Awesome food, beautiful presentation! Waitstaff is very friendly and trained on menu items. I have the filet and it was cooked to perfection!!!!! read more

Took mom to Mother's Day brunch here. The food was very good. Mom and hubby had crab cakes and were both happy to find real chunks of crab inside. Our only complaint was that the acoustics, especially with such a large crowd, made talking to each other difficult without shouting. Overall, a nice place and we'll be back. read more

Had a small work dinner before the holidays here. I will be going back! Love this place. Relaxed atmosphere, good food, knowledgable staff, and BYOB! Good located with tons of parking a block away. I had the crab cakes and they were amazing! read more

Decided to give this place a try, food was relativity good, staff was mostly friendly ! I had the black Angus burger and it was cooked well and one of the better burgers I have had . The price was not bad either ! There was a bus boy with red hair who was very very friendly and outgoing and did more than was needed to make my meal Great ! My server was named Kate I believe ,and she was also very out going and a great server we had a conversation and she Evan recommended some things to do that night ! The owner (I think) was very hard to understand and was not very friendly but it could have been worse , I may be back but thanks for a good meal ! read more

I have been to this place two times now and it is excellent. When in area look forward to going again. Love the duck. The service is good. read more

Wasn't aware of the new ownership. Food and service was terrible! Such a shame as I use to love this place!

Service was good. Food somewhat disappointing. It was ok. It was good but not great! Atmosphere was loud with tight quarters.

Have to start out by saying that the food was fantastic. They have a great selection of food on the menu, and some great daily specials. My husband and I both had the lobster bisque, a very reasonably priced daily special ($6 for a good sized bowl). My husband had the butterfish, which was also a daily special, and said it was some of the best fish he'd had (we just moved from Hawaii, so that's saying something). I had the beef short ribs, which were so tender they fell apart. The portions are not huge, but ample. If the review was based on just the food, it would have been 4 or 5 stars. What makes it a 2 star review? The service was HORRIBLE. We were there when they opened at 5:00 pm, which is obviously very early for most people going out to dinner. We had our extremely well-behaved 7 month old daughter with us, so we went super early in the interest of other diners who may not want to have dinner with a kid at the next table. She sat in her high chair, and didn't make a sound. Literally, the place was completely empty. Our waitress treated us like second-class citizens, a stark contrast to how she treated kidless people arriving as we departed. Her tone when she spoke to us was so condescending, and she acted as though we were ridiculous for even coming into the restaurant for a meal. Great food, horrible service. Service might just be bad enough to keep us away. $80 for dinner should lead to a better experience than we had. read more

Black Lab Bistro has amazing dishes that leave you satisfied. Unforgettable french toast... amazing sandwiches... MM Mmm Mmm. My coffee cup was always full. I will continue to come here for breakfast for a long time! Hello, pumpkin pancakes you rock my world. LOVE THE LAB read more

We had heard good things about Black Lab and had literally been meaning to try it for years. Around 8 on a Friday night we were talking about where to go and my wife called and they had availability. We left immediately. We drove into Phoneixeville and as always parking was an issue. we got lucky and found a spot in the back lot. We entered throught he rear door and headed down into the restaurant. We were greeted and seated immediately. Server greeted us and opened the wine immediately and house made bread. She rattled off many items on the menu nting them all as very good. I like the server to be a bit more critical with their preferences. The menu with the specials is larger than we would have expected. Many different options. We opted to start with Cheese Plate and Calamari. The Calamari was a descent portion and the pieces were cut in uniform fashion. The sauce was complex and very tasty. The Cheese Plate had three OK selections, Blue with a sauce, Goat and a Cheddar, served with more of the house made bread. For entrees we had the Crab Cakes and Duck Breast with Diver Scallops. The Crab Cakes were good with large pieces of Lump Crab evident. They did use some filler but wasn't an issue because of the amount of crab. It was served with a frisee slaw with fries and tartar. The plating was not appealing. The fries were in the middle of the plate with cakes resting on each side with tartar also on the sides. It looked kind of thrown together. The Duck Breast and Diver Scallops were of descent size. it included three scallops and a moderate breast sliced. It was ordered mid rare and served such. The sauce on the breat was good. Noteably, the scallops were cooked perfectly. We will likely return, we noted many other items that would appeal to us on other ttables. Overall, service was good with our water glasses never running dry!! read more

Ive been dining at Black Lab for years, its a rare find to say that in these years they have been consistently great! From the wait Staff to the menu, and food preparation- this BYOB is a fantastic spot! read more

My previous visit was my last. I had ordered rib eye steak. My wife ordered a fish/crabcake dish. Both plates came out cold. The steak was not cooked properly for a simple seared rib eye steak cooked to medium. We sent both plates back. The steak came back cold! I sent it back again. My wife's plate did return with the proper temperature. The manager came back with the steak plate in his hand and rudely asked what I wanted him to do. I told him to keep the steak. It was very unacceptable to have my dinner plate in hand while asking that question. I was not going to beg him to serve me a poorly prepared dish. His response was that "sometime this happens when they are busy." He did offer me dessert on the house. I did not accept. I sat and drank wine while my wife finished her dinner. This place has lost it's way. Several years ago this place was acceptable; unfortunately, their over priced menu and lack of attention will be their demise. You are better off a couple of doors down at Majolica. read more

Finally, some sophistication has come to "re-Phurbished" Phoenixville, thanks in part to the newly improved Black Lab Bistro & Bakery. Within the last couple of years Black Lab has "morphed" from a place that strived to be upscale but didn't quite make the mark, into one that finally found itself and delivers. If you are expecting "Mom's Meatloaf" to still be on the menu, there's a new Iron Hill down the block. As for first course selections, you will discover Bella Foie Gras in lieu of cheese fries, Colossal Lump Crab Cake in lieu of potato skins and Calamari in lieu of french onion soup. Sushi Grade Tuna, Veal Tenderlion Medallions, Surf & Turf and Scottish Salmon are among the list of wonderful entree choices. Black Lab is an attractive, cozy little bistro with a decor that boasts exposed brick, bright yellow walls, and contrasting dark woods. The cuisine is carefully prepared and artfully presented. BYO. Entrees range in price from the low $20s to low $30s. Don't overlook the "& Bakery"...save room for dessert. read more

I arrived, I went to their bathroom only to find the door hard to close, not a normal lock a bolt lock, very downtrodden. I have to wash may hands because the latch had to be muscled before I could lock the door. had to search the bathroom for the soap, found it up on a shelf. Set it on the sink and it slid down the sink wanting to dump into the sink due to the slanted sinktop. Wash my hands .... the water got too hot to the point of being unsafe. (Dag I really gotta go) ... wash up after using the facility only to step on the garbage pail stomper to find it did not open the lid, I'm like this is like a bad bar bathroom and I thought we stepped into a restaurant for some lunch ... I go back to my table where my wife was seated and I see a few flys about the table on the menus. I just said ... honey we aint staying here, let's go. Down to Molly McGuires where we had a lovely lunch on the outdoor terrace. Best decision we made. This place is dark in the daylight. Sorry Black Lab you missed the cut on first impression. read more

One of my recent stops was the Black Lab Bistro. I am always on the hunt for BYOB's since I love wine and the cost of one bottle in a restaurant, as opposed to the wine store, can mean a difference of 20 to 30 dollars on your bill. The Black Lab had many good recent reviews so it was time for us to venture on in to the crisp yellow walled open kitchen bistro. Our server was delighltful and the atmosphere was mellow. We started with Lobster Bisque and Prosciutto Wrapped Shrimp and both were very good. The soup was perfect temperature and texture with just the right touch of sherry. The shrimp were large and flavorful. Next course was a Frisee salad. This was not just any frisee salad. Who buys frisee to make a salad anyway? I don't think many, but I am sure glad they did. I am in love with this salad...delicate frisee...juicy poached pears...perfectly toasted pecans...tangy Maytag blue cheese...crispy proscuitto (this was the icing on the cake) and finally all tossed with a light Cider-Dijon Vinaigrette. What else can I say...except you have to try it to experience the full flavor. With every salad component together in one bite...heavenly. I decided to share this with my husband not knowing how fabulous it would be and now I know I will be ordering one for myself next time. We couldn't even carry a conversation while eating this salad...amazing. Next I had the Filet which was very moist and tender. Unfortunately, it was a little undercooked - very rare. I ate some and had to send it back as I got closer to the nearly raw center. I was thoroughly impressed with our server and how she handled it - checking back with us to make sure I was happy with the end result. I was little disappointed as my dinner was interrupted, but I realize steaks are hard to get perfect. Our service and other delightful dishes made up for the pause in my entree and after our meal when our server presented me with a $25 gift certificate because of the inconvenience, I knew this place was a class act. The Black Lab Bistro rose to the top of my favorite food spots! http://pleasurablepalate.typepad.com read more

First Time eating here. I took my girlfriend here last Friday night. The service was good and our waiter was friendly. The restaurant is BYOB. We don't drink so don't mind that, but if you drink be prepared. The menu is huge. It can be difficult to pick an entree, but we were never rushed and any questions we had regarding how dishes were prepared were answered well. I tried the $14.00 Lobster Mac & Cheese. It was good but not $14 dollars good. Both of our entrees were delicious. The fish was cook nicely and the sauces paired well and were not drowning out the flavor of the dish. I had the scallops, also very nice, the sauce was sweet and complimented the dish. the atmosphere is busy and loud but it was comfortable and did not make me feel rushed or unwelcome. Our bill was almost $90.00 with tip. I have no problem shelling out cash for gourmet restaurants and high end cuisine but $90.00 in Phoneixville seems a tad much. Next time I would drive to Philly. If you are local and don't mind over paying a little bit for a nice meal I totally recommend this place. Everything was good and satisfying, just felt it could have been priced more reasonably. read more

Warning: DOUBLE CHECK YOUR BILLS!!! We went here with a large group of friends to eat dinner. The prices were outrageous for what we got in my opinion. The meals were good, but we didn't feel that it justified the pricing. Worst part is that at the end, the waitress tried to rip us off. There was an additional 50 dollars over the bill charge (even with tip included!) written in pen at the bottom. None of the numbers added up correctly, and after a lot of arguing and questioning the waitress' hands were shaking because she was caught in the act. I have never been back since. Any restaurant that employs waitstaff who try to rip off their customers is a big red flag!!! read more

Have been meaning to get to Black Lab Bistro for a couple years now, and I'm kicking myself for not going sooner. Had a wonderful meal! Atmosphere was great, service was great and the food was outstanding. My husband and I split a starter, each had an entree and could barely finish dessert, needless to say food was substantial! It was hard to decide on what to get - too many wonderful choices AND the specials offered more than doubled the menu. Great selection of beef and fish entrees. Can't wait to get back!!! read more

Phoenixville is a hoppin lil town with great restaurants and the Black Lab is a must try. Delicious, fresh fare in this wonderful BYOB. We've eaten here several times and the experience has been consistently good. Friendly, efficient people. We shared several appetizers. Brussels sprouts were yummy! All of our entrees were excellent! Very enjoyable night...will definitely be back! read more

A very crowded and noisy place. Our table for 7 was in a corner and foot traffic as constantly going by. I had the lobster bisque. It was good. It didn't have much meat in it and it had a little acidic tang to it. A first for me, I saw striped bass on the menu and I wanted to try it. It was $30 and came with brocolini and lobster risotto. When it arrived I was disappointed with the size of the fish. It was about 2 1/4" by about 3 1/2 inches. I thought that was pretty small especially for $30. It came with the skin on and in one way I liked that cause it looked like striper skin. The fish was OK. It was a little fishy and the seasoning didn't seem to compliment the fish. The vegetable was good and the risotto was excellent. I could have eaten a lot more of the risotto. My wife had the scallops and again, the seasoning didn't go well with the scallops. I've been to Black Lab before and had their short ribs dinner which I really enjoyed. I'll give them a try again even though their food is a little pricier than other restaurants. read more

I wish I could grant stars for food and service separately...the food was terrific. I had Duck & seared scallops that were out of this world. The majority of my party (16 total) absolutely loved their selections. The tough part is how they greet you at the Black Lab. The hostess was almost hostile telling us "it is our policy that you must have all members of your party present before we seat you." We had 14 people standing in a drafty hallway holding bottles of wine. Some folks just don't understand they are in the "HOSPITALITY" industry. Probably will not return based on this. read more

Would have liked to have tried the food. Bit this unpleasant girl push us out because it was 11:25. Because they were still setting up. No let me get you a seat. A drink. For 5 mins they lost my business. 5/19/11. Tell your staff how to act read more

Went to the Black Lab tonight with 3 friends. I have never been disappointed yet. I had striped bass special friends had filet and crab, fra diablo. Remember we are in phoenixville, our dinner was equal to any restaurant in the city. Service was awesome, attentive, and most of all timely. Prices of the food were very fair for what we had. I feel with the atmosphere,food and service we received ,why bother traveling to the city. Absolutely the best BYOB around. read more

After hearing good reviews from friends about this place, my wife and I decided to try it last Friday night. Although there are no reservations on Fridays, we did a call ahead 1 hour before we arrived. Once at the restaurant around 7:30 PM, we waited less than 20 minutes to get seated. No complaints there. When we were seated, we waited around 5 minutes before someone came over to greet us. Not bad considering how busy they were. The waiter approached our table and opened with "Have you decided?" No introduction, no "Can I get you a bucket of ice and a bottle opener for your BYO?" and no explanation of the specials or menu recommendations. The waiter's poor level of service continued throughout the meal and his interaction with us was lacking to the point it was awkward. The guys walking around refilling the water glasses did a better job of taking care of us. Food: Lobster bisque for both, Seafood diablo for me and Teriyaki Salmon pasta for my wife. The bisque was the best part of dinner although not the best I have ever had. Both seafood pasta dinners were overpriced and quality was average. Overall the restaurants "don't care" attitude towards it's customers was the most disappointing aspect. With all of the restaurants and bars in downtown Phoenixville, I see no reason to go back here. read more

This place is great. We have been for dinner 4 times, brunch twice, and lunch once. Perfect food and service every time. Definitely make a reservation as it is always packed. The made from scratch desserts are to die for especially the cinnamon bun iced cream sandwich! read more

i love this place. whenever i have friends in town, i make sure to bring them here. i love there brunch there omlettes are huge and very different then others ive seen out. ive been a professional chef for a good 15 years and i can be a bit critical of resturaunts just out of habit. all in all, they do a bang up job my last visit for brunch i got the pea omlette with bacon and gruyere cheese. it was great and my buddy got the banana pancakes, they were huge and fluffy. it was awesome read more

I usually love this place we go a lot on sundays for brunch my only problem is the staff rushes you out. we usually get there late and at 2 oclock on the dot the music from the kitchen gets really loud and the servers start sweeping and hustling around to get you out. really the eggs benedict are excellent always as is the french toast and denver omlette it just lame to feel pushed out read more

I live in Phoenixville and I have always been a fan of the Black Lab Bistro. I have never been disappointed by the lobster bisque but my absolute favorite starter is the stuffed artichoke hearts. It's an incredible mix of Genoa salami, pepperoni and a roasted tomato creme on the most delicious preserved quartered artichokes you will ever have. For a starter you really can't go wrong with anything on the menu. If you're feeling cheap, the burger is an awesome choice that can be topped with their many toppings. As far as pasta goes, my absolute favorite is the chicken and artichoke penne. I have always wanted to try the house signature dish though, duck breast and scallops. I have had the scallops and they were absolutely delicious, perfectly seared and the best texture. Finally, for a dessert I love the cinnamon bun ice cream sandwich. It's a warm cinnamon bun with vanilla ice cream, drizzled with a caramel sauce. The Black Lab Bistro is an awesome place, one of the best in Phoenixville. The service has always impressed me, the food is wonderful and although it can get loud and cramped on a busy Saturday night, the ambiance and decor are great. I definitely recommend you got check out the Black Lab, but make sure to call ahead so you don't have to wait on a busy weekend night. read more

can't go wrong with what you order here. I've always said, if the menu is small then it must be good! filet mignon cuts like butter. it's a splurge night for us when we go. read more

I'm sure the food is great and I made a reservation based on all the positive feedback I was given on the place. When we arrived for our 7PM reservation I had made earlier in the week, the hostess/manager/owner told me she did not have my name on the reservation list (handwritten). After discussion with her 3 different times and 20 minutes after we arrived she told us it would be at least 40 minutes before she could maybe seat us. We were to say the least quite disappointed with the way she dismissed our business. We walked down the street to Majolica and were greeted with a quiet, friendly atmosphere and a host who was gracious enough to offer a table regretfully and hour later but he directed us to Thai L' Elephant across the street. The food was excellent as was the service! We felt welcomed as well as things happen for a reason, maybe Back Lab Bistro might have been ok but I would direct you to Thai L' Elephant and Majolica if you're looking for a great dining experience! read more

Don't bother....The former owners were great and moved on to own Chow in Collegeville. I will drive farther to go there. Black Lab isn't what it used to be and there is just nothing special about it. read more

The food, atmosphere and service are all A+. A favorite place for us to take friends and family from out of town.

Fantastic place to eat. Great atmosphere, great food. A little pricey for dinner, but definitely worth it. Their brunch is quite reasonable and also quite delicious. The service can be spotty - especially given the price point...but not enough to downgrade the place. read more

Got there around 8 o'clock on a Tuesday Night after Christmas with no reservation and they were able to sit us within 10 minutes which was great considering it was pretty full. The only bad thing was it was BYOB and we forgot so we had to order sodas to drink. I had the Chrgrilled Filet and Truffled Mashed Potatoes which was really good I would recommend to anyone. For dessert, I ended up ordering the Cinnamon Bun and Ice Cream which was okay and one of the reasons I am giving it four stars instead of five. Also even though it is a great food it is a little pricey but I am willing to pay. Overall I would recommend this place to someone looking for a good place to eat in Phoenixville. read more

Had my birthday dinner here last week. Very decent food at a fair price. Not a 5 star establishment but the portions are large and the food is very well done. Definitely a place I will return to again and again. Staff was friendly and service was quick. BYOB as well which is a plus. read more

My husband and I went for dinner this evening. First the menu is too large and way over priced. I ordered chicken with asparagus, EVOO, and penne. What a horrible experience! I swear that penne must have been microwaved. It was dark brown in color and completely crunchy. Not to mention the fact that the dish was not just a puddle, but a pool of oil! Don't use EVOO like you would red tomato gravy. I had to send it back and the waitress even agreed that she thought the pasta looked overcooked. The excuse we got was that the chef was trying to caramelize the penne..that's why there was so much oil. What? My husband's shrimp were also overcook and complete rubber. I thought it was overpriced when we sat down...it was worse when I experienced the food. read more

Absolutely LOVE this place! Been here several times and have always had an amazing dinner! The calamari with the "sauce" is out of this world! I don't stray too far off what I know and love - the Filet Oscar. You don't need a knife - it is that tender. And the flavor...just an amazing place! Keep it up! read more

We have eaten here many times and always have very good food and service. Lobster bisque and short ribs are outstanding. Never disappointed. read more

We've been to Black Lab a few times over the past couple years and overall it's very good. I recommend going for the specials. This weekend that was a sausage veggie soup, halibut entree, and ribeye entree. We had the pumpkin cheesecake for desert. It's BYOB and you can now make reservations on OpenTable which is nice because in the past we would end up waiting a long time to get a table. read more

I had brunch there and I really like the food. The portions are very generous the services are