Battle Street Bistro — Restaurant in Manassas

I wish I could write a better review. This restaurant was obviously conceived and constructed with care, and it patrons are served with the same care and desire to please. It's just that the ultimate experience landed so far from the mark as to be objectionable.

The service was very good and we were attentively supported.

We went in for a late breakfast and ordered decaffeinated coffee and Shakshouka. That's where the problems began.

The coffee was obviously purchased with the concept of 'gourmet' in mind. The problem is, that particular gourmet coffee was of a strength and harshness that appeals only to very small population of extremely experienced and particular coffee drinkers, who like their coffee quite strong and on the bitter side. We're not in that population. We prefer our coffee to be mild and unextreme. Normally, decaffeinated coffee found in restaurants is appropriate for center-market tastes, which is exactly where our personal coffee preference exists. We found the coffee to be, essentially, undrinkable. We buffered the taste as much as we could with cream and sugar, but that only went so far. I was able to finish half of the cup by the time we left.

The next miss was the Shakshouka. The ingredients were listed on the menu and sounded very attractive - poached egg in a tomato soup with onions and a few other vegetables. What they didn't mention was the extremely high level of spices in the dish. This dish, once served, had our mouths on fire. I forced myself to eat most of it, and my wife finished about half of hers.

Because of the excellent service, we did leave a nice tip.

In general, although it's obvious that this restaurant is intended to be a chic, gourmet refreshment spot in the midst of an up-and-coming town center, our experience unfortunately missed the mark to such a degree that we cannot recommend this establishment and, for us, we'll not be returning.

We wish them...

I am an AVID after church breakfaster. It sorta seals the deal and sets the tone for the week. I have a usual breakfast spot but decided to give this place a try and I absolutely regret it. The service at best was subpar. I detest having to constantly stop a server to request things, but that’s what I had to do since NO ONE (but one very tall kind gentlemen) asked me if I needed anything the entire time I sat there. Moving to the shrimp and grits! SMH! I may order shrimp and grits from every single restaurant I go to. Usually because it’s a safe bet if it’s an unfamiliar place, was I wrong. Shrimp and grits should be a savory experience. This was more of a Mexican fajita. Now I read pico de gallo and thought interesting. At worse I can just move it out the way. But nothing about this dish was savory. It is called shrimp and GRITS for a reason. The grit cake was fried EXTRA hard. Not leaving a single “grit” to try in the center. The creole sauce lacked depth and the hearty flavor of anything creole. It should just be called a liquid sauce. Before you think I just wanted a free meal, not only did I pay my full bill without even remotely eating half of it, but I also left a tip for underwhelming service. It wasn’t until a server at the end asked did I not like the shrimp and grits did a possible manager come out and ask the question why. She was simply checking the boxes apparently as she showed not a single care in the world lol. Once I finished my last sentence without any type of interaction or “sorry to hear that” she beenlined back to the back. I came home and...

We found Battle Street Bistro online & because we frequent their sister restaurant (Secret Garden Cafe) we wanted to try it. We were not disappointed. We sat on the rooftop while a band played in the street below us. It was a lovely atmosphere and was only enhanced by the food and service. We had our 8 year old with us and she asked for a chocolate milk and a burger. The server was super attentive and even brought her a "fancy" chocolate milk with a swirl & whipped cream. It made our little one's eyes light up like Christmas morning. I ordered the corn cakes as an appetizer & though it isn't something my husband usually enjoys, he dug into it as well. He ordered a mushroom Swiss burger & I ordered the fish and chips with the grit cake instead of fries. That may have been the best fish I have eaten. His burger was accidently rang in incorrectly and we ended up with extra fish that he loved (also not a typical thing for him). Then got his burger with mashed potato balls that were delicious. The mistake was fixed so quickly that my daughter & I barely had time to take a bite and his burger had appeared. All in all, fantastic, and I have now found a new place to eat anytime I am back in the area! Would 10/10 recommend to anyone...