Bar André — Restaurant in La Rochelle

Came here as a friend had recommended it. We were largely disappointed with the lack of service by the restaurant. It was 6.30pm and apparently they only open for dinner at 7pm so we were turned away by a Vietnamese-French who claimed that he does not speak English when we asked for a table.

We came back promptly at 7pm and were seated inside the restaurant upon request. Then came the ordering which was troublesome as they only had the menu online so we had to access it through our phones, which should not have been a big problem if the internet connection at the restaurant was not so terrible!

The restaurant then assigned a young Vietnamese-French girl to take our orders. She seemed new to the job and there was a more experienced French lady next to her who was somehow using her to translate our questions in English to French and her explanations in French to English. I find it appaling that such a restaurant in a tourist area such as La Rochelle has service staff who are incapable of conversing in English!

After we got our orders taken, the food arrived. Originally I had ordered a fish dish for myself, and some mussels to share with my parents. However, only the mussels arrived and the fish never came. The mussels came in a pot but with many small mussels that barely had any meat! It was quite an unsatisfying dinner for me and a great disappointment.

Probably the only enjoyment was being served quite attentively by the young Vietnamese-French girl, whom we later found out was her last 3 days at the restaurant as she had quit. We noticed she did not have a name tag like the rest of tbe service staff and when we asked her why she told us that the restaurant did not give her one as she was going to leave soon. I'm glad she is leaving as the restaurant doesnt give even me a good feeling as a customer.

Also the entire time we were there, there wasnt any other diners. So that really shows how bad the restaurant is. We spent 81 Euros on a crab, fish (sadly not my forgotten order), mussels, 2 glasses of Rosé and 1 bottle of still water which they charged 7 euros for (when we had specifically asked for table water!).

Edit: Extremely puzzled by all the apparently great reviews this restaurant is getting.. I really wonder if they are asking their patrons to write good reviews about them as a favour... eat there at...

I used to enjoy the place by the past, appreciating both the food and the ambiance. During peak seasons in July and August, the experience may turn to be frustrating. You will likely have to wait 30 to 40 minutes before ordering any food without being provided any water or bread and butter to patient quietly. If you explain politely that waiting time has been a bit long, you will face an angry waiter who tells you he has to take care of a load of people and to patient quietly, before complaining about how tired he is. No apologies. No smiles. Food is still good and location fine. To be honest, I have been to the place a dozen of times. It now acts as a local institution more focused on its own importance than its customer experience. Not for me anymore. So many other nice places around with awesome food and very...

I reserved a table for 4 for lunch well in advance. I was excited to dine outside with a spectacular view. It was a hot day, so we chose a shaded table towards the back of the covered patio, so a view wasn't really possible, which was totally fine and a trade-off I was absolutely happy about. The tables/chairs are a bit spindly, so take care when sitting. The hot day called for an Aperol spritz, which was spectacular. We shared several dishes, all seafood platters. Everything was fresh and delicious. We particularly loved the prawns and crab legs. We did visit the interior and it was so beautiful and cozy, it would be the perfect spot on a colder day. Service was friendly enough, though somewhat difficult to get attention for additional water. Overall,...