Restaurant Claudine — Restaurant in San Antonio

My wife and I had dinner at Restaurant Claudine last night, and to be clear, we will go back. The evening wasn’t perfect, but it was certainly satisfying enough to make a return trip.

Let’s start with the pros: the atmosphere is lovely, and the presentation of the table set good expectations. The hostess seated us promptly and our server came immediately to share a few details about the menu and what was not on the menu. We ordered cocktails, and they were perfect in taste, proportion, and presentation.

However, as the evening went on and the restaurant got more crowded, service became a challenge. Our server was clearly overwhelmed and we were left alone in a way that was not good. Fortunately other servers stepped in. Forgotten pepper for the house salads (which were excellent, by the way), and regular stops with water are top of mind, but there were other small issues that we noted with the service (touching/wiping your face in front of a guest is off-putting). Again, it wasn’t bad in a total-fail kind of way, but it wasn’t great either. In my mind, it seemed to be more of a typical post-pandemic issue with the level of staffing, so we will try again.

The food itself had its high points, especially the Trout Dip appetizer and the Ruby Red Trout - both are something I’d definitely order again - however, the Blue Crab Beignets and the special off-menu Étouffée were only average. My wife, who grew up in Louisiana and can make her own étouffée, and I, who grew up close enough to New Orleans to know what a real beignet is supposed to taste like; well, they weren’t what we expected. The beignets were not cooked enough to provide a hoped-for contrast between the bread’s sweeter crust and a savory crab, and the syrup just muddied everything; and the étouffée was far too thick with flour, and a little heavy on the salt. The spices on the étouffée were good overall, but the mouth feel was all wrong. The biggest fail of the night was the dessert we shared, which was a chocolate mousse pie. Not only did it lack any presentation quality (plain on the plate), but its taste wasn’t really very inspiring. While it may be that the baker was going for subtle, it really just came out bland.

Don’t be deterred by the lack of parking and all the construction going on in the area (except maybe consider the dust’s impact on an optional outdoor dining experience), as valet parking was quick and professional, and reasonably priced.

All that said, Restaurant Claudine was a solid 4 out of 5, and we will...

This was our first visit. We have been to the other restaurants by the same owners and this one did not disappoint. First, we live close by and was able to walk there. It was a nice touch when they called the day of the reservation and let us know about parking before coming. We love all the work they did with this project both inside and out. We sat on the back screened porch which was lovely. We could see the beautiful i side decor through the windows and also see the back dining area centered with a huge pecan tree and twinkling lights. Enough about the place let’s take drinks, food, and service! I am sure there is a limit to what this field will allow me to write but all were incredible. We had a wonderful service staff and our server Brandon was upbeat and friendly. Guided us through the menu and made suggestions. Also, asked good questions to help us decide. We tried several libations and all were good. My personal favorite is the French 75. We had the escargot for the appetizer. The flavors lean more toward the mushroom so if snails scare you and you like mushrooms give it a try. Very yummy and served on top of a soft sliced baguette. House salad was light and we split it. One of us had the short rib and I had the fried chicken. Probably the most tasty fried chicken dishes I have had In years. I am a sweet eater and the honey they prepare it in comes out in the flavor. Nice crunchy breading and moist chicken. The sweet is balanced with some sliced and maybe a little candied peppers. Served over mashed root potatoes and a side of house picked. A little sweet and spicy in each bite! Overall everything exceeded my expectations and will definitely be going back. Would love to see some other desserts like banana foster or an elevated banana pudding....

Our first time visiting Claudine. We went during lunch so we had no wait at all. I would recommend if you come here for dinner to make a reservation. Upon entering this house is absolutely gorgeous, they did a such lovely job decorating and up keeping it. We were then greeted by our server Issac, he quickly sat us down and gave us our menus. He went over the menu and style of ordering for us than gave us sometime to think it over. So the reason for my 4 stars is they were out of the two dishes we actually wanted to try so I was a bit bummed about that. Anyways so basically you order your courses and they serve them in a very timely manner so a bunch of food just isn’t sitting on the table getting cold. I must say that dang smoked trout dip was flipping amazing….. highly recommend trying that for sure! Their cornbread was a sweet soft cake like bread along with the lightly smoked honey butter. It was delicious but I couldn’t taste the smoke, if it didn’t say smoke I wouldn’t have known but non the less the butter was still perfection. Our salads were light and refreshing especially my heirloom salad. Now on to the main courses. Hubby got the hot fried chicken which was served on some delicious creamy mashed potatoes. It actually looked hotter than it was, it was a subtle heat. My gumbo actually had more heat but was a legit gumbo imo. Every bite had a punch of flavor. I look forward to coming back to try their dinner menu but also on the weekend to try their brunch, I’m a sucker for brunch. A must try if you’re wanting to get all dolled up and try something a little extra on your pallet. Issac was a delightful server, great smile, charm and...