Cafe Boulud

Terrible service from the start. I had to ask the bartender for the hostess after a 10 minute wait and he eventually seated us in her absence. From there it took approx. 15 more minutes for a waiter to take our drink order which arrived after another 15 minutes. My wife ordered the Dover sole but was told they ran out. The pork which I ordered medium came out screaming rare. Pork! I have dined in NYC at Boulud on two occasions and have enjoyed both evenings. The Palm Beach restaurant however, is a ship without a captain. My strong suggestion is to stay away.

It had been a few years since I have dined here and I was looking so forward to going back. I was hugely disappointed! The service was abysmal, with some of the rudest, snobbiest waiters I have ever encountered. A few mistakes were made with our order, and no apology offered. More like eye rolls and annoyance. Food was good and well presented, but with such horrific service I will never go back.

Went here for brunch and loved it. I love to cook so naturally I’m a total foodie. The presentation was beautiful! My husband and I had the carpaccio of beef, butternut squash veloute, duo of steak, and the spinach and leek quiche. For dessert we both got the key lime tart. My faves – the butternut squash veloute and the carpaccio of beef, but everything was truly exceptional. You can definitely taste the quality and art that goes into creating the dishes. Also, I like that the portion sizes were not overwhelming. Granted, we were stuffed since we did the prix fixe brunch and it was a lot of food for sure. Totally incredible.

Disgraceful how my girlfriend and I were treated last night for dinner. It took one and a half hours for them to bring us our entrees, that is NOT a misprint! and we had a 7:15 reservation… they tried to make amends by not charging us for the two entrees we had, kind of an insult… a classy place would have picked up that our food was taking FOREVER to come out, even the waiter came over to our table and said «what is taking so long’ LOL
At the end of the day, the food portions (hardly any on the plate) were a joke for the prices… they must think everyone is stupid on the island… also the arrogant maître (a young kid) found it stressful to reassign us a different table.
All in all, they should be ashamed!

Great atmosphere in a newly redone restaurant with noise reducer furniture a and carpets, great service beside the bus boys forgetting to give you a refill of bread, good food but for the price, you would have a better meal, higher quality, and less expensive at La Cigale. Let’s face it, $ 550 for six people is a bit much!

Was there for breakfast with a few guys today and think that it’s the best place in town for a breakfast meeting.
For dinner, we prefer the garden which is gorgeous but, on occasion, have dinner indoors. Last time we were there they didn’t serve outdoors for some reason. We were surprised that our server was second rate and Dale’s risotto was inedible… soupy and filled with greens… she didn’t eat more than a few bites and when the waiter came to the table at the end of our meal and asked how we liked everything she told him. He was taken aback and offered to replace even though everyone had finished eating. I had to suggest that he might consider taking it off the check, which he did.

This is a 3 star/​5 star review with a skew toward the 3 star side. Most of the food was 5 star while the service and atmosphere was more on the 3 star side.
First, the food — everything I had, for the most part, was excellent. The amouse bouche was not that good. That worried me. But it got better as we went along. My mushroom velouté was great. My steak frites was outstanding. The cheese tray dessert was really good. My wife’s foie gras was average and she liked her Dover Sole but it didn’t amaze.
While our service was okay our waiter was exceptionally awkward. He was trying, we just didn’t connect. There were periods of inactivity and after a 2 hour meal and him knowing we had called a cab, he informed us that within 20 minutes, if we were still there, he would have something amazing for us. What? Why 20 minutes after we’re already done? Given all the awkwardness of our encounter, this just sealed the deal.
The atmosphere was fine. When we sat down, the hostess removed a small bowl on the ground that was either used for catching a water leak or it was for the cat. Either one was not a pleasant thought to think about during our meal.
Slightly upturned face for experience. Smiley face for my food.

I do love this place. It’s located in a lovely boutique hotel (Brazilian Court) and has been recently remodeled. The service has always been top notch as is the food. Very classy, big Palm Beach scene. You see most people dressed very well for dinner, but there are some who come casual. You can also eat outside on the patio or at the bar. Lively place, expensive. I go several times a year. Good place for brunch on a sunny day.

Visited this past week because I wanted to check out the remodel and the space looks much better with the new bar although they have dining tables very close to the bar and very close together. That said my friend and I were one of the few people at the bar, I believe there were 3 other people besides us so not at all busy. That said the service was horrible and took forever, we were ignored most of the time. The salad I ordered was ok but nothing special and the pasta dish I ordered was very dry and bland. The menu was pretty limited. Both the service and food fell way below expectations. It’s not what I would expect from a Boulud establishment and especially at that price point.

We usually go to Café Boulud every year around the holidays as a treat. In the past food and service has been excellent. This year it was disappointing. Our friends ordered an ounce of caviar and it came with soggy bread and few accompaniments. I ordered pork chops which were very good but my wife ordered the rack of lamb it was almost raw. The waiter served the entrees to the wrong people. The coffee tasted terrible and the bill was incorrect with items we did not order on it.
For a dinner that cost almost $ 150 per person with one drink per person and tip it was not worth it.

I have eaten at 3 of Daniel Boulud’s restaurants, one in Palm Beach and 2 in NYC. Daniel in NYC is one outstanding restaurant. Café Boulud in Palm Beach County is my favorite place in the area.

As a longtime resident of Palm Beach and a regular patron of Café Boulud, I wanted to share with you the most disappointing evening we had on Saturday evening as clearly it was not up to Daniel Boulud standards by any means.
We arrived for our 7PM reservation to find the restaurant mostly empty and were promptly seated. Drink orders were placed but failed to arrive in a timely manner. Our waiter, a charming young man, asked twice for our appetizer orders before we ever received our drinks. We had to request bread and butter, usually offered immediately and always delicious. However on Saturday evening it was stale and hard as a rock. When this was brought to bread servers’ attention, we were told in a dismissive way «it’s all the same».
Our order of Parmesan Risotto with truffles arrived luke warm and a pile of glop – this is the only way to describe risotto with the consistency of wallpaper paste. Dover Sole, a house staple that we’ve ordered many times, arrived after a prolonged wait. I had finished my cocktail, and twice had to ask for a glass of wine which finally arrived after the sole was being prepped. No one asked if we wanted another cocktail so our glasses sat empty. The prep of the sole was a complete failure. The server took so long to prepare the fish under the A/​C duct that it was completely cold – even the butter sauce was cold, along with the sautéed greens and plain rice (not basmati as advertised). The fish was so cold we sent it back – however, reheating dover sole destroys the delicate fish so we were left with a warm mushy fish.
As if the meal couldn’t have gotten worse, it seems like the pastry chef also took the night off! Our waiter failed to mention the special Maple Pecan Soufflé earlier in the meal as we would have ordered that but at this point, didn’t want to wait another 20 minutes since it should have been preordered. Nothing exciting, one chocolate selection and very mundane choices. Lastly, we specifically requested decaffeinated espresso to end our meal. When we were both awake at 2:30AM, it was apparent that we were not served decaf.
Lastly, the lack of interest in hearing this kind of complaint from a regular customer was apparent when the Maitre D’ Martial Tilan heard every detail of this horrific meal and service, gave me his card and said «call me next time».
At this price point and level of competition in Palm Beach, I expected more from Café Boulud. I’ve just reconsidered our plans of bringing our whole family there for New Years Eve

Overall I had a wonderful experience. My husband chose the restaurant so I did not know beforehand where we were headed. Of course, I would have worn a different dress but I was thinking we were dining outside and I wanted to be prepared for humidity. I love Palm Beach– anytime you are fortunate to experience the nightlife and/​dining it is always nice. The ambience was classy and there was no wait time, as we had reservations so we were seated right away.
Reception was nice, friendly and surprisingly not uppity. Judging by the number of Rolls & Bentleys you would have thought it would be. Our waiter was a fine example of that, unfortunately I forgot his name, but he was very nice and sophisticated and had great timing. (All are important to me.)
The dining room was beautiful, very nice and private. Another couple was seated closely but the acoustics were great, you could talk without it being overheard and you don’t hear others speak. That’s important when you dine, at least for me. I don’t like children at fine dining– and I’m pleased that there were none. (I don’t dislike children but I don’t think they should be apart of every grown-​up experience.) The lighting was not too harsh (I dislike bright bulbs above your table, blinding and you feel like you’re at Chili’s– thankfully this place did not have that.)
My only gripe was the music when we first were seated and for the first half hour. It was anxiety provoking, akin to elevator music with repeating sounds that were irritating. I asked that it be turned down, but the man that poured the water didn’t understand me so I dropped it. I understand the speaker was above us and the intent was for privacy. Eventually it changed to something less annoying. I think French music would be nice, something soft and less avant garde.
The food: I ordered a strip-​tenderloin and potatoes au gratin came with the plate. The presentation was nice– not over the top, and overall the food was delicious. My only true criticism was the salt content was too high for my liking. But, I’m on a no-​added, low sodium diet because I’m a kidney donor candidate. So, for me it was a bit much and I was surprised a place like this would not consider the sodium content. I will say my desert, an upside down cake and a spoonful of ice cream was delicious. The complimentary meringue puffs were wonderful. Also, they brought out a mango-​passion flower brûlée with ‘Happy Anniversary’ written on the plate. That was a very sweet touch. And, I like that not too much attention was directed our way. I don’t wish to celebrate with the entire restaurant so this was more of a reason to love this place.
Overall, I would recommend this restaurant if you are searching for a romantic, fine dining experience. I don’t like to eat out all the time because I eat very healthy at home, but for a special occasion or perhaps to take friends that are visiting, this is a nice go-​to place.

I would love to give five stars, but our reception from newbie manager, Jayson, was less than stellar, in fact, he was quite dismissive. An 80’s attitude that will likely not be tolerated when the snowbirds come back for the Winter.
That said, the renovations are perfect and were, in this reviewers opinion, much needed. The bar is, in a word, amazing. And the young bartenders are on top of and welcoming of old favorites of a by-​gone era provoking a new revival of such classics as an Old Fashioned and a SideCar. The scotch selection is what is to be expected of such a refined restaurant.
Things may never be the same as they once were when Andrew was in charge, but all things evolve. Service in the dining area (outside) was not as on point as it once was, but this should improve as the new season starts.
The food is always well-​seasoned and the selection from the prix fixe menu to al la carte offers a wide variety for all diets including vegan, paleo and gluten-​free.
From what I see, improvements have been made and are welcomed, but a few things (and attitudes) need tweaking a bit before I can rate this a full five stars.

This has to be in my top 5 restaurant trips ever, and we eat out ALOT.
Yes, the food here is a little pricey, but the service, atmosphere, drinks and amazing food make up for that 100 fold.
My wife and I came here for dinner and dined outside in the garden. It felt like we were taken to another country, it was serene yet exciting at the same time.
We started with 2 different types of pâté, both were amazing. The entrees we had were also spot on. For desert we had the chefs lemon dough balls which were simply awesome and perfectly seasoned.

This is easily a top five restaurant in all of Palm Beach. First the hotel and courtyard are worth the visit. Everything is spotless. The service and food at Café Boulud are the best you will find. From the hostess to the wait staff everyone is accommodating. The short ribs, snapper, dessert, and lemon pastries are all outstanding. Simply the best place to eat by far.

Took my parents for 53^rd anniversary lunch yesterday… what a «lovely» afternoon! A beautiful meal, charming, professional yet unassuming staff. The best was in spite of what could have been a snotty, overblown experience, instead this gorgeous meal handled with no airs, not a shred of pretense! Just lovely… from the Froie-​grois, killer «pork belly burger», bouillabaisse & to the breathtaking desserts…(incredible grapefruit sorbet), we working artists had the most beautiful day! Can’t wait to make this a regular destination! Thank you!
(PS– awesome vegetarian options… not just the «side order» nonsense!)

This is a great spot. If you can get the back room. It is very classy and the food was incredible.
I will Def go back.
If you want to have some good upscale night on Palm Beach this is a great place to find yourself.

Just ate there a bit ago and the service and food was impeccable!
For starters, they have 2 hour free parking directly across the street that offers plenty of shade from the beautiful palm trees that line the street. The restaurant itself is beautiful as well. The lighting is great and very relaxing. And everyone there wears a smile!
Now let’s move on to the food! I started off with the chilled pea soup that had the texture of an espresso but it had bacon and peas and a bit of bread crumbs. It was marvelous. All those flavors suited eachother well. Next I had the tomato salad which was personally my favorite on a warm day like today. The tomatoes were chilled and the cheese that was on it was perfect.
Soon after I got my pasta and it was honestly the best pasta I’ve ever had. The pasta was just right. The sauce was creamy (but not too creamy) in texture and the fish in it was fresh!
I also tried the swordfish in a curry sauce and that was my absolute favorite. The swordfish was tender and it melted in your mouth. So yummy and the curry sauce and rice really tied it all perfectly together.
Don’t even get me started on the delicious pastries. I had the pistachio and chocolate mousse cake and the key lime pie. I wish I had more room in my tummy for more because they have an extensive dessert list. I hope to come back again soon. This time with an empty belly!

Great restaurant, great food, great service, great location, great ambiance.
Everything about this restaurant was great. Being a vegetarian there were many things to choose from– thank God!!! I had the gnocchi and my husband had the sheepshead fish– similar to a snapper fish– very light and flaky. On top of everything we had some chickpea side dish that was out of this world a must get!!!
We will definitely be back here again!!!