Café Bistro

Friendly staff amazing food. I can’t believe I didn’t know about this place sooner. Just amazing !

2 words:
Bread pudding.
Jk. But really. Their bread pudding is one of the best I’ve had. Perfectly crispy on the outside & soft and moist on the inside. It’s not too overly sweet so it’s perfect.
I do like their food here despite it being on the pricier side Because it tastes good and freshly made. The olive tapenade that was in one of my sandwiches was actually so good I really enjoyed it.

Disclaimer: My rating is based on the service I received making a take-​out order. The Café Bistro menu is one of my favorites! I come here every time I swing by the mall & sometimes, I will use the café as an excuse to come shopping. I’m sure you’ll enjoy anything on the menu, but I highly recommend getting the goat cheese panini!
Being an active person, setting time aside to leave Unilocal reviews is toward the end of my list. Mostly because I feel obligated to leave detailed reviews about my experience. That being said, my experience at the Tacoma Mall Café Bistro really irked me.
I tagged along with my cousin, who was doing a little shopping, I decided to drop by the café and order out to have lunch for later. I get to the register and am faced with 2 people – a sparse-​haired man and a girl who looks to have been in training. I normally have my Nordstrom card on me but I didn’t have it this time. I wasn’t aware an ID was needed either as I’ve never had to go through the process of looking up my card. I politely asked if we could look my card up and the man immediately says «NO, don’t look it up!» He spoke in such a condescending manner that it even made me feel uncomfortable.
(For reference, the man was Caucasian, a little larger, had sparse, black hair, combed front bangs, goatee, maybe mid-30’s.)
No problem, I have my debit card. I hand that over and the girl taking my order began asking for the last 6 of my social (to look up my card). I think she was confused as to what was going on. The man snatches «WE’RE NOT LOOKING UP HER CARD BECAUSE SHE DOESN’T HAVE HER ID!» He spoke as if he were trying to intimidate — taking anger out on my situation to her as if I could not observe what was happening. I was truly offended. I could not believe Nordstrom had hired this man. I am a Nordstrom frequent and have been in contact with countless employees. Not once have I ever been treated like a thief. He had no manners, no empathy, and he looked miserable working there. I felt bad for the poor girl.
I’m sadden to leave this review because I love Nordstrom to the core. However, I think the Café management needs to make more careful hiring decisions or have more in-​depth training about the Nordstrom value. I will continue coming to this café for the food unless I happen to see him at the front. Otherwise, I will choose the latter and go elsewhere. Shopping and dining out are luxuries and if I can avoid encountering situations like this one, I definitely will.

My friends & I come here all the time. Too many to count!
It tends to be on the pricey side, but they now offer 20% military discount!
You need to show your military ID! Veterans, active duty, spouses, and dependents can use this discount!
The atmosphere is very calming and clean. The food is tasty. I have NO complaints. Every visit I try something new on the menu. If you’re contemplating on what to order try the chef’s daily special. It never fails to satisfy! Lastly, the staff here are very friendly! They’re very understanding and do their best. If you don’t know where to eat at the Tacoma mall then go here.
Also, try the kalamata olive aioli dip with your meal it’s so delectable.

I have been coming to the Tacoma Mall Nordstrom café/​bistro since I was a child.
Its food at its finest I have to say. Before it was renovated to Café Bistro, it was just the normal Nordstrom Café. I was saddened that they were taking the café away, but was excited for the new Bistro.
Ambiance is really nice for a mall eatery (Probably because its fancy Nordstrom). But casual enough where you can just eat there before or after you shop at the mall.
Price is surely on the higher side. Probably 12 – 25 per person depending on what you get. I consider this Nordstrom Bistro and Nordstrom eateries in general comparable to real upscale restaurants due to the quality and taste.
Food: I have tried mostly everysingle item that can be offered on the menu. My favorite appetizer that i recommend is the crab bisque. Its just heavenly. Creamy, chunks of real crab meat, and a little kick from the garzpacho they use to finish with. All sandwiches are a winner. My favorite is the chicken and goat cheese panini and bistro club. Comes with the most awesome crispy thin fries that has been seasoned with fresh herbs. The dipping sauce that comes with the fry is kalamata olive aioli which gives it more of a rich taste.
they have a pizza oven which you notice right when you walk in so you know their pizza will be good!
Dessert: Best desserts hands down. I dream, crave, think about their desserts all the time when i am in need for something sweet. Crème brûlée, Berry shortcake, White chocolate raspberry bread pudding, and Chocolate cake with caramel sauce is just simply heaven on a plate. All so perfectly prepared. I recommend all that i listed. But if i really had to choose my top 2, it would be the bread pudding and berry shortcake!

Fabulous cilantro lime shrimp salad… And the bread pudding?!? Worth a trip just for that!

Decent french type food. onion soup, pan roasted chicken, frites. Menu has calorie count so might make you guilty. Can get busy on weekend shopping special days

The bistro was a nice place to meet for lunch. The food was tasty and the service was great. We had a party of 5 that met for lunch. The staff allowed us to be seated before all of the party arrived. They were kind and patient as we had a new born with us and baby’s needs took presidente over us ordering. The waitress Stephanie was kind and helpful to wait on us once baby got settled in. They have cocktails, and a good spread of food from soups, salads, sandwiches, pasta, fish, and more. They did not accept reservations. They were busy but no wait time. The prices were not that bad considering its Nordstrom. The only thing is that their restroom was shared with the store area and you had to walk into the store to access the bathroom. Overall I would recommend it.

My favorite sandwiche, French Dip! I also love the olive dip for the fries. It is one of my favorite lunch spots in Tacoma. Fast, easy and delicious.

If I’m at the mall this is THE place to eat. The food is always amazing and the service is very good! I love the cilantro lime salad and it is my go to dish if I’m in a salad mood. The shrimp they use are delicious, cooked just right and good size. The only downfall is I hardly ever carry cash and since you pay upfront leaving a tip is tricky… I normally have to plan in advance and make sure I have a little cash on hand. FYI, not all locations use the same meat in the salad (in California the same salad is a chicken salad, not shrimp… but still equally amazing).

Nordstrom Bistro is consistently delicious! This is the only place I like to eat at in the mall. I usually grab a sandwich, which is a little pricy but way better than any other mall food. The fries are super good, tiny, crispy and melt in your mouth. I love the dipping sauce that comes with the turkey club too. It is like an olive aioli. Soooo good!
Service is good and they are excellent about filling up your water. The sitting area is comfortable and you don’t feel like you’re eating in a mall. You pay up front and then you get served. My friend and I are always perplexed if you are supposed to leave a tip or not? Because there is no room for a tip when they bring you your receipt when you’re done eating! We’ll figure it out one day… The chocolate sticks they give you with your receipt are a nice touch too :)

What could have been a great dish ended up being a terrible disappointment. My risotto was undercooked, overly peppered, and my asparagus was burned! The only thing the dish had going for it was that it had a few healthy-​sized prawns that were okay at best. To make matters worse, the waitstaff didn’t even check in with me as I was obviously having a terrible time with my meal (I was pushting aside the burnt parts). Terrible service, poor quality food and high prices, what happened to the Nordstrom Café? It used to be so good…

I’ve never had a bad experience eating at Nordstrom. I’ve been eating at nordstrom since college (a long time ago) since I could use my Nordstrom card for food. Lol!
If I’m in a mall that has a nordstrom bistro or café, I will always eat there vs the food court.
I love the variety of desserts they have to offer as well.

First time was amazing. Finally got myself to find time to go again. Ordered same… angel hair pasta and bread pudding for dessert. Every time… excellent customer service. :) Second time… for some reason not as good… but still OK overall.

This is one of my go-​to places for extra fancy dessert. The white chocolate raspberry bread pudding is amazing! Like the other reviews state, it is odd to have to pay first, but if you already know what you want it can be sort of nice. The crab bisque is also pretty good! The only down sides are feeling rushed when ordering, hit and miss service, and having to remember to bring cash for the tip. Haven’t tried anything else because the prices are a little steep and if I want to spend $$ I’d rather go somewhere with a less weird set up.

Uneven, though pleasant, service does not prevent this from being one of my favorite lunch spots in Tacoma. It’s not cheap, but the food is excellent, the atmosphere is relaxed and comfortable, and the people are friendly, if a little harried.

Delicious menu and if something isn’t to your taste, the wait staff is always happy to offer you something else off the menu.
I love their soups, but with they offered vegan options more consistently. The staff is patient when adapting items for special diets.
If I don’t have cash for a tip, I go back to the counter and ask them to charge it. There’s no excuse for being an ungrateful customer.

This is like a high-​end, pricier Panera. You order and pay at the cashier first, then you’re seated. No menu on the wall behind the cashier though — only in a little brochure in a bucket on the counter, so I had no idea that was the setup (pay first, eat later). My friend and I quickly glanced over the menu as there were 4 people behind us in line and we appeared to have the only menu, so we just got the first things we recognized — salads — cause we were getting glares from the waiting customers AND from the cashier (even though we’d only been in front of her for 30 seconds).
We get seated and a waitress comes over and gives us silverware w/​cloth napkins (what?!). She brings us water, the drinks we ordered, and our food. She even refilled my soda from a carafe. So … service like what you’d get at a steakhouse, but ordering system like Panera. At the end the waitress brought our check — which was $ 0 because we’d prepaid — and we couldn’t figure out how to tip so we didn’t. I don’t tip before I get my meal (exception for coffee shops), there was no line for it on the prepay bill, and we weren’t carrying cash. If a waitress was going to come by and serve us so well anyway, why should we be ordering before we sit down? All that accomplished was not allowing me and my friend to really look at the menu before ordering.
The food was good, and the service from the waitress was great, and one of the chefs said a nice goodbye to us on our way out. It took a while for my friend and I to even be acknowledged, and it was inferred that we would be seated. Instead, a cashier with a frown told us to come over to her and asked us what we wanted. Overall, the restaurant model doesn’t make sense to me. I would rate it higher if I had a chance to try something other than a salad. 5 stars for the waitress, 4 stars for the salads, but that doesn’t overcome the 2 star business model.

I would say it was, A-​Ok. I have been craving pizza for quite some time, probably 2 – 3 months?
My friend highly recommended for me to try this place out. Guess what? I have been coming to the Tacoma Mall my whole life… I did not even know this place existed! I know that this Nordstrom is new compared to where it used to be.
Anyways, it looked quite fancy~
I think it is a bit of a turn off to have to pay first… when the place looks nice…
Other than that, we ordered the Margherita pizza, ehh… I could have had better pizza probably at Little Caesars or something… (I never had Little Caesar’s before). The pizza was bland… and chewy. Not the good kind of chewy.
I really wanted to like it! But I couldn’t. We also ordered a salad, QUITE pricey for a salad that was bare minimum.
It was the Nicoise Salad with Salmon. What an odd dressing to go with the salad! Oh my lordie, I found the olives in there REALLY disturbing.
I personally dislike olives, I try to befriend them once in awhile but they always kick me in the mouth with it’s nasty flavoring.
I kind of liked the crispy outer layer of the salmon! It was warm and juicy. I think the salmon itself was the best part.
I really want to try different dishes here, now that I know such place exists.

I really like this place. The pizzas here are amazing and the salads too. I have never been disappointed by the service here. The staff is amazing and really nice.
The first time that I was here, after they had moved their location to where the Mervins store used to be, I had ordered their steak and fries. What can I say about the meal that I had that day? Amazing! The server was friendly and gave us everything that we needed. The steak came out moist and savory. Perfection. Not too salty or dried. Even when I had brought some leftovers home, the steak had disappeared within a few minutes. The look on my sister’s face looked like she was enjoying the meal as I did in the restaurant. After finishing up the rest of the steak, she had told me how good it was and that we need to go there soon.
Lately the times that I have been there was ordering to go since I don’t have that much time as I used to. Still the food comes out great and service is still the same. You can check out the photos that I have uploaded.
I have not been able to try every dish on the menu yet, but I am determined to. I am sure that I will drooling about it until I have tried them all.