The Conche — Restaurant in Leesburg

Stay away for dining, especially if you are with a group. Excellent menu, but poorly delivered. Understaffed. Good cocktails.

I was very disappointed with my visit with a group (about 12). I think the biggest problem was that the venue is not at all used to or set up for groups, so neither the kitchen nor the servers (or at least our server who was pleasant but awful at his job) handle it well. While we were warned that ordering the harissa chicken would cause a longer wait, we were not told that that would mean some of our food would come out barely luke-warm (such as the shrimp & grits). At least one entree (not the chicken as warned) came out much later, almost as if the server had forgotten to put it in until he served the rest of us and realized everyone didn't have food. Forgetfulness was fairly constant as the server did not seem to check in very much at all, water glasses were routinely left empty for periods of time, and he absolutely forgot other items such as a tipsy cocoa. The constant refrain for the forgotten items was "they are preparing it right now, and it will be out in a minute", though it would take closer to 5-10 minutes for the item to show up, and we could see him go back and do something himself and not simply just pick the item up as he said. We also asked our server several questions about drinks or customizations or replacements, and multiple times he came back with no answers. Our server was also attending multiple other tables during our meal - that's certainly not a problem in general, but part of the fine dining experience and prices comes with delivery of attentive service which ours was not.

On the food itself, we also had several complaints. While I understand Americans are used to portion sizes that are much too big, nothing short of the 7 course meal here would leave a person satisfied. The quality was certainly above your average casual dining experience, but nowhere close to actual fine dining prices that are charged. The menu seems fine for that, but nothing really delivered, mostly due to a general blandness (though thankfully, while chocolate-themed that at least it isn't forced into a dish just to stick to a theme). That applied at least to the sliders where the braised ribs and shallot jam were totally unnoticeable, the shrimp & grits where the chorizo lacked both spice and heat and using any large shrimp cuts back on taste, and the chocolate mousse in the Manjari barely tasted of anything where I would have expected the chocolate desserts to have shined through at a chocolate-themed restaurant. The sea salt caramel ice cream though was probably the best part of my entire meal, though again, overall portion size is small and set up to deliver only with the 7-course meal.

The drinks were the only reason this review gets 2 stars. Custom cocktails were well designed (strong but nothing overpowered), and those along with the beers were priced well. Tipsy cocoa was strong though again, I would have expected the chocolate based items at a chocolate themed restaurant to blow me away and this didn't seem to be anything better than something I could make at home (albeit, not using instant cocoa mixes). Basically, it's worth it to hit this place for a drink or two and maybe dessert if you'd filled up on popcorn...

27FEB.2025 My first visit here and won’t be my last. No wonder this is on Loudon County:Top List. The customer service of B & Zuleka was superb, the chocolatier(Solstices) is marvelous. Soulstices has (Michelin star skill and natural eye like no other)impeccably crafted, authentic dishes of delectable food that is served, has my tastebuds wanting more. Your pallet can get wonderfully lost in the explosion💥 of flavors and herbs in any dish. The brussel sprouts 🌱 were prepared to perfection. The sauce and seeds as the entire dish flowed together and (in its own way)melted into my mouth having all senses telling my mind to go back for more, only to realize I ate it all in a flash. Exquisite food.

The extraordinary cocktails and signature drinks are AMAZING. Z(Zuleka)is a fantabulous mixologist. She prepared me two outstanding drinks that had beautiful stories that came along with them. The chocolarang was fascinating due everything in that drink was consumable. The crispness of the liquor/alcohol in this drink was so smooth(reminds me of my blue martini 🍸 in NY @ The Blue Box Cafe inside of Tiffany’s)that the after affects will body slam you if your not careful. So many delicious flavors having a romantic experience with my tastebuds…the citrus, chocolate, and the crispness of the liquor was so intoxicatingly inviting.🍊 🍫Exceptional experience. My other drink was a Peru 🇵🇪 inspired drink from Z’s home. Now, this was so smooth, delicious, and invigorating..the rosemary(burnt in order to have the herb 🌿collide and enhance the drink aromatically)and the citrus 🍊 had a smooth tag team on my tastebuds and I couldn’t stop smelling the rosemary. This superbly crafted drink drew me in like a moth to a flame. Thank you to Soulstice, Z, & B for the recommendations.

AMAZING & exquisite night!!🧡The Conche, see you next time. A must stop in and try any dish and their delicious and beautiful looking chocolate. You will be happy you did.

23JULY2025 I made my way back for a 3-Course meal and it was superb. From the Harissa sizzler to the gorgeously prepared, handcrafted dessert(I barely made it through). I miss the mgr Bisham who wasn’t on duty, Zuleka and chefs ✨Soulstice✨ and Diego took great care of me. It was great night. My drink and meal was beyond measure and always outstanding. Michelin star creativity being served here. My pictures again will...

The Conche in Leesburg, Virginia, is always an absolutely wonderful upscale fine dining experience. This restaurant has an interesting palette in that all of its menu items are infused with chocolate. This doesn't necessarily mean that the food tastes like chocolate but that it will contain chocolate to some degree.

On this visit, we came to the Conche for their Valentine's Day five course dinner with wine pairing. The food here is absolutely amazing and so eloquently prepared.

(**Pictures of all the courses can be found attached to this review along with the Valentine's Day specialty menu.)

The courses that we ordered are as follows,

Course one: Butternut Squash Soup

Course two: Tomato and Artichoke Pie

Course three: Shrimp and Grits

Course four: We differed in our tastes for the fourth course. I went with the Scallops while my partner went with the Beef Tenderloin.

Course five, The Sweet Finale: Our taste differed as well on the dessert course. I had the Cupid's Kiss while my partner had a taste for the Match Made In Heaven.

All in all, it was a fantastic dinner. The wait staff was top-notch, professional, and courteous as usual. Coats and apparel checked here will come back unscathed. The owner is always a delight and very welcoming in this robustly elegant venu with its chocolate kissed allure.

For this Valentine's Day themed dinner, The Conche and its staff we're transformed by the magic of the holiday. The staff donned all red, the napkins were hearts, the chairs were swapped out to red, and everything looked the part.

I would like to mention that I also went for the wine pairing with this meal, which gave an individual wine paired with each course listed above. Both myself and my partner tried the wine with each course, and for some reason, this fell short of expectations in flavor and pairing for several of the courses. Having tried the wine pairing at several other five course dinners, I was a bit surprised as The Conche is usually so particular in all of its offerings.

This restaurant and area of Leesburg is...