Such a cozy and authentic French spot in DC! I had the Beef Bourguignon and it was absolutely delicious - rich, tender, and full of flavor. The atmosphere felt very warm and romantic, and the service was lovely. Definitely a great place if you’re craving real French cuisine.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ayse Kirsan
We had an amazing experience at Bistro Cacao. The food was incredibly delicious. The staff were very well-trained, polite, and attentive. The atmosphere was lovely, and the place was very clean.
The prices were more than reasonable for the quality of the dishes. We also tried some of their mocktails, and they were absolutely delicious. Highly recommended!
Daniel Davis
DC is mostly a casually dressed city even in it's fine dining. So I was a little surprised how dressed up everyone here was for lunch. It's probably a function of its proximity to Congress.
I can't comment on the dinners but the lunch was good and reasonably priced. It wasn't cheap but the price was good for the food. The service was excellent atmosphere was good even if the decor was showing its age a bit.
This is one of those places where I wish google had a more nuanced review scale because my biggest criticism was just that it wasn't great. Sometimes 5 stars means good, sometimes great. Bistro Cacao is good. I'd definitely go there again, but its not a place I'm dying to return to.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Marci
Chicken cordon Blue was dry. NY strip steak was tough on the edges. Soup & escargots were perfect, as was the dessert and coffee. Service was very good, but had to remind them it was a birthday.
Matthew Krackenberger
One of the best restaurants in DC. Amazing food and service and great ambiance.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nikhilesh Mehendale
We hosted a business dinner party here. The host was very curious and responsive. Food ans servive was great. Highly recommend for formal lunch or dinner.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lance Wei
The ambiance is comfortable, and everything meets expectations, though there are no particular surprises.
The dishes pictured are escargot, roasted quail, onion soup, and filet mignon—the flavors, like the setting, won't disappoint.
If possible, I'd give it 4.5 stars.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Nino
Over the years food quality went down. This wasn't French food, rather American sandwich shop. Servers were fantastic.
Amanda
Lovely experience and the food was very good. We loved the calamari but found the bouillabaisse a bit too tomato-ey and the lobster in the bouillabaisse was a bit too tough.
Joseph Michaud
Make sure to sit upstairs, the ambience was fantastic. The appetizer left a little to be desired but very good entrees and delicious dessert. My girlfriend and I came here for our anniversary.
We hadn't dined at Bistro Cacao for several years. We are already looking forward to our return. Chef did an excellent job in accommodating a food sensitivity for one of us. Service was impeccable—a special shoutout to Cesar. Don't miss the house made pate de campagne—it's the best we've tasted in many years.
Aluisio Barros
My friend and I had great expectations for this place. And we were not disappointed. The decor is interesting, relating to art nouveau style, and we sat in a booth surrounded by red fabric. We shared a terrine for starter, very good. I had a magret de canard for main dish. Here I wasn't so impressed. Some things don't need to be reinvented. Baby beetroots had no place in the dish. And the magret was overdone. The waiter was clearly not familiar with the cooking of magret. But the dessert, tarte tatin fixed any previous disappointment. It was delicious. The Château Larose Perganson was magnificent, perfect for the meal. Service was good. The prices are on the expensive side, but it seems impossible to dine with wine for less than 100-150 dollars there days. In summary, very good restaurant, but not excellent, or unforgettable. I'd give 4.5 stars if possible.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Brian
Delightful place and amazing food! Beet soup was terrific and my Beef Wellington was cooked perfectly.
Libby
Fantastic time celebrating birthdays with friends. Menu seems augmented since my last dinner there a couple of months ago. Our choices (filet mignon, beef bourguignon , surf and turf special of steak and shrimp) were delightful. New appetizers we shared were so tasty: calamari on a slice of pineapple and a lemony "hot" shrimp - exquisite. I'd definitely order again. My dessert was the profiterole, now a single large one instead of the flight of 3. But the large profiterole included a bed of chocolate shavings and a hot dark chocolate sauce poured over it at table. Service attentive, good-natured, helpful. Nice to see a healthy crowd during the shutdown but that makes for somewhat harder conversation. THANKS for a superb evening!
Kat
I really like Bistro Cacao. I got about once a year for business lunches. I love the friendliness and professionalism of the waitstaff, I think the food is very high quality and delicious. I highly recommend a visit.
Such a cozy and authentic French spot in DC! I had the Beef Bourguignon and it was absolutely delicious - rich, tender, and full of flavor. The atmosphere felt very warm and romantic, and the service was lovely. Definitely a great place if you’re craving real French cuisine.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had an amazing experience at Bistro Cacao. The food was incredibly delicious. The staff were very well-trained, polite, and attentive. The atmosphere was lovely, and the place was very clean.
The prices were more than reasonable for the quality of the dishes. We also tried some of their mocktails, and they were absolutely delicious. Highly recommended!
DC is mostly a casually dressed city even in it's fine dining. So I was a little surprised how dressed up everyone here was for lunch. It's probably a function of its proximity to Congress.
I can't comment on the dinners but the lunch was good and reasonably priced. It wasn't cheap but the price was good for the food. The service was excellent atmosphere was good even if the decor was showing its age a bit.
This is one of those places where I wish google had a more nuanced review scale because my biggest criticism was just that it wasn't great. Sometimes 5 stars means good, sometimes great. Bistro Cacao is good. I'd definitely go there again, but its not a place I'm dying to return to.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Chicken cordon Blue was dry. NY strip steak was tough on the edges. Soup & escargots were perfect, as was the dessert and coffee. Service was very good, but had to remind them it was a birthday.
One of the best restaurants in DC. Amazing food and service and great ambiance.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We hosted a business dinner party here. The host was very curious and responsive. Food ans servive was great. Highly recommend for formal lunch or dinner.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The ambiance is comfortable, and everything meets expectations, though there are no particular surprises.
The dishes pictured are escargot, roasted quail, onion soup, and filet mignon—the flavors, like the setting, won't disappoint.
If possible, I'd give it 4.5 stars.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Over the years food quality went down. This wasn't French food, rather American sandwich shop. Servers were fantastic.
Lovely experience and the food was very good. We loved the calamari but found the bouillabaisse a bit too tomato-ey and the lobster in the bouillabaisse was a bit too tough.
Make sure to sit upstairs, the ambience was fantastic. The appetizer left a little to be desired but very good entrees and delicious dessert. My girlfriend and I came here for our anniversary.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
We hadn't dined at Bistro Cacao for several years. We are already looking forward to our return. Chef did an excellent job in accommodating a food sensitivity for one of us. Service was impeccable—a special shoutout to Cesar. Don't miss the house made pate de campagne—it's the best we've tasted in many years.
My friend and I had great expectations for this place. And we were not disappointed. The decor is interesting, relating to art nouveau style, and we sat in a booth surrounded by red fabric. We shared a terrine for starter, very good. I had a magret de canard for main dish. Here I wasn't so impressed. Some things don't need to be reinvented. Baby beetroots had no place in the dish. And the magret was overdone. The waiter was clearly not familiar with the cooking of magret. But the dessert, tarte tatin fixed any previous disappointment. It was delicious. The Château Larose Perganson was magnificent, perfect for the meal. Service was good. The prices are on the expensive side, but it seems impossible to dine with wine for less than 100-150 dollars there days. In summary, very good restaurant, but not excellent, or unforgettable. I'd give 4.5 stars if possible.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Delightful place and amazing food! Beet soup was terrific and my Beef Wellington was cooked perfectly.
Fantastic time celebrating birthdays with friends. Menu seems augmented since my last dinner there a couple of months ago. Our choices (filet mignon, beef bourguignon , surf and turf special of steak and shrimp) were delightful. New appetizers we shared were so tasty: calamari on a slice of pineapple and a lemony "hot" shrimp - exquisite. I'd definitely order again. My dessert was the profiterole, now a single large one instead of the flight of 3. But the large profiterole included a bed of chocolate shavings and a hot dark chocolate sauce poured over it at table. Service attentive, good-natured, helpful. Nice to see a healthy crowd during the shutdown but that makes for somewhat harder conversation. THANKS for a superb evening!
I really like Bistro Cacao. I got about once a year for business lunches. I love the friendliness and professionalism of the waitstaff, I think the food is very high quality and delicious. I highly recommend a visit.
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