Isa's Bistro

Stopped by here last night a few other places had a very long wait. Outside patio was full but indoors had a lot of space for a Saturday night.The inside was very clean and spacious. Small space but it felt larger. I server was incredibly attentive and kind. He had memorized all of the specials. Well great care to be patient but alert. Attention did a little bit when he learned we were not drinking, but that happens. In general, it was good service.My partner and I both opted for the burger. He asked how we wanted it cooked and the chef recommended medium, which we typically like. It was definitely not medium. I would say closer to medium well - well. Like very dry and no pink at all. I did like the bacon, jam and cheese on it. The onions were also a nice touch. But it was so hard because the burger was incredibly dry because it was overcooked. My partner ordered extra cheese sauce to try to help he brought it to us which was super nice. We did wait a bit for salt and ketchup but it's probably because few more tables arrived. Might be nice to just have that stuff on hand for people.I'm not sure if it said somewhere somewhere what the fries would be but we were both shocked. I would not consider these fries but maybe more like crispy potatoes. We would've been much happier with some skinny fries. The server did try to upsell us with some truffle fries, but I'm glad we didn't get it because it sounds like maybe it would have been the same ones but better. Could just be a preference thing, but it might be nice to mention what they look like, because this is certainly not what we think we thought. In general, we were pretty full after the burger so it was totally fine.We used an Asheville independent restaurant coupon and the server took off $15. Of course we still tipped 20% on the total because he was a wonderful server. So this made it quite affordable as each burger was $16. I actually kind of wish I had gotten the fish and chips, but I wonder what the chips with that would be.....Bathrooms are a little sketchy in the basement but they were clean once you got there. Overall, I wouldn't say this place has anything special or does anything super well but it was fine.

Isa's had a lot of potential. We chose it because it appeared to be a cute French restaurant. After being seated, we ordered drinks and then placed our orders for appetizers and entrées--two of each for our party of four. The drinks and appetizers arrived within 15 minutes, but we had to wait an HOUR AND A HALF for our entrées, which consisted of a salad and ravioli.Due to the lengthy delay, we decided to get the check and take our food to go. However, it took another 30 minutes for the food to arrive after we had already received the check. The server mentioned that the kitchen was backed up but didn't offer an apology or further explanation. When our food was finally packed up, she simply placed it on the table and walked away without a word.Again, Isa's has great potential, but waiting an hour and a half for a salad and ravioli is unacceptable.

This restaurant is located right in the heart of Downtown Asheville, and I've been wanting to check it out for some time now...I made RSVP for 2 at 6 pm on a Saturday night...and it turned out that I really didn't need to, as the place was only a quarter full.The place was very spacious...and was appealing aesthetically. However, the ambiance just wasn't there. For starters, the place was a bit dark...with dim lighting, but it didn't create a romantic effect. Rather, it just felt depressing. Also, the overhead music was also dim...muffled even. It would have been much nicer if it was cranked up. In short, the vibe was all off. It just struck me as a place that was probably awesome in its heyday, but just isn't anymore.Service was pretty good though...no issues there.Now the menu was rather small...and maybe more American than French. For some reason, I expected more French? They didn't even have Creme Brulee...HUGE disappointment! In any case, I ordered this Burrata Ravioli with Shrimp, and my husband got the Brisket Short Rib Burger. I personally loved my dish...as it even had Vodka sauce (my favorite), yet my husband only liked his. I think he was put off by how the cheese spilled unto the bottom of his burger, making it all soggy. In any case, we thought the foods were good. I only wish there were more options on the menu...and again, I wished they had the Creme Brulee.BTW, I tried their "Love Potion" cocktail...and it was very small, but strong. It was O-Kay. I didn't like how they hid the pricing of these drinks. Like WHY? Also, many drinks featured on Yelp is no longer of the menu. Yet another thing that was offputting was the attitude of the hostess. She did not even flick a smile when we entered. I simply don't understand how a hostess could put up a rude, silent demeanor when a guest walks in. Isn't part of their job is to greet the customer...and at least TRY to be friendly??So yeah...the whole experience wasn't ideal. Again, the foods were good, but there were all these offputting things and the disappointments. Honestly, I thought about dropping 3, but I'll bump it up to 4, thanks to the delicious Burrata Ravioli.

We walked by - and liked the vibe so decided to give it a shot, we needed breakfast. Not great - we didn't know that "cheese" was an up charge; or that the home fries were deep fried. Good coffee and the sausage tasted good, but it wasn't warm and the poached eggs were underdone. Our server was nice. Note that while we don't necessarily recommend for breakfast - really nice wine list (but not at 8:30 am!)

This place was extremely disappointing. Terrible service, the restaurant smelled like nail polish/chemicals and the food was awful. We celebrated a family members birthday party here and are disappointed we selected this place. The ambiance of the restaurant first seemed nice, but then while we were waiting for drinks things started to go down hill. Our server was irritable, they lost a bartender at the start so he not only had to order our drinks and food but also make drinks. I asked for ginger ale twice and never received it.For appetizers we ordered bread rolls that were severely overpriced. The bread tasted slightly stale and the butter was plain. For the price point I'd expect better quality. I tried my significant others lamb shanks that were horrible. The meat was tough and gummy. The sauce had an odd herbaceous flavor. I love mushrooms and he offered some to me and I couldn't even eat them because of the sauce and how poorly cooked the mushrooms were.My soup was decent. Nothing special, but not bad. If it wasn't for the terrible service and overpriced low quality cuisine, I'd rate the soup a 3.I do not plan on coming back to this restaurant when I visit Asheville again. I also recommend eating somewhere else as well.

We had a lovely brunch at Isa's this morning. The avocado toast was wonderfully flavorful, and our service was very attentive. Surprisingly empty for Sunday brunch.

Isa's Bistro is an A-OK restaurant in Asheville, serving elevated food with a hefty price tag. The food wasn't bad, but with so many good restaurants around town, Isa's Bistro isn't somewhere I'd dine at again. We came here on a Friday night and the place was lively, with lots of large groups. It was a fun spot and our server was friendly. The restaurant has dark lighting and is spacious, and is located in the middle of downtown Asheville. The dinner menu had a decent amount of food. Yet I was most surprised by how expensive the plates were. I ordered the cajun chicken and shrimp dish, which was a cajun fettucine alfedo pasta dish for $28. I know food is expensive these days, especially if you make everything from scratch, but I can't say I'd order it again. Nothing about it stood out nor was it unique, so forking up $28 for lackluster food is why I'm giving this restaurant three stars. Again, not bad food, but with so many other spots to check out in town, I wouldn't dine here again.

Wouldn't come back There are much better options in Asheville. Potatoes - heavy on spice. Salad - ok, not great. Small portions. Forgot what my friend got, but not the best.

We are in some respect are 'foodies'; we appreciate a finely prepared meal, but know when to "eat hot dogs", if you know what I mean! When we do go out, especially with the higher prices these days (egads!), we expect not only a decent meal but for a quality meal which match's the restaurant's food menu and as a reliable bang-for-the-buck cuisine.Okay. This is long-winded, but the setup is how you will understand and approve our outrage at Isa's, especially if you are an old-timer customer as we.We have been frequent and faithful customers for years, dining at Isa's for breakfast, lunch and dinner on other date days. Up until recently, we knew we'd always receive the ambience and food of their higher caliber!On December 17, 2023 we went for breakfast, we had breakfast there just seven days by prior to our visit, on December 10th.Picture on the right is what it looked like that previous Sunday (without the Hollandaise sauce), so of course we would order that 'favorite' again! It's a marvelous feeling, sharing a weekly date day with beloved, keeping our eyes open to and for romantic adventures! He and I dine out every Friday for lunch. Sunday is the date day we go out to breakfast! It's what we call 'our tradition' and we've been doing this date thing for 42 years.Left side: Today it looked like this! Diner eggs vs. just one week ago: the picture on the right!The long-time staff were thoroughly disgusted with serving this type food as well and totally disappointed with the new owner! Some said, the new owner is using less expensive food ingredients. Obviously, we can't know that for sure, but it looked and tasted like that was true!Apparently, as we heard, the original owner had died and "his son has ownership of Isa's Bistro now". The server's opined, " to make quick money"! We are supporters of earning a living honestly but truth is this turn-around is a complete disgrace to such a well-established, fine dining establishment. (I'm sure 'PaPa' is turning over in his grave!)We will never come back!

Our waitress was great and we loved sitting on the patio. My husband and I each order one of the specials on Friday and shared with each other. The soft shell crab sandwich with fried tomatoes was very good. It might sound a little odd, but everything on it went together perfectly. The prime rib came out very tough and overdone, but we were able to send it back and get it corrected and the waitress was very kind. I still felt like everything on the prime rib plate was lacking flavor from the meat to the mashed potatoes and veggies. It wasn't cooked the best the second timeEither, but it was much better. I expected better for the price, because Texas Roadhouse even has a better prime rib. We are excited to try some of the other things on the menu next time we go.