Cafe Bistro @ Nordstrom

Disappointed to discover that Nordstrom closed it’s door on Aug 16.

It’s a bummer this Norstrom is closing because I love their Bistro. In case you had no idea, it’s tucked away at the back of the second floor. I’ve only been during lunch hours, but you walk into a casual, laid back atmosphere where you order first, pick a seat, and then your server brings the well plated dish out to you. It’s a nice place to take a break from shopping while enjoying great food. The menu consists mainly of soups, sandwiches, salads, and desserts. You can order ½ and ½, and the sandwiches come with the best french fries and olive aioli for dipping. Everything here is delicious and made with fresh ingredients.

Had the Turkey sandwich and the French onion soup. Both were excellent, I’ll be coming here for lunch from now on instead of the food court

Why didn’t I know about this place before?
This is now one of my new favorite places. It’s a casual café that is perfect for a nice lunch. I had the chicken and bistro fries. The portion was plentiful and tasted fresh. The service was attentive and professional. I don’t want to advertise this place because I don’t want it to be too well known for the next time I go.

No matter if its Tampa or Orlando, this café is always a 5-​star choice. Wait, you say Nordstrom for lunch or dinner? Heck yes and here’s why…
Always fresh tasting ingredients, chef’s who prep & plate entrees like a top dollar restaurant, quick & friendly service, not to mention a full bar. You can’t go wrong! Sure this location is tucked away, but that adds to the charm. You don’t even know you’re still at the mall.
Done power shopping? Stop by Nordstrom café to recover. Call ahead during lunch for a reservation, tables fill up fast.

This place has a very nice atmosphere and the service was great. The food was great, the panini was small but very good. I highly recommended the Crème Brûlée. The reason this is a 4 star is because the prices are high for what you get, even though everything is organic and of high quality the portions are small.

I go shopping so I can eat lunch here. Never had anything but great food and service. French fries are the best I have ever ate. The salads are the best in Orlando, and don’ t get me started on the crab bisque, too die for.

I always love to dine at Café Bistro every time I hit the Florida Mall. The atmosphere is incredible and serves as a great break from the busy mall. The ingredients are quality, the service is great & the food always is satisfying. No matter what I order, I always find myself loving my meal.
Today I particularly enjoyed the garden vegetable omelet. I had no idea they served breakfast all day on Saturday. Perfectly paired with a very hot cup of fresh coffee.

Our waiter Drew, was very knowledgeable made tons of recommendations not just from The menu. The food was great I ordered the fig, goat cheese and nut salad, bread pudding, two other kid and my husband had The citrus turkey sandwich. Everything tasted delicious! Drew was the gem definitely will come again and ask for him by name

I almost never give 5 stars. This is by far the best value we found during our entire trip to Orlando.
Our party of 5 spanned the menu from seafood to Italian to steak & dessert. Everything was simple, well-​seasoned, nicely presented, and just perfect. The service is top notch.
I have only one complaint: the crab bisque. It was a thick bean soup that overpowered the crab. It was still very tasty.
In a town full of tourist traps this is the find of the trip. This is $ 50 per plate food at a Disney property. Even in my hometown of Indy, where good food is far lower-​priced, this is a good value.
Tolerate the strange looks you’ll get taking your party to the second floor of Nordstroms. Tell them you’re taking them to the food court.

Absolutely the best crab bisque, french dip, and bread pudding I have ever had. Seriously this place is incredible.

Yes, that’s right, 5 stars. This place really was a nice surprise. Very impressed with anything and everything that was done here.
You walk in and your mind goes right to thinking that this seems like a nicer Panera Bread. And I’m guessing that’s what you’re supposed to think. Nordstrom Café Bistro has that definite bistro type of feel. So much so that’s it’s actually called that, not ironically. However, something that sets it apart from Panera is that it’s nowhere near as loud and everything seemed a tier above Panera quality.
My food, though, really set this place high in the sky. It was SO good. I had the Roasted Chicken and Goat Cheese Panini. There is really nothing else to say about the entire dish; the frites, the aioli, the sandwich other than scrumptious. It all went so well together that you’d think this was literally from a stand-​alone 5 star restaurant. My Mother ended up getting the Margherita Pizza, which lived up to the sample I had tasted a few months before. It was just so well put together. Everything was just perfect.
If you are at the Florida Mall, and want something that’s more than Panera Bread but less than something heavy and not necessarily a chain like Olive Garden, then come here. It’s a great addition to the oodles of restaurant options that surround (or are inside) this mall.

I’ve been coming to Bistro for at least 10 or so years now. I think it used to be better but still is very amazing.
My favorite server was Molly who I always had. She isn’t there anymore as she transfered to another job, however Scott and Drew are amazing servers I always try and get.
I always would get the kids meals since they are so filling. One thing I miss is the kids pizza which they took off the kids menu about 1 year ago. The same pizza I got for around $ 5.50 is about $ 10 now so I’ve opted for the kids grilled cheese on sourdough bread, which comes with fries and fruit.
The pizza is the same, even though I don’t have it but it was always so hot and delicious, just coming out of the fire oven.
The grilled cheese is nice and toasty with the right amount of cheese inside. The fries are always hot, seasoned, and fresh!
Another absolutely fav is the ceaser salad! I always get a little side as this is one of my top 3 ceaser salad dressings. The lettuice is always fresh, best croutons, fresh parm cheese and of course the dressing.
Other options I’ve had is the asian salad and crème brûlée.
This beautiful little café is a little hidden and not always too busy unlike the food court. Very classy I think with lovely decour, music, and atmosphere.

I was very impressed with the Café Bistro! I loved the décor and the open concept upon entering the restaurant. I felt like I was at a 5 star retreat restaurant!
I ordered the Club sandwich which came with Parmesan fries… delicious! I also ordered Grilled cheese on wheat for my 18 month baby, it came with fries and fruit. She loved it! The service is excellent and attentive.
We will be back!

Wow. Just, wow.
My Mom and I came here while we were shopping, as to try something different than CPK or deal with the chaos in the food court. When we arrived, it was pretty busy, but not bad at all. I started talking with one of the waiters and was curious about the crab bisque (I love crab and lobster bisque). He actually brought me out a sample and it was very good!
I ordered a cup of the Crab Bisque and the Citrus Turkey sandwich. The bisque had nice chunks of crab in it, and was super yummy. But, the main star was DEFINITELY the sandwich. This sandwich was hands down the best i’ve ever had. I’m salivating just writing about it. The bread was fresh, with the turkey, citrus chutney, and garlic aioli was a total winner. It was like thanksgiving on a sandwich.
My Mom got the Blue Cheese and pear sandwich, and unfortunately the woman who rang her up only got her a ½ salad rather than the full. My Mom was wondering why it was so small and ended up eating some of my sandwich. :) Our waiter, Scott, brought this to our attention, and even though my Mom ordered a whole salad and only received a ½, he offered to bring another ½ out free of charge.
The service was great, the food is great, and I can’t wait to go back. 5 stars, easy.

been going here since they opened. i think its one of orlando best kept secrets. its on the second floor of Nordstrom’s. when i was younger my mom used to take me to restaurants at the department stores (i.e. Robinson’s and Jordan Marsh). So when we found out Nordstrom’s was opening a Bistro we went as soon as it opened.
their menu is rock solid. always a great meal no matter what I get. the staff is super friendly and helpful and very attentive to your needs. You order at the counter and then you find a seat (if it’s not busy) or you are seated by a waiter (when it’s busy).
They make my mom and I a grilled cheese sandwich and its not even on the menu. What makes this grilled cheese so special is that they use Gruyère cheese and sourdough bread. They used to have black forrest ham grilled cheese sandwich but they no longer have that on the menu. The staff tells me it was a favorite by everyone so I am not sure why they took it off the menu. But make sure you try the kalamata olive aioli with the shoe string fries. The best thing they have is a white chocolate bread pudding. It is absolutely a must! You are served a wedge of it that is crisped in their oven and served with lots of white chocolate sauce and raspberry sauce.

Most Nordstrom stores have restaurants – a nice touch and a feature that at one time most department stores had, but one we find now to be pretty rare. The Nordstrom restaurants vary in their approach: the one in San Francisco, in example, at their Market Street location is a full-​service affair with a rather grand view of the city looking south from its sun-​filled windows high above. The Florida Mall location however is more of a cafeteria/​bistro situation where you order and pay up front but a waiter brings your food to you. This is fine, if a little confusing at first: for one, if you’re paying with a credit card you pay before you even see your waiter much less have any experience with them that would determine what amount you’d care to leave for their tip. So, your only real choice is to leave a cash tip. .. even when paying with a credit card. So it is a bit awkward in all: I see no reason why since there is waiter service the waiter cannot also take the order but this is how it’s done here. The setting is very nice: they’ve made the best use of the space and with the second-​floor location, while there is not an impressive view as in San Francisco, the dining room is still sun-​filled when the weather is good and the interior architecture makes the space feel larger than it really is and grander than even an upscale department store would suggest or seem to merit.
The fare offered is mainly salads and sandwiches but also a few dishes such as shrimp and grits. Both my friend and I had sandwiches, with mine being a citrus turkey and his some sort of grilled chicken sandwich. These were quite good although the fries included were lackluster and they were served with an aioli that was. .. purple. Yes, purple. Very purple and while it didn’t taste bad, it looked quite odd. Orange aioli is enough of a curious affair, but a violet one is a bit much. It looked like they were trying to be innovative but it just stood out more than it ought to do so. In any case, the sandwiches themselves were very good, and that’s what counts most, I suppose. We didn’t try the desserts but I’ve heard only good things about them.
In all, this is possibly the best place in or around the Florida Mall to dine. Certainly, if you’re shopping, it’s a smart place to get lunch or dinner. You’ll get a good meal in a very attractive setting at a fair price and not have to leave the mall nor even invest as much time as another sit-​down restaurant might demand.

You need to go right now! Please!
We have had lunch here numerous times and I always leave so happy (more about that later). First of all, the service has always been impeccable. The servers are very attentive and are always checking up on us.
I don’t know if you can actually sit down and order from the table. We have never done it that way. We usually walk in, look really quick at the menu as they have them in the front and then we go straight to the cashier to order and pay. They give you the ticket order and somebody takes you to the table.
OK, now to the important stuff, the FOOD! Everything we have tried is amazing! I usually order the bistro club sandwich which has sliced chicken breast, roma tomatoes, bacon, avocado, green beans in garlic aioli and all of these on a delicious toasted bread. Yes, it is as delicious as it sounds. Now, the sandwich comes with the best fries you will ever have. I like my fries thin and crispy and these are it. They toss them in a combination of herbs that include fresh pepper, rosemary, sea salt, parsley, etc. Plus, they give you this delicious olive aioli to dip the fries that will have you begging for more. I have also tried their salads and they are amazing as well. My boyfriend has tried the salmon with gazpacho salsa and he loves it! We have also tried the steak pommes frites and we’ve been very pleased.
Now, the star of the show here is the dessert. This dessert would be the only thing I would request for my last meal. WHITE CHOCOLATE BREAD PUDDING!!! Served warm with white chocolate and raspberry sauce. I’ll leave it at that.

Yikes, lunch at a mall?
I was working a contract job in Orlando and my wife was in town to do some shopping and wanted to have lunch. I thought we’d end up eating at some outlying restaurant. Nope, she wanted to eat at the mall. I was not happy about driving miles to eat at a mall. Mall food courts were on my mind.
We ordered our meals, she was shopping with a friend, so the first thing you do is buy your meal and pay for it (like a food court) and for the three of us it was…$ 43.
Really? At a mall? In the middle of a store?
The food, however, was fantastic. I had some chicken honey chipotle sandwich and it was great. Well worth the price and the ‘mall food’ stigma.
I usually don’t like fries, but what they served, thin, crispy and cooked with what looked like parsley were wonderful… but the thing that brought it home was the olive dipping sauce. I even put it on my sandwich.
OK, this was worth the drive and the cost. My wife and her friend had a great time, and I guess that is priceless.

This place is amazing!!! It’s hidden on Nordstrom;s 2^nd floor but everything there is delicious!!!
They only serve organic food, and most of the items are recycled.
You order your food, and get a table. They will bring the food or refills to you…
The only bad thing: they don’t have expresso, you need to go downstairs at the Expresso bar for that. :-(