Le Bouchon

Closed? Ugh, I loved this place. Completely authentic as a small french restaurant, proprietor working in the kitchen and staff out front. His refusal sell anything but french beers was a bit annoying at times but respected his right to do that.
Really hope to hear that he resurfaces somewhere soon, maybe in a less high rent area.

This is authentic, hearty French food, with a lovely overlay of Influences from Lyon, one of France’s premier gastronomic cities. The onion soup was rich and delicious, and our main courses were just as delicious: pork loin and beef tenders. The food is «as it should be», neither too fussy and sparse, nor too rich (although it was rich, it wasn’t TOO rich). The proprietor came out and chatted with us for a while in French and English. She is absolutely charming. The décor is simple and pleasant, the «vibe» real and and welcoming. Order off the «daily specials» chalkboard menu, as in France. This place really is a little piece of wonderful France. Thank you! We’ll be back and I highly recommend!

The service was excellent. Our server took time to explain each item on the Chef Special board. The restaurant is small and cute. I ordered the duck breast which is so delicious. My husband ordered a rib eye steak with a very flavorful red wine sauce. We also tried lobster bisque and French onion soup, and they are amazing too. Our server was super sweet and attentive. The overall experience is just superb.

Escargot are truly delicious.
Evening’s Specials were tempting curve balls.
Duck Breast and Cassoulet were beautifully prepared and presented.
Crème Brulee and French Cheesecake (sans crust and fruit) were delightful.
A nice variety of French wines and a full bar are available.
Service was friendly, knowledgeable, and attentive.
Andy Gregg,
Vancouver, WA

Lamb shank was insane. Not to mention service was amazing. This place is a must go to for traditional French cuisine and for any foodie in Portland.

A lovely restaurant with classic French fare. The atmosphere is what you’d expect from a small, intimate spot — as though you’re well known and on a first name basis with everyone.
The beet salad and house salad are delicious. The daily menu board with changing dishes makes for an enjoyable meal

We’ve been walking past this little French restaurant and have been meaning to try their happy hour.
If you make it here for the happy hour you won’t get the prime window seating because that’s saved for the dinner guests — but I didn’t mind the little table we had next to the bar.
They have a great deal for happy hour. We loved the escargot so much we had to order seconds. It’s buttery and garlicky goodness that comes out piping hot on a ceramic escargot dish.

My husband and I celebrated our 27^th anniversary this month, and went here for the first time.
I ordered some simple classics — onion soup and the chicken in a garlic cream sauce with truffles — mostly because a French chef once told me «if a chef can’t master chicken, they don’t deserve your business.» The soup was vivid and complex, the chicken creamy, unctious — in a word, masterful.
Remember that climactic scene in «Ratatouille» when the food critic bites into the dish and his entire childhood flashes before him and surrounds him in a cloud of love and contentment?
That is the chicken at Le Bouchon.
I told my husband (who was engrossed in his duck) «I win.»
My husband gave me a bite of the duck, and I was forced to say «Okay. We both win.»
The service was friendly, warm, and attentive.
We were mystified that we were only one of four couples there at 8:30 on a Saturday night, but we loved the romantic atmosphere and quiet, capable attention.
I do hesitate to give this place such a high rating since we feel selfish and do not want to have to wait for a table in the future, but fair is fair. This place is wonderful.
We left feeling very full, and so will skip the pâté next time, which was perhaps too «subtle» for us. The soup was generous enough to be its own meal. How we managed to eat the entrees after is testament to just how delicious the food was.
For out-​of-​state guests, we will now be skipping the impossibly loud, stressed, tourist-​traps like Huber’s, whose menu seems even more expensive in comparison. This place is our new «go to» for casual, comfortable, leisurely conversation and extraordinary food that makes you happy to be human.

Clean, quaint, aesthetically pleasing! Great quiet atmosphere for good sit down conversation. Very classy overall. This was the first time I’ve ever had escargot and it was a wonderful experience, the garlic basal pesto they were in was tasty as well. I would recommend the scallops for sure too. Hope to go back again soon.

I was excited to experience a French restaurant in Portland! I travel extensively, so I enjoy good food with my family when I am home. I read the reviews on Le Bouchon, had perused their menu, and was looking forward to a great experience.
My first clue that it may be less than expected was when I noticed as we entered the restaurant at 7PM on a Saturday night that it wasn’t packed. The 2^nd clue was when we were served French bread that was equal to the quality of something you would purchase from a Safeway bakery. Third clue was that the butter was served in packets. I would expect something more upscale from a French restaurant that is moderately priced. My niece had the pork. She said it was delicious. My nephew and I both had the chicken. It was very watery and the texture was tough/​rubbery. Our potatoes were lukewarm at best. The only thing that was truly hot was the plate itself, and the vegetables. My nephew ate his, so we didn’t complain about his, but I took a bite or two and was going to send it back.
The server did not return to the table until my niece and nephew had finished their meals. (Side note: I want to be fair to her. I have a feeling she was either new, or completely swamped.) I told her my meal was not up to par, and she apologized, and took it back to the chef. A few minutes later she came back and let me know they would take it off my bill. Even so, it was a $ 76 lesson (before tip) to learn that Le Bouchon is a very disappointing experience. I work in hospitality management, so I always want to be fair, but honest in my reviews. I would like to think we caught them on an «off» night, but some of the other clues I mentioned above tell me this may be a has-​been that has gone downhill.

Le Bouchon is very much like a favorite French countryside café, with traditional foods like mussels and duck confit. The lunches are a bargain and it looks like the chef prepares or supervises food prep himself, so things are nicely cooked and seasoned. The pace of service is very French, which I enjoy, and you will not feel rushed. The only difference I find might be how friendly the servers and chef are. They are really welcoming and care that you enjoy your meal.
I appreciate the casual feel and the variety of choices and the prices but if you are looking for a more formal feel you might be disappointed. I don’t come as often as I might because I generally prefer smaller, lighter meals, but I think Le Bouchon is a terrific and authentic French café and I enjoy dining here.
The portions are generous, and I’m going to need to come just for dessert and coffee because I haven’t had room to try the apple tatin, a favorite dish, and I have heard it is amazing.

OMG… DELICIOUS!!! Le Bouchon has been in Portland for many years, but I’d never gone, thinking it was too expensive. I finally had the chance to take a client to lunch, and thought it would be the perfect time to try Le Bouchon. IT WAS SO DELICIOUS!!! I’ll be back all the time now! It was affordable, and comparable to all other lunch opportunities in the area. It was delicious. Asparagus soup, chicken salad, linguine with vegetables, were all created and served to perfection. Saying it’s basic French food does not do it justice. It’s perfectly prepared, delicious, French food. Absolutely loved the smaller, French-​inspired, atmosphere, the waiter, and the food. C’est magnifique!

Had a wonderful lunch at Le Bouchon yesterday. I had the vegetarian dish (Pates rive gauche) which was amazing. Lots of veggies over linguini with a sauce that was to die for. My husband had the beef special which he inhaled and loved so much. We can’t wait to go back for the cassoulet. I loved the cozy atmosphere of this place and really enjoyed chatting with the owner, a lovely woman from Leon France.

Good, not great French food.
We had a hankering for French food and had never tried this place before so we decided to give it a shot.
The restaurant is tiny, maybe 25 covers.
Ambiance could be a bit better. Too bright and vinyl table cloths. Paper towels instead of cloth napkins.
Our server was great. She picked us out a great bottle of wine and new the menu well.
I had the beef tenderloin and my wife had the pork medallion.
Both were good, but nothing special. A little bland.
My escargot was good and my wife’s romaine salad was mediocre.
With all of the excellent food in Portland, I can’t come up with a good reason to eat at Le Bouchon twice.

Pretty good food here. Really enjoyed the duck and the dessert, but I’m a bit of a pâté snob having had the most wonderful tasting pâté-​en-​croute in Lyon, so the pâté was okay as was the Beaujolais. Bit who an I kidding for anywhere in the States, this is pretty darn good.
The service was fantastic. The waitress paid enough attention so I didn’t feel like I had to hunt her down for anything but also didn’t come up to me every 5 minutes either. And the atmosphere inside the restaurant is very Casual, just with a slight French twist; a nice place to chill and relax and enjoy a meal.
All in all I had a great experience here and if I actually lived in Portland, is make this a default go-​to place.

The food here was amazing! The escargot was the best I’ve ever had, so tender. The pâté was more of a country style than creamy which I personally like. I also had the duck confit which was so very good. My wife had the ribeye and it was also stellar. We were both super pleased we chose this place for our first wedding anniversary. Our one very minor complaint was the bread and butter, we kind of expected a bit better quality from a French restaurant, however it’s such a minor thing. I believe this place truly deserves five stars. The waitress was so nice and helpful she seemed very on top of things and suggested a wonderful dessert that was meringue floating in crème anglaise. All the people there from our waitress to the owner to the cooks made our experience wonderful!

A place where you can take a bit of attitude and have a great time and wonderful meal. The owner was our server and he made for a fun, tasty evening. Two of our group had duck (prepared two different ways) and both were great. One had beef that might have been the star of the evening and my fish was excellent. Nice wine list, plenty to choose from and not too expensive.
Service was well paced but don’t expect to dine and dash. Complaints, we didn’t have any.

My wife and I went for the Valentine’s Day Prix Fixe meal. It was really pretty good! Service was great, but slow because it was so very busy in there. I haven’t been to France, but this felt very authentic! We pretty much split the menu between the two of us. Cauliflower soup, a basic salad, chicken live patte, seafood pastry, thinly sliced steak, roast quail, chocolate cake for dessert. Nothing blew me away, but most of it was stuff I’d never tasted before. It felt definitely like being in a different country– nothing overly familiar on the menu, combinations I wouldn’t have ever tried. However, the food was all a little… subdued? A little bland, perhaps.
Anyway, if you love French food, this place is worth a try. Many of the customers were saying things like «it’s just like being in Paris.»
I think, all-​in-​all, you should go if you want to feel like you’re at an authentic restaurant in France. Even without having gone there (or maybe because of that), I definitely felt that mix of wonder and discomfort that comes from being in a foreign country, where everything is just a little different than I’m used to.

Fabulous!
My husband surprised me with dinner New Year’s Eve and they did not disappoint. I’ve been dying to try a French restaurant here, especially with escargot.
It was a little upsetting that the menu was prix fix, but oh well. Even though it wasn’t on the menu they brought us out escargot. It was delicious!
I wasn’t fond of every course, but my husband loved them all, and each course was the perfect amount. We were stuffed!
Lastly, the owner and staff were so great, and had such wonderful personalities. They made the experience that much better.
We will definitely be back on a normal menu night. :-)

This has quickly become one of my favorite places for happy hour! Yes I said it-​they have an awesome happy hour. I love sitting at the bar and talking to the staff and watching the chefs cook while I enjoy conversation and strong cocktails. I love that the food here is real French-​not overly fussy but done right so you know it’s French. I always feel like I’m going to go hang out at my French best friends house who also happens to be a great cook and has awesome wines.
Sit at the bar and enjoy happy hour! Service is on point too. I have no complaints.