Le Bouchon French Cuisine — Restaurant in Melbourne

Excellent or should I say magnifique!!! We came here for a family lunch with my folks who were visiting from Adelaide. We were a party of 7 with 4 adults and 3 children. The booking process was great - I phoned and was offered a table outside, which was later converted to an inside table when the restaurant rang to confirm my booking. Saturday lunch and the place was packed! We were welcomed and seated quickly. The place was full - which could mean slow service was to follow......but not here, the service was first class. We ordered a selection of entrees to start including pan seared scallops, foie gras, french onion soup and gravalax. All magnifique!!. For mains we enjoyed the duck leg confit and surely dishes don’t get much more typically French than Boeuf Bourguignon? The dish hails from the same region as coq au vin – that’s Burgundy in eastern France – and there are similarities between the two dishes. Boeuf Bourguignon is essentially a stew made from beef braised in red wine, beef broth, and seasoned vegetables including pearl onions and mushrooms. A beautiful mash was on the side to soak up the juices. Originally a peasant dish where traditionally, cheaper cuts of meat would be tenderized in wine for two days to intensify the flavors. Every August in Burgundy, the Fête du Charolais celebrates the dish, along with plenty of music and wine. I can assure you this is a must try dish at Le Bouchon the meat just falls apart. And my 9 year old son was happy also with his kids serve of steak and chips. Must try restaurant when visiting the...

Edit: I was threatened with legal action by Le Bouchon for my review, so I have rephrased it. This is purely based on how I experienced it and how I felt.

On the evening of 17 April 2025, my husband, a few friends, and I visited Le Bouchon during our Easter holiday on the Peninsula. We're a group of six friends from Singapore, currently based in Melbourne, and were excited to try this highly rated restaurant.

When we walked in and asked if a table was available, the staff member working front-of-house responded with a comment that came across to us as dismissive: "This is a French Restaurant." We weren't entirely sure what was meant by that, but it made us feel uncomfortable. Still, we politely asked again about table availability and were told the restaurant was fully booked, even though several tables appeared unoccupied at the time.

To be fair, it’s possible those tables were reserved or not set up for a larger group like ours. We chose not to press the matter and looked for another place to dine. However, while we were outside deciding where to go next, we noticed another group — who were also Asian—approach the restaurant and seemingly be turned away as well.

We can’t speak to the intentions behind these interactions and observations, but we did leave feeling unwelcome. It was disappointing, especially during the Easter holiday, when we were hoping for a warm and hospitable experience.

Can’t speak to how their food tastes. But after this experience, I don’t even want to try dining...

A perfect example of how if the front of house serving staff are rude to customers it taints the entire culinary experience. With the new Covid regulations many places are now requiring set times for their guests to arrive so they are able to stagger their sittings. After arriving on time one wild wintry night we were delighted to be seated in a beautifully decorated restaurant our drinks were served & we waited to place our order. An old waiter wearing traditional French black & white tshirt eventually approached our table after 20 mins of rearranging cutlery on nearby tables & greeting customers with effusive mercis & bonjours. The menu is in French & English when I greeted him & tried to order in French he rudely interrupted, said he didn’t speak French with what sounded like an Italian accent but would send someone who did - so we were left another 20 or so minutes. Not a good start. The scallops are skate cut from stingray. The onion soup was strangely overly sweet. The fillet Mignon is just seared steak served with an insipid thin tasteless sauce. The French fries were excellent as was the duck. Still feeling the bad taste of the waiter we were presented with the bill over $220 and asked to add a tip - would we prefer to add 10% 20% or more? Here’s a tip - there are better places at half that price with dessert that know how to appreciate our custom locally without the arrogance or...