1 /5 Julia: We celebrated our anniversary at Park Bistro last year and loved the food, though the seating at the bar was poorly planned — a large column was placed directly between my husband and me, which made for an awkward dining experience. Still, the food was good enough that I overlooked it and recommended the restaurant to others.
Unfortunately, last nights visit completely changed my opinion. (1/9/26)
I brought my family — myself, my husband, my mother-in-law, and our two young daughters — hoping to share what I thought was a great dining experience.
• Flatiron Steak: fine and well prepared
• Chicken Kyiv: unexpected presentation, but acceptable
• Burger: served alone on a small plate with only a pickle. No side. That should be clearly communicated — a burger without a side is not a complete meal unless stated otherwise.
• Service: Our waitress was kind, but the other tables were waited on maybe five times more than us. Disappointing.
But, the children’s menu was the biggest issue.
One child ordered “white pasta.” We were told it would be gnocchi (since they don’t carry pasta noodles), which was fine. She chose white sauce, assuming something similar to an Alfredo-style preparation. What arrived was a plate of pale, oversized gnocchi sitting in the watery pasta liquid with a light sprinkle of Parmesan. I tasted the liquid and it was indeed the pasta water. The flavor was bland, wet, and unappetizing. My daughter took one look and said "yeah, Im not eating that" — and I don’t blame her. The dish went completely untouched. $11 wasted.
My other child ordered chicken nuggets. Four nuggets arrived on a small plate with ketchup. No side. Again, $11. Children do not eat plain nuggets alone as a meal, and nothing about this felt thoughtful or balanced. If this is how the meal is to be served, servers should let the families know that additional sides from the regular menu need to be ordered for their children.
I honestly don’t think the children’s pasta has been tasted by the kitchen, because if it had, it would never be served. Park Bistro seriously needs to rethink having or completely redo the children’s menu — or at the very least, taste what’s being sent out.
That’s $22 in kids’ food that went entirely uneaten. I ended up sharing my burger between me and both my kids. Not ideal for how expensive this restaurant already is.
We also ordered the fried ravioli as an appetizer-after being impressed by the black bean hummus bread. Unfortunately, one bite was all it took. It had an overpowering, artificial smoke flavor and was immediately unpleasant. Every adult, and even the children, at the table agreed — it was a hard no. Extremely fake smoke flavor added. Just don’t order it.
The atmosphere is loud, and crowded. Last year when we visited, my husband and I didnt even talk through dinner because we couldnt hear each other. Fortunately for this visit we snagged a table outside, though they originally sat us at a table that had about 6 inches of uncovered roof, causing two of the seats to get rained on. Luckily there was one table, though smaller and not ideal, that was available for my family to sit at.
I’m extremely disappointed. I previously recommended Park Bistro and spoke highly of it despite the seating issue from last year. Google reviews remain very high, but based on last nights experience, I won’t be returning — and I definitely won’t recommend this restaurant to families with children. Unless you plan on visiting McDonalds on the way home. Which is exactly what we did.
