Bistro St. Emanuel — Restaurant in Mobile

Let me begin by saying that I rarely review anything unless it is way above expectations or a complete disappointment. Also, I tend to read negative reviews and assume that the writer somehow brought this bad luck upon themselves; that they must just be sending out negative vibes and voila! Bad experience. I stand corrected. .. As a small business owner myself, I am sincerely hoping that management of the Bistro St Emanuel will take this review to heart and strive for the necessary changes. It is in a beautiful locale and could be amazing with a few tweaks. As a start, if the waitstaff gave the impression that they care. Today we were celebrating having our daughter visit from college. My husband had ridden through Ft Conde Village and thought this would be a great place to try for Sunday brunch. It was a lovely sunny morning and we felt like tourists ( in a good way). There were approximately 8 tables, half of which were occupied when we walked in. The bartender could easily see us walk in yet did not acknowledge us. We had to ask if we should seat ourselves. We did, and eventually someone came over to finish clearing the table. After a few minutes the waitress brought menus and we greeted her with smiles and a good morning- how are you? she smiled slightly and replied 'Busy"... That should have been our cue to do what at least two other tables did during our stay- decide to head elsewhere. They were obviously understaffed, with the staff that was there appearing to be rather inexperienced in customer service, to put it kindly. After an hour we received our meals. After a reminder to the bartender I did receive my mimosa. I can highly recommend the Eggs Benedict St Louis style, served with rosemary home style potatoes. It was delicious and a nice size that filled the plate. However, our daughter's waffle was actually charred on the bottom. She didn't even think about sending it back we were so hungry by the time food arrived. My husband ordered their version of the Monte Cristo. To say he was underwhelmed by the presentation is an understatement. This 'sandwich' was basically slider-sized and really should have been paired with something- fruit, potatoes, even just a leaf of kale? It just looked pretty forlorn there by itself on the plate. He polished it off, but did not enjoy paying the bill and then heading home needing a post-brunch snack.... Basically we ended up still feeling like tourists(in a bad way). Here's hoping that if you go, you will be welcomed, seated at an already-bussed table; not have any requests ( like a water refill; God-forbid) and avoid the Monte Conde sandwich. And the...

Let me start by mentioning that I never leave reviews. Good or bad. When I patronize businesses such as Bistro St. Emanuel, I presume that the service and food will be better than average. I glanced at the reviews before heading out and was pleased with what I read. It wasn’t crowded when we arrived and the restaurant appeared to be recently opened with beautiful décor inside and out. Upon entering, no one greeted us and there were several un-bussed tables. The bartender looked at us awkwardly and there was no sign of a hostess, waiter or waitress so I asked the bar tender “do we seat ourselves?”. We sat down at an un-bussed table and waited several minutes to be greeted by the waitress. She was less than enthusiastic when greeting us, she bussed the table, gave us menus and took our drink orders. Over the course of about 15 to 20 minutes we each got drinks one-at-a-time from both the bartender and the waitress. When the waitress finally took our orders, my wife reminded her of the mimosa she ordered 30 minutes prior-the bartender brought it to her about 15 minutes later. After waiting at least an hour after arriving, during which time others who came in shortly after us left because no one seated or greeted them, we finally received our food-again not all at once but separately and it was served to us by someone working in the kitchen. My wife’s Louis de la Mobile was good and well portioned, my Monte Conde` was small portioned and lukewarm and my daughter’s waffle was burnt. Never once did the waitress check back with us to refill beverages or to ask us about the meal. The next time we saw her was when she dropped off the check. The service was abysmal and the food was mediocre. Having worked in the restaurant business as a waiter myself I understand customer service and the challenges it entails. If people are spending the kind of money The Bistro is charging, they are expecting better than average service and food. Neither of which we experienced today. I have read a lot of reviews and realize that sometimes people are having a bad day and emotion gets the better of them when posting those reviews. This is not the case! We support local businesses and sincerely hope the owner(s) of The Bistro will accept this review as “constructive criticism” and not some “rant” and will take the necessary steps to correct the service issues we and other patrons...

EDITED 8-10-23: Just WOW at the rude and unprofessional response from the owner about my honest review. That should tell you all you need to know about this place and how little they care about their customers.

I have been to Bistro St Emanuel twice now - once right after they opened, and again a year or so later. My first experience was awful — slow wait staff (with no one else in the restaurant but us), and I had the fries with poutine and an egg on top. The gravy was far too salty and tasted like it came out of a can. I thought maybe because the restaurant was brand new, they just needed time to improve, but I kept avoiding going back even though I work nearby. I just didn’t want to waste money on another sub-par experience.

Yesterday, I was with a group, and someone suggested it for our work lunch meeting. I was skeptical but thought maybe it would be better this time. It wasn’t. For the first half hour we were there (on a Friday at lunchtime), we were the only people in the restaurant. I had the Le Grande Benedict, and the potatoes were undercooked and crunchy, the poached egg was completely cooked through instead of being runny, and the hollandaise was lumpy. The server was nice, and the restaurant is adorable, but those are the only positive things I can say. How are there this many good reviews?! It’s overpriced and the menu looks impressive, but the food is not. It’s completely underwhelming. I feel bad for people who come to our city from out of town and eat here — there are so many better choices and menus with the same food. Do yourself a favor and go ANYWHERE else downtown if you want a true Mobile...