Bistro on the Boulevard

Visited this place on a recent business trip to the area. Was fairly busy on a Wednesday night about 8pm. That was a good sign. The food and service were very good. The menu had several choices I would have liked to have tried. Settled on the shrimp and grits with andouille sausage. It was a good choice. I will be back.

My fiancé and I ate at bistro for the first time last night and were very impressed. All of the apps sounded amazing but we opted for the fried green tomatoes and shecrab soup and they didn’t disappoint. I had the Chicken Marsala with sautéed kale and sweet potato fries (yum) and he had the special Farmer’s Ribeye which was cooked perfectly and topped with bacon, egg (perfectly runny) and apple BBQ sauce — he raved it was one of the best steaks he’s ever had, and that’s a big deal coming from the «ribeye grill master» himself. Our drinks were great and reasonably priced as well, I loved my ginger mojito! Hoping next time the humidity will be down and we can eat out on the spacious patio. Service was attentive and friendly and the owner made sure we were well taken care of too. The menu selection is well rounded but not overwhelming, overall great atmosphere and delicious quality food that far exceeds what you’ll get at any chain restaurant (and for about the same price!). It’s a bit tucked away in the corner of a plaza so don’t miss out on this gem!

We went for dinner on Friday at 4:15 only to be told they don’t serve dinner until 5 PM. Apparently they don’t wish to let you know this on their website. Incompetence is rewarded by my not ever returning.

I visited the Bistro a couple consecutive nights recently while staying in Columbia. Although I can’t really comment on the food (due to the liquid only diet I had there), I didn’t have any complaints and felt as if I wasn’t an out-​of-​towner. The set up of the bar is nice and has a good amount of seating. Lighting is ideal and offers a pretty relaxing environment. Several members of the stay went out of their way to introduce themselves and make sure I was enjoying my visit. Drinks were good and relatively inexpensive I thought. Overall, this is a pretty good spot to unwind and have a few drinks. Will definitely try to stop back.

Nothing exceptional on our stop. I had Bacon wrapped shrimp which was covered in what appeared to be biscuit gravy, ok but a little heavy. Hubby had voodoo appetizer that was really heavy… we both had she crab soup that was ok. Service was adequate but not special. Forgotten wine and brought soup out late. Then didn’t check back after food was delivered to verify… Overall mediocre.

Excellent service! Fantastic food! Entertainment was great and the right volume… you could still carry on a conversation at your table…
I had the grit cake with shrimp scampi and it was absolutely delicious. Shrimp Scampi, ribeye, salmon and pork was enjoyed by others at the table. The peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream was to die for. Sara our waitress was wonderful, prompt service, never waited for anything! All in all a great experience and would highly recommend this wonderful bistro.

Found this place on Unilocal today. Atmosphere and food were great. My friend and I got 3 appetizers to share. It was more than enough food. We got the fried green tomatoes, shrimp and lump crab, cheese plate and a side of kale. The shrimp and lump crab and the cheese plate was amazing. I will definitely order again. I was disappointed in the kale and fried green tomatoes. However, my friend really liked them. The fried green tomatoes came with a fried shrimp on top. They were heavily breaded and too salty. The kale was good but not great, a little too salty for my preference.

My husband and I love going here and sitting at the bar. The bar staff is always great, and the filet tips are phenomenal! I also really enjoy the house salad, just a good, healthy salad. Drink prices are always great and the entertainment is usually super!
We are happy to call this one of our local joints

Update time. I have been back at this place twice and no complaints. I order both times to go because in the middle of the week you just do not want to go out so you send you husband to pick it up, «Me». We order Voodoo Skillet (App), Shrimp&Grits, and Ahi Tuna one time. The shrimp&grits was 10 out of 5 stars. I will have to pay off the cook for the recipe one of these days. The Voodoo was good and everyone liked it. The Ahi Tuna… I want more! It was that good but more fish please. That is how they reel you in again and again. Wanting more when you leave. I will add one more thing, I juice at home. Kale has a bitter taste to it but you order kale from here it won’t have it. The cook knows what he or she is doing in my opinion or some good training is happening in the kitchen/​back end. Oh, the bartender was awesome. I cannot speak for the waitresses service because the bartender always took care of my orders.

My wife and I love this restaurant. It has become our go-​to date night spot. It has a great atmosphere and the service has always been great! I would recommend to everyone!

Bottom line: try it out for yourself. All of my complaints could be circumstantial.
I was really excited about this place. It didn’t quite live up to what I hoped, but I recommended to friends and I would go back.
Server wasn’t very attentive. But that’s not a good judgement on the restaurant as a whole. I was a single diner at a table on a Monday night.
Food didn’t quite live up to expectations. But it’s hard to get a clear picture after just one experience.
Great atmosphere though, even if it was relatively slow that night.

It was a good meal. For the price it was good. The menu is fancier. I had the ribeye, loaded baked potato and asparagus. The flavor was good and the atmosphere was quiet. It a Wednesday night so it was not real crowded. Not necessarily my cup of tea but my wife would like to come back.

Every trip here leaves me happy. I’ve never ordered a thing it didn’t like and never had a moment of bad service. I would highly recommend this place. Great quality & delicious flavors in every dish.

We have gone here twice now. The first time was in December about a week before Christmas. I made reservations over the phone and was glad to see they took reservations. We had purchased a Group On coupon for $ 22 that was good for Saturday nights. When we arrived they had a nice booth reserved for us. There was a band playing — excellent band and great selection of songs. As some of the reviews state, this is a bar/​restaurant so the front bar area has tables and booths and live entertainment. So much for the atmosphere, I’ll come back to that in a bit.
Food: My wife ordered the Salmon and I tried the Ribeye steak. We had the house salad (I had blue cheese dressing, can’t remember what my wife had), but the salad was great. Highly recommend it. My wife loved the Salmon. When they brought my Ribeye out my first thought was that it was pretty thin. But the taste was fabulous. I ordered an Old Fashion and a wine with dinner. My wife had two wines. Total bill was very very reasonable. House wines were only $ 4. We both were very pleased with the evening and vowed to come back.
1÷16÷2014 — Went back again and brought our neighbors. I made reservations over the phone via a voice mail and they returned my call that afternoon confirming the reservations. They had a table reserved when we got there. When we walked in the front door the band that was playing was so loud that it almost hurt your ears. My wife and neighbor were almost ready to turn around and walk out.
Fortunately, we were seated in the back side room adjoing the front bar room, but still open to the room so that you can still hear the band, but at least not as loud as if you were sitting in the main room. Once again I ordered the house salad and split it with my wife. Blue cheese dressing again and it was great. Our neighbors split the salad with ranch dressing and loved it also. My wife and friend ordered the Salmon with crab and spinach topped with the Chardonnay Drill Cream sauce. I think it was the best meal at the table. I ordered the special of the night which was the Grouper with two sides (asparagus and mashed potatoes) and it also was very good. Nice and flaky with a lemon picata sauce. My neighbor ordered the shrimp and grits with andouille sausage and it was great. Every single meal we’ve had here has been excellent. I highly recommend this place for it’s food
Unfortunately, the atmosphere is the only negative that I have about the place after this second visit. It’s like the business isn’t sure what it really is — a restaurant or a bar. It is definitely not a place for a romantic, or nice quiet dinner with your spouse or a date. The lighting in the adjoining room next to the bar was slightly bright, not bad, just not quite what we were looking for. I’ll definitely go back for the food and hope the band has toned down the volume some. Maybe it was just the band playing last night. When they did do a lower volume song they did sound good.
The other issue was my wife ate half of her Salmon and the waitress asked if she wanted a box to take the leftovers home. My wife said she did. The waitress took her plate from the table, came back shortly and handed my wife an empty box. My wife said «Where’s the food?» The waitress said she would go back and find the food but my wife didn’t feel right about someone going back to the kitchen and picking out the food that had been taken, not sure if it would be hers or not. The waitress did offer to have them make her another dish so she could bring it with her. My wife said not to bother. So they did offer to correct the problem. Other than that the waitress (Kames) was very god.

Service was horrible. Asparagus was frozen, not fresh. Asked the waitress if the chicken Marsala was grilled or fried — she said grilled. Received my meal and it was pan fried. Sauce was all over my plate so the sweet potato fries were soggy and covered in sauce. Crab cakes were decent as an appetizer. Shrimp scampi pasta was alright.

Excellent food, service, and band! The bacon wrapped shrimp appetizer we ordered was very good. The chargrilled taste mixed in with the sauce made it very flavorful. They also have fish entrees, salads, hamburger with fried egg, ahi tuna, 10oz steak, etc. This is a casual dress «higher end» bar and grill, so the prices are slightly high. However, you can still get a Bud Light draft for $ 2. Drink specials are about $ 5. The 2 member band they had, husband and wife, were excellent. Our waiter was very attentive and helpful. I would consider going back, especially when there is live music.

Just okay. Dinner was entirely too salty. The kale was cooked right but had a bucket of salt. Their signature stuffed pork chop was again too salty. The fried green tomatoes were tasty and best part of an average kind of dinner.

I am traveling and staying right down the street. Unilocal rated this 5.5 stars so had to check it out. Wow! The menu is not 3 or 4 pages… that’s a plus. Food options are all so enticing. Great, great food. Do not miss this place!

Where can you go to have a great meal and also a great time? BISTRO ON THE BOULEVARD was the best choice we have made in a while. The scallops and steak were excellent and the band was an unexpected pleasure. We are making this a once a week destination!

Nestled in a small strip mall-​ish section of irmo, I wasn’t sure what to expect here but the décor is bright and upbeat with a nice outdoor seating area which is covered. We were promptly seated and ordered the panko calamari appetizer. The crunch paired well with acidic banana peppers that came with it, making for a tasty dish. Unfortunately our entrees arrived at the exact same time as the appetizer so it felt a little rushed. The ahi tuna with wasabi pineapple glaze was so tender and didn’t taste «fishy» which was a plus. I also enjoyed the hearty mashed potatoes and sauteed kale with bacon. Only downside was being seated by a huge loud group of women when there were plenty of quieter seats… why? For dessert, the dark chocolate bistro cake was divine but split it with a friend! I’m a chocaholic but it was too large even for me. Overall a good experience. I’d return here for a special occasion.