The Bistro At Just Baked

Our party of 3 celebrating an upcoming beach wedding found Bistro wonderful in every way. We started with the crab dip and it was amazing. We followed up with wonderful entrees of shrimp and scallops and the hen. Amazing fresh farm to table restaurant.

This place was really great! They pride themselves on providing the freshest ingredients they can and you can definitely taste their efforts in the amazing meals they provide. Staff are also very friendly and knowledgable.
Tip: –MAKE A RESERVATION! This place gets super busy very quickly so better be safe and just book a table.

The low country egg rolls are so good and so unusual that we remembered them from a previous visit. Meal only gets better with grouper and shrimp and grits. Service is excellent!

This place was awesome. The décor was beautiful and intimate. A very nice bar and great drinks. The servers are dressed as you would expect for an upper class dining experience.
The menu is changed daily with local dishes and vegetables and no GMO vegetables or fruits. All heirloom.
We had the NC shrimp and scallops (Wow) with a creamy risotto and the pork chop with fresh candied onions and apples. It was phenomenal and we will be back soon. Jordan was our server and she was awesome too with great recommendations.

Just ate at the bar w my spouse as place was packed… Just Go… Hands down, best spot on the island. Kate the bartender is the bomb! Fun night

This is our first trip to Topsail/​Surf City and often Unilocal reviews are both 5 stars and 1 star– so its hard t figure out where to go. Go to the Bistro (but book your reservation early)
We ended up sitting at their small bar because they were booked solid– and it ended up being a really nice experience. They have an excellent bar tender– and a shockingly good whiskey and bourbon menu. I ordered the flat of bourbon which was a three shot sampler and was able to try some rarer more expensive bourbons that I don’t stock at home.

Uncomfortable atmosphere… from what I’ve read from other reviewers (locals & non-​locals) I was relieved to find that I wasn’t the only one who thinks that some of the servers were stuck up and that the owner lacks proper social etiquette.
IF it wasn’t for our amazing waitress Emily, my first experience here would have been terrible. The food is good but there are many places with good food & good owners.

Wine and Beer Selection was phenomenal, wait staff was excellent, ambiance was ok, food was great. Overall a good experience EXCEPT we were placed at a table that sloped and was warped. We were warned by our waitress, but drinks & plates kept sliding and almost falling off the table. 3 other 2-​tops were open, so don’t know why we were put at this table. For the price of meals, I would suggest replacing the table top.pronto.probably would have been 5 star review and came close to giving it a 3. Shouldn’t have to prop up items from your purse to keep your food and drinks from falling on the floor.

Success. After 14 years coming to Topsail we finally found this wonderful restaurant. Great service, great food, excellent wine list! We’ll be back! Great to see the farm to table movement come to this part of the world. Don’t forget to call early for a reservation!

Fantastic place to eat. Nice fresh local ingredients. Shrimp and grits were wonderful. Steak was delicious and perfectly cooked. Our service was incredible. I will always come here when I am in the area!

Excellent meal if you aren’t celiac! Writing this review from the fetal position… Can only assume cross contamination in the kitchen and/​or fryer. Maybe they aren’t using certified gf products just operating off ingredients list and do not understand grits/​corn meal while only contain corn must be processed independently. Not sure, but gf menu items are not THIS celiac approved!

Good locally sourced food — can’t go wrong with this in Surf (Shark) City. Very good Shrimp and Grits

This place is outstanding. Eaten here 3 or 4 times. Very fresh fish and other ingredients. Portions are nice, atmosphere is good, and staff has been friendly.
Definitely a must if you want upscale dining in Surf City/​Topsail.

On our last night on the island we came across The Bistro and decided to give it a shot last minute. Hostess was a incredibly friendly, wait staff was polite and attentive. Décor was minimalist organic, perfect for a date, time with family or friends, but I wouldn’t want to have small children there.
Fresh, locally sourced seafood, greens, and lots of GF food… well prepared, well presented, and flavorful. The waitress informed us that because they do use local sourcing, the menu changes weekly, so it probably wouldn’t help to say what we had as it may not be there when you go… but my boyfriend and I were both truly happy we came across it! Definitely recommend and hope to come back again!

Just got done eating dinner here and I have not one bad thing to say! Our waitress was attentive, friendly, and was very familiar with the menu (that changes weekly). For appetizers we ordered the crab dip, home made potato chips, and the house bread. The crab dip was incredible as well as the homemade potato chips that came with 3 specialty sauces. The house bread was the best out of all 3, it was served with a compound butter full of flavor. I am usually a very picky eater but I could not put down my fork, I ordered the baby greens salad with chicken. This salad was one of the best salads I’ve had, the salad was crisp, flavorful and unique. There is no doubt their organic chicken is some of the best. Everything our table ordered was delicious! We will be coming back the next time we are in Topsail!

Fantastic restaurant on N. Topsail. The grilled groupor is amazing! I do not like fish but I loved it! Served over seafood risotto.
The farm salad is the best I’ve ever had. My husband loved it and he never eats salads.
A great place for a special occasion. About $ 30/​plate.
Very small place so make reservations.

Since we were in a beach town, my expectations were somewhat tempered but The Bistro delivered with an amazing dinner. First, I had a drink called the end of the world which had was both sweet and spicy with bourbon-​y goodness. That amazing little drink set the tone for the night.
The lounge/​bar is small but sweet. The dining area is a bit noisy but nicely appointed and open. Our server was southern sweet, even though she did seem slightly stressed out. It was saturday night, of course she was.
There were five of us and everyone loved their meal. To start, I appreciated that they care about local & organic and have their own garden. I had the caesar and it was good but not amazing. Where they shine is the risotto, grits, greens and SEAFOOD. This is the BEST vacation meal I had in NC and I definitely look forward to going back!

My husband and I enjoyed a meal at The Bistro while vacationing at Topsail last week. We made reservations for 7pm and were seated upon walking in the door even though they were very busy. The hostess took us to a small table along a wall. There is a long bench seat along the wall covered in pillows and on the other side of the table placed in front of the bench, there are chairs for whomever you’re dining with. We were not loving how close together everyone was sitting. My husband took the bench seat and was literally 8″ away from the woman sitting at the next table. We ended up talking with them quite a bit because we were almost uncomfortably close.
Also, because the dining room is so small and they have so many people in there, it’s really loud. I was expecting a more private, romantic ambiance but it was loud with everyone talking over each other. There was also an annoying lady sitting at the bar and she was laughing really loud and carrying on and she knew everone was staring at her. We were all giving her dirty looks to get her to shut her pie hole. She didn’t get the hint. If we weren’t about to leave right then, we would have complained. Look people, when you go to a fine dining restaurant, use your indoor voice. Remember that from kindergarten? The noise was the only negative thing about dinner at The Bistro. We understand though because the dining room is so small. Also, there was nowhere to park when we arrived because the parking lot was packed but luckily, someone pulled out when we pulled in.
The waitress promptly brough us drink menus and we ordered some adult beverages. Expect to pay about $ 7-​$ 10 for a glass of wine and $ 10-​$ 12 for a cocktail. The bourbon prices vary depending on what you choose.
We ordered the crab dip appetizer which was pretty tasty. A little on the salty side but the flavors were good and they gave us a ton of crab dip, didn’t skimp on the crab at all. It came with toasted bread to dip with.
Next, we ordered our entrees. I ordered the pan seared scallops which came with sticky rice, coconut broth, and a ginger slaw. The scallops were perfectly cooked and had a nice brown sear on the outside. I don’t think I’ve ever had scallops that good before. I want to say there were 8 of them, I don’t remember… a little too much wine that night has clouded my memory a bit. The rice was good and the coconut broth was just slightly coconut flavored, more like a creamy chicken broth. I was unable to finish my dinner because I was so full and I can eat a lot for a girl so the portions are pretty large.
My husband ordered the shrimp and grits. There were 5 jumbo shrimp on top of the most amazing, melt-​in-​your-​mouth, buttery grits I’ve ever tasted, and it also had andouille sausage, and was a tad spicy. He said that the more he ate, the more heat he felt in his mouth. He likes spicy food so he was very happy with his dish. He didn’t finish all of his either.
At one point, I asked for another glass of wine and it took forever to get it. The waitress ended up taking that glass off our bill because I went wineless for a good 15 – 20 minutes or so. I wasn’t expecting them to comp it but I appreciate it. It’s probably the reason I will go back to The Bistro. They truly want you to have a good experience and treat you first-​class.
I really was hoping to get dessert because the ones I saw on other people’s plates looked divine but I was way too full. I should have gotten a dessert to go. Oh well, definitely next time.
The staff are friendly and know the dishes inside and out. I asked some quetions before ordering and I could tell that the waitress had tried all of the dishes at one point. She knew the details about each one which was very helpful.
We got our bill and were told that there was a 5% discount for paying with cash so we did that. Our bill came to $ 98 and my husband left a 30% tip because she comped the wine and she was so thorough with everything. Now that I think about it, the wait staff must make a killing compared to other restaurants on the island. Anyway, our dinner was fabulous and we will definitely go back next time we are at Topsail. This is probably the best meal we’ve had in quite a while and was a huge splurge for us. We wanted one excellent, fancy meal while on vacation and The Bistro was absolutely a great choice.

Looks can be deceiving… beautiful presentation with less than desirable experience.
Not sure if we caught this place on a bad night but I always rate honestly. This was supposed to be our last «date night» before my husband heads off for 8 months and this is a recap of my experience:
Ordered:
Appetizer: House chips
Fore: House soup
Entre: Shrimp and butter poached crab
Pros
Appetizer:
* horse radish dip for chips was perfect
Fore:
* The bread that came with the soup, the butter was fantastic — texture and flavor
* Soup plating was lovely
Entre:
* Presentation was lovely
* The shrimp and vegitables were cooked to perfection
Cons:
Upon entering:
* parking was slammed, had to park behind the building
* Made reservation for 9pm arrived at 8:50…seated at 9:35
As we sat:
*we were told that they were out of grits, duck, swordfish so 4 menu items were not available because they will not substitute sides based on flavor profile
Appetizer:
*Potato chips appetizer was soft not crunchy
Fore:
* soup was heavier in cream and corn and lacked smokeyness and depth needed with salt. Very limited crab… I expected much more
Entre:
The gritcake was inedible it tasted similar to an undercooked pancake
The crab was rubbery
— — — — –
Overall analysis: I wanted to love this place, I had heard so many amazing personal recommendations from locals, but honestly walking out with a check for over $ 100 and experiencing this quality was not fair.

The Bistro is the Best!!! This was an excellent dining experience from start to finish. The service was warm, friendly, and such a pleasure. Our waitress was just a doll! The atmosphere is lively, but charming, and the décor is simple and very tasteful.
We made reservations for 8:30 pm on a Saturday night (definitely recommend getting a reservation b/​c this place was packed), for 4 adults, and were seated right after walking in the door at a cozy 4-​top table with bench seating on one side. It was perfect.
The special appetizer of the night was Wahoo ceviche, which was out of this world fresh and FANTASTIC!!! It was my favorite dish of the night. I had the rare tuna on a delicious and creative salad mix, and the other dining patrons with us had a shrimp salad and the fish special of the night — which were all delicious. My husband had the shrimp and grits and he said it was the best S&G he has ever had. The portions were generous, but not overwhelming, and the wine list was diverse enough by type and price to fit anyone’s taste.
The value is extremely reasonable for the taste and experience, we will definitely be going back here next time we are on the island!
Now go make your reservation… you won’t regret it!