Bistro 501

Excellent dinner and lunch option in Downtown Lafayette. I have been to Bistro 501 three times now. Never disappointed with the food. The food is French-​American (it is very hard to find an authentic French restaurant in the US outside NYC). Fresh ingredients, everything seems to be made from scratch. Prices are very reasonable if you are not expecting fast-​food prices (lunch is cheap, dinner prices are nothing out of the ordinary for a good restaurant). Good ambiance but service is a bit slow (manageable and again, this is not fast-​food).
If you are on a budget go for there for lunch. If you in a rush this is not the place for you.
Not many vegetarian or vegan options.

The food is good especially the herb garlic salad dressing. Service is mediocre to poor. Depends which server you get though none are very attentive so it is not a good place to order coffee if you like refills.

Very good food and drink here. Thursday night is half-​price mixed drinks, and they make a respectable White Russian. My friends say they have a good variety of beers. Lunch is the same food as dinner at a MUCH more reasonable price. I’ve never had any food that was disappointing, and I’ve been going there for years. They’ve got real chefs in the kitchen, and they know what they’re doing. It’s kind of French-​ish American style food. My only beef with this place is price. Even lunch can get expensive if you add appetizers, desserts, etc. Still, they are one of the best restaurants in town, so if you’re not up for «ethnic food», this is a great choice.
Service is consistently good: not fake plastic American waitress-​style (I hate that; it’s so uncomfortable), just professional, polite, attentive servers.
CORRECTION: Theresa from 501 just wrote with the following correction.
«Thank you so much for your comments and insights. We really do appreciate our guest feedback. I wanted to let you know that the drink special on Thursday’s isn’t half off, but $ 2 off all house cocktails and martinis. Also, the lunch and dinner menus are separate with exclusive items on both. I wanted to clear those two little bits up with you so to avoid confusion with anyone using your review.»
My bad. Thanks for the correction, Theresa!

Incredible «umami moment» in fine dining at Bistro 501 last night. Duly impressed with the premier of a just-​created-​that-​day corn chowder which triumphed over all other dishes. Bonuses were that the salmon was also heaven, the waiter very attentive, the owner came out to engage, as did the evening chef. The owner tipped us off that the cuisine staff is regularly inventing new dishes and competing with each other. We applaud the creative freedom given the staff by the owner.

The service and food were both fantastic. I enjoyed the french onion soup, which was quite tasty. If you’re trying to avoid salt, you may want to pass on the french onion soup though; although it wasn’t overly salty, I could taste the salt, but I found that to be a plus, not a minus. For my entrée, I had the Herb-​Roasted Half Chicken. The frittes (fries) and the lemon flavored demiglace all came together in a nice, tasty ensemble. For dessert, I chose the coconut cheesecake, which was another great winner. You will not be disappointed when you come to eat at Bistro 501.

First off, we were originally going to Indianapolis for dinner and some things came up that made it not possible. Just to put it out there, Lafayette is hardly a substitute when you’re looking for fine dining and good food. On to the review!
General: Bistro 501 is like a B-​rated movie, with elements of authentic French bistro eating but pricing of an authentic French bistro. Generally, Bistro 501 falls short on presentation, flavorful food pairings and wine selection.
Service: Talkative waiter, who lacked knowledgeable wine suggestions appropriate to what we were wanting to order. He did offer a sample to what we had said we liked but the sample was completely different-​tasting than the wine we said we liked. Maybe just a slip of the mind with what the described wine was like…
Ambience: Clean, modern, «French-y”-feeling, noticed a few spots of a careless paint job, but overall, very good environment… impressive to first timers.
Charcuterie: The sliced meat platter looked sloppily assembled, with slices of meat floating around on the plate with no purposeful placement and a borderline wilted lettuce garnish. Presentation aside, the meat was from Goose the Market from Indy and was stellar. Honestly speaking, the portion combined with second class presentation, was hardly worth the money.
French Onion Soup: The restaurant’s house soup boasted nice white ceramic bowls with a nice dollop of melted Gruyère cheese on top and a thick slice of baguette. Presentation was as classy as french Onion Soup could get. Soup itself was a bit sweet for my taste, but was worthy of being called a house soup, as it was full flavored and seemed to have been stewed for a long time over the stove.
Rack of Lamb: Cooked medium, truly medium, pink on the inside, the way I ordered it. Presentation was pretty three-​dimensional and was the strongest out of all the things we ordered. The flavor was just ok, as it tasted like something one step up from what I could have conjured up at home, with some rosemary, thyme and garlic. It was tasty, but I would say that flavor wasn’t anything that would have made me say «WOW!» Served with good mashed potatoes, nothing unique, but good flavor, and some summer vegetables.
Beef: With horseradish sauce. Tender, cooked to how it was ordered. Mediocre presentation over a bed of mashed potatoes and summer vegetables. I would say that it was a good hunk of meat, nothing bad and no WOW factor either.
Wine: Decent wine selection, but very small compared to other French bistros we have been to. There is a range of wines with different prices accommodating wine enthusiasts with different budgets.
We did not order dessert, as we were getting close to our budget.

Bistro is where you go when you need to impress a candidate, have parents in town or are trying to celebrate a special occasion. Personally, I preferred another restaurant on main street, but seeing as it has now closed Bistro is likely the only choice (many tears).
It’s a bit stuffy, pretencious and old fashioned. And there’s really nothing wrong with that, just isn’t necessarily my style. Beside taking out possibly future Purdue faculty several times, I did go for two personal occasions, mostly for a change of scene.
The food is French style, but can’t compare to the level of French restaurants in larger cities. I know this is Lafayette, but it is still disappointing to me. I guess I would say it’s more like confusing; American/​French fusion.
It is nice to know that this place is a bit of an institution and it ain’t going nowhere while everything else on Main St. keeps on getting sucked into a giant black hole.

Comfortable environment and attentive service. Enjoyed the cheese plate appetizer. The beef filet was cooked to the right temperature and was tender. Pork belly had good flavor with tasty Brussels sprouts.

One I’ve my absolute favorite restaurants. Eaten here for my birthday three years in a row and basically every time I’m in town. Amazing filet, only had one that was mediocre. Recommend the wine and butter sauce on it. Only thing is I miss the old way the salmon was prepared, used to get that a lot but haven’t since they changed it. We also enjoy their dessert on a spoon, perfect amount.

The urinal doesn’t flush, which is kind of gross… but they do have posters for their wine club in both bathrooms, so classy place!
The food is what you’d expect from a small town French bistro. It’s bland, boring, and a little bit too sweet. This worked less against the custard tart than the pâté.
The bartender is great though. He really knows his craft and managed to salvage the evening for us. I’d go back for the bar but at the beginning of the night rather than the end (you know, because of the urinal).

Bistro 501 is a nice place for fine dining in the West Lafayette/​Lafayette area. Limited menu, so check before going. I had the basil pesto pasta. Great vegetarian dish even for meat eaters! My dinner companions had the salmon which they said was so tender, they didn’t even need a knife to cut it. Plating of the food was superb. The restaurant’s atmosphere is nice, albeit a tad too loud for easy conversation. Service was great. Would recommend for dates and special occasions. (I think there was a prom group there when I went.)

Food in this part of downtown Lafayette is actually pretty good. The ambivalence is kind of weird, but the food is good. Service is excellent as well. The crowd for the most part is older. It would be nice if they can repaint the walls and modernize the place bit. Very dated to say the least. A must try for every parent visiting the kid in school

I ate there with my fiancé on Valentine’s Day the service was very good and the food was delicious

It’s a solid lunch option, $ 9-​$ 13 range, drink excluded. I’ve been here several times over the years. Today my group had fish and chips, salmon BLT, baked macaroni w chicken, salad, and bistro club. Food was good. This place is also popular for their evening events and wine menu but I have not attended. Desserts are all overpriced: $ 6 dip of ice cream and $ 3 cookie are two examples.
I’m thinking four star food with three star pricing and décor. The décor is getting tired and worn, and to be frank, the woodwork, floors and upholstery could use a good sprucing. Servers wear jeans, white shirts and aprons, and are usually very polite and attentive but can be spotty. I called for a reservation and staff were very welcoming and helpful. Tables are covered with white tablecloth and white roll paper on top of that. The coffee was good. The other intangible is the smell, the air was stale inside the restaurant, it didn’t stink exactly, but there were no fresh kitchen aromas either. Maybe a malfunctioning air handler or filter? Overall a solid 3.5 stars.

Best fine dining in Lafayette. It has a well balanced menu. The display is incredible, and always looks enticing. It was a relaxing environment. The staff was wonderful, and knew the menu very well. They have a wine connoisseur to help you pick out the perfect wine. The wine selection was pages and pages. As soon as you walk in you will see white table clothes with the tables all set with a candle and a vase with a fresh flower in the middle. A great place for a date. You will probably spend $ 40 minimum per person if you do not get a drink but well worth it. They do everything they can to make sure you are happy the entire visit. I cannot wait to go back!

I’ve been to Bistro 501 several times over the years and have always enjoyed it. We stopped in for dinner after the River City Grapes & Hops Fest while we were in Lafayette this Saturday. I had the moules and frites and very much enjoyed it. The cilantro aioli with the frites was amazing. The Vegetable Napoleon had nice crispy eggplant, and good bold flavors. Our server was very friendly and attentive. We had a great experience overall.

Generally everything here is good, but not excellent. The rack of lamb I ordered was cooked as lamb chops… really? Potatoes… bland… I generally like the place, but the passion seems to lack a bit. The prices are high for the level of cuisine they put together, but would be adequate if there was more passion put into each plate.

I ought not generalize, as I’ve only visited Bistro 501 twice
… but the adjective to comes to my mind is: OVER-​RATED.
Many a professor and/​or Purdue University administrator frequent this French bistro, which has led to a favorable reputation for the restaurant.
Perhaps compared to other downtown Lafayette restaurants, this seems the ‘best’ choice. But, alas, it is not.
1.) The first time I had dinner here, was on Valentine’s Day with my (now ex) boyfriend. Set holiday menus are a recipe for disaster no matter how you slice it. The food that night was OK, but definitely not worth the price nor the prestige.
2.) The second time I visited Bistro 501, I dined with a table of professors, as a visiting professor from Northwestern was in town for the night.
Again, the consensus was that Bistro 501 was the most ‘cosmopolitan’ restaurant in the city, and thus ought to be the #1 choice for an academic circle.
The experience was (again) mediocre. The ambience does nothing for me. The wait staff is unengaged. The menu is very sparse, and the food is quality, but not anything that would earn it the reputation that it still carries.
Meal: A decent filet (medium-​rare), bland potatoes, ordinary asparagus, & a not-​so-​special red wine.
It’s OK. I’d say: Try it for lunch, if you like it, come back.
Again, this is based on two dinners there.
I will probably give it a third chance in the not-​so-​distant future.

I have been to Bistro 501 numerous times, and the food quality is anywhere between good and great. I like the bar and the bartender makes great drinks! My favorites are the salmon tartare, and lamb chops.
If you are willing to spend 30 – 40 per person, then Bistro is a pretty good bet, being one of the few fine dining restaurants at Lafayette.

Every time my parents come into town this is usually where they want to go. I have really enjoyed everything I have tried (both off my plate and my parents’ plates). Not sure how French the food is, but it has always been tasty. Save room for dessert because they always have a good selection.
It is really the only place in Lafayette that I would consider «upscale,» but judge for yourself if the food is worth $ 30 a plate. Good place to bring your parents :)