Angelina Paris — Restaurant in Versailles

We ate lunch and dessert at this branch of Angelina while wrapping up our tour of the Versailles palace as a family. We are huge fans of their chestnut Mont-Blanc desserts. The lunch was very good, which was surprising considering that this is the most touristy Angelina on the planet. The Mont-Blanc desserts were excellent. All of that being said, this Angelina branch, along with other Angelina branches in France, must stop contradicting French law.

In every Angelina I have visited in France, including this Angelina in Versailles, I have been asked the following question using these exact words, “Would you like to add something to the bill for the service?” Under normal circumstances, the way a question is asked should have some variation. The fact that the waiters are using the same exact words to ask the same question at every Angelina branch in France tells me that Angelina is contradicting and violating French law as a matter of corporate policy and training its waiters accordingly.

In France, the service charge is included in the bill by law because French laws were changed some time ago to make sure waiters are paid a living wage. Tipping a few coins is optional, but such a tip is never actually requested by a service provider. The French round up voluntarily on their own initiative.

By using the specific words “service” and “bill” when requesting extra funds from the customer, Angelina is directly contradicting French law by giving the impression that service is not included in the bill.

The legal issue is twofold. If service is not actually included in the bill, then Angelina is violating French law as a matter of corporate policy. If service is actually included in the bill, then Angelina is defrauding customers as a matter of corporate policy. Either way, it has to stop.

I would not make a big deal out of this if I were traveling through a third world country where the law says one thing and people do something else as a matter of course. But France is a democracy with a sophisticated, modern legal system, no? I am surprised that the authorities are allowing this nonsense to go on. Personally, I would be...

Food is good but expect long waits.

This is (I think) the only choice for hot / savoury lunch inside Chateau Versailles. So, unless you packed a lunch or are skipping lunch, you’ll probably come here (especially since Versailles tickets don’t allow re-entry).

There are 2 options - the snack bar or the salon. They have different menus and different queue times. I think it’s possible to sit down even if you choose the snack bar - there are rooms for that. But food is more takeaway oriented.

We sat in the salon. It’s actually a room that’s from the palace, but that’s not quite as charming / interesting as you might think, as the rooms aren’t maintained so well (or, are kept very “original condition “).

This is a high volume restaurant - they are perhaps serving 100 guests at any time. The wait time is long. We started queueing at about 12.45p, we’re seated by 1.30p, but orders weren’t taken for quite some time, and we finished lunch at 3p. The servers are pleasant (except the manager guy perhaps who sarcastically waved “hello” when I tried to call the server’s attention) - but they are so busy that they won’t get to you for quite awhile. Once you’re seated, they’ll come round to take your order in the sequence your entered. Orders seem to be delivered in that sequence too.

The truffle ravioli smells good and come with a yummy sauce and cheese “biscuit” topping. Ravioli were of good texture but taste was subtle at best. The quiche was good. Portions were decent.

Desserts are the star here. The Mont Blanc is good, as were the Millefeuille and Marie Antoinette. So, maybe share mains but order more desserts.

Overall, the food is good (awesome considering the volume of diners they serve), but service is slow and the ambience/ environment isn’t great. Still, you might not have much of a choice other than to eat here. Just plan ahead to leave significant time to wait for your food!

Visit Date:...

This review is for the Petit Trianon location inside Versailles, which for some reason, is not on Google Maps as of yet. You order at a counter and take your tray of food to an eating area outside. I wanted to leave a good review because the gentleman who assisted us this afternoon was extremely polite. He even came out from behind the counter to hold the door for my husband and me as we left, because it was hard for us to open the door when we were holding our trays with food on them. There was also a younger gentleman working there, and it was his first day (one of them is named Manuel, if I am reading the receipt correctly? The name Faustine is also on my receipt). The two men just had great energy and lots of smiles, and I wanted to convey my thanks for their great vibes adding to our positive experience at Versailles today. So, for the type of venue here (takeaway from a counter, no wait staff), I would say the service was excellent.

Regarding the food, my husband ordered the Caesar sandwich and I had leek and potato soup. The hot soup was very welcome on such a cold day in February! I suggested my husband dip his sandwich in the soup, and he thought it was absolutely delicious that way. We also had a Babylone dessert (a curious little red cylinder) and I enjoyed the novelty of eating such a cute, stylish dessert. The vanilla mousse in the Babylone was tasty.

FYI, Angelina is apparently famous for their hot chocolate. Their Rue de Rivoli location in Paris had a line out the door tonight (probably most nights, for all I know). For a place with such a reputation, plus being inside Versailles, I think the prices are reasonable. We got a soda, water, sandwich, soup, and fancy little dessert...