Bistro 211

Came here with a total party of 8. Everything was going really well, the waitress took our drink and food orders. The waitress was a little snarky towards me when i ordered two larger items off the menu. She asked me, in a very judgemental sounding way, you want both? She made me feel kind of uncomfortable so I felt the need to explain that I was sharing it, but even if I wasn’t, what’s it to you. The drinks (minus the waters) came out super fast. I was super excited for us to get our food, which I assumed would come out soon after. We were enjoying our time coloring on the table paper with the crayons they provided at the table in cute little glasses. That was the point where everything started to go down hill. We waited a pretty long time… 40 minutes… for our food to start coming out. Half of our party ordered oatmeal, scrambled eggs, and granola. how long can that possibly take to come out? Strangely enough the eggs benedict, which I ordered, came out first and the granola came out last. Pretty sure granola comes precooked but ok. We also ordered three orders of charred eggs for three different people and they came out all on ONE plate and all attached to each other, so naturally my friend’s dad thought all three were his one order so he ate them all. When we inquired about the other two orders, she gave us a strange look and said all the eggs where on that one plate. On top of that, all the orders that did come out, came out mostly wrong. SERVICE was confusing and HORRENDOUS to say at the very best. My friend’s aunt had to get up at one point find clean glasses and pour our table the waters that never came to the table. I’m not sure if she was having a bad morning, is just a terrible server, or she already had a 20% tip tacked on since we had a large party, but service was lacking and needs to be addressed.
As for the food, the food was really good. I split the Scandinavian eggs benedict and the cheese blitzes with my friend’s dad. We were extremely happy that we did not miss out on either of the options. The bennys had lox, spinach, grilled onions, and spinach on top of an English muffin. The eggs were perfectly poached and the lox tasted fresh. The hollandaise sauce was light and creamy and very lightly yet well seasoned Everything on the benny flowed really well together. The cheese blitzes were super yummy! The blitzes were crêpe like items stuffed with cheese. I’m not sure what type of cheese was on the inside, but I think it was a cream cheese mix of some sort. It was extremely light and creamy. The cheese was sweetened but not too sweet. The blitzes were topped with berries and melon and a berry sauce drizzle. I probably could have gone without the melons since I felt like the were no value add. Everyone else agreed that their food was really good as well. The food was slightly over priced for what you are getting.
I unfortunately did not get a picture of the blitzes because I was more thankful that they actually made it onto the table.
Food was good, but wait time and service definitely killed this restaurant for us. 2.5 stars. I cannot give them 3.

We have walked by this adorable little French Restaurant so many times saying we should come back and eat here… and finally we did. Nestled in the back of a courtyard in the Crossroads Shopping Center on Highway 1 and Rio Road in Carmel, the chalkboard menu and welcoming read door draw you right inside. This place has been here forever and is where the locals eat, well away from the hubbub of of downtown Carmel or Cannery Row in Monterey.
We had a lovely dinner, with personal service from the owner and chef. This is truly a bistro, from the décor to the friendly conversation between the guests at various tables. The menu is French Country — so we indulged with the Goat Cheese Crêpe salad (amazing!), a hearty tomato bean soup, Steak Frites and the Lamb Shank plus the most incredible fresh French rolls. The wine list also didn’t disappoint, offering many of the outstanding local wines. We topped it off by sharing a delicious Bananas Foster. Every single taste was excellent. We will be back.

Service was not impressive and lunch meal was average, but the dinner menu looked very innovative. We’d try it again for dinner.

Excellent little restaurant great for Sunday brunch, lunches and dinners. In nice little shopping center. Veggie options.

Came here for breakfast because the other place we were considering had a long wait and this place had none… probably should have considered that too.
Let me start with the good-​our 2 boys both thought their breakfasts were great.
The not so good-​Hubby thought his breakfast was only okay (he would have liked spicier chorizo). The service was almost non-​existent even though there were only 2 other tables of people there, with long waits for our order to be taken, for ongoing service, for the food (which did not all come out together-​mine was served a lot later than everyone else’s), refills, etc. Plus, the place is pricey for what you get in my opinion.
I just really wasn’t impressed and do not plan to return.

A must «go-to“when in Carmel … 6 stars for the food, ambience and customer service. A family run restaurant with personal touch to the whole dining experience.

Went to lunch here at 2:30. There were a total of three table with patrons, two of which were served and almost ready to leave. Took 30 minutes to get our food and we are one of two patrons here. We waited far too long (in my opinion) to be acknowledged in place that is basically empty and then it took over 30 minutes to get our food. During that time, the server never came by to check on us, not even for refills for a drink. I noticed when food did come out, it was for a lady, who was alone, and had gotten there before us. It it’s not like there was a large party, there were three of us total waiting for food.
Finally got our food. Mine was actually good, but my boyfriend ordered the salmon quesadillas, which was super small. My soft taco ended up being burrito size and I shared with him. Once we had our food, we had the server’s attention. She gave us the check before we finished our meal and then came by quickly to pick it up, although we were not done with it. Instead of asking if we need anything else, she looked over his shoulder, noticed he still had the check and then walked away. It was a bizarre experience. Needless to say, I would not return. Tipping the server killed us since she deserved a sad face more than anything.

The best part of this lunch was the fact that we laughed so hard. Why? Because this place came with such high recommendations from one of the employees at «Taste of Morgan.» But what we found was «meh» diner-​like food.
We made the best of it and joked around about the stale/​disgusting coffee, greasy sandwiches, soggy fries, and chewy/​crunchy (yes chewy/​crunchy) chicken breasts. At least we can live and learn!
There are so many good foodie options littered throughout Carmel — don’t make this one of your stops, you’ll regret it.

Good bistro outdoor seating is nice, good dining room staff. Food is good I had the French onion soup which was good, but not great, I had the bistro grilled steak which was pretty good. Good relaxed bistro out of the way middle range price.

Tucked away in an outdoor shopping center with various places to eat, this restaurant made you feel like you could have been anywhere in France. The food was simple and tasty, and the service was friendly and helpful. Velvet was our waitress and we arrived at the tail end of the breakfast/​lunch service, yet her positive attitude made it seem like she had just started working. The asparagus bisque was creamy and flavorful, but not too rich. The turkey and tuna sandwiches were both straightforward and filled with the important ingredients. We also ordered the carpaccio, and the ceasar dressing and peppercorns added a twist to the standard, but I personally like my beef with a simple lemon and olive oil. All the same, it’s nice to see a restaurant play with a typical dish and put their spin on it.

Mom loved the blintzes. The eggs Benedict was delicious but the English muffin was hard to cut. They also have a dog menu.

We sat outside and ordered the lunch special of curry chicken over rice Delicious! And we ate outside ! Great!
Wonderful!

I usually go here on Saturdays after baseball practice. The service is fast and the food is good. I love the benedicts. If you like egg breakfast with potatoes then this is the right place. It looks like more people do reviews on google rather then Unilocal.Unilocal is probably on their way out. Nevertheless this place is well worth going here.

Great place to have breakfast on weekends. I’ve enjoyed lunches here too. The food is good and the service is amazing. Nice atmosphere whether you are dining alone, a table for two or with a large group (I’ve done all three). Outdoor seating and dog friendly a plus! Definitely recommend.

This is a charming little hideaway in the Crossroads center. The food is always good and the servers are very friendly. They always make sure the customers are happy.

Always pleasant and always good. A warm homey feeling with this family owned spot. The blips in service are part of the charm. Don’t be fussy. Few places are as sweet, sunny, dog friendly (outdoors) and few owners are as kind as this proprietor.

The food was overpriced, and was nothing special at all. $ 13 – 14 dollars for a sandwich with no sides. It came with just the sandwich on the plate, no garnishes or embellishments at all.
The service was slow, unattentive and sloppy.
The facility is cute, and offers an outside dining option, but it is crowded and noisy.
Lots of better places to eat nearby!

I love to Unilocal about a place like this cause it’s the type place I always hope to find while using Unilocal.Bistro 211 is rockin’ it! The French style bistro is tucked away in the Crossroads shopping center & offers both indoor & outdoor seating. The outdoor patio is dog friendly & B211 offers a separate doghouse menu for our furry four legged friends.
I had the Grilled Sea Bass entrée this last visit, it came on a bed of gnocchi in lemon basil beurre blanc. The Sea bass was fresh & cooked to perfection. The gnocchi were delightful, fluffy little pillows. Steamed broccoli and asparagus were cooked perfectly, not overdone and slightly crunchy. Some of my other favorites are The Cedar Wood Salmon, Chicken Curry Salad & the Angus Beef Bacon Blue Burger.
Beer & wine are available, 3 beers are offered on tap. Nice to see they carry Blue Moon & Carmel Valley Brewing Co.
Service is always fast & friendly. The restaurant is usually quietest at night when the Crossroads center grows desolate.
B211 offers the best locally grown, wholesome foods in a pleasant and warm atmosphere.

If there were six stars I would give them 6+ stars! Bistro 211 is now my favorite place to eat! Everything was so good! Their chocolate shakes are absolutely amazing! Their Angus Beef hamburger was so juicy and yummy you wouldn’t believe how good it is unless you tried it. Their french fries were perfect! Their salad was so fresh. They even had pillows for lower back support. Their background music was fun and not too loud. We are looking forward to coming back here!

After a whole day of eating our way through Monterey, I was looking forward to having a dinner on the lighter side. I quickly found Bistro 211 and looked at their menu online. They had great choices for exactly what I was looking for. Not knowing how popular this place was, I also made a 7:45pm reservation on Opentable.
When we arrived at the Pacific Grove Commons, it looked pretty dead. Most of the shops and cafes were closed. There were a few restaurants still open and I could see a handful of patrons inside each. Bistro 211 wasn’t an exception. The good news was there was plenty parking right in front. Upon arriving at B211, there was only one table of seniors inside halfway through their meal. The lady who was working the front of the house was incredibly sweet as she sat us by the window. B211 is so quaint and charming. It is small inside, but has nice outside seating that would be perfect for brunch or lunch on a sunny day.
Since the other half and I were the only patrons left, we had a really nice and romantic dinner all by ourselves. The special of the evening was prime rib with baked potato and cooked veggies, but bf and I both agreed it was too heavy. We both decided to order sea bass dishes. Hot bread was served with rosemary butter that was shaped like a rose.
— Grilled Sea Bass Salad ($ 16.95) — The sea bass was slightly overcooked but seasoned well. It was served over fresh greens with apples, red onions and tomatoes. The salad was very fresh. The lemon ginger vinaigrette worked nicely with the sea bass and salad.
— Grilled Sea Bass Entrée ($ 21.95) — The grilled sea bass came on a bed of gnocchi in lemon basil beurre blanc. Sea bass was again slightly on the dry side. The gnochhi were delightful, fluffy little pillows. Steamed broccoli and asparagus were cooked perfectly, not overdone and slightly crunchy.
Overall, a delightful bistro to have a healthy meal that won’t break the bank. I’m sure B211 is more popular during brunch and lunch, but dinner was quite good. If you don’t mind that the location isn’t happening like downtown Carmel, Bistro 211 couldn’t be a nice place to have a quiet dinner.