This is my favorite place in Kalamazoo, hands down. The wait staff is superb--knowledgeable, friendly, and non-invasive. The portion sizes are perfect, especially in a city that thrives on super sizing everything. I appreciated the good quality of the food, which is more filling than a heaping plate full of sub-par food (which is what you get at most restaurants out here). The daily specials are great, the wine list is pretty decent and the general ambiance is relaxing, yet romantic. Granted, I've only gone with coworkers, but it'd be great if I were ever on a date in Kalamazoo (which should not be the case as I live in CA). Anyway, the long and the short is: you get what you pay for. You pay a little more here, but your meal will be fabulous!
(5)
Deb F.
I visited Epic Bistro with my Mother, who uses a wheelchair, on June 20, 2013, for lunch. We loved the looks of the restaurant, very "old style" bar and grill with great old photographs of Kalamazoo on the wall. When we entered, there was not a hostess at the stand,nor was there any indication of whether we should seat ourselves or wait to be seated. When a server/manager? noticed us standing there, he waved his hand and yelled from the back of the restaurant to sit anywhere. When we went to sit in the main dining room we were redirected to go to the bar. That's a lot of back and forth again with a wheelchair. There was a large party in one room (10-12), who had already been served, and four tables on the outside patio, plus three two-tops in the bar where we were told to be seated for indoor dining by a passing server. We saw six waitstaff who seemed to be in no hurry. We waited seven minutes before a server approached us. She brought our drinks, took our order, and then we waited 26 minutes for tacos (would not order them again) and a sandwich. The server never came back to the table to check on us after she delivered the meal. When she brought the check, we asked about dessert, she was clearly put out that she had prepared the check and that we may make changes. In the end we did not, it was easier than having to fight with a server to do her job. We did however, get dessert at another establishment on the mall. It was the first time my mother has been able to come to the downtown area for many years, very disappointing.
(2)
Josh M.
Kind of loud. I guess I expected that though. Service is great and the food is worth the money.
(4)
Scott C.
Nice upscale dining located in downtown Kalamazoo. This was my first time dining at Epic Bistro. The restaurant was not overly busy for a Tuesday evening, but we had a dinner party taking place in a private room for about 12-15 people. I orderd the grilled salmon, which was cooked perfectly and our service was outstanding throughout the entire evening.
(4)
Kevin K.
food ok. service boarderline. scallops good . the bathroom sinks are not even sinks just a slab of granite. lamb shank half cold but tasted good. would not return here. for the price there are other places in kalamazoo that are much better!
(2)
Jacob S.
Norwegian sockeye salmon 5 stars. Fruit infused avocado 5 stars. Other sides 5 stars. Service 5 stars. Was fantastic all around. Will go back. Had a terrible date at first and we weren't acting very good at the table but the service remained spectacular. 125$ dinner for two with grey goose drinks was all very well worth it considering the quality.
(5)
Karla S.
Food was ok, took very long to receive our food. The food was very very overpriced for the quality of food. My boyfriend got a pizza and it tasted like bagel bites. I got the veggie curry, which was alright. The complementary bread came out with our meal, so we sat hungry for 40 minutes before our meal arrived.
(3)
Cathleen H.
This used to be my fave in Kalamazoo. I was there Saturday May 2. Waitress was not friendly and her service was not good at all. We had to wait for everything.....and no apologies for her lack of attentiveness. In addition, the menu still hasn't changed since last visit in Jan.....it's Spring.....and entrees way too heavy. Steak ordered rare and way overdone....I'll think twice about coming again soon.
(2)
Jeff T.
Pleasantly surprised! This sums up my most recent experience at the Epic Bistro this past week to a tee. As I had no choice where we dined for the evening (work event previously reserved), I had so-so expectations based on an experience I had at Central City (it's bar counterpart). with respect to the food. Epic did not disappoint. We started off with a couple orders of the chef's boards and two orders of the mussels, one spicy, other norm....garlic white wine kind of deliciousness. Each dish was presented well and had great flavors. While some were loving the pickled veggies, cured meats, and dips, I was delightfully impressed with the mussels. All were in tact, opened, and the chef provided enough sauce for drenching. Great start to dinner for sure. Since the table consisted of men, grizzly garage, trucking type guys, we mostly went with the beef choices, some with the beer cheese soup, others with the salad (don't worry, they were teased). The soup didn't stand a chance. We all devoured within minutes. The salads looked decent too, which for me its about content, color, preparation, and flavor, each getting a passing grade (according to the gentleman across from me). For the main dish, all but 1 person (salmon) chose either the filet or ribeye. Each steak cooked to order and served with fresh veggies. I got mine with frites while others had mashed taters. Each steak also came with a demi, which in my opinion seemed premade or store bought, didn't have that richness that I would expect. Still good, don't get me wrong. A lot of the guys were gloating about the blue cheese / bacon butter on the filets; I being a little jealous. I though had the larger of all steaks and it absolutely stuffed me, didn't even finish my fries or green beans....my mom will NOT be happy. Desert was a little low key for me as I went with a $7 port which did hit the spot. The others mixed and matched what was being offered and all seemed to enjoy. I can safely say, we (for the most part - me to blame) finished our plates. Great dinner all around. Now for some of the other important factors that I think need mentioning are that the service was fantastic, restaurant was clean and quiet (not busy at all), and best of all, it was all on my company!! The menu was a little light, not a bunch of options, so I suggest checking them out online and maybe even calling ahead to ask for specials that night.
(4)
Spencer C.
Friday night, around 8pm. It was semi busy so granted it took about a hour to get a table of 8. the service was not great; it didn't seem too busy but the service was running slow, it may not have been the waitresses fault and maybe the kitchen but salads came with no dressing, bread came out at the same time as entrees, and drinks were also served slow... The food is pricey but no doubt the food was delicious but the service was just not worth it. Most likely will not be returning.
(2)
Dave K.
This is a nice restaraunt. The service was terrific, ambiance is wonderful. They have a very impressive, purpose-built wood-fired oven in which they cook pizza. Ordered the Pizza Margherita and have to say it fails completely. The pizza had quite a lot of cheese on it, I couldn't tell if it was fresh mozzarella or typical American style pizza cheese. The pizza also included sliced tomatoes. fresh ingredients are usually a good thing but I'm not so sure in this case. A good pizza Margherita should have tomatoes from Italy, not plain ol' supermarket tomatoes. Bottom line, the crust was soggy. Not sure if there was too much cheese, the tomatoes too watery or the oven not hot enough. Too bad.
(2)
Michael J.
Generally speaking not a good experience. A couple of high points, extensive beer and wine list, chef's board and cheese board appetizers are tasty. Service was reasonable considering we were a large group. The rest is mediocre at best...$5.50 Caesar Salad is a joke...McDonalds is better. Since Epic is supposed to be a Bistro, what better place to order Steak Frites? The answer is some place other than here. I ordered medium rare and what I got was a super fatty rib eye prepared medium well to well cleverly concealed with a mushroom demi-glace (canned mushroom sauce has more finesse than what I was served). I have a strict policy of not knowingly consuming food that people spit in, so which when food is poorly crafted, sending something back to the kitchen is never a choice. This leaves 2 options, deal with it or don't eat it...since I was with a group of colleagues, I selected the former and washed each bite down with either Ale or Cabernet. The Frites comprising the other half of my meal were actually quite good...I would have preferred a deep-fried, bacon-wrapped, cheese-stuffed hot dog from the carry out place down the block. To the contrary, the Bone-In Berkshire Pork Chop looked amazing and the reviews on the Scallops despite being aggressively sauce were positive. Epic is apparently capable of so much more than what I was served.
(2)
Dan W.
Very good food, and wonderful drink selection. I really liked everything that I tried with the exception of the flatbread which I found a little bland. THe meat was well prepared and the veggies were well done too. Our server was friendly and very helpful.
(4)
Jason C.
This is a nice steakhouse that has options for everyone. You can eat relatively cheaply if you want to, or you can have an excellent expensive steak if you want. Getting the brie cheese starter is a must. It was fantastic. My wife and I enjoyed the steak frites and the pulled pork pizza. Both were very good. Oh...this restaurant smells amazing too!
(5)
Sue S.
We have been coming here for years, and I still wish I could give this place 5 stars: it's perfectly capable of it. My family and I had dinner last night: the service, server's knowledge, atmosphere, etc. were right on, but here are the reasons this place will never rate 5 stars from me: When we showed up for a 5 pm reservation at 4:55, we were told we could not be seated, even though 2 tables had been seated already. Soup (cream of asparagus) good, but NOT hot enough! Hot soup hot, cold soup cold, it's simple. My gin and tonic was served in a glass with a big crack out of the edge. Of course I sent it back, but inexcusable. Two of us ordered filet mignon, medium: only one was right on, the other overdone. My boar ragu was good, but not excellent, and here's how it could have been 5 star: meat shredded, not ground, more seasoning, more cheese, and served HOTTER (do we see a pattern here?). Desserts: bread pudding just ok, very mushy, NOT WARM. Apple tart something a little bland, NOT WARM. They featured wine 1/2 price, and our bill had to be sent back because they "forgot." I would really, really love to rank this place higher - whose fault is this? Management, take note.
(4)
Cathy B.
When I was home in Kalamazoo (yes, there really is a Kalamazoo) for the holidays, I swung into Epic Bistro with the fam for a lovely little Monday night dinner. Our original destination was Central City Taphouse next door, but since it was so packed, we hit up Epic instead. Although it looks a bit stuffy, the food was fairly good and the atmosphere and service not bad at all. We started out with the Four Cheese Flatbread, which was very good. My four-year-old nephew, who had commandered my iPhone in order to stay seated, had the best grilled cheese sandwich I've seen on a kids menu. And my father and I both enjoyed our wood grilled pork chops. The pan seared salmon with sweet corn cake was also delicious. The wood grilled veggies not so much. But overall a good experience if you can find parking downtown.
(4)
Percy N.
OK, but nothing to write home about, especially if you are used to wine bars in larger cities. Some small plates like the filet tips were decent. Wine selection by the glass and flights are good for the area.
(3)
Meghan M.
I like the ambience in Epic but the few times I've eaten, here nothing on the menu has been that memorable. The cheese board appetizer has always had a good selection but sometimes they tend to be a little heavy on the bleu-type, smelly cheeses, which I don't prefer. I can't even remember any mains I've eaten here so that tells you how good it was. Desserts have always been tasty and they are well portioned. Not too much but enough to give you that sweet treat you are looking for after a meal.
(2)
Tom S.
If you want an outstanding meal with a big city feel then go to the Epic Bistro. Every time we visit here we are surprised by the quality of the food, the attention to detail, and the experience of the staff. It's a great place for client dinners too. The tap house is a VERY COOL option before or after your great dinner.
(5)
Julia H.
I can't really count how many times I've dined at Epic Bistro. It is the perfect place for a late dinner with a date. The wine selection is superb... I suggest ordering a flight to try three varieties. My favorite dish here could quite possibly be my last meal on earth -- It is grilled salmon with lime chili butter on top of a sweet corncake with tomato ragout. Heaven in the shape of a meal. Truly. Even walking past this restaurant and smelling the woodfire ovens brings back bittersweet and fond memories of many romantic dates with a loved one.
(5)
Shelley A. D.
I was there with a large party-- 3 kids, 3 adults and super hungry. The staff was perfectly kind and attentive. The food was delicious-- I had a mixed green salad with scallops; and a margarita pizza flatbread with spinach. The kids choices were healthy and tasty. My husband and our friend were delighted to pick their own beer flights and enjoyed them mightily. Next time we are in town we are going back!
(4)
Chris T.
Completely overhyped and ridiculously overpriced. Epic Bistro acts like they are a high-end dining experience, except for the fact that they lack the service, quality, and atmosphere needed to justify their prices. They boast about their wine list, but it is far from anything special. The wines are mediocre and priced high to give novices a sense that they are getting a great bottle. The interior design is gaudy and kitschy. Looking at the cheesy painted ceramic wine bottle relief along the kitchen counter, I felt like I was in a country living magazine. We got a smoked brie which was hardly smokey and I believe was just tossed in their wood fire over for a minute. It was served with store-bought pita, which wasn't even toasted. The softness of the brie and the pita was disgusting and we ended up using the complimentary bread with the cheese. I ordered a curried thai seafood dish that was on special for $30. The waitress explained that the dish came with a "jasmine scented rice". My meal came out in a large pot, and I did not receive the rice until I had to ask for it. The main dish was fine, but serving it in a pot made it very difficult and awkward to mix with the rice, I ended up using the plate that the pot sat on, but it was way too much of a production for a simple dish. The rice was terrible...it was plain jasmine rice (which is always "scented"...can't figure out why they highlighted that) which had been overcooked and plated. It was dried out and flavorless. We ended up paying $120 for two of us (1 bottle of wine, appetizer, 2 entrees). Overall the food wasn't terrible, but way way way way overpriced. My special should have been around $20 for the food and quality offered. The service staff wasn't very knowledgable and seemed trained to be pretentious towards customers. I'm all for arrogance and pretention in dining IF YOU CAN BACK IT UP!! Do yourself a favor. If you are visiting Kalamazoo and want a good place to eat, go across the street to Rustica. The meal we had there the previous night was spectacular and a bit cheaper (we even got desert there as well). Do not go to Epic Bistro unless you love bragging about spending a boatload of money on a worthless meal.
(1)
Ben M.
Decent place. Scallop appetizer was good. Filet dinner was mediocre at best. Good service and good wine/beer list. Overall was underwhelming.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : No Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Street Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : No Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Dressy Ambience : Classy Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Aim B.
This is my favorite place in Kalamazoo, hands down. The wait staff is superb--knowledgeable, friendly, and non-invasive. The portion sizes are perfect, especially in a city that thrives on super sizing everything. I appreciated the good quality of the food, which is more filling than a heaping plate full of sub-par food (which is what you get at most restaurants out here). The daily specials are great, the wine list is pretty decent and the general ambiance is relaxing, yet romantic. Granted, I've only gone with coworkers, but it'd be great if I were ever on a date in Kalamazoo (which should not be the case as I live in CA). Anyway, the long and the short is: you get what you pay for. You pay a little more here, but your meal will be fabulous!
(5)Deb F.
I visited Epic Bistro with my Mother, who uses a wheelchair, on June 20, 2013, for lunch. We loved the looks of the restaurant, very "old style" bar and grill with great old photographs of Kalamazoo on the wall. When we entered, there was not a hostess at the stand,nor was there any indication of whether we should seat ourselves or wait to be seated. When a server/manager? noticed us standing there, he waved his hand and yelled from the back of the restaurant to sit anywhere. When we went to sit in the main dining room we were redirected to go to the bar. That's a lot of back and forth again with a wheelchair. There was a large party in one room (10-12), who had already been served, and four tables on the outside patio, plus three two-tops in the bar where we were told to be seated for indoor dining by a passing server. We saw six waitstaff who seemed to be in no hurry. We waited seven minutes before a server approached us. She brought our drinks, took our order, and then we waited 26 minutes for tacos (would not order them again) and a sandwich. The server never came back to the table to check on us after she delivered the meal. When she brought the check, we asked about dessert, she was clearly put out that she had prepared the check and that we may make changes. In the end we did not, it was easier than having to fight with a server to do her job. We did however, get dessert at another establishment on the mall. It was the first time my mother has been able to come to the downtown area for many years, very disappointing.
(2)Josh M.
Kind of loud. I guess I expected that though. Service is great and the food is worth the money.
(4)Scott C.
Nice upscale dining located in downtown Kalamazoo. This was my first time dining at Epic Bistro. The restaurant was not overly busy for a Tuesday evening, but we had a dinner party taking place in a private room for about 12-15 people. I orderd the grilled salmon, which was cooked perfectly and our service was outstanding throughout the entire evening.
(4)Kevin K.
food ok. service boarderline. scallops good . the bathroom sinks are not even sinks just a slab of granite. lamb shank half cold but tasted good. would not return here. for the price there are other places in kalamazoo that are much better!
(2)Jacob S.
Norwegian sockeye salmon 5 stars. Fruit infused avocado 5 stars. Other sides 5 stars. Service 5 stars. Was fantastic all around. Will go back. Had a terrible date at first and we weren't acting very good at the table but the service remained spectacular. 125$ dinner for two with grey goose drinks was all very well worth it considering the quality.
(5)Karla S.
Food was ok, took very long to receive our food. The food was very very overpriced for the quality of food. My boyfriend got a pizza and it tasted like bagel bites. I got the veggie curry, which was alright. The complementary bread came out with our meal, so we sat hungry for 40 minutes before our meal arrived.
(3)Cathleen H.
This used to be my fave in Kalamazoo. I was there Saturday May 2. Waitress was not friendly and her service was not good at all. We had to wait for everything.....and no apologies for her lack of attentiveness. In addition, the menu still hasn't changed since last visit in Jan.....it's Spring.....and entrees way too heavy. Steak ordered rare and way overdone....I'll think twice about coming again soon.
(2)Jeff T.
Pleasantly surprised! This sums up my most recent experience at the Epic Bistro this past week to a tee. As I had no choice where we dined for the evening (work event previously reserved), I had so-so expectations based on an experience I had at Central City (it's bar counterpart). with respect to the food. Epic did not disappoint. We started off with a couple orders of the chef's boards and two orders of the mussels, one spicy, other norm....garlic white wine kind of deliciousness. Each dish was presented well and had great flavors. While some were loving the pickled veggies, cured meats, and dips, I was delightfully impressed with the mussels. All were in tact, opened, and the chef provided enough sauce for drenching. Great start to dinner for sure. Since the table consisted of men, grizzly garage, trucking type guys, we mostly went with the beef choices, some with the beer cheese soup, others with the salad (don't worry, they were teased). The soup didn't stand a chance. We all devoured within minutes. The salads looked decent too, which for me its about content, color, preparation, and flavor, each getting a passing grade (according to the gentleman across from me). For the main dish, all but 1 person (salmon) chose either the filet or ribeye. Each steak cooked to order and served with fresh veggies. I got mine with frites while others had mashed taters. Each steak also came with a demi, which in my opinion seemed premade or store bought, didn't have that richness that I would expect. Still good, don't get me wrong. A lot of the guys were gloating about the blue cheese / bacon butter on the filets; I being a little jealous. I though had the larger of all steaks and it absolutely stuffed me, didn't even finish my fries or green beans....my mom will NOT be happy. Desert was a little low key for me as I went with a $7 port which did hit the spot. The others mixed and matched what was being offered and all seemed to enjoy. I can safely say, we (for the most part - me to blame) finished our plates. Great dinner all around. Now for some of the other important factors that I think need mentioning are that the service was fantastic, restaurant was clean and quiet (not busy at all), and best of all, it was all on my company!! The menu was a little light, not a bunch of options, so I suggest checking them out online and maybe even calling ahead to ask for specials that night.
(4)Spencer C.
Friday night, around 8pm. It was semi busy so granted it took about a hour to get a table of 8. the service was not great; it didn't seem too busy but the service was running slow, it may not have been the waitresses fault and maybe the kitchen but salads came with no dressing, bread came out at the same time as entrees, and drinks were also served slow... The food is pricey but no doubt the food was delicious but the service was just not worth it. Most likely will not be returning.
(2)Dave K.
This is a nice restaraunt. The service was terrific, ambiance is wonderful. They have a very impressive, purpose-built wood-fired oven in which they cook pizza. Ordered the Pizza Margherita and have to say it fails completely. The pizza had quite a lot of cheese on it, I couldn't tell if it was fresh mozzarella or typical American style pizza cheese. The pizza also included sliced tomatoes. fresh ingredients are usually a good thing but I'm not so sure in this case. A good pizza Margherita should have tomatoes from Italy, not plain ol' supermarket tomatoes. Bottom line, the crust was soggy. Not sure if there was too much cheese, the tomatoes too watery or the oven not hot enough. Too bad.
(2)Michael J.
Generally speaking not a good experience. A couple of high points, extensive beer and wine list, chef's board and cheese board appetizers are tasty. Service was reasonable considering we were a large group. The rest is mediocre at best...$5.50 Caesar Salad is a joke...McDonalds is better. Since Epic is supposed to be a Bistro, what better place to order Steak Frites? The answer is some place other than here. I ordered medium rare and what I got was a super fatty rib eye prepared medium well to well cleverly concealed with a mushroom demi-glace (canned mushroom sauce has more finesse than what I was served). I have a strict policy of not knowingly consuming food that people spit in, so which when food is poorly crafted, sending something back to the kitchen is never a choice. This leaves 2 options, deal with it or don't eat it...since I was with a group of colleagues, I selected the former and washed each bite down with either Ale or Cabernet. The Frites comprising the other half of my meal were actually quite good...I would have preferred a deep-fried, bacon-wrapped, cheese-stuffed hot dog from the carry out place down the block. To the contrary, the Bone-In Berkshire Pork Chop looked amazing and the reviews on the Scallops despite being aggressively sauce were positive. Epic is apparently capable of so much more than what I was served.
(2)Dan W.
Very good food, and wonderful drink selection. I really liked everything that I tried with the exception of the flatbread which I found a little bland. THe meat was well prepared and the veggies were well done too. Our server was friendly and very helpful.
(4)Jason C.
This is a nice steakhouse that has options for everyone. You can eat relatively cheaply if you want to, or you can have an excellent expensive steak if you want. Getting the brie cheese starter is a must. It was fantastic. My wife and I enjoyed the steak frites and the pulled pork pizza. Both were very good. Oh...this restaurant smells amazing too!
(5)Sue S.
We have been coming here for years, and I still wish I could give this place 5 stars: it's perfectly capable of it. My family and I had dinner last night: the service, server's knowledge, atmosphere, etc. were right on, but here are the reasons this place will never rate 5 stars from me: When we showed up for a 5 pm reservation at 4:55, we were told we could not be seated, even though 2 tables had been seated already. Soup (cream of asparagus) good, but NOT hot enough! Hot soup hot, cold soup cold, it's simple. My gin and tonic was served in a glass with a big crack out of the edge. Of course I sent it back, but inexcusable. Two of us ordered filet mignon, medium: only one was right on, the other overdone. My boar ragu was good, but not excellent, and here's how it could have been 5 star: meat shredded, not ground, more seasoning, more cheese, and served HOTTER (do we see a pattern here?). Desserts: bread pudding just ok, very mushy, NOT WARM. Apple tart something a little bland, NOT WARM. They featured wine 1/2 price, and our bill had to be sent back because they "forgot." I would really, really love to rank this place higher - whose fault is this? Management, take note.
(4)Cathy B.
When I was home in Kalamazoo (yes, there really is a Kalamazoo) for the holidays, I swung into Epic Bistro with the fam for a lovely little Monday night dinner. Our original destination was Central City Taphouse next door, but since it was so packed, we hit up Epic instead. Although it looks a bit stuffy, the food was fairly good and the atmosphere and service not bad at all. We started out with the Four Cheese Flatbread, which was very good. My four-year-old nephew, who had commandered my iPhone in order to stay seated, had the best grilled cheese sandwich I've seen on a kids menu. And my father and I both enjoyed our wood grilled pork chops. The pan seared salmon with sweet corn cake was also delicious. The wood grilled veggies not so much. But overall a good experience if you can find parking downtown.
(4)Percy N.
OK, but nothing to write home about, especially if you are used to wine bars in larger cities. Some small plates like the filet tips were decent. Wine selection by the glass and flights are good for the area.
(3)Meghan M.
I like the ambience in Epic but the few times I've eaten, here nothing on the menu has been that memorable. The cheese board appetizer has always had a good selection but sometimes they tend to be a little heavy on the bleu-type, smelly cheeses, which I don't prefer. I can't even remember any mains I've eaten here so that tells you how good it was. Desserts have always been tasty and they are well portioned. Not too much but enough to give you that sweet treat you are looking for after a meal.
(2)Tom S.
If you want an outstanding meal with a big city feel then go to the Epic Bistro. Every time we visit here we are surprised by the quality of the food, the attention to detail, and the experience of the staff. It's a great place for client dinners too. The tap house is a VERY COOL option before or after your great dinner.
(5)Julia H.
I can't really count how many times I've dined at Epic Bistro. It is the perfect place for a late dinner with a date. The wine selection is superb... I suggest ordering a flight to try three varieties. My favorite dish here could quite possibly be my last meal on earth -- It is grilled salmon with lime chili butter on top of a sweet corncake with tomato ragout. Heaven in the shape of a meal. Truly. Even walking past this restaurant and smelling the woodfire ovens brings back bittersweet and fond memories of many romantic dates with a loved one.
(5)Shelley A. D.
I was there with a large party-- 3 kids, 3 adults and super hungry. The staff was perfectly kind and attentive. The food was delicious-- I had a mixed green salad with scallops; and a margarita pizza flatbread with spinach. The kids choices were healthy and tasty. My husband and our friend were delighted to pick their own beer flights and enjoyed them mightily. Next time we are in town we are going back!
(4)Chris T.
Completely overhyped and ridiculously overpriced. Epic Bistro acts like they are a high-end dining experience, except for the fact that they lack the service, quality, and atmosphere needed to justify their prices. They boast about their wine list, but it is far from anything special. The wines are mediocre and priced high to give novices a sense that they are getting a great bottle. The interior design is gaudy and kitschy. Looking at the cheesy painted ceramic wine bottle relief along the kitchen counter, I felt like I was in a country living magazine. We got a smoked brie which was hardly smokey and I believe was just tossed in their wood fire over for a minute. It was served with store-bought pita, which wasn't even toasted. The softness of the brie and the pita was disgusting and we ended up using the complimentary bread with the cheese. I ordered a curried thai seafood dish that was on special for $30. The waitress explained that the dish came with a "jasmine scented rice". My meal came out in a large pot, and I did not receive the rice until I had to ask for it. The main dish was fine, but serving it in a pot made it very difficult and awkward to mix with the rice, I ended up using the plate that the pot sat on, but it was way too much of a production for a simple dish. The rice was terrible...it was plain jasmine rice (which is always "scented"...can't figure out why they highlighted that) which had been overcooked and plated. It was dried out and flavorless. We ended up paying $120 for two of us (1 bottle of wine, appetizer, 2 entrees). Overall the food wasn't terrible, but way way way way overpriced. My special should have been around $20 for the food and quality offered. The service staff wasn't very knowledgable and seemed trained to be pretentious towards customers. I'm all for arrogance and pretention in dining IF YOU CAN BACK IT UP!! Do yourself a favor. If you are visiting Kalamazoo and want a good place to eat, go across the street to Rustica. The meal we had there the previous night was spectacular and a bit cheaper (we even got desert there as well). Do not go to Epic Bistro unless you love bragging about spending a boatload of money on a worthless meal.
(1)Ben M.
Decent place. Scallop appetizer was good. Filet dinner was mediocre at best. Good service and good wine/beer list. Overall was underwhelming.
(2)Mark C.
The food was decent. Your typical american fare.
(3)