Bistro 197

The service was horrible. We waited for 25 min, but none of waiters paid attention to us. Be careful if you would like to visit this restaurant.

I went to the Bistro a week ago (or even longer). I’ve been meaning to leave a review ever since, that’s how memorable it was. I wanted to leave one while I was in the restaurant as a matter of fact, but didn’t want to ruin the moment! First, their drinks are AMAZING. My boyfriend got the Mai Tai, two, because they were so good, and I had their Autumn Nightmare and Gluttony. It tasted like the perfect combination of fall! Plus, their ingredients are fresh, and the bar tender (guy with long hair) knew what he was talking about! The way they had their fresh ingredients lined up was not only impressive, but also aesthetically pleasing. Then their food. Oh. My God. The Blueberry Wellington was quite literally the best thing I’ve ever tasted in my entire life. Then, the waitress actually knew how to describe the differences between their oysters, and she had even tasted them herself. I was surprised at how dead they were for a rainy, Tuesday night. but we still had great service and it felt more intimate, so I’d like to see what it’s like with a busier crowd! Hoping the atmosphere is just as great as the drink, food, and workers! I’m from Oswego and proud to brag about the Bistro (maybe not its purple ceilings. haha), & I now live in Syracuse and will be definitely making multiple trips back as long as the experience is as positive as this! Thanks, Bistro :)

One of the best places to eat in oswego– their menu is creative compared to most others in the area and their craft beer selection is great. Great place to grab a late dinner with live music on weekends.
My only criticism is the service was really poor during my most recent visit. We sat with friends who had already been served and they warned us that it had taken an hour to get food. Knowing this, we flagged down the waitress who wouldn’t have noticed us otherwise. We ordered food and she forgot to ask about drinks… Didn’t see her again for 15 minutes so we ordered them at the bar. Food came out sooner than 30 minutes (and was delicious!) but when we asked for a fork she grabbed it off of a table that has previously been seated– then we never saw her again until we found her to ask for the check. Hopefully it was a new waitress or just a fluke? Either way, I’d definitely encourage friends/​visitors to dine here.

Amazing place to be located in Oswego. The drinks are a little pricey but well worth it!!!

From start to finish this dinner was a disaster. Seven of us came to celebrate college graduation. Although we were seated promptly and given water, that was it for another 25 minutes! Our waitress finally made an appearance to get drink orders and left for another 20 minutes or so. My daughter had to flag a nearby busser to finally get the drinks, minus a beer on tap, that seemed too difficult to pour even though we were two feet from the bar. About that time some bread arrived, but not with the tapenade or dipping oil you read about here. Not exactly sure why, with a limited menu for graduation, things were such an ordeal. Another 10 minutes till the appetizers were ordered. The pathetic cheese platter and plate of calamari in a puddle of oil arrived with no serving utensils a bit later.
Finally dinner is ordered and later served. Our waitress taunted my husband because he appeared «angry». Hello! We just waited forever to get some service. She argued and defended because it was graduation. Seriously your waitstaff starts arguments with customers instead of perhaps apologizing for the wait? We had to ask multiple times for drinks. Meanwhile bussers seemed to be wandering aimlessly around. One busser took away our water and napkins and didn’t bother to replace them.
Although the music was good, it was seriously way too loud for one man and his guitar.
It was definitely one of the worst dining experiences I’ve had.
It really shouldn’t matter if it’s graduation weekend or not. If you can’t handle the heat, don’t take the reservations.

I’ve shamefully neglected to post a review sooner. Tonight was my third delicious dinner at Bistro this year. In the past, I’ve come in for their amazing and juicy burgers while tonight it was for a more extensive dinner. I’ll make up for lost time now.
We started with some delicious martinis at the bar. I had an Orchard, a delightful concoction of Grey Goose Poire vodka, ginger-​infused simple syrup and muddied pears. My mom had the Strawberry Fields Forever, a top shelf gin and tonic with fresh strawberries and a sprig of Rosemary. It tasted like spring. We then tried one of their deadly seven sins, Lust, a beautiful rosy decadent drink bursting with strawberries, cream and a hint of chocolate. Mind you, it’s still got a decent amount of alcohol, but Mark, the bistro’s mixologist extraordinaire, makes sure that this decadent treat does not go directly to your head.
For dinner we started with the Caesar Salad and the Spring Salad, a frisée with a citrus vinaigrette and grapefruit supremes. Both were copious and generous portions. The Caesar’s dressing was delicious with the right amount of anchovy. The Citrus vinaigrette was light and refreshing. We then shared the (2) beef tournedos dinner. It was an upscale version of an old (now closed) popular restaurant down by the Port Authority. What this entails is two beef tenderloins wrapped in bacon and topped with a mushroom duxelle cooked to your preference (medium rare), homemade mashed potatoes, and crisp flash sautéed/​blanched asparagus. What I love about a great restaurant is its ability to cook red meat to a proper medium rare; it was a beautiful pink throughout with a perfectly browned crust. We then ordered the homemade hand-​filled chocolate chip cannolis. They were to die for.
All-​in-​all a wonderful meal. We left before the live music of the evening, but had we not had other plans, we would’ve stayed.
Some things to know: they do a great job of noting which dishes are gluten free and which ones can be made as such. The owner has had several theme-​based evenings, including Casino Night and two Speakeasy Roaring Twenties bashes. People come in proper theme attire to enjoy food, drinks and activities that align with the themes. The restaurant itself is beautiful and spacious. It’s a great gem on the Main Street (W 1^st Street) of Oswego.

Great atmosphere! Perfect spot for a date night.

My favorite restaurant in oswego! There is nothing bad that I could say about this place. The food is great and the drink menu is unique and delicious! A lovely atmosphere and crowd.

Had lunch there today. It was a sunny day and chose the restaurant because they had outdoor seating. The menu was small (it is a bistro), but had good diversity of choices. I had the California BLT, my co-​worker had the chicken Milanese, and my other co-​worker had the burger. Both were happy witht he selection. For the three of us, the bill was under $ 50, which was fine. For a city as small as Oswego, it’s a neat place to eat.

Wonderful place to meet friends for a drink and an appetizer. The mojito was great and the calamari a must order. I would recommend this place and would go back again.

My husband and I have been to Bistro 197 twice now. Once for his birthday and once for mine. Both times the food and service were outstanding.
The chef is extremely talented. I am pretty sure they could make a sock taste delicious. The mussels are fantastic! Their menu is seasonal so it had changed since the first time we went and everything was still awesome. I don’t usually eat meat but their chicken was impressive! It was served with grilled vegetables, mashed potatoes and this amazing mushroom gravy. So good. My husband had fish and he enjoyed it as well.
We plan on coming back for lunch sometime soon.

killer food and the bar/​lounge has an awesome upscale feel for a small college city fueled with college bars.

This place rescued me from the culinary wasteland of Oswego.
The crab cake burger, sweet potato fries and delicious glass of Cab made my trip to this neck of the woods almost worth it!
Wished I hadn’t saved it till my last day there so I could have repeated my visit and experience more of this great chefs creations.
Service and the patrons where really really nice.
OH AND THE DESSERT! Chocolate Mousse, ganache, Oreo crust crazy crack deliciousness! AMEN.

The best dining experience you will find in Oswego. In fact, I had to keep looking out the windows to make sure I was actually in Oswego, and not a major city like NYC or Boston.
My wife and I had dinner here with our friends from the Boston area, and we were blown away by how delicious and unique our meals were. The hot tomato oil, part of the charcuterie plate, was fantastic. Two of our party were very happy with the Bistro Burger, feauturing applewood smoked bacon, truffle oil and sweet cabernet syrup. I had the Berkshire pork chop, with pancetta, gorgonzola and spinach stuffing, which came with garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus. The portions were enormous. I was intrigued by the fact that every bite seemed to be a little bit different… as if subtle flavors were hidden throughout the dish, waiting to be explored.
The owner waited on our table, and was kind enough to answer our many questions and explain why he wouldn’t allow modifications to his burger. In the end, he was right. You don’t mess with perfection.
Kudos to Bistro 197 for bringing high-​level fare to Oswego. May they see many a successful year!

Back in Oswego for a weekend, my parents and I decided to head out to Bistro 197. It was a mostly positive experience, with a few minor exceptions.
First, the appearance of the place was great, the exposed brick wall is really nice and the atmosphere is very classy casual. The whole Canal Commons area is very nice now and this is a great addition. The servers and greeters were great-​but-​not-​overbearing all night, maybe a little slow, but that would probably be nitpicking. The menu is pretty narrow, focusing really on what amounts to classical New American fine dining food. The wine menu is pretty limited, there is nothing that is more than $ 8 or $ 9 a glass, and nothing exotic, but I thought the prices for wine (and everything else were very reasonable).
The bread (a key concern for me in any review) is a nice baguette with a pretty flavorful olive oil/​red pepper/​parmesan mix that is all-​in-​all really tasty.
For our appetizer course, we ordered mussels, fried oysters, and a wedge salad. The mussels plate is more than enough for two, three, or even four people to split. They were pretty tasty, they had a few different preparations available, I’m sure that all were equally good. The fried oysters were tasty with a good remoulade with a little bit of kick to it. The wedge salad didn’t have nearly enough dressing (I want my iceberg wedge drenched). The dressing didn’t have a bold enough flavor either, especially considering the tastelessness of iceberg lettuce, though it wasn’t bad either.
Entrees were once again good but just off from being great. We had a pork dish that was incredible, five stars for sure, a really tasty sauce on top of some fresh mashed potatoes, not one iota of complaint from me. The cod was not as good. The fish was cooked off, I think a little bit overcooked, wasn’t quite flaky the normal way cod was (though it may have just been an older piece of cod). The taste of the dish was good and the roasted potatoes and chorizo underneath were a nice touch. The special that night involved jerk chicken, which had a very nice flavor, but the sides were a bit of a let down, mostly because I don’t understand why a restaurant that bills itself as «farm-​to-​table» would serve corn on the cob in early June in upstate New York. Unless local means «possibly farmed in the same country,» corn ain’t a farm-​to-​table food product in June. The desert menu sounded tasty, but we were all full.
All in all, a really solid experience, I’d love to come back the next time I’m home. A great addition to the city, I hope it stays around for a long while.

We’ve been meaning to go there for months! Last night we stopped by rather late an hour before closing. I have dietary restrictions, and they worked with us. My choice was amazing! I have only had one other meal in my LIFE that compares, and we travel fairly widely and internationally!
The pricing was fair given WHAT you GOT! I savored EVERY BITE, and trust me, there was enough of it to savor. I probably should have taken some home, but I couldn’t Stop!!! I paired it with two different white wines, and my husband had two unique bottled beers, his favorite the wheat from Belgium — Hoggarden. The crème brule (spelling?) dessert was a nice finish. I would recommend Bistro 197 to anyone who appreciate truly fine dining (with table cloths and linen napkins to boot). The wait staff was extremely efficient and helpful also.

Excellent food and décor. Loved the seasonal, locally sourced veggies. This Restuarant compares with the best of fine dining in cosmopolitan areas.

Went to this restaurant for our first time on a Wednesday night. The atmosphere was nice. Small restaurant but we didn’t feel crammed. Our table was right next to the kitchen however which is not the spot I would choose again. The dark lighting in the dining room didn’t mix well with the bright lights glaring from the kitchen. First impression was that the drink menu was NOT GREAT. Every restaurant should offer a glass of Cabernet by the glass, this menu offered a Cab-​Merlot which I’m sure is great but for all those out there who just want a glass of Cabernet they did not have one. The beer menu was so-​so as well. If you want to introduce craft beers on your menu then pick some decent ones!
The bread came out with a black olive dip as well as a pesto spread. Both were delicious and a nice change of pace from your usual butter or olive oil. We ordered two appetizers, the soup trio and proscuitto-​wrapped shrimp skewers. We were shocked to see that only two pieces of shrimp came on the plate. For the price we paid, we expected a little more. The soup trio on the other hand was perfect. The serving sizes were great and they all tasted delicious! We split the spinach salad which was excellent. We wished we had skipped the skewers and stuck to the soup and two salads.
Next came entrees, we got the rib eye special and the salmon. Both were unbelievable. The salmon was perfectly cooked and so fresh. Every dish we were given besides the spinach salad were loaded with butter however. Next time, I would ask for light or no butter.
For dessert we split some sort of layered cookie cake, AWESOME! This is definitely the highest quality food I have ever had in Oswego. I will definitely be back.

Went here for a quick lunch with family while visiting my sister.
The waiter we had seemed like he was terrified of us, but he was mostly attentive and didn’t drop anything, so he got a good tip. I’m glad that the restaurant has people enter through the side door, although they would do well to lock the door they don’t want people to use which opens to the street– some people left through that door and the restaurant was cold for a good five minutes afterwards.
The menu had more than a few things I would want to eat, nice. To start, I got the crab soup (which was a bit salty), and my sister got the French Onion Soup (which isn’t entirely homemade, you could taste the canned nature of some of the broth).
For entrees, my sister got a pear salad, which looked fresh. I got their special French Bread Pizza (since my sister raved about how tasty their bread is) and it was basically inedible. The toppings were good, and the bread was good, but the sauce on the pizza tasted like pasta sauce– it was way too sweet. I’m going to chalk it up to a near miss, though.
Overall, I would probably go back, and I think this restaurant will do well in Oswego, as there isn’t anything similar in town (that I know of).

On my first night back in Oswego for Thanksgiving break, my family decided to check out 197 for dinner. Since the restaurant scene in town is relatively small (don’t get me wrong, there are some very good places to eat — I’ve just been to all of them already), it was exciting to visit someplace new.
We were absolutely blown away by our food. To start, we had the crostini with pear, Gorgonzola, and walnut — an interesting combination, and pretty good, but not my favorite part of the meal. For my entrée, I had the risotto with butternut squash and caramelized onions, which was quite tasty and filling. My brother ordered the tournedos, which was determined by the carnivores at the table to be some of the best tenderloin they’ve had. The salmon and scallops were also very good. But dessert was definitely the best part, at least for me. I’d mentioned halfway through my entrée that I hoped they served crème brulée (I had randomly started craving it), so when I heard they had it I obviously had to get some. Best. Decision. Ever. It was absolutely mind-​blowingly delicious. Everyone else at the table agreed that it was the best dessert out of the four we tried.
Aside from the food… The atmosphere and service were also great. The interior was pretty modern and sophisticated, very well-​designed, and our server was quite kind and attentive.
Overall, I would absolutely recommend 197. It’s different from anything else in Oswego, and although it’s also more pricey than other restaurants downtown, it’s well worth it. You get what you pay for.