Les Bistrophiles — Restaurant in Provins

One of the worst service experiences I have ever had. The manager/waitress is incredibly hostile and rude. When we first sat down, before we had seen the menu, we asked if we could potentially switch tables to a different one closer to the window, if it was available. The manager responded that the table we wanted was indeed available, but that, because we had already sat down, she « didn’t want to bother disinfecting our table again » so we couldn’t move for that reason. We also waited 20 minutes for a menu, and when a very kind waiter tried to help us by showing us the menu on the restaurant black board, the manager yelled at him for « blocking the way », which was very much not the case. We ended up getting up and leaving because of the hostility of the manager. It is a shame, because the food looked decent and the waiter was sweet. Unfortunately, we won’t be coming back and I can’t recommend this place until the service...

At first glance, this seems like your average bistro, with a red façade and a nice terrace…. Except that it’s just the opposite! At Les Bistrophiles, David and Isabelle Romaska are hiding a real treasure trove of carefully chosen French products. Including: white wine from the Coteaux de Suresnes for the chicken terrine; goat cheese from the Pamfou farm – who also supply the Élysée Palace! – for the salad; Provins mustard and new potatoes from Essonne to eat with the “cat tongue” Salers steak; a Nemours poppy syrup drizzled over the iced parfait…. And don’t forget about the épicerie corner, filled with other great finds: rose honey from Carla Renault, saffron from Mortery…. To drink, there’s a beautiful selection of local blonde beers, like La Briarde, or an amber beer from Thomas Becket of the Brasserie Larché in Sens (€4.60 for 33 cl). Menus €14.90 to €25, kids €9.50, à la carte...

By far my favorite restaurant while my wife and I were visiting France. Despite our broken French, we felt very welcome and every single thing on the menu was superb! There was one curious incident where the menu listed la truite which was what we thought we were ordering, but instead we were served what was clearly le saumon. It was probably some miscommunication on our part, but it was so amazingly delicious we did not care one bit! Des entrées aux desserts, tout était...