Blue River Bistro and Bar — Restaurant in Shelbyville

Massive disappointment. Being in Shelbyville, the food places can get a little repetitive. My family and I drove past this place plenty times and finally decided today to stop.

We go in and there’s a table of 4 outside and a table of 3 inside who already had their food.

We get sat down fairly quickly by a guy who was polite but made plenty of excuses along the way.

We order our drinks and the bang bang shrimp, my family member got a Bloody Mary, my sibling got a Mr. Pibb and I got a Diet Coke. The Diet Coke tasted like every soda but no soda at the same time, I informed the guy something was wrong with my drink and he went and “checked it out” for 10 mins, without offering a different beverage, then when he returned he told me something was wrong with it he didn’t know and then offered me something else. After he returned with our order, we put in our entree orders, 2 orders of Cajun chicken Alfredo, my sibling attempted to order the sirloin but was told it was out of stock. So he ordered the “French Dip”

Later on, the Bloody Mary gets refilled and whilst making it he audibly says “I forget how to make this.” Meanwhile, we’re about 20 minutes in and no sign of our “bang bang shrimp.” We ask multiple times, and he keeps telling us “it should be coming soon,.” A good 20 minutes after numerous questions as to where the shrimp is, our waiter informs us the owner is now making their self. 10 minutes later they finally come, and it’s 8 pieces of shrimp with a cup of sauce (unusual way to serve the dish). Admittedly it was tasty, well seasoned, and the sauce was good…however we received the dish over an hour into the experience. At this point, we wanted the rest of our food. Which we were also told for what felt like another half hour of “it’s almost up.”

At this point, we’ve lost track of time. We arrived at roughly 6:30PM and left at around 8 o’clock. At this point, we’re exhausted and we’re hungry. The owner herself was making our appetizers and entrees and clearly showed little to no sense of urgency. The waiter keeps saying “we only have one in front and one in back, it’s a slow day.” We heard him say this no less than 10 times. The experience is absolutely ruined. So we decide with no entree in site, we’ll leave, after we speak to the owner.

The owner doesn’t comp anything, using the logic of “well you ate the food and drank the drinks didn’t you?” and made us pay full price for everything but the entrees.

Absolute worst dining experience I’ve ever had, it’s sad with such an ambitious and delicious sounding menu, it comes with a rotten attitude and poor service.

Other things I’ll note, the music is played differently in both sections of the building which throws off the vibe, random people go behind the counter and sit at the bar that i can’t even tell if they work there or not, and the chairs are uncomfortable, especially when they sit you outside the bathroom of a virtually completely empty restaurant.

Overall, I wanted this place to be so good so bad. It was not. It was the worst dining experience one could ever endure. I hate seeing small businesses fail, and I was shocked to see this place is rated nearly 4/5 stars. The food sounded so good, but I couldn’t tell you how it tasted aside from the appetizer.

The staff was incompetent and full of excuses, the owner was rude and and lacked compassion, and if you ever eat there I’d suggest ordering a couple hours ahead

Food: 2/5, drinks were bad, shrimp was good, feels unfair to to rate it any higher due to the entrees never coming.

Service: 0/5 unfortunately why it’ll prolly end up shutting down

Atmosphere: 2/5 visually cute, but the emptiness and two different music sources makes...

We stopped in to try this place. There was 1 table of 5 who were eating. We ordered a 14" pepperoni pizza with mushrooms & extra cheese. The waiter talked us into getting the crab mac & cheese since they were out of lobster. The table of 5 was done eating when we got our order. I got a coke & Judy got rootbeer. The pizza was about as thick as maybe 4 sheets of paper. As we both ate a piece, we discussed how it was hard to bite through the crust and we didn't taste much of the pepperoni. The bottom was almost burnt. I lifted the cheese on my slice & there was ½ of 1 slice of the pepperoni on almost every slice it looked like the slice had been about a 2" piece, but it was only a half slice. That was the only pepperoni on the pizza. So a 6-slice pizza only used a total of 3 slices of pepperoni. As we decided to talk to the waiter, he & a guy in the kitchen left the dining area & went to the bar. For about 7 minutes we were totally alone in the dining area. I took another drink of my coke & almost lost it! Inside the glass about halfway down was a big whisker The waiter finally came out, and when I showed it to him, his response was "Oh it only looks like an eyelash"! It was a good ¾" whisker because it was much thicker than any eyelash or hair off a head. He went to the bar area again & called who he said was the owner. He never offered another drink He did say "She said to not charge us for the coke." We asked him why there wasn't hardly any pepperoni. His comment was he didn't know & the cook had already...

Blue River Bistro and Bar, despite being a recent addition, has swiftly established itself as a French-chic dining destination in Shelbyville, IN. Boasting an expansive menu that includes delectable offerings like chicken cordon bleu, this establishment embodies elegance and culinary excellence.

Conveniently situated on the public square, it's just a block away from the free parking garage, ensuring hassle-free access for patrons. Additionally, its wheelchair accessibility makes it an inclusive dining spot for all guests.

One of the standout features of Blue River Bistro and Bar is its prime location adjacent to a grassy amphitheater frequently utilized for community events. This proximity allows diners to enjoy not only exquisite meals but also the vibrant energy of local gatherings and festivities.

In summary, Blue River Bistro and Bar impresses with its French-inspired cuisine, chic ambiance, and strategic location near parking and community events. As a newcomer, it has swiftly made its mark as a sophisticated dining option in Shelbyville, promising an experience that combines culinary delight with...