu).

Jen checked on me frequently in my out of the way table placement, timely poured my wine,… and seemed to really enjoy serving my dinner. She is more mature than most of the other wait staff who could look to her as an exemplar.

I’ll certainly request Jen on my next visit and table 4 will suit me just fine!

L. James...

I was really excited to give this place a try yesterday based on reviews and pictures, and I don't know if they were just having an off day or what, but I was extremely disappointed. For the record, this place wasn't busy when we were there. Less than half of the tables were occupied. Starting right off at the beginning, it took our waitress about 10 minutes from the time she took the drink order to bring us our waters. In that time, another waitress approached to get our drink order because she thought we hadn't been helped. We ordered the Bang Bang Shrimp as an appetizer, which was good, but you could clearly tell that the rice bed was a mix of old rice/veggies and new because half of it was dried out, shriveled up, and discolored. Even if it's not really meant to be eaten, it was very poor presentation and pretty gross to think about. For dinner, I ordered the Ahi Tuna Bowl, which is described as having "grade A ahi tuna" (one of my favorite foods), but it was hands down the worst I've ever had. The flavor was off and it wasn't properly seared, so the outside was tough and rubbery. But hey, at least the rice was all fresh, so that's good. I can't really speak to my boyfriend's meal because I don't like Cajun and didn't try it, but he wasn't a fan of the seafood grits and didn't even eat half of it. Also, I'm not going to outright blame this place's food, but his stomach was upset for the rest of the night and I'm guessing it wasn't ironic. For a $77 ticket (also fed two children, no extras or dessert), it felt like a huge waste of money and I wouldn't return or recommend this place. My advice to anybody going here is to just avoid any seafood all together. Like I said, it could have been a bad day, but it's not even worth the try. The waitress was very sweet, though, and I like the aesthetic in there,...

Love this place! My son and I stopped here for dinner on our way home from Tallahassee to Jacksonville. We chose Marion Street Bistro based on all the amazing reviews ! The Reviews all said that Marion Street Bistro was the best, authentic restaurant in Lake City.

From the moment we arrived, we were met with an enthusiastic and warm reception from the front desk staff. The atmosphere is very warm and inviting.

Once we sat down, our Server “JENNIFER” was absolutely TOP NOTCH in every way! She greeted us with a big welcoming smile, and asked us where we were from. She proceeded to be a very kind, efficient and attentive Server. I loved how she inquired about how we had found this restaurant located in the heart of Lake City, as she knew we were traveling through.

We told Jennifer that honestly, we found Marion Street Bistro by searching Google - for top rated “Lake City Restaurants.” We in fact, drove 3 miles off of Interstate I-10 solely due to all the 5-Star Reviews!

Jennifer was literally one of the best Servers we have ever encountered. We in fact, wondered if she was the Owner, she was so attentive and accommodating! We appreciated how enthusiastic she was learning that we chose Marion Street Bistro based on the highest rated reviews in the area!

Basically, the 5 Star service that “everyone” gave us at this restaurant was top notch! The food was 5 Stars as well!!

I had the Briskett, which truly was one of the best Briskett I’ve ever encountered! Absolutely DELICIOUS!! My son had the Salmon, and he raved about it as well!

To wrap things up ~ I honestly wanted to take the necessary time to write an honest review because we received such impeccable service and top notch food!! Definitely recommend Marion Street Bistro if you are in the Lake City area! Ask for the Briskett and...