Bagatelle Riyadh — Restaurant in Al Maathar Municipality

Too Much Hype for Nothing – Big Disappointment

I dined at Bagatelle Riyadh with three friends of different nationalities. We all have quite varied tastes, but strangely (or not), we all left disappointed. As a French person, I expected refined, elegant cuisine worthy of the name "Bagatelle." It was anything but that. The Setting
Very beautiful restaurant, tasteful décor, chic ambiance, and well-chosen music. Nothing to complain about the atmosphere; it’s clearly designed for the "wow" visual effect. Unfortunately, the experience stops there. What We Ate Truffle ravioli: too strong in cheese, with an unexpected acidity. No balance, very heavy, almost nauseating. And by the way, I’m French, so I know strong cheeses and all that. Margherita pizza: incredibly basic. I’ve tasted better in unpretentious restaurants. It was greasy, tasteless, and frankly disappointing — especially since I’m already not a fan of this pizza when it’s bland, so this was a big letdown… Burrata: unseasoned, bland, served on some underwhelming vegetables. Angus beef tartlets: clearly the worst dish of the evening. The server himself recommended this dish, but the meat was unseasoned, and it lacked any depth of flavor. It tasted like a frozen snack. Drinks
I wanted to order an interesting drink, but was told it wasn’t available. Same with the second option. I ended up with a berry mojito, nothing special or exceptional. The Service
We were the only customers in the restaurant, yet all the servers kept watching us without ever really coming to attend our table. It felt like they were observing us rather than serving us. In conclusion, 
I don’t understand the positive reviews about Bagatelle Riyadh’s food. It’s a "showcase" restaurant — perfect for photos, but not for those seeking a real gastronomic experience. The food was greasy, unbalanced, lacking finesse, and far below what you’d expect from a French restaurant of this standing. By the way, pasta, pizza, and even burrata are Italian specialties, not French… (maybe that’s why almost all their dishes contain truffle). My friend who doesn’t like truffle couldn’t really enjoy anything. Our plates were full and unfinished; we didn’t even want dessert and left early. The prices are way too high for this quality.

This is our honest review. We do not recommend this restaurant, nor will we...

We visited Bagatelle Riyadh for an early dinner and were seated on the outdoor terrace, which was beautifully set up and pleasantly air-conditioned — a definite highlight of the evening.

Overall, the experience was decent, but it didn’t quite live up to the charm and culinary quality we’ve enjoyed at Bagatelle in St. Tropez.

Food-wise, it was a mixed bag:

• Pizza Romaine (5/10): unfortunately served cold. • La Parmigiana d’Aubergine (5/10): also came out cold. • Ravioles del Plin (9/10): delicious and well-executed. • Poulet Fermier (10/10): hands down the best dish of the night. • Faux Filet de Boeuf (5/10): arrived cold and overcooked — we requested medium, but it leaned toward well-done. • Crepe Dentelles (10/10): a fantastic finish to the meal.

However, there were two major letdowns:

Service: Our server lacked menu knowledge, couldn’t explain the dishes properly, and failed to mention that main courses came with sides — so we ended up over-ordering. Parking: He claimed to have validated our parking, yet we were still charged on exit.

While Bagatelle Riyadh has a nice setting and some standout dishes, it didn’t quite meet expectations for a fine dining experience — especially when compared to its international counterpart. Not sure it’ll be a top contender on my fine dining...

Starting with the vibe; the place has the most vibrant atmosphere and the vibe was just amazing. Service was extraordinary from the moment we stepped in all the way until the end, professional, elegant, and friendly;⭐️. The presentation is perfect portions are sufficient, orders came out in timely manner all in time nothing was late and up to standard;⭐️. Food quality is great all was fresh and delicious, the “Tuna Tartare” is the best so far in Riyadh I have tried this dish every chance I got this place wins by far the best I had to try in Riyadh so far; ⭐️🤩. The service is very good our server was super nice and helpful, made sure we didn’t need anything; ⭐️. All the food was great although we had a bit of an issue with the lamp chops which had a little bit of a coal taste to it but the chief came out and apologized for it and promised a better experience next time (looking forward to it 😍) but the gesture from the chief and the management for hearing constructive feedback was very professional and nice for that alone I would really recommend the restaurant as they put the customer first and work for your satisfaction; ⭐️🙏. Thank you bagatelle team for the great experience see you soon.

Compliments to chef Sebastian for the delicious dishes, Special thanks to our great...