Nona Bistro — Restaurant in Salt Lake City

I was so excited to try this new restaurant but was extremely disappointed by my experience here. I think this place is super gimmicky and made only for aesthetic posts but not really for someone who actually wants to eat their food. There is very little to no parking nearby since the restaurant is located in a recently gentrified neighborhood, so we had to park a few blocks away in the residential area, which is totally fine but I can definitely see this being an issue with people who have disabilities and can't travel very far (there weren't any disabled spots available that were closer either). The entry way to the actual restaurant was a bunch of loose gravel which ended up getting into my heels and damaging their exterior. Even though this place requires you to make a reservation there were maybe only two other couples there. The tables for two were incredibly small and seemed like they were initially meant to be side tables and I wouldn't be surprised if they were purchased off of temu. The dinning cloths they gave us to use were dirty and smelled horrible. They sat us next to a tree that smelled like a wild animal had defecated on it recently. They presented us with "House water" which is just tap water in a dirty glass bottle. Their only non-alcoholic options were the run of the mill soft drinks ($3) or different variants of sparkling water labeled as "mocktails" ($9). The way that their menu is labeled is so odd. There's 4 different categories : "smalls", "mediums", "bigs", and "Sweets & Nightcaps". I understand that this is about portion sizes but it's reminiscent of those discontinued controversial dinner plates that said "mom jeans", "favorite jeans", "skinny jeans". As someone who used to have a severe eating disorder I genuinely think the way the menu is categorized can be harmful especially since all of the "smalls" sound like the most bland diet meal of all time. "Steamed carrots" is not a full meal. Don't call it a "smalls" meal, call it what it is, an appetizer. The beehive pizza that we shared was pretty good but extremely soggy. I'm pretty sure they're all premade and frozen because I've had similar pizza from the Smiths frozen isle for $5 instead of the $18 that this place charges. It took them a suspiciously short amount of time to get it out to us which always raises some questions, especially since the exterior of the pizza was the warmest while the middle was the coldest (microwaved pizza?). You could feel the dread that this place had over everyone there, especially the staff. I don't write many reviews but I had to with this one because I feel like the general public...

Nona’s Bistro is a charming concept with undeniable potential, but our experience fell short of expectations. While the ambiance and setting hinted at something special, the execution left much to be desired.

The Setting: The bistro boasts beautiful landscaping and a quirky appeal, nestled in what feels like a cozy backyard. However, the intimate vibe we anticipated was overshadowed by the sheer number of tables crammed into the small space. For couples at two-tops, the proximity to other diners—just a few feet away—made it impossible to enjoy a private conversation without raising our voices.

Service: The service was, unfortunately, the biggest letdown. Despite the restaurant being busy, there was only one server managing over 30 patrons in a garage-like space. This resulted in extensive wait times: our visit stretched to 3.5 hours, with long gaps between interactions. Drinks were delayed, with only one round served throughout the evening because we saw our server just once every 40–50 minutes. Addressing issues, like a burned chicken entrée, proved impossible due to the lack of attention.

The Food and Drinks: The menu features a good drink selection, but the food was underwhelming. The chicken dish arrived burned, and overall, the flavors failed to justify the high prices. Our order—a mix of two small plates, one medium, one large, a dessert, and four drinks—came to $160. While the cost might be reasonable for a premium dining experience, it felt steep given the subpar service and chaotic atmosphere.

Overall: Nona’s Bistro has all the ingredients for a standout experience: a unique location, quirky charm, and beautiful surroundings. However, the overcrowded space, insufficient staffing, and inconsistent food quality make it difficult to recommend. With better management and attention to detail, this bistro could shine, but as it stands, it’s more frustrating...

Notes wine room: It has a nice atmosphere but everything else about it was seriously disappointing. I thought this was a wine bar but they only had 3 options available by glass: a red, a white, and a boxed dessert wine. This was on Valentine’s so idk if it’s normally like that but either way that seems absurd for a wine bar. While esthetically pleasing, the chair at our tiny bistro table was awkwardly tall so we had to ask to switch chairs because your knees hit the bottom of the table while you towered over the person sitting at the bench. The table next to us asked to switch the seat as well, so not just us. There was salmon on the menu for dinner but were informed they ran out after we ordered so had to switch to steak. The table next to us was seated 15min after us, ordered the same thing, and were served their food first. Even a table seated 30min after us got their food before us. The staff was aloof and didn’t come around to check if we needed a drink (we decided not to order any more drinks due to the bad service). The food finally came out and the steak and chicken were overcooked and dry. I hate to waste food but I couldn’t finish these. The tiramisu for dessert was super soggy and only the top part was ok. The best part of dinner was the salads which would pretty hard to mess up. I’ll just add: I never saw a valentines menu posted on their website or social media so I would’ve expected more menu options rather than being stuck with a $60/person fixed menu that ended up being a subpar experience. I hope this place takes note and can turn around and do better because this review seems to...