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Bay Street Bistro, Lakeland, FL

Bay Street Bistro

4.6 (949)
$50 and over
French
211 E Bay St, Lakeland, FL 33801

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 3 times today

About this restaurant

  • Good for special occasions
  • Charming
  • Neighborhood gem
The Bay Street Bistro is an eclectic restaurant and art gallery serving French, Italian and American cuisine, as well as displaying the areas most talented artists.

The Bay Street Bistro is your destination for top quality dining in a relaxed atmosphere, located conveniently in downtown Lakeland, FL. We pride ourselves on making everything possible from scratch, using the highest quality ingredients we can find!

We are also available for private bookings, dinner parties, business meetings and catering for your next event.

NOTE: Reservations of a party of 6 or more, please call us directly at: 863-683-4229.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $50 and over
  • Cuisines
    French, Contemporary American, Contemporary French / American
  • Hours of operation
    Dinner Tue–Thu 5:00 pm–8:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Phone number
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Executive chef
    Kevin Smith
  • Catering
    We are available to cater your next event no matter how big or small. You can choose items from our existing menu or create your own custom menu with our chef Kevin Smith. Please contact us to find out more.
  • Private party facilities
    We are available for private bookings, dinner parties and business meetings. Please contact us to find out more.
  • Neighborhood
    Lakeland
  • Cross street
    N. Kentucky Ave.
  • Parking details
    Free parking is available after 5pm in the parking lot on the ride side of our building. Private lot signs are posted in the parking area, however there is free public parking in the lot after 5pm every day.
  • Public transit
    We are located within a short walk from the main bus station for our local public transit system Citrus Connection, on South Florida Avenue.
  • Entertainment
    We support and display various works from the areas most talented artists in our dining room.
  • Additional
    Banquet, Beer, BYO Wine, Corkage Fee, Gluten-free Options, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 949 people are saying

Bay Street Bistro reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.6
4.6 based on recent ratings
  • 4.6Food
  • 4.7Service
  • 4.6Ambience
  • 4.3Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Bay Street Bistro is a "real gem for dining," offering "fantastic food and wonderful service." Guests praise the "charming ambiance" and dishes like "Beef Wellington the best in Central Florida" and "herb crusted lamb always perfect." While some found it "a tad pricey," many believe it's "worth it for the quality."
949 Reviews
  1. Robert

    Tampa / Central Florida West1 review

    4.0

    Dined on June 17, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 3
    Despite a less than satisfactory experience at the 2025 Valentine's Day event, we decided to try Bay Street Bistro again (emailed the restaurant directly about Valentine's Day, never received a reply). There was one group of six already there who were a little on the loud side. We and another couple were the only others there. It's a small restaurant so the noise level of the one table spoiled the ambiance for us. Fresh rolls with seasoned butter started the meal. Our appetizer was escargot served with two pieces of phyllo pastry and a lot of cream with fresh whole garlic cloves. Next, we enjoyed a Caeser salad and the poached pear salad which was supposed to be served w/ bruschetta. Since it wasn't, I asked the server about it. She brought out a small dish of chopped tomato, olive oil, and seasoning. No toast even though the bruschetta appetizer shown on the menu is served on toast points. This was the first time I had ever seen bruschetta served w/o toast points. Our server must have thought it unusual because she offered to bring two more rolls to the table. My impression was that the chef was annoyed that I asked about the missing bruschetta and dumped the bruschetta topping into a small dish: "You want bruschetta - here's your bruschetta." We both ordered the Mediterranean salmon. It was served with lots of whole garlic cloves, fresh vegetables, and risotto. It was very good but also very rich from the butter. After enjoying more rich food than I normally eat, I was unable to finish the salmon and took most of it home. That left room for the rum cake with strawberries and whipped cream for us to split. It was also good. Our first two experiences here were the best. Since then, not so much. Because of that and the fact that we don't tolerate rich food very well, we will not return to Bay Street Bistro. I have a feeling this restaurant doesn't handle criticism very well so they will probably appreciate that.

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  2. Eric

    Tampa / Central Florida West60 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on June 12, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Stopped in for dessert. Simply outstanding and well worth the visit.

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  3. Angie

    Orlando / Central Florida East6 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on June 3, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    Chilean sea bass was very fishy and not fresh Floor and wall filthy

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  4. Kris VIP

    Tampa / Central Florida West45 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on May 23, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Service was over the top. Warm, welcoming and genuine. Food? Huge portions and so delicious. Not a cheap place but I'd have paid even more for the evening they gave me.

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  5. Wes VIP

    Atlanta19 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on May 17, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Our table of four was seated promptly seated and set up with water , rolls and menus. All 4 entrees arrived at the same time and very well presented. Entrees Sea bass, bronzed salmon, Sea food au vent were all spot on. Our server, Sydney, was spot on with the rest of the staff willingly pitching in where needed. One of our guests remarked that she had never seen staff work so well together.

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  6. John

    Western Kentucky / SW Indiana5 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on May 4, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    A real gem for dining! Food is always outstanding.

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  7. Wes VIP

    Atlanta19 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on May 1, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    All entrees at our table for four were outstanding. I had the bronzed salmon which was cooked to perfection. My wife had the scallop special which is always over the top. One guest had the Beef Bourginon . I hope I spelled it correctly. I forget what our fourth person had but we were all delighted with our choices and their preparation. Bay Street has always been our "go to" spot for over a decade and will continue to be so.

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  8. Lori

    East Tennessee1 review

    5.0

    Dined on April 12, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Bay Street Bistro is my favorite Lakeland restaurant for special occasions or for times when you just want somewhere excellent to dine. The food is consistently and deliciously prepared and the service is perfect and unpretentious. Sydney (like Australia 😉) was our delightful server and added to the fun of our evening. For dinner, I had the Wild Salmon Bronzed. The orange beurre was incredible and was a perfect complement to the savory herbs on the salmon. The others I was with equally enjoyed their choices of Chilean Sea Bass and the Rack of Lamb. I can’t wait to go back!

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  9. Kyle VIP

    Orlando / Central Florida East2 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on April 12, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The food is always incredible. The atmosphere is perfect. The service marries it all together for a great experience every time.

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  10. Wes VIP

    Atlanta19 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on April 11, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    The lobster ravioli was an outstanding dish beautifully presented. I ordered Bronzed Sea Bass but got bronzed salmon instead, which I do happen to love. The service was not up to par because there were only two servers and the restaurant was continually filled. I had to cask for my wine to be refilled and I saw an elderly gentleman taking menus back to the service desk. Amy, the hostess was run ragged all evening due to having only two servers. There were several new customers there. I do hope they weren’t disappointed.

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FAQs

Bay Street Bistro is rated 4.6 stars by 949 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. Tampa / Central Florida West
  4. Lakeland
  5. Lakeland

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 3 times today
Google Map for Bay Street Bistro

211 E Bay St, Lakeland, FL 33801

Additional information

  • Cross street
    N. Kentucky Ave.
  • Neighborhood
    Lakeland
  • Hours of operation
    Dinner Tue–Thu 5:00 pm–8:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Price
    $50 and over
  • Cuisines
    French, Contemporary American, Contemporary French / American
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    Free parking is available after 5pm in the parking lot on the ride side of our building. Private lot signs are posted in the parking area, however there is free public parking in the lot after 5pm every day.
  • Public transit
    We are located within a short walk from the main bus station for our local public transit system Citrus Connection, on South Florida Avenue.
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Kevin Smith
  • Entertainment
    We support and display various works from the areas most talented artists in our dining room.
  • Additional
    Banquet, Beer, BYO Wine, Corkage Fee, Gluten-free Options, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Phone number
  • Catering
    We are available to cater your next event no matter how big or small. You can choose items from our existing menu or create your own custom menu with our chef Kevin Smith. Please contact us to find out more.
  • Private party facilities
    We are available for private bookings, dinner parties and business meetings. Please contact us to find out more.
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