Thursday evening before the 4th weekend: They we're out of salmon. In general the Food was good but veggie of the day was sparse. We got 3 stalks of asparagus. Service was ok not stellar. I did not get the glass of water that I'd asked for- had to go to the kitchen to ask someone for it again. I would have had another glass of wine if our server was available. Corners of the meat loaf were dry. Walleye was very good. Overall it was ok. read more

Food was awesome. It's always worth the wait for good food. We were looking for a restaurant close to home and found that core bistro was like 2 minutes from our house we just bought. We come up to Michigan often we will most definitely come back. read more

The food is always been good on our take out orders. Beer batter fries taste better than regular. Bacon bbq burger is really good. My husband likes the gyro burger. The buns taste homemade and look great. Also a very busy ice cream ordering window outside. Mooville icecream to get there. Haven't had any but there is always a line. They have an enclosed patio area to eat outside. read more

Went for ice cream with the family. Good news - all of the ice cream is fantastic. Bad news - it took 45 minutes to get 4 ice creams and there were only 2 people ahead of us. Summary - the product was great but the service was beyond slow. I have no idea how it took them 15 minutes for each ice cream cone. It's a scoop and a cone. Someone had to try hard to be that slow. Watching the groups after us in line, the service was consistently this slow and multiple groups wound up stepping out of line and leaving. Hope they get that fixed because the food is well worth another visit read more

Wonderful food everytime I come here!! Waitstaff is funny and very inviting! In other words stop by when you get the chance well worth the price!! read more

The Core Bistro - Every time I come here, the foods absolutely top tier - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Battle Creek, Michigan

See all

Small bistro with big flavor. The interior seating is limited but the outdoor patio would be great during warmer months. Fast service and polite staff. Ended up going with the cheesesteak which was pretty decent. Most places that claim to make "cheesesteaks" present you with a roast beef sandwich with melted provolone and peppers, thats not a cheesesteak. But here, they do a good job of imitating the true philly staple. Core present a sandwich with thin shaved steak and actual cheese sauce rather than slices cheese. I can appreciate that! Their cheese sauce has a slight kick which was nice! The back side of the restaurant has a ice cream/chili dog type nook which i would like to try if im ever here again. read more

Now called The Core Bistro. They have a full menu, appear to offer breakfast, have ice cream with a walk up window and patio, and a full bar. It's not very fancy but seems like they want to be. The only reason I knocked a star was the atmosphere was confusing- what is this place? A diner? An ice cream shop? A fancy bistro? A bar? Probably a minor complaint that will work out with time. The food was good. We got a fried fish sandwich and a patty melt. Super reasonable prices and good portions. I wish I remembered our server's name, he was awesome- super friendly and welcoming. I love supporting small businesses and not the big chains so I think we'll be back. read more

The Core Bistro - Fish sandwich and patty melt - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Battle Creek, Michigan

I have tried this restaurant a few times, I live pretty close to it and sometimes my family and I got ice cream from there. Theres a few things I recommend this restaurant could do better. The first thing is cooking with fresh food. I ordered a plain hamburger from there just to see if the food is freshly made. To my tastebuds knowledge I can tell when I am tasting a frozen burger or a freshly made one. The burger was not only burnt, but it was also frozen. 2 big no no's in my opinion. secondly lets talk ice cream. My family and I really enjoy a good ice cream. Portion control should be huge in a restaurant, I paid 25 bucks for 3 waffle cones that were overly priced and the portion sizes were way over our head. The menu needs to be more clear on how many scoops go into a waffle cone ice cream. And if anything my ice cream shouldn't be melting all over my hands as soon as I get the ice cream. The ratio of ice cream to the height of the cone should be proportionate which it is 100% not. Normally not the one to complain about portion sizes but they need to do something different. Another thing I would suggest is I didnt see any customers eating in the outing area out back which at a glance looked perfect to enjoy food or ice cream. But I was being attacked by 100 mosquitos in 70 degree weather, I couldn't imagine if it was a normal 75-80 degree day. Spray the back area well so customers don't constantly get bit up by bugs the back of the restaurant has BIG potential for a nice outing. Also it usually takes awhile to get my food all 4 times I have been there. Took the women in there to whip up 3 ice cream cone mountains 10 mins when there was no customers in line, We were the last to be serviced. Fast, Efficient, Portion control, and Price efficiency could bring this up to par. We need good restaurants in Urbandale I would like to see better results in the future. And no I didn't take any pictures but for my future reviews I am taking further measures. read more

Today was my first time here and this was a good solid breakfast with great service! Good value for the money. I had steak and eggs for breakfast and I would rate this steak is a little overcooked for medium rare but the crispy hashbrowns and flavor we're good. I will definitely come back! read more

See all

First off... it's covid lockdown and this place was safe and spaced out according to the BS law. We got there a little late but still had good service. Drinks are out of this world. The porch seating was awesome. The food was (temperature) hot fresh and good. The salad was soooo good and so was the chicken Parm. Please come and support this place!! People are so friendly!! WE WILL BE BACK!! read more

They serve good food and have eaten breakfast more than anything else it's close by to eat at

We visited the Core Bistro for the first time this past Monday (July 17, 2023) and had a wonderful experience! The staff was courteous, attentive and very helpful , as we asked for suggestions and thoughts about certain menu items. Our food arrived quickly and was delicious! My wife had the BBQ Burger while I had the Reuben. We both cleaned our plates (a rare experience for my wife who usually takes home part of her meal). We highly recommend Core Bistro and look forward to our next visit! read more

Such good food. Who knew. Best prime rib I have had in years. Great wait staff. Love the porch with heat lanterns. Best southern comfort ever. Love this place!! read more

The burger was absolutely wonderful. The way a burger should be flavorful, juicy, messy and filling, the Core Gyro burger was all of that and more. The service was okay. Our waitress was nice, but had no idea about the drinks offered from the bar. We tried to order several drinks that were unavailable including Moscow mules, wine and ciders. She also didn't know what was in the sangria they offered. Many menu items were not available. I will gladly try this place again and hope for a wider selection and better knowledge of how items are prepared or what is in the items. read more

This is a local Gem!!!!! Homemade delicious food from scratch served by a delightful staff Full Bar Charming atmosphere We Love this place Wonderful Breakfast Lunch and Dinner read more

The atmosphere is very intimate and inviting. I saw pictures of the prime rib posted and that prompted my visit to the restaurant. I was disappointed with the meat grade of my prime rib and the thickness. I ordered a pina colada drink and it was served on ice! The prime rib was fatty but was seasoned well. I ordered my prime rib - medium rare, and it was cooked well done. The second one was cooked medium rare. I don't enjoy sending my food back to the chef. read more

Onion rings app was solid and the Salmon and the Wallye entres were deelish. Really good cocktails too. Nice patio dining with heaters. Good service. read more

Exceeded my expectations. The place appears to have been recently updated. Small and quaint little Bistro with a nice selection of options. Food was fresh and flavorful. I can say that the menu is centered around meat options so Vegetarians might be stuck with a salad here. Can't blame them for this as they are serving the clientele in the area. Patio looks really nice and it's covered which I prefer. Parking lot was quite full at 1:00pm which was why I stopped. All the food I saw looked very good. I'll be back for sure. read more

One part bar, one part ice cream parlor, this is a nice find in the open zone between Battle Creek and Richland. There is a nice outdoor seating area, but we were advised to dine-in because of heavy mosquito activity; it turned out to be good advice. The dining area is small (max occupancy 60 people) and nicely designed with a bar area, low tables and high-top tables. There is a small back room that would be nice if you have a dozen or so people and call ahead to reserve it. The menu had plenty of choices - appetizers, salads, sandwiches and entrees. Sandwiches are served with chips or an up-charge to a different side choice. Entrees come with one side plus the veggies of the day. Daily specials are posted on a chalkboard at the entry. Dessert is ice cream or pie - many selections in both categories. The bar is small but adequate. Three beer taps, several bottle choices, and the basics plus a few fun choices in hard liquor. We ordered Oberon on tap (partly because it's summer, but mostly because they only had Two Hearted in bottles...) We started with the "Coretizer," a sampler platter of chicken strips, fried mushrooms, fried pickles, mozzarella sticks and onion rings. This was your basic fried bar food, prepared well and priced right. Plenty to share among the four of us. I ordered a traditional Reuben, but requested turkey instead of pastrami. The sandwich was served on lightly grilled marble rye, and had a hearty potion of oven roasted turkey (nice!) topped with Swiss cheese and Bell's Two Hearted caraway sauerkraut. Thousand island dressing was served on the side, a nice touch, especially when so many Reubens are too lightly dressed for my personal taste. I swapped fries for the chips; they were good, but I'm not sure it was worth an extra $2. The hubster had a patty melt with chips. It was served on the same thick marble rye, and was a good sandwich despite being a bit over temp (he requested medium rare and it came out medium ... to be fair, a patty melt is typically thin and not easy to do mid rare). Kid 1 was the only one to order an entree: chicken Parmesan. This was a smallish piece of battered/fried chicken served in a large bowl with pasta and a slightly spicy marinara sauce, with one side (she had cottage cheese) and a roll. The roll was soft with a nice herb topping. This was a nice portion size for her; only a bit of pasta and the cottage cheese made its way home. Kid 2 had a BLT, and declared it to have "too much bacon." (I know, I know... I clearly did something wrong as a parent!) It was actually a nice, hearty sandwich and would have been just the right amount of bacon for someone who didn't have to contend with braces. :) Hub and Kid 2 ordered dessert ... rhubarb pie and Superman ice cream, respectively. The pie was served warm with ice cream and whipped cream, and hub declared it delicious. The "baby scoop" ice cream was plenty for a kid after a big dinner. We watched several banana splits, waffle cones and other ice cream desserts be delivered to their tables, and it's clear that this is a great destination if you're craving ice cream. (Maybe next time we will just have dessert for dinner!) All that said, I took off one star for disorganized service ... our meals arrived only minutes after our appetizer, some basic questions were difficult to answer (like, what's the vegetable of the day?), she forgot to bring our check, and then disappeared for quite some time after she did bring it. Turns out she was making sundaes for another table... Huh? Servers aren't expected to make cheeseburgers; they shouldn't have to make banana splits, either, especially in summer, when so many people are there for dessert. It takes too much time and results in other tables being neglected. read more

See all

Great food, great service. Large portions, delicious desserts and cocktails , cozy atmosphere food choices for all

First time trying this place for dinner. I had the beer battered walleye special. It was great. It came with broccoli and a wonderful cheesy potato hash. I will definitely come back. read more

The food is overall great here, especially the burgers! The atmosphere is simple and inviting, and the fireplaces outside are nice. Although it's overall a nice place, the prices of some of the menu items are quite ridiculous. They charge $3 extra to substitute sides, and once charged me $2 extra for an additional scoop of ice cream for my chocolate cake. read more

What a lovely surprise! Cozy and classy with a varied menu and friendly, efficient staff. Just the right ambience for date night and a great wine selection. Prices reasonable. Nice little bar too! read more

Food was awful. The place was packed. No social distance to slow the spread what so ever. They forgot food and replaced food that we were supposed to get with different disgusting food. I was so excited to try this place and now I'm straight up disappointed. It is also way overpriced. Never trust a restaurant that serves artificial mashed potatoes. Gross. read more

See all

Food is decent. Customer service sucks. When I asked about gluten free menu for my food allergies the girl rudely told me "no. We don't have anything GF or vegan around here. we eat here. We are from Michigan." I tried to explain to her that it wasn't really a choice that it was a FOOD ALLERGY, and then she snickered "I don't know a salad?" read more

Probably won't do this again... an ok little place, but many better options in the general area. I had the three little pigs or some such thing, and it was tolerable. Girlfriend had the corned beef hash omelette and she didn't care for it at all. It was just a flat, processed, or at least over-beaten, egg with some stuff added in. Nothing of character. The toast I had was really good. If it was home made, good for them. And points off for not refilling the coffee. Sure, one waitress and it was getting busy, but no mention of it during check out. Overall just a rough experience. read more

Came out here to sit outside and it was so nice! We had salads and soup, everything is homemade and very tasty! Our server, Andrea was great!! We would definitely come back. read more

Let me just start by saying this place is absolutely adorable. A tiny perfect gem hidden in Battle Creek that I'm so sad that I haven't been before! Upon walking inside you're told to seat yourself. At first you'll think it may be a bit too close for comfort, but while small, it's so incredibly cozy. We chose a table close to the back. The daily specials all were incredibly appealing, so much so I ignored the menu. My husband did as well. He settled on the prime rib, amazing and well seasoned, with a perfect rosemary au jus. I settled on the fried chicken which rivaled as the best fried chicken I ever had. I also decided to treat myself to a core bistro martini and let me just say they do NOT skimp on the alcohol. As I write this, I admit I'm Tipsy and have the hiccups, lol. Beyond the food, The patrons all looked happy, and incredibly pleased with their food. Our server, Trisha, was absolutely amazing. She was super attentive, great with my son, and she genuinely took the time to get to know us! I'm really absolutely puzzled by some of the negative reviews that almost kept us from ever going here, but I experienced the complete opposite. Happy employees, happy guests, warm, delicious food, fantastic ambiance, exactly the type of restaurant you want to go to on a Friday night to unwind from a stressful work week! read more

See all

Nice outdoor dining area (even if it's facing the street). They have a pretty nice menu selection and our food was good. Although, I found the prices to be high when considering the overall venu. Service was mediocre, but not so bad as to not come back for a second chance. With a little better service and a little lower pricing, Core Bistro would be 4 stars. read more

Don't waste your time? Of course tried it as we were in BC playing golf and have past this place so-so many times! Ordered chicken parmesan with linguini. Got salad and a roll of butter. Chicken said baked with a crust. The meal was just awful. Low grade chicken meat. And no imagination with the sauce at all! Could have came from a can? And friend ordered a philly cheese steak sandwich and he hated it? Looked like ranch dressing or fake nacho cheese on top. My chicken cost me $22. read more

This place is a great place to eat. Good food. Beer, wine, and alcohol. Did I mention drinks. I had the Baja tacos. They were tasty and overstuffed so make sure you use the fork. The help is friendly and the food comes in a reasonable amount of time. The atmosphere is quiet and there is ice cream right outside. I feel you should give this place a try. read more

The Core Bistro - Baja tacos. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Battle Creek, Michigan

See all

We've tried to eat here at least a handful of times since it's close to our neighborhood. Food takes forever no matter the day/time and their waitstaff is always rude. Picking up an order is just as much of a hassle as eating inside. Normally I don't write bad reviews but we won't be returning. I gave two stars for their cod which was really good, but it's not worth the rest of the hassle. read more

We were staying at a friends house and were looking for a quick breakfast. We found it at the Apple Core Cafe. While there was only one waitress on their dining room, she was very attentive, making sure to offer coffee refills before my cup was empty! Our food came out hot and quickly, and tasted excellent. They have a ton of options depending on what you want - I got a small breakfast sandwich with no sides while my husband got Corned Beef Hash with eggs and toast. Everything was delicious - we would definitely recommend this place! read more

Sat down for dinner and attempted to order appetizers first. Waitress said (with a rude tone) "let me take your drink order first." I was hoping to get the app order in early so that we didn't have to wait too long. Apparently you can only order things here in the order that the waitress deems appropriate. I went along with it and ordered drinks. She then left without taking my appetizer order. She showed up 10 minutes later with our drinks (that's okay...I wasn't hungry anyways) and then told me to take the drinks off of the tray myself. She then took the appetizer order along with the entreè order. Fifteen to twenty minutes later our food showed up (they were extremely busy with all 10 people who were there). Two people at the table received wet burritos that were cold in the middle, one got what I refer to as a "nacho cheese steak sandwich" (it was supposed to be a cheese steak, but was smothered in nacho cheese) with potato chips instead of the fries that were ordered. If zero stars was an option, thats what I would give them. read more

Ate there end of July 2019 with my spouse. The atmosphere was cozy and service was good. We both ordered the sirloin dinner. Our steaks were both not cooked properly and so tough I could barely eat any. Baked potatoes were under cooked. Upgraded to asparagus which was a huge mistake, it was discussing! One of us added the mushrooms to our steak and they were canned. Beer was barely cold. Overpriced for the quality of this meal we barely ate, we decided to get ice cream around the back. That too was extremely overpriced and tasted just like an old freezer!!! Worst meal ever by far and will never eat there again!! read more

Traveling to Battle Creek to visit family stopped for a Saturday afternoon lunch, the hot pepper cheese crab soup was awesome! Olive burger with pub chips very good as well. Great homemade food with very friendly service staff. read more

We've been here several times with acceptable food and service. Tonight was not one of those nights. Arrived about 6 pm. Megan took our drink order and left menus. Brought waters and left. Came back about 6:10 to take our orders. Food arrived at 6:58! Chopped steak ordered medium was well-done. Vegetable was supposed to be carrots - received a bowl of corn. Baked potato was warm, not hot. Bill came and we were charged for a soft drink. Asked to have soft drink taken off. She disappeared then came back and took my credit card and ran it through the machine. She handed me a receipt to sign. I asked to see my revised bill to which she replied "Sure, I wouldn't cheat you." Credit card receipt was actually .01 higher than the revised bill. No apologies for slow service and never checked to see how our meal was or if we needed anything. It will be a long time before we return! read more

Being the only two people in the place, you would think service would be better !! I was only offered one coffee refill, and my son ran out of water (small glass) half way through his meal, I had to get up and get our silverware after the waitress brought our food. She was nowhere to be found as soon as she set our plates down. I didn't see the waitress again until after we were ready for our check. We did hear her conversing with the cook though, too busy to take care of the only two in the restaurant. My wife and mother in law had a similar experience a few months ago,,,,I've eaten there a few times for breakfast in the past, the meals have always been decent. Just can't see going back again, breakfast isn't supposed to cause stress... read more

I wanted to love this place. The ice cream is AMAZING!! But about every time I came, I had to listen to the owner excessively belittle her employees. It was terrible and completely inappropriate. She had been rude to my friend and I when we her only table in the morning. Very unprofessional and I no longer feel comfortable going there. read more

This is by far the ABSOLUTE best hidden gem in Battle Creek! Fresh food ALWAYS! GREAT staff!!