Bistro Dre

Judging from reviews, the food was supposed to be stellar. My fiancée and I chose this place for our 5 year anniversary. I ordered the Steak of the Day and she chose the Steak and Frites. The reviews on Unilocal all complement the steak very highly and we couldnt pick just one. I terribly regret our decision. We both ordered medium, they both came back well done; virtually no pink meat whatsoever. Both steaks were mostly gristle. Her steak was at least one cut of meat, my steak came in 3 separate parts, and all of them were about 60% inedible. I suspect the restaurant ran out of steaks and gave us the last bits of meat they had left over, hence they were overcooked in an attempt to hide flaws? Thats the best case scenario. In either case, by the time I had finished, I think the majority of the «steak» was still on my plate from all the gristle I refused to eat. I would have much rather been told they don’t have any good cuts of steak left than be served left over and over cooked cuts. They also have the nerve to charge an upcharge for ordering steak during the prix fixe menu (despite the sign up front saying ANY entrée for $ 25, with the ANY being underlined). I had no problem with this when I was expecting a great cut of meat cooked to order, I think I’d have enjoyed a steak at outback more.
Credit where its due, the wine sauce on the steak of the day was great.
The service was also very good, the woman who served us did a great job answering questions and was very polite. The desserts were also great. Key lime pie and angel food cake were both awesome. They get 2 stars only because there were at least some redeeming qualities, had the main course been good (or even, edible) this would easily been a 4 if not 5 star experience. Maybe we were there on an off day, but I certainly was not getting the same steak as all the other Unilocal reviews.

Food is pretty good, but this place needs a good cleaning. Made 10am reservations, so we were the first in the restaurant that morning. It was difficult to fully enjoy my breakfast at the window seat while seeing 2 dead bugs crusted over on the windowsill and another one eating crumbs that were also on the sill. The floors were pretty gross, too. It’s a shame, because the food is pretty good, but multiple bugs next to my brunch plate simply won’t do.

This is my favorite restaurant in Lakeview. On separate occasions, I’ve taken my grandparents here, my family, a couple of girlfriends, a first date. It’s never let me down. I believe it’s family owned and operated. All desserts are homemade by the chef’s mother. The menu rotates so don’t go in there with your heart set on one thing. The waiter’s recommendation is usually spot on.

What a nice little Bistro with a great menu!
BYOB is always a plus.
Service was pretty top notch, and the Chicken and Waffles were off the chain. How syrup, chicken, waffles, and gravy can all unite in your mouth with utter perfection is beyond me. In keeping with the odd bed fellows of flavor profiles, my boy and I slammed this delectable dish down with some Bordeaux.
This was the beginning of a lazy Sunday worth remembering.
I will definitely be back.

We loved this place! We came with a big group and they take reservations which I love. There were 15 of us and their service was amazing. It’s BYOB so don’t forget the dranks! I got the steak and eggs and it was so delicious! A few others didn’t think their food was as good but I loved mine so whateva!

The restaurant is located, in a quaint storefront. It is BYOB which is appealing to some. The fried chicken, waffle and beans came highly recommended on Check Please WTTW. Unfortunately, it was a bit disappointing. The chicken is rather dry and the waffle and beans were just ok. We also has the Spa Salmon which was actually good, but not spectacular. We ordered the Mac n Cheese as a side to share. It was not like the traditional Mac n cheese. We found it to be rather bland, if not for the sun dried tomatoes. Would have expected a bit more wow for a $ 17 Mac n Cheese dish/​starter.
A couple of additional misses; no fried green tomatoes and they were out is iced tea (on an 80 degree day
We were seated promptly and served very quickly. Our server was also very courteous.

Love the $ 25 pre fixe! And BYOB! Can’t beat it.
Cute, small, very French atmosphere. Be sure to make a reservation.
Try steak frites, one of the best steaks I’ve had in a long time. (Besides at home of course) ;-)
Also very Good service! Staff is trained well.

Our little family of five celebrated the husband’s birthday on Tuesday with the prix fixe dinner supplemented with two appetizers. A great time was had by all enhanced by the team service provided by Nathan and Peter!
We all shared the mushroom puff tart with Brie fondue and the beet stuffed beets. We loved both of them.
The son-​in-​law enjoyed the French onion soup while the rest of enjoyed our house salads.
The husband and I enjoyed the salmon sided with asparagus and garlic mashed potatoes. One daughter and the son-​in-​law enjoyed the quinoa and bacon crusted white fish. The other daughter loved the ravioli.
The husband and the son-​in-​law enjoyed the Country Duo of bread pudding and apple pie. One daughter had the chocolate fudge cake with mango sorbet instead of ice cream. The other daughter and I each had the key lime pie sided with mango sorbet.
We enjoyed every bit of food. The portions were perfect and we had come hungry and left sated.
The ambience includes multitudes of objects that enhance the photographs and illustrations from Chicago and Paris past.
I recommend Bistro Dre!

Went down after seeing this place on ‘Check Please’.
The atmosphere is good and we sat at the bar. Our server was polite, friendly and helpful and talked us through the menu as it was our first visit.
We had the onion soup, the lobster bisque, poutine and the lamb empanadas. The food was ok but nothing to write home about — it definitely isn’t enough to keep us going back. Price wise, I thought Bistro Dre was on the high side, and given the fact that there is plenty of competition in the area, I don’t really think it can be justified.
On a side note, the bathrooms were a bit of a shambles. They were not overly clean and are basically used as storage rooms with toilet paper and kid’s high chairs stacked up. There was also a stack of magazines by the toilet — how long do they expect you to be in there?
Overall it was ok, but there are far better options around.

Really bad service. The food is also average. Place has a pretty eclectic décor but apart from that nothing is interesting.
I called them to check if they have gluten free options. They mentioned they had a couple and were gluten free friendly. When we reached there, our server didn’t even know what’s gluten free.
Their baked Brie was probably the saving grace of night. The server was so off. We had finished the Brie and I was enjoying the chutneys. The server just came and picked up the plate. Didn’t even ask if you are done, you need anything. Let’s just assume she was having a bad day. But I m not going there again!

I had the best brunch ever here.
1) the service was amazing. It’s BYOB but the waiter kept coming and refilling our glasses. He was also hilarious! the place in general just feels homey and personal
2) the food was amazing. My boyfriend had the shrimp and grits and I had the smoked salmon Benedict. Highly recommend both, but I also want to try everything else!
3) the best part is you get a slice of pound cake with your meal. Ours was lemon and delicious. We told the waiter how much we loved it and he gave us 2 pieces to take home free of charge! Now that is what I call customer service.
Can’t wait to come back :)

Only giving this place two stars because of the amazing host!
Otherwise food was so-​so and if we had time to try another dish I may have considered.
After an an hour of dining, which means talking with old friends and enjoying plates and wine, we were told there was another reservation at our spot in 45 min so better hurry up. I guess I was shocked because never been made to hurry.
I miss Europe… where you can enjoy these types of moments and not be hurried out. Mind you, we had a reservation.
And don’t sit by the window because it stunk. Maybe from the old ass curtains.
Bathrooms were cluttered and like someone’s apartment bathroom.

A Friday date night with the hubby to celebrate getting through another week with kids. Really like the neighborhood bistro feel with knick knacks on display and comfort food menu (poutine, fried chicken, chocolate cake). Portions are meant to be shared. My husband and I ordered two starters, a main and dessert and had enough food for the evening plus another full meal for two. The food tasted fine, but didn’t offer something special and worth going out for. Quantity trumps quality; our server was friendly and it’s a cozy neighborhood feel.

I’ve been to Bistro Dre a couple of times for brunch, and had good experiences each time. I love that the place is BYOB, and the food there is very good. The complimentary lemon cake that they bring out while you are deciding on your breakfast option is a great touch as well.
The first time that I dined there I had the Brunch Poutine. This was a ton of food between the fries, eggs, bacon and gravy. My only criticism was that it was a little on the salty side. Also, out of the blue, our server came out with an order of nutella crepes for the table because the chef was working on perfecting them, and told us that they were on the house! They were definitely a highlight, as they bananas and nutella went very well together.
The second time I went I ordered the Brisket Burger and was very impressed. The egg on the burger was cooked just right to run all over the plate when I bit into it. I’ve had many brunch burgers in which the egg was overcooked and the yolk was dry.
My only issue is that the service tends to get a little slow at times, especially if you are sitting by the windows (aka trapped in the corner) and away from the main walking areas of the servers. I tend to drink coffee like it’s going out of style, and I kept having to flag down our server for refills.
Overall Bistro Dre is a great place to grab brunch and very reasonably priced for a BYOB place.

The chicken and waffles was incredible. Chicken was cooked and fried to perfection. However, my only complaint would be that the chicken to waffle ratio was a bit off. Only one skimpy waffle to accompany all that incredibly juicy and delicious chicken? Please :(
Otherwise, service was very accommodating and the chicken was spot on.

We didn’t like Bistro Dre. I mean, we had a great time for dinner there because of the fabulous company and the bottles we brought.
First, I was kinda surprised by the server. He said some rude stuff right off the bat and then continued to be rude. I quickly realized that he was joking around and I joked back with him. By the end we got along really well; however, I wasn’t expecting Ed Debevic’s style of service. I didn’t realize that was part of the Bistro Dre experience and it seemed as if the table next to us wasn’t as tickled as I was. They had sour facial expressions and seemed annoyed with the timeliness of service and I felt badly for them.
Secondly, we didn’t like the food. The cheese and charcuterie board was alright but nothing special. We loved the salads and I heard that the ravioli was good from my friend. My fish was a beautiful texture and an interesting presentation; however, it was too salty for me. Everybody tried it and agreed that it was good, but too salty. I also ate some fried chicken and macaroni and cheese and did not like either one. We got two crème brulees and one berry pie for dessert. The crème brulee was too eggy and the server said that it was a preference in preparation. Okay. Well. Nobody liked it and they were a waste of money. We all liked the berry pie.
The atmosphere at Bistro Dre was boisterous with lots of things hanging on the walls and ceiling. There was so much that caught my eye. It was a fun environment.

I searched high and low for a brunch spot with a drink special that could accommodate a party of 8 on semi-​short notice, and lo and behold, I found Bistro Dre. The restaurant is BYOB, which is in my opinion, the best kind of «drink special».
The space has a lot of character; from the quirky wall décor to the charismatic servers. Also, note that brunch is CASH ONLY. I didn’t find this out until we were already seated, but there’s a Chase right across the street. While dinner is served as shared plates, brunch is individual. The portions weren’t overwhelming, and I think everyone was more than satisfied after their meal.
As somewhat of a chicken and waffles connoisseur (lol), I had to order them when the server mentioned that they were a «fan favorite», which they even offer on their dinner menu. My other friends got the Shrimp & Grits, Poutine, and the Crab Cake Benedict. The menu we had was slightly different from what is online.
The chicken and waffles were phenomenal. I just got butterflies thinking about them. They may have been the best chicken and waffles I’ve ever had. I don’t know what it was about the waffle they served, but I almost requested a second one before I realized I was too full to even speak. It was literally perfection. Two of my other friends also ordered the same thing, and were equally pleased. My friend who got the shrimp & grits expressed that the sausage in the dish was incredible.
Our bill was $ 98. For SIX people. We ordered drinks in addition to our entrees. I have nothing more to say.

Never knew about this place until it was on Check Please. Tuesday night, snowing outside. Perfect night to try it out
If you love beets, you never had beets like this! Trust me, it’s a must. Steak Frites was cooked perfectly. But the fresh cut medium fries were over the top.
Save room for dessert. Home made warm apple pie with ice cream and Carmel sauce finished off an incredible meal. Tuesday thru Thursday, they have a three course steak dinner for $ 27!!! Really. AND it’s BYO with no corkage fee.
I was tempted not to Unilocal this place because it will become so packed, I won’t be able to get in again.
The décor does not due justice. The food is the star
Nick was a very attentive waiter

I LOVE this place. $ 25 3 course meal Tuesday — Thursday. $ 27 if you get the steak (do it!)
BYOB!
Lobster bisque is outstanding. By far my favorite.
The steak and frites are yummy and buttery.
My friends got the gnocchi, fried chicken, and French onion soup.
I don’t think there is such a thing as a bad dish here. Love the food, love the decorations, great location. And again… BYOB!

A family style restaurant with some elegantly combined dishes. I came here with my ex, his brother and his fiancé. We only got through the appetizers and ordering main courses before we were told the chef had to leave suddenly due to a fire at his relatives’ place. This was rather abrupt for my dining counterparts but I appreciate the server’s frankness. I hope the chefs family is ok. The service was fine; our server appeared very young but was willing to help with bottle opening at no cost.
The poutine is awesome-​it had shaved beef, truffle oil and cheddar fondue. The baked Brie was addictive and seemed to contain hints of white wine. It came with a platter of grapes, sliced Apple, fig jam and walnut.
Oh yeah, the desserts looked HUGE.