Bijou Café

My wife and I went here for dinner. The portions were perfect. I had the Ribeye and my wife had the taste of Sarasota special that was going on at the time. The food was fantastic. The restaurant was was pretty busy for a Tuesday night. It seemed like everyone was helping do to the rush. The crowd was older, but we seemed welcomed. We would definitely eat here again.

Beautiful environment. All of the staff was helpful about making selections. We visited for Savor Sarasota and the food was definitely a top contender. We started with a salad and the specialty soup. Both were delicious. The entrées were salmon and chicken– both flavorful. To finish off the meal we had a salted caramel gelato and cream brûlée –perfect portions and amount of sweetness.

Outstanding experience all around. We loved all the apps and food. Very fresh fish prepared well. they also have a wonderful wine list.

Food: I’ve been here a few times and generally the food is good enough to get four stars, but today I had a salad topped with crab meat which should have been awesome. However, they used too much mayo for me so I have to ding them. But I also got the three soup sampler to start. One was a raspberry soup which was unique and delicious. Their lobster bisque is as good as any I’ve ever had. The third was some type of beef barley which was also good, just didn’t stand out as much as the other two.
Service: polite and helpful. The people here are always nice. No complaints.
Atmosphere: kind of tough to describe. Kind of casual, but a little more upscale, however they don’t kill you on prices. Bright colors. Comfortable. I’ve only been for lunch. Would be interested is seeing dinner here.
Misc: I’m sure I’ll be back and would recommend you try it as well.

Upon entering the restaurant, we had the feeling of ‘this is a high end quality facility’. After finishing our meal we were not wrong. We evaluated this right on. The interior of the building was very high end. It gave you a good and comfortable feeling while dining. Our server was very professional and polite. All of the dishes we ordered was more than expected. The onion soup was delicious and not salty. We ordered Filet Mignon and it was cooked to perfection with a lovely demi-​glaze sauce.
Highly recommend and definitely give this place a try, you should not be disappointed.

Ok… I’ve walked by and seen GREAT reviews, time to give it a try. Well, it’s a cozy cute French place, staff were friendly. But once it got busy, I couldn’t get much attention.
I have to say, the selection of food was limited, especially on seafood. We both had fish: 2 small pieces of grouper with asparagus and potato for $ 36! (market price, for that price I’d prefer Sake Sea Bass at Lucky Pelican!) And my small salmon with mash potato and spinach for $ 29. Portion wasn’t the issue, but maybe more ‘thought’ to the food, such as grilled vegi on the side. The price was not ‘$ 36 good’, more a «$ 23 good’, if that helps.
I think it’s ‘average food over priced’.

From the New Zealand lamb to the crab cakes, to shrimp and crab bisque, everything at the Bijou is extremely delicious. Indulgent. and Delicious! Excellent service from professional servers is a breath of fresh air. They are knowledgeable about food and wine and truly care that you are enjoying your meal. Hard to name another restaurant as good in Sarasota.

I love the Bijou. I come to Sarasota once a week for a FST class. I love the great food. The outside patio. The drinks. The service. I am comfortable here. They have Happy hour and it is the best. Soups. Malbec is great. So are the cosmos.

We were at The Bijou Café for a pre-​wedding event. The food was scrumptious, but what made this evening stand out for me was the service.
ALL of the staff were friendly and pleasant, as well as being thorough professionals.
Standing out even more was one of the staff, Mayela, who could be the absolute gold standard of what a waiter should be. Amidst the noise and revelry of a wedding party, she was calm, efficient, and proficient. She remembered people’s drink preferences, and was at your side just as you were thinking about a refill.
If I were at my computer rather than my phone, I’d go on about the meal (excellent), but I’ll just close by saying that this restaurant will not disappoint. It is superb.

We went to the Bijou Café last evening and were very happy with our dinners. Service by Kathy was fantastic. She truly cared about us having a good experience there and she was there for us throughout our dinner. As an example, I was quite full but she offered a single scoop of gelato vs. the two on the menu. I ordered the filet mignon and it was cooked perfectly. My husband got the duck a l’orange and loved it. We ordered a side of the potatoes dauphine and they were scrumptious.

I can’t afford to eat here for dinner so we usually go for happy hour. The quaintness and European feel of this place is fabulous. I love sitting outside on the patio during warm evenings after work with a table full of friends.
The service has always been spot on and the food is fresh and interesting. They have a special happy hour menu, everything is around $ 6-​$ 8…my friends and I typically get one of everything and share.

We have been patrons of the Bijou Café for the past fifteen years and have never been disappointed! Every item on the menu is excellent. One of our favorites is the roast duckling served with cherry and/​or orange sauce. The ambiance and service couldn’t be better. Reservations are suggested, especially «in season». If you’re looking for a special dining experience, than look no further.

My husband and I chose to have our reception at Bijou Café and it could not have gone better! Karen was the most amazing planner/​helper ever and made sure everything went as smoothly as possible. From our first email exchange I knew that this was the best choice for us. The food was impeccable and made all of our (rather picky) guests very happy.

Appreciate that Bijou is independently owned and they use high quality ingredients in their preparations. The atmosphere is inherently lovely, although it would benefit from a bit of updating. Service was fantastic but we were one of two tables seated on a slow off season evening. Given that the restaurant was empty I was surprised that my meal was not hot. I would recommend it to out of town diners, but I won’t be rushing back myself.

This is my first review, so I am unclear as to why I chose four stars and not five. The food here was incredible. I came with my daughter and my mother at around 7:30 on a Wednesday evening. We weren’t starving, so we told the server we wanted to split a few things and she was very cheerful about it.
The wine selection was outstanding and we found two great ones to enjoy. The crab/​lobster bisque was good enough to lick out of the bowl. Yes. More. Please.
We split the Mediterranean chicken which was naturally prepared – nothing overwrought – great flavor.
For dessert we had the crime brûlée and my daughter had gelato. The meal ended with a fabulous cappuccino and chocolate ganache candy for my daughter.
Would definitely go back. It isn’t trendy in terms of décor, but you will not be disappointed. If you can, sit outside, the mosquitoes were too bad when we were there. :-(

We recently held a party at the Bjou Café for my mom’s birthday. It was just about as perfect as perfect could be, from the beautiful decoration of the room (we rented the Bird Room) to the menu, cake, wine, and flowers. The manager, Karen, was very helpful throughout the process. It was nice to have someone to consult about my choices, especially as I was arranging the party from afar. Karen has great ideas. The servers, Grayson and Jonathan, were professional and kind to us all. Thank you so much!!! My mom was thrilled.

I had wanted to visit Bijou Café for a long time. I decided that Easter Sunday would be a perfect occasion to do so.
First of all, the interior of Bijou is muted and very comfortable. It is not casual dining and the quality of the service and cuisine deserves better than flip flops, t-​shirts or shorts.
The service was incredible. I have always compared wait staff service against the standards of The Capital Grill. The staff at Bijou put them to shame. Never once did we have to ask for anything! Every table was full and yet our waitress was attentive, accommodating and friendly, along with the support staff.
I had the crab/​lobster bisque. It was creamy and delicious. Unfortunately, they ran out of the mussels so my husband chose the tuna tartare. He’s a big eater and although it was very good there wasn’t as much as he would have liked. Maybe that’s why they ran out of the mussels so quickly.
One of the reasons I wanted to go to Bijou Café was to try the duck and it was wonderful. Crispy skin, moist meat and delicious stuffing. I couldn’t decide which sauce to choose so Kathy, our waitress brought both.
My husband chose the flounder which was on the special menu. It was perfectly cooked and delicious. Of course, he wished there was more of it.
For dessert, we chose to share the banana croissant bread pudding with sauce. Kathy split it equally before bringing it to the table. IT WAS AMAZING.
So, even though my husband could have eaten more of everything, he miraculously was totally full when we left the restaurant.
The Bijou Café is a lovely place with delicious food and wonderful service. It’s a great place to go for a special occasion or if you just want to taste quality food presented by caring and attentive servers.

I would give this 3 ½ stars if they had it. Five of us had lunch during the week. Service as expected was attentive and first rate. The lunch menu was a pleasant surprise, with broad interesting choices. Dinner menu tends to be more traditional. Two pulled duck sandwiches were ordered. All seemed to be pleased with their choices. Some of the appetizers seem enough for a lunch. Good selection of wine by the glass.
They have excellent wine tastings off season with a full compliment of tasty bites. Enough for dinner, or a preview for dinner at the bijou.

I can’t say enough positive so I’ll just say this… I’m retired from the restaurant business, a foodie, and particular about service. Bijou is right at the top of my list in every category. Go and enjoy.

Nice place for a quiet dinner, date night. Valet parking. Staff friendly, attentive, enthusiastic and knowledgeable. Shrimp and crab bisque get it. Entrees well prepared and vegetable selections were great match. Deserts are good not great. Very pleasant experience and certainly would recommend and will be back.

Consistently delicious food and a comfortable, pleasant upscale atmosphere. Their roast pork, chicken with vegetables, and sliced baked potatoes with cheese are very popular for good reason. Portions are big enough to share or for leftovers. This is one of my favorite Sarasota restaurants.

Had a great meal with some friends last evening. The Moroccan salad is excellent. Linse had a terrific grouper on special. My rack of lamb was tasty but overdone. I am sure they would have taken it back, but I didn’t complain and still enjoyed it.
The service was hands-​down the best service I have had anywhere in a long time. Our server was very attentive, on the ball, and helpful with recommendations that fit our personal tastes. He topped off wine and split up plates, paid attention to when we might be ready for something else and knew just when to approach the table. Even the valet attendant had our car ready before we even turned in the ticket. Excellent!

Café Bijou is my favorite restaurant in Sarasota. It is an upscale family restaurant, and it is always like coming home to eat here. I have been coming to Bijou for at least 15 years when visiting my folks. I live in a metropolitan area with fabulous restaurants, and Bijou stands up against them. I take umbrage at descriptions of the café as retirement home-​like. It is pretty and comfortable, but not stuffy. I love so many dishes — the chicken paillard, veal cutlet with arugula, rack of lamb, salmon, filet mignon, shrimp piri-​piri… all are wonderful. The side dishes are fantastic, especially the dauphinois potatoes. Wonderful desserts. Lovely service always. Consistently delicious food!

Abysmal. It wasn’t busy at all but it took 5 minutes for a hostess to appear. Our waiter was STONED. And I mean really really stoned. Bloodshot eyes. Incoherent mumbling. Could barely walk. One of the few things he said that I could understand was that today was supposed to be his day off but they called him in.
I ordered the mussels. They smelled terrible. Took a bite of one and it was clearly off. It took so long to arrive I didn’t bother to send them back. Didn’t want to wait an additional hour in this over-​priced dump for something else that would probably be almost as bad.

We enjoy our lunch dates here. My husband is addicted to the roasted veggie sandwich dish. I always love whatever is on the chef specials menu. The wine is devine and the service is perfection. We felt very welcome here and we try to enjoy a dinner or lunch here very often. Glad to have this café in our neighborhood.

Excellent food, simply prepared and accompanied by knowledgeable service are generally the characteristics of a great restaurant. Bijou delivered on all these variables. I agree with many other reviewers including Sara that Bijou is old fashioned and projects the atmosphere of a retirement home. Went with some older relatives so Bijou was perfect for the occasion.

We have been for a girls lunch, and then with our husbands for dinner. The lunch was perfect in every way. The salad with lamb was perfect. The ambiance at lunch was beautiful with light shining in from all angles and a beautiful fountain off to the side. In the evening, it was subdued and sexy. We had a table for 6, and had a wonderful evening. Our service was good and the food was very good. Those potatoes are to die for — seriously. We ordered one for the table, and it was large, but I could have eaten the entire platter by myself! This place will be on our go to list when we are in Sarasota.

I am absolutely obsessed with their shrimp and crab bisque. It’s thick and creamy with the perfect amount of sherry and cognac and a decent amount of crab. I thought Tommy Bahama had the best bisque till I tasted this one. I would give this place five stars on its bisque alone, but alas there’s much more on the menu that factors into it.
This is a senior’s dream restaurant. It’s quiet, old style fancy, bland food and staff is patient and pleasantly servile. It’s reminiscent of an old banquet hall at a country club or perhaps the dining room on the Titanic.
The food is beautifully presented and «safe»; it seems to cater to a crowd with an unadventurous palette for flavors by not being too exotic or strong in taste. My husband had the pepper steak, which was peppery and cooked well. The sauce was just bland. I had the chicken paillard, which was heavy with butter but nothing more. I’ve had brown butter sauce with rich flavor that I would drink it if it weren’t so bad for you. (Anyone in DC must try the best chicken paillard at Carlyle!) The amuse bouche tasted like fruity cream cheese and the truffle treat at the end had a stronger refrigerator flavor than chocolate.
The winning attributes of this restaurant besides the bisque is the service and outdoor tables. Everyone from the hosts to the servers were over-​the-​top helpful and pleasant. The restaurant also has a charming outdoor area to dine where you don’t see much of the traffic going to Main. I noticed a large flat screen at the bar where it could be nice to enjoy the delicious pear martini and I must say the restrooms were sparkling.

Delicious and NOT-​so-​nutritious. So, definitely go here!
I was in Sarasota for work — my co-​worker and I decided to try Bijou for dinner one night. We were not disappointed at all.
I ordered the mushroom ravioli with goat cheese, and it was SO extremely good. While I love food, I generally cannot eat entire dinner portions in one sitting. Bijou was quite the exception. I ate my entire dinner and was so thrilled with it.
To top it off, they brought out dessert pieces of flourless chocolate fudge. Also incredibly rich and delicious.
I would love to try this place for lunch one day, followed by a long nap!