Chez Lafayette Creole Brasserie — Restaurant in Tacoma

Where to start with this place... sigh. I was actually super irritated when we left our meal here, now I just can't stop laughing.

My dining companion and I were seated for a 5:30 reservation. When we got there, there was one table next to us (2 top) and another party of two behind us.

A couple of nitpicky things: every other table was left with a bottle of water, we each got half a glass of water and no bottle. I ordered an unsweetened tea with a little lemonade, my companion ordered sweet tea and a cocktail. We got two sweet teas, even after the waiter repeated the order back to me.

We got our starter (stuffed peppers). They were pretty good bordering on a little bland, with flavorful andouille and pickled okra (I loved, my dining companion does not like okra - make a note of that).

We finished our starter, and about 15 minutes later, the waiter comes over and offers us dessert. I reminded him that we'd not yet had our main. He apologized and off he went.

We waited a total of 80 minutes for our mains baking in front of the window. During this time, I asked the server about our food four times. It was very warm in the restaurant and we were both uncomfortable.

The server eventually said that there was an issue with the tablet and our order had just been put in. I was ready to give up and leave, but my companion had been very excited to try this place, so we continued to sit. They gave us each a bowl of complimentary gumbo while they made our food.

The manager came over shortly after to apologize for the wait. She spoke only to my companion and mentioned something about comping part of our meal.

Our mains finally arrived. The owner comes over while we're eating and again mentions comping part of the meal. I'm now super antsy to get out of there as it was incredibly warm and for some reason, they decided that 7pm is the best time to crank the music.

(to be fair, it was hot today but the AC wasn't keeping up with the setting sun beating through the front windows, the tables are super close together, and so it was just not a really comfy/cozy meal).

Stuffed peppers: 4 stars Gumbo: Dining companion liked it, I found it both salty and spicy with none of the flavor undertones I've come to expect from southern cooking Jambalaya: It was okay. I sent the leftovers home with my dining companion Crawfish and Clams: Dining companion main - he enjoyed it Beignets (comped): Dining companion loved. I didn't try because by that time I was so anxious to get out of that place I could barely wait for him to finish.

That should be the end of it, right? Well, no because after the multiple mentions of comping part of our meal for the wait (we did not ask, nor did we expect this prior to it being offered), they charged us for everything - including the "complimentary" Gumbo they offered us to make up for the long wait.

The waiter said he'd take the Gumbo off, but our total still came out to $113ish dollars. For the first time in my life, I zeroed out the tip line. Then I felt bad and dropped in a $5 bill.

The final part was the owner came over and handed my dining companion a bag with a box of something and a bottle of wine. Neither of us drink wine, and when he got home, he saw that the box of food was fried okra. This absolutely put me over the edge - it felt like the owner just grabbed a misplate out of the kitchen and put it in the bag.

Caveat - this feels like a genuine mistake in not putting our order in, which would have been fine with better communication, but the mistakes just kept piling up to a point where it created a really poor overall experience and I couldn't enjoy my meal.

Another note, I ran in to a friend who came in after us and was leaving before we even got our food. She raved about her meal and experience, so we just had the bad luck at this place tonight. With that, take the rest of the review with a...

Writing this as I do laundry hoping the stain comes out of my coat and dress because the server dropped the silverware on us and the red sauce stained quickly. Also noting, that I know this is a new space and it’s working out the kinks.

Positives: Beautiful space, great view of downtown, comfortable space between tables, intimate vibe that translates to all sorts of groups.

Negatives: Absolutely abysmal service from our server. Reservation was made two days previously, via text as requested via the phone system. It was a birthday. Busy Saturday night, arrived a few minutes early, waited about ten minutes for a table, no big deal. Some arrivals behind us got served some free champagne while waiting, and we were also offered but because we were standing it felt awkward, so decided to wait. Get to the table, beautiful view, comfortable seats for the parents. Lovely. Then we waited. And waited. Dude came over after 10-15 min, zero eye contact, no introduction, no words spoken even when we said thank you.… but we finally got water. We decided quickly on our apps, drinks, main dish. More waiting. The table that arrived behind us was seated next to us and already had their second round of drinks. Same guy comes over in a rush “We ready to order”. Doesn’t ask about drinks or apps, again no introduction or even talk of the specials. At that point we’d been waiting 20 mins at the table. Watching him wait on the other two next to us with smiles. We ordered everything at once and he kept trying to skip over each of us when we tried to order both our entree and a drink at the same time. Looking around at the other people working, all seemed engaging and jovial. While this dude could not be bothered. Drinks came after 15min from another server. 25ish min after we ordered our food he comes out to say “ the chef said he’s out of the pork chop did you want something else?” Asked for a minute to figure that out and then asked if the app was still on its way, He said he didn’t know(??) Tried to get his attention multiple times. Our app finally came and he just plops it on the table and walks away. No serving spoon which it definitely needed for the sauce. Had to track him down again to order my main dish replacement, ask for a spoon and askfor a water refill because when he had come by he filled all the glasses except one. Suddenly two plates of food are arriving while we’re still eating the app. Then we’re waiting again. Thankfully the parents got served first. After five minutes we were fairly certain he’d forgotten the rest of the food. What is going on y’all? Underwhelming. Grits were watery/soupy,no flavor on both dishes. Shrimp was good but tails lost in the sauce, Large chunks of raw garlic on the red sauce and also on top of the chips with Po boy. Just raw garlic lol. Poboy itself was good, and catfish was tasty and cooked well. When we’ve finished, he clears the plates, the fork with red sauce is knocked off because of the way he stacked the plates and it splatters on our clothes as it fall to the floor. Not even an acknowledgement as we’re trying to wipe it off us. He never asked if we wanted desert and he just drops off the check. We were so bewildered by the servers attitude that we didn’t correct him about the dessert. He was clearly over it. We took her for ice cream elsewhere for her birthday.

We need new places in Tacoma, I hope this place works it out, be back when...

My wife surprised me with a wonderful meal here for our second anniversary. We have frequented the owner’s other restaurant in Puyallup and were both excited to try this spinoff.

Man was I glad we did! Setting the tone a tad. We both find joy in places where your shoes stick to the floor, and places where they have 10 servers come out to set your food down at the exact same time. And the amazing thing about Chez Lafayette is that it feels like the latter without any stuffiness and without the exorbitant prices.

Ambiance is beautiful. Feelings of. French bistro come out when looking around the restaurant. There are adorable little touches everywhere that blend perfectly with the well thought out aesthetics.

The team was a pleasure to chat with and took great care of us. The owner, who also works the bar, has lived all over the place and worked nearly every job a restaurant has to offer. It’s so fun to talk to him about his adventures and love of the industry.

Now, the important part… the food! Oh man, we had a great time trying the well curated menu. We started with pickled fried okra and burrata. They were both fantastic. The okra had the perfect amount of a delicious breading, and I wish they bottled and sold the sauce because it would be amazing on a lot of dishes. The burrata… holy crap. My wife and I HATE tomatoes. We avoid them at most costs. We did not realize this dish would be so tomato centric when we ordered it, but we have it a shot and quickly devoured the entire dish. I’m talking almost licked the plate.

The bartender was SLAMMED while we were in, and my Manhattan did come out a tad weaker than I prefer, but that’s because it was likely made with proper proportions, and not on the establishment. My wife got a fantastic cocktail called the Spritz. Very refreshing and tasty. We also got a couple glasses of the sparkling wine, and while I skeptical with only one option, it was a great balance between sweet and dry.

For mains, my wife got the fried chicken & gumbo and I got the shrimp and grits. The chicken was a massive piece with this fluffy crispy breading (I will say, I wish it had a touch more seasoning of some sort to set it off) and it was cooked perfectly. The gumbo a delight of flavor. The shrimp and grits have a tomato base balanced with cheddar and further balanced with capers. The result is a tightrope act of complimentary flavors working together to make your tongue happy. Both dishes presented beautifully and the portion sizes kept up with me, which meant they were a bit more than my wife could tackle.

We capped it off with a rhum bread pudding with vanilla chantilly (currently their lone desert - I saw another post saying someone got beignets but you must have to know the secret menu or the owner or both to get those). But it is delicious! The rum flavors stand out and date the ice cream and other flavors to challenge them. In the end, they stop fighting and work together to offer a flavor explosion to cap your culinary experience.

Because of its accessible price point, gorgeous and delicious food, and enjoyable atmosphere, Chex Lafayette is a great spot for...