Chez Fabien — Restaurant in Grapevine

You’re better off at IHOP!

Hostesses nicely greeted my gf and me and we thought this was going to be a great lunch/cocktail date on a recommendation from a friend.

Positives: great atmosphere, the bar and seating areas are nice and the vibe is chill.

Negatives: the bartender was initially stand off ish and seemed bothered, but did get nicer about halfway through. They seem to treat regular patrons like gold and are high school girl rude to others. Annoying.

Anyway, I got sangria and requested lighter on the schnapps, don't like it too sweet, and it was still SO sweet. Like Welch's grape juice. Could hardly taste any wine. And 1 wedge of orange was the only fruit and that’s what they call a sangria? Yikes...

The food: it was barely okay. The flavor of the spinach and artichoke dip was good, but the spinach wasn't chopped and barely cooked leaving big honks of half wilted spinach stuck in your throat. It was a task to eat.

The croque madame was disappointing, too. The bread was nothing special (felt like regular supermarket bagged bread) and the ham appeared to be thicker cut deli meat without the distinct flavor you'd expect from this French classic. Same with the caprese sandwich... the pesto tasted packaged and the mozzarella was basically flavorless slapped on a baguette with some really dull-tasting tomatoes.

We also got a side of potatoes with the croque and they were definitely from a frozen bag. So lame. It's a letdown because the menu reads well, but you get it all and end up disappointed. Nothing about the food was unique. Felt like a lot of short cuts and no in-house signature flavors or effort. Not worth their menu prices. And certainly not the...

Wow - really good!

As we were flying out of DFW early in the morning and staying near Grapevine overnight - we needed a place for dinner.

My wife booked a reservation at Chez Fabien. We arrived half hour early and they were able to seat of as a nice corner booth. The both was tall and had soft fabric on the setbacks. Good thing as it helped with the sound in the place.

So the booth was comfortable but the sound was rather loud - some parties louder than others. No worries - I popped by AirPods in :)

Our waiter was Alex. He was very pleasant. We ordered cocktails and told Alex we were taking the night slow as our entry time into offsite parking was for 2 hours later.

The wife and I both ordered their French Old Fashioned. They were really nice and only $13.

Later, we ordered the Calamari appetizer. It too was really good. It came with two dipping sauces and there were some fried veggies in addition to the calamari.

The kitchen here is freaky fast. It could not have been more than 5 minutes and the appetizer was brought to the table by a runner.

A while later, we ordered dinner. We shared their Beef Bourguignon. It was very tasty and was plenty to share.

For dessert, we ordered a slice of Italian Cream Cake to go for eating later, back at the hotel. Oh my gosh, the slice was huge and was so fresh and moist. It could be the best I’ve ever had.

The menu here at Chez Fabien has a lot to offer. If you don’t think you care for French food, you will still find plenty of options that will please you.

And for downtown Grapevine, I also felt the price was nice for the...

OUTSTANDING SERVICE & AMAZING FOOD!

I want to give a HUGE shoutout to Sebastián, without a doubt one of the best servers I’ve ever had. From the very beginning, his professionalism, energy, and attention to detail made everything flow perfectly.

I ordered the Truffle Parmesan Fries as a starter and the Chez Fabien Lamb Burger as my main dish, both were absolutely delicious. To complement the meal, I had a Carajillo, crafted with espresso coffee and Licor 43, carrying a subtle orange flavor that was simply fabulous.

For dessert, I enjoyed the Crème Brûlée with Fresh Berries, which was the perfect finale, creamy, balanced, and beautifully presented.

What truly elevated the whole visit was Sebastián’s impeccable service. He didn’t just take care of the table, he made the experience memorable. Something I really appreciated about him is that he brought excellent conversation to the table and had a great sense of humor, every time he came by, he left me with more than one smile.

I will absolutely return to Chez Fabien, not only for the excellent food, but especially for the outstanding service Sebastián provided this afternoon.

If you’re looking for genuine hospitality, flawless recommendations, and the kind of service that makes you feel like a VIP, Sebastián is the one you need.

Bravo, Sebastián! You turned a simple meal into an...