La Dilettante — Restaurant in Beaune

Punchline: We spent €400 for mediocre food and exceptionally bad service.

The proprietor of Le Dilettante is a condescending hypocrite. He spoke of wine to be enjoyed from the heart and not the head. Yet, when we attempted to order another bottle of wine to enjoy, he refused to serve us a particular bottle. Why? Apparently, it was because of the type of wine we previously ordered. He said we cannot enjoy the “rare” wine because the wine we already had wasn’t worthy of being followed by this other wine. Wait. What??

If the wine we ordered wasn’t up to his “standards,” then why is it on his wine list? And now he is the authority for what we should and shouldn’t drink. For what we should and shouldn’t order. Apparently, only his opinion matters. Pretentious much? SMDH.

Side Note: The owner reminded me of the cook in the Seinfeld episode who he yelled out, “No soup for you!” Except, in this case, it was “no wine for us!”

Spending your money and time at Le Dilettante is not worth it. I recommend those who read this review to save your money for a place who will appreciate you and recognize you have come to support their local business. If you want to avoid being subjected to condescension and rudeness, then definitely avoid this place.

Never again. Happy to take our money...

Well we’re still hungry… and disappointed we didn’t have the chance to get dessert. We were asked to change tables twice on arrival and felt a bit unwelcome but we tried to make the best of it. The first waiter that served us was pretty nice after a bit of of a rough start, and the wines per glass were alright, I guess both staff and wines needed some time to warm up a bit. The homemade terrine d’campagne was wonderful and encouraged us to order the charcuterie as well, which included a beautiful, nutty, dried lard, it could have all been so wonderful. After the tender fried Japanese chicken and the croque monsieur that wasn’t much more than a grilled cheese sandwich, our time was up and we were abruptly brought the bill and asked to leave. Overall we didn’t feel welcome in the way we had expected to be. Apart from the charming hotel we’re staying at and the museum (Le Foch, Le musée du vin) I would advise to skip the town. However, the croissants at Thomas Bouvart patisserie are worth...

What an absolute amazing find during our two day stay in Beaune. We often find that the same philosophy behind vin nature is extended in the kitchen and dishes of places that serve them. Which is exactly why we came to this place. Not only was the service amazing, personal, friendly and calm during busy hours, but the food was also exactly what we liked. And there were some wine (blue prices), that you can buy and take home. Found this gem from Les Capriades 🔥🥂

Make sure to bring cash, as they can’t accept tip by...