Our wine group decided to come here for the burgundy themed blind tasting. They charge $20 per bottle for corkage. For a Thurs night they weren't too busy so we had good service. A few friends shared some food so we could try a variety. I really enjoyed the smoked salmon appetizer. I feel that their dinner menu is better than lunch. read more

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parking: available either in the structure which is free with validation or valet which is complimentary food: overall everything we ordered was yummy but nothing had that wow factor or blew me out of the water. this is a perfect restaurant for those wanting a good steakhouse meal. *tuna tartare (4/5) - delicious and very flavorful but wish it came with chips other than taro chips as i'm not the biggest fan of taro chips but just a personal preference *calamari (4/5) - average, was good so can't complain! was just your everyday calamari *14oz ribeye (4/5) - again, good ribeye and was tender just not the best i've ever had. i wish this came with the peppercorn sauce instead of the red wine sauce as this was a bit overpowering. *chocolate soufflé (4/5) - i liked how it wasn't too sweet. a good soufflé but again, just not the best i've had. service/ambiance: service was amazing and our waiter was extremely nice and friendly. ambiance was lively with live entertainment singing + playing instruments. read more

Bistango in Irvine - Prime Angus 14oz Ribeye Steak - American Near Me - Irvine, California

Order the garlic soup!!! I know, it sounds odd, but it came recommended by a friend and also highly recommended by our waiter over anything else on the menu and it did not disappoint! Might have been my favorite thing we ordered. My first visit here, started with a cocktail, fruity and tangy, a perfect start to the night! I ordered the scallops with a side of fries. The fries were huge and full of parm and seasoning. A Perfect side dish! The restaurant is large and they show locals art on their walls that is ever changing. A fun add to the live piano player and music of the night. Great place to enjoy a meal! read more

Friday night Birthday dinner turned out pretty good. The ambiance is so artsy. Literally. Great decor. The food was superb. Fresh and flavorful. The service....well let's just say ...they need some assistance. The crowd is all older so if your on the younger side, you may not gel. N8ce toush with the live band. That steak though...perfection! read more

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Back here after about 15 years!! About 15 years ago I was here for a corporate event. And I remember this place was, and probably is still, a big thing. The place is around the corporate area of Irvine close to the John Wayne area side. I don't quite remember it the same way when I came back. Since it's in a building where portion is the real high ceiling, it felt more for a corporate event. They still managed however to make the place look and feel cozy. Especially in the area where you can't see the super high ceilings. I had a reservation and they were able to seat us right away. It was an early dinner so at that time, certain areas were still empty. The live band was already there and looks like they were already set up but didn't start until perhaps half an hour later. We were just early. The waiters are attentive and nice. The complimentary bread and butter is delicious! They don't give you the whole basket but one bread per person. They do however go around and give you more if you finish your bread or ask for more. We had the wedge salad, ahi tartar, rib eye steak and for dessert, the tres leches. And all were delish!! The wedge salad is really nice and refreshing. The ahi tartar is fresh and delicious. And oh, the rib eye steak is so yummy and hits the spot! Cooked just the way we asked! And the tres leches is a sweet and delicious ending to our wonderful dinner. We also enjoyed the live band. I also liked their kinda eclectic paintings hung on the walls. However, a few days after this, we went to Bayside restaurant (after a couple of years) and were able to see the similarities. We were able to confirm that they are of the same owners. As such, between the two, though both are really good, I'd probably still go back more often to Bayside. Only because it feels more cozy and intimate. read more

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Came here to celebrate a graduation and had a wonderful dinner. The dining area was warm, inviting and had many interesting art pieces, but some of the fixtures (e.g. the ceiling panels) are showing their age and could use refreshing. The food was delicious and the portions were generous. We had the roasted beet and avocado salad, panko calimari and blue crab cake appetizers. Everything was flavorful and in ample portions. For entrees, we had the filet mignon medium rare, NZ rack of lamb medium, Chilean sea bass and the linguine with shrimp arrabiata. Everything was prepared perfectly and delicious. We wrapped up the meal with their chocolate soufflé and profiteroles. The wonderful service added to the lovely dinner and their staff were friendly, attentive and thoughtful. Overall, what is most important to us was excellent and we all had a lovely and memorable dinner celebration! read more

Bistango in Irvine - Chocolate soufflé and profiteroles - American Near Me - Irvine, California

Food is good with a Ribeye and potatoes dish. Great dessert to boot! The gentleman serving us was spectacular and attentive. Dining in this place feel different as sure, it's a restaurant, but also feels like it is part of an office place. Not a negative at all, but different. The art is great and the band playing is good and entertaining! Food most of all is good! And good value for this caliber. Yes, do visit them and you'll have a good time and a good tummy happiness. Same owners as Bayside restaurant in Newport Beach. read more

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We have been to Bistango several times for special occasions like date night and our anniversary. The food is amazing and very flavorful. The specials usually add something unique and worth trying. This visit recently we took my parents and they found the staff to be wonderful, the manager was very funny and visited our table multiple times after learning of our Italian heritage. Plus, the music that night was all my dad's favorites from the 60s and 70s. We couldn't have asked for a better night to return. And we will return again! read more

Bistango in Irvine - The Burrata Cheese appetizer is one we order frequently. The Asiago Gnocchi is very good. Love the Oven-Roasted Chilean Sea Bass. - American Near Me - Irvine, California

The food was good, what we expected at a 5* restaurant. The service, on the other hand, was comparable to what you would expect at an Applebees. In the beginning, the server was an order taker, not a fine dining server. Did not recommend anything or give more info about the menu. The main course was dropped at our table while we were still eating our salads. After the entrees were dropped, they didn't buss the table. I tried to flag down the server to get our salad plates taken away and he ignored us. Then they charged us for 2 extra drinks. CHECK YOUR BILL! The server over charged us on purposes, no apology and he didn't seem surprised we were overcharged. Not the experience we have had at other restaurants on the same level. I won't be coming back here. read more

Terrific food & music! Filet mignon was cooked medium rare to perfection! The beet salad was superb and the creme brûlée was delicious too! Highly recommend Bistango in Irvine for an elegant and friendly dining experience! Be sure to make reservations! read more

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On first impression walking up I was thrown to see what looked like an office building. Once inside all of that changed. Design layout really adds charm and the food and service were top notch for our part of 10! Great appetizers all around and the gnocchi was fantastic! read more

Fancy restaurant with great service and delicious food! My coworkers and I came here for dinner. Parking is validated and valet is free. Interior is large with live jazz music. They have various selection of apps, mains, and wines. I got a Pinot noir which was easy to drink and smooth. We shared the burrata, calamari and crab cake as appetizers. Burrata (7.5/10)-fig jam was too sweet but the burrata was fresh Calamari (7.5/10)-not as crispy as i would like but not overly greasy Crab cake (8/10)-fresh but needed some kind of sauce Pork chop (7.5/10)-got this for my main but it was cooked well sauce was too sweet for my liking, liked how the slaw underneath was not mayo based. We also got desserts to share, the creme brûlée and the pear tart was my favorite. The soufflé was a bit too chocolate for me. Overall very fancy atmosphere with delicious food. Would love to come here for date night my next visit. read more

Bistango in Irvine - Calamari - American Near Me - Irvine, California

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Truly whatever (unfortunately). Irvine has SO many good places to eat, and Bistango is not on par. It makes sense, because we were surrounded by old people. We were a big group, so I got to try lots of food (shoutout to bacon wrapped dates and the soufflé that you must order 15+ minutes beforehand). Parking: there's free valet (always a blessing) and you can also park in a structure. read more

Bistango in Irvine - Soufflé - American Near Me - Irvine, California

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I would not recommend this restaurant anymore. i ordered the chicken, it was dry, the sauce was salty. Brussels sprouts were not good, served with feta cheese. The Caesar salad was good, garlic soup, so so. The drinks were excellent! There was a great band playing in the bar, however, the Manager kept adjusting their volume. There was tension. Not sure what the problem was. Not going back. read more

Bust-Tango! We were celebrating a friend's birthday and Bistango seemed like a good option based on the on-line photos, menu and live entertainment. We were excited to arrive to a nice, lively space. Our waitress was energetic and fun! She distributed menus, took drink orders and said she would return to take our food order. We never saw her again! After that the entire experience went downhill. During the rest of the evening we had several different waiters and there were long stretches of being left alone despite being a very empty restaurant. People leave in droves as soon as Happy Hour ends. We wished the band would have left with them. After Happy Hour the average age of the customers increases by 40+ years and the band is corny. Then the food arrived - what a disaster. The Salmon had a weird, horrible taste as verified by 3 different people in our group. I exchanged it for the Bacon Cheeseburger because I thought it would be a safe choice - it had absolutely No Flavor! Another person in our group had also ordered the Bacon Cheeseburger and said the same thing. The mystery is how they could make Bacon and Cheese tasteless - it defies the Laws of Physics. The Pasta Dish arrived cold and bland. The other people in our group of 9 said their meals were mediocre at best and everyone said they wouldn't eat at Bistango again. I gave Bistango 1 star for the Chocolate Souffle which was one of the few restaurant versions that I've had that was actually prepared correctly. This restaurant has so much potential that is lost due to bad food, bad service and an embarrassingly cliched old people band. Stay away.....You're welcome. read more

Used to be my favorite restaurant but the past few times we have been in it's really gone downhill, the food and the service. The restaurant was practically empty yet they stuck us in the back left corner by a loud group and then proceeded to make us feel rushed through the whole meal. Not in a hurry to return as there are so many more beautiful and tasty restaurants that appreciate our patronage. read more

Food was outstanding...Bistango salad and shrimp risotto:) Also, Friday night music is the best!!!

We sat at the bar, had happy hour and danced. We had a great time!! Bartenders were awesome, food delicious and band wonderful! We can't wait to go back!! read more

I threw a BD party here for a close friend, everyone enjoyed their food choices, aside from a couple of glitches, and a waiter that was very old, it was a fun evening. A few of my friends had never been here before and the general consensus was that they were impressed and would come back. Their chocolate souffle was terrific and timed perfectly. read more

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Fantastic service and food!! We ordered strawberry lychee and mule cocktails for drinks, which were fantastic! We got the charred octopus for the appetizer, which was delicious and so tender. What was the highlight of our meal was the linguine, which was perfectly light yet flavorful without feeling greasy. The clams were delicious and not fishy. The steak was also super delicious and came covered in this spiced crust that added perfect amount of texture for each bite. Overall would highly recommend this restaurant for a more upscale meal! read more

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Food: 4* Service: 5* Ambiance: 5* Parking: 2* Value: 2* Joined a colleague for lunch. We ordered two salads and ice teas, $110. So caveat emptor. However, the food was good, but nothing remarkable. It came with ciabatta bread and butter. The service was impeccable, as one would expect. The ambiance was great. I would return and try something else to give them another shot, but ~$40 for a salad, no thanks. read more

Excellent experience at this white tablecloth spot. It's a square room with a center aisle. Bar to the right, dining area to the left and across the back and to the left of the bar. Perhaps 40 tables, plus booths along the outside walls. The restaurant is in the open lobby of a building, enclosed with wooden panels and sails above to create an intimate setting. On this night an excellent jazz band was playing next to the bar... Perfect volume for conversation and the music was great. Knowledgeable wait team took the orders and executed the meal perfectly. Time from order to service about 15 minutes for entrees and everything was prepared exactly as ordered. Shout out to our server for "reminding" us that if we wanted souffle for dessert we should order early since it takes 35 minutes to prepare. Service is attentive without being obtrusive. Our water glasses were never empty! Warm bread and (soft) butter is served with water as soon as we are seated. The filet is exquisite. Cooked perfectly medium rare, the filet is cut-with-a-fork tender. Moist, juicy and flavorful in the center, nicely charred on the outside. It's served on a pillow of pureed potatoes, atop a criss-cross of thick asparagus spears and sauced with a tablespoon of luscious peppercorn gravy. Beautifully plated, it was almost too pretty to eat. Well... almost. Tablemates tried seared ahi tuna. Also beautifully plated, the fish is encrusted in sesame seeds and nicely seared outside, raw in the center. It's served with a mound of Asian-spiced veggies. It was gone before I could snag a taste but I take that as testament to how good the tuna was. The souffle would have been worth the wait even if we hadn't ordered early. We tried both chocolate and grand marnier souffle. They're brought to the table straight from the oven, cracked open and sauced tableside with either molten choloclate or grand marnier. Both are outstanding - rich, airy and light. Bistango is not inexpensive but the food, service and atmosphere are top notch. read more

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Excellent service, especially for such a large establishment. Food was solid, cocktail on point, and lovely live music. nice booths! nice art... bathroom could have a little more attn. But overall a lovely place. read more

Lunch menu was great. We ordered, Spanish octopus, wedge salad, filet and truffle fries. I ordered my steak medium rare but it was medium. Not what I was expecting but didn't want to return it as the service was excellent. Chocolate soufflé is a must !! read more

Bistango in Irvine - Brought my own wine - American Near Me - Irvine, California

For New Year's Eve we went to Bistango, our favorite restaurant for special occasions. As always, we were extremely pleased with the ambiance, the food, and the service. Our waiter, Yony, was very pleasant and attentive. The restaurant was very nicely decorated for New Year's Eve, and the place was packed. Surprisingly, for as busy as it was, service was excellent and the wait time for food was reasonable. We had the Chilean sea bass and the Angus New York steak. Both were excellent. And for dessert the tiramisu was to die for! Bistango is a higher end restaurant and a little pricier than most, but the quality of the food and service makes this a great experience, well worth the price. Looking forward to coming back. read more

Amazing! My girlfriend and I decided to come here for date night after seeing the reviews from others. It lived up to its hype. This was one of my favorite dining experiences in a long time. The restaurant is beautiful and the staff were among the most attentive I have ever seen. Our waiter must have stopped by our table at least a dozen times during our meal to refill water and offer more bread and butter. The food was exquisite. Portions are small but my girlfriend and I liked that. I got the Japanese pumpkin ravioli and she got the pan seared scallop Risotto. They were both amazing. For dessert, we got the almond pear tart and profiteroles. We loved both of those as well! The night that we went, there was live music which made the experience even more fun. We will definitely consider coming back here again for another date night in the future! read more

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I am very disappointed today! My first date was at Bistango! We 've been married for over 30years. We celebrate Mother's Day every year here because My Mom loves the ambiance here, we celebrate birthday here, I told all my friends about Bistango. But, today I won't come back here anymore, we were here to celebrate my Dad's bday, they charge us $40 for corkage on the receipt is 1.5l We brought a bottle of a littler not knowing that we will be charged double. We have always brought our own wine, & this is the first time we were charge $40. I gave a three stars, the food is always good, service is good, music is great. The corkage charge by the manager name Antonio is not what I am agreed with. It's Too bad, we won't come back. read more

I'm here right now with a reservation I had at 8:30. This was booked a month in advance. We show up and there is a big group of people waiting. We waited at the bar prior but no one offered us a drink. Around 9:20 is when we get sat down and we don't get our drinks for at least 20 minutes. Now it's 10:20 and we still don't have our food. Mind you the Valentine's Day menu is the only menu we can choose from and they still can't get it right. This used to be a nice place I visited frequently. Very dissatisfied with this. I hope the food is good. Whoever is in charge really needs to get it together. Not sure if I will be coming back. read more

The food was amazing and the service was superb. Frankie was my bartender and waiter and was professional and attentive. The manager Antonio was a pleasure to converse with. I had the beet, avocado, goat cheese and walnut salad. An epicurean delight. For main course the pork chop was juicy and perfectly cooked. Seen some not so favorable reviews and I can only say ignore them. This place is a hidden gem and a foodies delight read more

Bistango in Irvine - Pork chop with broccoli and potatoes - American Near Me - Irvine, California

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Delicious food. Excellent service. Great atmosphere. Music on Wednesday evenings with Happy Hour menu. Fantastic jazz!!

Outstanding dinning experience. Food was very good and the service excellent. We also enjoyed the band. The restaurant delivers on all counts! Highly recommend it for a date night out! read more

I came in with a few friends on Friday night and had a really disappointing experience. The hostess was rude, so we brought it to the manager's attention, but he completely dismissed our concerns and made no effort to improve the situation. The busboys were also rude when I simply asked for a napkin. When management behaves this way, it clearly trickles down to the staff and it shows. I won't be returning. read more

Bistango is a restaurant in Irvine that serves new American cuisine. We decided last minute, on a Saturday night and were lucky to clinch a dinner reservation. The place was packed with diners. The ambiance is classy with art work adourning the surroundings, spacious seating and a live big band music group. The menu is enticing and making the decision of what to have was the difficult task at hand. We started with the sweet garlic soup, lightly creamy with a hint of garlic and fresh crunchy croutons. Two in our party split the Rosemary-Lemon Roasted Chicken Breast. It came with mushrooms, Haricots Verts, onions, potatoes and pan sauce. Absolutely delicious and well prepared. The last main was the Grilled Bacon Wrapped Petites Fillets, cooked medium rare. The dish came as a trio, each fillet covered with green peppercorn sauce (orange in color) sitting on potato puree (picture shows one fillet). A stunning dish, balanced flavors with explosive textures and captivating optics. For dessert, Tiramisu and Grand Marnier Soufflé. Both of these were hits and provided the perfect finish for a memorable dinner. Service was exceptional. read more

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The service was great however we asked for a medium steak and it was medium well if not well done. The calamari was fake as calamari could get. We asked for an old-fashioned it was basically a whiskey on ice and the dirty martini was essentially vodka shaken with a little bit of olive juice. The salad was super overdressed. We would not go there again based on the food or the drinks and the price. read more

Beautiful restaurant, just pristine inside. It's sort of cool bc the restaurant is inside of this indoor courtyard and they disguised it so well. Service was immaculate. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. Food was excellent. But also the reason for my 4 star rating. Solid dishes with beautiful presentation but the overall flavor slightly underwhelms. Pan roasted Lamb chops: 7/10 Grilled prime Filet mignon: 8/10 king Salmon: 8/10 Cesar salad: 7/10 Chocolate soufflé: 10/10 Cocktails: 8/10 Definitely recommend trying. Great dining experience. read more

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One of my favs. Christmas Eve dinner. A bit of a wait but not too bad. The bartender was a bit short and rude. I've come here occasionally and have for the past 9 years. My first time dealing with someone like that at this restaurant. I finally asked him if he was okay bc his energy was off. Kept asking us if we were ready to pay. Told us the wait was an hour even with reservations (waited 20 minutes) and when we said we'll wait for our table he responded "that's on you" and shrugged then walked away which put me on guard. Just an attitude for no reason and why I finally asked him if he was having a bad day. I only tipped him bc we were eating dinner there and I didn't want any issues otherwise I would have not tipped him. My daughter was like "Mom. DO NOT TIP HIM!!" Other than that everyone else was pleasant and we enjoyed our meal. read more

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I would dine here everyday if I could. Service is great, food amazing and the art is cool to see.

Great food excellent service and entertainment. Been several times most recently for the New Years Eve party where they did an excellent job. read more

"It's better to burn out than to fade away." - Neil Young I say this because from my latest experience at Bistango, I for sure know that eventually they will fade away. And it's simply because it's an old place. And I say this hoping to not seem ageist. Again, it's just the reality that I came to after my recent visit. See, Bistango likely caters to older clientele. If you are there, look around. From the dance floor, to the bar, and to the dinner tables, they are mainly filled by elderly people. Which is fine. That said, all of the waiters at Bistango are old too. Which unfortunately is a problem. I go to Bistango once a year with my family for my birthday. And for the 30 years we've been going, well, we've had good enough experiences that we've always came back. That said, I guess everything has an end, right? And I say that right now knowing that I will not be going to Bistango ever again for my birthday. From the start, our elderly waiter Michael (I really am guessing that he was 80), was just slow from the start. I mean, I ate 3 rolls before he finally returned to our table to take our appetizer and dinner orders. Oh, and when I asked him about what beers that they had, that was a tough moment. He stammered, he stuttered, he paused to try and think what they had... It truly was a 'Joe Biden' moment. All said, we finally got our appetizers and entrees and things were ok as usual. But the big letdown is when Michael brought out desserts (the ones he remembered that is). My mother and father ordered from the pre fix menu. But like I do every year, I get the souffle (which you have to order with your entree because it takes a while to bake). And there I was sitting there thinking that a souffle would eventually come (Michael was slow all night). But eventually it didn't. When he brought our check I asked, "No souffle?" In which he had no recollection of and then walked away. He then came back with his note pad and said, "Yep, I wrote it down but I just flubbed it." Just awful. The night simply wasn't fun . And I'm sorry, but Bistango, if you want to be relevant in the future, hire some younger waiters before you fade away. read more

Amazing food and service! Prices make sense for where you are dinning. I also like the environment but i do feel like it needs a bit of an update in the restaurant. I had the martini which was pretty strong! Overall good experience. read more

Bistango in Irvine - American Near Me - Irvine, California