Le Deauville — Restaurant in Lexington

This restaurant is a JOKE. I could get a distant relative drunk and have him cook me a better meal. Keep in mind that this was a $150+ meal for two people.

There was only one waitress and one bartender for about 100+ guests in the restaurant. We had called ahead to try and make a reservation, but we were told we wouldn't need one.

When we arrived, we waited about 20 minutes before we could even get served a round of drinks at the bar. It took about 35 minutes total to get seated at a table, at which point, the maître d' tapped me brusquely on the shoulder and said something like, "Hey, there's your table."

We waited about 30 more minutes and had to practically BEG for bread... aaaannndddd... they served us WHITE SANDWICH BREAD cut on a diagonal. I am NOT kidding.

After ANOTHER 30 minute wait, our salads arrived UNDRESSED, adorned with mealy diced tomato pieces. When I mentioned vinaigrette to the waitress, she laughed in my face. Yes, really. Then she went into the kitchen, and I heard the entire kitchen ERUPT in laughter. I was honestly afraid someone had spat in my vinaigrette at that point.

Now, maybe I should've thought twice about ordering the seafood pasta special at a French restaurant. But the waitress promised locally made fresh pasta, a spicy tomato sauce, pan-seared sea scallops, and broccolini. It sounded too good to resist. And I would think that every dish on a menu THIS pricey should be delectable. I mean, I LOVE broccolini.

When my entree arrived, the "broccolini" was the approximate flavor and consistency of baked Play-Doh. There was not a single floret on my plate -- only large, inedible stalk chunks. YES, FOLKS. STALK. CHUNKS. I had to borrow my companion's steak knife to try and cut them up, as I was not provided with adequate cutlery. Alas, the undelicious stalk chunks were undercooked, unseasoned, and WAY too mature be served. There was nothing "ini" about this broccoli.

Also, the pasta was undercooked and undersauced. Aaaannndd... the scallops I was promised materialized as three mealy shrimp on my plate. Nobody bothered to discuss it with me beforehand. They just served 'em up.

The waitress laughed nervously when I complained again. In his defense, the maître d' did offer to refire the dish with more salt and pepper, but I had already tried to salt and pepper it from the table. And that dish needed SO much more than just salt and pepper. It was also undersauced, undercooked, underflavored, and overpromised.

Even if I'd felt the chef to be capable of fixing the problem, I was REALLY afraid to send my dish back for a refire after the first incident with the kitchen laughter. I lost my appetite and (not surprisingly) woke up hungry at 3 a.m.

The waitress offered to comp me a dessert -- of her own choosing, not mine. The joke was on me, though: She actually CHARGED us for it!

The dessert was oversweetened, and after the entree, I really couldn't stand to eat much. Our ticket for two people was over $110 AFTER we applied our $40 Groupon. This meal would've cost us over $150 normally!!! And before you go thinking we racked up that bill by slurping down two or three bottles of wine, I will tell you that we only had 3 drinks between us... despite the 2.75 hours it took to get in and out of there!

This place is honestly more overpriced than ANY restaurant I've been to in New York City in a decade. And the real kicker? They had the nerve to pre-charge an 18% gratuity for a party of two. #çac'estuneblague #jamaisencore

In short, Le Deauville = inflated prices + snotty service + crappy food. NOT a...

Updated Review (2/14/25): I’ll start by stating the obvious - this is a highly sought out restaurant for a day as important as Valentine’s Day.

The reservation: I called several weeks in advance and confirmed a reservation for 6:30 PM on Valentine’s Day. We arrived right at 6:30, then continued to wait for another 45 minutes without any indication that we were on any sort of waitlist to ensure we would be seated. There were roughly another 10 couples also waiting in the bar area to be seated, all wondering how long the wait was, what was going on, etcetera. It didn’t seem to matter what time you reserved, so it might as well have been first come, first serve.

The Food: I’ll keep this short. The fixed price for the meal was $64.50 per person. This came with an app, a main, and a shared dessert. My wife ordered the escargot, which was overcooked with several snails sitting in dried out herbs. I ordered the lobster bisque, which still had small fragments of shell, which I brought to our waitress’s attention. I was assured that the chef usually strains it very well, but they continued to serve the bisque to the tables around us. Oh well. My wife’s seafood risotto (an $8 up charge) was mushy, and my surf & turf (an additional $10 up charge), which stated it came with a “Lobster Tail”, came out with only half of a tail. Additionally, the tail was dry and bland. I would have expected at least a small bit of butter. However, the filet mignon was very well made and it tasted delicious. The mashed potatoes almost seemed like they came from a box, grainy and tasteless. The desserts were good, if unremarkable.

We brought our concerns to our waitress and we were assured that it is never like this, and that we should come back during Happy Hour. However, it was a disappointing meal while we were there, especially for a base cost of $170.

My wife and I have adored Le Deauville, but this will keep us from returning for quite some time.

Overall, this was a very lackluster experience for such a popular restaurant.

Original review: I never knew that I could love snails as much as I do now, but here I am...

Le Deauville is a staple for French cuisine in Lexington and the care that they have for their food and their customers is apparent in all of the dishes that they curate. Their staff are top tier and go above and beyond to ensure that your dining experience is as enjoyable as possible. If you're looking for the next restaurant for a date night or a new local favorite, then...

🍽️ Honest Restaurant Review: Le Deauville, Lexington KY🍽️

🌟 Summary: Step into the cozy embrace of Le Deauville, a charming corner bistro that transports you to the streets of Paris. With its relaxed atmosphere and classic French menu, this hidden gem is a treasure in Lexington. At Le Deauville, sauces take center stage, infusing each dish with complexity and richness. From the flavorful seafood to the extensive wine list, every aspect of the dining experience is carefully fashioned. Although if you are not accustomed to European dining, you may find the pace of the meal slower than you are used to, the attentive service and elegant ambience make it worth the wait. Despite minor hiccups, old-world charm abounds, making it the perfect spot for a romantic evening or special celebration.

🍲 What I Tasted: The French onion soup, served in a classic ceramic crock with the toasted cheese brimming the edges, offered a comforting start to the meal. Although it looked amazing, it fell just short of expectations and lacked the depth of flavor that characterized a truly outstanding rendition of this classic dish. The Bouillabaisse Marseillaise stole the show with a delightful marriage of flavors, where the delicate essence of the sea meets the fragrant warmth of fennel. I wished it was served more traditionally and in two broths, but still the sweetness of the fish and the aromatic essence of the fennel danced gracefully on my palate.

💡 Standout Feature: Le Deauville brings the tradition of French cuisine to the heart of the Bluegrass. While the food may not reach exceptional heights, the quaint French atmosphere, well-prepared sauces, and sophisticated wine choices elevate the dining experience to new heights.

⚠️ What Was Mid: While the ambiance and menu evoke the essence of a classic French bistro, some may miss the meticulous technique that defines French cuisine at its best. Additionally, they specialize in mussels, but trying them to find them slightly bland, and I was not really getting the salty or sweet notes I...