We love everything about this restaurant. Amazing food. Service can be improved.
Nur Kelpin
If you need a real French food ,you must Check out this place.
Rich Stoll
Excellent and elegant Valentine’s Day dinner. Thank you for a wonderful evening with my lovely date!
Jorge Vaughan
We love eating out. Yesterday we arrived in this excellent restaurant which friends recommended to us. We had a beautiful time there with first-rate cooking and an experienced team and a professional chief cook. We put this venue in our phone list and we shall definitely go again very soon. Highly recommended.
Victoria St
One of the best venues in DC! Signature and def "must visit"!@@
Win S.
This is a District GEM. Wow! wow wow. This location is part of the French Embassy and you get a taste of the country's beautiful culinary culture without stepping off a plane. Before arriving, you must apply online for an ID card to enter the Embassy grounds. You do have to wait for the whole process to go through, but it's worth it. Just send in a photo of yourself and share about what you do for work, etc. Once approved, you can retrieve your ID at the Embassy (go through security and everything). Try their a la carte cafe or make a reservation at their fancier accompanying restaurant (they have separate menus). I made a reservation for their restaurant to try something new. They were booked initially, but thankfully something opened up last minute! (so remember to call in advance). We tried the full course menu. They started us off with lovely pours of Rose in these beautiful glasses. I wanted to take them home! For appetizer, we ate what was essentially a small bite of fried mac n' cheese. It was covered in a dusting of black truffles! Who knew that something so small could be SO divine!! The little bite packed a huge punch. We're excited to start our meal off on the right foot. After that came the frisee salad topped off with a poached egg (sensuous!) and bits of bacon! Mmm. They also served fresh baguettes to eat on the side that came with the cutest, most charming butter saucer (it was bell shaped and so dainty). I felt so European! We also ate lamb with roasted vegetables as our main course. The cut of meat was so tender and perfectly seasoned with some sort of Asian-inspired sauce. To accompany it, they served an interesting selection of different veggies (fingerling potatoes and radish, microgreens and more). For dessert, we had a baked Alaska. The main chef lit the dessert on fire at our table! What a treat and such a fun opportunity to chat/thank the chef in person, too! The dessert itself was creamy and light, and dotted with raspberry and mango sauce. Yum. What a great way to cap off the meal. We sat for a little while longer to enjoy the views of the gorgeous venue! You sit in a small, but beautifully-lit backroom that comes with fancy dinnerware and china. The room's window looks into a green, private garden that sets the perfect backdrop. I love it! It's a D.C. oasis. I think this is a great place to take out of town guests (just need to get an ID ahead. I might do this for when my parents come in to town!). I wish more embassies opened dining options to the public. They really have the best food! Aside from the cafeteria, I know you can come to Cafe Descartes for special events like Happy Hours. They host a party during the World Cup when France is playing, too. I will be back!
Denise Becker Ottie
Enjoyed our cappuccino and pain au raisin today. The pastry was perfect, soft, a little sticky, and flavorful. Just what we needed to energize. The security staff was very friendly and quickly screened us for entry.
Jamison Moore
Absolutely worth the trip. Contemporary French lunch with fantastic entrees and excellent pastry. Affordable and quick. Getting a dining card was a breeze, highly recommended.
Giò Cháo Quẩy
awesome experience for lunch
Karin Moyer Swenson
We only partook of the café, not the restaurant, and had café, croissant and pain au raisin. But it was perfect. Delicious Julius Meinl coffee and fresh pastries, right out of the oven. We will be back for a real meal in the fall. Lovely place.
An unbelievable experience! I selfishly don't want to write this review so that I can keep this place a secret. That said, this little French paradise deserves to be known. I came here for a special work lunch and was blown away by the intricacy of the food and amazing service. This was all somehow kept to a reasonable price. Bottom line: Everyone should experience this at least once. Personally, I'd like to experience it many more times.
Patty S.
Want to get away to Paris without leaving Georgetown? Apply for your French Embassy admission card in order to be transported to either the Embassy cafeteria or Le Petit Bouchon (LPB). The tilefish at LPB was accompanied by savory accents, the salads and vegetables prepared to let their flavors shine. Gracious, unhurried service. All this leads to long conversations about Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, and immediately checking the calendar for a return visit.
Graham Hough Cornwell
Been a few times for lunch now, and I get back whenever I can. Excellent food -- the salads and soups are always strong -- and an expanding wine list. Terrific service from Max and his team.
Franek Jonk
Best french food in DC, it is absolutly amazing :) Service is perfect, very wide menu of wine, very good recomandations for food. For me, the best secret place in Washington if you want to have a business lunch or a romantic tête í tête :) I love the pastries of Chef Mark !
Gene B.
You too can dine on fine, high-end "foodie" food at a reasonable cost. Le Petit Bouchon, tucked away in the dining area of the French Embassy, is a genuine gourmet affair. Lunch can be a prix fixe three-course special, or you can order a la carte. My sense is that they strive for an approachable haute cuisine for their clientele -- no strange combinations, no outlandish meats, etc. It's simply distinctive -- and utterly delicious. You'll need to apply to get in the first time, but that's so easy, just look it up on the internet. Is it worth it? Oh gosh, yes. Do it now before it gets crowded.
We love everything about this restaurant. Amazing food. Service can be improved.
If you need a real French food ,you must Check out this place.
Excellent and elegant Valentine’s Day dinner. Thank you for a wonderful evening with my lovely date!
We love eating out. Yesterday we arrived in this excellent restaurant which friends recommended to us. We had a beautiful time there with first-rate cooking and an experienced team and a professional chief cook. We put this venue in our phone list and we shall definitely go again very soon. Highly recommended.
One of the best venues in DC! Signature and def "must visit"!@@
This is a District GEM. Wow! wow wow. This location is part of the French Embassy and you get a taste of the country's beautiful culinary culture without stepping off a plane. Before arriving, you must apply online for an ID card to enter the Embassy grounds. You do have to wait for the whole process to go through, but it's worth it. Just send in a photo of yourself and share about what you do for work, etc. Once approved, you can retrieve your ID at the Embassy (go through security and everything). Try their a la carte cafe or make a reservation at their fancier accompanying restaurant (they have separate menus). I made a reservation for their restaurant to try something new. They were booked initially, but thankfully something opened up last minute! (so remember to call in advance). We tried the full course menu. They started us off with lovely pours of Rose in these beautiful glasses. I wanted to take them home! For appetizer, we ate what was essentially a small bite of fried mac n' cheese. It was covered in a dusting of black truffles! Who knew that something so small could be SO divine!! The little bite packed a huge punch. We're excited to start our meal off on the right foot. After that came the frisee salad topped off with a poached egg (sensuous!) and bits of bacon! Mmm. They also served fresh baguettes to eat on the side that came with the cutest, most charming butter saucer (it was bell shaped and so dainty). I felt so European! We also ate lamb with roasted vegetables as our main course. The cut of meat was so tender and perfectly seasoned with some sort of Asian-inspired sauce. To accompany it, they served an interesting selection of different veggies (fingerling potatoes and radish, microgreens and more). For dessert, we had a baked Alaska. The main chef lit the dessert on fire at our table! What a treat and such a fun opportunity to chat/thank the chef in person, too! The dessert itself was creamy and light, and dotted with raspberry and mango sauce. Yum. What a great way to cap off the meal. We sat for a little while longer to enjoy the views of the gorgeous venue! You sit in a small, but beautifully-lit backroom that comes with fancy dinnerware and china. The room's window looks into a green, private garden that sets the perfect backdrop. I love it! It's a D.C. oasis. I think this is a great place to take out of town guests (just need to get an ID ahead. I might do this for when my parents come in to town!). I wish more embassies opened dining options to the public. They really have the best food! Aside from the cafeteria, I know you can come to Cafe Descartes for special events like Happy Hours. They host a party during the World Cup when France is playing, too. I will be back!
Enjoyed our cappuccino and pain au raisin today. The pastry was perfect, soft, a little sticky, and flavorful. Just what we needed to energize. The security staff was very friendly and quickly screened us for entry.
Absolutely worth the trip. Contemporary French lunch with fantastic entrees and excellent pastry. Affordable and quick. Getting a dining card was a breeze, highly recommended.
awesome experience for lunch
We only partook of the café, not the restaurant, and had café, croissant and pain au raisin. But it was perfect. Delicious Julius Meinl coffee and fresh pastries, right out of the oven. We will be back for a real meal in the fall. Lovely place.
Restaurantji Recommends
An unbelievable experience! I selfishly don't want to write this review so that I can keep this place a secret. That said, this little French paradise deserves to be known. I came here for a special work lunch and was blown away by the intricacy of the food and amazing service. This was all somehow kept to a reasonable price. Bottom line: Everyone should experience this at least once. Personally, I'd like to experience it many more times.
Want to get away to Paris without leaving Georgetown? Apply for your French Embassy admission card in order to be transported to either the Embassy cafeteria or Le Petit Bouchon (LPB). The tilefish at LPB was accompanied by savory accents, the salads and vegetables prepared to let their flavors shine. Gracious, unhurried service. All this leads to long conversations about Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, and immediately checking the calendar for a return visit.
Been a few times for lunch now, and I get back whenever I can. Excellent food -- the salads and soups are always strong -- and an expanding wine list. Terrific service from Max and his team.
Best french food in DC, it is absolutly amazing :) Service is perfect, very wide menu of wine, very good recomandations for food. For me, the best secret place in Washington if you want to have a business lunch or a romantic tête í tête :) I love the pastries of Chef Mark !
You too can dine on fine, high-end "foodie" food at a reasonable cost. Le Petit Bouchon, tucked away in the dining area of the French Embassy, is a genuine gourmet affair. Lunch can be a prix fixe three-course special, or you can order a la carte. My sense is that they strive for an approachable haute cuisine for their clientele -- no strange combinations, no outlandish meats, etc. It's simply distinctive -- and utterly delicious. You'll need to apply to get in the first time, but that's so easy, just look it up on the internet. Is it worth it? Oh gosh, yes. Do it now before it gets crowded.