Le Bar du Normandy — Restaurant in Lisieux

We stopped into this elegant bar on a Thursday afternoon in late November. My parents had been there years ago and had always spoken fondly of it. They were spot on (as usual). This is one of the top bars in the world. A warm, very welcoming staff and the bartender made a superb Old Fashioned. My other two friends had glasses of champagne which whilst expensive were not outrageous. Everything about this bar is old school excellence harkening back to a more gracious era where people were refined and appreciative of cocktails and attentive service. Accompanying the drink order were nuts, olives and gougeres... delightful. The food is noteworthy as well, standard classics with an elevated approach. The crowd is chic, old money and smartly dressed. I highly recommend you visit this bar and be transported back to an elegant era. A lovely...

We visited the bar at Hotel Normandie for afternoon tea on the terrace.

My wife had the "Afternoon Tea" platter, which included around 6 different pastries on a "étagaire". Surprisingly, tea was not included in the €45 price. Some items like the panna cotta and éclair were decent, but the rest felt more like €2 pieces.

A bowl of complimentary nuts was a nice touch, but overall, the price-performance ratio was underwhelming — especially when compared to what we’ve experienced at similar 5-star establishments.

Service was attentive and friendly, though.

(Edited with...

Nous nous sommes arrêtées à 4 pour prendre un verre à l’extérieur. Au bout de 15 m’ nous n’avions tjr pas eu la carte. Une d’entre nous s’est levée pour aller chercher la carte, le serveur a dit qu’il l’amenait mais 10 mn plus tard rien…bref nous sommes allées en récupérer une. Nos consommations sont arrivées 15 mn plus tard alors que nous nous apprêtions à partir. Le serveur nous sert sur une table sale, traces de boissons et je lui demande de nettoyer. Personnellement j’ai pris un Roïbo, ma tasse présente des traces de rouge à lèvres et je demande au serveur de la changer. En ouvrant la théière je remarque que l’eau est remplie de roïbo, je le signale à la serveuse qui me dit qu’effectivement ils ont remarqué que la boule ne filtre pas correctement… Aucune excuse. Nous avons payer nos consommations et sommes parties. Très grosse déception 😢 Cet établissement a perdu de son prestige et de sa notoriété, quel dommage ! Nous avions prévu de diner mais nous avons préféré...