Julias Bistro & Bar — Restaurant in San Antonio

My wife and I dined at Julia's Bistro today. Made reservations through Google because their website has been down for over two weeks. When we arrived, the restaurant was completely empty. The hostess asked if we'd prefer a table or a seat at the bar. I like a booth, so I asked if any of the booths were available since the restaurant was literally empty, including all 6 booths. The hostess immediately became visibly uncomfortable, and said "hmmm, I actually have you seated over here," and she pivoted to direct us toward a table in the corner. Weird but fine, we're not really picky.

The only small problem is that it's 103° outside today, and the window by the table was radiating heat, so after about ten minutes, I asked the waiter if we could switch to a nearby booth. He too became visibly awkward and said he could switch us to a different table instead. No worries. We move to another table. Another hour passes, and the restaurant remains virtually empty the entire time. The vibe of the place felt really strange, and significantly, every single booth remained completely empty for the entirety of our 75 minutes at Julia's Bistro. Finally, as I am getting our check to leave, overwhelmed by curiosity, I couldn't resist asking the waiter, "What's the deal with the booths? Is there some issue with them? Why couldn't we sit at one?" I tried not to sound confrontational or anything because I was genuinely just curious. I figured maybe they were being reupholstered or something, but the waiter got nervous and said "People probably made reservations." Now, I thought this was weird because we had made reservations too, at 5, and it was now 6:10, and all 6 booths were still empty. Not only that, but there was actually no option to specify seating when making reservations. (There may be an option on their website, but the site has been down for over 2 weeks.)

Here's where it gets really weird. I say "Okay, no worries. I was just curious." Then, the waiter walks briskly up to the bartender, who seems to be the owner, and whispers something to him. Then he walks up to the hostess and whispers to her. Five minutes later, a woman finally walks into the restaurant, and the hostess immediately directs her into a booth. BUT, I am not so easily fooled. I was listening to the woman as she came in, and she very clearly and audibly said, "No, I don't have a reservation." And yet the hostess still directs her into a booth. Something strange is going on! If the full slate of empty booths hadn't been evidence enough, it is now painfully clear that the booths were NOT reserved, since this woman without a reservation was instantly seated at one.

After we leave, we went to the Beacon Hill deli next door for dessert and cheesesteaks to go, which was incredible. Easily the best and most authentic cheesesteak I've had in San Antonio. But afterward, as we walked to our car, I peered through the window of Julia's Bistro — at this point half out of curiousity and half out of pettiness — and whaddya know, most of the booths are still empty. I'm not mad. I love a good table. I'm just confused. What's going on with these booths? Are they open seating for the mafia or something? My wife thinks we walked into a hostage situation, and the booths were strapped with explosives. I'll change this review to 5 stars if I can just get a satisfactory answer.

Anyway, the food was pretty good. I especially liked the calimari. The...

An honest review: just got home, it's 6/1//2024.

After reflection on the place, me and my wife did have higher expectations. When we arrived, the place was a bit busy. We waited at the front for nearly 5 minutes and finally, we had someone come to seat us (glad we did not seat ourselves.)

Upon sitting down, we had to wait another 10 minutes just to get something to drink and for our waitress to greet us. When we did order, we got the charcuterie board which was excellent. We ordered the French onion soup, which was a bit saltier then it should have been.

We ordered our main meals which was the lamb shank and mushroom risotto. The mushroom risotto was overly salted and the lamb shank was a bit higher in salt as well. We slowly managed through our plate, but the experience was poor. The waitress only tended to us two or three times and seemed overwhelmed.

One final note, we were a party of two and we got placed in the back. Again, I'm not trying to be rude but with it being hot in san antonio, the place was baking us alive. My wife complained several times about the heat, and afterwards she felt like she wanted to throw up. Maybe move the tables a little away from the windows or make it a little colder in the room.

In honesty, I would go back maybe once or twice a year.

Jeff

P.s. I'm not trying to be harsh, but to give an honest review. I'm giving it two stars. I hope this helps improve things like server quality and salt usage.

Last comment: we did get the oyster tacos and they were perfect and to die for! It blew me away with how delicious they were. Good...

Charming Ambiance, Delicious Food, but Disappointing Experience with Leftovers

Julia's French Bistro and Bar is a quaint and charming spot that truly delivers on the promise of delicious French cuisine. The atmosphere is cozy and inviting, perfect for a memorable dining experience for our anniversary dinner.

We started with the escargot and bone marrow appetizers, both of which were absolutely delightful and well-prepared. For our main courses, we enjoyed the trout and the short rib bourguignon—both dishes were flavorful, well-executed, and truly hit the mark.

However, our experience was dampened by an unfortunate incident with our leftovers. After finishing our lovely meal, we accidentally left behind a container with at least half of my trout and about a third of the short rib. Realizing the mistake just a couple of blocks away, we quickly returned—less than five minutes later—only to find that our leftovers had already been discarded. Surprisingly, the restaurant was not too busy at the time—there was no line or waitlist, and several tables were open. We were disappointed that our food was thrown out so quickly, especially since I was really looking forward to enjoying the rest of my meal and sharing the food with my kids.

Despite this hiccup, the food at Julia's is truly wonderful, and the experience would have been perfect if not for the handling of our leftovers. I would recommend dining here, but just be mindful not to forget anything on...