La Parisienne French restaurant and bakery — Restaurant in Aiken County

🚨RUDE CUSTOMER SERVICE - AVOID.

My husband took me to brunch for our anniversary. The staff is not very friendly or helpful.

First experience on a Tuesday mid morning: The 2 teenagers behind the register were having a full blown conversation. Very awkward- I’m literally standing on the other side for about a minute waiting for them to finish talking before even getting a greeting. They didn’t even make eye contact with me. I mentioned it’s my first time there. No one brought us water to our tables. I did notice the other tables had a jar with glasses. When I asked about it upon arrival of our food I was told to fetch my own at the water dispenser with the tiny plastic cups - HUH?!!! Very weird. I had to ask several times for basic things - napkins, utensils. We also had to wipe my own table down.

Very sad how unwelcoming we felt. I hate to say we were the only minorities there - not sure if that had something to do with it.

I reallyyy wanted to like it and give it another chance. So a few days later a group of us wanted some dessert on a Saturday evening. I remembered this place had great French pastries. We walked in on the bakery side - the door was unlocked. One of the servers (middle aged woman with a NY accent, blonde hair) comes up to us no “hi can I help you” or anything. Just very aggressively “WHAT DO YOU WANT? THE BAKERY IS CLOSED”. And walks away abruptly. There were a few baked items in the displays. Was it too much to ring us up for a few macaroons?! Like really lady??? So this time, my whole group of 7 can testify the rudeness.

I understand restaurants can be busy but 2 occasions in the same week with 3 different servers & they all had ATROCIOUS customer service is a red flag. 🚩

I don’t think we will ever return. BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE.

I hope the owner sees this and works with his staff to create a more welcoming environment for all. I’d start with firing that middle aged server lady who...

Updated reply to my review based on Owner's reply: Thank you for explaining so throughly how you restaurant works through Google. Most restaurants may consider explaining to patrons who are wandering around your restaurant looking confused for several minutes, but you do you. And for the record, we were there for dinner, and ended up having dinner at another restaurant 5 minutes away no problem, with half the town in attendance as well it seems. Also, thank you so thoroughly for explaining to me how cigarette smoke works, as well as how my body should and shouldn't work. Who knew that bakeries were so knowledgeable on so many topics? You're concern was what touched me to change this review. 💕 First off, there was not a single person on the street, let alone one smoking. We spent time walking around outside. The smell of smoke was a fun and unique trait to your restaurant alone. I mean I'll give you credit where its due, the overwhelming smell of tobacco really sold the authentic Parisian experience in a way that your food could only dream of I'm sure. While I have a talk with my physician about why cigarette smoke miraculously gave me a headache, perhaps you could have a talk with your staff to see who's the talented person who emits an aura of tobacco from their pores strong enough to fill and entire restaurant, and give them a raise for providing your guests with such a memorable experience! I admire how you as the owner seek to educate the public instead of apologize for actions that ✨totally✨ weren't your fault! . Original review: Was going to eat here, but walked in and was hit with a wave of cigarette smoke. It was so strong it gave an instant headache. What the heck? Also absolutely no service. No one one greeted us, showed us where to sit, gave us a menu, nothing. The restaurant was empty. Staff saw us and just looked at us and said...

Go for the macarons, stay for a croissant. You order at a deli counter and then the cashier will bring you your order. The building has the potential to be charming but is not designed for people with mobility issues (injured, handicapped, elderly). In good weather I would probably really enjoy eating outside on their lovely patio. However, I have a broken foot and I’m using a knee-scooter. While they do have a ramp going into the dining area, there is no access for someone trying to go into the deli on a wheeled device. You need to be able to roll through a gravel parking lot to the deli entrance OR walk down to steps from the dining to the deli. This isn’t a reflection of their food but it is very inconvenient if anybody has mobility issues.There is no way that someone in a wheelchair would be able to order and themselves. * A proper wait staff who came and took orders would make the experience better for those who have difficulty navigating the cramped building.* Pros: Some of the food we’ve had has been truly excellent. It is authentic and reasonably priced. I thoroughly enjoyed the quiche Lorraine. My party got 10 macarons and ALL were delish. I personally loved the kalmata olives in the potato salad side but my dinner companions did not.

Cons: Some of the items listed on the menu are not available when you place your order (Fries, Goat cheese panini). My piece of bread pudding tasted burnt. The building itself is very awkward to navigate and not really wheelchair accessible. The staff seems to still be learning the menu. These cons aren’t really a big deal when you consider that this food is made fresh and not from some...