The Bistro

Beer Cheese Soup. That is all. Nothing else matters. Only beer cheese soup.
My wife gets the veggie sandwich (what good is a sammich without meat!?).
I like the ranch burger.
We both ALWAYS get the beer cheese soup. Beer Cheese Soup. Also, Beer Cheese Soup.
FYI: This place sells beer cheese soup… Just sayin’

The one star is for the setting. It looks quite nice but looks can be deceiving. We ordered the ahi tuna and chicken. Although the food looked nice the plates of food tasted like they had a salt shaker top fall off and they left the salt in the meals. I feel like my tongue is going to shrivel up. The service was horrible as well. We had a large table but it was not busy at all. Our group had their food delivered sporadically and we’re not attended to nor apologized for the wait. Some of our party and to wait 30 minutes for their check. Don’t bother with this place way over priced for the salt laden food and the lack luster service.

We came for an anniversary dinner. The couple had called ahead and made reservations. When we arrived our party was escorted upstairs and to our table. They had a man on piano playing or maybe it was guitar. Whatever instrument they did have live music playing. The waitress was lovely. The wine pours were generous. The drinks had the right mix of alcohol and juice. Their beer selection was standard for living in the NW. Our party was over 6 people and we did not receive a modified menu. I had the seafood carbonara and my husband had the filet which was just a supermarket piece of meat… If I ever went to longview for dinner I may eat there again, My visit was the first week of August.

Loved our first date night here returned for Valentine’s Day and was shocked at the disappointment that was our whole evening. Our waitress was training (probably not a good idea on a busy evening like Valentine’s Day) poor menu selection with nothing for a vegetarian. They were out of steak sauce (go to the store and buy it) I called to let the manager know we were upset about our dinner and she refused to tell me when an owner would be in to speak with and didn’t care about our experience. We won’t return and I’ll be sure to share why with others when they ask

After a late business meeting we discovered the Bistro for a late evening dinner. It was a wonderful surprise and the food and service were excellent. A full bar, a great wine list, and an inventive and creative menu. We will return and we are happy to report it was a pleasant surprise to find this restaurant in Kelso Longview

Everything we ordered was delicious. The tuna tartare appetizer, my shrimp scampi pasta, and especially the bread pudding! Bread pudding is my favorite. I live in Seattle and have had my fair share of bread puddings at restaurants there and this is the best I’ve ever had.

A gem in Longview. Wonderful food and service, from cocktails, wine, starters, and entrees. Excellent desserts if you save room. Bread pudding is amazing! Tess is the best!

I went there with several co-​workers and their significant others. The menu and drinks were moderately priced. The bistro wasn’t very busy and the décor was nicely done The food was very good. Everyone in the group enjoyed their meals. My girlfriend only ate half of her peanut chicken and she had the intent to take it home. We were ordering deserts when the plate was picked up and taken away. Upon realizing what had happened my girlfriend asked for a take home container to which the waitress insincerely said «sorry but I already tossed it out. «. We were all drinking and having fun so it was a disappointment but a non issue. What later really irritated me and is a reason I haven’t returned is … The person who hosted the gathering gave a generous tip. The next day when he was looking over the receipt he realized that a tip was already included in the bills total due to our parties size. So in essence he tipped the tip. The service certainly wasn’t worthy of 40%. I kind of figured a waitress seeing a group drinking heartily might have mentioned that when she saw the additional gratuity. The party host did call back to discuss it, but he was never contacted by bistro management after leaving a message.

Must have been the chefs’ day off. Ordered, a filet mignon medium rare. Came medium well, sent it back, this time it was medium. Then the chef said there was poor lighting in the kitchen. The staff was no help. Definitely not worth $ 38.

Nice ambience and upscale menu but I can’t review the food because I haven’t had the pleasure of eating it. We were having dinner downstairs when I wondered upstairs to the Bistro. Checked out the menu and thought it would be a nice place to enjoy a dinner with my wife BUT she is in a wheelchair and there is no elevator. I asked if we could order off the Bistro menu downstairs since we couldn’t go upstairs. They refused to make an accommodation even though the kitchen is downstairs and prepares the meals for both dining rooms. Pretty disappointing!

Decided to try out The Bistro for my birthday dinner with friends (13 people). After we were seated, I discovered that we were given a limited menu due to our party size and were unable to order off the regular menu. I was not informed of this before hand and it was rather disappointing as the food selection was nothing I would have chosen to order. What we received was hardly exceptional, horribly overpriced, and the portions were small. Quite a disappointing experience and will not recommend!

The way they treat groups is absurd. We are the only people here and they gave us a modified menu to make it «easier» on the kitchen. What a joke. $ 18 for a small bowl of rice and chicken that you would pay $ 3 for at jack in the box and it would taste better. Also charging to do separate check? Really. Quit screwing people. This is Longview not LA. It would probably be busier if they figured this out but it’s dead on a Saturday night. Guess those rice bowls will make up for lost business.

I will be back. Comfort food down stairs and more refined food upstairs. I plan on trying the upstairs next time.

So I was contacted by management. I’m very happy with the handling of my issues. I will be trying this again in hopes that the experience is everything I hoped for.
Thanks to Tess, the manager.

I had a horrible experience The waiter ignored us the food was terrible and I’ll never be back. Awful response from the manager. Nice atmosphere but not at all worth the cost

Went in to The Bistro with a party of 10 on a Thursday evening. We had reservations, but our table wasn’t set up for us when we arrived so we had to wait a few minutes before we were seated. A wine tasting was also going on that evening so there were quite a few people there and an area set up with appetizer type foods for the customers doing the wine tasting special. There was live music going on, which was very enjoyable. Very loud in there though, between the crowd, the music and the poor acoustics of an old, large building. It was also very hot. We went on an evening when it was about 80° outside and, although there were fans and windows open, it was very warm. I would not want to be up there if it were any warmer outside!
The food and service were both excellent. We ordered off of the menu and everyone in our party enjoyed their entrees. We also ordered wine, mixed drinks, appetizers and desserts. Everything was very good. I had blackened chicken Mac and cheese, which I thought was very good. Other entrees ordered in our group: Big Ass Scallops, Meat and Potatoes, Thai peanut chicken dish, flat iron steak with bleu cheese.
If you are looking for more of an upscale dining experience in Longview, The Bistro is a great choice.

Have dined here a number of times over the past few years. The food and atmosphere were always great. However, the last few times in the food quality seems to have dropped and put a damper on the overall experience. We don’t have plans to return in the near future…

The Bistro is a boon to any biz traveler who finds oneself in Kelso/​LongView. Impeccable fare on both occasions our group dined here.
Consistent with my great dining experiences in the Pac NW, the Bistro caters to the vegetarian palate rather well. I had a great thai influenced dish the first time, and a risotto the next — both were vegetarian variations of the menu, and both were delicious. My favorite item — wait for it – brussels sprouts! Perfectly cooked, seasoned, melt in your mouth delicious — indeed, I do wax eloquent about brussels sprouts — it is a first, and it happened at The Bistro :)
The wine selection is pretty extensive, the staff recommendations were very helpful, and our picks from local wineries were superb.
The ambiance is great — an urban chic up do of a historical building in the downtown area; service is friendly and aims to please.
Top notch dining destination in a small industrial town — life is full of surprises!

We had a very negative experience on our first try at The Bistro. We were in Kelso for the Highlander Festival and wanted to try it as a possible venue for a group dinner. My husband and I arrived at 7 pm on a Saturday, tired and hungry for good food. We stood at the cashier stand for many long minutes before being asking to take a seat for 15 minutes for a table. There were 3 large parties going on and the staff was busy with them.
At last we were given a table by a window and we gave our drink and dinner orders. I ordered the house merlot without asking what winery it was from. It was a bulk wine from California with a wire edge and bitter taste. I could not drink it. We were ignored for a long while as other tables were served. We were getting irritated by the lack of attention and the very loud music from the speakers set all around the room. However, a great sound system does not make up for a lack of service. We could hardly carry on a conversation over the noise level.
No bread was offered as we waited and no one came to check on us. By then, I was getting a headache and my husband needed to eat something. Finally, we paid for our drinks and left. We went elsewhere for dinner, but our relaxing evening out was spoiled by this unpleasant experience.
It seems The Bistro is geared for large birthday parties and not so much for couples who want a quiet but fine dinner. It’s a shame. We will not be back.

Just OK.
With reservations we got seated right next to the bathroom. The food is priced higher than it should be for the quality. The live music is really good, but the night we were there the singer had his young daughter there and it just didn’t seem appropriate.
Going back again tonight and hoping for a more positive experience.