Chow Bistro

Pleasantly surprised! I didn’t have high hopes based on the the looks of this place from the road, but the food and service were both great! I had the hand cut tagliatelle. We sat outside and it was comfortable. I would definitely sit inside if you are looking for more ambiance. This is a nice alternative to driving out to Skippack. Great little byo close to home.

I have eaten at Chow many times and really enjoy their food. I visited again last night and again had a delicious dinner.
Once again it took quite a while for our server to come take our order.
However, we ordered two appetizers, one being the almond crusted brie. It was tasty but was under cooked. Not only was the brie not melted, but it was actually cold in spots. There is no excuse for that, especially at their prices.
I had the lamb which was spot on wonderful. One of my friends had the seafood combo most of which was great, but the mahi mahi was dry. Our other friend had the porcini crusted filet which was great.
Service started a bit slow which was a concern since we were told when we made the reservation that they would need the table in two hours. I’ve never had that happen before.
Their prices seem to have gone up but for what you get the prices are not bad.

The food is amazing! An absolute must try. Been here several times and is always consistent. The dining room is not loud. It’s cozy and inviting.

Awesome food and Great service ! Crabcakes are amazing and the Lamb is beautiful. Crème brûlée is delish. Thanks again, we’ll definitely be back soon !

Amazing food, generous portions, great service. I had salmon and it was perfectly cooked.

Had a lovely brunch here a couple of months ago. I live in NJ and can’t wait to go back. Our table left full and happy. The omelettes were especially good with decadent ingredients like crabmeat! Everything was delicious and made with the utmost care.
The owners were friendly and welcoming and seemed to know many of the patrons so I assume they were regulars. The chef came out at one point to check in with folks and to make sure we were enjoying our meals. Really a very pleasant experience.
I loved the décor! Eclectic, fun, and gorgeous! It’s really apparent the whole operation is a labor of love.
Can’t wait to bring my husband back here for dinner. Omg, the dinner options look fabulous and creative and I’m sure they’ll be executed to perfection. We’ll be back soon!

FINALLY! I have been absolutely dying to try Chow, especially since Guy and his wife did such a phenomenal job with Black Lab Bistro in Phoenixville. It took me so long because of my lack of foresight in making reservations, but DEFINITELY worth the wait.
When the boys are away, the girls will play. My girlfriend and I like to take out for a first class palate explosion every few weeks. Well, Chow made sure that happened.
We started with the Butternut Squash soup and the Brie. The soup was savory and had a perfect viscosity. The Brie was quite delicious, though just slightly undercooked in the center. Nothing to complain about though.
Next we had the two specials for this week. The Dijon-​crusted Lamb Chops were amazing, almost sinfully good. Our other entrée was the prime-​rib with Gorgonzola mac and asparagus.
The meat was cooked to perfection, not one second over rare for the lamb!
All in all, the dining experience was fantastic. The only thing I could say is that for such a restaurant, the sever seemed a little inexperienced and lacking what puts the experience over the edge.
I ALMOST FORGOT– The décor is beyond charming and chic! Kudos to whoever did the interior. I love the bold designs and paintings. We sat under the Buddha and we definitely had a lot to talk about just with the art alone.
I will 100% dine again and highly recommend it to everyone! Don’t forget your wine as it is BYOB! AND MAKE A RESERVATION! It’s very busy, but for good reason!

Amazing food! The sesame encrusted tuna and snapper were delicious. I definitely recommend going there.

We were interested to try CHOW and are glad we did. The location is a great meeting spot for friends and the atmosphere lends itself to great conversation. The menu is varied and interesting, giving everyone at the table a fun choice of entrees. We were definitely pleased with the service, which always is a treat!

I can’t find a complaint for this place. Exceptional service and great fare! They’re creative with their entrees but not too funky. A perfect mix.
My wife and I went there New Year’s Eve with her cousin. I had Korean bbq for a starter, and a lamb shank over greens and risotto for dinner. both meals were excellent.
The atmosphere is wonderful. Small and private but not cramped and dead. Waiters dressed very professionally and knew the meals well.
My compliments to the chef. I will be back
Plus it’s a BYOB so double score

Went after it first opened and liked what they had to offer. It is a BYOB which is a plus and a great option compared to what is offered in Collegeville. Will visit here again.

Delicious fare in a home-​like atmosphere. I’d read others’ statements about the noise level here, but it didn’t bother my wife and me when we recently had dinner here. My wife had a seafood platter, with crab cakes, shrimp, and scallops. I had the crab cake dinner. Excellent, large crab cakes. It was just as difficult to choose from the dessert menu as it was from the dinner menu. My wife chose tres leches cake and I chose crème brûlée. Both were absolutely wonderful.
The only snag I encountered was the coffee with the dessert. It wasn’t bad, as in bitter or luke warm, but it didn’t have much presence. Sounds strange, perhaps, but I think a quality dinner should include quality coffee — after all, the coffee is one of the last impressions your restaurant has a chance to make on a customer.
Will definitely return, though.

Meeting friends in Collegeville is always a good time, and Chow Bistro was our destination for some good food on after a long work week. While this BYOB has some nice features and interesting menu choices, the meal we had missed the mark in a lot of ways. The dining scene is more limited out this way, but we’d still try a new place for future meals.
Atmosphere — Loud, very loud. Walking into Chow almost has the same noise volume as a cafeteria would. This is due to the large, open floor plan with many tables and a busy Friday night dining group. A variety of different pictures adorn the walls, and windows show the crisp fall night air. Would recommend that they break up space with sound reducing dividers or find other ways to muffle the volume. Could barely hear my friend sitting directly across from me.
Waitstaff — Our waiter was good, although he was shouting out the specials and menu items. Brought water over regularly and did a good job recommending items to upsell, but alas, we couldn’t stay for any dessert. After meal, brought over split check together with only one pen, so had to wait when figuring out tips and splitting difference.
Food — We started off splitting a mix of lobster mac and cheese and brie cheese with dried cherries. Female diners loved the cheese and raved this was the best part of the meal. Guys split the lobster mac, though the portion size is more for just a few bites if sharing. Many more breadcrumbs then pieces of lobster. I tried the shrimp and crab meat risotto which was really good, but unfortunately, my dining companion went with the pork chop in gravy with potatoes and didn’t like it so had to switch. Pork chop was decent, but for the price, expected a lot more then what I wound up eating. Other diners enjoyed the risotto and a third went with the duck, which he said was pretty good as well. This is a BYOB, so no bar here, but our wine paired well with our meal that we brought. Had some interesting dessert options, but due to time, couldn’t stay for it.
Intangibles — Large parking lot available behind the restaurant with a ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ turn, no matter, just turn in behind the gas station a few yards down and you’re okay. No lobby, so had to stand with the door open while waiting for a table. Again, can’t stress how loud it is in here, very hard to chat with a good meal, not a spot I would recommend for a first date unless you have no desire to talk to the other person.
Overall — Eh, it’s a good spot, but I’ve been to better. Would have preferred to meet with friends at a place where we could chat at a reasonable volume, but no matter, food was good enough to keep me full for the night. Chow may need to rename their location to Ciao if they don’t do something about the sound inside, but for now, it works with the limited dining competition out this way.

Absolutely will be back! It was wonderful! Can’t wait to try more of their tasty menu items and revisit new faves!

Worth a try but not fantastic. The dining room is small and SO LOUD. Definitely not a good place if you’re looking for a more intimate experience where you can have a conversation. They offer outdoor seating but most of it is really close to the road and not ideal. The food is ok but nothing extraordinary. The brie appetizer arrived still half frozen and wasn’t anything special. The pork chop was cooked well but lacked flavor. The fish tacos and red curry were both very oily and weren’t exciting. The lamb meatloaf was actually very well done, cooked well and flavorful. The ginger lemonade is actually really great. We didn’t stay for desert because the noise level was out of control. Also, the owner was just sitting in the corner watching but not really doing anything and it was kind of weird. Overall an underwhelming experience.

The dining room is small and LOUD. It may have been better to sit outside. However, there was no visual break from the road so outside seating wasn’t a good option.
Being big fans of the cheese plate, we ordered the brie. Much to our dismay, it was frozen in the middle.
Main menu was classic American fare. Lamb meatloaf was the hit of the table; the sauce for this dish was phenomenal. Crab cake sandwich and pork chops were also pretty good. The red curry vegetable offering was overly greasy and the fish tacos were dry and lacked freshness.
They offered us the dessert menu but given the volume in the dining room and the disappointing food we opted for ice cream from Wawa.

Chow was recommended to me by several people so I made a reservation for my birthday dinner last night.
We started with the almond crusted Brie and the calamari apps. The Brie was bland with only a thin drizzle of cherry sauce and three measly pieces of bread. Hardly enough to share between five people. But the squid was excellent. Possibly the best I’ve had. It was cooked to perfection. Not rubbery at all. Flavor superb.
We then moved on to our entrees, each of us ordering something different. We had the pork chop, salmon, pot roast and curried vegetables. Good reviews all around. I personally had the curry dish and it had excellent flavor and just enough bite. Loads of delicious vegetables and I subbed shrimp for chicken. I also tried the pork chop. It was ordered more well done than I prefer, but was still very enjoyable. The sauce and arugula complimented it nicely.
At the end of the meal, we each had a dessert, and except for the crème brûlée, we’re not impressed.
Overall a positive experience though. The only real setback was the slow service. It was at least 20 minutes before they even brought our apps, with much waiting in between courses and another long wait for the bill.

We have tried chow for dinner a few times and it was always just blah. lacking seasoning and flavor.
However for lunch and brunch it’s a great place to go! Their soup is great and so are their pancakes!

Have been there so many times since the last. We’ve needed a place like this, and it has remained consistent.
We had my son’s confirmation dinner here. 11 people, appetizers and entrees for lunch, and with tip, it came to less than $ 200…service was amazing, and everyone loved their meals.
Have also been several times with friends, family, and my husband for dates. Just love their Calamari. It’s a must have. My husband always gets the Mixed Seafood choice, and he’s never disappointed. For me, the chef shows his stripes with some more adventurous side dishes, sauces, and preparations. I’ll take whatever protein you offer if the side dish is amazing.
Wait staff is top notch and not too in your face, but they know the food and make honest recommendations.
This place is a must-​visit!

Four of us went here on Friday night at 730. Luckily we had made a reservation because almost every table was taken, which is nice to see for a newer restaurant. We chose to sit outside… this area needs more places with outdoor seating! The food was very good and their menu, as their décor, was very eclectic! Not necessarily a bad thing.
We started with the truffle fries (fries topped with truffle oil) and the Brie cheese. Both were very good. We were all quite pleased with our entrees as well. Between the four of us, we had the burger, seafood risotto, fish tacos and chicken caprese.
The service was good and our bill was of average price for a bistro like this. Would definitely go back to try more things on the menu. Collegeville needed a cute place like this!