Petit Bill’s Bistro

Awesome experience! I was able to call ahead to get an immediate table for 6.
Service was as courteous and friendly, and as they explain in the menu, you’re made to feel like (neighbourhood) family!
They’ve got a great variety for mains without much overlap or making it seem overwhelming — good for the indecisive.
Our food was delicious and timely served.
We’ll definitely be back to try out the rest of the excellent menu!

I wanted this experience to be great and in some ways it was, but not perfect. I had «Skrei cod», which a quick google told me was a special cod found as part of a great Norwegian migration of the fish. The season peaked, they said, in January/​February. I had it on June 2, so that might explain it. It came with pea risotto, which was creamy and perfectly done, surrounded by a wall of thinly sliced English cucumber, keeping out a moat of lemon cream broth, which was also excellent. The small cross-​section of cod, however, was quite dried out, to the point of being chewy. Another of our party had the (special) stuffed salmon wrapped in prosciutto, which was in a similar state, although the portion was quite generous. We also had the duck leg confit, again, somewhat dry for a confit, so the current theory is that the kitchen may have tried to crisp the skin by broiling briefly. Not sure, but dry it was.
Overall, we still enjoyed the meal. A lot of work and thought had gone into it, the accompaniments were great, the garnish (micro greens) attractive. It felt like we were just outside the grasp of a great meal.
The service was pleasant and well done.
One unusual thing about Petit Bill’s is that sound seemed magically magnified. We think because the room shape was long and narrow (ish), and the walls were hard. When we left into the road noise of Welllington Street, it felt like such a relief. An odd thing, but a real one. Maybe sound-​damping material one the walls? The music wasn’t blaring or anything like that, it was just hard to hear anyone speak, including our server.
Oddly, the narrative claimed a Newfoundland influence. Didn’t see it. No cod tongues, no fish n brewis, cod fresh (?) from Norway… there was Screech in one of the cocktails, maybe that was it. Overall, OK, but not great.

Looking for an opportunity to enjoy incredible dishes in warm friendly surroundings? Look no further. Petit Bill’s offers a variety of beautifully prepared menu choices. I recently opted for the Jambalaya. Lots of shrimp, chicken and beautifully seasoned rice were high lighted by melt in your mouth mussels. Such a treat!
Be sure to leave room for dessert. The crème brûlée is a must.
Bön appetit!

Tasty, quality meals that’ll also satisfy a healthy appetite. Friendly, attentive staff, and a cozy atmosphere. We love this place every time we visit!

My fiancé Jeff and I came here for Valentine’s day dinner. We made our reservation 6 weeks ahead as Jeff heard good things about this place and really wanted to check it out. We also saw that they did private dinners and we were also looking for a venue for our wedding, so perfect, we would go on Valentines day, check out the food and the venue. The venue itself was cute. Nothing fancy, but I liked our table next to the window. We had a 5 course meal (one course was a sorbet which I don’t know if that really counts as a course). We started with the bisque, which was gritty like as if the shells were left in and blended up, then had the duck carpaccio which was bland and simply covered up with some overpowering compote. The sorbet was well sorbet. For the main, Jeff had the steak and I had the cornish hen. Jeff said his steak was cooked a perfect med. rare. And for dessert he had the trifle which was good, but really nothing to write home about. Service was ok.
Now you are probably wondering why I only gave this place 2 star — the problem was my dishes. First of all we called 6 weeks prior and we asked if they could do gluten free as I have Celiac disease. They said it was not a problem. We confirm this again 1 week prior. We were seated by the owner and then our waitress came by to take her order. When I asked about what was gluten free, she had to go back to the kitchen to make sure they had something. I was surprised no one made note of this and told her about my request ahead of time. For the dessert, she said they would come up with something?! But everything else was ok on the menu. I was a little worried about the bisque and only had a couple bites. I didn’t like it anyways. When the main dish arrived I was really upset. First it was ½ a cornish hen which had barely any meat on it (they should’ve said ½ hen instead of just hen on menu) so I felt ripped off. Then when I started to dig in, I realized they sprinkled BREAD CRUMBS all over my dish! Were they purposely tried to get me sick??? I waved over the waitress who said «oh yes that is bread crumbs…» I then reminded her that I have Celiacs. He blamed it on the kitchen and said she’d get me a new plate without the breadcrumbs. Such a blatant mistake made me wonder if there was gluten anywhere else in the dishes that they overlooked. How could everyone, the kitchen, the expediter and the server miss that?! Then for dessert they served me a flourless chocolate cake. It was sickly sweet and had so much cayenne that it was inedible (they forgot to mention that it was a cayenne chocolate cake or else I wouldn’t have ordered it).
So dinner was $ 99 for the 2 of us, plus drinks and tip, so about $ 150. Was it worth it– NO. I was left hungry and worried that I ingested gluten. It is a horrible feeling worrying during a whole meal if you are going to be seriously sick. If you say you can accommodate gluten free, then do it. If not JUST SAY IT!!! I would’ve gone elsewhere had I known. Needless to say I will never return and we immediately scratched this place off our tentative wedding venues.

What a cozy place petit bills is! From the moment we walked in we were greeted by the owner and the warmth of the restaurant. We opted to try the table d’hôte for 2 to get a sense of variety of their specialities. Price point was slightly on the mid-​high end for a bistro setting, but the price for two also came with a bottle of white/​red wine. For starters we had a crab/​seafood bisque, a house salad, followed by mains of duck new fit and seared tuna. We don’t know why we do this to ourselves, but we forced down some very delicious crème brûlée and pound cake at the very end. Definitely heartier portions than the typical French portions of food, but great for sharing and or entertaining larger crowds. Food overall wasn’t particularly remarkable and somewhat pricey, but the ambiance and the attentativeness of the staff made the night highly enjoyable!

I’ve been searching for a decent non-​alcoholic beer for a long time, so I was excited when I saw that Petit Bill’s carries an Erdinger non-​alcoholic white beer. The service is awesome too !

We tried their open face pork belly sandwich. The pork belly was cooked just right and it melted in your mouth. It was delicious! The shrimp risotto was cooked perfectly and the lobster poutine was to die for!!!

I have been to Petit Bill’s several times and have always found it classy with great service. The waitress was very friendly and helpful suggesting our entrees and later on the owner came by to say also. You don’t always find that personal touch at restaurants these days. I had steak and frites and both were perfectly done. You can always count on Petit Bill’s for a satisfying and well done meal. Again you can’t say that for every restaurant these days!

It’s a busy Friday night and a few friends called me to go to a restaurant with them called Petit Bills. I’ve heard of it before but I’ve always kept it at the back of mind as a place I’ve heard is great but haven’t adventured to try it.
When you walk into Bills, it’s dark and intimate and has a French feel to it.
Décor is classic and slightly outdated but well kept.
Our server, Laura, was complete professional and you could tell she knew both the food menu and drink menu to heart. She even knew what beers would be nice to pair with our meals.
I ordered the lobster poutine and bills organic beef burger.
The poutine had thin crispy fries and were smothered in a mascarpone cream sauce and fresh, FRESH lobster… delicious.
It’s very rich and filling.
As my main, I ordered the burger. The owner told us that they only season the beef with salt and pepper. It’s simple but amazing and it felt genuine if that makes any sense.
I’m glad I came here to finally try it and I’m even more happy that I’ve made another reservation next week
Enjoy!

I got it wrong with PB’s. I thought it was French but the menu actually has more of a maritime vibe (fish and chips, etc.) but it fulfills the bistro mandate of quick and tasty. On a recent Saturday lunch, the owner gave us a warm welcome (he is not Bill but is the son of Bill) and service was great.
I had the lobster grilled cheese sandwich and it is the stuff of midnight cravings. Very tasty indeed with generous chunks of lobster. My companion had lamb sausage pasta. Also very good, though he was coveting my lobster-​cheese and stealing my fries.
Desserts going past looked terrific. Pies like Grandma wishes she used to make. But we were too full to try them out this time. Fortunately, I have an other Westboro errand this weekend so I may have to graze the PB menu once more.

I’ve been to Petit Bill’s many times, sometimes just for drinks and sometimes for meals. I’ve enjoyed it each time. Staff is friendly, cocktails are great and the food is wonderful.

I recently went to Petit Bill’s Bourbon Tasting Night. This is an evening planned around tasting 6 different bourbons with a menu specifically designed to go with the bourbons.
It was well-​organized evening. It started off with a complimentary spicy Old-​Fashioned cocktail. Once everyone arrived, we all sat at our tables and they had someone tell us everything you would ever want to know about bourbon. This was followed by a plate with 5 different dishes on it — each one made to go with each type of bourbon.
I know nothing about bourbon so I can’t personally attest to how good the bourbons were. There were a lot of bourbon connoisseurs in the restaurant and they all seemed very appreciative. The food was excellent — the dishes ranged from a smoked halibut to a sweet beef stew to roasted pork belly on quinoa. It was all excellent. Dessert was deep-​fried bread pudding — delicious.
My only complaint of the night was that there was too much talking and explanation of bourbon; it could have been shorter.
So, if you appreciate bourbon or want to learn more, I highly recommend Bourbon Tasting Night.

Full review blogged — Dishes and Verdict as below.
The Food: Complimentary bread and butter, 3 appetizers, 3 mains, 2 desserts.
Little Bill’s Crab Cakes: Ordered by my aunt these were described on the menu as «Two Crab Cakes lightly breaded & seared accompanied by a roasted garlic aoli & fresh tomato salsa» but with far too much filler and February ‘fresh’ tomatoes used to compose the salsa the flavor of this dish was really quite meager aside from the garlic and old bay used to season the crab-​tinged dumplings.
Cod Tongue Croquettes: Fairing much better than the crab cakes my appetizer selection of 3 muscular and tender cod tongue croquettes served with spicy almond & roasted red pepper romesco would turn out to be a rather well crafted dish with a light salad serving to balance the acid and heat of the romenso while the batter on the croquettes was flavorful, though a touch oily.
Lobster Poutine: Without a doubt the best savory of the meal the only thing Petit Bill’s really had to nail in order to make this dish shine was the frites and that is precisely what they did — the crispy spuds holding up admirably to a rich mixture of chunked and shredded lobster, shellfish butter, and mascarpone. Crispy and creamy, sweet yet savory — it wasn’t traditional poutine, but it was delicious.
Sea Scallops: My mother’s main course arrived on a lengthy plate and featuring three pan seared scallops in a slick of Chelsea Quebec maple syrup & house smoked bacon I’d be lying if I said it did not taste delicious — it was sweet and savory with a touch of the sea — but with that said, with the scallops overcooked and essentially lost in the other potent ingredients I really did not get the ‘point’ of this dish at all. Adding a touch of levity with an almond spinach salad dressed in citrus vinaigrette I will say that the acid helped somewhat, but honestly this was just a bunch of disjointed ingredients on that plate that appealed to me the same way bacon and maple syrup would if it was served with something as simple as bread or scrambled eggs.
Lobster Pot Pie: My Aunt’s selection was a dish that SHOULD have been an easy success given its constituents of fresh lobster, winter vegetables, and fingerling potatoes… and yet it wasn’t. Marred by a combination of far too much potato and carrot, watery flavorless gravy, and an undercooked and doughy pastry top the only thing that really shined about this dish was the lobster — perhaps a single small carapace or a couple of small claws’ worth perhaps ¹⁄₃ of the pot pie’s actual pricetag.
Lobster & Pickerel Raclette: A $ 28 dish for which I had high expectations this was without doubt the best of the main courses yet even at that it still fell far short of its potential. Described on the menu as «Pickerel & Lobster quenelle topped with a white wine & clam buerre blanc served atop an Arctic surf clam potato rosti & topped with Pied de Vent Cheese» the highlight of this dish was actually the rosti — a savory concoction with notes of sweetness and the sea perfectly cooked like a hash… it would have gone great with breakfast but worked equally well at dinner. Moving on to the featured quenelles — they were dense, overcooked, and almost ‘chewy’ — nothing like the life altering version at Michel Rostang and despite the supposed use of lobster the flavor was pure pike plus the slight tang of the Quebecoise bleu.
Traditional Newfoundland Pound Cake soaked in authentic Newfoundland Screech: Where the mains failed the desserts certainly did not and although the portion was small, this dense buttercake soaked in rum with a small ball of rich cream at its side was the picture of balance. Boozy and buttery, dense but crumbly, and toothsome but mellowed by the cream I’ve no doubt one could make this at home without too much trouble but that didn’t detract from it one bit — I’d have gladly eaten a loaf (and likely ended up quite drunk.)
Bread Pudding with cranberry-​raisins, white chocolate & crème anglais: If the Pound Cake was good, this was superlative. Measuring perhaps 1.5″ x 4.0″ x 7.0″ but rich, dense, warm, and drenched in thick vanilla crème it was as simple as the previous dessert but an entirely different flavor profile, texture, and temperature — the pair together slight in portion but enormous in flavor.
The Verdict: While I’m not sure it is possible to go into a place you know little about with expectations that are «too high,» we all walked out of Petit Bill’s disappointed. From the lousy seats to the perfunctory service there was really nothing harkening the «down-​home hospitality» proposed in their mission statement and while I guess the food was decent enough ‘homestyle’ food, the prices suggested the majority of the dishes should have been executed much better than they were — particularly as some were overcooked, some undercooked, and others simply poorly conceptualized or balanced. I’d go back for dessert, maybe, on someone else’s dime.

J’aime Petit Bill’s!
The crazy fusion of East Coast Flare and French Bistro food somehow works out to something that I absolutely want seconds of.
We had been looking for an excuse to go for a while and finally popped in for a birthday lunch. Lunch was good, but next time I would prefer to go for supper.
We were seated right away and our server was a doll. When I asked for lemonade and they didn’t have any, she offered to hand squeeze some for me! I thought she was joking but then saw her standing behind the bar with a massive amount of lemons! Obviously I told her that Iced Tea would be fine, but talk about customer service!
We ordered two different things and decided to share. I had the Lobster Poutine (an Ottawa «Locovore» favourite that was recommended to me on numerous occasions) and my boyfriend had the croissant with the lobster mousse. The lobster poutine was served over delicious fries and paired with a creamy sauce in place of the traditional gravy. This is not the kind of thing I would order as a full meal again. While it was delicious, it grew to be a bit much. The cream was so SO heavy and just a lot for lunch. I found myself loving every other bite, and not enjoying the others in-​between. I would get it again as maybe a side, and ask for the «gravy» on the side as well in order to monitor my portion.
The lobster mousse was delicious and much more appropriate for lunch. Light, with full chunks of lobster and served on a flaky croissant it was wonderful.
There were lots of inciting items on the menu and I can’t wait to go back. I hope to return sometime when I don’t have to teach dance afterwords (lobster poutine, thou art a cruel mistress), when I can browse the menu more thoroughly and when I can compliment my meal with a nice glass of wine.

We had a great dinner here recently. We were warmly greeted upon arrival and received excellent service throughout our meal.
The menu is extensive. I was surprised by the wide variety of options particularly for fish dishes. We opted for the turkey and leek soup to start and the Pacific cod on a bed of celery root purée and swiss chard, and the duck newfit (a Newfoundland take on duck confit) for our mains. For dessert we had the maple cheesecake. Everything was tasty and beautifully presented.
Petit Bills definitely cares about wine. The restaurant has featured wines each week and the table d’hotre has an optional wine pairing flight. Their list is long and well priced but I personally didn’t find many of the options exciting. We decided to try one of the weekly featured wines — a Prince Edward County Chardonnay. It was fantastic and delivered great value for money. I forgot to ask about corkage but will do so before our next visit.
The damage for one app, two mains, a bottle of wine and dessert: $ 125 plus tax and tip.

This was my first time eating at Petit Bill’s Bistro, and I was very excited, because I knew they served Art-​is-​in Bakery items with several dishes. I went with a fairly large group of about 20 people, so the service was a little slow, but understandable. The waitresses were very attentive, and went the extra mile.
I ordered the burger on a jalapeño cheddar bun with fries. It was good, but it was not «out of this world»
The fries were SALTY! I don’t even know why they offer salt on the table. The bread and buns that the bistro used were from Art is in Bakery in Westboro, but honestly, it tasted like my burger bun had a stick of butter in it.
The menu was a bit pricey for the quantity, and in my opinion, the portions were small, but if you like the whole «french/​Canadian/​bar» bistro type of food/​atmosphere, then this place will rock your socks!
If I return, I will remember to skip the carbs, and order a salad…

I dropped into Petit Bill’s recently for a meal after seeing their menu when a friend emailed it out. Wow did a lot of the things on the menu sounds great. I believe the menu is supposed to have an east coast theme.
The place is very easy to find and there was parking on the streets. When I walked in I was greeted by multiple people and they are really friendly. The décor of the place is pretty cool. They brought me to my table as I was running late and I joined my friends.
I opened the menu and it really looks fabulous but I wasn’t super hungry so I decided to get just a burger (i know, i know) but upgrade my side from the fries to the lobster and crab mac and cheese. It was a tough choice between that and a lobster poutine but I was more intrigued about the mac and cheese.
When my meal arrived I was really excited to try the mac and cheese. I started with a few bites out of there. I was pretty disappointed. The cheese sauce was really bland and the crab was really salty but the lobster was delicious. I was hoping to get a good buttery taste or cheese taste from the lobster but it wasn’t there. All the tastes were pretty separated. My friends tried the poutine and said it was ok.
The burger was really disappointing. If you’ve read some of my other reviews you know I love burgers. For burger fans I just want to let you know that the burger is extremely well done and has no flavour on top of that.
Even though my first meal here was pretty disappointing, their menu is very interesting to me and I plan to go back and give one of their other items a try.

I went to Petit Bills with a friend for a glass of wine on a Monday night. We sat at the bar and there were just one or two tables still eating in the restaurant, though they were clearly finishing up. Even so, we were not made to feel rushed at all during the course of our few (not one) glasses of wine that evening. In fact, it turns out that we had picked a good place, since one of the owners teaches sommelier courses at Algonquin College and appreciated us appreciating the wine slowly. Our server (one of the owners) made small talk with us as the last dishes were cleaned and let us taste a couple of his other wines off the restaurants extensive wine list.
Our seat at the bar gave us more of an «insiders» view of the restaurant, which was neat. Generally the tables are fairly close together to maximize seating space in the small dining area, but in this case it doesn’t make the restaurant feel crowded, but rather gives it a cozy feel.

First off I’m not a huge fan of seafood, but my wife is, we decided to try this little spot near our home. I’ll just get to my details here.
1. Small tight spaces, so you can easily hear the people next to you.
2. Fantastic Service, had a small issue with out appetizer, waitress came up and gave us the dish for free.
3. Menu is has a great menu for all, lots of different items to chose from. (Check menu)
4. Reservations for supper are a must on weekends.
5. Wine list is Huge
6. Place is fantastic for a social night out, looking for a quite night, this wont be the best place.