It breaks my heart to post this review but I HAVE to warn people. Let’s start by harping on the fact that I sent SO MUCH BUSINESS family/friends to Deans Bistro. Dean knows how to make incredible food (the baked goods like rolls and homemade cakes are to die for). Due to this fact, our family let A LOT of unacceptable things on the customer service end slide, the food was worth the neglect and often rudeness. Deans can feel very much like a “no outsiders Type of business” but I could deal for great food. We’ve ordered and been completely forgotten about, only to be realized after 45 minutes of waiting with only 2 other tables eating inside. Then waited another 40 minutes to get our food, and only half of what we ordered came out “warm”. Expect to wait (homemade food takes longer than prepackaged fast food, etc) but they also often seem careless about getting some customers their orders. All of those are small issues compared to our most recent experience.-First of all, since most of their sides are made in advance, DO NOT GO HERE LATE IN THE AFTERNOON or you will A) get food that’s been sitting for 6-8+ hours and B) you may feel you’re being “pushed out the door”-Now to the MAIN REASON for this 1 star review, I absolutely cannot stand seeing people leave 1 star reviews for ONE experience they had without giving proper credit for the things a business DOES RIGHT. However, I’m admitting deans has the ABILITY to serve you the absolute VERY BEST home cooked food you’ll ever find in wilkes, outside of your grandmas house….BUT due to their negligence and inconsistency I cannot recommend them to anyone because I fear they will end up having the same experience my family had.-We arrived about 2 hours before closing, at the time there was no one eating inside when we came in which was kind of unusual for a weekend I thought but we placed our order, they were out of stock on almost everything we originally asked for so we settled for alternatives. The (new) waitress we were given was very friendly. The cook even came out and was also very friendly. BUT we were given mostly all lukewarm/room temperature food, and about halfway through eating i asked my wife how her food was and she said “nothing taste right” and I agreed. We were very hungry so we chocked it up as a “new cook” or missing ingredients and continued to eat (most) of what we ordered. One side dish was so spoiled that we did not eat but a couple of bites each. Our kids only ate a couple of bites also and by the time we got back to our house it was a fight for the 2 bathrooms. I had just gotten off work to begin my weekend and this 1 meal completely ruined the entire weekend for me. I felt great when I got to Deans but This food gave 3 of us the worst food poisoning of our lives. I mean debilitating pain and bathroom trips for the better part of 2 days. Without dragging this out any longer, I’ll say that due to remarks made while we were there I’m 100% positive that employee(s) knew some of the food they served us was far beyond its shelf life and gave it to me and my children… I’m not telling you to avoid deans altogether because I’d hate to see this business fail but what I am telling you is BEWARE AND EAT AT YOUR OWN RISK. As good of food as we have gotten from this place (at one time our favorite, DESPITE waiting ~1 hour-1.5 hours for our food on multiple occasions with less than 5 tables seated inside) I can NEVER go back knowing that the owner was present and allowed us to be served this dangerous food. After doing research we realized that the particular side dish that was the most spoiled, could actually be deadly to humans, which would explain the extreme misery we experienced. I would recommend going at lunch time ONLY and preparing for what feels like an unreasonable wait time for your food if you are wanting to try Deans.I apologize for this review but I had to do it in hopes it saves someone from feeling the pure fear of watching your children become severely poisoned-Pros:•home cooked food•pricing-Cons•Possible food poisoning•wait times
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Roll, Broccoli Casserole
Ray Smith
my wife loves the red velvet cake and my daughter loves the mac and
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
L Cv
Deserve 0 stars. One other party there when we arrived and no one ever came to our table. Sat there 15 minutes still no service. Hostess was at the front sitting on her phone. Eventually, we just got up and left. I may just be overthinking slightly here, but looking at other reviews too, their actions(or lack there of) felt a little racially charged. Won’t go back here and hopefully they’ll be closed soon.
Service: 1
UberNinjaOfDoom
Went on Thursday 3/7/23 at around 1pm. Restaurant was empty. My mother ordered bbq ribs but they were out. So her second choice was fried catfish. I order double cheese burger with fries. They didnt have any buns so they put it on sandwich bread. The burger was horrifically over cooked and no seasoning. The fries were like an inch long and weren't even salted I'd give this place a 0 but even thatd be to good. Also they charged a 3.8% fee for using a debit card. Dont go here. Spend you money elsewhere
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Princess Anderson
I always come to Dean's Southern Bistro for all my cakes. I picked up a Red Velvet Cake and a Vanilla Pound Cake both with Cream Cheese Frosting. The flavor and texture was off the charts of rating. Awesome, superb, mouthwatering, more than delicious!!
Alex Orr
The service was great and the food was amazing, the food was also cheap and affordable with the food tasting good. The waiters were also very nice to us. I would definitely go here if you haven't yet.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Andrew Marx
Donna was amazing, and teresa was as well. They brought out an unlimited amount on mtn dew because we can’t survive with out it. Has that good feel. Air conditioning worked very well. I loved the architectural design of this establishment. The smell is quite amazing and has the smell of rose cologne. The pictures on the wall are very American. The bathroom was very comfy. Amen brother
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Roll, Hot Bar
Jeremy Jenkins
Food was great. Prices are not bad as well. The strawberry cake is amazing!Kid-friendliness: Staff is very friendly towards kids.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Roll, Hot Bar, Hamburger, Broccoli Casserole
David Foster
As always, the chicken and rice was great! Veggies were great also. Great meal and fast service!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Roll, Broccoli Casserole
Patricia Knowles
We had a 2:00 reservation for Thanksgiving Dinner yesterday and arrived about 10 till 2 to find the doors locked. After a few minutes a person came to the door and said they were closing early because they were almost out of food but he told us to come in. The waitress told us to go to the buffet and all that was there was the remains of what was probably a full buffet earlier. I got two spoons of sweet potato casserole and my husband got one spoon snd that cleaned out that serving dish. There were 3 pieces of stuffing left which we got and some and some rice snd green beans left. The ham was 99% gone and dryed out but my husband took a piece and there was very little left in the pan (maybe enough for a serving) and the only Turkey left was slivers of what was once servable pieces. I had sweet potato casserole, green beans snd two small pieces of dressing.To sum it up the worst meal that I think I have ever had in a restaurant. The real kicker was when we got the bill and was charged full price of 40.00 for what was left overs on a buffet. We expected to pay more for a Thanksgiving Meal but this was ridiculous.Needless to say, we will never darken the doors of that restaurant again.
One of our first meals after moving to Wilkesboro and the word "Bistro by definition Dean's was not: "A bistro is a small, casual restaurant or bar, especially one in France or one in a French style. Bistros are often described as more of a neighborhood restaurant with community ties, and a warm, cozy, inviting atmosphere." It was not tidy and clearly they were short help on the weekday we went for lunch.Hopefully it was just a bad day for them but we decided it is not a place we will try again. Do hope they can succeed and attract a better wait staff. For us the obvious was the food limitations due to smaller batches making the choices slim because they run out early. Maybe they can turn things around but from the other reviews it seems they are still struggling. We visited months ago.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Tina Outlaw
A travel gem on the way home. Dont miss it. Home cooking line Grandma's. Great friendly service, very welcoming. My meat loaf and veggies were amazing.
Just plain terrible service. Personally watched 7 people walk out after receiving no service and we left after waiting 45 mins and no food. I'd give 0 stars!!!
Jane Regina
We had eaten here several months ago and all was good. Today we went again and it was a very bad experience. Not crowded so we thought service would be quick. After 10 minutes we had our drink and food order taken. Then we waited...and waited. Watched other people come in and sit and after a few minutes they would leave without being acknowledged. There was a large table who ordered after us and their food came out first. My husband's meal finally came and after taking one bite he realized it was a chicken sandwich, not a cheeseburger. Mine never came. Other waitress apologized and said we could just leave, didn't have to pay for our drinks. Very disappointed.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
Erin Smith
The worst meal I’ve had in recent memory. Instead of saying they were out of tenders, they tried to pass off a disgusting chicken cutlet that my boyfriend described as a “true military meal” that probably came out of a box marked “Not for human consumption, for inmate and soldier use only.” Of the four of us, only one had a mediocre meal. I never write negative reviews but it was just that bad I needed to warn others.
It breaks my heart to post this review but I HAVE to warn people. Let’s start by harping on the fact that I sent SO MUCH BUSINESS family/friends to Deans Bistro. Dean knows how to make incredible food (the baked goods like rolls and homemade cakes are to die for). Due to this fact, our family let A LOT of unacceptable things on the customer service end slide, the food was worth the neglect and often rudeness. Deans can feel very much like a “no outsiders Type of business” but I could deal for great food. We’ve ordered and been completely forgotten about, only to be realized after 45 minutes of waiting with only 2 other tables eating inside. Then waited another 40 minutes to get our food, and only half of what we ordered came out “warm”. Expect to wait (homemade food takes longer than prepackaged fast food, etc) but they also often seem careless about getting some customers their orders. All of those are small issues compared to our most recent experience.-First of all, since most of their sides are made in advance, DO NOT GO HERE LATE IN THE AFTERNOON or you will A) get food that’s been sitting for 6-8+ hours and B) you may feel you’re being “pushed out the door”-Now to the MAIN REASON for this 1 star review, I absolutely cannot stand seeing people leave 1 star reviews for ONE experience they had without giving proper credit for the things a business DOES RIGHT. However, I’m admitting deans has the ABILITY to serve you the absolute VERY BEST home cooked food you’ll ever find in wilkes, outside of your grandmas house….BUT due to their negligence and inconsistency I cannot recommend them to anyone because I fear they will end up having the same experience my family had.-We arrived about 2 hours before closing, at the time there was no one eating inside when we came in which was kind of unusual for a weekend I thought but we placed our order, they were out of stock on almost everything we originally asked for so we settled for alternatives. The (new) waitress we were given was very friendly. The cook even came out and was also very friendly. BUT we were given mostly all lukewarm/room temperature food, and about halfway through eating i asked my wife how her food was and she said “nothing taste right” and I agreed. We were very hungry so we chocked it up as a “new cook” or missing ingredients and continued to eat (most) of what we ordered. One side dish was so spoiled that we did not eat but a couple of bites each. Our kids only ate a couple of bites also and by the time we got back to our house it was a fight for the 2 bathrooms. I had just gotten off work to begin my weekend and this 1 meal completely ruined the entire weekend for me. I felt great when I got to Deans but This food gave 3 of us the worst food poisoning of our lives. I mean debilitating pain and bathroom trips for the better part of 2 days. Without dragging this out any longer, I’ll say that due to remarks made while we were there I’m 100% positive that employee(s) knew some of the food they served us was far beyond its shelf life and gave it to me and my children… I’m not telling you to avoid deans altogether because I’d hate to see this business fail but what I am telling you is BEWARE AND EAT AT YOUR OWN RISK. As good of food as we have gotten from this place (at one time our favorite, DESPITE waiting ~1 hour-1.5 hours for our food on multiple occasions with less than 5 tables seated inside) I can NEVER go back knowing that the owner was present and allowed us to be served this dangerous food. After doing research we realized that the particular side dish that was the most spoiled, could actually be deadly to humans, which would explain the extreme misery we experienced. I would recommend going at lunch time ONLY and preparing for what feels like an unreasonable wait time for your food if you are wanting to try Deans.I apologize for this review but I had to do it in hopes it saves someone from feeling the pure fear of watching your children become severely poisoned-Pros:•home cooked food•pricing-Cons•Possible food poisoning•wait times
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Roll, Broccoli Casserole
my wife loves the red velvet cake and my daughter loves the mac and
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Deserve 0 stars. One other party there when we arrived and no one ever came to our table. Sat there 15 minutes still no service. Hostess was at the front sitting on her phone. Eventually, we just got up and left. I may just be overthinking slightly here, but looking at other reviews too, their actions(or lack there of) felt a little racially charged. Won’t go back here and hopefully they’ll be closed soon.
Service: 1
Went on Thursday 3/7/23 at around 1pm. Restaurant was empty. My mother ordered bbq ribs but they were out. So her second choice was fried catfish. I order double cheese burger with fries. They didnt have any buns so they put it on sandwich bread. The burger was horrifically over cooked and no seasoning. The fries were like an inch long and weren't even salted I'd give this place a 0 but even thatd be to good. Also they charged a 3.8% fee for using a debit card. Dont go here. Spend you money elsewhere
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
I always come to Dean's Southern Bistro for all my cakes. I picked up a Red Velvet Cake and a Vanilla Pound Cake both with Cream Cheese Frosting. The flavor and texture was off the charts of rating. Awesome, superb, mouthwatering, more than delicious!!
The service was great and the food was amazing, the food was also cheap and affordable with the food tasting good. The waiters were also very nice to us. I would definitely go here if you haven't yet.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Donna was amazing, and teresa was as well. They brought out an unlimited amount on mtn dew because we can’t survive with out it. Has that good feel. Air conditioning worked very well. I loved the architectural design of this establishment. The smell is quite amazing and has the smell of rose cologne. The pictures on the wall are very American. The bathroom was very comfy. Amen brother
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Roll, Hot Bar
Food was great. Prices are not bad as well. The strawberry cake is amazing!Kid-friendliness: Staff is very friendly towards kids.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Roll, Hot Bar, Hamburger, Broccoli Casserole
As always, the chicken and rice was great! Veggies were great also. Great meal and fast service!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Roll, Broccoli Casserole
We had a 2:00 reservation for Thanksgiving Dinner yesterday and arrived about 10 till 2 to find the doors locked. After a few minutes a person came to the door and said they were closing early because they were almost out of food but he told us to come in. The waitress told us to go to the buffet and all that was there was the remains of what was probably a full buffet earlier. I got two spoons of sweet potato casserole and my husband got one spoon snd that cleaned out that serving dish. There were 3 pieces of stuffing left which we got and some and some rice snd green beans left. The ham was 99% gone and dryed out but my husband took a piece and there was very little left in the pan (maybe enough for a serving) and the only Turkey left was slivers of what was once servable pieces. I had sweet potato casserole, green beans snd two small pieces of dressing.To sum it up the worst meal that I think I have ever had in a restaurant. The real kicker was when we got the bill and was charged full price of 40.00 for what was left overs on a buffet. We expected to pay more for a Thanksgiving Meal but this was ridiculous.Needless to say, we will never darken the doors of that restaurant again.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 2
Restaurantji Recommends
One of our first meals after moving to Wilkesboro and the word "Bistro by definition Dean's was not: "A bistro is a small, casual restaurant or bar, especially one in France or one in a French style. Bistros are often described as more of a neighborhood restaurant with community ties, and a warm, cozy, inviting atmosphere." It was not tidy and clearly they were short help on the weekday we went for lunch.Hopefully it was just a bad day for them but we decided it is not a place we will try again. Do hope they can succeed and attract a better wait staff. For us the obvious was the food limitations due to smaller batches making the choices slim because they run out early. Maybe they can turn things around but from the other reviews it seems they are still struggling. We visited months ago.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
A travel gem on the way home. Dont miss it. Home cooking line Grandma's. Great friendly service, very welcoming. My meat loaf and veggies were amazing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Roll, Broccoli Casserole, Meatloaf
Just plain terrible service. Personally watched 7 people walk out after receiving no service and we left after waiting 45 mins and no food. I'd give 0 stars!!!
We had eaten here several months ago and all was good. Today we went again and it was a very bad experience. Not crowded so we thought service would be quick. After 10 minutes we had our drink and food order taken. Then we waited...and waited. Watched other people come in and sit and after a few minutes they would leave without being acknowledged. There was a large table who ordered after us and their food came out first. My husband's meal finally came and after taking one bite he realized it was a chicken sandwich, not a cheeseburger. Mine never came. Other waitress apologized and said we could just leave, didn't have to pay for our drinks. Very disappointed.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
The worst meal I’ve had in recent memory. Instead of saying they were out of tenders, they tried to pass off a disgusting chicken cutlet that my boyfriend described as a “true military meal” that probably came out of a box marked “Not for human consumption, for inmate and soldier use only.” Of the four of us, only one had a mediocre meal. I never write negative reviews but it was just that bad I needed to warn others.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2