Happenings Bistro: A Hidden Culinary Gem in Wellston, OH

This is going to be a pretty long review, but I'll start by saying the owners have done a wonderful job fully renovating this place to a very clean, modern, and inviting restaurant. The entrance and dining area are decorated throughout with pictures of old Wellston, which my husband and I really enjoyed. Our waitress was very friendly and did a wonderful job through our entire visit. Shortly after our meal arrived, the owner stopped by and introduced himself and his daughter, then explained that this was all new to their family, and that any suggestions were welcome. Very nice guy and lovely daughter! Being a self proclaimed "food critic" and traveling foodie, I began a mental list of suggestions. We had the cheddar cheese bites for an appetizer. I ordered one of the daily specials, which was smothered chicken-chicken breasts covered in barbecue sauce, cheese, perfectly crisp bacon, and tomatoes, mashed potatoes and gravy, and green beans. My husband ordered cod fish bites, a baked potato, and side salad. For dessert, we shared peanut butter pie. I feel that some things could use some tweaking, but I can't say anything bad about anything we had. With some small improvements, everything will be perfect! We felt that the menu could use some more choices, especially with the entree/dinner selections, but there are a lot of daily specials in addition to the menu. Prices were reasonable. Fresh brewed sweet tea was great. The owner stopped back once we finished our meal, so I offered my suggestions. He pulled up a chair and we had a whole discussion. I felt that he genuinely cared about our thoughts and took them to heart. We felt as though we were talking to a friend. I actually have some more thoughts after the fact that I wish I would've shared! Next time... Even though we felt some tweaking needs to be done, I couldn't rate this place any less than 5 stars, based on our experience with the friendly owner, waitress, and staff, and the genuine welcoming feeling and aura of the entire restaurant. Give them a chance, and don't be so quick to leave a bad review. Take into consideration that this is a new business. The owners freely admit to having no restaurant experience, but they genuinely care and want to make this a nice place to eat, the type of place that is much needed in the area. With some small improvements to the menu, they are on their way to a very successful business! Looking forward to returning very soon!

Wonderful atmosphere and super friendly staff. Got to meet the as he came out to see how we was doing. Pickles and cheese sticks were fabulous ( we dug into those already) and our meals was amazing. 5 stars all the way around will definitely be back!!!

Excellent food/ Great menu! This place is a hidden treasure! I can never find walleye on a menu so when I saw it here, I knew I had to try it and it was awesome! My son said it's the best chicken sandwich he ever had, and my wife said her hamburger was the best. I definitely recommend The Mississippi mud pie!

Hannah did an amazing job. The beer Cheese rocked with the potatoe scoops and pretzels. The jambalaya was great and a little spicy like I enjoy. The mashed potatoes and gravy were homade and delicious. Took the family here while visiting our family in Vinton County and was really impressed with everything. Highly recommending.

Absolutely the best food I have ever had! My fiance and I started with fried pickles that were perfectly crisp and had a very unique taste in the batter. I had scalloped chicken and macaroni salad. Chicken was juicy, not dry like many places. Potatoes that came with it were definitely homemade and fresh! Chicken lasagna had fresh parmesan on top, broccoli, carrots, and a perfect white sauce. The waitress was perfect! Didn't bother us but made sure we were taken care of. The owner was very kind as well. I cannot say enough good things about this place. I wish I could give more than 5 stars. Highly satisfied.

I can’t believe anyone would give this place a bad review! The food is amazing, fresh homemade daily specials, homemade pies, friendly staff, great prices! We have been several times and we absolutely love it there! They have remodeled it and it looks fantastic! You can tell the owners care! Almost every time I’ve been in I see one and they always stop and ask how everything is. Josh is a fantastic server, we have had him several times! Great young man. We have never had bad service! We will continue to be repeat customers! Let me personally recommend the noodles and the chocolate pudding and peanut butter pie!! They are out of this world!!

I brought my son and his girlfriend here to eat on Saturday, March 22 evening. It was very busy. The wait time for.our food was reasonable. Our food was delicious! I wanted to compliment the young man who was our waiter as being an excellent server and was very courteous! He went above and beyond providing excellent customer service.