Bistro 42

Four of us stopped for lunch (9÷12÷15) after a wine tasting. About 70% of the tables were full but the service was surprisingly slow. Our server was friendly and apologetic but obviously overwhelmed. We waited at least 15 minutes to order, another 15 to 20 for drinks, and at least 30 for food. When the food finally arrived, it varied from decent to very poor. The servings were very small, and the quality was along the lines of «high school cafeteria.» The mac and cheese was extremely bland (Kraft would have honestly tasted better) and the chicken was rubbery and inedible. None of the food was anywhere near worth the price. When one in our party sent their food back untouched, the server offered another meal but we did not have time to wait so we declined. The manager took 50% off of that person’s meal, though I would argue it should have been free. We would have put up more of a fuss but overheard the manager berating (literally yelling) at another customer who had dared to complain, so we skipped the drama. We will definitely not be returning here and don’t recommend that anyone does.

Lunch ⁸⁄₂₂. Hostess said «a bit of a wait» which turned into 45 min. After being ignored at the bar, we finally got a drink after 30 min. by a nice lady waiter who seemed stressed and very apologetic. Steak bruschetta was almost inedible. Steak had no flavor and was tough, served on dry, crumbly bread. Tourist trap, rip off. Never again.

Places to avoid is Bistro 42 in Carlseville. It is part of Door Peninsula Winery. The food was ok. Our server should find another area of employment. We enter the restaurant and half way down the bar are she states in a loud voice «would you like inside or patio». «patio». She seats us and leaves. We figure out what we want. Expecting her to return, I wait to use the restroom… waiting… waaaaaaaaaaaaitinnnnnnnnnnnng.
After what seems like an hour but in all actuality is 10 minutes (maybe 8) I get up to search out a human being (I have to use the bathroom mind you). There is one located at the bar… a human that is. She is filling water. I ask her if there is someone who can take our order. Just as I am finishing that question our server rushes through the restaurant and bar are to enter kitchen (who also sat us) states in a loud rushed tone «I’ll be there in a moment I’ve been delivering food to people inside» (no apologies from her either). I ask the bar tender where the restrooms are… she uses a polite inside voice and directs me to my much desired location. I return to my table refreshed. Husband got order in and we wait… and wait… aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand. wait (sigh). Finally after 30 minutes server passes by to state food will be out shortly (doesn’t apologize doesn’t even stop). I ordered a sandwich as did husband…30 minutes…2 sandwiches.
Food not too shabby.
Not once did server stop by to ask how food was. She did stop (only because I waved her down) to ask about wine tasting. She seemed kind of irritated and abrupt. Told me tasting was over at 6 (it was 6:15). We ordered two bottles to go. She still didn’t ask how the food… hmmmm…finally we get the bill from a different server (a young man with full curly hair and a smile… apparently female server with burgundy hair didn’t know how to smile that night). I told him about our she-​server and he apologized and asked. Needless to say we filled out the comment card. The first question was «name of server» to which I replied «She never said». Honestly skip this place due to service… go into Egg Harbor (Shipwrecked is awesome! Food AND service), Ephraim (Wilson’s AWESOME food and service) and/​or Sister Bay (Husby’s and Sister Bay Bowl) each and every server we had told us their name, got us water right away and checked on us after we got our food.

Came here while roaming the city. We snagged some drinks and then tried a flatbread pizza.
The food was good, and the bartender was really friendly and helpful.

Quiet simple dining; Nice menu with good food. Would like to sample more of their specialty drinks.

We went to Bistro 42 for dinner on our last night in Door County. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised at how good the food turned out to be.
Service was slow and spotty for the most part, but that was the worst of it. My fiancé got the cheese curds to start and I got the caprese salad. I absolutely loved the salad and the couple cheese curds I had weren’t bad either– they came with a sweet pear dipping sauce that wasn’t bad, but different.
We ordered the pan-​seared walleye and barbecue chicken calzone for dinner. The walleye was cooked perfectly and had amazing flavor, but it was a little small. I’m glad I had the salad beforehand. I didn’t try the calzone, but my fiancé said it was tasty, but could have used a little more barbecue sauce. The prices were comparable to other restaurants in Door County and I felt that they were reasonable for what we ordered.
It was nice to be able to sit outside, even if the patio overlooked the parking lot. I would definitely consider coming back on future visits to Door County!

I begged my husband to come here, and it was pretty good. Our greatest let down was the service. The food and drinks were divine. We started with their versions of the Cherry Blossom and Whiskey Sour. They tasted light and refreshing on a cool, summer evening. The only problem was the waiter lurking over our shoulder as we read the drink menu. After five minutes of us reading, he finally said he would come back. The same thing happened with the food menu. All he had to do was ask if we were ready to order. I think a little more experience will get him past this awkward phase.
As for food, we ordered the pizza bites, seared walleye, and Sriracha steak special. The bites were delicious. The fish came with sautéed spinach, tomatoes, and onions that were excellent balance to the fish. Also, there was just enough for sufficiency. The couscous salad was disappointing. It was clearly reheated as it had a firm outer texture. The vegetables in it were a combination of fresh pepper and freezer peas and carrots. The steak had a sweet, spicy kick that my husband loved! The sides were frites and half an artichoke. I’ve never seen my husband eat half an artichoke before, but he enjoyed this one!
The prices were typical for Door County.

This place was amazing. I think if you look at these bad reviews they are old. The new food, atmosphere, and services were top notch. The portions were smaller but perfect for those not eating an entire cow. Great drinks, food, and I’ll definite be back. Tandoori chicken was awesome, of all things. The shrimp linguini was tasty too. Was empty when we went, but we have no clue why. So tasty.

Nick was awesome! Great service and an awesome attitude. I normally don’t write reviews, but we enjoyed ourselves so much I couldn’t help it! The PO Boy sandwich and pizza were delicious. The outdoor seating is very peaceful and well done. Visit this place in between wineries! Ask for Nick! He’s great!

Pros: quality food, friendly service, reasonable prices
Cons: None
Recommended: in-​house Pinot Grigio, caprese salad w/​cherry vinaigrette, linguine w/​clams and homemade CHERRY PIE ala mode for dessert. Oh yeah!
To be honest with you, I was more than a little surprised when I read the mixed reviews about Bistro 42 on Unilocal.Why? Because it was far superior to the restaurants I frequented when I was in that neck of the woods recently. This food isn’t marginal (as one reviewer alluded too), more like exceptional.
What makes this place above-​average IMO is the quality ingredients that they use in the food. You’re definitely not going to find this type of high quality food when you visit northern Wisconsin. Fried food and all sorts of fattening food is the soup du jour here, especially cheese curds.
Service: I spoke to my server Deb about why she was the only server for the entire restaurant and her response was they have a hard time getting people, especially after Labor Day, when the college kids go back to school and the crowds dwindle. It doesn’t pay for a restaurant to hire people when it’s not that busy.
So take a chill pill about the service issues, I promise you you’re not going to starve to death. You’re on vacation anyways so why are you in such a rush.
Portions: adequate, not monster-​size or gut-​busting. This is not a fast food restaurant, like Denny’s or McDonalds.
Suggestion: The only thing I would add is a bread basket before the meal, it’s just a personal preference.

We had a poor experience here. Food was really marginal, service was very poor. I will never eat here again unless they find a new chef and manager.

I can’t actually say how the food was, because we walked out without being served. We stopped in for lunch on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend after tasting some spirits at the distillery. There were some people dining on the patio, but the bar and indoor restaurant were empty. We stood at the unattended hostess desk for a couple of minutes before someone finally appeared and yelled at us from the other side of the bar asking how many and where we wanted to sit. Really? You couldn’t walk across the room? It was pretty warm outside so we chose to sit inside. We were seated and promptly brought waters, but then we were ignored. As we were being seated, another table had just left. The server went to that table (which was right next to us) to pick up her tip, but never acknowledged us in any way. We waited at least 15 minutes and then we left. No one had come by at all. No one said anything as we were leaving either. Maybe they don’t care about repeat business because so many tourists come to the area, but they couldn’t even keep us there for one meal. We went across the street where within the same amount of time we had our beverages and placed our orders.

Good pizza, good service, and a nice stop in Door County.

My friends and I stopped in here (with their 3 & 5 year olds) after a day of wine tasting and touring the area.
We didn’t plan on stopping by Bistro 42, but after wine tasting at Door Peninsula Winery (the tasting room staff was very friendly btw) we decided to pull up some stools at the bar and order a bottle of California wine. We had a great bottle of Alexander Valley (I think it was $ 52). What truly made our visit enjoyable was Laurie the bartender!
My friend’s children are very well behaved and sat playing on their parents IPhones. Laurie came out and offered them juice and even brought them free french fries to snack on and cherries! What kid doesn’t love juice, fries and cherries?!? It allowed the adults to sit and chat (even longer) about life and just relax in a warm welcoming environment while the snow was falling outside the window! Laurie even gave the kids pennies and walked over to the art fountain and tossed them in with them! While we enjoyed the great wine, we also ordered up the Crispy Calamari Steaks and Raspberry Chevre (Laurie recommended both!) They were awesome! The chef even came out to chat with us!
While we didn’t have a full meal, we were all impressed with the atmosphere, great wine selections and also the amazing service Laurie provided! She truly is an asset to this bar! Great way to spend a winter afternoon in Door Co! We will be back!

We went for dinner with a group of four. We started with a flight of four red wines which were just ok. I ordered the tuna and it was well done and dry (overcooked). I assumed it would be rare or they would have asked. The rest of my family was not impressed with their food. Service was just ok. We will not go back.

Surprised at all of the mediocre reviews! Sitting outside was wonderful. The umbrella made the sun bearable.
We had a late lunch here, and I was very impressed. My mother and I shared everything we ate. Raspberry chevre for appetizer (so good!), caprese panini (very fresh), cherry bbq chicken sandwhich (simple, but tastey.) Service was good and so was the wine.
Can’t wait to go back.

We visited here during the fall. It is usually not too busy during this time. We found this to be the case this time around. The menu here looked good enough, and so we decided to give it a try! Prices were reasonable, and there was a coupon in a brochure just outside the entrance for a free glass of wine with the purchase of an entrée — so why not stay a while?
While we were there some photographers were taking pictures of a bunch of food — must have been for some fancy publication! It wasn’t a big deal, no need for concern here! What I was curious about, there were two other people dining when we arrived, yet we were seated right next to the door to the kitchen. I suppose this could help facilitate with expedient service — but I was not overly concerned with getting out right away. After all, I was in door county with my lovely wife enjoying a short weekend vacation.
The service was good. Our server was attentive, the food was pretty decent too. Would I eat here again, sure. Would I go out of my way — probably not… maybe for that free glass of whine… then again, they do have free whine sampling all the time anyway…
Prices were decent, atmosphere pleasant. I just wasn’t overly ‘wowed’.

Came here for dinner after touring Door County’s wineries all day. Got a free glass of wine with a coupon on one of the magazines in the building, and had the lasagna rolls, everything was great! I definitely recommend this place!

I was really disappointed. This restaurant is attached to a winery in Door County and we stopped in for lunch after tasting wine all day. We were the ONLY people in the restaurant which probably should have been a sign.
First they didn’t have a bar menu with beer wine even though the food menu said to ask for one. Then after we ordered a salad with our sandwiches, they came back saying there was only enough greens for one salad. I ended up with chips instead which was probably for the better because the salad was anemic at best. Basically it was spinach and some cherry tomatoes,
Our sandwiches were exceptionally average. The best part of the whole meal was the ciabatta bread. I would have been happier to just have the ciabatta bread and some olive oil I think.
I’d definitely try something else next time.