South Bend Bistro

The service was great, but the pasta primavera tasted like Mac and cheese with 4 shrimp

The food here was amazing, we were a party of 6, and tried a little of everything on the menu. We enjoyed the tuna tartare, the prosciutto and melon, charcuterie board, the pasta primavera, the sturgeon, a flat iron steak (the night’s special), and stayed for dessert. All yummy, fresh and local!

This was my favorite restaurant of the 5 I tried in Sun River. On my first visit I had the sturgeon, mainly because it sounded good and is a fish you do not see everyday on a restaurant menu. It was an excellent preparation. My Friend Had the duck, Which He Thought Was nice, AND To Be Fair We Have Had A Lot Of INCREDIBLE Duck dishes recently, so it was almost an unfair competition.
Second visit we both had the steak, which was simple but very well prepared., mine medium rare and my friends burnt rare as requested. Almost forgot, the starters were very good, especially the orecchiette and pasta primavera.
We thought the best desserts were the passion fruit mousse cake and the strawberry sunrise. Enjoy! Give it a 4.50

Wow! What a pleasant surprise. With the horrible food at the lodge and on the resort we thought that we had to go to Bend for good food. We were proved wrong. Five entrée’s and five winners. Muscle appetizers were on par with the best we’ve ever had anywhere (Nye York, Brussels, Paris). Drinks are phenomenal … Very good.

We had wonderful sturgeon dinners here last night. These people know how to cook sturgeon!
Service is always fantastic!

My now husband and I rented out the South Bend Bistro for our wedding reception and it was spectacular! The food was out of this world. Of all the weddings I’ve been to, I always remember the weddings that had an average or bad meal. The guests at our wedding ate every bite and were raving about how their tenderloin and scallops were perfectly cooked. We got to choose three appetizers and they all were so delicious! The service was superb as well. Jaymie, the owner, was so easy to work with and very responsive. She let us decorate the restaurant exactly how we wanted it… we moved everything around and brought in lots of our own decorations. She let us make it our own. She even let my mom plant some plants in the pots on the patio (we got married in the fall after they had stopped using the patio). The space, the food, and the service were all perfect! Thank you to Lars and Jaymie Johnson for truly making our wedding day the best day of our lives! You and your restaurant are an asset to Sunriver!

This restaurant is very good. I love all the fish and best of all are the people who work there and the service is great.

I have been a guest or homeowner in Sunriver since 1971 and have seen a lot of changes, Seriously, South Bend Bistro is a wonderful restaurant. Please don’t get sidetracked as it is not an «In Season» walk-​in friendly chow-​house. They are professional enough to only stock and prep what they can do for an evening.
The food is prepared with great care and the wait staff is enthusiastic and truthful in what is offered on the menu. libation and food prices are more than fair.
Shrimp Cakes — Amazing and something I will always hope never changes.
We can’t say enough but trust these good reviews and encourage this establishment to continue on the path they are on. Yes, better than the best in Bend for quality of food, yes really.
Make reservations well in advance and enjoy.

My husband had his first meal at South Bend Bistro this week with business associates and loved it so much he made reservations for him and I to come back. The owner greeted us by name and remembered what my husband had ordered with his clients! She made us feel like we were old friends and took excellent care of us from start to finish. The food is absolutely wonderful! Fresh, tasty and I’m guessing mostly local ingredients. We both had salads, shared an entrée, shared a dessert and each had a margarita and our bill was only $ 66! We are in love with this place and will support them as often as we can. Please know this is a small and intimate place and reservations are a must. Do not expect to walk in and have them accommodate you. They plan their food and number of reservations to make sure their patrons feel well taken care of.

I’d like to rate South Bend Bistro on the food but I have yet to eat there. So, I’ll write about my experience so far. I’ve made 5 attempts to have dinner while on vacation over the last two years and they have either been closed or full. The latter is usually a good sign and I’ve heard it’s a great place to eat if you want to stay in the village area. Good for them for being so busy. So, this time I tried to plan ahead and make a reservation a couple of week ahead. Typical call and leave a message with time and date and they call you back. I was a bit surprised by the attitude of the young man who called me back. He confirmed with me my request but for the wrong day. When I told him that was incorrect he quickly told me that they would be closed the day I requested and over spring break week. Wow! Business must be good to be closed over one of the busier weeks in Sunriver but again, good for them. I cant help but think i was speaking with the maitre d’ of a fine dining restaurant in Paris. Maybe I was? Anyway, i always start with 5 stars and they earn the right to keep or lose some but this wasn’t a good start. I’ll continue to try and get in and I’d love to give them two stars back but until then, it’s the drive into Bend for us.

One of our regular dining stops when in SunRiver. Food is excellent (4 – 5 stars), staff attentive (3 – 4 stars), the surroundings forgetable (2 – 3 stars). Last nights sturgeon in a lemon sauce with steamed veggies and mashed potatoes was delicious and worth going back for… just wish it was a cruise so I could of ordered a second piece! Wife had duck that she devoured and mouth wateringly moist and delectable.

This great little place is tucked away behind the Village, but worth finding. I ordered the rotini pasta with shrimp, broccoli and mushroom in a creamy Parmesan cheese sauce. It was delicious. The waitress, Arwen, was personable and friendly. This was my first visit to Sunriver, and I was happy to find this gem. Thank you Unilocal

Best meal during our trip to Bend/​Sunriver. Welcoming service as soon as we walked in which continued through the evening. Started with the Caesar Salad which was served family style for the table. One of the best I have had. Even my daughter who eats her salads dressing-​less enjoyed it as served. I also indulged in the Mushroom Soup special. Earthly tones and not overly rich. Outstanding. For dinner, I had the halibut. Good portion and cooked perfectly. The dill sauce was served on the side which was ideal as I like just a touch for dipping. Came with green beans and mashed yukons. Great dish. For dessert, I had the coconut macadamia tart with vanilla ice cream. Nice way to end the meal. Also, Decent wine list priced right.
Don’t miss out on the Bistro. Just be sure to make a reservation as the restaurant is small.

Throughout the year, South Bend Bistro is THE restaurant in Sunriver for a well prepared meal. However this evening, a night when a sign on the door stated they were completely booked; by 7:30, they’d run out of two entrees and the only soup. For a restaurant with this history an reputation this indicates either poor planning or they are operating too close to the bone. Disappointing.

We have been coming to Sunriver for many years and this has to be the best restaurant we have been to in years. The food and service was outstanding. I hate to brag too much because we are planning on coming back next year but you need reservations and we were lucky to get the last ones at 5:30

I got to spend all afternoon in a car deàlership dealing with radiator and transmission problems. I needed something good for dinner. We had a nice dinner here.
I ordered the spinach salad; it was fine, but the bacon was so small it had a hard time getting onto my fork. I do not need croutons on a spinach salad. They did not add anything. My buddy got a Caesar salad, which was good.
We both ordered the duck. It was great. I enjoyed the vegetable that came with; it was cooked just right. The sweet potato risotto was just plain odd. The sweet potato was more in a chip form. The risotto was a form of mashed potatoes. Odd. The duck made up for everything else.
The service was great. The server was friendly. The food came out in good order. The wine list was reasonably priced. We needed and got a good meal. That is what we needed.

I’m afraid to say it was one of the worst dining experiences my husband and I have ever had. To put it bluntly, we were happy to have a two bathroom home later that evening — if you’re catching my drift.
For months we had been wanting to try SBB but either the place was closed or it was full with reservations so we felt lucky when the owner called us last minute with a table for two. We immediately turned our bikes around and headed to dinner.
We were greeted by their 2 or 3 year old child. While cute at first — after the third visit to our table looking for attention, our drinks couldn’t come soon enough. And thankfully they were well poured.
We ordered the shrimp cakes and split the halibut. Both plates came with the same white sauce and absolutely zero garnish. White plate, white food, white sauce… Now, I can get past the visual blandness but we left not feeling great and starving.
I can only assume that those who cherish this establishment don’t get out much or enjoy fine dining in any capacity. We were truly disappointed as we live part-​time in Sunriver and want all the local owners to succeed; really we do.
Possibly a bad night, possibly bored and exhausted by the end of summer, at any rate, we won’t be back… or recommend.

Best dining in Sunriver? Yes.
My wife and I got a date night while vacationing in Sunriver, but didn’t want to drive to Bend for good dining. After reading other Unilocal reviews, I decided South Bend bistro looked like the best choice, and it did not disappoint! We made reservations a day ahead and were seated on time. Cocktails were great, tuna tar tar appetizer was outstanding; small pear salad and Caesar salad were each delightful; pan fried Halibut was perfectly cooked, and duck breast was melt-​in-​your-​mouth sweetly satisfying. Deserts were naughty delicious. We brought our own bottle of wine; corkage was $ 15 — a good value. Service was near perfect. You’ll never find better quality without driving all the way to Bend.

My favorite place to eat in Sunriver. Once you know the story behind the place and taste the food, you’ll never want to eat anywhere else.
First, I’ll address some of the bad press this restaurant has gotten. You NEED to make a reservation if you plan on eating here. They only have 1 cook, so they only allow so many groups to dine per night in order to keep service high and not overwhelm the chef. The restaurant is owned by a young family. The father is the chef and the mother doubles as the pasty chef and waitress.
For my main course, I ordered the beef fillet that came with a side of mashed potatoes, green beans, and broccoli. I asked for the chef to cook it medium-​well. Everything was done perfectly! Often times restaurants cook my beef either too well or not well enough, but this was just right. The veggies were a lovely accompaniment. For dessert, I had originally ordered the cheesecake, but after trying the flourless chocolate cake, I changed my mind. The chocolate cake is TO DIE FOR. I did order a salad to start with, but wasn’t super impressed by it.
I love this place because of the comfortable and cozy atmosphere. It’s a family affair, and they really make you feel apart of that. Definitely worth going to if you’re in Sunriver and are looking for a yummy and relaxing dinner.

YUM… that about sums it up actually. If you are staying in Sunriver, this place is a must. Make sure to get a reservation. The ambiance is lovely, but there are still lots of kids. Maybe because we had an early dinner. If not for the children the place would be quite romantic.
We were greeted warmly. It is locally owned and the foods are also locally sourced. All of our meals were fabulous. We had the duck breast with a sweet potato risotto (that was a little misleading — more like scalloped potatoes with some sweet potato curls on top), the macadamia-​crusted sturgeon, the pan-​seared sea scallops with a wild mushroom pancake and the pasta with broccoli, shrimp and mushrooms. All done to perfection. I tasted everything and wish I’d gotten the sturgeon but the duck was just as yummy. Large enough portions and reasonable prices for this sort of venue.
The service was outstanding. I would definitely add this to list of must eat-​at when in Sunriver.