Café Routier — Restaurant in Westbrook

This gem is about an hour away from my area but my friend and I decided to finally make the trip and give them a try. Boy, did they deliver!

The restaurant has a very intimate feel, perfect for a date or a small gathering of friends. It has a dining area as well as a lounge, with smaller tables and a bar. Our waiter, Dan, was knowledgeable and courteous and the bussers were continuously checking tables, making sure there was plenty of bread and water for all guests.

We started our experience with a couple of Malibu Bay Breeze drinks and enjoyed two appetizers: shrimp and grits and the fried Thai calamari. The bacon cream for the shrimp and grits was to die for and the fried Thai calamari had a nice kick to it. Both were amazing!

We continued our meal with delicious entrees. My friend had the grilled hanger steak and I had a special: roasted free range chicken. The hanger steak came with a warm Roquefort cheesecake my friend loved! My chicken was perfectly cooked and it came with wild mushroom, pancetta & fava bean hash, spring pea & wild ramp pureé, lemon and honey-thyme glaze. Both dishes were scrumptious and very filling.

It was hard to add anything to this satisfying meal but we left room for dessert and enjoyed three masterpieces: a key lime cheesecake, vanilla bean crème brulee and turtle cake. All three were delicious but the key lime cheesecake was especially yummy.

The ambience, service and quality of the food at Cafe Routier will make you a frequent visitor. We will definitely be back.

Special thanks to Chef Gese Rodriguez for his attention to detail and passion...

I'll preface with: I had high expectations on my 1st visit. I've heard great things over the years but I was disappointed. At 1st, I thought I was being picky but as I added up my critiques, I feel valid in saying the food was sloppy. We ate at the bar. The wait staff is exceptional. Prompt, courteous, friendly, and always monitoring without hovering. The atmosphere was lively yet warm. No shortage of customers either. We sat at the bar and ordered several items to share. The menu is creative & appetizing to read. Where they faultered was in delivery. Calamari was undercooked & rather cold. Tuna nachos have great flavor if you catch the right bite. The tuna is a small chunk centered on a large chip. Inly one nacho was completefinished. One item was missing on each of the other 2. Had they diced up the tuna & made sure each one was complete, these would have been bomb. The chunk made it hard to eat & flavors weren't balanced. The fish tacos had the same chunk issue. It was a chunk of tuna in a tortilla. A quick chop would have made it more like a taco instead of a sandwich. And never sub feta cheese for queso fresco. Queso fresco is flavorless giving center stage to the tuna, which was good. The feta was too strong and so unexpected in a bad way. It ruined it. Potato leek soup was barely room temp and meh. Tried their signature fries but they were slightly undercooked as well so a bit underwheming. Soooo, I can't say I'm impressed w the place but I'd try it again if someone else is buying. It could have been...

We have been to this restaurant a few times and it was usually very good. The last time we went we took a couple that had always wanted to go there and was excited about our reservation. Upon arriving they took us to our table and we waited a while for our waitress KERSTEN who never introduced herself to us to take our drink order. We asked her name when she returned with our drinks and she told us KERSTEN. My husband mistakenly called her Kristin and was immediately corrected but in such a nasty tone. We told her we wanted to order the fries they are famous for to pick on with our drinks before our meal. After about 15 min we asked for some bread, she nastily said they serve it with dinner and we said we would like it then so she brought it. After about a half hour of waiting for our fries my friend who was so excited about being there asked KERSTEN if our fries were ready? KERSTEN replied in a snotty reply “ if the fries were ready they would be at your table”. WELL, that was it for us. We were all stunned. From that time on we spoke to KERSTEN as little as possible and will NEVER return there. The food was not also up to its usual excellence but the service as you heard...