Bon Appetit Wine Bar & Bistro Whitby

Been here a few times the service is excellent warm and friendly always makes times to have a chat with u and a laugh The food is to die for cooked to perfection and me and my husband always find the atmosphere to be warm and some what romantic 💕 However after visiting on Saturday a very loud VERY drunken group came in shouting really spoilt it for us From wot I gather they rocked up last min were very rude whilst been asked for there order and just seem totally unaware that the restaurant had a closing time !!!! The staff however kept there professionalism and tried to quieten and calm it down for fellow diners I really felt for the staff on Saturday at just how rude this group was I can honestly say in all my years of eating out this has to be in my top 5 I can see laughably the drunken party have all left reviews and to be honest from an on lookers perspective there not worth the paper there written on I’ll definitely be visiting again for excellent food great atmosphere and fantastic staff

Where to even start with this place. Went in to book a table for 7, we were offered 8.30pm. Returned for 8.20pm to an immediate stressful and hostile environment from the woman on the bar (owner with husband). We were asked to wait in the bar which wasn’t an issue however I approached the bar again to order a beer and was abruptly told ‘give us 5 minutes it’s hectic in here at the moment’. We waited to be seated and were sat at a large table in front of the bar. As we were sitting down at the table the man said ‘I thought you would be drunk by half 8 and not turn up’. The next communication from the male owner was ‘I need your food orders in the next minute, the chef finishes at half 8 and he’s having a nervous breakdown’. I replied by saying we have just this second sat down, so give us a minute to choose. The female behind the bar then shouted over to her husband in full ear shot of us ‘I thought you were getting their food orders?’ He replied ‘I am trying darling’ - at this stage I thought I was genuinely in the set of faulty towers dealing with basil and Sybil. We tried to order drinks in the mean time (as per every other restaurant experience I’ve ever had) but were stopped and pressured to order food instantly. One of my party then asked a question about ordering a pizza and Sybil said from behind the bar ‘if you’d read the sign outside you’d know it’s 3-6pm for pizzas’. This was the final straw and we all got up and left about 10 minutes after entering. Who wants to go for a meal and pay in the region of £400 to be pressured by basil and Sybil having a domestic in front of you pressuring you to order food immediately - even though they themselves booked us in for half 8. Avoid this place - really shame because the previous restaurant before them was lovely. 5* rating if you want a faulty towers experience.

We had heard good things about this place so were really looking forward to a good evening. We were certainly not disappointed. As it was Steak night that’s what we both opted for, so it came with a free bottle of wine. Never a bad thing! We both chose the fillet, mine medium rare and my wife’s medium. They were cooked perfectly and accompanied by chunky chips. I had the homemade onion rings and a peppercorn sauce.and my good lady had a salad on the side. All faultless. The place was beautifully decorated and the ambience relaxed. All staff were super-friendly and helpful. A great experience and we’ll definitely return soon. Pizza night next I think.

On Saturday 11 October we decided to walk into the town and explore, conscious that it was a busy Saturday we decided to try and book a table for dinner early on. One of our group is familiar with Whitby and having had a good experience at the previous business decided to pop his head in to see if they could accommodate a table for us later that evening. Two of our group went in whilst the rest waited outside rather than crowding the restaurant at lunchtime. He was quizzed over the composition of our party, and after reassuring him we were couples rather than ‘a group of lads’ he agreed to book us a table at 20:30hrs. We continued on with our day, walking around Whitby, up to the Abbey and around the town, before returning to our flat to rest before dinner. We arrived at the restaurant at about 20:20hrs and were told our table wasn’t ready yet and to wait in the bar. This wasn’t a problem as we realised we were slightly early. One of our party tried to order a pint in the meantime and he was barked at to wait five minutes and told it was hectic. We were taken to our table for 20:30hrs, presented with menus and told to order our food immediately as the kitchen closes at 20:30hrs. Already a bit affronted at being rushed we agreed to try and order food quickly, forgoing starters which we would have ordered usually. Before we even had time to read the menu we were being pressured into giving a food order. On top of this, the male and female who were a married couple appeared to be having a verbal domestic over our head about our orders. We were told the chef was having a breakdown in the kitchen and almost scolded for turning up at the appointed time. I can’t understand why they would take a reservation at the time the kitchen is due to close. We did not know the opening hours as we are not local and had only enquired in the restaurant in person. The male said to one of our friends he didn’t think we’d turn up as we booked at 1pm he assumed we would be too drunk. This was extremely offensive and judgemental in my opinion, particularly as we hadn’t spent the day drinking and were sober when we booked the table and arrived for our meal. My assumption is they took the booking on this assumption that we would never arrive - rude. The atmosphere throughout our admittedly short time in this restaurant was the worst I have ever experienced. Considering we were about to spent a considerable amount of money in this establishment we would have appreciated 5 minutes to make a decision without being badgered by the rather unpleasant female behind the bar. The final straw came when our friend politely enquired about the pizza deal on a sign outside. The female barked back at her something along the lines of if you read the sign ‘darling’ you would know it’s only on 3-6pm. My friend apologised to her for the question (unecessarily) and it was at this point we felt it was appropriate to take our business elsewhere. We walked out and located a much friendlier venue in the Esk Vaults nearby. I have seen the tendency for this business to respond to negative reviews with a dismissive attitude, absolving themselves of blame, however I sincerely hope the owners reflect on this interaction as if they continue to try to run business like this I can’t see them having much success in the future. We certainly won’t be returning.

Dining out in Whitby usually means good food, friendly service, and a bit of seaside charm. Sadly, Bon Appetit offered none of the above. What started as a simple booking for a relaxed evening meal quickly turned into one of the most uncomfortable restaurant experiences I’ve ever had. Our group of seven, 6 couples and our 7th wheel, popped in earlier in the day to book a table for 8:30 p.m. — a straightforward request, or so we thought. What we weren’t told, however, was that the kitchen would be closing at 8:30. That small detail would’ve saved everyone a lot of time and frustration. When we arrived, our table wasn’t ready, and we were told to wait in the bar. Fair enough, these things happen. But when one of our group tried to order a pint of beer, he was snapped at and told to “wait five minutes.” Even after clarifying it was just a pint — not some elaborate cocktail — the same curt response came back, this time with even less patience. It set the tone for what followed. About five minutes later, we were shown to our table. Before we’d even seen a menu, we were told we needed to order food straight away because the kitchen was closing. The irony wasn’t lost on us — a restaurant that happily takes an 8:30 booking but scolds you for showing up at 8:20. The place seemed to be run by a husband-and-wife team, and they were arguing openly across the dining room while we sat there awkwardly. When we tried to order drinks first, the woman jumped in, saying we had to order food immediately because “the chef’s having a nervous breakdown.” The man, clearly caught in the middle, tried to keep things on track, but she interrupted again — louder this time — insisting we order right now. The final straw came when one of us asked about the pizzas written on the board. The response? A snide, “If you’d actually read the sign, you’d see they’re only available from three to six DARLING.” No attempt at politeness, just pure attitude. At that point, we’d had enough. We put our menus down, stood up, and left without ordering food or drinks. We found somewhere else nearby and ended up having a great evening — once we’d escaped. In all my years of eating out, I’ve rarely come across such rudeness or chaos. It wasn’t just bad service — it was downright hostile. Maybe the food is decent, but with staff this unpleasant and disorganised, I’ve no interest in ever finding out.