I love coming here once in a while, it is a nice environment especially during the weekdays when I can do work. The server was very kind and helpful tonight as well, and the food was amazing. Overall good experience. read more

I had such an excellence experience here. I usually do a ton of shopping at Nordstrom and surprisingly had not eaten at their Cafe Bistro before. The space was very open and clean with plenty of booths and individual tables. They also have WiFi and I was able to take a Zoom meeting while enjoying my delicious meal. I went in thinking I was just going to order a Caesar salad to keep it safe but I'm glad I didn't. I ended up getting their soup of the day (which was a creamy turkey soup--I can't remember the exact name) and the Crab, Avocado, and Mango salad. They were VERY generous with the amount of crab, the avocado was perfectly ripe, and the mango salsa along with the vinaigrette tied it perfectly together. Seriously...no need to go to Yardhouse or Brio at the Spectrum. You can definitely get your fix for much cheaper here. I think I'll put this in my routine--shop at Nordstrom followed by eating at their bistro. Will definitely be back! read more

Cafe Bistro at Nordstrom - Crab, Mango and Avocado Salad - New American Near Me - Irvine, California

Everyone from the gal that took our order at the front counter, to Florentino our server, was super pleasant and attentive throughout our meal. We came in around noon on a Friday, party of 4. We placed our order at the counter, and then were told we could sit anywhere we pleased, It was moderately busy, and fairly quiet. Our table ordered the prosciutto pizza, salmon Niçoise salad, crab mango & avocado salad, portabella mushroom ravioli, prosciutto and arugula salad, white chocolate bread pudding, Creme brûlée, and vanilla bean ice cream. All of the food was delicious, brought out promptly, and they checked in on us throughout the meal to ensure there was nothing more we needed. Once you've completed your meal is when they bring you a desert menu, if you opt for desert they will bring a separate bill for those items. Best place to park is the top of the parking structure that will lead you right into the second floor of Nordstrom and directly into cafe bistro! Also, not to be confused with their actual ebar that is located on the first floor and faces out of their storefront, this is where you can grab coffee, smoothies, pastries and grab and go items. Next time you're at spectrum, don't forget to add Nordstrom cafe bistro as a potential dining option! read more

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After a long day of Christmas shopping, we were famished. As our last stop was Nordstrom, we found it convenient to pop in here for a bite. I ordered the French onion soup and garlic focaccia. My daughter ordered the artichoke dip. The food was fabulous, as was our charming server, Wilson. We were able to sit down right away and rest our weary bones. This is lovely and warm and wholesome. Highly recommend! read more

Cafe Bistro at Nordstrom - Artichoke dip - New American Near Me - Irvine, California

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The chicken pepperoni pizza was very fresh, savory, chewy, flavorful, and delicious. Also, the strawberry lemonade was super sweet, refreshing, and perfectly served, good service, nice atmosphere with upbeat music, and I had an excellent experience here today. read more

Cafe Bistro at Nordstrom - New American Near Me - Irvine, California

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My office used to be in the irvine spectrum, therefore I tried almost every restaurant there a few times. This place was among my fave 3 restaurants. They have a great variety of soups and salads (healthy, fresh, and delicious) and you can choose from their diverse proteins to add-on. I am a little disappointed of the prices increase but assume thats happening everywhere. Their steak (add-on) and crab salad are my favorites but you can never go wrong with any items on their menu. The service was always great and its a nice place to have a conversation with a friend or colleague. Note: these pictures are from various visits read more

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Really disappointed by the food handling practices here. I watched an employee sample toppings while cooking and also use his bare hands to scoop fruit into my bowl. When I brought it up politely, he said there was nothing wrong with it. I calmly explained that directly touching ready-to-eat food with bare hands is unsanitary and a health code concern. Instead of handling the situation professionally, he became defensive and dismissive, insisting his hands were clean and making me feel very uncomfortable. I ended up walking away because of how poorly the interaction was handled. I'm disappointed because I was trying to respectfully address a legitimate concern, and I no longer feel comfortable purchasing food there unless proper food handling practices are being followed. read more

Delicious tomato basil soup with grill cheese! Lemon dressing pasta tortellini was the latest delicious find there. How convenient is the Bistro Cafe, and Yummy! It's a must stop in! read more

This dining experience at the Irvine location was not up to par compared to other Nordstrom locations in the LA area. The service was lacking in several areas. We had to ask for straws for our children's drinks. We had to ask for utensils and napkins to eat. We were served spaghetti noodles with only one spoon. We had to ask for cream for the very bitter black coffee. When ordering, we were told the soup came with bread on the side -- I had to request this after the soup was delivered without any bread. The bread I was given was as hard as a rock. The chicken fingers were also very hard and dry and my kid could barely chew them. Additionally, we bought 2 Royale cookies to go. They were given to me wrapped in Saran Wrap with 'Monday' on the sticker. Since it was the following Saturday after the Monday (6 days after the sticker date), the cookies were stale and also as hard as a rock! The whole experience was a shock to have at a Nordstrom. We will never eat at this cafe's location again. read more

Cafe Bistro at Nordstrom - Terrible processed cookie - New American Near Me - Irvine, California

From the lovely gentleman Andrew at the front, to the exceptional service from Hunter our waiter, the overall experience was great. When I went, it was less-crowded which was surprising for how good everything was. I was recommended the Cilantro Lime Salad which was recommended to me by Andrew. Of which, I ordered with salmon. As I dig in, I noticed the salmon was undercooked by the chef. But our server Hunter offered a refund or a remake of the order. I accepted a remake of the order, but was generously offered an appetizer or dessert in the meantime. Despite the inconvenience, the food was great. Our server was attentive, and the recommendation was stellar! The overall ambiance of the place is sleek and modern, which is very suiting as it resides in the Irvine Spectrum. I recommend this place heavily as it is Irvine's hidden gem! read more

I usually enjoy Nordstrom Bistro, including this location; however, today the service was poor, and the food was disappointing. I was the only customer present when the restaurant opened, yet I was ignored the entire time. I had to get up and walk over to the employees, who were speaking among themselves, to obtain napkins. In fact, whenever I needed something, I had to request it myself. It appeared that I was an inconvenience to the staff. At this Nordstrom location, customers are required to go to the register to order their food, and, of course, they are asked to leave a tip. I always leave a tip and am happy to do so; however, I did leave them a tip and I should have left myself a tip - to stay away. This contradicts Nordstrom's promise of exceptional customer service. read more

Food is not good enough to be insanely overpriced. I paid 9$ for a side of french fries that were underseasoned and took 15 minutes to come out. The drinks we ordered came out in a kids cup when I paid full price. The entire cup is ice and the waiters didn't give us utensils (including no straws!!) They lost my friends receipt, accused us of lying, just for them to be wrong in the end and they didn't listen and all around terrible service. The restaurants vibe is not giving, they don't monitor the booths, their customers, and their employees. The best thing about this place was leaving. I do not recommend, take your money to a more deserving, competent restaurant. read more

Came in on a Wednesday before Christmas at 6pm (closing at 7). I was disappointed. I'm a regular and know the quality of food and service here. It's usually close to perfection. The menu is amazing and the food is consistently good. But not tonight. Soup was cold. The order came out all random. For example the salad and Brussel Sprouts came after my pasta. But the worst was the dry service and hard as heck garlic toast that I almost broke my teeth on! So awful! Why would you even serve that?! Just say you ran out. That toast is legendary. I've been enjoying it for years. How dare they serve such a disgusting thing to Nordstrom customers. That cook needs to be out of the kitchen if he can't produce edible bread. The server lady was kind. But everyone else was clearly done working way before we arrived. read more

Cafe Bistro at Nordstrom - Disgusting hard garlic toast. Almost broke my tooth! - New American Near Me - Irvine, California

I updated my review to include new Kids Cafe menu prices as of August 2024 that shows a slight increase. read more

Cafe Bistro at Nordstrom - Kids' Cafe Menu - New American Near Me - Irvine, California

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Only rating for cilantro lime salmon salad. For the price I paid for this dish I had much higher expectations I've ordered this same dish at Mission Shops Nordstrom and they are nowhere near identical. read more

Cafe Bistro at Nordstrom - This tiny piece of salmon was burnt and dry - New American Near Me - Irvine, California

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We were hungry while shopping around in the area and found a restaurant within Nordstrom that had some good looking food so we decided to eat here. We entered the restaurant and it had a nice classy aesthetic to it. We were a little confused when we came inside and weren't seated by someone this is because this place works by ordering at the counter and then having the food come to your table. This caught us by surprise since this place was priced like a proper sit down restaurant but it wasn't a big deal to us. Once we ordered our food it took about 15 minutes for it to come out and it was nice and fresh. I ordered a steak which came with fries and greens on the side with a fantastic garlic aioli. The steak itself was nice and juicy and the fries had just the right amount of saltiness and crunch to them, the whole meal worked beautifully together. If you are looking for a nice savory bite while shopping around at Nordstrom I would definitely recommend this place and come here again in the future! read more

Cafe Bistro at Nordstrom - Steak and fries - New American Near Me - Irvine, California

It has been years since I've dined at Nordstrom's Cafe because my local Nordstrom closed. Lunch was solid but pricey. My son really wanted a good sandwich while shopping at Irvine Spectrum. His turkey avocado sandwich was good. My lime cilantro chicken salad was tasty. The dressing is one of my favorites. Service was fine, but our waiter seemed busy. Not sure I would return as there are better places to dine in the area. read more

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9/30/2022 Went inside for a super late lunch, early dinner. When my food came out it was 4:00pm. I was starrrrving! Hangry! But I was so happy I chose Cafe Bistro over other eateries at Irvine Spectrum. Wanted to choose the most healthy, filling option I could find. WILD SALMON WITH SAFFRON COUSCOUS (Baby Heirloom Tomatoes, Cucumber, Tzatziki Sauce Basil, Feta Cheese). This was soooo good! And no, it's not because I was staaarviiiing. This was genuinely a delicious dish! What's not to like? A very generous portion of salmon on a bed of chewy pearl couscous, crispy, crunchy cucumbers and baby heirloom tomatoes, tangy-creamy tzatziki sauce, chopped basil and cubes of feta cheese. Delicious, satisfying, and healthy in every bite! Would love to order again in the future! LOCATION On the second floor of Nordstrom. Not hard to find, but since it's in a department store, you gotta wash your hands before you walk in the bistro. MENU Paper menus at the front and also menus at the table via QR Code. But you have to order at the register anyway, so kinda pointless. SERVICE Overall good. Server came out promptly with my water and gave me a side service of cracked black pepper when my dish came out. I think server checked on me once and that was it. I did not mind, since it's a very low-key bistro and people pay at the register and tip before they eat, so no need for anyone to hover over me. read more

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i work in the spectrum everytime i stop here the food is great. that being said the staff here is the rudest of any restaurant i've been to and it's always consistent. i've never had a good experience with the staff or servers they always roll their eyes to any question and act like you're of lesser intelligence if you don't know the exact name of an entree. read more

Came here for lunch on a Tuesday afternoon. I had never been to a Nordstrom cafe before. Here you order at a register and can seat yourself and your food will be delivered. I ordered the mushroom and Boursin cheese pizza which was a seasonal special. It was delicious!! Six decent sized pieces. Very tasty and definitely had an herb-y flavor with thyme sprinkled on top. Service was wonderful as should be expected at any Nordstrom affiliate. He even offered us drinks to go which was a very nice surprise. Overall a really great place for a quite lunch. A bit pricey for what it is but definitely quality food. read more

Cafe Bistro at Nordstrom - Mushroom and boursin cheese pizza - New American Near Me - Irvine, California

I LOVE Nordstrom cafe salads. I have introduced so many of my family and friends to it. We visited the South Coast location on Friday and it was such a satisfying meal. We plan on visiting again this week. However, this location is getting one star from me purely for their customer service. I picked up a salad for lunch which was half the size of what we received at South Coast. When I called to complain, the manager was incredibly rude and condescending. I even asked if she could make up for the difference in portion by providing a half salad next time and she refused to do so. Blaming South Coast for over serving or implying that I'm lying. To make matters worse, I found a small strand of thick hair in my salad towards the end of it. I refuse to speak with the condescending manager again. Not sure if management has changed at this location, but the service was much better before. read more

Cafe Bistro at Nordstrom - New American Near Me - Irvine, California

I came into Nordstrom bistro yesterday/ Friday at around 2pm and was in the emergency room 2 hours later with food poisoning. My mom and I with my 5 month old baby came in for lunch. I had a small lemonade and Mac and cheese, I had ordered a chicken sandwich but I did not get to eat it. Once I had the Mac and cheese my stomach began to hurt. my mouth felt itchy like I was gonna throw up. I drank all my water but never saw the waiter again. We got up to leave since I didn't feel well and I asked the manager if there was bananas or avocados in my Mac and cheese and they gave me hot water and said I should have said I have an allergy. I'm allergic to avocados and bananas. I only ate Mac and cheese and had awful service too. The waiter only brought bread for my mom's soup after we asked and never came back to bring sauce or refill our waters. Again I was getting itchy throat and never got a water refill. Right after I had severe reactions and throwing up. I had to go to the emergency room from the pain in my stomach which is when they told me I had food poisoning from what I ate. At least i was refunded when my mom called to tell them I had food poisoning. I never heard from them but I wouldn't eat here. read more

LOVE this place! After shopping at Nordstrom I like to come here and get some lunch. Normally I order the Roasted Turkey and. Avocado Club with fries and it's delicious. Service here is amazing. I think his name is Justin? He's normally working around the register but he's extremely nice and always works with a smile. Strongly recommend. read more

I love eating here after an afternoon of shopping. The food is always delicious, service is impeccable and the staff is so kind. My favorites are their Sockeyed Salmon Salad or Spicy Shrimp Pomodoro. read more

for the past 15 years it was my favourite place, but today I was appalled by service and food quality. The waiter was absolutely dissociated from his duties with indifferent expression on his face, considering that this is BISTRO and I placed my order with 15% tip up front. I was waiting for my dessert for more than 20 minutes, while my whole family already finished theirs and when I finally received mine it was absolutely burned and overcooked. I confronted the waiter and instead of offering the replacement he said that this is absolutely fine and he doesn't see anything wrong, while at least 8mm of the bottom layer of the desert was black and crusted and burn completely. When I returned the dessert back directly to the chef, I didn't receive any apology. I couldn't wait for the new dessert and I requested reimbursement. The chef said, they can't return my money, because they installed new "system", and I can get it only Tomorrow!!! Instead of admitting mistake and issuing apology they pretend that they don't understand what is wrong. This location lost loyal customer today. read more

Horrible service. We ordered one to-go for our daughter. She was crying for 30 mins... There weren't many customers. We couldn't wait any longer, so I went to the kitchen area and asked... The food had already been out for a while... No one let us know or brought it to us. We were waiting in front of all of their waiters and our daughter constantly said she was hungry. I don't understand how come no one cared about it. We will never come back again. read more

You must try these two items here Cilantro lime salad with shrimps and French onion soup! These are bomb! read more

Cafe Bistro at Nordstrom - onion soup, Cilantro Lime Shrimp Salad and Roasted Chicken and goat cheese Panini! - New American Near Me - Irvine, California

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Finally a Nordstrom with the original cafe!!!! This location is inside of the Irvine Spectrum. Here you order at the front counter and then find a comfy table while they take care of the rest. We started off with a crab bisque which wasn't pictured as I was so hungry I forgot to take a pic. Soups are all served with a warm crostini which was a nice touch. Then we received The truffle burrata with figs and arugula. I was a bit disappointed as the flavor of all of this just didn't hit right. I normally really enjoy their on menu burrata platter so I was really excited about the truffle. Next we had the blue crab and mango salad. This salad was flavorful and light which I really enjoyed. Then for my last item I had the prime rib dip. This wasn't my favorite here. I normally look for a nice crusted baguette, which this was a bit soft. I also always look forward to some type of horseradish cream or fresh horseradish which they didn't have on hand. All in all service was great, food was great and atmosphere was nice. We were even offered to go drinks! I always love that! read more

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Cafe Bistro is one of my favorite places to eat at the Spectrum. I know there are a lot of choices there, but sometimes you want good, quality food without having to wait in line nor pay outrageous prices, and that's what this Cafe Bistro offers. They have a specials menu posted when you walk up and they have their paper menu with the regular offerings. I've had their burger, salads, and French dip and everything is really good. The service is always amazing and they go so far as to ask if you want to go cups for your drinks, but they bring you a full cup of whatever you ordered! I love their thin French fries but always ask for ranch bc not a fan of their purple sauce, whatever that is. Always plenty of seating, even during weekend lunch. My go to for a nice, quiet meal in what can be a chaotic Spectrum sometimes with all the crowds. read more

One of my coworker was running an errand at Target, so we stopped in due to convenience for a quick lunch. I didn't even know Nordstrom Cafe Bistro was a thing and that each location had their own quirky menus, but my coworkers raved about their menu items. Well, let's give this a try! I was a bit hesitant on going too ham on lunch, so I settled with a Bistro Club with a simple salad on the side. I was really craving a sandwich, so this totally fit the bill. In between two toasted slices of rustic bread, it was generously piled with garlic aioli, sliced chicken breast, organic baby greens, bacon, tomato, avocado and french green beans. The crisp green beans were a game changer! The simple salad was beautiful with vibrant grape tomatoes and mixed greens lightly tossed in a vinaigrette I think. It wasn't drenched, which was perfect! The meal was incredibly filling and the ambiance made you forget you were at Nordstrom. The service was top-notch and the chocolate mints you received at the end was really nice to clean up the palate. I'll be back. I just want to try everything on the menu now! read more

Cafe Bistro at Nordstrom - Chicken Club, Simple Salad - New American Near Me - Irvine, California

Came today with 4 people on a Friday at 3:30PM. Each ordered sandwiches with fries and after we paid and sat down we were told they ran out of sourdough bread and only had wheat bread. Wish I was told before paying. The wheat bread came burnt on one side and they served it showing the unburnt side up. The turkey sandwich had waaay too much turkey to even bite. And all of our fries were undercooked as well. It was not busy at all inside the cafe. It's upsetting they weren't prepared for the weekend and didn't order enough sourdough bread. And who ever was the chef that day was having a real bad day, paid no attention to detail. Crostini also have gotten smaller and smaller each time I visit this location. 2 stars for the manager informing us about sourdough running out before food came and the server was very sweet. read more

Terrible service. A busser tried giving my toddler a high five with a dirty rubber glove. No one directs you that this an order at a window type restaurant, unlike other Nordstrom restaurants. They just stared at us as if we're at a corner bakery. The kids penne pasta was overcooked, falling apart and tasteless. When I asked them about it, they said "this is how pasta is". We've ordered this dozens of times at other Nordstrom's and it's never looked like that. The manager tried doubling down on the fact that it looked odd, claiming it was due to being gluten free, until we asked if it is the same pasta as other locations, to which after she acknowledged the pasta did not look right. Terrible customer service and subpar quality, then tried offering us a 20% off coupon for our next visit to make up for it. Disappointing. Will not be returning to this location. read more

I have never had any food here that wasn't great! I usually get my food to go and really enjoy the turkey/avocado club sandwich. As always, every nordstrom cafe location that has tomato bisque soup...you must try it! read more

Food is great quality as it's always been. I love the cilantro lime shrimp salad, french dip, club sandwich, pizzas, soups, their fries with the purple sauce is to die for...I've had pretty much the entire menu 5 times over (worked at Nords for a while). My only complaint is that the salad is now half the portion it was and 50% more expensive. It used to be about $14, now its $20 for a tiny tiny portion. Stop being cheap, Nordstrom. The food is good, but don't raise your prices that drastically only to also drastically make the portions smaller. read more

As a Nordstrom restaurant regular, this location was my first disappointment. The sausage and biscuit was hard and the temp was lukewarm. Chicken caesar salad which I always get from cafe bistro tasted a little different, there was some bitterness to it. Pizzas were good though! Service was subpar. Server was not very friendly. I've gotten used to the excellent service from almost all the Nordstrom restaurants I've been to and this one was not on point. Except the young girl at the cash register who took my order. She was very nice and pleasant!!! read more

At first, it seemed smaller than the one in Mission Viejo, but the lighting made it feel so warm and pleasant inside. My turkey avocado sandwich was plated beautifully and tasted great. The MV store changed the turkey; thanks for keeping it the original way. It's so much better. The cauliflower mac-n-cheese was amazing! I'm so glad we tried it. read more

Cafe Bistro at Nordstrom - Turkey avocado sandwich was so good! - New American Near Me - Irvine, California

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Irvine, Ca. One of my Yelp friends (Hi Dawn!) recommended the burger here. If not for her recommendation I doubt I would have ever found this place, which is located on the second floor of Nordstrom's at Irvine Spectrum. When walking in you view the menu and place your order at the register. They will bring your food out to you when it's ready, I sat in a booth because it was not very busy. The burger did not disappoint. It was plenty large and the patty extended to the edge of the bun. I ordered it cooked medium but it arrived at my table medium well, so it probably shrunk a bit. The thickness was about 5/8 inches. The flavor of the meat was good, possibly a ground chuck that had been leaned up with round steak. The requisite piece of lettuce was present to protect the lower bun from the juices but unfortunately they applied the sauce directly to the lower bun causing it to dissolve halfway through the consumption process. I liked the fresh tomato and the ample melted cheese. The side of salad that came with it was good, not some iceberg lettuce concoction but a nicely tossed leafy spinach with a generous amount of grated Parmesan. Service was quick and very friendly. Not cheap, this burger was $17.00 with tax and no gratuity. read more

Cafe Bistro at Nordstrom - Kitchen counter - New American Near Me - Irvine, California

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Might be a sign that I come here to much but the waiter knows my name.I love it here their soup is unforgettable.

It's too bad these cafes are hidden within Nordstroms because their food and service are top notch. And I mean, every single one of these I have visited has been a great experience, a beautiful place, excellent food and with absolutely outstanding staff. This location is not as beautiful as the others, but the food( the turkey sandwich I had) was a 10. Waiter said something about handmade cranberry sauce, that must've been the difference. Here again, 10 out of 10 staff, from the guy at the register to our waiter, Wilson, just a extraordinarily genuine guy who remembers your name. read more

Cafe Bistro at Nordstrom - This was one of the best turkey sandwiches that I have ever eaten. - New American Near Me - Irvine, California

Our server Florentino was very attentive with and gave us great service we give him an APLUS