156 Bistro

I’m on quest to try more Burlington restaurants. I tend to stick to the ones I really like so I don’t suffer the the disappointments I often experience when I eat away from home. My wife is an excellent gourmet cook so I’m spoiled. She on the other hand likes to eat out and get a day off.
I purchased a $ 25 coupon for 156 Bistro for $ 12.50 from one of the on-​line sites that are similar to Groupon. So, I was committed.
We arrived shortly after 1pm on a Sunday afternoon. As expected, it wasn’t very busy. We waited about 3 – 4 minutes before anyone noticed we were standing by the door. There was no sign indicating that we should seat ourselves. We liked the ambiance and waited until we were noticed by our eventual waiter who told us to sit wherever we liked. Although it wasn’t busy, I had the distinct feeling they were understaffed.
Once seated, however, our waiter was attentive and service was good though not exceptional. They had adequate beer selection and some specials at a good price. We were happy that they carried a nonalcoholic beer which my wife prefers to drink.
No WiFi though. I’m conflicted about that. I hate sitting there with someone who can’t get off their smart phone but if I“m alone, well…
The bill of fare had some interesting offerings including fish tacos that my wife ordered. I’m vegetarian so I was please to see several options available to me. I ordered a Portobello mushroom & caramelized onion quesadilla. They let my wife substitute a salad for fries with no hassle. I love that. I costs a restaurant almost nothing for a substitution like that and it’s irritating to be hassled in anyway about it.
My wife liked her tacos but I couldn’t help but be disappointed by the fact that the fish was of the breaded & deep fried variety. She liked it so I’ll leave it at that. My quesadilla had excellent flavor and was served with the usual sour cream and (barely enough) salsa. My only gripe is that I would have liked a choice of a whole grain tortilla. They’re readily available, taste great, are healthier, and don’t get as soggy.
In the end, we enjoyed our meal. 156 won’t be at the to of my list of Burlington restaurants but I’d go back in a pinch.

With all the horrible reviews, I went in expecting not much, and determined to be patient. I thought the «Check In Offer,» five dollar for ten wings was a nice offer to get more Unilocalers in there, and because I was traveling I went there specifically because of the deal. Ordered a glass of wine so I wasn’t a complete coupon cheapo, and showed the waitress the deal. «oh that’s not available right now. «she let me know. If it’s a check in special, it should be available when I check in. Then she asks me what web site. Unilocal lady, I’m showing it to you right now! And if you didn’t know, how do you know it’s not available right now? I suggested that they write the time restriction on the offer. And also, it should be in the deals section, not the check in offers. I’m not really that cheap that a few dollars made me mad, it was more disbelief that she would rather obstinately save the restaurant a few bucks than make a new customer happy.
I had the wings anyway, they were pretty good.
I made some extremely nice friends, so I highly recommend the crowd and atmosphere of the place.
They were trying something new out for the menu, so they brought out a plate with eggplant dip and small pieces of bread, started at the top of the bar, and had people pass it along. I’m aware I’m being kind of a fud in this review, but to continue in that vein, isn’t that a little weird? I mean, maybe put the dip on the bread and bring it out to us individually on a napkin? And I’m sorry chef, it wasn’t good at all, but how can I honestly tell you that to your face without looking like a jerk. I suggested that it have less lemon juice because the eggplant flavor was lost in lemon juice, so if it’s on the menu, hopefully they took my advice.

I really, REALLY wanted to love 156. I tried, hard. Three times in fact. I get 20% food and drink from my employer, and I still won’t be back. The service is always pretty good, but the food needs some serious help.
The first time I went, I had the truffle fries which were absolutely delicious. If you’re going to go to 156, at least have the truffle fries. First experience gets 3 stars. The second time I went, there were some new items on the menu, so I figured I would try them. BIG mistake. The scallop flatbread was pretty much not edible. It tasted like a bad roux slathered with olive oil and fishy scallops. The crust was basically mush! It needed flavor — there was no saltiness, no crunch. The duck confit spring rolls were soooo spicy, and although the plum sauce cut the spicy a bit, still too much. I couldn’t finish those. But the truffle fries were awesome.
The third time I went was last night, I decided I would order things I knew were going to be good, since I had a living social deal (the only reason I went back). We asked to waitress if we could have the truffle fries — they were out of truffle oil. OK, we’ll order the cheese plate — the chef was out of cheeses, at 7pm. Fine, let’s do the 10 wings, but can we split the sauces because he likes savory and I like spicy? The waitress says we had to order 20 wings to split the sauces. Come on, you are out of the two good apps and we can’t even split the wing sauces? So we ordered calamari. I ordered the Lobster roll, it looked so delectable on the website. I mean, how can you go wrong with lobster? The calamari which, I have to say, was pretty good. Good batter with a nice spicy mayo sauce. Not much on the plate (I was very hungry) but good. Then I got my lobster roll. The bread was great (kudos to August First for the roll) but the lobster was literally just cold pieces of lobster, on a piece of romaine lettuce, on a good roll (which 156 doesn’t even make). Absolutely no seasoning, no buttery goodness, nothing. Now, I understand and love healthy eating as much as the next Burlingtonite. You don’t have to slather my lobster roll with butter or mayo. But at least throw some dill and lemon on there or maybe even some salt and pepper — something! It’s hard to make lobster unappetizing to me, but 156 succeeded at this. The fries were good.
Moral of the 156 experience — don’t go. Unless all you want to eat is truffle fries that they are out of. Sorry 156 :(

I love pork. I love pork so much that I ignored a couple of red flags on the way in here– the fact that it’s almost always empty, the overly-​ambitious menu, the mediocre beer selection… they have pulled pork nachos on the menu, and i figured that was enough to make this a regular stop for me.
the nachos had actual «nacho cheese» on them. you know, that oily cheese product that never dries and is a creepy shade of orange that real cheese never reaches. it also had a small amount of what looked like tomato-​paste based salsa and yes, pork.
it was really, really awful. we ate a little bit of the pork off of the top and went home plotting to convince the daily planet to put pork on their nachos instead.
as an aside, the bartender is always smiling. that’s kind of nice.

We recently made lists of all of the restaurants in Vermont that we want to eat at. For some reason, without knowing much about the place, 156 Bistro ended up on both of our lists (which means we need to go there soon). After looking at some decent reviews of the place (with food and service seeming to improve as of late), I decided it would be a good place to stop after picking the lady up from the airport.
Service started out on a low note, as we waited a considerable amount of time at the hostess station before being seated. There was some confusion as to whether there was a table for us. We were first seated in the lounge area with couches to wait for a dinner table to open up. We were a bit confused, since there seemed to be tables available. Finally, after sitting in the couch area, we were immediately moved to a high-​top two-​top in a darker corner of the restaurant (we didn’t take it personally). Note: I was given nasty, dirty silverware that needed to be returned.
The space had the feel of an upscale sports bar. Ignoring and trying to forgive the Yankees memorabilia on the walls, there were many plasmas in all directions, most showing the Sox game, so I was happy. There was a lot of dark wood, and the space was wide open, giving it a nice feel. It was also packed for a rainy Saturday night, a good sign.
There was a good list of draft beers. Most of them were a little light for my taste (though I guess it makes sense with summer coming on), so I went with a PBR for $ 2 (yes, I understand that this is a bit hypocritical, ordering a PBR after complaining about the lack of heavy beers on tap). L went with a switchback red, which she enjoyed.
That was where the good things would come to an end. We decided to share a starter, a salad, and a larger plate. We went with the chips and dip, marked as pico de gallo and guacamole with homemade chips. The chips were decently fried, but lacked any salt. The guacamole had a chemical taste and texture that we could only assume was made from a mix (those cheap powdered mixes you get at the supermarket), and the pico de gallo was not pico de gallo, it was salsa, and I would be surprised if it was homemade. All in all, $ 8 for this was definitely not worth it. Next came the Caprese salad. Now, as the waitress (who was great) brought this over, something happened that I had never seen before. She walked by our table to take the guacamole/​chips plate and give us the salad, but then did not leave the salad. She took the guac plate and then walked back to the kitchen and talked to the chefs. She then circled back around and left the plate with us and we realized why she had hesitated. There were 4 slices of vine-​ripened tomatoes on the plate (the size of small romas, maybe a half dollar in size), 4 similarly sized pieces of mozzarella, and 4 leaves of basil with some olive oil. Without any commend from us, she gushed, «I asked the chefs if this was really the portion size, and they assured me that the ingredients are all top quality, which is why it is this size». I laughed, but said thanks. We then dug in, with a bit of hesitation. These were not top quality ingredients: mealy tomatoes (perhaps if they were heirlooms, the price would have been justified), mozzarella so small you could hardly taste it, cheap olive oil, and absolutely no salt to be found. Really one of the most ridiculous things I have been served for $ 8. Finally, we split the portabello burger, which was served on a tasty buttered roll with good (though a bit greasy) fries. The content of the burger was interesting. I don’t think goat cheese is meant to be broiled, it takes on a strange un-​cheesy texture. All in all, it was the highlight, but not a very high one.
Won’t be going back here for food. Perhaps for a drink. Glad to check it off of the list. Luckily, it wasn’t too expensive.

Great service, but I think the kitchen is designed for one table! Its been an hour and a half and still no dinner! Also, we are in beer country and not best beer selection. Luckily there are plenty of great restaurants in burlington, so I doubt I will be back.

They only get a star for our server. I have never left with refusing to pay for my meals before tonight. I work at a restaurant I know how things go, but you should tell your customers when you are out of key components of their meals. Also, after speaking with our server, the kitchen guys are sitting at the bar talking to their buddies and calling us inappropriate names. Our server let us leave with just paying for our apps and my beer because we were too frustrated and uncomfortable with our experience. We left to have dinner somewhere else. I would never recommend this place to anyone after being treated so badly.

This place could not be more erratic… sometimes everything is great and at other times, the food and service are just dismal. The food has been inconsistent; sometimes it is really good and at other times, it is downright mediocre, The same menu item can fluctuate greatly in character on different dates which is ridiculous. We do like a few of the bartenders, particularly Jana & Liz, who consistently make great cocktails and create a friendly vibe for all customers. Some of the bar and service staff can be a bit stilted and inattentive and appear awkward. If 156 Bistro can work out the kinks and get a good experienced crew together with consistently good food offerings, we would be most happy and would turn up there more. It is a darn delicious combo to be able to watch a game, hang out at a bar with friendly patrons and staff, and eat a good meal. As it stands, when we are up in VT, we sometimes call ahead to see who is on staff before we decide whether to commit to the Bistro or go elsewhere, When it is good, it is great… when it is not, it can be such a disappointment,.
⁹⁄₁₁
Well, I went back recently and things have not gotten better. The food was sad; as in very sad. The place was empty and the bartender seemed sad too. I will not be back

I never understood restaurants that tried to be everything.156 Bistro is a sports bar, bistro, and a casual lounge all at the same time. It’s quite confounding to try to understand why because it makes much more sense to focus on one theme and have a menu to match. Anyway, just a little rant about these types of «trybrid» restaurants. 156 Bistro was one of the only places open on the frightfully cold Monday of the MLK weekend. I bookmarked this place to try some of their comfort food. You can get anything from pizza and mac & cheese to shepherds pie and your prototypical bar burger. Their entrees are more expensive and serve a wide variety of dishes from curried Asian noodles to fish & chips. I guess I wasn’t surprised that much like their restaurant, the menu tries to be the jack of all trades, but really is a master of none.
We started off with an order of truffle fries for the table to share. I’ve realized that I’m over the whole truffle fries craze. Fries with white truffle oil has been done to death. The fries weren’t as crispy as I would have liked. The aioli dip was heavy and thick, but otherwise flavorful. Had I known that the jerk chicken sandwich came with fries, I wouldn’t have ordered the truffle fries. The chicken breast was at least tender and well-​seasoned, but a jerk sandwich doesn’t really belong on a long, thin baguette, in my opinion. The baguette fell apart easily and wasn’t even toasted. However, I did enjoy the chipotle mango chutney, which added an extra kick to the sandwich. The portion was quite small, but the fries act as filler. I also tried some of the pizza of the day, which was cheeseburger that night. It was drenched in oil from the ground beef and the crust was overcooked to a crisp. In fact, the sharp, hard, cracker-​like crust cut my gums while chewing.
The food was somewhat fairly priced, but you don’t get great value for the quality of food produced. I think it’s a safe bet to say I would have received similar quality food or better at a local Applebee’s or TGIF’s.

I’ve been criminally negligent in failing to update my review of this place. As I predicted in my original review, I returned here for the great cocktails and have fallen in love with the place to the degree that I now qualify as a ‘regular.’
First, the environment. The bartenders, especially Liz and Jana, are awesome people, let alone great bartenders. If you’re at the bar, the manager will usually stop to say ‘hey,’ and talk up some sports. Ditto the head chef, who’ll stop by to see how the food turned out. In addition to the staff, the televisions are well spread out around the restaurant, making this a great place to watch the game.
Next, the food. I’ve found some items on the menu that are simply amazing. Some highlights on their new menu include deep-​fried bacon, which is beer-​battered and drizzled with chocolate sauce and a sriracha-​like chili sauce (yes, it is as transcendent as it sounds); and braised lamb shank, which is lamb prepared ossobuco-​style, and served with cannelini beans and a bacon-​sauteed green (basically, everything on the plate is amazing).
Still, the place is [this] close to getting a fifth star. As amazing as the food can be, it still suffers from consistency problems. The first time I had their mac & cheese with lobster, it was amazing; when I had their risotto with lobster, the lobster was cold and chewy. Still, if you’ve been disappointed by this place in the past, give it a second chance; when it’s on, it’s great.

I really enjoyed this place! The wait staff was friendly — apparently they’ve been sorting out the «kinks» mentioned below? The wait staff was super helpful, and we received our food quickly. They even let me order off of the kid’s menu!
The drinks tasted good (I recommend the Pumpkin Pie martini for a seasonal treat) and decently priced for fancy cocktails and a nice restaurants. The décor was trendy, the music kept at a great low volume, the lighting was perfect.
The only thing I wish were different about my experience is that they were open later– I would have loved to stay past 1am with friends! I will definitely be returning.

Ok… well…let me say this breaks down a few ways.
Drinks–
Great selection on beer and mixed drinks. I suggest you try the Bloody Mary with the infused hot vodka. The staff is always trying to make new drinks and is very creative.
Food–
I thought the food was good priced although the few times we have been there it has been the night menu. However, with that being said the Pork Taco’s are great and big enough to share with friends. Another friend of mine gets the Crab Cakes… they must be good because he got them two weeks in a row!!!
Staff–
Here is where they got a 3 rather then a 4. Very friendly, however SLOW, SLOW, SLOW!!! Over the last 3 weeks I have been here 5 times. Our water has never been kept filled, we had to ask for silverware and last night we were forgotten about a few times and had to grab stuff off other tables.
So…with all that I will say the business seems to be picking up there. Which, might mean… more staff.
I’ll be back and hope that it gets better as the drinks and food are at a good price, the atmosphere is great (however a bit too many TV’s)…and I’m hoping they are going to work on the music.

We arrived earlier than the rest of our party so we slid up to the bar to wait. The bartender was great. She talked to my girlfriend about their drinks and threw together something with champagne and blackberries that she absolutely loved. They had 8 or 9 beers on tap, 4 of them for $ 2, so I ordered myself a very cheap Wolaver’s Pumpkin. The bartener was a riot and kept everyone entertained. She was explaining how she recently lost a lot of weight and when someone asked her how she quickly responded «Yoga. Everyone just assumes it was blow. But, no, it was yoga». Maybe not classy, but I nearly spit my beer out with laugther.
When we were seated our waitress seemed a little slow, but she was very nice and chatty. We passed on the appetizer special which was a deep fried bacon drizzled in chocolate. I think that was a mistake, but we decided to go healthy and got the caprese salad. They used a slice of red, a slice of yellow, and a slice of green tomato which tasted as good as it looked. Everyone at the table really enjoyed their meal from the chicken sliders to the mac and cheese.
The only thing holding this place back was that the service was a little slow and the prices were a little high for food that we recieved. But the staff more than makes up for any service issues with how nice they are and the $ 2 beer specials cushioned the bill quite a bit. It was a great place to meet up for a meal and one that I’d gladly return to for the really good food and drinks if I ever find myself in Burlington again.

Went for a quick drink and bite to eat. Service was friendly and helpful. Shrimp, clams and oysters were fresh and cold. Nice place to unwind after a long week.

156 Bistro does not deserve quite the level of lousy reviews on here. When we got there it was pretty empty, but the restaurant was ¾ full throughout the rest of our meal.
I did think it was a little pricey for what it was, and our waitress was out of it, but other than that our experience was good and so was the food.
We started with wings and pulled pork nachos. I don’t really eat wings so I can’t speak to those, but the pulled pork nachos were unbelievably good. The meat and cheese sauce was well distributed, and our group was literally scraping the plate. Crave worthy.
I got macaroni and cheese with peas. It wasn’t a classic macaroni and cheese dish, the cheese sauce was hard to describe, but it was really tasty. When I was full I still couldn’t stop eating.
I couldn’t stop picking at my husband’s fries either.
Bottom line: limited menu that’s a little overprice, but good food.

Upon walking in the door I realized I wanted to like this place. Despite the fact the place was empty it still had a nice vibe, and the décor suggested great food and great cocktails. The menu did nothing to dispel this notion, including some rather appealing cocktails…
And it was at this point the entire operation came off the rails for me. We stopped here with the intention of enjoying a couple of their whiskey based specialty cocktails — one that required Jim Beam rye, and the other Michael Collins. Alas, we were to be left disappointed as they were out of both.
Now look, I understand that sometimes you run out of things. But it’s not like whiskey is going to go bad sitting there, and these are highlighted specialty cocktails you promote — can’t you have the ingredients handy? And if it was just one they were missing I think I’d have been OK with that, but to be missing two?
I have heard rumors that this place is trying to work out the kinks. And I’d love to give the place a second chance the next time I’m in Burlington. But the way it stands right now I have to give this place 2 stars.

The waitress was clearly overwhelmed and drinks and food were slow in coming. She didn’t even apologize.
The menu only offered about five entrees so I decided to try the lamb special. The dish was quite small and didn’t come with goat cheese mashed potatoes as billed. The waitress told us they were out of those potatoes. When the bill came, we realized that meal cost $ 29! Way more than the regular menu items which are about $ 12-​$ 22. We told the waitress it wasn’t worth that much; she got the manager who basically said there was nothing she could do, that those potatoes DIDN’T actually come with the lamb and blamed the waitress. In the end, she took a salad off the bill but the hassle ruined the meal. Some of the food was good, but on the small side and pricey, and the management clearly knows nothing about customer service.

jeez, i wonder if «petra s» owns the place? nice review, but i’m sorry to say that 156 bistro is one of the worst options for food and drink in downtown burlington. just a miserable, lifeless place that certainly won’t be around for too long. the food is lousy, the prices are steep, and the atmosphere feels forced and fake. its burlington, vt, not new york city. why would you even want a new york feel? you can find a ‘new york feel’ in new york. how about just opening a real bar and restaurant with its own feel. a burlington, vermont feel. you can’t fake a ‘new york feel’ no matter how desperately you try. its actually a pretty nice space, so its really too bad. don’t’ waste a meal or evening, anyone.
UPDATE: this place still stinks!

We’ve been to the Bistro several times since it opened, and I like to rave about it’s highlights. Whether I’m with my 14 month-​old and husband or with the girls, I have a special time. The atmosphere is warm and deep, and there’s delectable dishes to choose from. Watch out for the specials! I once had a succulent fillet covered in a blue cheese crusted wine reduction, on top of whipped potatoes, and paired Moobazz pinot noir. Wow! Probably the best dish I’ve ever had with the moldy cheese.
A staple dish on the menu to look forward to are the Thai Sticky Wings. I guiltily have ordered them as an entrée and ate all eight by myself along with the local Shed Mountain Ale on tap. I also like the portabella quesadillas, which are big enough for two dinners or four apps, and the trio dessert sampler is divine if you have any room. The Executive Chef also creates irresistible seafood … the Lobster Savannah on New Year’s, made me a red sea shellfish lover. The Bistro is also a great place to be and see the seasonal fireworks and spectacular sunsets.