Les Bouquinistes Review

Reviewed by svlockwood from Virginia on 11/19/09
We dined at Les Bouquinistes for lunch last month. It was fabulous - simple elegance and wonderful food and service. We chose the 3-course special along with sparkling water and wine. The presentation was spectacular for the seafood entrees. We will return again. By the way, we made reservations via internet before leaving for our trip.

Member Rating: 5.0
Ratings details: Food: 5.0 Atmosphere: 5.0 Service: 5.0 Value: 5.0

Reviewed by Uma from Phoenix on 11/4/09
We had a wonderful dinner here on our first trip to Paris. Convenient location; around the corner from our hotel. Staff was professional and service was good. Our food was delicious:
tomato gazpacho/mozzarella amuse bouche, sea bream and veal, peach w/ lavender and tiramisu of chocolate and
strawberries. The maitre'd and waiter shaking my husband's hand as we left was a nice touch.

Member Rating: 4.4
Ratings details: Food: 5.0 Atmosphere: 4.0 Service: 5.0 Value: 3.0

Reviewed by erbe38 from Verona, Italy on 7/9/08
I remain perplexed by the criticisims of service. Of course any restaurant can have their off days. And sometimes a dinner can have an off day.

I adored the informal enviorment and modern decor combined with splended food and very professional yet informal service which made me feel relaxed.

The menu is small but carefully thought out taking advantage of many special ingredients of the season.

On my first visit we enoyed the a creative and delicious smoked salmon with a ginger citris sobert and a lobster for starters. For the main course My baby duckling filet was tender and full of flavour and my partner's the beef filet was prepared and presented with the care and attention one would expect from Guy Savoy.

A real test of an informal restuarant is the wine list. A big cellar with hundreds of wines can have some mistakes and still but it is a much greater challange when a restaurant has a small assortment like Les Bouquinistes
of less than 100 wines offering a great range and good value and some real treasures from smaller producers. Don't be shy to ask for guidance. There are many fine bottles for under 50 Euro as well as some showcase Burgundy, Rhone, and Bordeux for those with a more generous budget.

To finish I succumed to the chocolate degustation: 5 bon bouches of chocolate interpretation by the chef. For any lover of Chocolate this was paridise!

I look forward to returning to Les Bouquinistes this summer to try their fish and a bottle of difficult to find Domaine Tempier Bandol.

Member Rating: 4.8
Ratings details: Food: 5.0 Atmosphere: 4.0 Service: 5.0 Value: 5.0

Reviewed by vigfab from Paris, France on 4/18/08
The food was very good. That is the good part. Quite lovely.

I barely can remember it, because the restaurant itself is hideous. A loud ringing electronic phone with an annoying ring...a staff that cannot get it together (wrong dishes served, dropped dishes, no communication between the 3-4 different people serving us meant being asked the same questions 4 times only to have none of them remember, plates removed from under our noses while others were still eating at our table...a total joke).

i actually asked the waiter if we were on candid camera and was sure people would pop out from behind mirrors...alas...it was for real!

this just does not work, their attempt at the dynamic tag-team style table service you find in new york eateries, looked like elephants in a china shop.

food - very good. someone suggest them to do take-out...i don't think they can turn their service around...

Member Rating: 3.4
Ratings details: Food: 5.0 Atmosphere: 3.0 Service: 2.0 Value: 2.0

Reviewed by csickles from Washington, DC on 2/18/07
We went here on Valentine's Day and had the set menu for dinner. Contrary to the other posting, we had the best service out of all the restaurants we visited in Paris. Food was absolutely incredible -- particularly enjoyed the scallops over risotto and the quartet of desserts which included passionfruit sorbet and a fruit "cappucino". We were not rushed to leave although they were clearly busy with the holiday. This would be the one restaurant I'd make a point to go back to when we return to Paris!

Member Rating: 4.8
Ratings details: Food: 5.0 Atmosphere: 5.0 Service: 5.0 Value: 4.0