CHIWA BISTRO — Restaurant in Norwalk

The quality standards of the dishes vary a lot. We had ordered:

Unagi BBQ Eel Rice - 5/5 Great! Big piece of fish very nicely cooked and seasoned. They offered it with fried rice which was weird and of course we opted for regular rice, which was sushi rice and came well seasoned.

Dimsum - 4/5 chicken feet and beef spareribs both were very delicious but the portions were tiny. I’ve never had 2.5 pieces of dimsum be considered one order. It was like someone ate half the plate before it landed on our table. I surmise they probably order the dimsum premade from elsewhere and thus can’t portion too much in order to break even.

Tonkotsu - 3/5 noodles were sad and limp. Broth was tasty but lacked depth, and definitely did not measure up to a legit ramen house broth. The tonkotsu got served with corn and naruto fish cake (interesting..). Overall could be a 4 if only the noodles were actually cooked right and had some chew. A 5 if they could get their broth perfect.

Original Milk Bubbletea - 1/5 I almost wanted to ask for a refund for this one. It was as if someone put a single tea bag in lukewarm water, threw milk powder in, tapioca and called it milk tea. Wtf? Just add some more tea bags to your brew; that doesn’t even cost much. Tapioca, however, was made well and perfectly chewy.

Overall, I’d go back for particular items (that unagi don) but the quality range is massive on their menu. It’s like playing Russian roulette on your appetite and wallet.

Also, the service staff needs training. We waited by the door as serving staff walked past us for several minutes before someone even acknowledged us and seated us at one of the empty tables. Our server swung by our table every 3-5 minutes asking if we needed anything. I guess that was our cue that we needed our bill and to gtfo (this was 2:30pm and there wasn’t anyone needing our table). I don’t think the guy had bad intentions but it was very annoying and disrupting while we...

New in town🎉🔥🥳 Finally they made it….!!! All new restaurant spend so much $$ to be built but spend $0 on hospitality/ service training. Wasn’t greeted properly upon entering the establishment. Server has no interaction with customer about menu items. Service needs to improve or need to have standard😹. Saw another server came in after 4pm shift who had better interaction😎 Food is okay, where they try to serve almost everything from sushi to dim sum and ramen. Menu Price point are good comparing to quality & quantity. I like very much their wanton soup, the wanton itself was very tasty, plump and authentic but I expect more broth. It serve on a small bowl with 4 large wanton for $6.95, good value for money👍, bigger bowl please!!! The Katsu pork was juicy and tender.🫶 Gyniku Don (beef bowl) was okay, could take up more sauce since it had lot of rice. Onsen tamago could be made better way. Beef quantity vs rice ratio was off😂, could have more protein( it look like

I had an outstanding dining experience at China Bistro in Norwalk, CT, and a big part of that was thanks to my amazing waiters, Cruz and Fernando. From the moment we sat down, they made us feel welcome and ensured that we were comfortable. Cruz was incredibly attentive, checking in just the right amount to make sure our drinks were filled and that we had everything we needed. He had a great sense of humor, which made the experience feel personal and enjoyable.

Fernando, on the other hand, was exceptionally professional and knowledgeable about the menu. He was quick to offer recommendations, which turned out to be spot-on, and his suggestions elevated the entire meal. Both Cruz and Fernando worked seamlessly together, anticipating our needs before we even had to ask. They were prompt, friendly, and made sure that everything was just right without being overbearing.

The food itself was outstanding—flavorful, fresh, and cooked to perfection. The attention to detail was evident not only in the dishes but also in the way Cruz and Fernando handled our experience. They made sure we had the perfect balance of service and privacy, allowing us to enjoy our meal without ever feeling rushed.

Overall, Cruz and Fernando went above and beyond to make our visit memorable, and their exceptional service truly stood out. I would definitely return for the great food and the fantastic service they provided....