dwight's bistro

a complete joke. i went here with my family a few saturday's ago. it was about 6 pm and we drove by to see if it was busy, the parking lot was dead so we decided to try to get in without a reservation. i had heard good things about dwight's from a few friends mentioning they made their own pasta. being a chef myself, i was excited at the thought of finding a new delicious restaurant near my house. the restaurant was cute with mozaik decorations and a small bar area. then a server approached us and asked us if we had a reservation. we said no and he seemed inconvenienced by our presence. he then told us he would check to see if they had anything available. while we were waiting on him, another server came over and asked us the same thing. do you have a reservation? no hello, welcome, how are you tonight, just do you have reservation? we said no again and they walked off. at this point, i was already irritated with the idea that they didn't have a hostess or at least someone who was relatively pleasant to greet us at the door. a 3rd person came over and asked us if we had a damn reservation. i said no, we do not have a reservation and as this was occuring the first person came back over and said he had cleared a table and we could sit. i almost walked out at this point but figured we could at least eat, and if the food was stellar all would be forgotten. so we went into the other room where there was only about 5-6 tables; only 2 of them were occupied. it wasn't busy at all, and remind you this was a saturday night at peak dining hours. we sat and the server came over a few minutes later with some water and got our drink order. he was not friendly but i cannot say he was outright rude; he was pretty much just there.

anyway, moving on to the food. i ordered a daily special, sea bass; my mom ordered a caesar salad and the carbonara(server recommendation); and my dad ordred the scallops. the bread was ice cold as if they had pulled it out of the freezer which was pretty ridiculous since they are right next door to a bakery. sad story.

sea bass-ridiculously over priced for starters. the flavors were decent but portion size was outrageous. i got 1 filet of fish in the center of my place w/ a horseradish mustard sauce, 2 slices of zucchini,2 slices of carrots, 1 ravioli and about an oz of carmalized onions. it was like a tasting menu with the addition of 1 filet of sea bass. the ravioli was good but it was not enough food. i'm not a big girl and i ate all of my own food and some of my mothers. who serves ravioli with sea bass and 2 slices of vegtables? that doesn't make any sense. the plates were not well thought out and the plate presentation was lacking for the price they charge.

caesar/carbonara- the caesar was just a regular side caesar salad i guess it was dusted with gold because i think it was over $10. i want to say 12 but don't quote me on this. the carbonara was bland, needed salt badly and it was under sauced. the pasta had good flavor but was actually undercooked slightly. it was more than al dente.

scallops- they had good flavor and were cooked correctly but were super over priced.

anyways, i won't be returning and certainly won't be suggesting anyone to eat at this restaurant, ever. the total bill was over a $120 for 3 entrees, a side salad and 1 tea.

good food very over priced. the food was good, but way over priced. i used to be a chef for many years, i know what things cost even in today's market i know. not that much. with that said, i can't complain about the food it was very good. very good and i would try it if you have the cash.

just so so , arrogant wait staff. filet overlooked and just way too expensive for marginal serve and moderate food. maybe staff doesn't like non beach dinners

food was just ok, not worth the price. i wasn't impressed enough to ever return.

the food was alright but way overpriced! the fresh mozzarella was good but not worth $18, and i was not impressed with the filet at all. housemade ravioli was great, but we won't be returning.

simply the best. do i really need to write this review doesn't everyone at the beach know by now that this is the best restaurant here, hands down. years ago we used to drive out the matthews, bistro aix, etc which are also great but the best is right here at the beach.

heaven on earth. this is one of the best meals/experiences to date. it is deceptively hidden in a strip mall but the decor inside is absolutely darling. went here for birthday dinner while on vacation and we were delighted with everything: staff, decor, wine list and the gourmet food. escargot for appetizer, ceaser salad, ravioli of the day and mixed grill. the chef in this restaurant has the rare blend of skill and selection. every selection was carefully presented and each bite was a burst of flavor. if you are in jax this is a must visit.

yum. some of the best crabcakes i have ever had. yes it is very pricey, however everything is made to order. the past is fresh daily and worth it for every satisfying bite! go to restaurant.com for a good coupon and then treat yourselves!

best crab cakes on. the. planet. period. try 'em and see.

hidden gem!. took my wife to dwight's for our 4th anniversary! service was great and the food was incredible! if you have never been to dwights it is a must try. dont be thrown off by the location. i think i drove by it 2x because it didnt look like a nice restaurant. the food is truly great and they even allowed us to tailor the menu so we could try several things. great!

took my mom here for her birthday back in november. staff was amazing--very professional and still warm and fun. the homemade bread wasn't anything to rave about in my opinion but the food was delicious! we were stuffed when we left. we all really enjoyed the dinner.

very disappointed, more than a little overrated. we went there to celebrate the occasion of two birthdays in our party of four. we had heard favorable word of mouth from friends of ours who frequent the 'jacksonville top 25'.
frankly, we were more than somewhat disappointed - for several reasons. the pricing here is really quite high for a place that truthfully looks like a 'neighborhood dive' on the outside and most of the inside as well.
we were seated in the small second room by a party of six who obviously had been well into the winelist (which is quite lengthy and extensive) for a while. before our orders were taken we requested that we be reseated due to the extreme loudness of the other party, although there were open tables visable in the third room, our request was declined and we were told that the other party 'would be leaving soon'. thirty minutes later they did leave - we could not even hear the waiter tell us about the specials & the menu selections due to the noise. conversation at the table was next to impossible until the party at the other table left.
the crab cakes are apparently their best item, and the waiter recommended a 'half salad' and crab cakes prior to the entrees.
crab cakes there are very good and if you dine there you should indeed try them. the salads, however, were extremely ordinary, to say the least. worst of all was the spinach half salad - no more than a few spinach leaves with some carrot & onion shavings and a spinkle of bacon crumbs. no dressing of any type was in, on or beside the salad when delivered. none of the half salads were very large at all either, contrary to the waiter's advisement.
we all had pastra entrees, three different ones between the four of us. they were indeed very good, but averaged more than $25 each. we have to say that there was not $100 worth of pasta there on the table! (you get four ravoli for that type entree) also, delivery of the entrees was awfully slow, particularly as the place was half empty at the time.
in our experience, this place is way over priced for the dining experience and atmosphere it presents. the two small rooms other than the entree room by the 'bar' both look like the back rooms of an old house converted into a diner. if you want to order a mixed drink, you are out of luck as well.
in summary, you simply can do much better at most of the others in the jacksonville "top 25' for the money.

a favorite for years. i've been taking friends and family to dwight's for years and have always had wonderful food, service and wine. the atmosphere is perfect and the decor is beautiful. i even feel comfortable eating by myself at the little bar - it's fun! good place for a romantic dinner or a nice birthday dinner. i love the fresh-baked bread - it is the best i've ever had!

best in town. ive been going to dwights for years...and feel that it is hands down my favorite place in jax.

it has personality...great staff...and great food. you cant go wrong with the mixed grill...and lobster ravioli...yummmmm

you don't know what you're missing!. my wife and my mother both agree that in another life i was a restaurant critic. i''ve been dining at chef delude's restaruants for almost 15 years. the menu is not overwhelming and the atmosphere makes you want to stay and talk among friends. after a few visits, you'll feel at home. the food is consistently the best i've ever eaten. what makes dwight's different from most restaurants is that the owner is the chef and the chef is always there making your meal. it's not like most big name restaurants now a days where jose finishes up cutting lawns and then works the night shift on the grill. dwight puts 100% into every meal - nothing less. i'm not a realtive or an employee, i'm just an absolute support er of dwights bistro. if you've got a discriminating pallet, a few bucks to spend and a great personality, then you're the kind of person i'd enjoy eating a meal next to at dwights. after being able to dine there a few times a week, i moved on and now only get a chance to dine there every few years, but i'm never disappointed. you won't be either. bon apetitie!