Il Bistro

We liked this place. The food (we had onion soup and whitebait for starters, lamb in red wine and cherry sauce and chicken in mushroom sauce for main courses) was unexceptional, but the service was very friendly. Comparing it with another restaurant in Brighton (which I plan to review separately) where we had OK food but awful service showed us the importance of making customers feel welcome.

To be honest, Il Bistro didn't quite live up to our expectations. The building, while smart on the outside, seemed to be falling apart on the inside, and we had hoped for slightly more adventurous cooking and perhaps better value, but the welcoming atmosphere made up for these shortcomings, and we would visit again.
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John Hudson
Monday, June 30, 2008

Had dinner in Il Bistro on Friday 23rd May. Excellent and friendly service and food very good. Only problem being the very large portions which meant I had to leave some on my plate! Would highly recommend this restaurant.
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Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Went for lunch this week whilst shopping in the laines, saw their £5.95 for 2 courses deal, food very good and decent portions, i had spinach and ricotta lasagne, with profiteroles for desert. Bargain !!

Only strange thing was the waiter we had, seemed to change from an irish accent, to a french one, then back to an irish one ?
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Friday, July 06, 2007

My husband and I were there on Saturday night. Pleasant looking restaurant and fairly busy. Staff pleasant enough too but unfortunately that's where it ended. Don't know if they were having a bad night as manager seemed to be having a difficult time with staff and chef (most I think were new) and you could hear the arguing regarding msssing dishes, etc.

Food was not great. Both fishes ordered were overcooked and mine was served with half a plate of salad and mixed veg and potatoes - would have preferred more fish rather than plate-filling salad. My husband had dessert which was served whilst he was in the toilet - its was basically four profiteroles and we were amused when the waitress offered me a spoon to share..... four small profiteroles are not exactly for sharing...

Table beside us also had issues and when complained didn't really get anywhere with the manager. Hence, why we didn't want to complain as the attitude was a bit harsh.
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Tuesday, March 06, 2007

We went to Il Bistro as a party of 15 for a family dinner. We were initially very impressed with the decor/atmosphere and the menu, which had a good fish selection and reasonable prices. Even considering the restaurant was full and we had a large party, the dishes in each course all came at once and were all hot and delicious. We would all recommend Il Bistro and will definately be going back.
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Sanne
Wednesday, February 21, 2007

my boyfriend and I went to Il Bistro for lunch today. The 2-course-menu for 7.95 was really good, the steak tasted a little burnt though. service was also nice. nothing extraordinary, but good food and reasonable price.
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Elisa
Monday, October 16, 2006

Last night my family and I went to Il Bistro for a farewell dinner. I could not have picked a better restaurant to dine in. The menu was varied, the quality of food was excellent and the service second to none. I would not hesitate in returning to this restaurant or recommending it to my friends and their families. A great place to go as a couple, as a group of friends or as a family with children. If asked I would give Il Bistro 12 out of 10.
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Liane Cleaveley
Sunday, July 16, 2006

Good value 2 course menu at £7.95 and not a pizza in sight.

We use il bistro 2/3 times a month
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I. Green
Monday, June 05, 2006

Reasonably priced set lunch menu but food was indicative of old style British cuisine.

I had some home made fish croquettes that looked like a child had made them and there were strong doubts as to the actual content. They came with an insipid and poorly dressed salad and a garlic mayonnaise that appeared to have very little garlic in.

The main course of minute steak was truly minute and I mean the size not the cut. Had to send the chips back as they had clearly been overcoooked at least once, although the waiter denied this as he walked away from the table without addressing the issue correctly. Again the salad was pathetic (one slice of cucumber, one slice of carrot and 1/4 tomato).

Most of the other waiters were nice enough but the establishment lacked any style or class whatsoever.

Probably best for tourists with no real concerns other than sitting outside in the Lanes.
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William
Sunday, June 04, 2006

Excellent food and service. Our waiter was well experienced and gave us good recommendations. Very good value for money.

Fish was fresh from the day and of good quality.

Highly recommended restaurant in the lanes but can get quite busy at the week-end so don't forget to reserve a table not to be disappointed!
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Alexandra
Friday, May 26, 2006