Le Bistrot Francais — Restaurant in Bucharest

We visited Le Bistrot Francais on Valentine's Day 2019, as a surprise dinner from my husband. I had high hopes for this place, since it seems to be on top of the list regarding fancy restaurants in Bucharest.

The building is very nice indeed, the interior is fancy, complemented by those beautiful paintings hanging on the walls. However, the service was not so great - in our case, at least.

I arrived first and entered the restaurant with another couple, who did not have a reservation. I was waiting for the person in charge to finish talking with that couple so I could tell him I had a reservation. But instead, he assumed we were together, so he started showing them around, as I was left waiting next to the bar, which was kind of awkward, considering no one asked me anything. After a few moments of silence, I told the ladies at the bar that I had a reservation and they apologized, stating that they believe I was together with that couple. One of the ladies guided me to my table (she was also our waitress for the entire evening) and was very nice and attentive.

Since it was Valentine's day, the restaurant had 2 menus to choose from. We chose the "cheaper" one, only because we liked more what it had to offer. Our waitress was nice and she explained each dish to us, however, since we did not order wine, due to personal reasons, I felt that they suddenly lost interest in us. I am merely stating that by comparing our table to the one next to us, where the couple seemed to know one of the waiters and they were really looked after. Maybe it was just me, but that's how it felt like.

In my opinion, the food was good, but not great. The desserts were excellent! I understand that these V-day menus were something new, but some of the waiters were unsure what they were serving, meaning that they asked each other which ingredient was in a certain dish they were about to serve to the table. Great that they wanted to be prepared but I was not expecting to actually see such a thing.

There was live piano music during the entire night so that was a big plus! It complemented the entire romantic atmosphere.

Since this was our first visit here, I was a little bit disappointed by the fact that we were treated like in a regular restaurant, but for double the price! Maybe we will give it another...

If you want to feel royal, you must visit this location.We love coming back every time, it is one of the most elegant locations in Bucharest, not only by design, but by service also. Attention to detail is what makes a client come back and i must say , Le Bistrot Francais has it. To begin with, the interior design was re-done, transforming this gem into a place worthy of attending kings and queens. The wine list is absolutely precious, the food is delicious and the service impeccable. They change the menu every few months and every time is a pleasure trying the new dishes. The atmosphere is quiet, cosy, peaceful, with good music in the background. You can sit inside or outside at the terrace, you can enjoy a digestif at the bar after eating, or enjoy a private dinner upstairs where you can also smoke a cigar. The place is flawless and words cannot honor it enough.Every menu we tried had delicious dishes but i think this one they have now, was the best by far...just with a few small specifications : the lamb needs to be cooked just a minute more.And the desserts, sometimes less is actually more.The desire of giving the client more flavours to taste is very much appreciated , but sometimes it gets right the opposite result.Too many flavours and too many textures alltogether cancel the taste. We liked the desserts but despite of the exquisite presentation, we couldn't identify a special flavour to look up to. Overall, everything is fantastic and the welcoming feeling the staff gives us every time is priceless. For people coming here for the first time or for those saying it's expensive, yes, it is not a cheap old centre pub and that's why you will find here fresh ingredients, quality ingredients, quality clients who are discreet and quiet and minding their own business, and last but not least quality service. As for reservation, it's recommended but not needed, and parking is difficult, it's best to take uber.There is possibility of street parking but there aren't many spots, or private parking but it's a few streets away and if you are wearing high heels it's too much to walk. In the end, Thank you Le Bistrot Français for offering us a wonderful experience every time and looking forward to...

I visited the restaurant a few times in the post-pandemic years. The food is ok, but nothing to write home about, although it's expensive (definitely not a top tier taste experience, but nice plating). On my last visit the menu consisted of very few options (under 5 I think) for each course. I understand that at this level, ingredients are key and a short menu keeps everything manageable, but few options with bland taste are a fail. Fois gras was average in taste, too well done. In the same week I've eaten better in a romanian (!) restaurant. The beef was nicely cooked, but the taste was so average I asked myself if I could do it at home with the same or better result. The dessert - I didn't eat it although I ordered it, because the restaurant started the closing procedures while I was smoking outside. The amuse bouche was nice though, I liked the bread and butter. Service was good, the waiters are obviously trained/experienced for this level. Maybe a bit of flexibility and adaptation to customer type would be nice, but they did the job properly. (some of my colleagues are a bit uncomfortable in such an upstyle location due to their nature and a friendly waiter can easily relax things a bit) I didn't get the lack of ambiental music, it was the same background noise as in a canteen (maybe it's a French thing, I don't know) and it made things a bit awkward at times. As always, the location is nicely designed, the bathroom is always clean and with a strong French vibe, the paintings and decor are nice to gaze upon. I am not a francophone and I really don't know if my experience there is really a "true french experience", but for me, there are better choices for this type of dining...