No excuse to act this pretentious in Lafayette, IN. Please get over yourselves...you make us laugh! (We have eaten in major cities across the USA as well as in Europe as well as village cafes and castles where such pretentiousness might be warranted, but yet they were friendly and warm.) I gave B501 two chances over a period of 2 years and this is what I/we found: -Food is mediocre. -Portions are small. (esp. for the price) -Prices are too high for the service and portion size, not to mention the 'blah' food. I am sad to say that any one enamored with B501 either hasn't traveled much, or forgot what the food tastes like elsewhere. Parking is poor for a city this small. I am always concerned someone will bump/dent my car with their wreck of a vehicle. read more

Started out very well - but my pork loin entre was raw - absolutely horrible! My server was awesome removed the charge for the entre and bought my dessert. However never got a visit from a manager to apologize for the uneatable food. This oversight is wrong! read more

Best fine dining in Lafayette. It has a well balanced menu. The display is incredible, and always looks enticing. It was a relaxing environment. The staff was wonderful, and knew the menu very well. They have a wine connoisseur to help you pick out the perfect wine. The wine selection was pages and pages. As soon as you walk in you will see white table clothes with the tables all set with a candle and a vase with a fresh flower in the middle. A great place for a date. You will probably spend $40 minimum per person if you do not get a drink but well worth it. They do everything they can to make sure you are happy the entire visit. I cannot wait to go back! read more

Comfortable environment and attentive service. Enjoyed the cheese plate appetizer. The beef filet was cooked to the right temperature and was tender. Pork belly had good flavor with tasty Brussels sprouts. read more

We were a large graduation party and Mary & Co were fantastic. The service and the food were awesome. The best salmon ever! Magna cum laude

My sister and I were very pleased with our recent birthday-for-7 dinner at Bistro 501. We were given a secluded 2-table spot behind the reception desk, and the food and the service were excellent. We had been looking for a replacement place since Hour Time closed a year ago, and nothing really suited -- until we tried the Bistro! From appetizers to desserts and coffees, outstanding food and service! We will be back, for sure! read more

I have to start off with this: I found a long, curly hair in my $30 a plate mashed potatoes. I was excited to try Bistro, since it's one of the only upscale restaurants in the area. By the way, you need a reservation. The ambiance is nice, the service Excellent. Seriously good service. The wine list was impressive compared to other restaurants in the area, and not overly priced. Now the main event: the food. My boyfriend got the lamb, and it was delicious. I ordered the veal, which was tough, and tasted like something my mom used to pound out and pan fry when i was a kid (not in a good way). And of course, the hair. I would maybe recommend this place just for an appetizer, or glass of wine, but please don't spend your money for dinner here. read more

I've been to Bistro for many occasions such as dinners, baby showers, club meetings, lunches. Here are the pluses. Great downtown location, very pleasant atmosphere...warm and cheerful with fireplace, comfortable tables, good lighting. This makes for a good place to have long lingering conversations etc. Here are the minuses...yes you could drive to Chicago and eat at an actual French Bistro, but alas Lafayette is not Chicago...probably never will be. The food is okay, sort of a Midwesternized version of what a French Bistro might be. The items are often heavily cheesy...yes the French eat cheese, but not like this! A few items stand out. well..the french fries with aioli, some of the desserts (ack not the midwestern cheesecake). The crab cake was like a giant deep fried heavy crabby patty :-(. French onion soup tastes too cheesy. Hollandaise is not actually Hollandaise...is that cheese and cornstarch I taste in there? The service is lovely, the wine good and nicely served. What this place needs is a menu wakeup. I'll still go there because I live here and its a comfortable place that most people can find something to eat at, but its certainly nothing to go out of your way for. read more

The service and food were both fantastic. I enjoyed the french onion soup, which was quite tasty. If you're trying to avoid salt, you may want to pass on the french onion soup though; although it wasn't overly salty, I could taste the salt, but I found that to be a plus, not a minus. For my entree, I had the Herb-Roasted Half Chicken. The frittes (fries) and the lemon flavored demiglace all came together in a nice, tasty ensemble. For dessert, I chose the coconut cheesecake, which was another great winner. You will not be disappointed when you come to eat at Bistro 501. read more

This was my favorite restaurant in Lafayette during a recent visit to Purdue. The entire experience was excellent.The Blackened Salmon dish was prepared perfectly and included: pan-seared Alaskan salmon ,polenta ,baby spinach and chipotle-orange butter. I HIghly recommend the Dessert Theatre Spoons- had all three- Cheesecake, Crème Brûlèe, Pot au Chocolat- they were fantastic. This is the best concept ever- allows you to sample all three of the yummy desserts made in house daily. HIghly recommend this restaurant when visiting Purdue or Lafayette. Dinner for three- appetizers, entrees and desserts- root beers- no alcohol- was under $100. read more

This place is amazing! The food is excellent and well thought out. Seasonal menu: check. I love a place that considers what is in season and Bistro 501 does not disappoint in this area. Servers are attentive and make sure your experience is great. The management staff walks out and makes a point to talk to you. Seasonal cocktails are available and are delicious! I just found out that they have brunch on Sundays! So excited to try it out after glancing at the menu! All in all, this place is top notch! read more

Bistro has been here for a very long time and I think I've given it a bad review in the past, mostly for service but also mediocre food. Whatever. I believe it's under new management and I've been here 3 times for lunch in the past 2 months, which is a LOT for me. The food is just amazing. This time I had parsnip soup, the pork sandwich, and companion had French onion soup and a nicoise salad. All were perfect. And the service was everything you'd want. We want to go back to try the Sunday brunch. read more

I've been invited here numerous times and I am always disappointed. The food tends to be too salty, the service is spotty, and the prices much too high for the quality. The ambience is nice and the location is ideal. They also seem to think highly of themselves. I'll probably go again if asked to go here but I've lowered my expectations. read more

I have been to Bistro 501 a couple of times now, and both times I walked out of there with the same opinion - Good, but not great! The evening started with some disappointing bread that they brought to the table, it was dry and crumbly, and this sub-par effort foreshadowed some of what was to come. I started my meal with a petit salad, and I have to say the house made ranch was excellent- very flavorful, unlike any ranch I have ever had, definitely the highlight of the meal. My husband had the spinach salad, which he enjoyed. Next up was seafood cannelloni "Three cannelloni filled with lobster, scallop, and shrimp accompanied by sautéed asparagus and finished with a sherry-lobster cream sauce and blue crab claw meat"- Sounds great, right? ...and for being one of the most expensive items on the menu, I would have hoped so. Sigh...disappointing. Although the flavor was satisfactory, the lobster, scallop, and shrimp were basically a pureed mush stuffed inside some very small cannelloni. The cannelloni itself was thick and crusty. Mine came out with dried (maybe burnt) ends that added an unwelcome crunch to the dish. The lobster cream sauce was, again, flavorful, but was separating on the plate which is less than ideal. I was also surprised that it was topped with an almost salsa fresca-like garnish (my guess was tomato, onion and cilantro). It caused confusion on the plate and in my mouth, adding a Mexican food flare to a creamy Italian dish. The final addition to the plate, the asparagus, was actually nice, well seasoned and crisp. My husband ordered the stuffed chicken en croute "Spinach, Boursin cheese, and herb-stuffed chicken breast wrapped in puffed pastry, and served with asparagus. Topped with a kalamata olive, tomato, cream sauce". He also had the sour cream mashed potatoes on the side. His opinion of the dish was that he wished there was slightly more cream sauce to add to the flavor. The chicken was cooked nicely, but the spinach cheese stuffing was a bit bland. The kalamata olives added an important flavor element to the dish that was appreciated. For dessert, we ordered a spoon of crème brulee and a piece of tropical cheesecake, with mango, papaya, and coconut. I thought that these ingredients might be in the form of a nice fruity topping, but they were actually in the cheesecake. The crème brulee was very good and an outstanding bargain at $1.50. The cheesecake was a disappointment. It was thick, heavy and dry, it lacked the creaminess that I would expect in a cheesecake. The pieces of fruit inside tasted like they were dried and candied, not a good addition. Finally, the half inch thick cream topping was reminiscent of cake frosting. With regards to wine, they had several good selections at the lower end of the price scale and the markup appeared to be very reasonable. The list was not very abundant at the higher end but this is to be expected in the Lafayette market where there is not a huge demand for these offerings. For patrons desiring to bring their own bottle, the $7.00 corkage fee is very reasonable. So, the general comment is that the food was OK, but not great, and probably not worth the prices charged. There is really no question that you could do better for these entrée prices in metropolitan areas such as Chicago or Minneapolis. Around here, the choices are limited, especially with the recent closure of Maize, so it is what it is. I would probably lean towards Baja Peninsula as being a better option if I had to name one. As a side note, I am still confused if Bistro 501 is supposed to be a "French" restaurant, as one might expect from the prominent Gallic roosters on the windows and all over the interior décor. If so, the menu is a little puzzling and not particularly inspired. PROS- Good service, low corkage, ranch dressing, spoon desserts. CONS- prices, lack of creativity, some dishes poorly executed read more

Food: 4/5 We ordered the Lobster Profite 'rolls', Blackberry Pork Ribs, Spice Rubbed Duck Breast, and Pot au Chocolat. I liked the Lobster Profite rolls. If you like savory chicken salad and lobster, you'll like the Lobster Profite rolls. The bread was a wee bit disappointing and soggy from the mayo. I would suggest that they lightly toast the bread. I also liked the Blackberry Pork Ribs. Nothing too special. Tastes like they put some blackberry jam in the barbecue sauce. The bacon for the bacon greens was horribly overcooked to a crisp. Looked fine, tasted burnt. My boyfriend was not a fan of the cheddar polenta. My boyfriend absolutely loved the Spice Rubbed Duck Breast. I thought the flavors were very well done. It was cooked ~medium, which is too rare for my taste and I didn't enjoy the texture. Vegetables were cooked well. The rice was not good though. I took one taste and didn't bother eating anymore (I'm Asian though and used to Japanese-styled rice). The Pot au Chocolat was quite small. Deliciously chocolatey, fudge-y, dense mousse kind of desert. I'm not a fan of rum, but I did steal quite a few small spoonfuls. Service and decor: 5/5 Our server, Brian, had a great attitude and was very helpful and polite. Interior is nice and well decorated. Overall I'd say the food is a bit disappointing for the price. My boyfriend says the duck is worth it though. read more

Maybe it's just me but I think that this place is extremely over priced and not worth it. I mean it is the only french restaurant in Lafayette but that is not surprising. That being said I get why people come here but beware that you will be paying a lot of money for little portions. read more

Incredible "umami moment" in fine dining at Bistro 501 last night. Duly impressed with the premier of a just-created-that-day corn chowder which triumphed over all other dishes. Bonuses were that the salmon was also heaven, the waiter very attentive, the owner came out to engage, as did the evening chef. The owner tipped us off that the cuisine staff is regularly inventing new dishes and competing with each other. We applaud the creative freedom given the staff by the owner. read more

Have the seafood pot pie! Boom we all tried it and we enjoyed the taste. Our server allowed us to have a business conversation while still moving things forward. Very enjoyable. read more

This place is usually spot on, but I can remember two times I've felt pretty lukewarm about my food, and I eat at Bistro once every couple of months or so. They have great lunch specials and know how to make a salad. All of their dressings are made in house and the raspberry one is awesome. The vegetable Napoleon is delicious. If you're unsure about desert you can just get the dessert spoons and sample them all! The pot au chocolat is apparently an old family recipe and it's definitely worth trying. read more

Amazing food. We had a special menu for Valentines Day, and it was fab! Just the right price. Try the coffee for desert - it's to die for!

Love the food here, service is outstanding. I had the lamb which was perfectly cooked. I wish they had a longer wine menu. We will be back to this restaurant next time we are in Lafayette. read more

Bistro 501 is my go-to place for fancy dinners. When I start to get down about the lack of really good food in town, this is where I do. Waitstaff are AMAZING. Food is always good. There's martini specials on Thursday which are phenomenal. It's of course not cheap but it's the place you go to when you don't want cheap. Worth every penny. read more

I've been there for dinner and for lunch and much preferred it for lunch. The chicken salad, the soup, the quiche - all good. The dinner dishes' prices don't seem justified. Decent atmosphere but smelled a bit musty. read more

They had good food, and enough for two meals worth. It was a bit loud the night we went. Only went once because of the price. It was a bit high. read more

If you are looking to try something new or you want to dine somewhere that is ideal for a special occasion, Bistro 501 has great service and excellent meals. It is one of my favorite restaurants in the Lafayette/West Lafayette area. I highly recommend it! read more

my favorite -- from lovely garlic sauce that comes with the escargot to the dinner specials to the the gorgeous desserts, this little country French restaurant is well decorated, well staffed and has great food. We do NOT take the kids. read more

Bistro 501 has become a Lafayette institution, known and loved by many for its food, personable and knowledgeable wait staff, excellent wine selection, great martinis, and a certain jour ne se qua you won't find anywhere else. It has very loyal patrons, largely because it is so consistent. My wife and I, and our four adult children, love this place. We have celebrated many birthdays, anniversaries, and family gatherings here. The first thing our son requests when he and his wife come back to West Lafayette is dinner at Bistro 501. read more

Beware - your dish may not be gluten free. Ask to speak to the manager to make sure with the kitchen. Bistro 501 is very proud of its gluten free options but they served me the gluten version in spite of my telling the waiter that I was needed the gluten free option. He said he had noted it. When my meal arrived and there was cous-cous on my plate, I asked whether he was sure that the cous-cous was gluten free and he assured me that it was. I took my leftovers home for the next day's lunch, but before I ate it I googled "gluten free cous-cous" and couldn't find any. I called Bistro 501 and spoke with the manager. She said that they had made a mistake - they had served me regular "cous-cous". Her explanation: the cook stepped out to do an errand and whoever took his place did not read the order. She offered to give me a "free" meal the next time I come back. So, gluten-free customer, just be careful if you decide to go there. read more

We had dinner there Saturday Dec 20th 2014. Service was very slow. Now it was about 30 people, but we made the reservation so they knew we were coming. New York strip wasn't too impressive, not very tender (med rare). I could cook one better at home and I'm no master of cooking steaks. One friend of mine was served a glass of booze with lipstick around the top, not once, but twice. It was almost unbelievable something like that could happen twice to the same person. Also, before ordering, the waiter spent about 5 minutes going over everything on the menu that they were either out of or were almost out of. Another person ordered a pasta dish. When it arrived, they asked for parmesan cheese. 10 minutes later when the waiter came by, he asked again. Then when he was finished eating 15 minutes later, still no parmesan cheese. They had no problem adding a mandadory 18% gratuity to the bill of course. I remember eating there about 12 years ago, and this place isn't anything like it used to be. In my opinion, it is WAY over-rated. I'll never go back to this joke of a restaurant. What a disappointment. read more