La Parisienne Bistro and Cafe

This was the world’s oddest experience. Totally five star food and five star service, until the end.
My boyfriend and I went a few weeks ago on a Friday night and we were one of just a few occupied tables, so the servers were super attentive and helpful with making decisions. We decided to split a number of apps and the steak frites, so we could try everything.
The apps are absolute heaven. We had the chips and dip, which were fried crêpe pieces and French onion dip. We also had a pork belly appetizer, which had the most delicious bacon on top. The brussels sprouts were the star of the apps to me. The tangy cheese sauce could be poured on everything and I would be happy. The steak frites were marvelous as well. The steak was cooked perfectly throughout and the brandy sauce was AMAZING. We were so stuffed from our starters that we ended up boxing almost the entire steak.
When it came time to get the bill, that’s where things soured. We told them that we had a Groupon and our waiter snapped. He was so mad that we didn’t show it to him when we sat down, because «it’s in the fine print.» He reassured us had we shown him, we wouldn’t have been given bad service or different food, and they still need to make a living. To me, him saying that means we absolutely would have been given lesser service and food. If you cannot afford to run a Groupon, you really shouldn’t. We felt super uncomfortable and wanted to leave ASAP. I don’t think you should shame a guest for buying a promo you ran.
PS– when I got home, I read the fine print. No where does it say you need to present it when you sit down.

Delicious steak frites but the rudest waitstaff I have ever encountered. After knocking down one of the chairs at our table and not even acknowledging this mistake, the waiter commented that my friend and I were «just eating and running» because we did not order dessert. As much as i enjoyed the food I would not return.

a sandwich and a small crock of onion soup and an iced 28? Way too expensive for what you get. It’s good but not great. But that’s just too much $$ for lunch. We split one sandwich, each had soup and an ice tea. Our waiter was good though.

I cannot say enough wonderful things about the owner and his staff. They have always been very accommodating to me as I have had to plan a number of very large party work dinners. The food is excellent and the service is friendly. I tried duck for the first time here and I really enjoyed it. I’ve also had them make suggestions when one just couldn’t decide what to get and they have never disappointed. Save room for dessert and try one of their delicious sweet crepes!

Excellent service and great food. The escargot was very good. All of the food is extremely fresh and flavorful.

I hate to give such a low rating. The wait staff was good, the lobster bisque was tasty and served hot. The baguette was great. But the meals were sub-​par for the price. The steak was tough and already room temperature. The fries were borderline cold. The split/​braised chicken was borderline cold. For it not being a busy night — we were one of maybe five couples in the restaurant — it seemed our food sat for awhile before it was brought to us.

I would rate it lower than 1 star but it doesn’t have that. On all sites their information is posted on it states the restaurant closes at 9pm. I made my reservation through the open table/​urbanspoon app. When we arrived at the restaurant for our 830 reservation, that had a confirmation number might I add, the doors to the restaurant were locked. The staff was inside as well as relaxing and smoking on the patio area. When I asked if they were closed I was informed that they, «…were having a light night and closed the kitchen and restaurant early». Which is odd, being that I had a reservation for 24 Sep 830pm. One of the waitresses was outside and went into the dining area and spoke with two gentlemen by the bar then came back out. She asked if I had booked on open table. I pulled up my reservation email and confirmation to show her, however, it was not looked at. Instead it was immediately claimed that there was no reservation. Which was again, odd, since I had not informed her of how the reservations were made. She must have had some «sixth sense» about her to know that information. And after driving two hours to make this reservation, we were turned away.
I will not reccomend this bistro, nor will I be making a return visit.

OUI OUI! I have been to Paris, but I’m certainly not an expert on Parisian food. That being said, our meal last night was perfect. Parking was a slight bit of a hassle, but oh so worth it! They just rolled out a new menu this week, so we asked our wonderful server, Jamil, for some suggestions. I ended up ordering the salmon crêpe ($ 19) and the boyfriend order the quail ($ 28). We perused over the wine and beer list. Wines were prices $ 8 and up. Cocktails were $ 12. Beers $ 4 – 5. My boyfriend ordered a Kronenbourg 1664 ($ 5) which he really enjoyed. For dessert we split a dessert crêpe, La Melba ($ 9).
My salmon crêpe was absolutely divine. Spinach, caramelized onions, chevre, roasted tomatoes, and the absolute most heavenly cream sauce complemented the large serving of salmon. Our dessert crêpe was also wonderful, with peaches, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and a wonderful melba sauce. I’m already planning my next opportunity to get another one of those heavenly dessert crepes.
The service from Jamil and Ali showed a true love for what they are doing and a real passion for their restaurant. They certainly took a 4 – 5 star experience and cemented it firmly at 5 star with their hospitality. The restaurant was surprisingly very empty when we went last night, but I definitely recommend people check out this authentic French bistro! Yum.

Stopped in for a quick lunch while walking through downtown.
Grabbed the lobster bisque and some bread and was amazed at how good the soup was! Highly recommend.

Found a groupon for this place and had never heard of it. My boyfriend and I were really excited to try this place mainly for his obsession with crepes! Everything was amazing! My boyfriend got the steak and and the sauce he chose to top it was to die for! We started with the cheese plate and ordered extra bread because everything was so good! I got the crab cake and French Onion soup which was so so so good! We then ended our dinner with sweet crepes! My boyfriend loved them and now that we know this place is there we will for sure be going back for everything! The owner even came over to check on us multiple times and even recommended some wine for me! We loved this place and are so glad we found it and tried it out!

I enjoyed La Parisienne for the first time this week, for lunch. One of the specials was chicken flat bread with pasta salad. It was delicious. I’m not sure, but the flat bread tasted like it was just made. The chicken was cut into big chunks and breaded. The pasta salad had a spicy kick to it, which I liked rather well. The service was fast and the ambiance was nice. I’m anxious to try something else soon.

We went for mothers day and enjoyed the experience. Staff was attentive and friendly on a very busy day! We don’t know what the regular menu has on it as it was a set menu but we will be back to try the crepes that sound delicious.
From the Mother’s Day set menu — Favorites: complimentary biscuits, peppered steak, mash potatoes, virginia hash browns, crème brûlée

Wow… the food was amazing. I had the escargots which were so freaking good. I almost just wanted to drink the garlic butter that it came in… so I just sopped it up with all the yummy baguette slice it came with. Then, I got the garlic and cream moules and frites which were probably the best I’ve had so far. The flavor was unbelievable and I definitely would recommend you try this when you come here. For dessert I had the nutella and banana crêpe with a café au lait which was made by our talented waiter. Had an awesome experience, the service was excellent and the owner was so personal and friendly. I can’t wait to come back!

Had a delicious birthday dinner here in June. I ordered the delectable quail and my boyfriend, the croque madam. Both of our meals were delicious and we were coaxed into ordering the berry crêpe because as our waiter said, «It’s your birthday and you should not have to eat American cake.» My non-​American boyfriend wholeheartedly agreed.

La Parisienne is a quaint little spot located in the downtown area. I go here several times a month for coffee. Before I go into detail with my review I feel the coffee they serve deserves some special attention. It’s the greatest coffee I’ve ever had. This is both pathetic and a revelation. It’s pathetic because I really need to explore this great planet of ours and experience real coffee from the slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa in Hawaii or the Blue Mountains of Jamaica.
Can you imagine freshly roasted Kona coffee beans while vacationing in Hawaii? Yeah, that’s probably a magical cup of Joe that could cure cancer. I’ve had Kona but it’s been so long I almost can’t remember how smooth it is.
Anyway, since we are not going to the Big Island of Hawaii we have to settle for retail coffee brands. The stuff they sell in the United States is floor sweepings mixed with sawdust. You know them as Folgers, Maxwell House, Yuban, and pretty much everything else on the shelf.
The stuff they sell at La Parisienne is imported from Italy. It’s called LavAzza. Branded as Italy’s Favorite Coffee, the company claims that 16 out of 20 million families in Italy choose LavAzza coffee. I will never be able to repay La Parisienne for bestowing upon me this gift of experiencing LavAzza coffee. I have to order a very specific version of LavAzza directly from
. This of course only happens when it’s IN STOCK. Enough about that.
La Parisienne as a lunch spot is a different story. Look, I’m not going to sit here and bad mouth this place. I like the joint and I like the people that work here. Three stars according to Unilocal represent «A-​OK» and I think that’s fitting. I enjoyed my meal and I even attached a picture. My lunch time experiences here are always pleasant. Rachel is always fun to talk to. In closing, hop on by and see for yourself.

Je l’adore ce restaurant! Regarde mon entrée! Sooo good! It tastes as fantastic as it looks. Turkey pot pie soooo good. Ali super friendly!

Yum! — this place is a great lunch spot. I got the L’Alpine salad — the salad was just ever so slightly overdressed, but it was still delicious, affordable, and fresh. I added grilled chicken which was a little dry on the ends, but this was compensated by the fried bits of brie which were AWESOME.
Fast & tasty lunch service? I’ll be back.

simply devine! my family and I decided to come down to Richmond for a weekend getaway and decided to come to La Parisienne for late dessert after a rather big lunch were looking for some place to have dessert. We missed the restaurant and was lost for about 20 min.
Once we entered the bistro our server was really inviting, the overall feel is simple and relaxing. we all ordered sweet crêpes. The owner was really engaging and added to the overall dining experience and gave us good recommendations on what wine to pair and any extra requests we had he was happy to do.
I’ve lived in Europe and our crêpes was the best crêpes we’ve had in a long time since living in the U.S. I the crêpe Melba which was peaches melba and homemade whipped cream. we had a moment of silence around the table, they were so good! simplement délicieuse! We are definitely coming back.

Absolutely love this intimate spot. We went for Christmas 2013 and had a wonderful time.
Water and Moscato wine beverages.
I ordered the Marquis Crab Cake Appetizer: Lump crab meat with arugula and frisèe salad with fresh lime.
Simply amazing!!!
Entrée: Duck (cooked medium)… OMG! Best duck I’ve had in a while. Tender, flavorFULL, juicy. Coupled with Yukon mash potatoes and a sun dried tomato. AMAZING… Hats off to the chef!!!
Dessert: Hazelnut Crème Brulé with poached pears. Chocolate lover’s paradise and a tongue teasing palette cleanser. OMG!!!
YUMMMMMMYYYY!!!
All of this was enjoyed followed by a cappuccino as well as a helpful waiter. Excellent customer service, which I normally except from smaller intimate restaurants. I WILL BE BACK!!!

Agreed, agreed and agreed. Superb service, delicious food (with just that perfect dash of uniqueness), and a delightful, open setting make this French café/​restaurant a perfect place for a fast (or leisurely) sit-​down lunch. Not only does the food arrive within 5min after ordering up front with the cashier, the food is delivered hot right to your table. Plus, the owner/​manager exudes the essence of customer service with his bright smile and helpful demeanor; he even brought over a couple of their housemade ketchups for us to try (delish!). Even a small gesture goes a long way in improving the overall dining experience.
Only issue might be street parking as it’s located downtown, though there is a pay-​by-​hour garage right next to this corner café.
Highly recommended:
Curry chicken sandwich with choice of side ~$ 10 with tax/​tip. It’s a fairly large portion.
— delectable curry mix
— my side: French fries, which had just the right crunch paired with a choice of regular ketchup, curry ketchup, or the slightly spicier dip (has a secret ingredient).
The menu also includes crepes, other sandwiches, soups, salads. I’ll definitely be back to try some more!

This place has the best service ever.
Late for a morning meeting they were closed. Pouted and moved on. But. no. Opened early for us.
Forgot receipts I needed to expense: The owner DELIVERED them to my VA office. Delivered.
And the food was really good two.
If you’re in Richmond, this is the place to go. Some nights, I hear, they have salsa dancing too!