East End Bistrot

Mains were excellent, but all other courses were disappointing - not worth the price and I wouldn't return. The fish cru appetizer was fine but nothing special and the lamb dumplings smelled great, but the dough was chewy and the flavor nothing special. The ice cream on the apple tart dessert was great but the tart itself was mediocre with a hard-to-chew crust and basic flavors. The bread was good, but oddly there was under-salted warm whipped butter and not the usual French butter I would have expected. The mains were actually extremely flavorful and well cooked with succulent sauces (steak and pheasant), but still not worth returning to such a pricey restaurant that can't execute well on all dishes.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 4

We have been super excited to try this place. Sure their hours are limited but we still wanted to make it work and hope for the best. I asked to sit at the bar, expecting it to be first come first serve. The 2 young hostesses tell me it’s reserved and the most I could do is get a drink. I proceed to ask if we could then be seated in the dining room. They went on to say they are fully booked and cannot do that. As I look around at a half empty restaurant, I then ask about the patio. The response is “Our manager does not want us to sit outside. The only reason that table is outside is because they have a baby.” I then stated “Are you saying you refuse to serve us because we didn’t make reservations.” It is quite frustrating to want to experience a restaurant but to be refused. If reservations only is the requirement, please state that on your website. You have now lost possible patrons and any other friends and family we would have recommended to your establishment.

Service: 1

Food was good until we were served a frozen dessert (Nectarine Bavarois isn’t supposed to be frozen). They apologized and took off the dessert from the bill and gave us a scoop of basil sorbet (by itself…it is supposed to be part of the Myrtille tart). We had a 7pm reservation and they had already ran out of the chocolate crème brûlée and strawberry dacquoise.
Have more chocolate options for desserts…
Pros: drinks well made, steak cooked perfectly, crab puffs were delicious
Cons: desserts options, didnt like the staff interaction (a little bit pretentious). Don’t assume what people like or not… lot of upselling too

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 4

Service: 3

Recommended dishes: Blue Crab Puffs, Caesar Salad

We ate at East End Bistrot on Wednesday evening and had a decidedly mediocre food experience. I might have otherwise rated East End three stars, but given the stratospheric prices, I'm knocking them down to two.

First, the good things: the atmosphere is beautiful and romantic out on the patio, the wait staff and hosts were all incredibly gracious and attentive, meeting our every need with elegance and charm, and the menu promises an array of exciting tastes. The pacing was absolutely perfect.

Sadly, however, the food just didn't measure up. We started well with quite delicious and rich crab puffs that felt positively decadent. Unfortunately, they were the best items we ate all evening. The lamb dumplings were kind of bland, tasting only mildly of lamb and not especially flavorful. The caesar salad was well executed and generous with a very good dressing that included white Japanese anchovies that were a standout. The 9oz filet mignon with bearnaise was overcooked and though it was still juicy and redolent, was decidedly not the medium rare we ordered, falling squarely into medium. Not a disaster, but not what you're looking for when you drop $68 on a steak that is served alone on a plate. That demands perfection and we didn't get it. The pork chop was also fine, but also definitely overcooked, bordering on dry, and also bland. Yes, there was a balsamic glaze that had some complexity, but the pork chop itself was under-seasoned and overcooked, not a combination one seeks. Finally, our two sides dishes, Brussels sprouts and mushrooms of the woods were well prepared but underwhelming, competently executed, but lacking any sort of wow factor.

Nothing was bad, but nothing was great either, and for a grand total of $326 for two people with tax and tip, but not even dessert and coffee, I was expecting and hoping for more.

Maybe if you're made of money, this will be alright for you, but I will not sign up for that again. You could spend half as much for triple the flavor at a number of other Raleigh restaurants. I recommend that you do so

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 2

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Blue Crab Puffs

Everyone greeted us, the food and wine were incredible and the service was exemplary. We sat outside and the DJ was a nice touch (and not loud-simply background music). Will be back, it was an exceptional evening!

Went to this restaurant to celebrate my 3 year anniversary with my girlfriend and it was incredible! Very romantic setting, amazing food, and excellent service. Our server, Lawrence, provided exceptional service and made sure our anniversary dinner was a special celebration. He was personable, gave great tips on what to order, and made sure everything went smoothly. He made our night!!

First time dining; reservations recommended. Celebrating bday, but no recognition even though it was noted in the app. Dined at table on outside (covered) patio - great experience for warm weather; overhead fans kept everyone comfortable. Reservation was for 6:30 and sunset at ~7PM; horrendous, glaring “safety” lights came on ruining the the ambiance. Need these set to later auto-on for guests to fully enjoy the evening. Chairs are a bit uncomfortable & low - need cushion to help guests feel at correct height for patio tables. Food - exquisite, ordered a few items from mincer menu. Service was slightly slow, but very attentive. Lawrence was our server and very knowledgeable about preparation and great with recommendations.

We went on a Saturday night and it did not appear to be very busy. Our orders were very slow to arrive and when our main dishes got to the table, the side we ordered was not served with the main dish. My husband had finished his dinner before we even got our side. The hostess explained they were down some people in the kitchen, but again not the caliber for this restaurant I would expect. They did make it right by giving us dessert and not charging us for the side. I recognize restaurants can have off nights and unfortunately that was our experience. We will try it again, but I expected a better experience for the price points.

Absolutely wonderful evening. Food outstanding. Esacrole salad with preserved lemon dressing. Lamb chops with roasted heirloom tomatoes and eggplant some of the best lamb ever had . Staff very professional, knowledgeable and friendly. Worth the drive up. Highly recommend.

Went on a Tuesday night. Restaurant busy but not crowded. First time there. Reminds me of a chic French bistro. Lots of attention to detail. We had a casual dinner but I will return to try more food options. I definitely will return soon

What a surprise it was for our 1st visit. We celebrated my husband's birthday and he was amazed. One thing to be cautious about is how much the special cost. We ordered the Dover Sole and it was $125 for the fish and it was total sticker shock when we got the bill. We'll definitely go back, but won't order anything without knowing the price.

We had an incredible experience at East end Bistro! The dishes were amazing and the atmosphere was stunning. Highly recommend for a special occasion or if you just want to have an upscale dinner.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

...dinner was absolutely delicious. For most people, this is a place that you splurge on. It's definitely worth it. Because it's so small, we had to wait almost 30 minutes past our reservation in order to be seated inside. Knowing they closed at 9, we were worried if we'd get the same service and attention. Our server was training a new hire and did a great job, although there were times we wanted a more steady paced interaction. And yes, we do understand training and having other tables to attend. But having a 745 reservation and not being seated until 8:20ish, we definitely knew what we wanted and was ready to order. I think our server felt she was giving her the standard time to think over our options. She walked away so quickly after the initial contact. But regardless of being hungry,LOL, our server was great, and our food was absolutely delicious. And I think Patrick was the main bartender. He was awesome. Our drinks were amazing...

General thoughts- simply overpriced. If they are going for fine dining it's a good attempt but not quite there. The oysters are phenomenal. Cocktails are reasonable. Espresso martini was surprisingly rich without being overpoweringly sweet. The service was good. Our waiter was attentive. I would have expected him to course out our meal; usually the server will recommend how to course out the dishes with specific intention. We had to ask to ensure our potato orders would not be too heavy. The true star of the show is the house made sourdough and European butter. Frankly unbelievable butter with the appropriate amount of salt and a splash of oil. Bread was divine albeit a little tough on the crust. Lamb dumplings were a little dry. Meatballs were good but not overly flavorful. The crab puff was a fan favorite. The chocolate creme brûlée was very good. The mushroom soup was disappointing and tremendously overpriced for broth with puff pastry. A notable but not particularly large issue is that our Togo food had the bread (a fresh set which was lovely and it had a good amount of Togo butter ) but the rest of our food didn't make it in. Overall, it was good. Not excellent and not bad. I can appreciate what they are going for but the food just doesn't hit the mark.

Went for drinks recently with friends. Atmosphere and service were very good.

Atmosphere: 4

Service: 4