Blue Hat Bakery & Bistro at Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts

Spacious and bright. Very good espresso drink and pastry.

However, one star docked for atmosphere. One day, there's soft background music, the next it's loud pop. The latter is not conducive to working alone or visiting with someone.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great service and calming ambiance! The barista Amanda is very sweet! I liked the grilled cheese with onions.

Atmosphere: 5

Service: 5

We went for The Bear Dinner.

While each dish had its strong points, the money we paid - $125 + tax per person - was not worth it.

The starting focaccia was rock hard and cold. It seemed like it was made this morning. You can cut the top of your mouth when eating it. I was expecting soft, warm, and buttery bread. The whipped ricotta dip and spicy honey was good though.

The asparagus with quail egg was tasty, but it could have come with a little bit more ikura (and don’t market it as caviar). Again, maybe a few more asparagus would be nice!

The cavatelli texture was great in my opinion- cooked al dente. However, the sauce was too salty and no one around us got any guanciale, even though it was listed as an ingredient.

The flank steak was cooked nicely, and well seasoned, and cooked medium rare, but 4 slices instead of two would’ve been a better value for money. Two carrots, instead of one, would’ve rounded out the dish nicely.

Before the dessert was served, they brought out dinner rolls. We were all confused as to what to do - eat it first? Is it supposed to be dipped in something? Then the dessert came. The salted caramel was overly salted, but the hazelnut mousse was ok and the chocolate pretzels were fine.

The last thing were macaroons.

Service was average. Our server wasn’t very friendly and never smiled. When I pointed out the missing guanciale the server did not come back for a follow-up. My overall experience was mildly disappointing and I would not recommend going next year. At $125 + tax you’re paying Michelin-level price, and this missed the mark.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 2

Service: 3

Here from Toronto and were lucky to find this wonderful bakery for great coffee and perfect Croissants, a wonderful view all served with a smile.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

haven't taken a course but have always been interested in culinary arts.

Hosted an intimate Wedding Dinner here - 38 People (Our whole wedding at the church was over 100 people)

Best Choice Ever. Intimate Gatherings, especially at PICA/Blue Hat Bistro are so in.

Food served was amazing, service was top notch and what a beautiful venue space they have! (Inside and Out!) Would not hesitate to host another event here again the future! Thank you for a memorable wedding dinner!

Lovely service from a lovely worker. Great atmosphere. Perfect for rainy weekends. Will return when the Saturday rain comes again.

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts for playing such a significant role in shaping my career. My time at the school not only gave me the skills and discipline needed in a professional kitchen, but also the confidence to pursue my passion with purpose. The hands-on experience, world-class instructors, and supportive environment helped me grow into the chef I am today. Every lesson, every challenge, and every success at PICA has contributed to my journey and the success I’ve achieved in the culinary industry. As C-Level food and beverage and Chef Consultant. Thank you for being the foundation of my culinary career and for inspiring me to strive for excellence every day.

Amazing experience, kind people, and the best potato salad I have ever tried!

I just love the woman behind the counter. She is affable and cool.

I don’t know her, just enjoyed connecting with her.

Food is good but the service is awful so that makes your experience terrible

I had been wanting to try this restaurant for quite some years now. Finally, I met up a friend here for our birthday back in the summer. Sadly, it turned out they did not have the restaurant anymore, just a bakery and bistro, but we decided to try it anyway.

The menu was quite limited. Both our food and our drinks were only lukewarm. They did not taste bad, but it would be more enjoyable if served hot. This was a bit of wasting such a nice location.

If I could give this place negative stars I would. For starters we arrived at 12:30 and two things of the five on the menu were sold out. The “pasta” unbeknownst to us was a pasta salad. We ordered two soups and then were told there wasn’t enough for two and so we were refunded. The soup ($9) was a watery mess, thank goodness we didn’t get two. The girl working there is a clown, was eating some of pasta salad with her hand and not then washing her hands and then serving customers is extremely unprofessional. Then proceeded to tell my elderly grandparents they could self serve and grab cutlery and napkins themselves. Things she could have easily brought out with the food. Thank goodness I arrived to assist them. I came to this place about 4 years ago and they had great food and great food to go. Now it’s just a crazy joke with barely edible food. Do not come here

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

This review is for the Thanksgiving turkey dinner takeout.

2 things that are true at the same time:

1. The food was UNBELIEVABLY delicious. Some of the best turkey dinner offerings I've ever had maybe ever.

2. The portion size was shockingly small. 40-50% what I thought it would be for $140

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

Good for special events. Nice food and service.