BiCE Ristorante - Palm Beach — Restaurant in Palm Beach

Avoid BiCE Ristorante in Palm Beach at all costs! We went on Saturday, November 23rd, expecting a high-end dining experience, but instead, we found ourselves in a circus-like nightmare. We were seated in what should have been a serene outdoor area, but it was anything but. Moments after sitting down, a pack of wild children began sprinting and screaming around our table and others nearby. Their negligent parents were nowhere in sight. This isn’t Chuck E. Cheese; it’s supposed to be an upscale restaurant where adults can enjoy their meals in peace.

Despite the palpable irritation from other diners, the chaos continued unabated. When the kids came running back yet again, shrieking like banshees, I calmly wagged a finger at one in an attempt to restore some semblance of order. What followed was utterly appalling. A belligerent man—apparently the father—stormed over, screaming in my face like an unhinged lunatic. He had a long scraggly beard, unkempt long hair, and was dressed in a hoodie and sweats—looking more like a homeless person than someone dining at a high-end establishment. His appearance blatantly flouted the restaurant’s supposed dress code, making his aggressive presence even more absurd. His behavior shocked the entire restaurant, underscoring his apparent disdain for basic parenting or civility.

Adding insult to injury, the maître d' swooped in, not to restore order, but to coddle this deranged man. To our disbelief, he declared the kids' behavior "fine" and openly sided with this volatile individual, dismissing the valid concerns of everyone else around. The cherry on top? This supposed maître d' was later seen hugging the screaming man like they were lifelong buddies. Clearly, they’re in cahoots and have zero regard for their other patrons.

We didn’t stick around to bankroll this absurdity and walked out without spending a dime. The tables around us clearly agreed with our decision. If you value peace, professionalism, and actual customer service, steer clear of this establishment. BiCE Ristorante has made it abundantly clear that they prioritize their unhinged regulars over a respectable dining atmosphere. Don’t waste your time...

We originally had a reservation for seven for a table indoors for Saturday 01/16/21, but called on 01/12/21 to change it to outdoor seating, which I was told was “no problem”. We did arrive about 20 minutes late due to a traffic jam on I-95 after an accident, but we called to let the hostess know at which time it was verified that we wanted outdoor dining.

When we arrived, they acted surprised that we wanted to be outside…really?

We grabbed drinks from the bar and waited about 20 more minutes before finally being led through the restaurant to the back area, which was bursting at the seams with tables, but at least we had outdoor air circulation (insert shrug emoji).

We were seated at the far back corner…seven place settings, six chairs (insert eye roll emoji). So we had to wait for them to take the long trek back to the front to grab another chair.

Our waiter, Umberto, was nice but didn’t seem engaged. Perhaps he had too many tables to tend to…not sure. Not sure if there was a ration on the bread, but all I know is that they brought a small basket of cold bread that contained about four pieces of bread for a party of seven people. I had to ask for more bread a couple of times, as did other members of our party (unaware that I had already inquired). It took a long time for the second basket of cold bread to finally get to the table. Not a good look for a “higher end” restaurant.

The drinks weren’t delivered in a timely manner either, and my husband had to ask twice about his beer.

I had to flag Umberto down so we could place our dinner and appetizer orders.

My tuna tartare was tasty, but the caprese salad was quite unremarkable.

I will say my pasta was delicious and had a lovely texture. No complaints from anyone about their entree.

All in all, we probably would have had a better dining experience indoors (closer to bread baskets and the bar), but thanks to COVID everyone wanted outdoor tables making it challenging at best.

We will not be returning, and based on the mediocre service we will not recommend anyone else to dine...

I was really, really excited about this place. I made reservations weeks in advance and specifically requested outdoor seating bc I think it’s the safest option during Covid. I called earlier that day to confirm my reservation, time and outdoor preference; we were good to go. When my husband and I arrived, our table wasn’t ready and we were told it would be another 10 min wait. Fair enough, so we waited. We were finally seated 40 min after our reservation. Not impressed.

Our waiter was very nice. He and all other wait staff were very attentive and that was a nice experience. Only great things to say about them.

They promptly brought bread and butter to our table. The bread was not great, It was cold, nothing to write home about. We ordered the calamari as an appetizer. The calamari were tender, but lacking in flavor. It needed a generous helping of salt. We ordered some cocktails. They were not great. For an upscale restaurant in palm beach, your drinks need to be on point! We ended up ordering wine instead of another round of drinks. We ordered a pasta dish and risotto dish. Both were good, but not great; the shrimp in my dish were ridiculously over cooked, hard and chewy. Overall good, but I expected delicious. The desserts were fine. I’ve had better tiramisu at other average chain restaurants.

Overall, I gotta say I was disappointed. I think maybe I set my expectations too high, but with the reviews, location, and price tag, I don’t think my expectations were unreasonable.

Also, this place is kind of a COVID nightmare. If this is a concern for you, I would wait till the pandemic is under control (or maybe go during the day or during the week, when it’s slower). Everyone is sitting pretty close together, the bar is packed with people with no masks, and you can barely get to the bathroom without a stranger talking in your face and weaving in and out of crowds. I was very uncomfortable.

I hope they just had an off night, but unfortunately, I cannot recommend this place...