Le Bon Bock — Restaurant in Paris

We had a reservation at 9.30 and arrived at 9.40, where the owner told us to wait just a bit and a table would become available. The customers seated at the table next to us were having a laugh at us and I only understood later they must have laughed at the fact that they already knew this place is the inspiration for programs like Kitchen Nightmares.

We did not wait "just a bit", but spent at least 20 minutes standing at the desk in the tight restaurant. Service would zip past us, another customer who wanted to pay tried to hide her frustration with a smile, another foreign couple had joined us in the queue and when we were finally seated, we had to wait for ages to even get the menu. The couple sitting next to us started mimicking the gesture of "two more minutes". We had such a good conversation that we forgot we were at this place for over an hour before we started to get really hungry and frustrated, something the owner had to notice before she offered us the menu. Then, we had to wait even more to place our order and get drinks. The owner only came up to us because we got really impatient and waved rather furiously.

The food was all right, we both really enjoyed our starters, but I doubt it was because of the quality rather than how hungry we had gotten at the time they arrived (by now it was past 11pm). The duck tasted like chicken, was very bland and chewy, the entrecôte was great but also chewy, our garnishes were either cold (mushroom, beans) or burnt (potato). To conclude, we only got one crème brûlée while we ordered one each, which came out of a fridge and had black instead of caramelized sugar on top. Meanwhile it was past closing time and the only people left seated were us and the couple that came in after us, while everyone else was paying and getting out.

This is by far the worst restaurant experience I have had in my entire life and the worst place to have introduced my girlfriend to French gastronomy. It seems like the restaurant is understaffed, doesn't know how to manage orders nor tables, and is in dire need of better chefs that can handle the pressure. The smallest gesture to show respect for our patience would have been appreciated, but rather it seems like tourists are being laughed at by fellow French customers and the staff only cares about getting your money instead of providing quality service. The original price tag was outrageous and I would have refused to pay for dishes that I can cook in a better and more elegant manner at home if we weren't provided with a huge discount through our app. This place is in dire need of a make-over if it...

I write this with sadness as an American with a deep passion and respect for French cuisine. I will also say I’ve had the privilege of visiting Paris for several extended stays. We went here for an early dinner and I would say the biggest red flag was that the restaurant was empty when we got there… and stayed empty throughout our time there… We fortunately only got wine and onion soup and escargot. The wine was fine and the escargot was passable. The onion soup, however, cannot be simply described as bad, or very bad. I told my significant other it was downright offensive! I say offensive because some visitors could be eating it as their first experience of French onion soup, and it was atrocious! It was like something you found out of a can. Sure, there’s a time and place for canned soups, and yes, there are rustic and refined versions of onion soup, and I still call this soup offensive with those two points in mind. So so so shameful to serve this type of food in a high tourist area! Owners, have you no pride?!? Oh, and they charged us for 12 escargot when we only got 6. Thankfully I caught it. I will give them 1 star because the decor was good, there was a live piano player while we were there, and (most importantly) google doesn’t allow me...

Great food, restaurant seems to be run by a husband & wife team, who take their sweet time with everything. It's the oldest restaurant in Montmartre, so pretty cool place. Food was good, homecooking, simple, but well cooked.

However, we ordered 3 draught beer, which took ages to arrive, and we think they were actually not draught, but cans poured into glasses, because the female owner disappeared, then came back with 2 beers, not fully topped to the pint. 3rd beer took another 10 minutes to come.

Only one wine from the Cotes du Rhone section was available, although 7 or so were on the list.

After that, service improved though. Food came fast, was well presented and tasty.

It's a quirky place to visit, with old paintings on the wall, mismatched wine glasses were used, lots of quirky bric-a-bracs everywhere.

Definitely worth a visit, but don't expect fast service - at least initially.

Still enjoyed it...