The Bistro at Our Town

I was recently there for the first time since they moved to their new, larger location and I was amazed. The space is incredible, high ceilings, beautiful floors, tables, ambiance. The food is to die for. Come with a big appetite because the portions are huge, but every bite is worth it! I was there for a special event on Saturday and can't wait to come back again! Welcome to Main Street, you deserve to be there! more

The food and hospitality were amazing!! They make the food fresh and you can even watch them make it! I highly recommend The Bistro for a great meal!!! more

Ok so I own the FB page, For Sale, Free, or Trade in Chester County, and not only is my page only 3 1/2 months old, I am not a business so I have no true backing behind me except for my members, which is now over 6600. I needed a unique and local place for a few events I was planning, and took a lot of time to research locale, food options, size, etc. When I contacted the owners, of which I knew one was years past I was a litle worried as I know they book fast for weekend events. The not only shut down the restaurant for me, but offered my entire vendor base a free lunch!! They were mobbed on Dec 3, my event by vendors, customers and teh such and though they were a bit overwhelmed with how many people we had attend, they handled it all in style. They were gracious, friendly and the food is out of this world! I have had TONS of emails from people asking me how to book the space, telling me how much they loved the food and how appreciative they are of The Bistro. I am not a big review writer but I felt I had to make it known that this local soon to be hot spot is a diamond in the rough. They have a unique, fun, artsy very Italian Tuscan Market feel, and I just love being in there! It's decorated in such a way that you truly feel like you have been wisked out of Chester County into Italy. The food, is OVER THE TOP. It is very obvious they have used all fresh ingredients, and cook to order. Everything was served hot as any good restaurant should and served in a way, it made you want to just jump right in. Everything is served beautifully, tastes incredible and enough for a family of 20! :) I can't wait for my next event there. My 3 year old daughter is begging to get "bistro mac & cheese" as if there is no other kind in the world now acceptable. I tip my hat to Ashley, Jillian and their crew...thank you!! Yummy--FYI, the hot chocolate, I swear must be Santa's recipe, superb!! more

Ok so I own the FB page, For Sale, Free, or Trade in Chester County, and not only is my page only 3 1/2 months old, I am not a business so I have no true backing behind me except for my members, which is now over 6600. I needed a unique and local place for a few events I was planning, and took a lot of time to research locale, food options, size, etc. When I contacted the owners, of which I knew one was years past I was a litle worried as I know they book fast for weekend events. The not only shut down the restaurant for me, but offered my entire vendor base a free lunch!! They were mobbed on Dec 3, my event by vendors, customers and teh such and though they were a bit overwhelmed with how many people we had attend, they handled it all in style. They were gracious, friendly and the food is out of this world! I have had TONS of emails from people asking me how to book the space, telling me how much they loved the food and how appreciative they are of The Bistro. I am not a big review writer but I felt I had to make it known that this local soon to be hot spot is a diamond in the rough. They have a unique, fun, artsy very Italian Tuscan Market feel, and I just love being in there! It's decorated in such a way that you truly feel like you have been wisked out of Chester County into Italy. The food, is OVER THE TOP. It is very obvious they have used all fresh ingredients, and cook to order. Everything was served hot as any good restaurant should and served in a way, it made you want to just jump right in. Everything is served beautifully, tastes incredible and enough for a family of 20! :) I can't wait for my next event there. My 3 year old daughter is begging to get "bistro mac & cheese" as if there is no other kind in the world now acceptable. I tip my hat to Ashley, Jillian and their crew...thank you!! Yummy--FYI, the hot chocolate, I swear must be Santa's recipe, superb!! more

UGGH! Do I even have to give them one star? they don't deserve it. My sister-in-law booked her baby's christening party here and it was the worst restaurant experience I have ever had. We were seated in the kitchen with some burlap hangings as wall dividers. The bathroom is also in the kitchen right next to the oven with a table there with raw salmon, beef and caviar sitting right there for anyone to spit on, cough on, sneeze on, etc. My 3 year old son was yelled at for getting too close to the oven. the service was lousy. the 11 kids that were there were starving but we were all brought an appetizer (bread with tomato, mozzarella and arugula on it) and salad (just leaves with a few tomatoes) followed by some plain pasta with a tad of tomato sauce then finally they brought out the mediocre chicken. Finally, dessert was brought... with no plates, utensils, coffee, etc. maybe it was too much for one waitress for more than 30 people. Duh!!! Oh, and the dessert was some old bread made into bread pudding with a few pieces of apple in it. Food sucked, service sucked, layout of restaurant sucks and is EXTREMELY dangerous. I can't believe that the board of health approved it!!! And I OWN a restaurant so I know! more

Where do I even begin?! Our first mistake was to go to the bistro on a Friday night without reservations. Our group of 4 waited for 45 minutes, which was not that big of a deal, but we were told repeatedly that it would only be 5 more minutes. If they just didn't have any more room, they should have told us and we would have just gone to a different place. Once we finally got seated, we ordered waters and asked to have our wine opened. You would think that this would take about 5 minutes. Nope. It took 30 minutes. Once they finally brought out our waters, they came in 3 different kinds of glasses. Strange. We finally were able to order our appetizer and dinners and it took them another 30 minutes to bring out our bruschetta. It was taking so long that my one friend and I went shopping and came back in time for the appetizer to arrive. Once we got our meals, it was about 2 hours from the time we arrived at the restaurant. They forgot our salads so we had to ask for them to go. Our waitress never came and asked us how we were doing. My one friend got a hamburger that she had to send back because the meat was disgusting and tasted like frozen patties when they were apparently "fresh". The other girl was not happy with her ravioli whatsoever and I ordered the mac and cheese which tasted good but was WAY too hot to eat. It took me so long to eat a few bites because it was so hot that I finally gave up and asked to take it home. Trying to figure out the bill was a fiasco which I won't get into. By the time we left the restaurant, we had been there 3 hours. It was absolutely the worst experience ever. The worst part was we all had plans afterwards but had to cancel them because the meal took so long. (I'm trying very hard not to use profanity.) The 4 of us rarely get together so it was really upsetting that our dinner ruined our plans. To top it off, we spoke to the manager and she basically rattled off a bunch of excuses as to why our meal was the way it was. I'm sorry - at that point, I'm so annoyed I don't want to hear any of your excuses. Apologize profusely and compensate us for our poor service. That's all it takes. My advice: not worth anyone's time or money. Way overpriced for what you get and if you like eating in a timely manner, go somewhere else. more

We had a wonderful dinner with another couple and from the sounds of it, they are just getting started! All the food is prepared with all fresh ingredients, nothing frozen, nothing microwaved!! The service is still getting it's feet on the ground but they are friendly, clean and the decorating is outstanding. You definitely feel like you are in a cafe along an Italian street or square. We will definitely be back!! more

I first discovered this little gem when they were at their old location. I attended a affair they had catered and I loved the food. My first experience with the restaurant was mixed with the expected great food but terrible service. I chalk it up to growing pains since this is their first time owning their own place. Now with the new location, I see them come into their own. The food is as fantastic as ever but the atmosphere is better and the staff is more refined and prepared. What makes the food so special is that it has a homemade feeling. Each dish feels and tastes like it was made fresh and especially for you. At the old location they had no refrigeration so everything had to be fresh. I am so glad they kept that feeling with the new location. It is even in site of a state store so you can BYOB very easily. Give it a try. You won’t be sorry. Just be sure to make a reservation on a Friday or Saturday since the seating is very limited. more

So I was recommended by someone to try the bistro out and so that i did. My friend and I went there on weeknight and they seemed to have a good crowd. Unaware whether was recommended or not we made a reservation. We arrive and as we are being seated i noticed first the decor and design of the restaurant. It was very unique and have to say i am a fan of it. the different themes and looks were great to make it stand out. The waiter came over and took our drink order. He was very polite and had a good sense of humor. After he took our order they brought out this bread dish for us to snack on and it was great. warm soft and had great taste. The food arrives and everything smelled great. My friend ordered a pasta dish with sweet italian sausage, I tried some and we both agreed that it was very good. pasta not overcooked like most places and sauce was nice and thick so good flavor. I order the meatloaf dish with sides and everything tasted amazing,. To start the meatloaf was nice and thick with great flavor. Was not dry because of how thick the cuts were from trying to cook fast. I order three sides. first and squash side with sauce was very very good. I also got a baked potatoe and portobella mushrooms in a cream sauce, both as well were very good tasting, So my overall opinion of this restaurant is that I am definately recommending it to anyone who askes my opinion or suggestion where to go. The service was good and friendly. The food was well proportioned and yet did not look like a pile of mess. The looks again i think were very intruiging because of the uniqueness of and style they went. I found out while i was there that they also do catering for events and will host events there, i am looking forward to trying these services in the future because of our experience. I will most certainly return with friends and family and will recommend this place. Great job to the owners and managers for having a nice play to go and eat without being expensive. Best of luck to you guys and see you soon. more

I felt like I was stuck in the first five minutes of the Food Network's Restaurant Impossible. We were shown to our seats and found two versions of the Bistro's menu in front of us. We waited, and finally our waitress came, removed the incorrect menu, told us that we had come in on their second night of operations at their new location and took our request for water. The water arrived in mismatched glasses and without a single cube of ice. A young man came to open our wine, and failed to cleanly remove the foil cap before pulling the cork. As we waited, I noticed runners moving from table to table asking diners if they had ordered the dishes they were carrying. This happened continuously throughout our visit. We decided to share the "Sicilian Caesar Salad". What arrived at our table was a large bowl of Romaine lettuce, almost devoid of dressing or Parmesan cheese and scattered with large chunks of semi-stale bread. No serving utensils were provided. We asked for a pepper grinder, and the young lady who brought the salad disappeared, never to be seen again. We again asked our waitress about the pepper grinder, and, after a quick trip to the kitchen, she announced that they did not have one! Entrees appeared. All three were immense. My "special" Penne with Pesto and Garlic Shrimp was a huge mass of green-tinted penne surmounted by exactly three shrimp. The shrimp may have been in the same room as the garlic, but it certainly did not seem that they had been in the same pan. My wife's Penne tossed with Sweet Italian Sausage, Tomatoes and Broccoli Rabe was quite tasty, although the broccoli rabe's flavor seemed a bit off. My daughter ordered the Artichoke Chicken, which she pronounced as well prepared but rather bland. We decided that discretion was the better part of valor and skipped dessert. Random comments: The menu is very heavy on chicken without any explanation. Is the chicken sourced locally or does the chef consider chicken to be his/her specialty? We were offered no explanation. Flatware, wrapped in napkins, was mismatched - some diners got full size forks, others got salad forks, all - apparently - got tablespoons. Wine glasses (only one type was available regardless of the wine brought by the customer) were all labelled with the name of a local winery. The "front of house" operation was poorly organized and controlled (see runners comment above). Large portions do not make up for inadequate care in preparation of food. more

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING is the best way to describe the baby shower that we had for our daughter on 6/5/11. The new location is beautiful, the food was incredible, the service was wonderful and all 60 guests had nothing but positive comments about this great restaurant. It should be a “must dine out” on your list of places in Chester County not to miss. Head on over to 282 Main Street, Exton. Kudos to Jillian, Ashley and their staff. more

We have given Bistro at Our Town more business than I care to mention. I call it loyalty! Recently we planned a very large surprise party with them for a special birthday milestone..they really put the screws to us...called & cancelled on us with a day & a half to the event. Not only were our invitations printed with their name on it, but directions too. Jillian could care less! I asked for my deposit back immediately & that was last week...still waiting. She had the audacity to ask if I would ever come back to their restaurant. Heck no & that is why I am telling all of you! Watch your backs with this management crew!! They really disappointed me & made me jump thru hoopes quickly to make this party happen elsewhere...which we did! Good bye Bistro, you don't deserve loyalty from your customers...because we mean nothing to you. more

Upon arriving didn't really know what to expect . Debbie the hostess was very nice and seated us right away. The bread sticks are amazing and the food was deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelicious!!!!!!! I had the jumbo lump crab mac and cheese!!!! AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We will be dining very often at the bistro!!!!! more

Their macaroni and cheese appetizer is completely phenomenal. You cannot go for dinner without trying it. The food is totally fresh and delicious. You would never know it's tucked in the corner of the shopping center, but once you've been there, you have to keep coming back! more

My husband and I had lunch there yesterday and the food was incredible! We started with the macaroni and cheese appetizer and were really impressed. We expected it to be mac and cheese bites, but instead it was 3 large bowls of 3 different types of mac and cheese. Each one was better than the one before! I had the tuna melt (which was HUGE) and my husband had the salmon. The salmon was served with grilled vegetables (he said they were great) and potato. Everything was cooked perfectly and we ended up taking food home with us because there was so much! Our waitress told us there is a $30 pre fixe menu with BYOB on Friday's that requires reservations. We can't wait to go back! It was worth every penny!!! The entire atmosphere was so cute, this truly is a hidden gem! We would recommend this restaurant to everyone! more

Dear God- How does one serve under cooked potatoes??? The menu said roasted potatoes; sadly they were still crunchy in the middle. The broccoli rabe was so saturated in garlic it was not edible...and I love garlic. The chicken picatta was greasy and soggy all at once. The Mac and Cheese, their signature dish, was like pasta with some cheesey scrambled eggs in the middle. Clearly the chef (I’ll use that label loosely) has never heard of a béchamel, which is the base of any appropriate mac and cheese dish. I can not fathom who would rave about this food. For the first time in along time I am willing to say that there were no redeeming qualities about this place. The décor looks like a garage sale gone wrong and the wait staff was clueless. If you are going to charge people $15.00 per plate you'll need to step up your game. more

I have been a vendor for over a year here at the Bistro. , And I can't say enough about everybody there.Everyone knows and talks about there food ,but from a vendors point of view after you pass the vetting process and your in they are behind you 100%.I love this place ! Wyatt M.Higginbotham Photog. more

We recently had our wedding reception at the Bistro and it was one of the best decisions we made for our whole wedding. The food was to die for, the staff super energentic and helpful (made planning everything very easy for us) and they took care of all the decorating and centerpieces for me. The place looked absolutely fantastic! I got tons of compliments on the food and the atmosphere from my guests. And to make things even better the price for everything was better than I ever expected! Overall they definitely made our wedding reception special and the best night we could've wished for. Thanks everyone!!!! more

great food, great staff, great time Pros: everything Cons: nothing more

I live in Georgia and was planning a 75th birthday party in PA. Time was running out and I desperately needed a venue. I found The Bistro at Our Town on Citysearch and read the reviews. I then called and spoke to the owner Ashley and decided this was the place. I booked the place sight unseen! This was in March, fast forward to June. I COULD NOT HAVE ASKED FOR A BETTER EXPERIENCE!!! What can I say Ashley and her staff were the best! I flew in early; we reviewed the final menu, I was able to taste a few dishes and boy was I hooked! The entire staff was so accommodating, so friendly, so kind. I heard over and over again from the guests how they enjoyed themselves. Everything was delicious from the hors d'oeuvres to the main course! Oh I forgot, a big storm hit and the restaurant lost power the day before the party...however I found out they had a backup plan and generators in place if needed. My favorite part was the slideshow I emailed to Jillian that ran throughout the party; pictures were also taken during the party and uploaded into the slideshow! I cannot thank Ashley, Jillian and Tina enough for their hard work and for helping to make the party a success. Whenever I'm home, I plan to make a trip to The Bistro at Our Town for a good meal! Pros: Great Staff, Great Food, Great Experience Cons: Needs a big sign out front, lol more