tomboni's bistro

set in an older home, nestled behind another business, under decades old oak trees is the most charming place in longview, tx. here you will find an inviting and friendly staff who don't mind spending a minute or two with patrons.

the decor is reminiscent of a tea room, minus the stuffiness. cool blues and greens color the serving area, quite relaxing and persuade diners to take time here. the eatery is now located at 1811 a judson rd and the building is just beautiful. the front porch provides the opportunity for al fresco dining, weather permitting.

they have several teas, and feature a specialty tea on occasion. i ordered the better blt. it was. the bread was a hearty multi grain, with just enough sweetness to compliment the saltiness of the thick cut bacon. the sandwich was dressed with lettuce and tomato, which added a crispy acidity along with the creamy addition of avocado. this was a really well balanced creation that was just yummy. a side salad came as accompaniment with plenty of refreshing crunch on a hot summer day.

tomboni's serves two freshly prepared soups daily, which rotate according to chef's choice. i got to try the minestrone and it was a savory explosion of fresh vegetable flavor. prominent were the tomato, peppers, onion and touch of garlic along with fresh squash, carrots, beans, and lots more.

then i found a small cup of heaven called strawberry cream soup. it's served cold, and i could drink it by the gallon. this is delightful by itself, and could easily be used for a sauce on ice cream, cake, or a wonderful base for a creamy fruit salad.

the service is excellent, amy, my server, took time and care to chat, attending to everything i needed or wanted. i got a stop-by from nan, one of the co-owners, who is a friendly lady who enjoys her customers. the menu offers a selection for every palate and items are reasonably priced. tomboni's is a wonderful experience, off the beaten path, but well worth finding. go by and visit with nan and her excellent and friendly staff while enjoying freshly prepared and very good food.

this place is tucked away, but ended up being a great find. i had the salmon with a cucumber dill cream sauce, cauliflower rice, and sautéed spinach. the salmon with the sauce was pretty incredible. the cauliflower rice was highly recommended by waitress and i was pretty amazed at how good it was. i could easily start subbing this for rice everyday. spinach didn't disappoint either. i finished off the meal with a lemon tart that will be very hard not to order every time i go. all in all great (healthy) food minus dessert, friendly, and attentive service. i wish more restaurants like this would start popping up.

we love this place! they have, fresh, healthy, delicious food that is unlike anything else that longview offers. having recently moved here from austin, we have had a hard time finding fresh, local, seasonal food made with attention to detail and ingredients. tomboni's does a great job, and i would highly recommend a visit. it can be pretty busy (because it's so good!) between noon and 2:00pm, so i recommend making reservations if you're under a tight schedule. they also offer a lovely dinner on thursday and friday night- great for a date night. the owners are super friendly and the service has always been great.

great food and atmosphere. foodie kind of place with different salads. ate lunch and enjoyed. had the tombonis italian sandwich. will be back with friends.

jg score of 5/10 (+3 for food, 0 for atmosphere, 0 for price, 0 for no diet dr pepper, 0 for typical service and +2 for we will return)
the food here is really awesome. we ate here for a lunch and tried 5 things from their large menu. our favorite was the fish sandwich followed by the pecan chicken salad and then the tomboli's italian sandwich......these were all tasty and very good....the fish for our day was mahi mahi but apparently the fish can change based on what they get. we also had 2 sides as well. the jicama salad which is made from a mexican type potato was interesting. not immediately a favorite but we found ourselves continuing to eat it until it was gone. last was the orzo salad. this was like cold pasta and we did not really care for it but ate it anyway.....menu looks like many other good things too.
atmosphere was cramped and crowded and too much estrogen which meant a lot of loud talking and laughing. we can block that all out and just eat. it was a nice little place but too small for the numbers of people that day.
the price with one lunch and a drink and tip will be $15 or more. that is fine because you have to pay for healthy food.
they don't have diet dr pepper. no sodas at all unless natural. we had the pomegranate tea which was good.
the service was nice and typical but she was rushed.
we will definitely go back. we would have gotten the cuban sandwich but they ran out. we also want to try the adult grilled cheese and other things. it was very good.