My wife and family came here for her birthday recently. It is a very nice and pretty place. I thought some of the food was delicious (beef cheeks, mushroom crepe, lobster entree). Other dishes were OK to bad, in my opinion. The meal started with the bread course featuring garlic bread - all were very good. Then there was an offering from the chef of a split pea soup - it was fine, but nothing I would order again if given the opportunity. A little chalky and underseasoned. For appetizers, we had the beef cheeks, lobster bisque, salmon, and mushroom crepe. The beef cheeks and mushroom crepe were the winners. Both delicious. The lobster bisque, again, was fine but I wouldn't order it again (made me long for the crab bisque at Ray's the Steaks). The salmon was pretty good, as well. The house salad was fine, but again nothing amazing. The mango sorbet palette cleanser was good (though, oddly we noticed they had switched to raspberry when we were leaving). For mains, I had the seafood in lobster sauce and my wife had the lobster and crab in a citrus white wine sauce. Both were tasty; however the fish and lobster were all overcooked - maybe from sitting on the scalding plate. (Not bad enough to send back, but not good enough for the price point either). One of my daughters had the kids filet mignon, which was fine, but not as good as at steakhouses like Guerra or Mussel Bar. The other had the vegetarian dish - mushrooms in a red wine sauce. That one was really disappointing. It was filled with lots of other veggies rather than meaty mushrooms and was pretty flavorless. My wife and I ended up sharing our dishes with our daughter, because, thankfully, she likes seafood and the portions were pretty large. We didn't do the optional soufflé for dessert and instead opted for the plum and chocolate tarts. Both were very good, but you have to really like dark chocolate for that chocolate tart. My wife does and loved it, but it was inedible for me. They also brought us a special additional dessert (ice cream with meringue) for my wife's birthday, which was tasty and a nice touch. All in all, it was a very good meal in a very nice restaurant, with good ambience. I was left wondering at the end of the meal, however, if we would have been happier creating our own "pris fixe" at another restaurant (It was about $500 for the 4 of us without drinks, so you could order a lot of delicious food at a Guerra or Mussel Bar, for example). Also, my wife and I went to Alias in Warrenton for another special occasion recently, and, though that was more expensive per person, I found the food to be a lot better and perfectly cooked. Service was fine, but I heard some other waiters giving much better and detailed information than ours at a nearby table in response to the same questions we asked (after we had ordered). I'd give 3.5 stars if I could, but I don't think 4 stars is warranted at the price point, due to the issues noted above.
Eric W.
Okay. Dating myself. L'Auberge Chez Francois has been open for 70 yours. We've been going for 35. Never had a bad meal here. Or a mediocre one. This is an old school restaurant in all the best ways. You might think it's expensive. And it is. But it's the best value restaurant I've ever been to. The entree price gets you bread, appetizer, amuse bouche, entree and dessert. I had the Tuna Tartare, House Salad and Beef Wellington. My wife got the warm Asparagus, House Salad, and Rack of Lamb. All expertly prepared. The ambiance is amazing. French Cottage in the countryside of Great Falls. The service is impeccable. You don't get much better. And get the soufflé for dessert. You have to order it when you order your meal. Well worth it. I will keep coming here until I die. It's that good.
Mary M.
Great food, great service , worth the money ! We enjoyed every minute at Chez Francois
Sawyer S.
Yummy food, outstanding service, and cool building. Only con was the average price per person at our table was 70 dollars but overall a great yummy restaurant
William R.
Never fails to deliver great food with a great experience. Have been hundreds of times over 25 years.
D Cunningham
This is a beautiful restaurant! It has a French Decor. The food was exceptional! My favorite part was the sommelier! He explained to me that the best wine comes from Alice France! I really appreciated the brief but needed history lesson on wine. Moreover, the service was delightful. I didn’t feel rushed or neglected. Thank you for this experience! I wanted to go to an elegant restaurant and I stumbled upon this one online. It was wonderful overall!
StephenU
Fabulous experience. From the moment we arrived and were greeted by the Executive chef, Jacques, we felt right at home. David, our server, was exceptional—friendly, knowledgeable, and responsive to all of our needs. Delicious food and warm and comfortable atmosphere.
Igor B.
This is a combo of French food with German influences. Spetzle was the best ever - by far. Appetizer - beef cheek was the first class. Main meal - beef bourguignon was generous and delicious. Grand Marnie Souffle was the real deal - something devilishly good to be offered before signing your soul out. It is good "to die for". Service was a perfection - nothing to suggest. Memorable visit and will repeat for sure.
M D
Sat by fire place. Very nicely decorated, warm coutry feel to it. Everything was delicious. Price system changed on prix-fixe.
Service: 4
Jeanne Preuss
Excellent meal, friendly knowledgeable staff. A delightful
My wife and I just dined at L'Aberge for a milestone anniversary. We have dined there many times before, and I would rate our prior experiences at 4 to 4.5 stars. This last experience was a 5 star night. The service was not just excellent. It was PERFECT. My wife had the lobster and I had the duck. The lobster is a long running feature at L'Aberge and it was excellent as always. French country duck is not everybody's cup of tea because, properly prepared, it is fatty and a little gamey. L'Aberge executed this iconic traditional dish to perfection. And our sommelier, David, paired our dishes with a perfectly matched Rhone he pulled from the cellar. To be honest, this was a pricey splurge. But for a special occasion, it was worth every penny. Best regards and we will return again soon.
Hunter Mason
Fantastic food, service, and atmosphere.
Service: 5
Lynne B.
Oh my gosh! I was invited to join my girlfriend and her father for her birthday. I've always considered myself quite the foodie, but this was my first time here. This was without a doubt, one of the top meals I've ever had in my entire life! We did the prefix menu on a Sunday afternoon, and it was absolutely divine! The service was amazing, the food was out of this world, and the ambience was second to none. I've already tried to make reservations for Mother's Day, but unfortunately, unfortunately they don't make them that far out. Trust me, I haven't marked on my calendar when I can try and make reservations! I definitely recommend!
MaxineG
Typically, we celebrate our anniversary at L'Auberge Chez Francois but it was nice to treat our family from out of town to a wonderful dinner for my 60th birthday. Always a wonderful time and meal.
JackR
This is a great restaurant. I've dined here before and will again. However, there were 2 issues; - We were a party of 5 seated at too small a table, adequate but too small. I expect more than adequate from L'Auberge Chez Francois. - Service was very slow. We had trouble obtaining a waiter and then we had been there about 1 hour before our drinks arrived. An off night for L'Auberge; hopefully not next time.
My wife and family came here for her birthday recently. It is a very nice and pretty place. I thought some of the food was delicious (beef cheeks, mushroom crepe, lobster entree). Other dishes were OK to bad, in my opinion. The meal started with the bread course featuring garlic bread - all were very good. Then there was an offering from the chef of a split pea soup - it was fine, but nothing I would order again if given the opportunity. A little chalky and underseasoned. For appetizers, we had the beef cheeks, lobster bisque, salmon, and mushroom crepe. The beef cheeks and mushroom crepe were the winners. Both delicious. The lobster bisque, again, was fine but I wouldn't order it again (made me long for the crab bisque at Ray's the Steaks). The salmon was pretty good, as well. The house salad was fine, but again nothing amazing. The mango sorbet palette cleanser was good (though, oddly we noticed they had switched to raspberry when we were leaving). For mains, I had the seafood in lobster sauce and my wife had the lobster and crab in a citrus white wine sauce. Both were tasty; however the fish and lobster were all overcooked - maybe from sitting on the scalding plate. (Not bad enough to send back, but not good enough for the price point either). One of my daughters had the kids filet mignon, which was fine, but not as good as at steakhouses like Guerra or Mussel Bar. The other had the vegetarian dish - mushrooms in a red wine sauce. That one was really disappointing. It was filled with lots of other veggies rather than meaty mushrooms and was pretty flavorless. My wife and I ended up sharing our dishes with our daughter, because, thankfully, she likes seafood and the portions were pretty large. We didn't do the optional soufflé for dessert and instead opted for the plum and chocolate tarts. Both were very good, but you have to really like dark chocolate for that chocolate tart. My wife does and loved it, but it was inedible for me. They also brought us a special additional dessert (ice cream with meringue) for my wife's birthday, which was tasty and a nice touch. All in all, it was a very good meal in a very nice restaurant, with good ambience. I was left wondering at the end of the meal, however, if we would have been happier creating our own "pris fixe" at another restaurant (It was about $500 for the 4 of us without drinks, so you could order a lot of delicious food at a Guerra or Mussel Bar, for example). Also, my wife and I went to Alias in Warrenton for another special occasion recently, and, though that was more expensive per person, I found the food to be a lot better and perfectly cooked. Service was fine, but I heard some other waiters giving much better and detailed information than ours at a nearby table in response to the same questions we asked (after we had ordered). I'd give 3.5 stars if I could, but I don't think 4 stars is warranted at the price point, due to the issues noted above.
Okay. Dating myself. L'Auberge Chez Francois has been open for 70 yours. We've been going for 35. Never had a bad meal here. Or a mediocre one. This is an old school restaurant in all the best ways. You might think it's expensive. And it is. But it's the best value restaurant I've ever been to. The entree price gets you bread, appetizer, amuse bouche, entree and dessert. I had the Tuna Tartare, House Salad and Beef Wellington. My wife got the warm Asparagus, House Salad, and Rack of Lamb. All expertly prepared. The ambiance is amazing. French Cottage in the countryside of Great Falls. The service is impeccable. You don't get much better. And get the soufflé for dessert. You have to order it when you order your meal. Well worth it. I will keep coming here until I die. It's that good.
Great food, great service , worth the money ! We enjoyed every minute at Chez Francois
Yummy food, outstanding service, and cool building. Only con was the average price per person at our table was 70 dollars but overall a great yummy restaurant
Never fails to deliver great food with a great experience. Have been hundreds of times over 25 years.
This is a beautiful restaurant! It has a French Decor. The food was exceptional! My favorite part was the sommelier! He explained to me that the best wine comes from Alice France! I really appreciated the brief but needed history lesson on wine. Moreover, the service was delightful. I didn’t feel rushed or neglected. Thank you for this experience! I wanted to go to an elegant restaurant and I stumbled upon this one online. It was wonderful overall!
Fabulous experience. From the moment we arrived and were greeted by the Executive chef, Jacques, we felt right at home. David, our server, was exceptional—friendly, knowledgeable, and responsive to all of our needs. Delicious food and warm and comfortable atmosphere.
This is a combo of French food with German influences. Spetzle was the best ever - by far. Appetizer - beef cheek was the first class. Main meal - beef bourguignon was generous and delicious. Grand Marnie Souffle was the real deal - something devilishly good to be offered before signing your soul out. It is good "to die for". Service was a perfection - nothing to suggest. Memorable visit and will repeat for sure.
Sat by fire place. Very nicely decorated, warm coutry feel to it. Everything was delicious. Price system changed on prix-fixe.
Service: 4
Excellent meal, friendly knowledgeable staff. A delightful
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
My wife and I just dined at L'Aberge for a milestone anniversary. We have dined there many times before, and I would rate our prior experiences at 4 to 4.5 stars. This last experience was a 5 star night. The service was not just excellent. It was PERFECT. My wife had the lobster and I had the duck. The lobster is a long running feature at L'Aberge and it was excellent as always. French country duck is not everybody's cup of tea because, properly prepared, it is fatty and a little gamey. L'Aberge executed this iconic traditional dish to perfection. And our sommelier, David, paired our dishes with a perfectly matched Rhone he pulled from the cellar. To be honest, this was a pricey splurge. But for a special occasion, it was worth every penny. Best regards and we will return again soon.
Fantastic food, service, and atmosphere.
Service: 5
Oh my gosh! I was invited to join my girlfriend and her father for her birthday. I've always considered myself quite the foodie, but this was my first time here. This was without a doubt, one of the top meals I've ever had in my entire life! We did the prefix menu on a Sunday afternoon, and it was absolutely divine! The service was amazing, the food was out of this world, and the ambience was second to none. I've already tried to make reservations for Mother's Day, but unfortunately, unfortunately they don't make them that far out. Trust me, I haven't marked on my calendar when I can try and make reservations! I definitely recommend!
Typically, we celebrate our anniversary at L'Auberge Chez Francois but it was nice to treat our family from out of town to a wonderful dinner for my 60th birthday. Always a wonderful time and meal.
This is a great restaurant. I've dined here before and will again. However, there were 2 issues; - We were a party of 5 seated at too small a table, adequate but too small. I expect more than adequate from L'Auberge Chez Francois. - Service was very slow. We had trouble obtaining a waiter and then we had been there about 1 hour before our drinks arrived. An off night for L'Auberge; hopefully not next time.