Ponce Bistro

What an amazing place. Food was delicious. Service was humble but very accommodating. Fantastic ambiance with a warm and cheerful fire.
For the food, the portions are quite generous … two of us were completely satisfying sharing 3 appetizers and a salad. The Brie stuffed sausage was rich but pretty much awesome. They also had a special of dates stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped in bacon that was simply heavenly. The bacon blue cheese salad simply rocked.
Finally, this place is back to being BYOB … how can you beat that? Just remember to bring a bottle of wine!

Come to Manchester couple times a year and have tried most to all of the so called high rated restaurants. Not surprisingly, keep coming back to Ponce whether for their breakfast, lunch or dinner as they never fail to please. Ron and his staff are attentive to detail and ensure a great atmosphere coupled with great food. A must try!

Fantastic food with good service. The staff was sweet, but we had to ask for water and coffee refills, the empty cups weren’t enough to of an indication. Breakfast was tasty and their gluten free options were good.

Best place in Manchester. Food is amazing. Love the owner too! Hands on all the way! A must visit. You will not be disappointed

Went here for breakfast and we ordered the apple cider toast, hash and eggs and a chocolate crêpe. The food was great! They have different teas that they make themselves which all tasted amazing. The ambiance was great: sitting on the couch by a fireplace eating breakfast and drinking tea. The prices were very reasonable for the quality of the food and the experience. What else can you ask for?

A must if you are in the area. Please do yourself a favor and have the grilled romaine

Great place. Excellent food. We are in from PA and glad we found this. Thanks Unilocalers !

I came to Ponce with a group of friends who have raved about the restaurant. As it turned out the food, service and ambiance was a 5 Star experience!
The bean and rice appetizer was as good as any Latin dish I’ve had!
I highly recommend the boneless pork breaded with panco! It was moist and delicious!
The steak poivre deserves honorable mention.
The closer was the 4pc jazz band that was awesome.
I highly recommend Ponce to anyone in Manchester looking for a memorable meal!

Although the food was decent, the service, cleanliness and attitude at Ponce was abysmal. First, we were seated at a table with food underfoot. The particularly dopey waitstaff seemed to think it was ok to simply wipe food from the last guest onto the floor. Then, we ordered a coffee and a tea to start. That took about 20 minutes. Each time a server asked how we were, we inquired about the drinks. When someone finally brought them, we were scolded «I heard about every time you bothered my staff.»
This is an unreasonable way to treat customers.
To boot, the restaurant was rife with flies, we must have seen a dozen in the tiny dining room we were in, not to mention a number of cobwebs on the windows. Waitstaff refused to refill our water even after being asked. We also felt they were in a rush to get us out the door, not that many people were waiting or anything.
On my next trip to Vermont, I’ll skip this place, I recommend you do too.

What an enchanting place
Have dined inside and outside
Food is flavorful and delicious
Service is attentive and friendly
Definitely will return

Good food, good atmosphere. French bistro, seems like an odd density of French cooking in Manchester.
Raspberry Beets and Goat Cheese Salad: yummy
Cottage Pinweel: yummy
Thai Curried Sea Scallops: yummy, but the server swore up and down that it was not spicy hot (even though we knew better). Had to rinse them off for my date (more of a Pad Thai kind a gal)
Stroganoff: too many onions, otherwise would have been delicious.
Try Seasons down the street.

I wish this was a better experience… but it just wasn’t. The original plan was to go for breakfast/​lunch/​brunch at the place next door but we spotted Ponce and decided to give it a shot.
Seating was available and we were put in a different room (not the main area). It took a really long time to order anything — from basic drinks (coffee, iced tea, water) to even getting the opportunity to place the order. The girls that worked there were very nice, but they didn’t seem to be very organized.
The décor is cute and the back room has a large table — which had been used right before we arrived — and was eventually cleaned… then re-​filled with a group of loud-​ish twenty-​somethings that were using their outside voices. They were entertaining more than annoying.
So, the food…
I ordered the crab crêpe. It is advertised as lump crab with scallions and dill… no mention of any kind of mayo or the white (dill sauce, I guess) that it’s smothered in. I wasn’t expecting crab salad — very mushy crab that could have come from a can (and it did smell fishy which didn’t make me happy) pulverized inside a crêpe with a white sauce all over it. I was really hungry — so I ate one of them… but it wasn’t great. The slices of watermelon on the side were the highlight. The menu should say what it is… a version of crab salad. The crêpe’s consistency was so soft that teeth were completely unnecessary. Not my cup of tea.
My companion had the breakfast quesadilla — I had a piece of it and it was just OK.
Maybe since the brunch/​breakfast situation is new they need to work out the kinks? Perhaps they’re better for dinner… but based on this experience, I’m not rushing back.

Love it here. Very good food. Different then the common fair. Good wine lists and cocktails.

The sandwiches I’ve had here are consistently great, especially the smoked salmon, caper, and cream cheese. The bread is good, and you can request that they put the toppings on a salad if you prefer. The owner is very friendly, as is the staff.
The only item that I’ve had which I disliked were the lemon crepes; I found them tasteless and not at all lemon-​y. Other than that, every visit has been good.

If you’re ever in Manchester, VT and hungry for locally sourced and fresh food definitely come to Ponce bistro.
Met the owners, Ronaldo Antonio, a charismatic retired investment banker and New Yorican, and Amber; a biology major, Oregonian and, previously, a science teacher. Coolest, most passionate people we’ve met in a while. They love what they do and do it well. The veggie tartar was spectacular: super fresh and the chipotle sour cream base that held it together complimented the tomatoes, avocado, chickpeas and cilantro so well. The homemade pita chips made in house were so crispy and still warm. And Carlos’, my fiancé’s, simple, but delicious Spanish meatloaf sandwich, an American favorite, was bursting with flavor.
Plus, compliments of the chef/​owner, Ronaldo, we got a super authentic and also made-​from-​scratch (no nasty canned beans here) plate of rice and beans.
Tons of Latino flavors all throughout the meal with Latino salsa music and jazz playing in the background to boot.
The only thing I want to point out is that the rugs and floor need a little vacuuming, but I’m a neat freak.
Overall, elegant, but cozy atmosphere and the food was so delicious!

Ponce Bistro is absolutely wonderful! Our favorite little spot in Manchester. The atmosphere is welcoming and cozy, almost like you are sitting is someone’s living room. The menu is phenomenal, especially for a vegetarian like myself. The chef really knows how to pair certain foods and flavors together. We have never had a bad meal here and are always impressed. Ponce Bistro is also a great spot for a coffee or tea — they also offer a yummy (but small) selection of pastries and deserts!
Ponce Bistro is a must when visiting Manchester!!!

This place is fantastic, but FYI it’s no longer BYOB!
I took my girlfriend here for Valentine’s day dinner while we were skiing at Stratton for the weekend, and it was perfect. We were actually 40 minutes late for our reservation because it was snowing and the roads were awful, but the staff was extremely pleasant and accommodating and managed to still squeeze us in even though they were fully booked.
The atmosphere is cozy and quaint and great for a date, and the food was stellar. We ordered mussels as an appetizer, salmon pot pie, and Thai curry scallops, and none of them disappointed.
Aside from the fact that we had a really great experience here, the other reason I’m writing this review is to make it known that it is no longer BYOB. The Unilocal description and many of the reviews indicate that it is, but apparently they had to stop about a year ago because of VT laws. Not to fear though– they DO serve alcohol now! The wine and beer list is not extensive, but we didn’t have trouble finding something we liked.
If you’re in Stratton or Manchester, it’s definitely worth a visit!

We had:
–Fresh squeezed orange juice, so delicious.
–Champagne, goes down easy. Two bottles easy. But they’re small.
–Huevos Puerto Rico breakfast, damn so damn good.
–Rosemary and Brie topped scrambled eggs on croissant, yes, it was as amazing as it sounds.
And of course coffee.
Not a greasy breakfast place — you won’t reek of bacon grease and pancake batter all day long.
Very cute décor and nice, down to earth service.
Dinner menu also looks fabulous and we’ll definitely be back!

I am dreaming about that spanish meatloaf sandwich right now. Easily one of the top 3 sandwiches I have ever had in my life. Not only is the owner a great guy, but their outdoor seating area has really been spruced up recently and it was great to be able to sit outside on a nice warm afternoon and eat lunch.
That sandwich, the soft bread, the meatloaf, the manchego cheese, it all comes together to form sandwich perfection. BY the way, this thing is a mess, do not wear any white clothing to go eat it, but I promise you, it is insane and well worth it!!!
Also had a chocolate chip cookie, which was very good. My wife had the goat cheese, pepper, pesto sandwich, which she liked as well. But forget that, get the meatloaf sandwich!!! You’ll thank me later!
Still great, still the best lunch in Manchester…

My wife and I had lunch here. I had the Paprika Egg Salad on a «crossaint [sic].» It was okay, but the croissant was thick & dry and the accompanying cold penne pasta was flavorless. Both items needed seasoning, especially salt, but there was none on the table.
My wife had the Santa Fe Chicken Wrap, also with the flavorless penne pasta. Her wrap was fine, but also needed seasoning.
Location — 5 STARS
Food — 3 STARS
Ambience/​Décor — 5 STARS
Service — 2 STARS
This is a delightful place, and with a proper chef and quality help it would be a real winner.