Bittersweet Bistro

We love the Bittersweet! Cocktails are great and different appetizer specials every day, seven days of the week. The best appetizer is the tower, two sliders, two taquitos, sweet potato fries and fried calamari! With three kinds of dipping sauces! Yum! The menu is expansive and great and the cocktail menu goes on and on. Service at the bar is great and friendly. We love the bartenders– Ryan is our man! Some of the best salads include the Carpaccio, favorite entrees include the chicken scallopini, the beef stroganoff and any of the steaks. Try this place– you’ll love it. Hint, food is the same at the bar as the dining room, you can get any of the appetizer specials there and service is fast and friendly…

The service at the bar was bitter sweet. The drink pours were inconsistent, short and expensive. The attitudes of the bartenders was tolerant at best.
That was the third consecutive time I’ve experienced attitude and I’ve never done anything to deserve it.
If you can’t back up a small expensive pour with delightful service than what’s the point.
Or is that the brand experience you are going for?

Ordered Filet of Sole. Not kidding when I say in three bites it was eaten. Very surprised to be served a piece of fish that was inadequate even for a small plate of $ 23.00. Not amused.

My daughter held her wedding reception at the Bittersweet Bistro. They wanted a low key party with all the best parts of a wedding — nibbles, drinks and dancing! The venue had the perfect loungey feel — well decorated by the restaurant, good flow of traffic from the bar to the seating area to the dance floor. Nice outside seating with a fire pit! Delicious heavy appetizers passed by an attentive wait staff. The owners were on top of everything and we had little to worry about. The happy couple had a fantastic time and so did I! Thank you for making this special event so memorable!

After spending some solitary time with the family at the beach a few miles down the coast it was time to transition back to real life in the city. The Bittersweet Bistro is about the last place headed north on the highway before the bright lights and big cities. It’s nestled in a wooded area right off the road in a busy but not hectic mall area and has an inviting laid-​back ambience about it. What attracted us was the large and sunny outdoor dining patio which, while adjacent to the parking lot, was a relatively quiet spot to for us to have a leisurely late breakfast on a weekday morning.
I was pleased that our server was attentive and friendly but didn’t rush us. She had a knack about being there when we needed her and not there when we didn’t.
To start off I had one of their designer Bloody Mary’s, which as is trendy was overpriced but indulgent. Mine was a highly spicy peppery mix that the server warned me would make my eyes water. I handle spicy foods well and found her warning to be accurate but not so much that it was spicy beyond all flavor. For my breakfast I chose Crunchy Chicken & Bacon Benedict, also a bit on the higher end of the price scale considering the general theme of the restaurant but it sounded good.
I’ll cut to the chase … it was damn good! It’s made with crunchy & spicy chicken, apple wood smoked bacon & chipotle hollandaise (see photo) and was a very generous serving, which helped to offset the price tag. I’m not a big potato eater but their take on cottage fries was good, more spicy than usual.
Other things you should know is that this is not a chain restaurant (yea!) … the owner is also the guy who cooks your food. Also they are very dog friendly, with well-​behaved dogs welcome to join their owners while dining on the patio. They even have several meals especially prepared for your pooch.
I like this place. I’ll be back and I recommend it to others. It’s not pretentious, but it’s not a dive either. I like how it kind of molds itself to the mood you’re in. Going back to those prices for a second, yes their higher than Denny’s (that’s meant to be funny) but the overall experience is that you feel you get what you’re paying for, and that rates as earning 5-​stars in my book.

Pros: I enjoyed the food (stuffed mushrooms, pear Gorgonzola salad, lemon Napolean).
Cons: the food is far too overpriced, it took 5 minutes for my mom and I to be seated (even though it was early in the evening and there were plenty of open tables), the beverage menu is an iPad which turned me off from ordering any beverage as it showed me customers aren’t worth personal service to order a beverage, the service was very slow and the restaurant was loud.
I’ve read other Unilocal reviews for Bittersweet and noticed the owner writes defensive remarks; Bittersweet lacks in customer service (hint: the customer is always right). Luckily the food was good. I used a gift card given to me by my work, though I highly doubt I will ever come back here.

My review was based off of the price point versus food. Came here for my parents anniversary dinner, based off of what we had heard from other people. We knew it was a fancier place– perhaps that is where we kind of had expectations.
Overall, our meal was not anything outstanding, nothing that really screamed, «oh this is what a nice restaurant tastes like!» Perhaps the fault is within ourselves, and we didn’t come prepared to order the best tasting plates there? My taste buds were definitely disappointed for how pricey each plate was. I was expecting more wow.
This place is actually a decent size, and as we came Christmas Eve, it was quite packed and busy. We had good service, and the ambience was very romantic with dimly lit lights and Christmas décor everywhere.
However, I don’t think I would give this place another try or recommend it off of my experience. Unless money isn’t a problem, and you want to take your girlfriend to a romantic spot, then give this place a shot.

This place is Great! We’ve been here a bunch. Just had a ultimate mule, so good.
Keep trying different items from the menu, have not been disappointed ever.

We go here alot because? Anyway food is not great and servers are quirky
The appetizers are over priced and their corking fee could kill a horse

Go somewhere else for a special night out. Soooo disappointing. This was once a gourmet place I loved. Now it’s mediocre and way overpriced and pretentious. Food was nothing special, drinks weak, waitress bored. Dessert was good. Go for dessert only.

Ugh! This isn’t my day for food, apparently! Mediocre service, long wait. Hot chocolate was basically brown water, no flavor whatsoever. If you like über sweet order the over the top (not in a good way) chocolate pancakes. Huevos Rancheros had no flavor, it was bland and not satisfying. The Shoomer (spinach, mushroom) omelette was decent, nothing to get excited over. No one in my group is satisfied, it’s very disappointing. The tables weren’t set with napkins or silverware, just a quick wipe down. We had to ask for condiments and had to be specific on what flavor we wanted for our jam. I would not come back here to try something else! It’s shocking to hear my family say they would of rather had McDonalds for breakfast!

Came here during my best friends bachelorette weekend. The food was absolutely amazing. The Brussels sprouts & beet salad were my favorite items. The sea bass was also pretty good, but I wish I’d stuck to starters because they exceeded the the flavor of the entrees.
Food — this place is 4 stars but our experience with our server made it a 5-​star overall experience.
Our server, Micah was so kind and informative about the menu since we had someone with a gluten intolerance. He also wrote down a list of places for us to check out afterwards since we were from out of town. Which ended up allowing us to have an amazing night.

We arrived excited about having our Anniversary dinner out. The waiter never offered a review of specials, only one vegetarian option on the menu, and he actually had to look for that. We had to ask for the bread that ever one who came after us was having. Our dinner came while we were having our salad. With absolutely no room on our table, the waiter simply took our salad. My dinner was completely revolting: undercooked risotto that literally gagged both my husband and I with the overwhelming fake garlic. Inedible.
The woman beside us also could not eat her dinner.
Anniversary dinner ruined.
Never. Again.

The two stars are for the quality of the food and the over all ambience. I really want to love and rave about this place but after last night I just can’t. We decided to treat ourselves to the Taco Tues. Special and ordered 3 Tacos for $ 8 and 4 taquitos for $ 10. I must say that the food was amazing. We ordered a stein of beer and a Foo Foo cocktail off the happy hour special menu. The check came and my friend pointed out that they had charged us the wrong price for the cocktail -$ 13 instead of $ 9.
I know it’s only a $ 4 difference but hey that’s $ 4 towards the tip right? So I pointed it out to te server and he apoligized and said he would take care of it. Well he came back and told us that we ordered the wrong drink and that the manager said there was nothing they could do about it. I was shocked considering we had specifically pointed to the drink listed on the happy hour menu and that it was clearly their mistake. I am a small business owner in Aptos and I personally go out of my way to make sure my clients are happy and well taken care of and I guess I’m just expecting the same kind of treatment in return. Well unfortunately they have lost my business over this. I guess it is called Bittersweet for a reason.

The food was great. The waiter excellent. The dessert is my favorite the mini lemon parfait. This will keep me coming back.

I’ve frequented Bittersweet Bistro numerous times over the past few years. It’s a great spot to have dinner with the family.
To be honest, I’ve never had a good experience in the main dining room, which is why I’m down grading it to 4 stars. The service is slow and more than once I’ve waited up to 20 minutes to even be asked for drinks.
That being said, I’ve had dinner in the bar/​lounge area and always had a positive experience. The menu is slightly different from the main dining room (same entrees, more bar food) and I find it offers more variety. Service here has always been good and its usually pretty easy to get a table on any night. Sea bass, Pizettes, bar fries, salads, and cocktails are all great. I’m also a big fan of their grilled cheese… there’s just something amazing about the bread they use!

Only giving 2 stars because the food is actually good. Let me explain:
Came in on a Wednesday evening with an 8-​top (6 adults, 2 kids). Waiter came over, he seemed pleasant enough, and took our drink orders. We also put three appetizers in. Twenty minutes go by, no drinks, not even water, and here come our apps. The food runner delivers three plates– one of which was the wrong order. We inform out waiter ten minutes later, when he strolls by with our drinks (which took a total of thirty minutes to arrive). His response: «Oh. Well do you still want what you ordered?”– along with a monotone voice and a deadpan stare. Yea man, we do. Thanks.
Said server forgot my 3-​year-​old nieces chocolate milk and his response to this: «Oh. Well chocolate milk takes longer to make.» Um. You have got to be kidding me. My sister then asks for the kid’s appetizer plates, which consists of two pieces of celery, two grapes and I think a piece of cheese. His response: «Oh. The kitchen is just really backed up right now.» I wish someone would explain to me how cooked appetizers were able to arrive, even with the kitchen being slammed, yet this simple basic children’s appetizer plate did not.
Ten minutes later the server takes our entrée orders. My sister again asks for the children’s appetizer plates. Entrees arrive. No appetizer plates. My sister then asks another waiter. No appetizer plates. Finish our entrees. Order another round of drinks. Server forgets two of the beers. No appetizer plate. Clears our plates, sister again asks for the damn appetizer plate, simply out of principle. Appetizer plates arrive. Check drops.
I’m a restaurant manager. I know the struggle. I know what it’s like to be in the weeds. I also know how to apologize to my customers for stuff that I messed up. The place was not even busy, so it’s hard for me to even justify that he was weeded. The staff didn’t seem to work together and had just the most dismissive «I’d rather not be here» attitude. Guess what? No one wants to work. Servers didn’t even seem to have assigned sections, causing a certain haphazardness. Either, way put a smile on your face and put some pep in your step and if you’re really unable to do that then perhaps look for different line of work. And from the reviews I’m reading on here, other people had similar experiences only to be met with snide condescending responses from the owner. Wtf?
Spend your money somewhere else where good service is a priority– or at least get take-​out, since the food is decent. That way you don’t have to experience the total lack of customer service. Godspeed.

Jeremiah was probably the most pleasant waiter I have seen in years. We had a blast eating because he made sure every moment was perfect. This is my first visit eating here, I am from Pebble Beach with lots of fresh food to eat. Jeremiah was so helpful in what to order because I am so picky. Most waiters shy away because they don’t know the food. He knew everything and recommends both our meals and we accepted. My boyfriend was stoked on his rib eye and my Ono had the best potatoes and spinach ever. Thanks to gold staff like this our meal was perfect and we left happier than ever. Awesome restaurant, staff, service and food.

Had a great time at the Bistro! Staff and food was wonderful ! The south western Benedict was delicious and unique! Sat outside and the ambiance was comfortable and attractive. My friend and I stayed for a long time and we were not rushed and well attended too. I will be visiting again real soon!

UPDATE: after hearing back from the staff at the Bittersweet Bistro, they decided that charging $ 5 extra per pancake for blueberries was just a LITTLE excessive. Rest assured though that it was my party’s fault for having two separate people order one individual pancake (which, if the level of sarcasm in my last review was any indication, was entirely not the case, as ONE person ordered ONE order of two pancakes, or a «short stack,» which is why they came on one plate). Even IF I was THAT asleep at the wheel and allowed my friends to order two pancakes separately and allow this restaurant to bend us over that hard, an attentive wait staff AND manager would’ve caught the error and realized that what we order was, in essence, a short stack.
All jokes aside, we waited 17 minutes for a glass of water, our meals came before our drinks, and the waitress we had forgot my plate until she was prompted that the order was indeed placed. There were 6 tables around us open for more or less our entire meal with some very hangry, irritated people looking on in disbelief. And to answer the reply from the restaurant, I don’t need a refund for blueberries mailed to my house.
The fact that this restaurant has the audacity to charge $ 5 extra for blueberries is absurd. Safeway or any local farmers market will sell you a pound of the things for $ 5. We got about 5 individual blueberries in each cake. Now I’m not an accountant or anything, but if you carry the 1 and use all ten fingers and toes to run the math, you might realize that works out to about $ 1 per berry built into a bunch of flour and buttermilk. Tell me that is reasonable… Because I KNOW they don’t charge the extra money for their quality of service.
Thanks for the offer but keep the change in the berries… You guys earned it