Delicious meal. The lamb was PERFECT. Nice ambience. Love the BYOB option.
J W
The server was very friendly and kind, providing a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Although she did check-in with us regarding our appetizer, she was too preoccupied to check-in regarding our entree, due to her being the only staff in the dining area catering to 4 different tables; understandable but didn't leave us the opportunity to address our issues with the entree (which will be highlighted below) until we paid for our bill and came across someone else by happenstance. The aesthetics were elegant and on the dimmer side, especially if you're seating at the corner tables away from the light, we recommend sitting closer to the light or by the entrance if there's still light out. We really loved the crab croquettes appetizer, which had a perfectly crispy exterior that complimented perfectly with the moist interior mixture of potato and crab that paired very well with the aioli. The crispy potato that accompanied the NY strip was perfectly balanced as well, with the crispiest exterior that I ever had with a potato dish!
Unfortunately that was the highlight to the entire dish, for the strip was extremely lean without any fat or marbling to help balance out the leanness of the steak (which is evident in the attached photos below). Usually a NY strip, even if grass fed, would still have a strip of fat on the outer layer, but ours did not have any at all, which you can see from all slices we've made. We weren't hoping for ribeye-quality fats at all, but just one that wasn't completely lean. The creamed spinach was also quite bitter and watery, which definitely diluted its creaminess unfortunately; you can see from the photo the wateriness in the creamed spinach where the cream began separating. We love their menu and the restaurant's elegant vibe, as well as how beautifully the food was presented, but unfortunately we were left disappointed by our main entree. I highly recommend their crab croquettes so please give that a try if you can, I promise you won't regret it!
Thank you for reading and best of luck! (:
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Ronnie Cook Zuhlke
What a wonderful spot: the food is so fresh and the combination of ingredients wonderful. Outstanding restaurant in every way, including service and menu options. Each dish is creative, plentiful, and satisfying. Outdoor patio seating a bonus!
My fav is the seasonal salad…wow!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Joseph De Modena
Excellent food and excellent service. Will definitely be back
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Emily Yam
I came here for my birthday with my family; I have come here for ten years and I have never been disappointed with the food, service or atmosphere. The dishes are innovative, well balanced and always cooked perfectly. Andrew the server was great, the owner Susan is always so welcoming and kind and Chef Rafael is a master of his craft!
Amy S
Absolutely incredible. The crab croquettes were very soft and had a excellent crab taste. The arrangement of the plates were beautiful. The inside of the restaurant was very personal. You could tell that everything was done with care, intentionality. The main courseries were fantastic. The steak was cooked perfectly, chicken was delicate with a beautiful mushroom flavor. The desserts were not overly sweet. I would really recommend giving this place a try!
Quoc Phan
My family and I made a last minute decision to check out a french restaurant in the area. We stumbled upon Citronnelle using Google reviews given positive reviews. However, we were left a bit disappointed with the service provided, which spilled over into not enjoying the food.
Main server seemed disinterested and did not clearly articulate the menu. She even came off as annoyed when asked to clarify. I did not notice this behavior when she was serving the table right next to us. It's probably just an off day for her but it's this kind of experience that will make me neither recommend nor come back.
Jackie Gordon Singing Chef
Rude.
Initially, when I sent an email to change my reservation the owner was very gracious. Unfortunatel, the young woman who is waiting on us was less so. It is rude to tell your customers, once you've told them that you've run out of french fries, after putting down the menus and not mentioning the items that you were missing, to suggest that they go to McDonald's if they want fries.
It's also very strange for a Modern French bistro restaurant to run out of bread at 7:30 in the evening. Yes, it is odd that they served some sort of version of focaccia instead of a proper baguettes but maybe that's all part of the modern twist? However, every one of us has access to even Frozen baguettes from any chain grocery store that we can reheat when we run out of bread for ourselves and in a pinch, for our customers. The waitress seem to have an attitude when she delivered that news as well.
It is the hospitality business even in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and she did not seem very hospitable.
As far as the food went, the appetizers were fine. We especially enjoyed the croquettes and the carpaccio.
I found the duck and fig bisteeya to the incredibly dense and lacking in duck. There was a lot of fig. Not an interesting dish. Although my co diner enjoyed his so it is a case of to each his own.
The fish of the day was good and so was the lamb.
The complete failure was the dessert. The souffles, which we ordered with our mains tasted like scrambled eggs with sugar and flavorings in them. They were curdled. They were not souffles and the creme anglaise was the consistency of milk not properly made creme anglaise.
Two good things about this restaurant are:
One, that it's fairly quiet.
It's a very plain room ambiance-wise, but you can't hear your fellow diners, which is nice.
Two, the corkage fee is very low.
Another snide response from our waitress was regarding whether or not they had anything that was non-alcoholic to drink. She said only coffee or tea. I found out later there was a ginger beer on the menu that she didn't think I needed to know about.
It seems strange with the plethora of non-alcoholic drinks and mocktails available at most restaurants these days that this place would not have a better selection.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
BJgoogle Planet
I remember when there employee kept stealing & they still didn't do anything to get rid of Him and but the Food was good by owner her husband who cooks most of the time he was nice to me. But most of the attitude issues was from his wife Chinese lady.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 2
Lauren N
Citronelle is a hidden gem, even amongst Lancaster county natives. Only a handful of people even knew what I was talking about when I brought it up as a place I wanted to try. The experience itself was really amazing. We went for an early dinner, so we were able to get in there before a crowd formed which is ideal for me. I'm not a fan of a lot of noise and I suspect it gets loud in there given it's a small space. The service was on point, and my husband and I enjoyed the BYOB aspect. There is a corkage fee but it's not unreasonable. We shared the crab Croquettes for our appetizer. They were flavorful, crispy, creamy- just all of the things! For entrees, he selected the New York strip. It came out perfectly as ordered and was delicious. I had the duck bisteeya. I did not know what to expect with this and was very pleased with the result. It was very yummy, the flavor profile reminded me a little of Curry. We tried both the chocolate and lemongrass souffles for dessert. They were pretty good but nothing compared to everything else we had. We will definitely return for special occasions.
I had Citronnelle on my list for a long time! My friends were in from L.A. so I made reservations. Overall, the food was underwhelming. Maybe I expected too much, but I wasn't a fan of some of the flavors and also felt that the 'umami' was missing. However, the services was impeccable, the environment was romantic and high-end, so maybe I just had an off night (me and/or the restaurant).
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chocolate Souffle
Justin Lehman
Great, unique food, great staff & service, and great small french-style space inside and on the patio. We've eaten there a handful of times the last 3-5 years and have always been impressed.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Michele Walker
I had such a wonderful experience! The food was spectacular, the staff was amazing and dessert is soooooo delicious!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Desert, Wagyu Beef Carpaccio
Kevbo Kev
My wife and I went to Citronnelle for her birthday dinner this year this last Friday evening. It is a very nice, quaint atmosphere. The staff were all extremely friendly and attentive. The showstopper, however, was the food. It was incredible!We started with the crab croquettes. I ordered the steak and my wife ordered the Moroccan duck & fig bisteeya. Both were amazing in their own way, and the sides that came my steak were phenomenal. We also couldn't help ourselves and ordered the fruit tart, and at this time, it was an apple tart with homemade ice cream. Absolutely delicious!We really enjoyed ourselves and our looking forward to their next seasonal menu, although we may just need to go in sooner than later for more of that Moroccan duck. It really was THAT good!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lena G
We have been to Citronnelle twice. Very special little French restaurant. Citronnelle is a gem, we will reserve a table again.The combination of the assorted seafood dish complements each other and tastes very delicious. Usually shellfish tend to leave sand in the dish, but this dish delighted me from beginning to end. The sauce tastes great.We tried different dishes for both dinners, and each one was a pleasant surprise...bring your own favorite wine (not provided by the restaurant) and enjoy the family atmosphere, friendly conversation...it was great! We can't wait for the next time ?
Delicious meal. The lamb was PERFECT. Nice ambience. Love the BYOB option.
The server was very friendly and kind, providing a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Although she did check-in with us regarding our appetizer, she was too preoccupied to check-in regarding our entree, due to her being the only staff in the dining area catering to 4 different tables; understandable but didn't leave us the opportunity to address our issues with the entree (which will be highlighted below) until we paid for our bill and came across someone else by happenstance. The aesthetics were elegant and on the dimmer side, especially if you're seating at the corner tables away from the light, we recommend sitting closer to the light or by the entrance if there's still light out. We really loved the crab croquettes appetizer, which had a perfectly crispy exterior that complimented perfectly with the moist interior mixture of potato and crab that paired very well with the aioli. The crispy potato that accompanied the NY strip was perfectly balanced as well, with the crispiest exterior that I ever had with a potato dish!
Unfortunately that was the highlight to the entire dish, for the strip was extremely lean without any fat or marbling to help balance out the leanness of the steak (which is evident in the attached photos below). Usually a NY strip, even if grass fed, would still have a strip of fat on the outer layer, but ours did not have any at all, which you can see from all slices we've made. We weren't hoping for ribeye-quality fats at all, but just one that wasn't completely lean. The creamed spinach was also quite bitter and watery, which definitely diluted its creaminess unfortunately; you can see from the photo the wateriness in the creamed spinach where the cream began separating. We love their menu and the restaurant's elegant vibe, as well as how beautifully the food was presented, but unfortunately we were left disappointed by our main entree. I highly recommend their crab croquettes so please give that a try if you can, I promise you won't regret it!
Thank you for reading and best of luck! (:
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
What a wonderful spot: the food is so fresh and the combination of ingredients wonderful. Outstanding restaurant in every way, including service and menu options. Each dish is creative, plentiful, and satisfying.
Outdoor patio seating a bonus!
My fav is the seasonal salad…wow!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Excellent food and excellent service. Will definitely be back
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I came here for my birthday with my family; I have come here for ten years and I have never been disappointed with the food, service or atmosphere. The dishes are innovative, well balanced and always cooked perfectly. Andrew the server was great, the owner Susan is always so welcoming and kind and Chef Rafael is a master of his craft!
Absolutely incredible. The crab croquettes were very soft and had a excellent crab taste. The arrangement of the plates were beautiful. The inside of the restaurant was very personal. You could tell that everything was done with care, intentionality. The main courseries were fantastic. The steak was cooked perfectly, chicken was delicate with a beautiful mushroom flavor. The desserts were not overly sweet. I would really recommend giving this place a try!
My family and I made a last minute decision to check out a french restaurant in the area. We stumbled upon Citronnelle using Google reviews given positive reviews. However, we were left a bit disappointed with the service provided, which spilled over into not enjoying the food.
Main server seemed disinterested and did not clearly articulate the menu. She even came off as annoyed when asked to clarify. I did not notice this behavior when she was serving the table right next to us. It's probably just an off day for her but it's this kind of experience that will make me neither recommend nor come back.
Rude.
Initially, when I sent an email to change my reservation the owner was very gracious.
Unfortunatel, the young woman who is waiting on us was less so. It is rude to tell your customers, once you've told them that you've run out of french fries, after putting down the menus and not mentioning the items that you were missing, to suggest that they go to McDonald's if they want fries.
It's also very strange for a Modern French bistro restaurant to run out of bread at 7:30 in the evening. Yes, it is odd that they served some sort of version of focaccia instead of a proper baguettes but maybe that's all part of the modern twist? However, every one of us has access to even Frozen baguettes from any chain grocery store that we can reheat when we run out of bread for ourselves and in a pinch, for our customers. The waitress seem to have an attitude when she delivered that news as well.
It is the hospitality business even in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and she did not seem very hospitable.
As far as the food went, the appetizers were fine. We especially enjoyed the croquettes and the carpaccio.
I found the duck and fig bisteeya to the incredibly dense and lacking in duck. There was a lot of fig. Not an interesting dish. Although my co diner enjoyed his so it is a case of to each his own.
The fish of the day was good and so was the lamb.
The complete failure was the dessert. The souffles, which we ordered with our mains tasted like scrambled eggs with sugar and flavorings in them. They were curdled. They were not souffles and the creme anglaise was the consistency of milk not properly made creme anglaise.
Two good things about this restaurant are:
One, that it's fairly quiet.
It's a very plain room ambiance-wise, but you can't hear your fellow diners, which is nice.
Two, the corkage fee is very low.
Another snide response from our waitress was regarding whether or not they had anything that was non-alcoholic to drink. She said only coffee or tea. I found out later there was a ginger beer on the menu that she didn't think I needed to know about.
It seems strange with the plethora of non-alcoholic drinks and mocktails available at most restaurants these days that this place would not have a better selection.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
I remember when there employee kept stealing & they still didn't do anything to get rid of Him and but the Food was good by owner her husband who cooks most of the time he was nice to me. But most of the attitude issues was from his wife Chinese lady.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 2
Citronelle is a hidden gem, even amongst Lancaster county natives. Only a handful of people even knew what I was talking about when I brought it up as a place I wanted to try.
The experience itself was really amazing. We went for an early dinner, so we were able to get in there before a crowd formed which is ideal for me. I'm not a fan of a lot of noise and I suspect it gets loud in there given it's a small space. The service was on point, and my husband and I enjoyed the BYOB aspect. There is a corkage fee but it's not unreasonable.
We shared the crab Croquettes for our appetizer. They were flavorful, crispy, creamy- just all of the things! For entrees, he selected the New York strip. It came out perfectly as ordered and was delicious. I had the duck bisteeya. I did not know what to expect with this and was very pleased with the result. It was very yummy, the flavor profile reminded me a little of Curry. We tried both the chocolate and lemongrass souffles for dessert. They were pretty good but nothing compared to everything else we had. We will definitely return for special occasions.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
I had Citronnelle on my list for a long time! My friends were in from L.A. so I made reservations. Overall, the food was underwhelming. Maybe I expected too much, but I wasn't a fan of some of the flavors and also felt that the 'umami' was missing. However, the services was impeccable, the environment was romantic and high-end, so maybe I just had an off night (me and/or the restaurant).
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chocolate Souffle
Great, unique food, great staff & service, and great small french-style space inside and on the patio. We've eaten there a handful of times the last 3-5 years and have always been impressed.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I had such a wonderful experience! The food was spectacular, the staff was amazing and dessert is soooooo delicious!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Desert, Wagyu Beef Carpaccio
My wife and I went to Citronnelle for her birthday dinner this year this last Friday evening. It is a very nice, quaint atmosphere. The staff were all extremely friendly and attentive. The showstopper, however, was the food. It was incredible!We started with the crab croquettes. I ordered the steak and my wife ordered the Moroccan duck & fig bisteeya. Both were amazing in their own way, and the sides that came my steak were phenomenal. We also couldn't help ourselves and ordered the fruit tart, and at this time, it was an apple tart with homemade ice cream. Absolutely delicious!We really enjoyed ourselves and our looking forward to their next seasonal menu, although we may just need to go in sooner than later for more of that Moroccan duck. It really was THAT good!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We have been to Citronnelle twice. Very special little French restaurant. Citronnelle is a gem, we will reserve a table again.The combination of the assorted seafood dish complements each other and tastes very delicious. Usually shellfish tend to leave sand in the dish, but this dish delighted me from beginning to end. The sauce tastes great.We tried different dishes for both dinners, and each one was a pleasant surprise...bring your own favorite wine (not provided by the restaurant) and enjoy the family atmosphere, friendly conversation...it was great! We can't wait for the next time ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Loading...