Rene's Bistro
4.5/5
Open until 8:30 pm
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Reviews
Location

Restaurant type

  • Bistro,

Cuisine type

  • International,

Products and Services

  • Restaurant,

Languages Spoken

  • English,
Location
38 Albert St, Stratford, ON N5A 3K3
Useful Information

Opening Hours *Holiday hours

Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
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Rates:

  • $11 To $25,

Methods of Payment:

Ratings & Reviews - Rene's Bistro

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Restaurantica12
By

Upscale food for people who enjoy a friendly environment

I highly recommend Rene's for anyone who enjoys fine dining but doesn't want to experience "sticker shock" when the cheque arrives. While I enjoy fine food, I don't tend to enjoy "upscale" restaurants. The staff are usually haughty, the portions wouldn't satisfy a hummingbird, and I'm supposed to be impressed just because they artistically drizzled some raspberry sauce along the side of the plate. Rene's Bistro was a very pleasant surprise! While the menu choices were creative and the food delicious, the atmosphere was bustling and friendly. If felt more like a neighborhood cafe, and there were obviously both a lot of locals and tourists there. Best of all: no sticker shock.

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Restaurantica12
By

Wonderful PEI Mussels

We took a chance on finding a seat in this crowded bistro at dinner time on a Sunday. Fortunately, we were squeezed in, although reservations are recommended. The deco is dark but elegant/bistro style and the crowd - on this summer evening - a mixture of theatre crowd and casual tourists. There are several varieties of PEI mussels on the menu - we ordered them Mouclade (with coconut curry and lemon grass). Paired with the pinot grigio available on the wine menu, these were nothing short of divine! The small mussels, characteristic of PEI, were sweet and cooked tender rather than rubbery. They arrived hot and steaming to the table. Unfortunately, they weren't served with bread to sop up the curry sauce - although we were provided with a basket upon asking for it. The rest of the meal was good, but not something either of us would likely order again. The seafood mac and cheese with butter poached lobster sounds more decadent than it is. Although there are a generous number of shrimp in the dish, there is only one lobster claw - which really only serves to whet your appetite for more lobster (smaller bits throughout would have been nice). The bechamel was rich, with a complementary hint of lobster and shrimp flavour to the delicate base - but I would have liked it a little thicker in order to cling better to the pasta. My spouse ordered the fettuccine, which came with spicy sausage and lamb. The sauce had a pleasant tomato base that complemented the sausage, but the taste of the lamb was drowned in the spiciness of the dish. Overall it was a nice meal, and we appreciate the extra lengths to which the hostess attended us - especially on such short notice. The mussels were what elevated the experience above others we've had lately. We're convinced we'll return when the urge for properly prepared and *real* PEI mussels hits. There are several other varieties on the menu we are looking forward to tasting!

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Restaurantica12
By

Why the hoopla?

We must have ordered the wrong things? As I'm not sure what the hoopla is about this place. Only ate there because of all these fab. reviews on here & other sites. The seafood mac'n cheese was one of the most disappointing things I have ever ordered - anywhere! At $19 I was hoping for something a little different, it literally had just ONE small piece of lobster & 5 shrimp. Reg. elbow noodles & its all in a bechamel sauce (milk, flour, butter). Not even a cheese sauce? So why call it mac'n cheese? There are SO many ways to actually make this "exciting" & better. Use a cheese! Bake it, get a nice crunchy topping on there. Actually use some lobster - stingy cook! Get some more flavouring & colour in there like sundried tomatoes, green onions, black olives, artichokes - really, just throw anything in to make it "pretty". My husband ordered the special, which was pork ribs, on a croquette with brie & some veggies. His was a way better choice then mine, however he basically ended up with a sliver of bone in every mouthful, so he ate real slow! I tried the ribs (I too got the bone sliver ) but they were in a good sauce & there were a lot of ribs. The croquette had gotten soggy & mushy in the middle. But it was a nice idea. For dessert we split the pecan tart. I was hoping for a more gooey pecan pie kinda thing, but its basically all nuts & some caramelized sugar. With vanilla ice cream. Our server(s) a guy, but then a girl delivers all the food. Were good, although the girl spilled the bread dipping oil on our table and didn't notice - so we made the guy wipe it up on his next walk by. Their bread was yummy, I'll give them that. But from what we ate, we would not return. Oh & where are the freshly grated parmesan & ground pepper? Shouldn't a restaurant that serves pasta have someone come around for this?

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Restaurantica12
By

Connor

I attended Rene's Bistro for a local birthday party. I was surprised to see how much the interior has changed and was very impressed. The food was excellent as usual and there are some new additions to the menu that I can't wait to try. All were impressed with service and most of all the food. The pasta dishes are unbelievable! I’m pleased to see Rene continues to make fresh bread as this adds to the experience. Hope to visit again very soon.

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Restaurantica12
By

Top Notch - not Top Price

Rene's has some lovely new additions to their menu for 2010 like a Seafood Pasta/Mac & Cheese dish which brings gourmet flourishes to a comfort dish. And they have the best Bruschetta I've ever had - as a local I think I'll spend a lot of time at Rene's this year just eating this. Rene's also remodeled their interior over the winter and the somewhat confining booths are gone and it will now be easier to gather there with bigger groups.

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