Duck City Bistro Review

This restaurant is listed as fine dinning and upscale but that wasn't what my husband and I experienced. When we walked in the door we were greeted by the chef who did this elaborate explanation of all the special dishes of the night. It was slightly uncomfortable and none of the food look appetizing. It looked like it had been cooked and sitting there for quite some time. Then we were taken to our table. We were seated into a side room and to get there we had to walk down a short very dark hallway. It was slightly alarming and confusing because at first we had no idea where they were leading us. The tables had table clothes that were covered in paper and written in crayon was "Duck City." There also was a wooden duck that held the drink menu. The restaurant had very dim lighting and when I looked up at the lights, I noticed they had several dead bugs within them.
What was the biggest disappointment was the food. We shared the sample platter appetizer. The plate was covered in several different sauces with the appetizer laying directly in the sauce. It was not a very appealing presentation. We both decided to get soup instead of salad. I had the lobster bisque. The soup base had decent flavor but the lobster meat was very tough and still had pieces of the shell attached. My husband had the matzo ball soup. He said the broth was very bland and the matzo balls were bland and were mostly dough. For my entree I ordered the Thai chicken. The plate was covered in sauce, the chicken breading had no flavor, and the rice tasted like it had been made from a box. My husband ordered trigger fish. His plate was also covered in sauce, his risotto was overcooked, his vegetables were raw, and the fish was under seasoned. Their quality of food is not even close to what they are charging per dish.

Best steak ever! I love the entire dining experience. The staff is excellent & I love the presentation of the entrees. Highly recommend!

Everything is always amazing here. The food is the best in the area.

Great food & great service.
Don't know what else you could want!

Always a wonderful experience. The food is amazing, the staff is incredibly helpful, and the owner\chef visibly demonstrates his passion for food and fellowship.

The best steak I've ever had. Everything was perfect.

Amazing! The food was delicious. I had the rack of lamb chops (cooked medium) with the garlic salad. The lamb was cooked to perfection, the garlic salad was garlic HEAVY but if you dont like garlic why are you wasting everyone's time with More

I have crossed the country many times and this was by far the single best bone in ribeye I have ever had if you are within 10 hours of this restaurant get in there

One word: awesome. Go. If you enjoy laughing, letting loose, and enjoying good food just go. Tell Jeremy hi.

Our first time at Duck City Bistro. I don't know if I can find the words to express how amazing the food and service were. Every bite was so great, the flavors and spices blended so well together. We tried everything from the portobello mushrooms to the main dish, we had the trigger fish and the pineapple croustadel! We took Chef Jeremy's recommendations and very happy we did. The service could not have been better :)
If we could give 10 stars, we would!

Excellent food, carefully selected and prepared. A great place for a special meal. The chef shows and describes the various food options, when you first enter.

A bit pricey but worth the money. I highly recommend.

We ordered the surf and turf and the filet mingon was burnt. Literally tasted like charcoal. We told the waitress but she just ignored us. Seems like the quality of food has gone down. There needs to be higher standards met, not just coasting off of the old reputation.

Wonderful food and great service. When I want a memorable meal this is where I go

Unique atmosphere and great food. Bacon twists are amazing on the wedge salad.

Have visited from CA several times. Awesome food, friendly atmosphere. What you would expect at an upscale place in IA.

Went for a friends birthday awhile back and it was awesome. Booking for Nov 3 for a very special day in our family's life.

We were looking for a new place to eat and found Duck City Bistro. We did not have reservations but we're able to get a table. The food was excellent! The service was wonderful. I would highly recommend this restaurant. We will definitely go back.

SIT AT THE BAR!! Waitstaff is BAD!! Waiter spilled martinis, then proceeded to smell them to determine which is which. Thumbs are always in the dishes.... If you go, do bar seating. You won t be disappointed in the food or service.

Excellent service! Chef is a hoot and food is incredible! We loved the salmon, the blue cheese filet appetizer, and the bread with roasted garlic that comes out prior to meal is delicious. We also liked the garlic salads! Highly recommend!! Everything is nice. Must try.

My husband and I dined at DCB for the first time for our first anniversary, it was wonderful! We had reservations; when shown to our table, there was an anniversary greeting written on the table covering, Chef Jeremy appears at each table to personally for the oral presentation of the menu. We shared an order of the portobello mushroom appetizers, Jeff had the filet mignon shish kabobs, I had the Cajun Ribeye that was large enough for two people and done to perfection (I had to bring half of my meal home-and I have a good appetite!)! We finished with a slice of Bourbon Pecan Pie made by the Chef. If you are in the mood for more than justfood, but a true dining experience, Duck City Bistro is a must. Kudos to the atmosphere, staff and fare! Kathryn Reffett

My husband and I went for our 3rd wedding anniversary. The food was so good and the service was great.

Walking into the place I wasn't sure what to expect, but what a treat this place is. The staff is unbelievable. Everyone knows the menu and can describe the detailed items that accompany the meals. The way they make a show of their menu is unique and entertaining. The food is absolutely exceptional. I had the lamb chops and the were not only cooked to perfection, but seasoned that way as well. I can't give this place a high enough rating.

Friendly, innovative and amazing. The best meal I ve had in years. Overall a wonderful experience we plan on repeating.

Absolutely loved this place. Food was amazing the staff was friendly. Try the watermelon salad!

Excellent service and fun relaxing atmosphere. Food is prepared exactly as you order it. Great steaks and sides.
Chef Jeremy is very personable and makes sure everyone's meal is cooked to perfection.
This is my favorite place in Iowa. Two big thumbs up!!

Just over the top. Servers don't talk, they recite. A weird mix between tacky (which I would otherwise like) and fancy purely in the pompous sense. We just felt judged by the unfriendly staff. Will never return.

The food was absolutely amazing my wife ordered the filet Melissa and it was the best steak I've ever tryed. Not to mention the lobster bisque was out of this world. For desert we ordered the pineapple crustaud it was to die for. The service was amazing as well.

Ambiance in this place is TREMENDOUS! Jeremy is top notch. If you visit the area and miss this place...you re missing out.

Started with the Portobello mushrooms that were World Famous , then the garlic side salad and a special which was Sea Bass with Mango Chutney. Spouse had the Ribeye on bone. The salad and bread were good. You have to like garlic which we do. The portobello mushrooms were covered in a very heavy sauce and was unusual. It really didn t allow the mushrooms to be highlighted.. you have to really like sauce.

The Sea Bass was awful. It was caked in a sauce that was both sweet and too heavy in curry. This is coming from someone who loves curry. It left a terrible aftertaste. Spouse did enjoy the ribeye. It was well cooked.

Other thing that was disappointing is how they told us and the table behind us when their next booking was for the table they seated us at. For us it was no problems but they really upset and rushed the table beside us. Not the service you would expect at this type of restaurant.

You cannot beat the atmosphere here at Duck City Bistro. In town for the weekend and this place is a gem. Give it a try.

Loved the food! Awesome presentation of food from Chef Jeremy!!!

This was an experience which will long be remembered. The way staff was phenomenal, food delivery and preparation was well above our expectations. The only thing missing was a chief with flare...just kidding. Overall we are looking forward to our next visit when back in the area.

I wish I could give DCB 10 stars. You owe it to yourself to try the Jalapeno Veal.

Very unique experience! Got introduced to samples of the meals on the menus by the head chef right in the door. Then deciding what unique plate to get is a treat. They will even combine half meals for u if your undecided. Very friendly service and wonderful food. Tad pricey, but when u see what's on the menu you know why!

Absolutely fantastic my boyfriend and I came here together 5 times now. Never a disappointment! The mushrooms appetizer are a hit, their signature duck is Absolutely amazing. And the staff are fantastic the chef himself even came to talk to us and ask our opinion and gave us a really nice compliment. I would always come back for our special occasion. Tonight 5 year anniversary!

Great atmosphere! An owner with so much charisma I enjoyed watching him float around the restaurant. Very welcoming, amazing food, and the place I'd go for upscale dining to enjoy my night.

Was staying in Davenport for business and was told by a local about the Duck Inn. We were warmly greeted at the door, our reservations were acknowledged and we sat at the bar for a drink as we were a bit early. The chef s presentation was really a sight to behold as the specials were introduced. The food was 10/10. Best dinner out in a very long time! Two thumbs up from me!!

Very friendly and caring staff who all exuded positivity! With excellent food and amazing service, our experience was second to none!

I went here for my birthday after hearing how good this restaurant was. I was disappointed. We reserved a table, the table they had set aside for us was right next to the kitchen and crammed into a corner. I got the duck, it was so heavy and felt like a rock in my stomach. Not worth the money.

World Class Chef, Staff and Food!!

I stopped in last year to Duck City Bistro after a recommendation from a business colleague. The main purpose that I went is that I was looking for a local place to possibly host a business dinner. Duck City Bistro is now a personal favourite restaurant. On my visit I walked into Duck City with no reservation. I got lucky as they had a place at the bar where I could sit. I was warmly greeted by the head Chef, and he took the time to go over some of his featured dishes. The Chef asked me if I liked Spicy food, and helped me order my meal. The bartender was a very knowledgeable fellow and helped me select a wine. That Night I started with one of my favourites, Matzo Ball soup. As I have lived in a Jewish area of Toronto for years and have many Jewish friends and family, I could not pass this opportunity up. The Soup was fantastic, It had a real depth of flavour, the soup base was not too salty or overwhelming. The Matzo Balls had a great flavour to them as well. This is a great starter!! My Main dish was a Cajun Style Beef and Shrimp dish on a bed of rice. Yes it was spicy, Cajun spicy but the spice did not take away from the flavours of the meat or the shrimp. It was a feature that night so it may possibly be a one off. The interior has very nice ambiance and elegance to it, though dimly lit, it still has just enough light to be able to see and read the menu. This is a great little spot in Downtown Davenport and I will be back next time I'm in town.

This is hands down the best restaurant in the Quad Cities. I wish I could eat here like 8 nights a week! :)

Excellent good and excellent service. I think everyone from the QC should try this place atleast once. We had the triggerfish and the lamb. Both were excellent, especially the fish.

Gourmet food in a comfortable, yet elegant environment. Chef always exceeds my culinary expectations and Nam always makes me feel like I've come home.

My friend and I sat at the bar and had dinner there. The bartender did a nice job helping with wine selection. Then the stuffed mushrooms came. Normally not a fan of stuffed mushrooms but Duck City nailed it. We devoured them. Then came the red fish entree with etouffee with rice and charred tomato. Wow. Thought I was in Nawlins but was in Davenport. Maybe Duck City has a worm hole at the front door! My friend had the duck special and was equally impressed. It is worth saying that the portions here are very generous. Very nice for a change when many upscale restaurants are going smaller.

Always amazing. Chef Jeromy and staff never disappoint.

We had never been here but went there last night for Valentine s Day with a reservation from 5-7:00pm. It was the perfect length of time, the chef/owner came to our table to tell us the features of the night and to answer any questions. He actually came by multiple times to check on us. The decor of the place was completely original, and they had our name on the table when we arrived! It was a nice touch. I got the crab and steak, my husband got the rib chop. I do not say this lightly, In my 25 years of life, this is the BEST meal I have EVER had. My steak was cooked perfectly. I added a blue cheese crust. My crab legs were huge and to die for, my husband had to finish them for me. His steak was so perfect it did not need sauce or anything. The meat was tender, tasted fresh. They had bread as well with garlic clove spread, everything was so good I don t even have words

Not that I plan on going to prison for any reason, but... I've decided that the horseradish crusted salmon from Duck City would be my death row meal. I am always craving it at any given moment. The best.

Get ready for a meal and an experience that transcends Davenport. Amazing dishes cooked by a personable chef with attentive staff.

A Very Personalized Dinner with Greeting by Chef, with special message on our dinner table for our 34th Wedding Anniversary! And our Food & Service Were Fabulous We for sure will be back with Family and Friends ! Sincerely Thankful for providing us a special evening to Remember

I had a great time. The atmosphere was quaint. The place was packed on Monday night. Elegance from the minute we walked in the door. The food was fabulous! I had Veal Marsala and my husband had halibut. The fish is fresh, never frozen. The service was beyond my expectations. Excellent! A little pricey, but everything was worth the cost. It was our anniversary dinner and they had congratulations on our table and chalk board. I can't go often, but, I am looking forward to going there again.

Fabulous service. We walked in and were greated warmly by three different individuals. Quickly following, the head chef gave a wonderfully entertaining presentation of the nights specials. Quite an array! I ordered the salmon with beurre More

The chef/owner is very friendly, informed and quite vocal(but in a good way) about all things Duck Bistro. Service was excellent, waitstaff was working as a team and we're full of smiles. Loved the shrimp cocktail and my dirty martini with blue cheese stuffed olives. I was only in town for three nights and ate here for two of them and would return if back in town.

Always excellent!!! Had the Bone in Chop highly recommend!

Amazing food followed by a lively presentation by Chef Jeremy on dinner specials.... Its a must go if you are in Davenport, IA

One of the best meals we had ever had. Great friendly service and phenomenal food! I highly recommend this unique restaurant.

Fantastic dinner and absolutely the Best
service we have ever had in our entire Life every employee in The restaurant paid attention to us it was amazing thank you

I would never EVER dine here again nor recommend to anyone that they should.

We went here for our Prom Night dinner, we had a very large group and its understandable that the staff might have been irked having to deal with a bunch of high schoolers late Saturday night. However, that is NO excuse for how poorly we were treated here. I've never had such rude service at a restaurant in my entire life. When a couple of us girls got up to use the washroom one of the waitresses said to us: "Do you girls need help, you're pretty and all but we don't need you wandering around." Another waiter took one of parties plate and said "here let me cut that for you, you're probably not old enough to know how." Even the chef that came out to talk to use was short and brash with us. You think that they'd be a little nicer considering they made 650$ off us plus gratuity.

The food was good, but disappointing for a supposedly nice restaurant. At the end of the dinner when we asked about the dessert they said they didn't have one planned for tonight, even though we had seen other tables with desserts.

Sells food after it hit the floor, treats staff like they are nothing, and has cockroaches. And doesn't put employees on payroll or give full pay in pool tips unless they memorize a script.

My husband and I loved the food at DCB and the atmosphere was charming. However, our server didn't seem to know much when we had questions about the specials menu, and she mistakenly told my husband that the steak he asked about was a filet mignon. She ended up serving him a different type of steak and mentioned that it was not a filet as she set it in front of him. She then proceeded to hurriedly walk away before he could remind her that it wasn't what he had ordered (and what she had originally told him it would be). He tried it and thankfully it was delicious, so we didn't complain. However, Chef Jeremy came over to ask us how things were at the end of our meal and my husband let him know about the issue. He apologized and we could tell that he was sincere, but he made an excuse about the server ("I change up the specials all the time, so she was probably just confused", etc.). We just hoped that the server was approached about the problem and that it won't happen to any other customers in the future. To see her lack of professionalism and knowledge was really disappointing to me, especially since we had heard how lovely this place is (and it is, although I probably won't go back for a while, as it sort of made me sad!). That being said, I know others have had great experiences there, and hopefully will enjoy each aspect of the restaurant!

I had my first meal at Duck City's predecessor, Charles Michel, 30 years ago. This was my last meal at Duck City.

The restaurant has long sported "A" list pretensions - a menu of exalted foods with no posted prices - but with second tier execution. We dined in late May and experienced a series of culinary misfires from bread that was delivered to the table mostly crushed with a single floret of butter to lobster bisque with a piece of plastic floating in it and a horseradish crusted salmon with very little salmon character left. Death by Chocolate seemed to be a defrosted dessert.The staff, perhaps newly hired, seemed inexperienced, forgetful and confused.

But, by far, my greater reservation is about the facility's apparently careless approach to the public health crisis. As we entered we were the only people wearing masks. The wait staff maintained neither distance nor face covering. While the tables started 6-ft apart, when a large party arrived a second table was promptly jammed in, placing us within 2 ft of a party of 8. When we left we had to weave our way through a maskless crowd to exit the restaurant. It was a terrible look and left us profoundly uncomfortable.

I enjoy eating here every time I return back to Davenport. The price point comes with astounding quality, value, and customer service. Naturally the duck is my favorite plate here. Do yourself a favor and order a mint calypso also.

This restarant is amazing! It is small but with a huge personality. The food was unbelievable and the chef is a master of flavor. My steak was perfect! I'm coming here everytime I am in town!

Two couples dined here before a concert, and had a really good meal. Head Chef previews almost all the menu items - with flourish and pride. We really didn't have anything that was a bust, so the relatively high prices (for Quad Cities) were OK. Suggestion: There should be a choice to have a cup instead of a bowl of soup - the bowl is too filling, especially if it's a cream-based soup. Big city liquor pricing has come to the Quad Cities: $12 & $13 for house wines and $12 for premium martini. Reservations are likely needed most nights, especially when there's a concert/show across the street. Linger and enjoy the experience; you're paying to dine not to chow down.

I must say 5 stars is sell DCB short. This place will make you feel so blessed to have a mouth, taste buds, teeth and other human beings in this world that are so focused on your culinary experience! Duck City Bistro is a true gem of the Quad Cities, Iowa, The USA, and the planet Earth.

I assure you that I am not overstating this restaurant. It is indeed what a great, high-end restaurant should be. I have been to restaurants all over the US and 4 foreign countries and VERY FEW come close and none match The DCB!

The extensive variety of the specials, humble setting, impeccable service (!), quality of food, food presentation, the innovation of simplicity reflected in the entrees, and let's not forget just a little showmanship if the chef's narrative of the specials.....All of which make this place absolutely priceless!!!

P.S. The simplicity of innovation in the entrees does deserve explanation. This is all relatively simple food; specifically not made from piles of exotic ingredients. This is very well spiced, finely prepared, simple food that is just delectable!!!

Thank You a thousand times over DCB!

Duck City Bistro provided the absolute best prime rib I've ever had. Perfectly seasoned and cooked medium rare. Overall a great experience. The wife had a filet and said it was cooked perfect as well. Food prices weren't as high as I was expecting but alcohol caught me by surprise. Would recommend for the intimate experience alone.

Amazing and exuberant chef! Delicious food! Great ambiance! Excellent wait staff! Very upscale! Perfect for special occasions! My favorite dining experience!

The food is amazing. The chef comes out and shows you all of the featured dishes before you are seated. Fancy, and actually fairly reasonably priced. Walked in and got a 2 top on Sat night with only 10 min wait. Definitely recommend!

Food was delicious but I would have to agree with the staff.... We ordered desert and then it took 20 minutes to deliver and they were very quick to bring us our bill and stated "wanted to get this right over to you as the next guests are waiting for this seat"....

Very 1980s feel to both the atmosphere and the food. Everything was bland, poorly cooked, and the service was way too snooty for the food quality.

My husband and I had our 33rd anniversary dinner here, it was fantastic! The food is wonderful, the Chef has a great presentation of the menu when you arrive. If you are in Davenport you need to make a reservation for Duck City Bistro.