Queen City Bistro — Restaurant in Staunton

Great dining experience at a new restaurant in a prime downtown location!

My family and I attended the opening night and dinner service at the new Queen City Bistro in downtown Staunton. It is located in the space once occupied by the old Emilio's Italian Restaurant. The building and interior has undergone some renovations and the new decor and settings really feel comfy and inviting for upscale-casual dining. The greetings and atmosphere were very welcoming.

The food was excellent and we enjoyed the modern take on dishes with a unique Italian flair. Drinks were made well and the wine selection, although currently limited, was very good with a selection of French, South American, and Spanish wines. The tempura-like Fried Shrimp with Crisped Polenta Wedges and Herbed Olive Oil was a great starter as well as a surprisingly refined Goat Cheese and Tomato Fondue dish. The Tri-Tip Steak main course was cooked to a perfect temperature and it has been quite a while since any of us had a wonderfully Sweet-and-Savory Spiced Rockfish with a hearty Peperonata sauce. We all shared the Black Bean Brownie and Ice Cream and found it that it disappeared a bit too quickly. Tasty!

The owners and staff were very friendly, helpful, and prompt. Opening night can make for a tense atmosphere but the servers and tenders were seasoned in their craft and made everything go as smoothly as it could. We all had a great time and enjoyed the dining at Queen City Bistro! This is a definite recommend to...

We’re foodies — we discover good food wherever we go in the world, and we value both flavor and integrity in service. We chose this restaurant because of its 4.8 Google rating, and we wanted to share our real dining experience. Unfortunately, it fell short on both food and service.

Our waiter brought the wrong dish for my wife, and by the time her trout almondine arrived, my meal was already finished. The trout had no almond flavor or aroma — the crust was plain and greasy, dominated by butter rather than balance. The green beans were fibrous and undercooked, and the tomatoes tasted raw, lacking caramelization or seasoning.

My lamb shank, described as being served with a demi-glace, came in a thin tomato-based sauce that lacked the richness and depth of a true reduction. The meat itself was fair but not tender or flavorful.

When we mentioned our disappointment, the waiter acknowledged the mistake and reduced the fish price by half. While appreciated, the issue went beyond cost — the timing and execution had already disrupted the meal. No one from the kitchen or management came to apologize or check in.

A beautiful dining room can’t make up for inconsistency and inattentiveness. For travelers who value genuine care in both food and service, this stop sadly missed the mark. We came because of the 4.8; we left feeling it deserved a 3. Perhaps we expected too much — or maybe, we simply expected what good...

We stopped in here on a Saturday evening for a late dinner after getting to town for an overnight stay. It was one of the only places that we saw on the map that looked like they were open later. Just to note - they are open until 1am Friday and Saturday (see one of my pictures) but Google maps hours does not reflect that.

We sat at the bar and were immediately greeted by a bartender. We ordered drinks to start. I had a lavender lemonade mocktail that was very good. We ordered the sliced ciabatta bread and olive oil as an appetizer. There was a live musician performing in the front of the restaurant and he was good so we enjoyed that.

We had the braised short ribs and Tuscan salmon for dinner. The portion size on the ribs was big so half of that went home as leftovers. I liked the salmon. It said sun dried tomato cream sauce but I didn’t notice the sun dried tomato part, just the cream. It was still good.

The atmosphere was laid back and easy going. I think this could be a good place for a date night or just hanging with friends. One bartender was a little more personable than the other but they both were attentive.

I would come here again if ever in the area and maybe try a different meal and...