Cortesse's Bistro and Flamingo Room Piano Bar

My husband and I are chefs and food lovers, and we can tell you that of all the restaurants we've visited, this one is among the best. All the food was delicious and fresh! The service was incredible. We sat outside, and the weather and the setting were divine. If I could, I would give it 10 stars! The price is reasonable for the quality of the food and the generous portions. For four people, including appetizers, main courses, and alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, the bill came to $250.00 plus tip (the only thing they should include as a courtesy is the bread, which I had to order separately!).

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great piano bar with Edwin!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 4

We stopped here for dinner on a rainy Saturday evening with a group of six and a baby while visiting St. Augustine for Night of Lights. We wanted to avoid downtown crowds and thought this spot would be a nice alternative—but unfortunately, it wasn’t the best choice.

Service: Some of the waitstaff were friendly, but one server in particular had an attitude throughout the evening. When we asked questions about the cocktails, we were told to just look at the menu, which felt dismissive.

Atmosphere: Upon walking in, the place smelled strongly of garlic and had an older, traditional Italian restaurant vibe that felt dated

Food: The menu was pricey and underwhelming. We tried a few dishes, including the paella and shrimp scampi. While edible, nothing stood out, and the scampi was subpar compared to others I’ve had. Overall, it didn’t justify the cost.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 2

Service: 2

My wife and I had our wedding reception here a couple of years ago and this by far has been our happy place ever since. We love it here! Food is amazing, and everyone is warm and welcoming.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Cortesse’s Bistro is a true-hidden gem in St. Augustine. The atmosphere is upscale yet welcoming, enhanced by live piano and vocals that create an elegant, relaxed dining experience without being loud or rushed. What starts as an intimate bar opens into multiple beautifully designed dining rooms—ranging from cozy and romantic to large group and banquet spaces—which was an impressive and unexpected surprise.

Service was outstanding throughout: attentive, friendly, and highly professional. Shannon the Bar Manager was always doing something and keeping an eye on all the guests. The bruschetta was exceptional—among the best I’ve had, including memorable meals in Italy. The salmon entrée was perfectly prepared, moist and flavorful, with a delicate caper sauce that clearly reflects a skilled chef. Dessert and coffee were excellent and enjoyed at a comfortable, unhurried pace.

With outstanding food, polished service, live music, and a refined yet inviting atmosphere, Cortesse’s Bistro truly stands out among St. Augustine's best restaurants. Highly recommended for both locals and visitors seeking an exceptional dining experience.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We were a party of 4 last night,after cruising the water ways to view the Christmas lights. We had high expectations. The place is cute and interesting. I've had far better Italian food in a pizza parlor. Very mediocre. I ordered the eggplant rollitini and asked what side I could have instead of the linguine. I chose broccoli. The waitress never said there was an up charge. And I mean upcharge

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 1

Service: 1

I ordered gluten-free pasta, and it initially came out undercooked and chewy, but the staff quickly fixed it and it tasted amazing afterward. However, I don’t feel the $34 price was justified—the portion size was very small. Service was alright.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 3

I just got an apple pie and it was horrible $16 but I love the atmosphere.The service was great

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 1

Service: 5

You may as well be somewhere in Europe only without the long drive.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Food was great. Pumpkin Pie and Tiramisu were devine!!!

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 5

Service: 5

The food and atmosphere are excellent. They are also pet friendly (outdoors, of course).

My rating is 4 rather than 5 stars because when the waitress did not know the answer to two of my questions about the menu, she did not even offer to find out. I didn't want to appear to be difficult in front of my guest, so I didn't educate the waitress to ask the kitchen. The waitress put me in a very difficult position.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

Alejandra was FANTASTIC! DINNER WAS fabulous. Chef came out and gave me some tips really cool!

What an awful place. The service is the worst we have ever experienced in our life, and belive us we travel all over the world. Our waitress didn't attend to us at all. The beer came 30 min after we asked for it and they only brought it because bartender brought my watery sangria first after 20 min. They forgot the appetizer and wanted to charges us for it. U get 4 round small ravioli for $30 and $50 lamb was half dry. We aksed them to fix wabling table, never happen until my husband did it himself, which he shouldn't do. And than the waitress instead of apologizing had an audacity to argue that we wrong to ask for descent attention.
We were so excited to have a dinner with our friends, we flew from NY and my friends drove over 2 hours to meet us there. It's a such a cute and beautiful restaurant and we were so happy until we experienced the whole service with an attitude. Manager, instead try to make it better threatened us with police. And to be honest if not the fact that we had our kids with us, I would of let her do it and walked out of there without paying. AWFUL. DISGRACE FOR ST AUGUSTINE!!!!!!!

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 1

Nice enough atmosphere upon entering the restaurant and led to a hostess and seated. That is where any sense of a good dining experience ended. Server came over finally after sitting at the table far too long without being acknowledged. First words spoken “ my name is and can I get you a drink. “
We were ready and asked for 2 glasses of wine and calamari appetizer. After again waiting an uncomfortable amount of time she appeared with both the wine and appetizer. The next spoken words were.. are you ready to order. We ordered 2 entrees and when they arrived another service person delivered them and stood at our table with the 2 entree plates waiting for us to clear the appetizer plates and finished appetizer dish. We finally began clearing the table of the appetizer plates and stacking them . She laid the two entrees on the table in the space that was available. Can you even imagine that happening in a white tablecloth restaurant with prices that match the ambiance. But wait…. One of the entrees was not what was ordered. So we told the server and she whisked it away and I was left with my entree in front of me. We waited for the right entree to be cooked while I left mine untouched waiting for the other to be delivered. It finally arrived …slightly warm at best. Totally disgusted we asked that the one dish be wrapped to go as the other was barely warm and unappetizing. The server came over as I asked for the bill with an attitude that we had done something wrong then laid the bill down while walking away said sorry that happened.
Without going on much more I will just say that a restaurant pricing should be in line with its service. This establishment clearly fails to even come close to proper service. An Applebees is far more superior at understanding customer service IS everything. I will add that from my having an extensive food service career in culinary and consultation this type of total failure to understand basic service levels in a restaurant environment happens when owners and managers fail to train properly and consistently. Their level of customer concern is focused only on profit .
I have seen it many times over and it will eventuality catch up with the business and lead to its demise. This establishment will fail it’s just a matter of time.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 1

If I could give this place a zero I would. The service here was absolutely horrible, we had to literally ask them for our utensils because they forgot to bring them.. We waited an hour for our food just to realize the portions are so small we literally finished all our food in 4 minutes. (exact time) The server acted like we are a problem and was so unfriendly I have never experienced that before. Very unprofessional and just rushed us. The chicken looked so bland the only thing that saved it was the sauce it was coated in (more than half of the portion was just sauce and the rest was the thinnest pieces of chicken breast I have ever seen, and a small portion of mashed potatoes) My sister got ravioli and it came with four small pieces of it and nothing else (also coated in sauce) These entrees were around 30 dollars. The hummus appetizer was okay, pita was lukewarm and the hummus tasted cheap. Lemonade was clearly also pre bought not fresh. For over 140 dollars (with mandatory 20% tip.... for what service I don't know) you'd be better off getting groceries and making this yourself... Aside from the food, we were given an outside table with the worst wobble, the drinks kept sloshing around and you could not rest your weight on it at all. It was freezing and no server came and turned on the heater for us, rather a random man came up to us and told us we can use this heater and turned it on. It was still freezing and it barely worked. Never came to check on us for refills or anything like that. The parking is also very small and we had to park in the public library. Worst dining experience Ive had and would not recommend anyone else waste their money on a place like this.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1