Lemon Grove Bistro — Restaurant in Lemon Grove

My wife found this excellent restaurant and chose it to spend her belated birthday dinner with our family. It was our first visit, and we made our dinner reservation via Open Table. Upon arrival, we were greeted by one of the restaurant's owners, Frederick, and were seated at our table. Honestly, from the outside, this restaurant looked like it belonged in trendy South Park, North Park, University Heights, Golden Hills, etc. Nothing against Lemon Grove, but hopefully this excellent eatery will lead the way for other fine restaurants to follow suit and pop up in the Lemon Grove area. Lemon Grove Bistro’s (LGB) ambiance and dining room’s vibe was very welcoming. We had a wonderful dining experience as everyone loved every dish ordered. The dishes receiving the highest praise were the Spanish Paella, Slow Braised Short Rib, and the Beef Bourguignon. My wife was really bummed that they had just sold the last catch of the day (which we were told was a sea bass that evening). Frederick had really made our birthday dinner a special one taking photos of our party, and providing a birthday tiramisu dessert for the birthday girl. All in all, everything went as well as can be expected other than the kitchen running out of their sea bass catch-of-the-day. Parking was easy, their restroom was clean, service was excellent. If we had one thing to add, their prices were on the higher end ($50/person after tip), considering LGB’s Lemon Grove location, that none of us had beer/wine, and the the pistachio gelato was $14/serving, it had a little bit of sticker shock upon seeing the menu and final bill. That said, we’d still love to return and try their highly praised Fisherman’s Stew, and/or their Happy Hour. The slightly higher than expected prices wouldn’t deter us from returning and dining here again. That’s how much we loved our experience. Kudos to Frederick and staff for treating us with the hospitality and providing us with a memorable dinner experience for my wife’s celebrated birthday dinner...

I've tried 6 dishes there by going with family, another time was just my husband and I. I can honestly say that you can't go wrong with ANYTHING. Both times, the waiters said the same thing and they are so right.

Let's list this delicious food: Meatloaf sandwich - its not something you think to order out but so dang good! The loaf was tender and so flavorful.

Penne alla vodka with chicken - ugh, so good, chicken was cooked amazing and so juicy! Sauce was was to die for.

Spanish paella - I'm not a seafood person but had a great taste, so yummy. My sister in law couldn't stop eating that dish.

Grilled Mahi Mahi sandwich - I didn't try but my father in law said it was very good.

Flat iron steak - again, ugh, so yummy. Perfectly cooked, creamy potatoes, sauce over the top 😍.

Oven roasted chicken breast - again chicken was perfectly cooked, so juicy (how do they do it!). The risotto was just amazing.

Margherita flatbread - everything just tasted so fresh! So tasty!

Dessert: Chocolate budino - if you love chocolate, this is for you! I would say it's darker chocolate taste and that's my favorite. Even my husband who's a milk chocolate fan kept going back for more.

Lemon bar - so good, didn't give that zing in my teeth but still tart - I mean this all in a good way! I love lemon meringue pie and this satisfies that.

I honestly would get any and all of these dishes again. At this point the hardest part would be to conintue to try new items and not go back for others that I already fell in love with.

Also, the waiters were awesome! So nice and helpful!

The atmosphere was very nice and clean. I forgot I was next to the trolley! Both times I sat inside but we did go out to the patio to check out their garden, where they grow some of their own ingredients and it's so pretty out there.

Ok, now I just want to head back over there and order more...

As a Lemon Grove resident I was delighted to finally eat at the Lemon Grove Bistro last night with my husband and two friends.

RESERVATIONS: I found it super easy to make a reservation online through their website using Open Table (I even had to go back in and change the time and it was a breeze). The amazing thing was when we walked in the door one of the owners greeted us and when we said we made a reservation for 4, they greeted us by name.

AMBIENCE: The ambience was warm, inviting, clean and modern while celebrating the history of being in the 1907 building that was the first General Store in Lemon Grove. Good choice of background music (light jazz). They also have a beautiful outside patio for dining that has native plants & a vegetable garden.

MENU & CUSTOMER SERVICE: The food was excellent and prepared very well. I had the mushroom ravioli with a lemon & vodka cream sauce. Delicious! I love how they have incorporated lemons into many of the dishes on the menu. I think the best aspect of our experience was the customer service. As I mentioned before, we were greeted by name by one of the owners. Then we were welcomed by our server, Danny, and he was very friendly and attentive. Where they really went above was how they handled feedback from our friend who is a strict vegan. There were a lot of vegetarian options but not very many vegan options. The chef came out after the meal and apologized and talked with us for awhile about their new menu coming out in April will have more vegan dishes. He was genuine and listened well. In fact he took into consideration the idea to have a vegan side menu until the new menu comes out.

Every person representing the Bistro was friendly, professional & genuine. I'm grateful to have this high quality restaurant in our little city and hope the Lemon Grove Bistro flourishes for many...