David's Bistro invites you to their dining room. Come experience their casual and family friendly ambiance and can get there by public transit and bicycle. They are in a vibrant neighborhood recognized for its nightlife.
I took my husband out for dinner last night, to celebrate his birthday. It was our first visit to David's and we were both impressed.
First, I want to commend the great service we received. We were looked after in a timely, and polite manor. Our server was helpful and knowledgeable about the menu and wines.
We only ordered entrees, as we aren't big eaters and find restaurant portions fill us quickly. He ordered the chicken and wow -- the bacon sauce was fantastic. I kept trying to steal it of his plate. I ordered the filet mignon, and it was cooked to perfection. My gnocchi was light and tasty. But I will say that my sauce was a little bland in comparison to the bacon sauce. Not that there was anything wrong with my balsalmic/tarragon jus/with onions, it was good, but the bacon sauce would beat just about anything hands down.
My only constructive criticism would be that the pink/red walls are a little jarring and the awning out front could use a wash (covered in bird droppings).
So yeah - not much to complain about.
We'd definitely go again, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend others try it out.
It was around 1:00 pm when I arrived for lunch which may have been the reason for the long wait in the reception area until the waitress exited the kitchen. A doorbell should be fitted.
The ‘Special’ was a tempting Pan-seared Haddock with Fingerling Potatoes - but I chose the Pan-seared Lake Pickerel from the main menu out of curiosity and because I preferred the new potatoes.
The pickerel was well cooked but somewhat bland - the new potatoes were perfect, and the accompanying vegetables, comprising snow peas with cleverly added mature peas, was a clever touch, but I still can not figure out why there was one small one-inch spear of asparagus and one tiny quarter-inch piece of sweet pepper - had they accidentally appeared together with the abundance of vegetable water (best description) ... I guess that we will never know.
I accompanied the meal with a recommended and expensive Californian Pinot Noir (Fleur) which could easily be outclassed by a Pinot Noir from our Niagara Region.
An Iced Lemon Souffle, topped with crushed pecans, provided a wonderful dessert to finish on a bright and sunny afternoon.
It seems that my next visit should be for dinner - I understand that David is present in the evening, if the other reviews can be interpreted correctly.
We hadn't been here in awhile; it seems that David's Bistro gets overlooked due to so many new (and trendier?) eateries opening up throughout the downtown area.
Regardless, it is always a first-class experience. The service is more knowledgeable that most restaurants, and the food is consistently above-average and delicious. Check out the wine list: probably the most value of any in the city.
I visited David's Bistro after hearing quite after hearing quite a few good things about it. Unfortunately that usually means I will be dissapointed.
Luckily the restaurant more than lived up to my expectations. The staff were attentive and friendly, but I never felt 'haggard' by them. The wait time in between courses was perfect, we never felt like we were wondering where our food was and we spent a total of 2 hours there without feeling like we were being urged to leave.
The menu was one page, appetizers and entree's with blackboard specials. Enough variety to keep anyone happy I think, while keep focus for the restaurant. The dishes consisted of what I would consider to find in a nicer, more expensive french/american style restaurant. The prices on the whole were pretty fair for what you got and their wine list was impressive.
Definitely would recommend anyone going there. It is not a large place but I was glad to see that the tables were not bunched together and never were we rubbing elbows with out neighbours.
I've had the pleasure of dining here often, since I live in London. David's is absolutely one of London's top restaurants. The food's fantastic and the wine list is carefully chosen by owner David who has a keen sense for great, but not always popular (or overly expensive) wines! Be sure to make a reservation as it's a small place that's well known among London's more discriminating crowd! Enjoy.
One guy at our table said his appetizer, the blue...
One guy at our table said his appetizer, the blue cheese terrine, was best appetizer he ever had. I’ve had this several times since it went on the menu last year, and I’ve always enjoyed it, except once it was served too chilled.
My steamed mussels were a classic and delicious appetizer. I don’t normally encounter the use of so much fennel but I liked the result. The wine was exceptional, and we were treated with several samples to make our decision easier. the daily special of a mahi mahi on an unusual bulgar risotto was very creative and delicious, a true success and enjoyable.
The owner, David, is the best waiter in London. He’ll give you the attention you need to get the wine right and make a good food selection, and he leaves you alone when you are eating. He keeps a watchful eye on your table but will never ask, “are you still working on that?” David’s is the perfect place nice for a long dinner with fun conversation.
This is a good location for a small restaurant and, thus, is well known ... and appreciated. The interior decor is warm, upscale and comfortable. For my last visit, I chose the ‘special’ displayed on a large, convenient wall board.
Grilled Flat Iron Steak, red wine and mushroom sauce, and fingerling potatoes. Flat iron steak (from the shoulder) is in a phase of popularity, served pre-sliced which was showing a pink center, and was, personally, delicious. The wine and mushroom sauce was absolutely wonderful. A nice surprise was an unannounced colorful selection of vegetables. Unfortunately, the tasteless fingerling potatoes should have stayed in their South American country of ancient origin - they seemed to have been par-boiled some time before baking for a short while. Why this was done during the season of new potatoes is curious - I hope that it wasn’t an experiment. It is worth noting that other reviewers have commented about potatoes in the past.
As customers weren’t asked (or warned) for their preferred level of steak, I assume that there is only one level for flat iron steak?
I look forward to another visit.
Last week I had a gorgonzola / chevre terrine topped with an apple pear chutney over a spring salad, and it was one of the top 10 things I have ever eaten. I know the description sounds like two rich cheeses that might clash, but it was fantastic. All four of us at the table, experienced foodie snobs, all complemented it. The wine pairing was a real plus.
I have been talking about David's like crazy ever...
I have been talking about David's like crazy ever since trying it a couple of months ago. I went with four girlfriends to celebrate a friend's new job and all five of us got the Chef's Trust Me menu. It was fabulous... and made even moreso because all five of us got entirely different meals. I've never heard of another restaurant where the Chef will make different Trust Me menus for the entire party.
I was also pleasantly surprised when as we were leaving, the host had memorized which jackets belonged to each of us... even though he hadn't seated some of us. Just an extra touch that made the visit that much better.
Will definitely be returning!
Had a great dinner, food was great. Thanks for the lovely evening! the decor of the restaurant is quite poor, an update is needed. with some fresh paint and a bathroom reno the place would be a top destination.
My fiance took me to David's to celebrate my birthday this summer (August). We did the Trust Me menu and it was AMAZING. I loved that the chef made us both different tasting menus, it made for a fun sharing experience. It was also a very well balanced menu. I loved every minute of it. The service was also superb. The only thing that needs improvnig i my opinion is the decor of the restaurant could use some updating - other than that it was perfection! We'll def be back. We loved t so much we bought a gift card while we were there as a gift for a family member we thought would love it as much as we did. It's that great!
We've heard about this place from several friends...
We've heard about this place from several friends and finally decided to try it out. We were disappointed to say the least. The service was rude and non-existent. We had to keep looking for our waitress to ask her to bring us more water, take our dirty plates away, etc. One of the people in our party ordered fish, which was filled with little bones. He also had new potatoes that he couldn't eat because they had sand in them (not washed properly). Another person in our party of four got his filet mignon and it was completely raw in the middle. His mashed potatoes were cold and had a funny taste to them. We paid a lot of money for our meals with wine, but were left cheated. Not worth the money.
I've been to David's Bistro many times over the...
I've been to David's Bistro many times over the years, and it's remarkable how consistently good this restaurant is. The menu is current and is updated regularly, yet remains true to the style of traditional French bistro food.
It is typical that even on a busy night it will only be David and one other waiter serving, so do not expect a quick "in and out" meal. Come to this restaurant to relax and enjoy your time with family and friends.
I continue to believe David's is London's best restaurant. We had a special vegan guest with us and David's cooked him up a special off-menu meal. Service was superb, professional and not obtrusive.
Ok, for the most part they are trying, I guess that is the best thing I can say but honesty, are you serious people, the food is not good, and for the most part quite dated. Only in London can a place like this survive.
At least there is no Caesar salad on the menu
My husband and I enjoyed our anniversary dinner at this beautiful establishment on the recommendation of a family member who has also had wonderful experiences at this restaurant. It was divine!
All I requested was NO FISH, and they made sure I had no fish. Our waitress was wonderful and the food was delicious. We will definitely return again.
Went on the day after Valentine's day; it was supposed to be a belated Valentine's day dinner for us. First impression was great, the place seems cozy, casual and romantic. I wanted to surprise the gf so I got the waitress to get the kitchen to put my gf's name with a heart on her dessert plate, and the waitress said yes without any hesitation. We took a long time to decide what to get, but the waitress never got impatient and gave us plenty of time. Eventually we decided to go with the Trust Me Menu. When the starters came my gf was given salad - bad news for her because she forgot to tell the waitress that she dislikes salads. So we asked the waitress whether we could change her starter and they did it promptly, no questions asked, at no additional cost! And then the mains came and they were excellent. Finally the dessert came and the gf was very pleased...a fine end to a lovely evening. All in all the place is wonderful, loved every minute of my time there, and we would definitely go back again.
In this day of overpriced, oversized and underwhelming entries, there is then David’s Bistro. We went there for dinner. One person had the daily fixed menu consisting of appetizer (can’t remember what), prosciutto wrapped veal medallion followed by a Chocolate Guinness Cake with a Beet Ice Cream (Holy Iron Chef, Batman!!)…and all for less then $30.00. My wife had an excellent prosciutto fig tart, a perfectly cooked beef shortribs and a excellent bread pudding with a spiced plum compote. I had Choucroute (when’s the last time you saw choucroute on a bistro menu) that was made with homemade sausages followed by a wonderful pear tart with a gorgonzaola ice cream (yes, you read this correctly). Finally, the fourth person had the Chef’s choice. They call it the “Trust Us” meal. On that day, the appetizer consisted of a spiced blacked Arctic Char. Unfortunately, the entrée escapes me. The dessert consisted of a chocolate caramel flan…everything was flawless… (OK, well almost flawless...would loved some more of that home made sausage). $30.00 for the 3 course and $40.00 for the 4 course meal!! If I remember correctly, the most expensive entrée was $26.00 and most of them were under $25.00!! The wine list is relatively small, but interesting…consisting of their normal in stock wines (includes a unique Pinot Noir from Tasmania) and the private list of “limited availability” wines (including an interesting Australian GSM in which the “S” stood for Sangiovese as opposed to Syrah; unfortunately we also had the last bottle of a 2005 Crozes Hermitage, can't remember the name, that David had). Again, all were priced very reasonably. The most expensive bottle of wine was on the private list and it was a relatively modest $77.00. I definitely need to explore this restaurant again as there is the seafood bisque ($8.00) to try, then the gnocchi with grilled quail and truffle oil ($13.00) and the duck leg confit ($21.00) and the... It’s not a large restaurant, which just adds to its charm…definitely one the best restaurant experiences I have ever had. Sorry David, I can’t give you perfect 10s though….
