Tower Bridge Bistro

Our family had a SUPERB brunch at Tower Bridge Bistro last weekend in celebration of my mom’s 70^th birthday. Thank you so much for accommodating! We had a ‘mixed diet’ group of 12 of us (4 of us vegan/​vegetarian), and Chef Clay and team went above and beyond, creating a special menu just for us. We enjoyed vegan waffles with berries and maple syrup, granola with fresh fruit, roasted cauliflower and carrots, vegan muffuleta (veggie and focacia) sandwiches, spring mix garden salad, house made oven fries with balsamic drizzle, plus cheddar omelets, Greek yogurt, and breakfast meats for the non-​veg among our group. We had family up from Glendale and San Diego, who happen to be world travelers and who have enjoyed several cruises. They commented that this brunch fare was ‘the best they’d ever tasted!’ and were highly impressed by the menu and variety. Service was outstanding: waitstaff was literally ready and waiting for us, and brought the various dishes out promptly and very cordially. We were pleasantly stuffed!!! It is so nice to have Tower Bridge Bistro as our ‘go-​to’ for family celebrations. We greatly appreciate their accommodation of our vegan diet and the food is always fantastic! We have celebrated 4 anniversaries, plus my daughter’s 16^th Birthday and her high school graduation with Chef Clay and team. Each meal has been delicious, innovative, and beautifully presented.
Thanks again!
Bethany Davis and family

The food was OUTSTANDING, We had 2 ribeyes, 1 center cut porkchop, Salmon, and 2 kids cheeseburger skidders. All food was on point, all cooked to order. The wait staff was over the top, suggestions, friendly, and there with anything we need. We stayed in the hotel, decided not to go downtown or across the street to old town, just feared that everywhere would be packed on a Saturday high. This restaurant had a few guests and was worth the money…

I came in to the Tower Bistro expecting a mixed bag but chose it anyway for convenience from staying at the hotel. I came around 6:00 and the restaurant was about 30% full. I ordered the Arugula Salad which was small but good and had the Lamb for my main entrée with creamy polenta. The lamb was tender, flavorful and cooked to perfection. The entire dish just worked. The service was exemplary and my water glass was never empty. My waiter did an awesome job and the only reason I’m not giving it 5 stars is because the décor is somewhat outdated and it is very noisy from the tile floors. Other than that — order the lamb medium rare. It did not disappoint and I’d definitely come back again.

After much searching in the Sacramento area, we decided to have our wedding rehearsal dinner here. We are so glad we did! The food was excellent and the service was wonderful. It was very easy to set up this dinner of 30+ people in their banquet hall. They did a fantastic job and even catered to our guests who were vegan and needed gluten-​free food. All of our guests had a wonderful time and kept talking about how good the food was (better than our wedding food lol). We had such a great experience for our wedding rehearsal — no complaints at all! We’ve gone back as newlyweds because the servers are always so nice, we love the food (especially the salmon), and the atmosphere is lovely. Can’t recommend this place more!

The service was terrible. The pictures of restaurant did not match with the actual experience. It looked more like a 70’s diner. I ordered short ribs with mashed potatoes. The potatoes were extremely salty and the short ribs were fatty. Not a good experience won’t be going back.

Located inside Embassy Suites.
I walked in and it wasn’t really clear to me as to where Tower Bridge Bistro is. I walked towards where people were eating and saw a small sign calling the place Marketplace Café. Kept walking off to the right and then there’s a Tower Bridge Bar, Manager’s Reception. Aha! we’re closer. Found a host, was seated.
The Tower Bridge Bistro’s menu for the Sac Vegan Chef Challenge brought me here. At first it seemed promising. I was delighted that there was warm bread and they were thoughtful in announcing hey, you’re eating off the vegan menu, here’s bread and the butter is vegan. and here’s some oil and vinegar. The staff was super nice. Someone had the funk though and had that I-​work-​hard body odor.
Super nice people though.
For the Sac Vegan Chef Challenge, they have a prix fixe menu. You choose an app, entrée, and dessert for $ 29. I can get with that. I started with the Brussel Sprout Salad. It was Brussel Sprouts, Pears, Walnuts with a Red Wine Vinaigrette. I don’t know if you ever made pot butter, canna butter, or whatever you wanna call it but I have and there is an unmistakable smell/​taste and whatever was in this salad reminded me of baking with marijuana. Yet no effects of it. I didn’t finish it. moved on to the next. the entrée. When I think «gratin» I relate this to cheesy potato au gratin. that’s just me though. What I got was a portobello cap on the bottom topped with chunky potatoes topped with kale and chard… Not bad. I liked it. I just thought it would be something else. Now while i’m eating my entrée, a table nearby was ahead and having their dessert and I heard them go on about how terrible it was. So you know I’m looking forward to my own dessert. They thought it was straight crap and told their server all about it. and I heard all of it.
This does not dissuade me from having dessert. You gotta see what’s up for yourself. I had the Mocha Crème Brûlée. Broke the sugary topping. Cool. Get in there. The texture and flavor wasn’t appealing. This, this is what they didn’t like. But, they had both desserts. complained about both. they were offered desserts not on the prix fixe and didn’t want any of it. They just analyzed the meal as not very good. and I gotta say. I’m sorry, I agree.
Tower Bridge Bistro Sac Vegan Chef Challenge 2015 was a bust for me. I didn’t like it but the Vegan Challenge is what brought me to this restaurant so I hope this doesn’t deter the chef. It’s still early in October. Please show support of the Vegan Challenge to show there is a demand for Vegan menu options.

I had been staying at the Embassy Suites and decided to check out their restaurant. As far as hotel restaurants go, this is among my favorites. I ordered the minestrone soup and the berry salad. The minestrone was good but the salad was amazing! I have been craving berry and spinach salads ever since!

Mothers Day Brunch. There was something for everyone to enjoy. Even me. Newly diagnosed with adult onset, Type 1 diabetes totally sucks for this foodie.
I’ve had to count every carb and weigh the option to eat what I want and insulin up or deny myself the joys of eating all the rich things that certain food has to offer.
All of that to say there was something for eveyone. I asked if there were any fresh berries available and One of the sous-​chefs brought me berries that he cleaned and cut up for me. How sweet is that?
Dessert bar was do die for. I was in sugar shock just looking at it.
They had omelets, Benedict’s, roast beast, sides, salmon, shrimp, oysters, mussels, crab, potatoes, veggies, fruit and more.
Did I mention I was even able to eat? It is all about me! I rule my world of wants.
Was it off the chart? No but it was very good for our needs and perfect for three very busy grandchildren ages 5, 2 and 3 months. We didn’t have to fear bothering anyone in this family friendly environment. Way to go embassy suites Sacramento

My colleagues and I, of about 10 people, entered here on a Saturday afternoon. There was no one here in restaurant so it seemed intimate. The staff was essentially waiting for people to come but the expectations seemed like no one would come. This place is pretty dead. The staff were nice and accommodating. The food came out at a reasonable time but some of the food were almost ice cold such as the french fries. The staff provided my party with new fries but they weren’t that good. I tried the turkey pot pie and it was not good. It was sour for some reason and warm to touch. The portions was small and the quality in taste of food was bad. My party didn’t like the food either and were very disappointed. I won’t recommend this place.
Pros: Staff
Cons: Food
Stars: 1.75

I wanted to give this place more stars but her was the problem. The restaurant was a little noisy but that is because it was located in a hotel. I am not dinging them for that. The menu looked really awesome and they had a great wine list as well. The problem is our food once delivered was STONE COLD. Sat on the pass way too long, and I could see that it was cooked right, but it just died at the window. They did how ever make it right and it tasted very good. The pork belly appetizer was good but could have used a little more seasoning. The french onion soup was definitely a star and my wife’s scallops with the sweet caviar and prawns was damned tasty. The assistant server was fun, but a little too much involved in our evening for my overall liking. I do give them kudos for realizing they had a rotten cork on a very expensive bottle of wine and in turn got me a fresh bottle, which was amazing. All in all, I would return just so I can see if they can redeem the flaws because the food was good once they got it right.

Slow slow slow. Waited 45 minutes for our appetizer to come and another 20 for entrée. Uggg what the heck was taking so long? We were so hungry and rarely saw the waiter. Check on us every once I awhile. Food was decent but not spectacular. I’m waiting for our dessert for 15 minutes now. If you have a few hours to spare I recommend this establishment.

Smack dap in the middle of the hotel lobby is a café called Marketplace. The menu is simpler and cheaper than the Tower Bistro restaurant. The food is tasty and range from sandwiches, hamburgers, salads, and oven fired pizzas. It’s open everyday from 10 am-​10 pm. You place your order and pay at the counter. The food is brought to you.
My favorite is the prime rib sandwich. The meat is tender and tastes sooo good. The au jus was flavorful and contained sliced mushrooms… yum. It was not at all greasy. Each sandwich comes with a side choice of salad (choices include fruit, potato). Other positives, 1) There are several TVs, so you can watch several games while you eat, 2) You can eat inside or outside. There is a separate patio area from the Tower Bistro restaurant. The views are quite nice of the river and the Tower Bridge. 3) The staff are all very nice. I have been coming here for over 7 years and haven’t had a problem with the service.

Great food, great service!
This restaurant is located on the first floor of the Embassy Suites just over the bridge from Western Sacramento. It’s a little hard to find in the back right corner of the first floor when entering the Embassy. There is free valet with dinner reservations here, so don’t mind the rates posted as you enter the front. Valet is the only means of parking at this location.
I started by ordering the calamari with coconut aioli. The batter was light and crispy with perfect seasoning. Under the calamari was, what I believe, a cilantro/​mint/​ginger salad with red bell pepper. Again, excellent.
For my entrée I ordered the roasted duck with vegetables and mashed potatoes. The duck was fall-​off the bone moist and juicy. The mashed potatoes were a butter garlic mash which was perfect with the chicken.
The server and his assistant were on top of everything. Water was always filled and the check-​ins were not over barring.
I used the Open Table app to hold my reservation and received 1000 extra points due to a promo they had going. Icing on the cake.
Hopefully one day I’ll get to take my Wife here when in the area for pleasure, not work.

I enjoyed our stay at the Embassy Suites for a convention, but was a little disappointed with their only food option inside the hotel. There are places to eat not far away in Old Sac (walking distance) and I’d definitely pick one of them over the hotel’s food.
I had an over-​priced wedge salad for lunch with a group of friends one afternoon (they actually bought my lunch, so that was super nice, since I didn’t think the food was a good value). Another woman had the same salad with a steak add-​on and the meat looked really good, but I was still surprised at the price of the small salad, with or without meat.
The coolest thing about the restaurant area of the hotel is their outdoor seating. They have live music and it’s a pretty view of the river and Tower Bridge. A full-​bar is also in the restaurant area, but the hotel has a daily complimentary reception hour with free drinks, so we didn’t have any reason to hit up the bar.
Breakfast at the Bistro was also just so-​so. My omelet was a little over-​cooked, and the potatoes were terrible. (Again, breakfast was free, so it’s hard to complain)… plus, they had yogurt, cereal, juice, and other options that are hard to mess up.
A place as nice as this Embassy Suites should really step up the value and quality of the food associated with their hotel.

The hotel’s complimentary breakfast includes scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, cereal, pastries and yogurt. There is also a cooked-​to-​order omelet station. That’s the nicest thing about the hotel breakfast. My omelet eggs were a little too brown on the bottom, but had a good selection of meats to fill the omelet with.
The bacon was just okay. Bacon should never be «just okay». We’d had bacon bits on our baked potatoes the night before (also in the hotel, at a reception on their Terrace), and they were thick, crunchy, tastes kibbles! Definitely not the same bacon. These thin slices were extra fatty and not very crunchy — just too greasy. I didn’t like the sausage either but ended up eating more of it than the bacon.
My wife had zucchini bread one morning which she really enjoyed. It was part of the pitiful banquet breakfast.
There is an evening happy hour in the Bistro’s dining area. We had one hour to enjoy drinks and snacks on the house (and it was on a weekend!) Can’t beat that! That’s more of a hotel perk than the bistro though — seats were very limited! Wonderfully friendly bartenders! They made the whole evening better with their personalities and smiles. *(And their free drinks helped too. Try the sangria!)

The bartender was very very very slow and got slower. Interestingly, other staff kept coming up and asking if he needed a break and he kept saying now. It was like watching a wind up toy as the spring lost tension, getting slower and slower. Drinks were okay, but the bartender didn’t give anyone a chance to first taste the wines by the glass. I specifically asked for a taste but he poured a full glass. It was good, so I didn’t mind but another guest had asked for a taste, was given a full glass, and didn’t like it. When her friend offered to pay for it since it was her recommendation, the bartender replaced it was something else and it somehow ended up on my tab.
I would have ordered another glass of wine and some food, but got tired of waiting for a chance to order. So, I picked up my check and any that point the bartender recognized the error, said he’d fix it, but that meant waiting a while longer for him to get to it.

Great sandwiches, coffee bar and if you get the right bartender, a great pour. Plenty of folks take advantage of the brunch included in their hotel stay. Gotta love the happy hour on weekdays for hotel guests.

I’ve been here a few times for work related lunches now and I am not impressed.
The set up is weird and the décor is cheesy. The service is consistently good — they get things out quickly, anticipate your needs and offer things before you realize you need them, and are great about fixing mistakes with the food. Really, bravo to the service.
The menu looks varied and impressive at first, and they do a decent job plating food to make it look attractive, but that is where the good things about the food end. The food is consistently bland or under seasoned, some items give off a serious «I’m from the freezer aisle» vibe, and they are extremely skimpy with meat.
My boss ordered a pot pie that literally had two teeny bits of beef that were less than a square inch of meat combined, and almost no other filling whatsoever, just bread and gravy. To their credit, they quickly provided a new pot pie that had filling.
I got a prime rib au jus sandwich that was 85% bread, 10% stringy, fatty, crappy meat with no flavor, and 5% weird, cold white cheese. The au jus was cold by the time I got it and the coleslaw side was mayo heavy. I didn’t even bother sending it back because I don’t really believe they had anything better to offer.
Another coworker got the chicken, which looked weird, was bland, and he only picked at it. If you order the french onion soup, they bring it to you in an actual hollowed onion. It looked kind of cool for a second, but in the end it is gimmicky silliness that didn’t make up for the fact that the soup was extremely over-​salted and had way too much congealed cheese on top.
Bottom line, the food is not good, despite how it looks, and certainly not worth the price. This MIGHT be considered acceptable quality food if it was ¼ the price and served as an after thought at a dive bar.
The service is good enough that I could be convinced to return for drinks and an appetizer sometime if someone really wanted to go or was staying at the hotel, but I don’t see myself coming back here.

Have no idea where to begin on this one! The food tastes frozen and then plated. I don’t know if that’s just preparation or lack of seasoning or what. I’ve come across many who absolutely love this restaurant and I’ve been here on 3 separate occasions to accompany friends and I don’t see the appeal at all or taste it.
Service has never been noteworthy. Drinks take forever to arrive and they aren’t anything special. The one saving grace of this place is the outside patio area. totally unique to this restaurant but not worth paying for a below average meal to sit outside.

While enjoying my stay at the lovely Embassy Suites Riverfront Promenade, I was often a visitor of the Tower Bridge Bistro and such a nice place to be. The restaurant is large and has several areas of seating, even an outdoor patio with a view of golden Tower Bridge.
They offer their complimentary breakfast and happy hour here, but also sell lunch, dinner and drinks. Everything I had here was pretty good and really enjoyed coming back, even by myself.
Most staffers were really friendly to me, as I often sat alone at the bar watching TV enjoying a little cocktail. My favorite bartender was Bob, who as a fellow San Franciscan, was easy to talk to, friendly and so knowledgeable. The other bartenders were really nice people and we had friendly conversations.
I had a Manhattan here, Basil Gimlet, and Italian rum drink (purchased by friendly group of auto body conventioneers) that was light rum soda, splash of coke and lime. A new favorite.
This hotel was pretty awesome, I would say because of the people who work here. It’s not easy welcoming new people every day AND making them feel at home. ;)