Café Bistro

I like it. Don’t get me wrong, I just don’t think it deserves 5 stars.
It is a upscale casual place to eat. Although if it is your first time here, it can be a bit confusing. You stand in line for the cashier to take your order, who btw was really slow the day I went, and you pay there. Then you sit where ever you want, and a server is assigned to you??? They’re supposed to find you or something? Then my server didn’t come and the cashier ended up being my server although it was under my original server, Brooke.
Um I didn’t have a big appetite so I got the kids cheese pizza. For $ 6 it’s filling and as big as a CPK pizza. I just realized as i’m writing this, they never gave me my fruit… Lol
Anyways. So Im sitting here wondering if I’m supposed to tip or not. Now I work in a restaurant and I would… But it’s kind of like a confusing upscale mix between corner bakery and a sit down and eat restaurant.
Then at the end, the server gave me another check with no balance due? But it did come with mints so yay. (:
I liked the very relaxing atmosphere. The people were nice. Next time, I’ll get some real menu food and review this place again.

A good day of shopping calls for some good food! Nordstrom café is very good! I always get a salad or their french dips are really good! Super yummy and very good service!

I went here 2 months ago and I ordered the chicken salad. As I was eating it I found little hairs all inside of my salad!!! I told the waiter that there was hair in my salad and if I could get a new one. When he came back all he did was put new lettuce over the existing salad that I had. It was gross I am never eating here again.

I was browsing through Nordstrom for a quick gift and wanted a quick bite. I never been to this location. I think I’ve been spoiled since this location’s quality’s not as good as the one in the SCP location.
There isn’t outdoor seating: I think the best patio seating is in Costa Mesa or Brea. No worries. You will always get the Nordstrom quality from ordering to being waited on. I ordered one cup of the crab bisque. You can order HALF OF A SALAD. I had half of the cilantro lime shrimp salad.
The waiter was very attentive, almost scary since he stopped by every time I finished something. (Either my soup or water.) Haha The soups are never a miss at Nordstrom and aren’t too bad for the quality and price point in comparison to other restaurants/​cafes or delis. They gave me a generous amount of shrimp in my salad. I was pretty disappointed since the dressing was EXTREMELY SALTY! I don’t remember it being this salty. I think I drank at least two glasses of water. Even after my meal, I was thirsty the whole day. I don’t know if they
changed the recipe or they added the wrong amount/​type.
*I would have given it an 3 for the typical Nordstrom experience, but the saltiness was TERRIBLE!*

Decided to come here to grab a quick lunch after shopping and boy was it worth it!
I had the roasted salmon and herbed mushroom risotto and it was cooked to perfection! I will be definitely coming back if I’m in need of a quick lunch.
Only downside would be the service, I think the waitress only came by my table once.

Fancy shmancy eatery inside Nordstrom for all the people who need to use their Nordstrom credit card’s rewards or need to use their Nordstrom gift cards since they can’t find something they like in the store to buy! My wife was the lather so here we are, spend as much as you want! We got the roasted chicken and shared it, and a Sangria. The chicken was absolutely great and the drink was really good, totally a surprise for me. Great upscale choice if you are in the area. more like a high end restaurant than a store eatery (even though you order at counter). No TVs and kind of quiet, great for a lazy afternoon conversation, but not too much fun or excitement.

This place is fantastic. Same great quality as the bistro in Fashion Island. South Coast Plaza’s remodel happens in a few days, and I am so hoping that they turn the Marketplace Café into a Café Bistro.
The Crab Bisque is to die for. Everything (besides the soup) is made fresh to order.
Last time I went I got the french dip sandwich and it was great, cooked to a perfect medium rare, au jus is great with a hint of rosemary to it. Bread is amazing. This place serves it with fries with a Kalamata Olive Aoili. Not like the Marketplace serving measly potato chips from a bag.

I have been to many different locations and this one I would rate superior to any other.
Less menu choices but had Excellent foods and Very friendly service by waiter. Your time and money will be well deserved.

this place is such a gem at spectrum. its located on the top floor of nordstroms. the menu has something for everyone. Salads, sandwiches, entrees that include steak, chicken, shrimp and such. I got the chipotle chicken sandwich with french fries, side of ranch of course. the sandwich was soo good! the fries were skinny fries they were alright. my friend got shrimp and risotto which tasted very good as well. the prices are very reasonable, and the ambiance is beautiful. I like the waiters they are always attentive.
it kind of looks fast causal coz you order food and go sit at a table, but they just start you off like that. you can order additional things from the waiter after words. its pretty smart!

Customer service is poor considering that this café is part of nordstrom.
Walked in, ordered… sat ourselves down. No waitress or waiters greet us. Waited for 8 minutes before someone acknowledge us.
Afterwards, our food came fairly quickly. However, they messed up a simple order. Shrimp & chicken angel hair pasta. They left out the chicken. We paid for it but they forgot. Manager (Simon) was kind and tried to explain it was a slight oversight. Got a refund for the extra charge for the shrimp but guess what went WRONG next. The pasta was BURNT.
BURNT! who burn pasta.
Spoke with Simon the manager — they apologize.
Not returning.

The customer service is great however the food/​soft drink selection is not. They don’t serve Tomato Basil soup unless it’s Saturday/​Sunday. They don’t offer Hi-​C and they don’t have self serv fountain drinks. Made for a bad meal. Their menu is much smaller than at other Nordy cafes. I will never come to this location again. Stick to Shops at Mission Viejo or South Coast plaza.

As usual, Nordstrom Café Bistro came through with another great meal.
I had the salmon salad — excellent. My husband had the Margarita pizza. He was very impressed.
Our server, Mick, did an excellent job in attending to our very need. Very helpful, funny and kind.

The Best Ceaser Chicken Salad! Always fresh… Service is great. Great Ice Tea & Wine… Great Price. Desserts are amazing too…

I love this bistro! i always order thwir margherita pizza or bistro club. But my favorite is their banana bread pudding dessert! Also, service is pretty fast! Definitely keep on coming back.

Hey another Nordstrom café. This is a much smaller one than the SCP location but still has a good menu. I only ever get salads at these places so I don’t have an extensive review about their heavier options. Highly recommend the blue cheese and pear salad.
Service is the same as any other location but there is less seating. It also seems a little bit dark but it might have been the time of day I show up. The salads are always fresh in a generous portion, piled high with whatever non veggie topping is included (nuts, cheese). Definitely try it if you’re watching your intake but still want something tasty.

I do not shop at Nordstrom and, therefore, had no clue they have a café inside their store. My gf assured me that many women spend so much time shopping they need a place to recharge and have a minor respite. But food in a department store? Surely, this can’t be any good.
Wrong. Other reviews have described it best: casual upscale dining. The service is relaxed but prompt, and you really don’t feel like you’re inside a store. My prime rib beef dip was outstanding — filled with meat, flavorful, and the bread on which it came had a nice crispy toasting to it. And everything was reasonably priced, too.

Recently moved back to Orange County, so I was very glad to go shopping @ this Nordstrom & have lunch @ the café as this was my nordy’s pre-​moving away from OC.
My daughter and I shared the Cauliflower with fried egg over arugula with a light balsamic dressing. Absolutely delicious!
We also had the Margerita Pizza-​perfection.
So glad to be back!

I have heard from so many people that the Nordstrom Café Bistros are amazing. So, the foodie in me wanted to try it out. I had high expectations, but I left disappointed :(
First off, I ordered a pasta.
1) Small portions — I was so surprised at how much food there was (or lack of food) when my food came out. Now, I’m not ‘Murica sized, I’m quite petite, but it looked like there was barely enough food to feed a hamster. C’mon, a girl’s gotta eat!
2) Quite pricey — For the price I paid, I would have expected more food on my plate.
3) Nothing too amazing — Again, for the price I paid, I totally could’ve made enough of the pasta to serve a family of 6.
However, service was great though. The server/​waitress we had was helpful and kind; she offered us take out cups for our water.
Would I come back again? Ehh, it depends. If it was on someone else’s dime, maybe. If not, I’ll just head over to any of the other food selections at the Spectrum.

After shopping at the Irvine Spectrum, my daughter wanted to eat here. She wanted pizza and macaroni and cheese. I prefer Tender Greens (my fav) but my kids always come first: P
The café was very close to closing but the hostess said we were absolutely welcome! My daughter ordered Pepperoni and Mushroom Pizza (from a brick oven) and a kids macaroni and cheese for my son and her to share. I had started Day 1 of my liver detox and had to eat something clean. The host said her favorite and lightest dish was the Grilled Asparagas Farro and Frisee Salad and suggested that I add a chicken breast for the protein and order the honey sherry vinaigrette on the side. I didn’t want to eat wheat but I do like farro: O
My daughter was wondering if it was Kraft Macaroni and Cheese because we have eaten at an resort that served it on their kid’s meal. Instead they called it Blue Box Macaroni and Cheese. To her luck and surprise, it was the house made creamy kind and came with a side of berries (son’s favorite) and a small drink. I am not a fan of pizza especially pepperoni but it looked so good I had to ask for one slice. Although a little greasy it had lots of chopped mushrooms and fresh basil on top. It was delicious and my two kids finished the whole order! My salad was also surprisingly delicious, the farro, grilled asparagus, french green beans, frisee, tomatoes, toasted pistachios, and aged manchego cheese worked really well together. I could see how it was the hostess ‘s favorite. Very light but filling.
Our server tried to throw away our packaged baby wipes and animal crackers but he was a young man and probably didn’t have experience with children. He should also have picked up his tip after we left but we were there after closing: P

Great saladsI I usually get the Berry or Pear salad, this time, I removed the goat cheese and added chicken. Delicious!
Their sandwiches are awesome too. Food is pricey but definitely a treat once in a while.