We are sad to see this gem of a restaurant close its doors. Having dined here for 15 plus years it could be said that we really loved this place. The food was prepared with artistry and care by the kitchen staff, served by knowledgeable and friendly wait staff and overseen by inquiring owners and other management. Tears were shed the last night this wonderful restaurant was in business.
School Street Bistro is always great food, great place to spend time with friends and in Downtown Lodi. We love this place!
So sad to hear that this is the last weekend that School Street Bistro will be open!
It was delicious. Noisy but I think it was someone's birthday.
My granddaughter summed it up right - "phenomenal" was what she said about the food and the attentiveness and friendliness of the waitstaff- for her surprise 18th birthday dinner! I can't wait to go again
Great Spot in Lodi
My husband and I had the crab tater tots as an appetizer (delicious) and we both had the arctic char served on white beans seasoned with ham as a main course. Everything was perfectly cooked and seasoned. Also drank a bottle of Lange Twins cabernet sauvignon and shared an icebox cake dessert. Wonderful service and a thoroughly enjoyable meal, as always at School St. Bistro.
Great as usual. A little noisy, some noise canceling panels on the ceiling would be a good addition,
Always wonderful, this was no exception. We had the special, delicious plus a great value. You must try dessert, all wonderful.
Never had a bad meal at this Restaurant. Quality always meets or exceeds my expectations. Recommend making a reservation if you plan to eat here. I like to say, it's been discovered.
We always enjoy our times at School Street Bistro. The service is outstanding, and the food presentation is perfect, with each entree we've had being very tasty and perfectly prepared. The wine selection shows how much effort the owner has put into each detail of our dining experience with the wide variety of choices and great values. Pair a dinner here with a movie across the street at the Lodi Stadium 12 and you have the perfect date.
Nice little place to have lunch before wine tasting. Enjoyed the shrimp poor boy sammy! You gotta like garlic - its loaded!
Innovative dishes using fresh local produce and fish.
I am constantly amazed with the entree.
I was a little put off by how loud it was but the service and food more than made up for it.
I have never eaten in Lodi before and this placed seemed to have the best reviews. It was a somewhat mixed meal, with some items quite good and others not. For starters we ordered both the calamari and the fried green tomatoes. The calamari was good, the fried green tomatoes absolutely fabulous - really, if you eat at this restaurant, you can't miss them - it's the best thing on the menu. I ordered a glass of Sauvignon Blank with the calamari and it arrived cool, but not chilled, which is definitely a miss on a hot afternoon. Then the entrees arrived: 2 of the 3 of us who ordered mains ordered the shrimp, and they were outstanding - hearty portfolio with great flavor. So often when you order shrimp the portions are too small, but not here. I ordered the meatloaf, which was too sweet and too dry at the same time, definitely so-so. I also ordered the caesar salad with my entree, and for $3.95 extra that was about $3.75 too much - the salad was lousy. For desserts we had the bread pudding (outstanding) and a brownie of some sort (meh). On balance it was a nice evening in Lodi, and a good meal, but certainly this side of great. Were I to return to Lodi I would happily eat here again, but I might prefer to try another restaurant as well. Finally, I had made a reservation for 2 - a mistake on my part, as there were 4 of us. The hostess graciously seated all of us, and on time. That was very kind of her.
Our first visit and it was delicious!! When we arrived it was not busy but by the time we left it was packed. Hubby had the meatloaf and I had the fried chicken and both were delicious! Fried chicken was juicy, crunchy and cook to perfection. The sides were perfect accompaniment to the chicken. Excellent service!!
Very, very noisy, but the wonderful food made up for it. Excellent salad, and the pecan-pumpkin seed crusted fried chicken was to die for, as was the bread pudding. Service was excellent, and our waitress even apologized for the noise level, which was nice. All in all an excellent restaurant - and next time if the weather is still as nice, I will definitely sit outside - that looked wonderful!!
Service lagged a bit, with our server anyway compared to others. So loud we could not converse !!! Not good ;)
The food was great. We sat outside and it was great because it was a beautiful evening. The only downside was the service. We got there at 6:15 and didn't get our food until about 7:30 and had to eat very quickly to catch our movie at 8pm. This was our anniversary meal and we wanted to enjoy it and relax and order dessert, but because the service was so slow, we had to hurry through and not get dessert. The food was great though.
Our favorite place to eat in Lodi. The food and service is always outstanding. It can be noisy but it was quiet this visit. The staff has always been willing to seat us at one of the quieter tables.
We relied on our waiter for dinner suggestions and he did not disappoint.
My wife and I love this place! Amazing food! The crab tater tots are a great starter. For dessert... You have to have the pecan bread pudding. Yum!
Fast & very courteous service. Work on those dinner rolls though. ;-)
Delish! Loved the warm fried green tomatoes for appetizers and steak medallions for entrée!
Always great food! We love bring friends here for there first time.
This was an excellent experience, We were greeted at the door, by the server who took great care of us. She knew where were going to be seated and took us directly there. We brought our own bottle of wine from a winery in downtown Lodi, by doing the "downtown Lodi" they waived the corkage fee. The meal was delicious with good variety.
Food was good (had the sole). Wine list was a little light but sufficient. Waiter was very personable, knowledgeable and friendly. Met up with friends and it was a very enjoyable evening. Desserts were good.
Great food!
Everything was great but the noise level gets pretty high when the restaurant is about 2/3 capacity. Little difficult to have conversations.
I usually love the whole overall experience, but this time my dinner order was very late, well done steak was over cooked, potatoes were cold and we weren't given silver wear until we asked for it. Not sure who this man was coming in and out of kitchen but his facial expression was always a bit angry. I will come back because that was probably a rare off night.
the fried green tomato appetizer was wonderful and large enough for an entre for me! wonderful with a glass of chardonnay! hamburger was good but skip the frizzy lettuce and put real lettuce on it!
Fried green tomatoes were delicious, as well as, the sole with almonds. Only wish the dinner rolls were not so hard, could be much better. My husband loved the salmon. For dessert we shared the brownie with choc sauce and vanilla gelato, yummy!
Everyone was impressed by how delicious all their meals were and the proprofessionalism of the wait staff
Happy with everything. Noticed that not all of the employees were in a good mood. If you don't want to be in a great mood at work, Stay Home.
We frequently travel 25 miles each way to have lunch or dinner at School Street Bistro. We are greeted by name each time. The food is absolutely delicious. I cannot think of another restaurant that has this type of fare. The fried green tomatoes, the truffle fries, the truffle deviled eggs, the pork loin, I just a few of their specialties. The specialties change with the seasons. School Street Bistro is one of our frequently "go to places"! JoAnn N.
Local California cuisine with a Southern flair. I wish they were open on Sunday.
One of my favorite places. Some if the best food in Lodi.
The best little bistro in Lodi!!!, We had our first dining experience on a Friday, and it was wonderful. Wayne took care of us , class act all the way , thank you Wayne for making our evening perfect. The food was outstanding, perfect portions, unique menu, this is our new favorite bistro, everyone worked effortlessly to create a very welcoming , warm feeling. We plan on returning very soon . If you live in or around Lodi you must know its hard to find great dining and great service , try it , they are fabulous!!
One of the top restaurants in Lodi. Totally underrated. The food is excellent, the specials are seasonal, and the service is great. I would recommend to any of my foodie friends.
We try to get here at least once a month. Really like the atmosphere and the food is always very good! Great place to go in downtown Lodi!
Everyone is friendly and we look forward to coming back!
I tried this restaurant with a friend about a year ago, and was delighted with the food, quality of service. School Street Bistro is now my goto restaurant when I'm entertaining foodie friends. The consistent quality of the food and friendly service make this an easy pick. The portions are just right, and the chef always finds a unique blend of traditional Louisiana cooking with some new variations that are a treat. Highly recommended!
Food was delicious and service was impeccable. We never felt rushed in the least, even though it was near closing time when we were finishing up. Will definitely return when in the area again. I read one review somewhere that said portions are small. Not true!! We all were stuffed and sadly had to leave some food on our plates.