Really loved it the music was so lovely I can’t wait to back again the atmosphere the food was so amazing and we had so much
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: French Onion Soup Gratinee
Beth D.
I went here for dinner by myself as I've read excellent reviews of this restaurant. I did not have a reservation although I preferred the bar seating anyway. It's tiny but warm and staff was welcoming. Meredith served me well and was friendly (funny!) and professional. She recommended the grouper and how pleased I was to oblige! Cooked to perfection with yummy veggie and rice sides. Excellent cuisine. The wine was generously poured and also a good choice of Sauvignon blanc from New Zealand. I stayed several hours as I was fortunate to meet a couple seated next to me who were charming and open to conversation as we all enjoyed the piano player. The owner, Thomas Justice, regaled me with his fascinating family history. His ancestor, Sergeant Alvin C York, was a Medal of Honor recipient in 1918 during World War 1. (I'll need to watch the Gary Cooper movie of his escapades.) Please don't hesitate to visit this fine local establishment . They will be closing for some weeks in January, 2024 so check ahead before you go.
Bob W.
Another great lunch on a warm day on the patio. Open at noon with easy parking. Servicer Jem took good care of us. Simple lunch of 3 salad plate offerings 3 different tastes. Bistro 17 salad with a cup of French onion soup were both very good & filling.
carol wolff
Have not been to the Bistro in about 3 years...at which time we went weekly for dinner. Was very disappointed in my chicken crepe for lunch. Visually it was unappealing..brownish and not identifiable as a crepe. It was covered in a thick layer of what I think was guyere cheese. Never a good sign when you have to scrape off the first layer of your lunch. I will give them another chance before writing them off.The service and ambiance are great,however.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Ron H.
Bistro 17 has made our top 5 Hilton Head List for years Features French cuisine, fine wines, and nearly excellent service Very small restaurant, and reservations are a must We like both restaurant dining and patio dining For lunch, we always enjoy French Onion soup, and while not on the lunch menu, we can interest the kitchen in preparing Mussels Marinere For dinner, there are several great choices, but we have been enjoying lately both the Rack of Colorado Lamb and the large grilled ribeye Over the years Bistro 17 has stumbled, but in our view Bistro 17 has regained its footing and is a solid lunch or dinner date with your wife
Lisa F
Wonderful food, cocktails, service and atmosphere. Fresh and delicious! Great deserts. Piano and relaxing!
Steve
I think most people will like the food here. For my wife and I, we just were not blown away. Everything we ordered just seemed to be underseasoned. All I can think of is they are tailoring the food to an older customer who may not like salt, butter, wine,garlic,etc.. I don't think this is classified as a French restaurant But it seems to have some inspiration in some of their dishes. Fine French food has a very deep flavor profile with A very pleasing presentation. Sometimes chefs over present to compensate for lack of flavor Or food quality. The location and ambience of the restaurant is fantastic overlooking the water and boats. Would definitely go back for drinks and maybe try it again with Just an appetizer.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Phillip North
I ordered the crab cake as an entree and it was a horrible, deep fried ball of dough with very little crab. It was recommended by our waitress but it was absolutely inedible. A hush puppy would have been better. To be fair, the string fries were good, as was the salad. But those crab cakes … just awful. Further in a spirit of fairness, my wife’s halibut was very good.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Frites
Duke Kos
Food is not French, server was not helpful and didn’t know the menu, smells like smoke inside of the restaurant.The only positive is location.I don’t recommend this
The staff were rude and did not make us feel welcome at all. We ended up leaving. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone.
LisaL168
We must have eaten at the wrong restaurant. I have read the reviews and we must have been there on a very off night. We had a brand new waitress and so will cut the service some slack but the kitchen was so slow we just couldn’t understand it. We were there after 7 on a Saturday night and the place was half empty. Took 30 minutes to get bread (which was not good) and over 45 to get our appetizers. The Cesar salad was good, nothings special. The French onion soup was very good. The special salad was a wedge of iceberg which was delicious. We also ordered the Bri en croute, which is one of my favorite things, and it was terrible. We had to send it back. Maybe it just wasn’t hot enough, but it also didn’t have any flavor. The crabcake was good, not the best. It had decent flavor, but not much crab as far as I could tell the mussels were plentiful, but tasteless. All in all, we were pretty disappointed. It was our first night on the island and we were hoping to start with some delicious food.
Gene Eakes
Wonderful dining experience! Highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: French Onion Soup Gratinee, Duck Confit
Bill & Sue MacLeod
Not a huge menu but EVERYTHING on the menu is to perfection. Great food, great people and & $1,000,000 setting and view to die for.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: French Onion Soup Gratinee, Peppered Mustard Salmon, French Dip, Bistro
Thuy N.
My husband and I had a wonderful experience at Bistro 17. We had the escargots, scallops, duck confit, and lamb chops. All were very delicious. Our server Kristina was fantastic. The best meal we had on HHI.
Great food, best view, lovely atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hazelnut Crème Brûlée, Bistro 17 Salad
Really loved it the music was so lovely I can’t wait to back again the atmosphere the food was so amazing and we had so much
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: French Onion Soup Gratinee
I went here for dinner by myself as I've read excellent reviews of this restaurant. I did not have a reservation although I preferred the bar seating anyway. It's tiny but warm and staff was welcoming. Meredith served me well and was friendly (funny!) and professional. She recommended the grouper and how pleased I was to oblige! Cooked to perfection with yummy veggie and rice sides. Excellent cuisine. The wine was generously poured and also a good choice of Sauvignon blanc from New Zealand. I stayed several hours as I was fortunate to meet a couple seated next to me who were charming and open to conversation as we all enjoyed the piano player. The owner, Thomas Justice, regaled me with his fascinating family history. His ancestor, Sergeant Alvin C York, was a Medal of Honor recipient in 1918 during World War 1. (I'll need to watch the Gary Cooper movie of his escapades.) Please don't hesitate to visit this fine local establishment . They will be closing for some weeks in January, 2024 so check ahead before you go.
Another great lunch on a warm day on the patio. Open at noon with easy parking. Servicer Jem took good care of us. Simple lunch of 3 salad plate offerings 3 different tastes. Bistro 17 salad with a cup of French onion soup were both very good & filling.
Have not been to the Bistro in about 3 years...at which time we went weekly for dinner. Was very disappointed in my chicken crepe for lunch. Visually it was unappealing..brownish and not identifiable as a crepe. It was covered in a thick layer of what I think was guyere cheese. Never a good sign when you have to scrape off the first layer of your lunch. I will give them another chance before writing them off.The service and ambiance are great,however.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Bistro 17 has made our top 5 Hilton Head List for years Features French cuisine, fine wines, and nearly excellent service Very small restaurant, and reservations are a must We like both restaurant dining and patio dining For lunch, we always enjoy French Onion soup, and while not on the lunch menu, we can interest the kitchen in preparing Mussels Marinere For dinner, there are several great choices, but we have been enjoying lately both the Rack of Colorado Lamb and the large grilled ribeye Over the years Bistro 17 has stumbled, but in our view Bistro 17 has regained its footing and is a solid lunch or dinner date with your wife
Wonderful food, cocktails, service and atmosphere. Fresh and delicious! Great deserts. Piano and relaxing!
I think most people will like the food here. For my wife and I, we just were not blown away. Everything we ordered just seemed to be underseasoned. All I can think of is they are tailoring the food to an older customer who may not like salt, butter, wine,garlic,etc.. I don't think this is classified as a French restaurant But it seems to have some inspiration in some of their dishes. Fine French food has a very deep flavor profile with A very pleasing presentation. Sometimes chefs over present to compensate for lack of flavor Or food quality. The location and ambience of the restaurant is fantastic overlooking the water and boats. Would definitely go back for drinks and maybe try it again with Just an appetizer.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
I ordered the crab cake as an entree and it was a horrible, deep fried ball of dough with very little crab. It was recommended by our waitress but it was absolutely inedible. A hush puppy would have been better. To be fair, the string fries were good, as was the salad. But those crab cakes … just awful. Further in a spirit of fairness, my wife’s halibut was very good.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Frites
Food is not French, server was not helpful and didn’t know the menu, smells like smoke inside of the restaurant.The only positive is location.I don’t recommend this
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
The staff were rude and did not make us feel welcome at all. We ended up leaving. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone.
We must have eaten at the wrong restaurant. I have read the reviews and we must have been there on a very off night. We had a brand new waitress and so will cut the service some slack but the kitchen was so slow we just couldn’t understand it. We were there after 7 on a Saturday night and the place was half empty. Took 30 minutes to get bread (which was not good) and over 45 to get our appetizers. The Cesar salad was good, nothings special. The French onion soup was very good. The special salad was a wedge of iceberg which was delicious. We also ordered the Bri en croute, which is one of my favorite things, and it was terrible. We had to send it back. Maybe it just wasn’t hot enough, but it also didn’t have any flavor. The crabcake was good, not the best. It had decent flavor, but not much crab as far as I could tell the mussels were plentiful, but tasteless. All in all, we were pretty disappointed. It was our first night on the island and we were hoping to start with some delicious food.
Wonderful dining experience! Highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: French Onion Soup Gratinee, Duck Confit
Not a huge menu but EVERYTHING on the menu is to perfection. Great food, great people and & $1,000,000 setting and view to die for.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: French Onion Soup Gratinee, Peppered Mustard Salmon, French Dip, Bistro
My husband and I had a wonderful experience at Bistro 17. We had the escargots, scallops, duck confit, and lamb chops. All were very delicious. Our server Kristina was fantastic. The best meal we had on HHI.