The restaurant is located in a small plaza in Old League City at 615 E. Main St., tucked underneath the oak trees adjacent to League Park. While the traditional menu includes soups, salads, burgers, sandwiches and tacos, General Manager Leslie Stewart said residents flock to the bistro at lunch and dinner for its specials.
Chef and owner Michael Brewer concocts new specials twice daily for diners, which are displayed on the chalkboard and usually posted to the restaurant’s Facebook page. Dishes range from Asian fusion and seafood to Tex-Mex, Creole and Greek flavors.
“This is all him—this is his baby,” Stewart said, adding Brewer often experiments with ingredient combinations.
While special items are separate from the regular menu, customers will often come in and inquire about a special they had some time ago, Stewart said. Chefs can and often will recreate the dish at any time.
Fried green tomatoes and shrimp and grits are two menu staples. The eatery uses locally sourced ingredients, and nearly all dishes are made to order.
Another defining feature of the Main Street Bistro experience is the plating: Dishes are arranged in a way customers often rave about, Stewart said.
“We constantly have people take pictures of their food,” added Stewart, who runs the restaurant’s social media.
While to-go customers do not get the same plating experience, carryout orders sustained the restaurant through COVID-19 shutdowns; Main Street Bistro has not had to close its doors throughout the duration of the pandemic, Stewart said.
“People were really about [supporting] local business, which we appreciate,” she said. “It was like God smiling down on us at the bistro.”
Loyal customers have kept Main Street Bistro open during even the stormiest times: The kitchen was open the day after Hurricane Harvey struck Houston, and people began stopping by like usual, Stewart recalled.
“We basically kill it, even on word of mouth [alone],” she said.
