Washington St. Bistro

Great restaurant with amazing food and a great atmosphere! This place is a BYO so bring your favorite drink. We had a group of 6 for a birthday. We all had the French Onion soup it was delicious! The grilled skirt steak had an amazing sauce on it. The meatloaf, grilled salmon and scallops were also great! The place is not that big so a reservation is a must!

*BYOB*
My friends and I came here for dinner a few nights ago, and from the outside, WSB looks like a nice, cozy little spot for a nice dinner. It’s got a great location (the heart of Morristown), and even though the real estate isn’t huge, it’s got some really nice appeal to it.
Parking will be tough — good luck getting a spot on a weekend. Leave early to allow yourself time.
+Ambiance:
Quaint and cozy, dimly lit, and a bit tight, WSB has a nice, relaxed feel about itself. No need to rock more than a blazer/​sweater and chinos here, which adds to its vibe.
+Appetizer:
WSB Salad with a balsamic vinaigrette. Decent; a bit dry on the dressing. The greens were fresh, which was nice. Nothing stood out as anything unique here, though. I ALWAYS want something different in a salad!
+Meal:
Skirt Steak with spicy polenta «fries.» The skirt steak was very good — seasoned well, with a nice smokey finish. LOVELY. It was also cooked really well (medium-​rare), but was put next to an odd side in the three «polenta fries.» They were a bit spicy, and with no sauce to pair with it, kind of odd and dry. I would’ve much rather preferred classic fries, or maybe some mashed/​sweet potato as a side for the season with some texture. I’d have a bite of the steak, but then constantly be let down with no solid side to pair it with in these things. Really fell short here.
+Price:
Just over $ 60 for my wife and I with an appetizer and entrée each — not too bad. You get what you pay for, however. As with all ³⁄₅ places, they kind of are just there. I wouldn’t die to come back here, and would probably try another spot in Motown for dinner given its wealthy arsenal!

Thanks to Unilocal,this restaurant was a great find. In fact, I am reluctant to do a review because it’s small and I am afraid people will discover it as we have this weekend. :-)
The tiny bistro is in an area of Morristown, NJ which seems to have a variety of dining establishments. There is parking nearby, either on the street or in one of two parking areas — indoors and out — which is worth a mention because parking is a big of a challenge in this town.
We met up with friends from Philly who were familiar with Morristown. First, you should be aware that this place is BYOB. Not a problem because there is a liquor store with a decent wine selection a few doors down from the restaurant.
There were five of us and we all ordered different appetizers and entrees, so suffice it to say that everyone was quite pleased with their choices.
We would definitely return.

I would have given this restaurant 4 stars if it wasn’t for the completely terrible service I received. The décor was very nice and the food was very tastey, but the waitress was the most memorable part of the evening (not in a good way) for these main reasons:
1) The waitress read the specials board word for word and explained nothing.
2) The waitress spilled the wine all over my friend’s menu and slightly on my friend and never apologized.
3) The waitress informed me and my group that we had to order (appetizers and main course) before we were ready because there was another reservation at 7:30 and they would need our table. Unacceptable. Your task is to gently guide the pace of the meal so there are no problems, not force one party to order to accommodate another.
4) The waitress got my friend’s order wrong (who is gluten intolerant) and told my friend «next time you need to tell me you can’t have bread.» Unacceptable to blame a patron like that, especially when the patron wasn’t the one who made the mistake.
5) The waitress never checked how our food came out and if everything was cooked as ordered.
6) The waitress added her own gratuity (which she did not deserve or earn in any way) to the total even though we were only a party of 5. Unacceptable.
7) Her general attitude towards me and my friends was rude and insulting.
I ordered the french onion soup which was good, the bbq steak which was very good, and the spiced rum crème brûlée which was amazing. However, I will most likely never come back because of the poor and insulting service of my waitress.

We found this place on OpenTable after walking out of another restaurant hungry and disappointed at the horrible service. This one ended up being the best find of the entire week.
To start off, the food was absolutely amazing. I would highly recommend their French onion soup and smoked gouda grits, as well as their crème brûlée and apple and cranberry crumble. Second, the staff is so friendly and accommodating. As soon as we told them of our experience from earlier, they immediately prepared our appetizers. They even came out frequently to update us on when each of our courses would be ready. To top it off, the ambience is quiet and classy yet not stuffy. And there’s always some nice, mellow jazz playing. It’s definitely the perfect place for date night or a nice holiday dinner.
It is a tiny spot and a bit hard to find; I overheard that they lost their sign recently, so keep your eyes wide open when looking for it. And because it’s so small, I would strongly suggest that you make reservations ahead of time. Also, I should point out that this place is BYOB, in case that’s an important factor for anyone.
All-​in-​all, an amazing experience and I can’t wait to come back soon!

My girlfriend and I were here for dinner on a Sunday evening. Great service with terrific food recommendations from our server. Entrees are paired nicely with a great mix of flavors. The wilted kale and brussel sprout salad was phenomenal. I had skirt steak with bourbon BBQ glaze and polenta; spicy to counter the sweet BBQ. My partner had the cod pie which was quite flavorful. We ended with dessert… sipsap pudding. Highly recommend!

This place is a must-​go in Morristown. The service is excellent and the #1 thing to order is the Wilted Kale salad. It’s a lovely blend that includes bacon (can’t go wrong with that!), hazelnut vinegrette and yes, the real hazelnut!

I’ve lived in Morristown my whole life and never knew this place existed – it literally looks like a hole in the wall.
I went here with my boyfriend one Friday when they were short wait staffed. Our waitress still made sure our visit was enjoyable – plus the food was amazing!

Cute little restaurant that we almost passed if not for the sign. The day we went they were short staffed but our waitress still made sure we received excellent service as she ran around watching all the tables. The food was delicious and reasonably priced. The dinner menu isn’t to large but the food is good. Definitely would recommend trying this place to a friend

This place is fine, I guess.
I’ve been here a handful of times and the experience is basically a toss-​up. The food is fairly consistent — I’ve tried their French onion soup (fine but not memorable), their bistro salad (just a fancy way of saying mesclun mix with a couple radishes), and a few of their burgers. The burgers are good but not fabulous; it’s a good place to go for lunch, unless… you stumble in there on a day where the service is abysmally slow.
I’ve had experiences with one waitress a few times who was pretty good, attentive, took orders quickly and food arrived as soon as it was ready. I also had more than one experience with a waiter who was seemingly never in the dining room. After not seeing him for 10 minutes on my visit yesterday — and it’s a tiny place, so where could he possibly be? — I actually stood up to find him to get our check, and found him standing in the kitchen, busily texting. Even if I had unlimited time for lunch (I don’t; I have to get back to work, as I imagine that other people do too), this would be infuriating, but with a time constriction, it’s actually worth writing this review as a warning.
On the whole, I think the food is not bad, and if they could have more consistent service I’d probably be here more often.

Nice little space, in central Morristown. Met up with a friend visiting NJ on business. So, he, me, and my wife sat lazily in our corner table, and unhurriedly caught up over a 3.5 hour dinner. Paul, our waiter, did an excellent job of reading our intentions … as well as a nice job of leading us through the food portion of the evening. In fairness, this was on a Wednesday night — I’m not sure of how the tempo changes on weekends.
Decently broad menu. I went with the chipotle pork chop, medium rare [living on the edge], and the spicy grits. Tasty! And, the portions were also well balanced — not too fru-​fru. I started with a kale salad that was also a great combination of textures and flavors — I’m sorry that I can’t remember the other components. And, the three of us shared a shrimp appetizer with a great corn-​based dressing.
Both my friend and my wife went with fish — a sea bass [with a capital C] and the salmon. They both enjoyed their respective entrees. The sea bass was good sized, and Paul did a nice job of clarifying different aspects of the restaurant’s offerings.
We finished with desserts. Of the 8, or so, options — all but one are made in-​house. My lemon mousse cake was also tasty. My wife allowed me a small sampling of her crème brûlée.
Comfortable décor. Probably a dozen to fifteen tables. If crowded, it might be a bit cozy. Interesting art work on the walls — many [if not all] of the pieces are priced to sell.
Morristown has a number of good offerings, and this is among my favorite options.

This place is excellent, the food is amazing and the service was impeccable. The pork chop is so delicious and the kale salad is a must try, yum all the way

Food: the bacon-​wrapped meatloaf was delicious. Cheapest and probably best item on the menu! The pan-​roasted salmon itself was quite good, but the sauce and veggies it came with were not great. I didn’t like that the salmon was nearly drowning in the sauce. I didn’t taste the steak, but it looked good.
Service: needs serious improvement. We hadn’t even taken our coats off, and the hostess told us we would have to be finished by 8 (we arrived at 6:15). Plenty of restaurants manage back to back reservations and it is highly likely we would have been done by 8 without her telling us we would need to be out by then. When the waitress brought us the check, my boyfriend very kindly told her that we thought it was odd the hostess gave us a time limit on our dinner reservation. She seemed receptive and apologetic on behalf of the hostess, but then added, «we hope you’ll come back and order appetizers and dessert next time!» Lady, maybe we would have ordered appetizers and dessert had we not been given a time limit on our dinner!
We will not be going back.

We had a reservation last night for 6:15. When we sat down (after arriving ON TIME), the hostess told us that we had to be finished by 8. I understand that restaurants need to turn tables around to make money, and that there was another reservation after ours. But basically every restaurant in existence deals with this reality, and manages to handle it in a tactful manner.
So we ordered our food. The meatloaf wrapped in bacon was (obviously) delicious, the skirt steak looked amazing, and the salmon, although not in a sauce I personally liked, was not bad. The service was fine.
We declined dessert, and when the check came, I said to the waitress something along the lines of «look, I know this isn’t your fault, but when we sat down, the hostess told us that we had to be finished by 8. That seems a little inappropriate at a restaurant. We enjoyed our food, but it’s not great to feel rushed. Just thought you might want to pass this along.» And then she was like «Ok, thanks for telling me. Maybe next time you’ll get some appetizers and dessert.» She said it in such a nice tone that only one person in our party realized how passive aggressive it was.
Pro-​tip: if you want people to take their time and order appetizers and dessert at your restaurant, maybe don’t tell them that they have to vacate the premises after an hour and 45 minutes.
If it had just been the hostess’s comment, I would written it off as a bit awkward and given this place the 3 stars that it deserves. However, the fact that the waitress seemed to be on the same page with the hostess leads me to believe that whoever is running this show is giving the staff marching orders to hurry people in and out and not even bother being subtle about it. No bueno.

Had such great expectations for this establishment, especially with the level of positive reviews. Quite possible they had an off night? Not sure, yet I won’t give this a second shot. The establishment is cute, small, and absolutely inviting. Service was decent, yet our server rushed thru the specials and never returned during the course of dinner to ask how the meal was. Minor complaint I suppose.
I started with the grilled shrimp and corn relish appetizer. Was the grill not cleaned, or was it just the ridiculously heavy hand of black spices which coated each baby shrimp, leaving the charcoal residue on my hands, and that lingering flavor of backyard Budweiser grilling with your friends. Probably the uncleared grill. Corn relish was bland, and actually hidden beneath a bed of mixed field greens. Dish did not work.
Moving onto the main course (pan seared duck breast with persimmon chutney and glazed radishes). Simply average. Glazed radishes were awkward in flavor, and extremely sweet. Odd. Persimmon was nice, yet only about one tablespoon on plate, so not enough to work with the small medallion sliced pieces of duck. Duck was cooked to requested temperture, however lacked seasoning and did not stand out. Not what it was ‘quacked’ up to be. See what I did there?
Anyway, price point is fair and expected for a quaint bistro in Morristown, and the menu reflects some intriguing dishes. However I cannot get past a basic grilled shrimp dish being presented the way it was, and being down right boring.
Friendly staff and again, possibly they were off their game on Saturday night? Just more misses than hits.

On an excruciatingly cold night we ventured out for a much-​needed TGIF dinner. Washington Street Bistro offers several soup options so it was hard to choose. I went for French Onion and my husband opted for sweet potato. My broth was deeply flavored and the Gruyère was sharp and nutty. Pete loved his sweet potato soup but it was far too sweet for my taste (I’m sure there was no sweetener added).
Our entrees were halibut nestled on a generous bed of shiitake mushrooms and shaved leeks and a beautiful deeply flavored shiitake broth. The fish was perfectly medium with a firm seat on both sides. Pete’s duck breast looked great (I didn’t taste). It was accompanied by a glazed radish the size of a small apple. We both forgot what the menu said it was. The firm texture and peppery flavor had me flummoxed, so I had to ask our lovely waiter Paul. Of course!

Meh… is what I can say about the food! Ambience is really pretty though. I had the quail and flavor was okay. Fiancé had the skirt steak with BBQ marinade and it really wasn’t what I expected as far as flavor wise. The polenta was fried and pretty bland. The artichoke was pretty tasteless. The muscles were really good. Pumpkin soup was outstanding! Meatloaf was okay but it had a weird gamey taste to it. All in all its a hit or miss…
We all have different pallets and maybe you should try it for yourself at least once. You may have a better experience.

A group of us came here for a graduation dinner. I heard great things about the food here and thought it would be a great place to try. We experienced excellent service and the food was very good. A few of us had the specials of the night and some of us got the skirt steak. Everyone enjoyed their meal very much and the sauces complimented each meal very nicely.
One thing that turned me off was the fact that about 30 minutes before our reservation we received a call from the restaurant advising that we only had a set amount of time to eat since they had another group after us and needed our specific table. I thought that this was very unprofessional and have never heard of a place like this limiting you before you even arrived (unless it is a holiday of course). We ordered food for each course from appetizer to dessert. When the dessert was served they told us they needed the table and asked us to wrap up. I thought it was very unprofessional.

Went for a quick lunch, and the service was great. Washington Street Bistro is quaint in size and can easily be overlooked unless you look for their sign hanging outside of the establishment.
For our appetizer, we shared the Wilted Kale and Brussel Sprouts, it had applewood bacon and you know everything with bacon always tastes better. We ordered the Shaved Prime Rib And Bree Sandwich with deep fried potato wedges and Steamed Mussels with a ginger/​coconut broth. Both entrees were good but the Shave Prime Rib Sandwich was definitely the star of the show. For dessert we ordered the seasonal Crème brûlée for which was lavender. It was lackluster but the lavender flavor was unique and was not too overpowering.
I had doubts that the service would be slow considering the past reviews for lunch but it was quite the opposite. Our waitress was attentive and helpful with the recommendations. Our meals came out at the appropriate time and were on point.
I would definitely come back for the relaxed yet classy atmosphere. The artworks on display throughout the restaurant is also available for purchase means they support the local artist community.
Lastly a tip: The establishment is BYOB, so feel free to bring something to accompany your meal. For parking, metered street parking is available but if you can’t find any the Dalton Public Parking Garage is around the corner from the establishment and comes out to $ 1.25 more than street for 1.5 hours.

This small but elegant restaurant offers skillfully cooked interpretations of early American food in a quiet, nicely appointed room. A great choice for date night and BYO wine. But the pace was really slow, I think Washington himself would have dishonorably discharged a chef that made him wait this long for food!
We visited the Washington Street Bistro on a quiet Monday evening. Brick walls are decorated with local artist work, all for sale. The tables are draped in white cloths, the floors are covered by oriential-​style carpets and there are regular ceiling tiles so it was very calm and quiet.
We started with a very small basket of an interesting, slightly sweet bread, maybe a batter bread? Plus butter. Oddly no bread plates, it just felt wrong to make a mess on the nice table but we got over that :) No alcohol here but they will sell you a Wild Bill soda, if that’s your kind of thing.
Pick your favorite protein! The menu offered beef, pork, bison, chicken, duck, cod, salmon, oysters and mussels. Alas, no lamb the night we visited. Plus one veggie option, a gluten-​free pasta. Apparently the early Americans were big on bacon, and bacon appears in many of the selections, including desserts. A few unusual words on the menu required some explanation from our server, who was happy to clarify. The «collops of salmon» are chunks, basically.
When it finally was brought out, beet salad was a very nice selection of orange and red beets served with bleu cheese on arugula, in a balsamic dressing, light and delicious. After another long wait the aforementioned collops arrived as a pot pie with a hugely puffy crust, stuffed with veg and fish, perfectly baked and very yummy. A filet mignon special was a nicely grilled piece of bouef on a bed of perfectly sliced and arranged garlic potatoes plus some spinach and bearnaise sauce, outstanding. A side of haricots vert plus mushrooms was excellent, a bit peppery, beans just right and not at all mushy.
Dessert menu brought another word puzzle: Snippet pudding. If you guessed bread pudding, you get the General Washington award :) this is the dessert with bacon in it. But we had no room so had to pass on the snippets and the orange cake too.
So yeah, very slow service from the kitchen was a big turn-​off. If I’m out with 6 friends and a few bottles of wine then I’m fine with sitting a while without food, but on a weeknight, a nearly empty dining room, an obviously long-​married couple dining, uh. bring us dinner before the wife kills something, ok?
Prices were very much in line for the classy setting, attentive service and interesting food, about 10 for an appy or salad plus another 15 – 25 for an entrée.