BITES Asian Kitchen + Bar — Restaurant in Lake View Township

Came in to try BITES for the first time after seeing a few advertisements for it on social media. It was restaurant week so I thought it would be a good opportunity to try out several things on the menu with some friends. While the food was good, the service was incredibly lacking. Once we were seated, no one came by for over 20 minutes to take our order or offer us drinks. While we were ordering food, we were told a couple items on the menu were out of stock due to demand from restaurant week, which we understood, and placed orders for other items. However, as we sat and waited, we noticed that tables that were seated after us were receiving their food and items that we were told were out of stock. Nearly an hour had passed as we waited and we hadn’t received any of the appetizers we had ordered. We stopped a server to ask when we could expect our food to which they responded that the kitchen was backed up. We wondered how every other table around us had received their food despite being seated after us. A bit after we had asked a server when we could expect our food, our appetizers and entrees came out. We enjoyed these items and waited for dessert. At this point it had been nearly two hours since we were initially sat. We waited 15 minutes after finishing our entrees before stopping a server to ask when we could expect our dessert. Awhile later, our server returned and said the dessert options we ordered had run out so he brought us the only remaining option. He offered us a single $10 gift card to return to try all the items we had missed out. Needless to say, it was disappointing to feel like we had spent about 2.5 hours of our afternoon dining at BITES just to be told the items we had wanted were out of stock (yet other tables were able to order it shortly after us), waiting long periods of time for our food without anyone checking in on us and requiring us to stop servers to ask, and to be offered one $10 gift card amongst three people to return to try the items we had...

Cute spot to hang out with a few friends and have an affordable reunion over little and big bites. Made an 8:30 reservation, seated right away. Server Reegon was fun and sassy. The menu is expansive from front to back. What felt like food and cocktails continuously coming out, total came out to about $55 per person before tip. From maki rolls to ramen (too hot out now), bao, rolls, noodles, and bigger plates, there's really something for everyone. Reegon was always masked, and my friend politely asked if we should keep our masks on when he was at the table, he said unnecessary.

Tuna Tostada - a ring stacked tuna composition (diced ahi, avocado, sliced radish, scallion, baby arugula, chili-ponzu, and black sesame), good for sharing about 3 people. Tasty, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Emerald Gyoza, pan fried edamame and mixed veggie dumplings with a very tasty dipping sauce of whiskey soy and wasabi aioli. Delicate taste with a kickin' 'how you doing!?) sauce.

I tried a mom's BBQ pork bao (cucumber, pickled daikon, scallion, cilantro, and sweet soy). The bun itself was a bit firm for my liking, but the pork and ingredients were a nice flavor, not salty, but just right.

We ordered probably way too much sushi, our table was full! I had the hamachi roll ( a bit dry) and the eel roll (much tastier and light). If not for my severe spicy pepper allergy I would have stuffed my face with the other rolls my friends chose.

The Matchalitas were presented in mini inflatable flamingos. Cute. Be careful removing them, they are glass, and that condensation might make you take them out a bit rough, causing spillage. These are strong, no joke. I didn't personally taste any matcha flavor, but it was effective alcohol-wise.

The second drink was very tasty, and better crafted, but I forgot to take a photo of it.

All in all, a great place to enjoy many dishes and share with friends. Great...

My wife showed me this place on sm and I've been wanting to visit since then.

The staff is excellent and accommodating which we noticed and recognized above all.

We started with spicy crab rangoons. Normally, I'm not a crab rangoons guy and find them to be childish dishes. I have taken back that statement since I've had these.

We ordered some cocktails and while I was inebriated enough to not remember which ones exactly, I do remember my wife praising them all I too enjoyed their refreshing taste and great balance (more boozy) and felt my money was worth getting them.

Let's move on to the main course. I'm going to be very clear here. I am a heavy eater. I can down three Big Macs with a large side of fries and Diet Coke in one sitting. If you're going to visit this establishment, get the beef rib ramen. If you come here for anything else, especially if our first time, you've made a mistake. Now, my wife and I each ordered one of these behemoths and I do feel that was a mistake. By the end of the meal, I was almost into a food coma and she could not finish hers. I feel it would have been better if we ordered one beef rib ramen and something else to enjoy. The ramen was great. Filled with juicy giant rib which by the way caught the attention of everyone around us and the abundant amount of fungi and vegetables along with chewy noodles didn't disappoint. Broth was a little hard to pinpoint as I wanted a but more clear taste and a little saltier than my definition of perfection but didn't ruin the experience.

We didn't get to the dessert menu as by the time I was done, I was sweating from eating and needed a nap.

I can't wait to go back to this place but will have a better game plan to enjoy the full experience and my...