J Bistro Downtown-Sandusky

The Good:
The staff was nice, and they gave a complimentary birthday dessert.

The Bad:
The service was a little slow on a particularly slow Tuesday night.

Got the prime rib hash which left a lot to be desired and was the most expensive entree beyond their steaks. The dish was perhaps the most disappointing dish I've had for the price. The hash was hard to eat because the pieces were about 1 square inch, you either had a bite of potato or a bite of prime rib. The prime rib was overcooked and potatoes undercooked which added to the difficulty eating the dish. Finally, the whole thing lacked any real seasoning beyond some lackluster hollandaise sauce.

This restaurant is slightly more upscale and going out for a nice dinner you expect a certain ambiance. The restaurant decided to play loud pop music that made it almost impossible to hear the person across from you.

We had a wonderful experience at J Bistro on our Cedar Point trip. The food was fantastic and the setting was cozy and comfortable. Dress code leans more towards cocktail attire, but casual would be fine. It was too cold to enjoy the outdoor patio, but it looked to be a great experience on summer evenings with live music. The only slight ding in rating was that the service was a little slow, but what's the rush? Enjoy the experience.

Beautiful restaurant. We looked forward to returning as we have been here several times and enjoyed the experience. It was good on previous visits but…Last night, little to no service from our server. We started out with the Bruschetta. It was good. We ordered the zucchini fritters, but they were raw inside and we sent them back. The Chef Signature dish was made of Prime rib “medallions” and looked grey…the prime rib was actually cubed as if it were being prepped for a soup rather than an entree…over a ton of cubed undercooked potatoes and hollandaise sauce. It wasn’t good. Server never told us what the specials were and pretty much just walked away…never checked on us. Disinterested. My dish was so so. Chicken tasted like it had been par-cooked. We spent $87 and were disappointed so we won’t be back.

What an experience for the first time. Amazing everything.

Edit: I highly enjoy coming here. Drinks are perfect each time. THE BEST DIRTY MARTINIS. Dinner is always made to perfection.

Everything from the drinks to the appetizers to the main course was absolutely fantastic

Mushroom salad is one of the best things I've ever had. Most of the entries were great. the Vegan bowl is a lazy joke - rice, canned black beans, unripe avocado, and a little mango - small portion, uninspired.

Lovely dining room, but they had no plissue with the table next to us watching full volume tiktoks all meal.

The best bruschetta I’ve had. Get the bruschetta.

Went for a family dinner. Ordered the stuffed chicken breast - it was extremely bland. It started like breading + Italian sausage. My husband got the meatball rigatoni, who said it was bland as well. The sauce was watery and the meatballs lacked seasoning. We were just disappointed overall.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 5

The only extra star is because they sponsor the witches walk. The food was honestly very expensive for the quality. The meatballs i got were bland and VERY over cooked. They had a very spaghettios taste. Wouldn't recommend this restaurant for food or service.
We were reminded several times in an hour as to who's job it wasn't to serve us.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 1

Service: 1

Great place, friendly staff, excellent food. Highly recommend!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Escargot Appetizer with a Cheeze Meat and Cracker Board

Went here for my anniversary and it was the best we have ever been taken care of at a restaurant. The food was also amazing. I highly highly recommend this place. They made us feel so special.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Went here for my anniversary and we had the best service. They made sure we felt special on our anniversary. The food was amazing as well. The pesto chicken and shrimp pasta and meatball rigatoni were amazing!

Great food even better service.
Lyndslee our server was absolutely amazing.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Chocolate Cake

So good ..been there twice for the vegan bowl. Scallop special delicious!

Vegetarian options: Vegan bowl
Bruschetta
Salads

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Beet Salad, Scallops, Roasted Tomato and Olive Bruschetta Appetizer

We think this is the best restaurant in downtown Sandusky. Staff is kind and consistently good. The patio with live music is so fun. We’ve seen a singer-guitarist on two occasions. We’ve also been there in the winter when it’s decked out with a pretty Christmas tree. Wonderful food! Apps are fantastic! We loved the street corn dip and the crab cake special!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Onion Soup, Chocolate Cake, Bread Pudding, Apple Crisp with Vanilla Ice Cream