1424 Bistro — Restaurant in Waco

The Irish have a sign that hangs on the door of their business and it reads, "All good hearted people are welcome here." It saddens me that some are so full of anger, spewing hate, without taking into account that the mean words they write may deteriorate a business that a family worked so hard to build. What has happened to positive criticism which is what these boards were intended for.

If I want a Colby Steak then I go to 135 Prime. If I want a Menu full of healthy and delicious variety compounded by a friendly rich and romantic ambiance then I go to 1424. I have gone in shorts to formal dresses and always feel welcome. I do not go during Baylor Graduation or parents week-end expecting the same service I receive every other night of the year, Why not? Because they are absolutely packed for fourteen hour non-stop. Also because everything they serve is prepared by hand, fresh onsite. We have reservation but 1424 has no control as to how long a table might sit around during graduation night.Yes it takes longer to be served. I feel that if you are not good hearted enough to take everything into account then at least understand without being cruel on one of these sites. Wedding parties are outrageously perfect. I have attended three.

The freshest Ahi Tuna rare is absolutely beautiful. Fresh Red Snapper and Sea Bass are to die for. When these three are available you will not find anything in Waco remotely close. I would put the Rib Eye steak up against anybodies it is the bomb. My boy friend could not even eat all of his 16oz. Rib eye. Most every time we eat here the waiter boxes up something left over due to the more than generous portions. Last week my girlfriend got the chicken picatta and raved about it. She also loved the fresh healthy sides 1424 had to choose from. Cold crisp salad topped with a most delightful in house Greek Dressing.Did I forget the worlds best calamari, I am a huge fan of fresh lightly breaded in house calamari, I have traveled and 1424 has this appetizer perfected. Also the fresh battered oysters and shrimp are top shelf right beside the flaming cheese. My brother visited and his two children ordered child plates. Fresh battered Chicken strips. 1424 chef's took the same care in preparing the children food as they took making ours. They could not eat all of theirs and said next time they want the same thing only they want to split it. My father was hooked on the lamb shanks while my mother refused to share her lamb chops.

Somewhere at some time in a day a mistake is going to happen but does this mean they should throw in the towel and shut the doors for good? I have always experienced educated and caring servers here. One time I did get a server in training but she was shadowed and all was still delightful.

If its is your first visit you will find a price range you can afford from 9.00 to 36.00. I recommend the wellington... I have never left without knowing I would return to try something new on the menu....bon appetit! Relax...

The food was average and overpriced. It took an hour and a half for us to receive the food we ordered. I ordered Chilean sea bass and it came out as a tiny little filet and the rest of the dish consisted of the sides. The sides were mediocre. Salted baby carrots that were steamed or boiled. Greek potatoes which were pretty bland. The texture of the sea bass was not like what sea bass is supposed to be. It tastes much more like cod. I've had sea bass plenty of times and also have cooked it in my home kitchen. I know what sea bass tastes like, and what I received was not it. I also ordered a sangria, which tasted like cough syrup. It was ridiculously sweet. The Caesar salad was wilted and the dressing was watery and bland. Our waiter, however, was probably the only good part of the dining experience. He was attentive and apologetic for the long wait time, but this does not make up for the rest of the negative dining experience.

This place has so much potential, and it has vast room to improve. I would suggest focusing the menu on Mediterranean dishes, since the restaurant claims to serve Mediterranean food. There is etouffee and "Southwestern saute" on the menu. These are not Mediterranean dishes. Having a focused menu would require less inventory on hand and allow the restaurant to elevate the dishes it already has. I imagine many of these dishes are not made from fresh ingredients, since there is just so much on the menu, it would be impossible to maintain the inventory and keep if fresh. These ingredients would likely have to be frozen. I would also suggest to have fixed dishes with complementary sides included (but obviously, allow substitutions if needed), so that when a customer orders, there is a streamlined process to assemble the dish. The sides are pretty bland and mediocre. You could have fixed sides with an entree, and elevate those sides. Use cold plates for salads and hot plates for entrees. This restaurant as it stands is passable for a small town like Waco, but would never survive in a metropolitan city. Waco is attracting more out-of-towners now and this could be such a fantastic restaurants with a few...

I’m not the kind to typically leave a review, and I usually cringe at how unfair reviews tend to be, but I feel like our experience tonight warrants a review, but first I want to preface with saying how pleasant the staff and atmosphere was, this review is no reflection on them or the building/decor.

We were very excited to try a new spot for our weekly date night, and were quite delighted to hear that on a Friday night in Waco, there was no wait, a big positive. When we arrived, we were greeted by extremely friendly staff who opened the door for us and sat us immediately. Looking over the menu, we took note of the steep prices, but considering the high reviews, we were ok with it. We decided on a Caesar salad and calamari for appetizer, and to say the least the salad was probably the best part of the meal. The calamari felt slightly under cooked, and the breading was soggy. For our entrees we chose Beef Wellington and Scallop Scampi, both $29 dishes. Again, we don’t usually spend a lot on eating out but seeing the high reviews we had very high expectations and felt that it would be worth it. Long story short, it was sadly not worth it in the least. The beef Wellington was ok, but the scallop Scampi was oily, flavorless, and the scallops were slightly undercooked in my opinion. These are things that wouldn’t bother me usually, but considering the near $30 price tag, we were very disappointed. After leaving, we both agreed that not only were we disappointed, but we didn’t (and don’t) feel good at all, in fact we rushed home after having to run an errand to take an activated charcoal. So I say all this not to try and convince people not to go to 1424, but I do want people to have a fair representation from the less than favorable side. Anyways, the staff and atmosphere were an easy 5/5, but the food unfortunately was 2/5. Hopefully this experience was not a...