Bistro Barberet & Bakery — Restaurant in Lancaster

I have been to the bistro several times. For brunch and dessert; both great experiences. The food I would give 5 stars!! Thought we would try happy hour! Since it was First Friday for Lancaster, we figured we would make a reservation in case they get busy. Upon arrival we didn't realize that happy hour only applied at the bar... that is 5 ft. from tables. Not a huge deal. We ordered drinks and were unsure if we wanted dinner or apps or just drinks. The bar was full but the tables were not. Of the 15 tables there were 11 tables open, so they were not that busy. No one was waiting for tables. After telling our waitress (Alexis C) that we were just going to do drinks for now, she proceed to say "ohh okay" and then left. Came back and said "since you only want drinks, I am going to close out your tab and have you move to the hallway seating. Thats for bar specials too when the bar is full." Completely shocked, my friend and I looked at each other and were thinking, oh we can't stay at our table for just drinks. What if we wanted to stay for several drinks and then possibly get food? over 70% of the tables were open and available for other guests and there was no one waiting to be seated. It was so rude and out of place. Never had any issues with the service here in the past. One of the best brunch experiences we have had. But this rating is based on this service we experienced that night. Since we were asked to move, we decided to just quickly finish our drinks and leave. I had made a reservation in open table, and thought okay, I will leave a review there to express how this experience was for us. Only to find out that the restaurant canceled my reservation. Why? Because we only ordered drinks? With no reservation in Open Table's system, I could not leave a review, which brought me here. We were very disappointed with the service and hope situations like this are handled better...

Very rarely do I make an effort to write a review, but after such rude customer service from a female staff today (young with well done make-up), I feel I have to do a courtesy here. I went in at lunch hour (not the best time to go, I get it, but that's also one of the few moments I have available in the day). I was initially helped by a male staff who was pleasant, but as I explained I was looking for a small cake for my wedding, I was passed along to someone who was more "expert" with ordering custom-made cakes. Not only did she roll her eyes at me, she also made sure I was aware that I was inconveniencing her by coming during the lunch hour. I explained to her that I called Saturday and was told to come by Tuesday, in which she responded "pfff! Well it's lunch time of course now is not a good time". She insisted that I was to pay the full $6 per slice for a wedding cake even though I said I'd be happy to order a normal cake since the cake is for only 14 people. Once I asked for a regular cake, she again seem perturbed as she shuffled me to choose some ready made cakes that I could order, which wasn't what I was looking for. However, she claimed this was all that was available. (The male staff, who was much more pleasant, showed me a cake for 14 people that I could've special ordered). She was awful, I just couldn't wait to leave that place. Will not be going there again though I've patronized this business several times. If she needed me to make an appointment, she went about it in all the wrong ways. AWFUL!!! Good lord, girl, customer service is NOT for you. I don’t know what gives anyone the right to treat someone so poorly. I will not be returning to this place.

However, to be fair, I have had dinners in the restaurant and it was awesome. Wait staff in the restaurant also top notch. I suppose you can't let a sour grape spoil the bunch. For this reason, I give...

We were the out of towners visiting friends for New Years. They wound us through what felt like a beautiful Parisien patisserie into a narrow corridor that lead to an upscale dinning room with a cocktail bar to the side. This too felt Parisien. Checking my GPS... It said Lancaster, PA. OK, we were not lost in a time warp.

After being seated at our reserved table we ordered cocktails. Basic for the boys and a couple of "adventures" recommended by our server for the ladies. Whoo hoo, adventures landed and remorse found me looking down at my old standard - old and standard. The bartender had the Parisien down. Even the lively bar scene filled with the sounds of a Paris bistro. On to the menu and appetizers and wine list with more choices than entrees. Foie Gras, Caesar salad, pate, escargot and a few more adventures.

Entreés ranged from steak frites, moules frites, hangar steak, bouillabaisse, and poulet au jus. All superb all reasonably priced! Their menu - refreshingly simple, but strong on delivering taste. Go for the food and drink ... you'll find the whole experience exquisitly memorable.

Having said it was New years, I must digress to mention seeing a young teenage boy walk in with parents. You know the drill. It's New Years eve and your parents pick you up at music lessons and drag you to a bistro to have a quiet dinner out ... when you want a burger with your pals. An hour or so goes by, the bistro begins to pick up the Parisien with laughter, some accordion music and even people getting up to dance. Well, this was lively. I asked the hostess - Estelle (Owners wife) and she invited me to come dance in French! When I got up, I could see we were all being entertained by the teenage boy happily playing his accordion as the adults danced and frolicked; as if in Paris Bistro. We all were. Thanks to Chef Barberet, Estelle and our...