Tomato Bar & Bistro

Good food, they change the menu a lot — Not necessarily a bad thing.

I have been a regular at this establishment for some time «great ambience» good parking and a fine deck overlooking downtown Pittston. Great happy hour and a band on Wednesday’s. Food is good, there burger is made with Kobe beef and fresh made to order, mac and cheese is also a good choice. Staff is friendly. «great date spot». Other menu items are very high quality, although price reflects that, portion size is gourmet, but quality is there… a must go if your near Pittston

This place is been in Pittston for quite some time and I’ve never been able to stop in for lunch or dinner. Recently I went here with some coworkers. What a great hidden gem in Pittston.
First I have to say every time I’ve tried to come here it’s always closed the tomato bar and Grill has very weird hours. This had me a little nervous because I thought the food might not be as good because they’re not open all day but Man was I wrong. There are three seed options at the tomato bar and Grill The first option is you can sit inside you can also sit outside and you can sit upstairs and look out over the town The ambience inside is very nice they have a full bar. I noticed everybody from people just getting off work eating two people on dates.
What I like about this place is that they do everything fresh and as homemade as possible. I ended up getting a crispy chicken sandwich which you could tell was hand breaded and it was very good. After asking the waitress what she recommended she told me that the mac & cheese is a must. I got the side of the macaroni and cheese and I was very impressed it was good and I could taste the different layers of cheese in every bite. That little bit of macaroni and cheese in the picture is enough for an entire meal. For dessert I have the double chocolate mousse. It was very good and I could tell that it was hand carved. I ended up running into somebody that I knew that was eating at the tomato bar and Grill and they told me that the menu changes quite frequently here.
Overall the tomato bar and Grill is a great place to go I highly recommend it. I will definitely be back here when they are open.
PROS:
— great food
Great atmosphere

I stopped there last night for the first time and have to say I came away impressed overall. Their menu isn’t that big, but I saw quite a few things that would interest me enough to come back.
I ended up getting their Caribbean Burger, which was very expensive for a burger in this area ($ 18) but well worth the cost. The burger itself was nice and juicy, though they slightly over cooked it to a medium temp instead of the requested medium rare.
I also liked the jerk seasoning on the burger which also added flavor. However the flavor really picked up as you got into the burger and started to taste the two very good sized coconut shrimp. It’s a very different concept for a burger, but they did a great job with it and it was well worth what they charged. Also I found the fact that their fries were a mix of three different types of fries was a nice surprise, and also really made the plate look even better since they were three different colors.
It’s definitely more of an upscale place, but they have quality food, a good beer selection, and a nice atmosphere. The only reason I don’t give them a five is because the burger was overcooked.

I am still very new to the area, so I decided to step off a beaten path to WB city center and to try going locally. I didn’t set any specific expectations apart from having decent evening meal and having some friendly chat at the counter and I’ve chosen the place mainly because of its high rating here on Unilocal.
Cutting it short, a club burger was fair, but definitely not something I’d die for. I am ashamed to admit that IMO their burgers will lose big time even to most of $ 6-​$ 8 burgers in Jersey diners. At the same time three potato mix was quite good — I liked it VERY much. Next time I’ll probably order a burger and ask to substitute it with more fries, j/​k. Service was okay it its bare minimalism — menu — order ready — check. Nobody even followed up on if the food was good or if I needed anything else and the bartender handed me a check seconds after I finished my meal even without me asking like he was rushing to get me out of my seat as quickly as he could.
Friendly chat thing didn’t really work out either. It looks like the majority of people here are either locals aka regulars gathering around their tables or people sitting all evening alone at the counter staring at their phones and not saying a single word to anyone. Maybe it’s a norm here, I don’t know (or maybe I look so scary and forbidding so everyone starts texting just not to see me around LOL)
Bottom line — it’s an OK place to quickly grab something to eat and go. I personally prefer something more lively and friendly, but maybe I’ll give it another try on weekday night as it’s one of the closest pubs for me now…

A really cool place — great friendly and fast service, Creative menu, awesome beer selection with very knowledgeable waiters/​waitresses. Keep it up

A bit pricey, but their burgers are amazing!

I like Tomato Bar generally, but tonight we had a waiter who we think slid through life on his good looks. Upstairs patio. Second Night May 2015. It took him three hours to get a total of four drinks (me and one friend each had 2) and when we asked, he surmised that «someone must have given away» our food. And the rest of the staff was a little too cool by half.

Heard some hit and miss things bit wanted to try it for ourselves. Loved the first impression when you walk in. Big space, nicely decorated. Loved the corrugated metal on the window walls and the exposed brick. Outstanding job to whoever converted this place.
We were greeted immediately for a table but opted to sit at the bar. There is nothing I hate worse than being ignored when you sit at a bar! I love when they give you the quick glance but never acknowledge your presence! Finally asked «if anyone was helping us» which was a rhetorical question. Real simple fix…” hi, I’ll be with you guys in a minute” and I’m good for the next 5 – 10 min. But no, not at the famous Tomato Bar.
Finally got our first beer and began the next phase of attempting to get a menu. After a few more minutes of being ignored had to flag down the bar tender to ASK for a menu!!! Finally got our menus and this was the most painful part. Normally, if you stack the menus, or you make eye contact, or the shear fact that you have had your menus for at least 10 minutes!!!, they know you are ready. NADA! NOTHING! NOT HERE! For 10 minutes!!! Finally pushed the menus all the way forward and placed them where they were ready to fall on the floor and Mr AHole comes walking by, picks them up, puts them away and never even asks us if we wanted anything!!! WTF already! Finally get his attention a few minutes later and ask if I can order something to eat and he says sure… Why the hell am I asking him if I can get something to eat???
Finally got to order and tried the crab Mac and an order of fries and in a nutshell, we thought the food was very good.
I can’t understand how these establishments use such losers to be the faces of their business. It baffles me that you would throw all this time and money building such a fabulous place and risk it all by hiring completely unfriendly and ignorant bartenders. What a d-​bag he was! As great as everything else was, I’m not sure if I can handle the pain of going there again until I hear they canned his sorry ass.
Im guessing that table service may have brought this up to a 4 or 5 star review but if you are going there and plan to sit at the bar, GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!!!

Perfect! Staff is awesome! Very Clean! Attractive building with a classy atmosphere. Food is amazing! Noted for fries and basically anything they make turns into a gourmet dinner. Drinks are well made. Great selection of beers. Pittston’s best restaurant!

Awesome atmosphere and even better food! Deff recommend this place for any occasion. Food is great and fairly priced.

I love northeast PA, but it definitely has its flaws. One of those flaws is if you want to go out to eat for foods like a burger or fried chicken; you’re only choice is terrible chain. Recently, a friend told me that Tomato Bar had a burger that was mixture of Kobe beef, brisket and chuck. I was interested.
I finally stopped in. First and foremost, the restaurant has a bar in the center. It’s not exactly welcoming for families. But it’s wasn’t a rowdy bar scene and once seated the bar seemed to disappear. There was only one waitress on tonight. This is where chains should take notice, one hard-​working waitress is better than four lazy ones.
Finally, the food. The three potato fry mix was great and the burger. Yep, it’ll ruin you for other burgers in the Wilkes-​Barre area. It’s about the same price as Red Robin, except with great food and great service. A kid’s menu would be a nice welcome. Now if I could find a place that makes good fried chicken.

We have been here st least 3xs since we moved here a year and a half ago. The first time was during tomato fest and they were swamped so we forgave the uncomfortably loud atmosphere, terrible service and mediocre food. But they have been consistent both every time since and definitely worsening service. After the third time we decided there were too many other places to eat with good food, friendly service and calming atmosphere. Too bad because the location is great.

This place is fantastic. I have a local customer which I bring here every time I come to visit.
First — excellent selection of draft beer. I’m from the west coast, so I really like how many east coast /​PA brews on tap.
Second — food is awesome. The pork belly sandwich is amazing. The dry rub ribs in duck fat are amazing. Excellent hummus.

This was very surprising treat in an odd section of Pittston. The toiwn really seems to be undergoing some major changes and becoming more upscale, We sat outside on the patio having drinks and appetizers on a nice Tuesday night. Even on a Tuesday, an acoustic guitarist/​singer showed up around 7 (Asia something or other… she was good). We didn’t get up to the rooftop deck but that lloks nice as well. Drinks were well made and cold. Service was good but once it got a bit crowded they appeared to be running around quite a bit. Overall, an enjoyable experience. Not dressy but not dive bar attire either.

Caesar Salad pretty good, loved the croutons. I ordered a portobello lump crab sandwich that was pretty impossible to eat without utensils. The crab was SO loaded with salt I had to bail and scrape aside. The fries were done very well but overall the meal was a bit disappointing as a whole. What got real strange and grating was the pop music. All pop music– Katy Perry genre. Got me thinking I was in a gay bar because of everyone there and coming in. Granted I was the only individual male in here but I’d be completely devoid of gaydar if all the pairs of guys were couples. No reason to not come here but with the music and the food, the good start ended up not living up to my initial expectations. Next time I hope Au Rant is open!!!

We headed down here on a Monday night two weeks ago, based upon a) the live music here on Mondays and b) the fact that this is generally a great day to get out an have a drink. I figured this would be our go-​to place on Monday’s.
I was predisposed to like the place since I’d been here twice before for cocktails and liked the place both times. I think the atmosphere, for PIttston, is outstanding.
Deep fried pork ribs were hack, but actually pretty good. I’ll get them again if we end up here for any reason.
I ordered a «Kobe» burger, which I assumed was actually domestic Kobe. Real Kobe beef would be crazy expensive and very hard to source. In any event, the burger, ordered medium, arrived very dry and well done. The portion was HUGE, which is a great thing for many patrons. I was starving, and I ate it all. It is, though, without a doubt, NOT a $ 15 burger. It’s an $ 8 – 10 burger. The burger is way over-​priced.
My other issue with the place was the cost of drinks. The Dogfish Bitches Brew that I had came in a small snifter of 8oz at most. I got our bill and this drink (I had 3) costed me $ 12 each. YIKES! $ 36 for three small beers. DFH Bitches Brew is not a very rare beer, and so the price is not justified. If the establishment thinks it is, they should train the servers to notify patrons that the beer they order is $ 12. As it is, I think it’s trickery.
Our deep-​fried cheesecake desert was gross. It reminded me of a cheesecake egg roll.
I’ve gone back and forth, but it’s one star for me. Great looking place with nothing else to offer us.
No chance we’ll be back.

Everything is great here. Great bartender, great happy hour and great food. The fries are yum!!!
Entertainment rolled in with no cover on a Monday night, great tunes! I’m coming back and bringing friends!

Awesome addition to downtown Pittston. Very different from any other restaurant in the area. The menu is unique and the food does not disappoint. Pair the amazing food with a great beer selection and you’ve got a winning combination. The grilled cheese is a must try. Nice crunchy bread with a blend of cheeses and tomato. The zesty crab mac and cheese was also good and worth trying, but the crab got lost in the dish. Burgers have a great flavor and the blend of meat in the patty really makes it shine. Fries are awesome and be sure to ask for a side of the spicy ketchup which comes with the fry platter but not the dishes. Not sure why they don’t automatically include it with each dish instead opting to up charge the customer for it. Still totally worth it.
Hopefully more restaurants like this will start popping up with the revitalization efforts in downtown Pittston. Would love to see the city become a hot spot for dining.

We picked a wonderful day to sit outside on the patio. NOT. It started to drizzle as we ordered drinks, so we were forced to move inside.
There were several items on the menu that caught my eye. I can’t eat an entire cow (even though I was VERY hungry), so I narrowed it down to two cows and told the waiter to pick one. The Sonoma Burger or Inferno Burger. Which did I get? …Sonoma Burger. Boy was I impressed. This burger came with roasted tomato, avocado, brie, pickled onion, and lettuce. The meat was very juicy. You could tell it wasn’t frozen meat. The pickled onions really made this burger. Highly impressed. I also had a trio of fries on the side, which consisted of three different types. Never saw this anywhere. Great idea. If you wanna know what kinds of fries, guess you’ll have to go and find out for yourself!
For dessert, we tried the Chocolate Bombe, which is chocolate genoise, white and dark chocolate mousse, and a chocolate ganache coating AND the Bread Pudding, which comes with fresh and whipped cream on the side. Both very good.
Overall experience. Great service, food, and company.
Btw, try the Strawberry Mojito.