Bistro Mediterranean &Tapas Bar — Restaurant in Westbrook

Bistro Mediterranean & Tapas Bar - Westbrook, CT - 6/8/2015

It's the type of place you would drive by without ever realizing just what awaits you inside. Not much to look at from the outside and when searching online for a good place to eat, they don't even have a menu on Yelp. Click on their website link in that app and you won't be impressed either...

But... If you are willing to take a chance...? Go inside. Kind of an interesting layout. The bar, with its backsplash style tiles... The stone wall on part of the walls and even the single solid doors you walk thru... Nothing screams wow...

The waiter was friendly... Offered us either inside or outside... We opted for the patio although perhaps it was a bit colder than we had planned on and then the real surprise hit us... The menu... Talk about a diverse, sophisticated offering of foods... Not at all what you see in most restaurants and quite a bit to choose from. Wether it be Pasta, Meats, Fish... There is something for everyone.

We ordered the Rigatoni with Chicken and Pork in a Marinara that was simply devine. Also the Branzino atop a Seafood Risotto... Calimari, soft and not the least bit chewey. Small bits of Scallops in a wonderful sauce. Plating was perfect and flavours intense...

For dessert we had both the Tres Leches which also was to die for. It was almost as good as my daughter the pastry Chef makes and the caramelized bananas with a scoop of vanilla Ice Cream.

This place was absolutely fabulous and one of the best kept secrets in the area. Why they don't do more to promote this amazing restaurant is beyond me. We grabbed a menu to take home and will definitely be back. I guarantee that if they do a better job promoting the place there would be a line down the block. Kudos to the chef. Kick your marketing dept in the pants, your place should be packed!

Needless to say, I highly...

Be sure you read all the reviews. Definitely NOT consistently high rankings! To be fair, the croquetas and the seafood pasta were quite tasty, as was the bread and wine. The women bringing bread and wiping tables were delightful. Our waiter was Igor frightful. Our tapas appeared within minutes. It took an HOUR for our meals to arrive, during which time our waiter never even glanced at us.

When the food finally did arrive, the chicken was so overdone that the knife could not penetrate the chicken breast. No one checked on us. And still....much later, no one checked on us. When we finally had someone we didn't recognize come by the table; he kept saying something we couldn't understand until he discovered we weren't who he wanted to talk to and disappeared without explanation.

When we finally did get our waiter and showed him the knife sending the chicken flying across the plate when it couldn't be cut, he explained we were supposed to use the sauce to make it edible.....then he disappeared until about 10 minutes later we realized he had no intention of coming back and we asked the woman wiping tables to bring our check. We paid the $18 for inedible chicken and got stopped at the door by someone who wondered why we were upset. When we explained about the inedible chicken and the waiter who had no interest in service he suggested " I tell them they have to be sure the chicken is cooked through" and then suggested they should have brought us a steak knife. The pinchos mistos and the house salad were ok, but really quite unexceptional - needed seasoning. The experience took an hour and a half, we came in hungry, we left EXTREMELY dissatisfied. If you expect a consistently edible meal and decent customer service - go...

On Saturday 9/25 My college senior daughter and I "googled" around to find a place. As both of us tend to eat a little on the lighter side we decided on Bistro Mediterranean as our choice even though we needed to drive about 12 miles or so and pass by many other seemingly worthy places. We arrived around 8 pm and there were still many families/parties dining both indoors and outdoors and so it was a lively scene. Since it was just the 2 of us, not having a reservation was not a problem and our gentleman host quickly found us a table. The atmosphere and Karma got off to a great start and it just kept on coming. My daughter and I shared the Mediterranean salad, the grilled shrimp in chickpea puree (OUTSTANDING), rigatoni-chicken-chorizo and seafood empanadas. Each dish was exceptionally delicious. We mopped up every last drop of the chickpea puree with the warm Italian bread served from a covered basket carried around by a waitstaff specialist just for that. The service was impeccable and so friendly. We were clearly enjoying our food and the total experience, and the staff was so congenial and so pleased that we felt that way that they too were enjoying our meal and experience. A meal became a celebration of atmosphere, delicious food and wonderful service. We could not have enjoyed it more. Prices were quite reasonable for the level of quality. I will be going back and will bring more of my...