Happenings Bistro — Restaurant in Wellston

This is going to be a pretty long review, but I'll start by saying the owners have done a wonderful job fully renovating this place to a very clean, modern, and inviting restaurant. The entrance and dining area are decorated throughout with pictures of old Wellston, which my husband and I really enjoyed.

Our waitress was very friendly and did a wonderful job through our entire visit. Shortly after our meal arrived, the owner stopped by and introduced himself and his daughter, then explained that this was all new to their family, and that any suggestions were welcome. Very nice guy and lovely daughter! Being a self proclaimed "food critic" and traveling foodie, I began a mental list of suggestions.

We had the cheddar cheese bites for an appetizer. I ordered one of the daily specials, which was smothered chicken-chicken breasts covered in barbecue sauce, cheese, perfectly crisp bacon, and tomatoes, mashed potatoes and gravy, and green beans. My husband ordered cod fish bites, a baked potato, and side salad. For dessert, we shared peanut butter pie. I feel that some things could use some tweaking, but I can't say anything bad about anything we had. With some small improvements, everything will be perfect!

We felt that the menu could use some more choices, especially with the entree/dinner selections, but there are a lot of daily specials in addition to the menu. Prices were reasonable. Fresh brewed sweet tea was great.

The owner stopped back once we finished our meal, so I offered my suggestions. He pulled up a chair and we had a whole discussion. I felt that he genuinely cared about our thoughts and took them to heart. We felt as though we were talking to a friend. I actually have some more thoughts after the fact that I wish I would've shared! Next time...

Even though we felt some tweaking needs to be done, I couldn't rate this place any less than 5 stars, based on our experience with the friendly owner, waitress, and staff, and the genuine welcoming feeling and aura of the entire restaurant.

Give them a chance, and don't be so quick to leave a bad review. Take into consideration that this is a new business. The owners freely admit to having no restaurant experience, but they genuinely care and want to make this a nice place to eat, the type of place that is much needed in the area. With some small improvements to the menu, they are on their way to a very successful business! Looking forward to...

I stopped here after hiking around Lake Alma. I had searched for restaurants the night before and didn't see this place, but luckily as I was leaving the park it came up and saved me from fast food.

The owners are very friendly and engaged. You can tell that Jeff is an owner right away because no one is normally that happy to be at work. Good for them.

As for the food, a burger is usually the safest bet when trying a new restaurant, but I saw a picture of a cheesesteak wrap online and went for it. I love cheesesteaks. As simple as they are in concept, they seem very hard to get right by restaurants with the most common failing being blandness. This one had a good taste, and the wrap was prepared expertly with a crispy surface. The portion was also ample. If I could suggest one thing, it would be having peppers in it.

I love finding a good restaurant in a small town, but it is almost a shame that it is not in my town. They seem to do brisk business, and I hope they keep it up and maintain the quality. I will definitely plan to be back the next time I'm in the...

We stopped by The Happenings Bistro which has taken over the building where Lee and Helen's had operated for years. Very nice people here. This is a cute place with locally nostalgic photos on the walls. We really should have looked at them all. We started off with the fried pickles. They were pretty good. We also ordered a Wellston Pork Veal Sandwich and a Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich, both with Onion Rings. The Veal needed some more flavor and was a little overcooked for a Jackson County Veal. The Philly was a bit dry and could have stood to have more flavor as well but it was a decent sandwich. The Onion Rings were generously portioned though I believe they were frozen. I would have paid more for less if they were fresh onions dipped in a batter with seasoning. It's a really cute place with great atmosphere. Glad...