Cafe Bistro

My office used to be in the irvine spectrum, therefore I tried almost every restaurant there a few times. This place was among my fave 3 restaurants. They have a great variety of soups and salads (healthy, fresh, and delicious) and you can choose from their diverse proteins to add-on. I am a little disappointed of the prices increase but assume thats happening everywhere. Their steak (add-on) and crab salad are my favorites but you can never go wrong with any items on their menu. The service was always great and its a nice place to have a conversation with a friend or colleague.Note: these pictures are from various visits

Came in on a Wednesday before Christmas at 6pm (closing at 7). I was disappointed. I'm a regular and know the quality of food and service here. It's usually close to perfection. The menu is amazing and the food is consistently good. But not tonight. Soup was cold. The order came out all random. For example the salad and Brussel Sprouts came after my pasta. But the worst was the dry service and hard as heck garlic toast that I almost broke my teeth on! So awful! Why would you even serve that?! Just say you ran out. That toast is legendary. I've been enjoying it for years. How dare they serve such a disgusting thing to Nordstrom customers. That cook needs to be out of the kitchen if he can't produce edible bread. The server lady was kind. But everyone else was clearly done working way before we arrived.

It has been years since I've dined at Nordstrom's Cafe because my local Nordstrom closed. Lunch was solid but pricey. My son really wanted a good sandwich while shopping at Irvine Spectrum. His turkey avocado sandwich was good. My lime cilantro chicken salad was tasty. The dressing is one of my favorites. Service was fine, but our waiter seemed busy. Not sure I would return as there are better places to dine in the area.

LOVE this place! After shopping at Nordstrom I like to come here and get some lunch. Normally I order the Roasted Turkey and. Avocado Club with fries and it's delicious. Service here is amazing. I think his name is Justin? He's normally working around the register but he's extremely nice and always works with a smile. Strongly recommend.

I LOVE Nordstrom cafe salads. I have introduced so many of my family and friends to it. We visited the South Coast location on Friday and it was such a satisfying meal. We plan on visiting again this week. However, this location is getting one star from me purely for their customer service. I picked up a salad for lunch which was half the size of what we received at South Coast. When I called to complain, the manager was incredibly rude and condescending. I even asked if she could make up for the difference in portion by providing a half salad next time and she refused to do so. Blaming South Coast for over serving or implying that I'm lying. To make matters worse, I found a small strand of thick hair in my salad towards the end of it. I refuse to speak with the condescending manager again. Not sure if management has changed at this location, but the service was much better before.

I updated my review to include new Kids Cafe menu prices as of August 2024 that shows a slight increase.

Only rating for cilantro lime salmon salad. For the price I paid for this dish I had much higher expectations I've ordered this same dish at Mission Shops Nordstrom and they are nowhere near identical.

We were hungry while shopping around in the area and found a restaurant within Nordstrom that had some good looking food so we decided to eat here. We entered the restaurant and it had a nice classy aesthetic to it. We were a little confused when we came inside and weren't seated by someone this is because this place works by ordering at the counter and then having the food come to your table. This caught us by surprise since this place was priced like a proper sit down restaurant but it wasn't a big deal to us. Once we ordered our food it took about 15 minutes for it to come out and it was nice and fresh. I ordered a steak which came with fries and greens on the side with a fantastic garlic aioli. The steak itself was nice and juicy and the fries had just the right amount of saltiness and crunch to them, the whole meal worked beautifully together. If you are looking for a nice savory bite while shopping around at Nordstrom I would definitely recommend this place and come here again in the future!

9/30/2022Went inside for a super late lunch, early dinner. When my food came out it was 4:00pm. I was starrrrving! Hangry! But I was so happy I chose Cafe Bistro over other eateries at Irvine Spectrum. Wanted to choose the most healthy, filling option I could find. WILD SALMON WITH SAFFRON COUSCOUS(Baby Heirloom Tomatoes, Cucumber, Tzatziki Sauce Basil, Feta Cheese).This was soooo good! And no, it's not because I was staaarviiiing. This was genuinely a delicious dish! What's not to like? A very generous portion of salmon on a bed of chewy pearl couscous, crispy, crunchy cucumbers and baby heirloom tomatoes, tangy-creamy tzatziki sauce, chopped basil and cubes of feta cheese. Delicious, satisfying, and healthy in every bite! Would love to order again in the future! LOCATIONOn the second floor of Nordstrom. Not hard to find, but since it's in a department store, you gotta wash your hands before you walk in the bistro. MENUPaper menus at the front and also menus at the table via QR Code. But you have to order at the register anyway, so kinda pointless.SERVICEOverall good. Server came out promptly with my water and gave me a side service of cracked black pepper when my dish came out. I think server checked on me once and that was it. I did not mind, since it's a very low-key bistro and people pay at the register and tip before they eat, so no need for anyone to hover over me.

Came here for lunch on a Tuesday afternoon. I had never been to a Nordstrom cafe before. Here you order at a register and can seat yourself and your food will be delivered. I ordered the mushroom and Boursin cheese pizza which was a seasonal special. It was delicious!! Six decent sized pieces. Very tasty and definitely had an herb-y flavor with thyme sprinkled on top. Service was wonderful as should be expected at any Nordstrom affiliate. He even offered us drinks to go which was a very nice surprise. Overall a really great place for a quite lunch. A bit pricey for what it is but definitely quality food.