M & J Bistro

This place is really trying so I give 3 stars, but they just aren’t there yet.
On a business trip, we were looking for a good local spot for dinner and drinks. We arrived around 7:30 p.m. on a Tuesday evening and we were the only table. Unfortunately, no alcohol is currently being served because they’ve recently moved locations so they are in the waiting period to serve alcohol… Not their fault at all.
The menu has a wide selection of choices with a French influence. We started with the crispy potatoes for an app. They were delicious. Our group ordered the chicken sandwich: the bacon was cooked extra well done and didn’t look appetizing but my co-​worker enjoyed the sandwich and the side salad that came with it. Another co-​worker ordered the lobster crêpe. The serving size was a traditional serving size, not your typical American sized serving and my co-​worker reported that is was good. I had the Basque caesar salad. It was not tossed in the dressing, rather it was served in the side… No problem. But there were way toooooo many capers, which were tiny so it was useless to try and pick them all out… It was basically ruined from them. Defiantly would not get again.
Our server Brian was excellent! He was super helpful in describing the menu and sharing is personal favorites.
Gave it a shot, but won’t return unless I want the crispy potato app again.

Great food and service the staff was informative and friendly. I will defiantly return.

I liked the wait staff a lot, and I tried to like the food, but this wasn’t at all what we expected when we read the reviews and came here for a light lunch. I ordered a french onion soup that was basically sweetened water. There was virtually no broth to it at all, and the presentation was basically a square of Swiss melted over it with some green onion for garnish. No flavor, and that pretty much defeats the purpose of an onion soup. My husband ordered mussels that were fishy and smothered in a bland sauce. He also had the portabella pasta, which he didn’t like at all either. We hate leaving negative reviews but this experience was not at all up to par with our expectations. Even the iced tea tasted like hard water and soap. What happened to this place?

My wife and I love going here. It’s great priced food and a good price drinks. Staff is relaxed and polite. I would recommend this place to anyone. I have never had a problem

I love love this place. The shaved potatoes are a must! Jason the owner is such a great guy. I always get the lobster crêpe. If you haven’t tried this place I highly recommend it!

My wife and I love this place. Some good food in Tracy. The Staff (Brian) is great and the owner is really impressive.
Can’t say enough good things. Great place in Tracy that isn’t a chain.

Stopped in today for a drink and small bite to eat. I haven’t been back since my first visit in 2012 even though I sincerely intended to. It’s just that its in an unlikely strip mall and I always forget — plus they close pretty early because later hours haven’t proved lucrative for them (but again — it’s most likely the location!).
Regardless, we had drinks (I had a lemon drop martini and my mom had a glass of wine –both were yummy). Then we split a French Dip sandwich which came with a good sized salad and some homemade potato chips with a blue cheese (I think) drizzle. They were awesome — warm crunchy — not too salty and scrumptious. The salad came with a lemon/​orange vinaigrette which was good but a little bitter (still tasty but would have preferred no bitterness), and the sandwich was really tasty — the meat was tender albeit a little fatty (my half only — my mother’s half was not fatty at all — go figure!).
I will definitely pop in again sooner than later. Wish it was open later but oh well — I’ll have to just come early.
And one thing i wanted to mention — we arrived almost 10 minutes prior to their official time they open but the bartender was nice enough to let us come in and sit. I think that customer service goes far and this certainly was noticed. Thank you.

The best for lunch or dinner! Great atmosphere, great service. And delicious food! Check them out !!!

I really did not enjoy my experience here. From the roof to the waiter. Everything was terrible. Never again

Overpriced food for what you get. The clam chowder was nasty. They put to much pepper and Cajun spices. Come on people if this is the taste of San Fran then the chef needs to go to San Fran and eat the clam chowder at pier 39. Pier 39 makes this place look like Walmart. Also their ice tea is watered down. Seems like the owner is cutting corners to save money. Their food simply sucks for the price you pay. If you want good chowder go to San Fran. Not here

Good food, good staff. Decent prices. Eclectic menu but done well. Had burgers, pasta, sandwiches all good.

Been meaning to try this place for a while.
Went for dinner last weekend with my wife. I had the Chicken Oxoa and she had the Salmon. Both were very good. The shrimp add-​on was great for $ 4.
The cocktails were tasty and reasonably priced.
We had the nutty buddy crêpe for desert. That was great without being overly sweet.
They serve you water in a little carafe with lemon, and add a colorful cloth when serving the crêpe… little touches that make you feel like you’re in a classier place.
I wouldn’t say the food was great, but good enough to make me think twice before traveling out of Tracy for a nice meal.

First time there. Went for lunch. I mean come on it’s a wanna be fancy restaurant in Tracy lol Didn’t go there expecting much. Food was not life changing. The chef had a very nonchalant way of him. Greeted my party and myself with a toothpick in his mouth and I’m hoping he didn’t cook our food with it in his mouth seeing as it could fall out in our food but I’m pretty sure he did lol Kinda of a turn off. Now to the reason we go to restaurants the food. We all ordered basic lunch stuff sandwiches, salads, pizza which was ok not the worst but not the best did expect a little more. I don’t think I’ll be back because for the prices you don’t get what u pay for in food and overall experience.

Great place for brunch, lunch and dinner. My bf and I took my parents out to eat. They wanted steak and we just wanted something different. Our server was really friendly and entertaining. I had a filet minion sliders and be had a burger with egg. The food was so magical we thought about it when we went home. We weren’t from around the area so it was nice to find a place that wasn’t s fast food dinner joint. I didn’t realize they where closing until I looked at the sign. They didn’t mentioned anything about time. New spot for my family to come to.

Very good restaurant in a restaurant starved city! Definitely a breath of fresh air from the chain restaurants and fast food joints in Tracy. The owner is very present in the restaurant and very inviting. The food is pretty good as well as the atmosphere. Definitely a must try!

Fantastic food, perfect atmosphere, and even better service! If you are looking for a touch on class, in Tracy no less, this is the place to go. Moderate pricing for High End food. Make a reservation now. We didn’t, but we’re kindly squeezed in.
We found M & J by accident (initially looking for Indian food) but we found ourselves drawn to the SF style décor. Upon entering, We met Jason, waiter, bartender, chef, AND proprietor! A real person with a real personality. Above all, he knows the restaurant business and the simple fact that his customers are what make it. The menu even forbids use of cell phones so that we can all remember our manners, look each other in the eye, and enjoy one another as it should be. Done so well, I felt the need to stand as my lady excused herself from the table.
I ordered all the specials. Lobster corn chowder, rack of herb crusted lamb, and dessert viogniers with chocolate truffle sauce and strawberry lemon reduction! My wife had a lobster crêpe, spring salad with walnut oil dressing, and a glass of local chard to sip it down with. All said and done, this experience was less than $ 100.00!
Go for the food, go back for the experience. And ask Jason for the square tumbler. He’ll know what you mean.

Hosted a dinner meeting, and the owner had shut the entire restaurant down.
We put our trust in the owner and staff on their pre-​fixe menu. Everything was amazing… Appetizers, (amazing home made chips and the Bruschetta)
Everyone raved about the different choices that included Halibut, Spinach Ravioli, and what I had which was a perfectly prepared Rib Eye…
Please don’t get me started on desserts… the Nutty Buddy was so amazing!
Dinner meetings are one time when I can’t capture very many photos as I have an agenda that I’m following. Promise next time I return, and yes there will be a next time, I will definitely bring the hubby, and we will happily sample the other choices on the menu.
All the staff was personable, and accommodating! Thanks for everything… See you all soon!

Great experience. Coming back into the Central Valley of California on CA 120 our hunger hit us as we hit Tracy. Mostly we would stop for fast food or a quick sandwich, but my wife was looking at Unilocal!and there was highly rated M&J.
We came in for lunch and it was great. A bit off the interstate track and located in a strip mall you might have trouble zeroing in on it, but take your time and get there. It is rather small, but has the ambiance of a high end restaurant. Waiter has white shirt and tie, even.
Menu is excellent. Main coursed include salad or soup. It is a combination of American, Greek and Italian meals. And there is a full bar. They offer just about anything you might want, category-​wise, like steaks, pasta, chicken dishes salads, sandwiches/​burgers, desserts… but each one has a «twist» to it. Something special that makes each item special.
It is cozy so a great date dinner place and could be described in the evenings as romantic.
As we frequently drive through Tracy when in California we will be certain to time our travels to eat at M&J’s.

This review is for drinks and service.
Some friends and I went to Kengo Sushi with no idea that they did not serve alcohol. M&J allowed us to sit on their patio and took care of all our drinks while we ate our sushi.
The server Gabriel was polite and attentive and the drinks were all delicious! I will be back to try the food the next change I get.

This is one of the few places that has survived in this particular location for several years. I always see it, but have never ventured in. We decided to try it out for my parent’s anniversary recently.
The restaurant itself is cute. It’s not what I’d consider fancy, but it is a nice addition to Tracy, since we really don’t have many choices in the «fine dining» category. I called ahead for reservations and they had a table ready for us when we arrived.
Our server was really helpful. The problem was that he was the only one helping everyone. So we did have some longer wait times than what I normally deem acceptable. But we were having a nice night out, so I didn’t let it get to me. Plus, this is management’s fault for not staffing correctly, not the server’s fault who was providing everyone with great service.
The prices surprised me. I really wasn’t expecting them to be so high. This is a taste of San Francisco, which is a cute theme. But the problem is that we are not in San Francisco, we are in Tracy… in a strip mall next to discount stores. Yet when we tried the food, we really liked it! That helped to make the prices a bit more acceptable, plus we figured, we saved gas by staying in Tracy.
I loved the blue cheese potato chips! Those were pretty addicting and we ended up ordering more. They had some nice wine selections, so we got a bottle of red with our meal. We all liked our food. I’d come back again.