Chez Jean — Restaurant in Saint-Quentin

The perfect French dining experience. Wow. They were able to fit us in on the last table without a reservation (I'd suggest getting one ahead of time) for lunch, and they had a fantastic rotational menu but as we sat down we saw there wasn't anything vegetarian for my wife. The waiter explained without hesitation that they would be able to create something for her, asked if she liked leeks and said they could offer a main based around leeks with seasonal vegetables. I went for the suggestion of the day which was an entrecote. It was just so so good. Everything was perfect. The profiteroles that we got for dessert after was by far the best I had ever had in my life.

Jean came over after our meal and had a chat with us in English asking how everything was, and we had a chat about his restaurant and cooking. It was very nice to see someone care so much about food and also representing what Saint Quentin and the region have to offer, making sure that all his food is from the region. Truly inspiring. Jean and his team can be proud of the work that they are doing, and we want to thank them all again for such a great time.

For sure we recommend anyone visiting or passing through Saint...

Located in a lovely Art Deco building (not that you would guess from the inside), let's start with the minus side. First, the menu is not updated: I went in to have duck confit but it was gone from the menu. Since I was already there, well, I just stayed but definitely not very honest to advertise in the menu something that is not available once you get there.

Second, service is slow, way slow. Arm yourself with a lot of patience. Took a good 20 minutes for the waitress to come and take my order. Another half hour for the starter to arrive ( nothing fancy, just hot goat's cheese on toasted bread with salad). Then another 20 minutes for the main dish. The place is obviously understaffed as the waitress doubles up as maitre d' and the cook sometimes brings your dish directly from the kitchen when the waitress is overwhelmed. Both looked quite friendly.

On the plus side, the food was good. Even the simple starter was tasty and well presented, and the duck confit substitute (suprême de poulet in reblochon cheese sauce servied with potatoes) was quite yummy.

So, go in there only if you already are in the neighborhood, have lots of time and don't expect that the menu you saw will...

I was genuinely looking forward to dining here, but the reviews were completely misleading. The atmosphere tries to come off as upscale, but in reality, the interior feels more like someone’s living room dressed up with a few fancy decorations.

Now, the food — honestly, it was among the worst I’ve ever had. I ordered the pork, and it was overwhelmingly salty with no depth of flavor beyond sodium. The vegetables were still watery, which diluted everything else on the plate, and their texture was reminiscent of canned food — something completely unacceptable at any restaurant, let alone one trying to be high-end.

The staff seemed overwhelmed and clearly understaffed. Service was disorganized, and they struggled to manage the pacing and meet the needs of all the diners. Even the chef looked like he didn’t want to be there — he seemed bored and completely disengaged.

Overall, this is easily one of the top three worst dining experiences I’ve ever had — and that’s saying something, considering the others were in LA and Paris.

Avoid this place...