Aquitaine Chestnut Hill

I used to love this place, but wow, has it gone downhill.
It used to be that you could go there and expect fantastic food, great service, and ambience. Now, the food is hit or miss. The service is good not great. The ambience, well, techno music at brunch? What?
Got brunch on Saturday. I ordered the traditional eggs Benedict. Aquitaine has really been the place in the Boston area where you could order eggs Benedict and have it be amazing every time. This is no longer true. The eggs Benedict were bad. The eggs were poached well, but the English muffin was toasted to death. I couldn’t cut through the English muffins. It would be easier to cut into a tin can with a dinner knife than it was to cut through the English muffins in Aquitaine Bis’s Eggs Benedict. The hollandaise sauce did not even resemble hollandaise. It was thin — think the consistency of whole milk. It did not taste good — usually, hollandaise is lemony/​buttery rich and amazing. This was slightly lemony, but mostly flavorless — like something out of a packet that gets mixed with water.
There was a lot of ham, smoked Virginia type ham that completely overwhelmed the rest of the flavors. I couldn’t keep eating it after trying one. It was just so bad, it wasn’t worth eating. My husband tried it and he said that it tasted like barbecue not eggs Benedict.
Apart from that, we had the warm cinnamon buns which were amazing, the coffee was good, and my husband liked his Omelette Alsacienne.
In terms of the service going downhill, after we ordered brunch, our waitress disappeared. Food was brought out by someone else, and our waitress never checked in with us to ask how things were. (If she had, I would have told her exactly how bad the eggs benedict was.) Aquitaine Bis used to have amazing service — if there was a problem, they would rectify it as best they could. Now, I almost think the servers know how bad some of the food coming out of the kitchen is, and they just don’t want to have to deal with it.
That said, the brunch is still reasonably priced. They still have free parking, and they still know how to cook eggs. So, if you go, just avoid the eggs Benedict. To be totally safe, you may want to avoid anything that involves a complicated sauce.

We have eaten at Aquitaine several times, and find it to be a solid dining experience without too much stress on the wallet. Service is attentive and friendly, and the dishes are flavorful and hearty. Atmosphere is cozy and typically French. We will continue to go back!

Really love this place — food is spot on every time, staff is fantastic, and we really enjoy the ambiance.

The food was terrible-​mediocre at best.
We came for brunch, yes we were a very large crowd, and they were glad to have us. Service was fine, but slow. The drinks were fine. The eggs Benedict was the dish a lot of people ordered, and it was disappointing to all. The eggs were WELL done, /​hard poached !! And no hollandaise sauce. Completely disappointing. I don’t recommend this bistro, they don’t have a handle on a classic French dish.

My roommate and I had an excellent brunch at Aquitaine a few weeks ago. The three course brunch is the way to go and an absolutely excellent price point. The scrambled eggs with cheese was absolutely delicious and went well with the bacon and salty potatoes. My roommate enjoyed her omelet as well! The only criticism I have is that the cinnamon roll you receive to start is absolutely miniscule, bordering on the side of comically small. Of course I was certainly full enough once I finished my real food, but still, the roll could certainly be a tad bigger. It also just seemed to be prepackaged and not a freshly prepared cinnamon roll. Other than that, the ambiance, service and overall experience is top notch!

Really great food, not badly priced for the quality… Great fix prix breakfast, fresh orange juice and French pressed coffe can’t go wrong. I would call ahead 15 min before you go and reserve a table, we sat at the bar because there was no open tables!

I have returned to Aquitaine since my last visit and had a much better experience (see previous review below). First of all, the owner quickly responded to the situation and took steps to hopefully improve service in the future.
On my return visit, the food was excellent, and the service was warm. My guest and I were both treated well and left very satisfied. One remaining critique would be that the music chosen was a bit strange for the «French» atmosphere that the décor does a good job at conveying.
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The food was decent, but the service was awful. I’m sure some of the staff are wonderful, but after our Kafkaesque experience I don’t think we will return.
Our waitress was inattentive to the extreme (at one point it seemed like she was actively trying to avoid us), lied to us, overcharged us (and then blamed me for this), and walked away from us when I was talking to her.
This incident left a bad taste in my mouth that far outweighed any flavors from the meal itself.

Love this place;
Free parking
Very delicious breakfast; good for kids;
Upscale and nice.

AquiTaine Bar a Vin Bistrot (French Bistro) — Chestnut Hill, MA — 5÷27÷2015
One of the many things I love about the Boston area is its multitude of fine restaurants and this one is no exception! Beautifully decorated in natural tones… Dark woods… Mustard colored stucco walls… Fine prints perfectly hung… Large globe lamps and ceiling fans hang from the ceiling… If you like a bar, this place has a spectacular one… The French music in the background just oozes the sophisticated dining experience that would soon ensue…
If you’re like me, set the pace up front so that you can savor each course without feeling rushed… They are very accommodating and will honor your request…
The first to arrive are the warm cheese puffs along with a French loaf… Just the right amount of warmth and house whipped butter. A bit cooler on the butter than I usually prefer but quite tasty and nicely served. I have a feeling my taste buds are in for something truly spectacular tonight! The bread??? Exquisite!
Then onto the Salade Aquitaine with Haricots Verts, Bacon Lardons & Spring Onions dressed in a Truffle Vinaigrette! I had mine sans the fried egg on top… What a presentation… The mixed greens with the bacon cut to seemingly exact tolerance with wax and green beans purposely placed make this almost too good to eat… When I tell you that the amount of dressing on the salad was perfect, I do mean perfect…
The main… Filet Mignon Au Poivre, Cognac Peppercorn Cream, Roasted Scallions, Pommes Gratin. The Peppercorn Cream as only the French can do… The Filet was cooked to perfection… Pink Au Jus… Peppercorns neatly placed atop the beef…
And to finish it… or me off…, The Pain Perdu for dessert… Crispy House Made Brioche… Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and maple Syrup… I’ve not seen this on any other menu so naturally I had to try it! Add to that my signature Cappuccino and my dinner is complete…
Truly an extraordinary dining experience that comes with my high recommendations… You will love it!

The only reason I’m giving this place two stars is because our waiter was attentive. Our eggs benedict was cold, and literally two minutes after we paid the check, the hostess came over and demanded that we leave. We won’t be back.

After a lousy meal at Petit Robert Bistro in Needham, it’s nice to see that faith in suburban bistros can be restored.
Aquitaine is a wonderful gem in the Chestnut Hill Shaw’s/Star Market parking lot on Route 9, with great food, terrific service, and nice ambiance.
Food: ⁴⁄₅
Service: ⁵⁄₅
Décor: ⁴⁄₅
I’ve eaten there a few times, and routinely have been impressed. As a great appetizer, mussels in Sancerre and crème fraîche were simply out of this world. Similarly, the tuna tartare is excellent. As a main course, the steak frites was great, and a duck entrée (confit with breast over rice) was similarly outstanding. Desserts were great – I had the pain perdu twice, my partner had the crème brûlée – both were executed perfectly. The food presentation is attractive and the flavors harmonious in all the dishes I’ve had.
Service is a stand out – very friendly, attentive, and professional. It has been said that due to the rapid expansion of restaurants in the Chestnut Hill area that good service is hard to find, but the servers at Aquitaine seem on top of their game. As a special note, the bartender, Eric, is friendly, exceptionally knowledgeable, and attentive. I’d encourage you to sit at the bar, rather than a table.
Décor is very bistro-​like (surprise, surprise) but for a suburban strip mall restaurant… pretty nice.
This is one of our favorites in the metrowest, along with Blue Ginger and Altastrada. I’d recommend it.

My review is just for brunch. I went with a large group but wow did it take a long time to get the food. I’d say it took more than an hour to get food. Then when the food came, it was very underwhelming. I got the eggs Benedict. It was a pretty small portion and it was below average in taste. It came with potatoes but they were only okay.
The price was pretty cheap but I much rather pay more for a good tasting meal. Two stars for the ambiance and service though

Came here during restaurant week.
First course — appetizer was chicken liver mousse. It was both salty (in a good way) and fresh.
For Entre — I ordered the Berkshire pork.
For dessert — egg tart. The crust was a bit hard.
Overall, it’s a great place. Would definitely come here again.
Service — we sat at the bar table, very attentive, bartender was friendly.

Update: Well my first experience wasn’t great I will give them lots of credit for following up with me after my bad experience. The fact that they took time to reach out to me is enough for me to give them another shot.
Really bad service. We went for Valentines day brunch. They must have been understaffed. We had a reservation but the host was overwhelmed and forgot about us. The food then took forever and when my eggs Benedict came out it was missing the sauce. Maybe it was a bad day for them but it was a bummer.

Not bad for suburbs! We had two salads: one was the endive salad with apple, roquefort, and walnuts which was good. We also had the salad aquitaine with bacon and onions. This was less interesting, and I found the bacon too tough and hard to chew. Next we had the salmon over lentils with smoked tomato and a mustard cream. The mustard cream was delicious, and the lentils were black in color and a great pairing. The salmon was a bit overcooked. The roasted tomato was unedible — it wasn’t burnt but it tasted like the inside of a burnt oven.
Don’t miss the cheese puffs they bring out the the bread; they are amazing!
Overall, I go here from time to time because the food is good and convenient to my work. It’s not going to knock your socks off, but it’s a decent place to get a good meal.

Loved my experience here! I came for Sunday brunch because we were seeking out a place with easy parking and an upscale atmosphere. They have a great deal at brunch for just under $ 11 including a drink, main, and cinnamon bun, and juice. I didn’t try the special because I wanted a main that wasn’t included in the prix fixe but loved it too!
I had the spinach omelette and also tasted the eggs benedict. All the dishes were served nicely and promptly, with no hiccups! (I was a little disappointed that the waitress didn’t pronounce the food with a French accent though, given the Frenchness of the restaurant…) It was delicious and hearty and the atmosphere of the restaurant added to the overall experience. They were also great about calling us when our table was freed after a 15 – 20 minute wait. (There are a lot of stores nearby to stroll while you wait!)
Would recommend reserving if you plan to eat here at a peak time. Definitely worth the wait for the great atmosphere and French food.

I ate at this Aquitaine maybe 4 — 5 years ago? And it was so delicious, so I decided to take my best friend out here for her birthday dinner. I was nervous reading all these reviews about the poor service and sub-​par food, etc. But, I just took a chance because I wanted to eat in the Chestnut Hill area, and it did not disappoint.
The service was EXTREMELY attentive. Our server was so friendly, and wonderful. I wasn’t feeling 100% so she brought me tea and honey. Our food came out very quickly. We had an absolutely wonderful meal.. .
Mussels, beet salad (delicious!), lemon sole entrée, pork chop entrée, crème brûlée, hot chocolate cake.. .
We needed a moms’ night out, and this was amazing and delicious.

It’s hard to mess up breakfast food, but the eggs benedict was just a little off. I think the hollandaise sauce had too much lemon and the muffins were sour dough-​ish. The flavors were just not harmonious.

Wretched.
We ordered lunch– a beet salad and potatoes for me, a Croque Monsieur for the mister, and pomme frites and a cinnamon roll for the teenager.
What came out of the kitchen?
My beets were stuck to the plate, flavorless, and not fresh. I could not perceive the vinaigrette. THUMBS DOWN.
My potatoes were served cold, old, and the «caramelized onions» were so far from anything the French might recognize as either onion or caramelized, I was surprised not to see a «Bob’s Big Boy» sign somewhere when I looked up from my plate. Inexcusable!
Apparently, the Croque Monsieur was passable but nothing to write home about.
And the pomme frites? Once again, they came out of the kitchen cold, were so short and stubby as to be impossible to dip into ketchup, and the portion was very small.
The cinnamon roll, two of them, for $ 5 (not an outrageous amount I admit except they purported to be homemade or delicious or special) was tiny, had fake, pre-​drizzled glaze, and seemed to have come from a box. A BOX!!! COME TO AQUITAINE, look rich, sit with your rich neighbors and EAT ENTENMANN’S BAKED GOODS FROM A BOX!!! You have to spend your money somewhere, right? Okay, so maybe they came from a freezer. YUM!
I suspect most patrons have a case of Emperor’s New Clothes Syndrome.
Also, what’s with the non-​entry at the back door. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE? We parked in back and had to walk all the way around. Can you say «unwelcoming?»
The whole plaza smacks of a mismanaged opportunity. It’s not easy to get around, not intuitive on foot, the stores and restaurants are confused and unwelcoming in what they seem to want to present.
Lots of luck that this won’t be the next trend in Dead Malls. And so our sick culture marches forward…
Dang I wish I had a photo of those rolls so I could show you.

Not all Aquitaine restaurants are created equal…
I’m generous with my 3-​star rating for Aquitaine in Dedham. That restaurant is a major disappointment for me. Maybe my rating is generous because I’m a sucker for French bistro food.
So I came here for brunch one Saturday, after realizing that Shake Shack was going to be at least a 30 min wait to order and get food. Aquitaine was quiet, but felt more charming than Dedham. Although I had bad experiences there, I decided to give this one a shot.
I really liked the omelettes here, as they’re large and cooked well. They’re not overcooked but you won’t have a puddle of egg at the end. You get a lot of filling inside. There’s also the prix fixe brunch here as well.
I came recently for Restaurant Week lunch and though it was pretty nice. Overall, the RW menu for this Aquitaine is far more attractive than Dedham. The watercress soup was stronger than I thought and I could really taste the watercress. I liked the consistency of the soup. The wolf-​fish was delicate but flavorful. The lobster nage with the wolf-​fish had lobster taste but didn’t have any trace of lobster at all, so it was more of a sauce.
But the winner of the 3-​course lunch was the lavender crème brûlée. It didn’t taste burnt at all but had a nice caramel flavor. The vanilla cigar cookie was a wonderful accompaniment.
The only disappointment from this lunch was that the restaurant had already ran out of bone marrow appetizer and this was only the second day of RW. That, unfortunately, is poor planning in my book.
Service here is generally professional and polite. This location is so much better than Dedham, but you’ve figured that out already, right?