Have I ever mentioned that going out to eat is one of the highlights of my vacations? I hate cooking, so having one someone else do it is amazing. I get to get waited on, have a meal of my choosing, and there's also a drink menu in most cases. No kid complaints about how the food isn't pizza, or chicken nugget enough, & best of all no dishes to do. If I'm really lucky, I might even be able to sneak in a little elegance and romance with my husband. On Friday 3/18/22 my kids and I went to Big Daddy's Bourbon Street Bistro for dinner.
First Impression
The first thing that excited me about this restaurant, was the fact that it was attached to my hotel. After a long day out with the kids, and coming back to our room, do I was to get everyone dressed and ready to go out again? Not even a little. So, we just went down the elevator, and walked right into the restaurant. Beautiful. We came in at 7pm on a Friday night and had no wait. We were seated immediately. Our server was very friendly, and conversational, and had helpful advice and tips about the meals. It was a bar or tavern environment, with tables that seat four, along with some high-top tables, and a bar. There are several TVs placed around the establishment tuned into sporting events.
Dining Experience
Menu options were limited. There were lots of appetizers, but for main course it was mostly salad, chicken sandwich, burger, or linguini (lots of linguini options). The children's menu was hotdog, linguini, or chicken fingers. Since it was a tavern, I had expected a varied drink menu, and the typical beer, red wine, white wine and spirits were there, certainly, but not an extensive list. Food presentation was appetizing, all food came out warm, portion sizes were average, and taste was excellent. Kids portion sizes were adult sized, which I always count as a positive, because then we have snacks, and nibbles for later. I know my kids will eat 4 bites, say "I'm full!" and as soon as we get home they ask what's for dinner, so having something to give them, when that inevitably happens, is amazing. The cost of dinner for the four of us was $100 Canadian which is roughly $78 US, which for dinner on a Friday night, is about what I'd expect.
Pros and Cons
Pros would definitely include the location. For cons, I would have to say, limited menu selection. I would highly recommend this place as a great spot for a drink and some apps.
Overall Restaurant Rating
Let me be clear on my rating scale here, because I don’t want it to seem harsh. I rate 1-5 stars. If you ever have reviews at your job on their 1-5 scale, it's kind of like that.
1 star = falls below standards
2 stars= needs improvement, falls short of expectations
3 stars = meets expectations
4 stars = exceeds expectations
5 stars = entirely another category of awesome – way above target.
So essentially 3 stars is good, rather than mediocre.
Category | Score |
Wait time | 4 |
Staff helpful/friendliness | 4 |
comfort/seating | 3 |
Appearance of Establishment | 3 |
Menu Diversity | 3 |
Food Presentation | 3 |
Taste & Temperature | 3 |
Portion size | 4 |
Kid Friendly options | 2 |
Drink Selection | 2 |
Price | 3 |
Overall rating | 3.09 |
Overall rating 3.09. If I were a local, I may not choose this place as a primary location to pick up a family dinner, but I would absolutely have it as a primary drinks and apps hang out with the ladies.
Book your Reservations at Big Daddy's – Bourbon Street Bistro (bigdaddys.ca)
Dined at Big Daddy's Bourbon Street Bistro? Feel free to leave a comment and share your experience.