Le Chat Noir, Washington DC

Just a great place. Good food served hot or cold as appropriate. Better value than the prices charged. Friendly people working hard and creating an enjoyable experience.

Was the most disappointing experience. We paid almost $150 for food that wasn't even decent. The creme brulee was just bad. There was no "creme" about it. It was so thick you could cut it with a knife and it didn't taste good. It's my favorite food ever and I threw it away. And it was tiny for the price. We ordered a $30 steak and it was the smallest little piece of meat with basic soggy fries. My husband got a crepe and it was pathetic. A tiny, messy, mound with Nutella more smeared on the container than in the crepe. If the meal was a quarter of the price it may of been a neutral experience. But a tiny creme brulee that I threw away isn't worth $14.

Owner and help very friendly - food very good beside boullabeise my second choice is beef Borgugnonne. We are lucky to have this restaurant in our neighborhood George

A labour of love and definitively French. Tiny bit crowded in a small space but the food is excellent.

Easily 1 of the worst french restaurant I visited and God knows I ve been to so many since my childhood. I was so excited to try this place but what a waste of time. I ordered the smoked salmon and they brought 2 minuscule.tiny pieces of salmon (16 $ btw). The server (a young french guy) never came to ask me if I was ok or anything.so I had to waive @ him and with a rude voice he goes WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT TO ORDER.so @ that point of time I got turned off and decided to pay and leave by letting the manager know about the situation (a tall black guy) and he fiercely defended the waiter. No wonder the place was so empty. @ least I know for next time.will probably goto Bistro du coin which I love btw. WORST SERVICE EVER

I had first visited Le Chat Noir about 15 years ago, not long after they opened, and somehow had not made it back until Restaurant Week this year. And I'm glad I came back.

The physical space is pretty small and bareboned. The closeness of the tables reminded me of bistros in Europe. It's not as cozy as it could be, though, which is why I have the ambiance just 4 stars.

There seemed to be only three people working the tables, but they were excellent! Moving so quickly and ensuring everyone had everything they needed. The waiter who served us was French-speaking and happy to hear even a few words of French spoken back at him. He was lovely.

The cocktail and wine menu isn't super long, but all that's offered is superb. I enjoyed my Kir Royal and a glass of French Grenache.

And the food - that's the main reason to come! My husband and I got different things, so we could try two of everything, and were quite impressed with the quality. The Crepe Nana (with Roquefort and pear) was very unusual and very tasty. The pate was on par with other good French restaurants in DC. I thoroughly enjoyed my pork medallions, while my husband's steak was also quite good, though maybe not a full 5 (more like a solid 4). And both of the desserts (the profiterole with ice cream and the chocolate mouse) were outstanding.

All this is to say - definitely worth the visit. I personally want to try their brunch next!

I only ordered a creme brulee and a French baguette for delivery, the truth is that it feels authentic, the bread is delicious, hot with butter is out of this world and the creme brule delicious, I will definitely return to eat at the place to try their dishes.

Worst experience ever!

Called to make a reservation, clearly asked as some French restaurants seem picky, if kids are allowed and was advised they are. Arrived to celebrate our wedding anniversary, my husband, myself and our two kids, 2 and 5 years. Sat us on a very tiny table, squeezed in between other tables (very uncomfortable setup), with usual sharp knives and many wine and water glasses setup all over, asked if they kindly remove for kids safety and ordered juice for kids as food is getting ready, took forever just to get the juice, arrived in a wine huge glass, reminded them this was ordered for kids and if they can change to plastic cups, request declined as they have no plastic cups. Not even an attempt to think of any workable alternative by staff. As my kids were thirsty, I asked for water bottles instead, took another long while to bring, by then our little one started crying, my husband headed out to car to bring my little kid’s own water bottle, to be intercepted by a rude tall female (senior with grey hair) asking him to take his family and leave as our kid’s crying was disturbing her. Initially I thought that’s just a grumpy rude senior guest and awaited restaurant management to address the incident, to our shock turned out this was the Owner! Says a ton about customer service at this place if this is the tone from the top! Never ever stepped foot there again, we are diplomats, we were starting our post in DC then, 9 years ago, and it still brings bad memories passing by this place as we live nearby to this date. Made sure never to entertain any of our big groups we host visiting DC there, and spread the word around to our colleagues. Even tease my french colleagues about this horrible experience. Try “La Piquette“ or “ Bistro Lepic”, way way better experiences. What a day! That we still remember the arrant audacious attitude we were served on our first anniversary in the USA todate over 9 years after! I decided not to leave a review then to forget about entire experience but decided given was still remembered to share as an alert to others.

This was one of the worst experience at a French restaurant. We went because of the ratings being so high, but our experience was underwhelming.
1/ we ordered Bordeaux wine but the glass had so much debris towards the end. The server even after noticing the glass didn’t comment
2/ the main reason for going here was for the crepes. The galettes were cold by the time they arrived at our table, and on top of that they put cold vegetables on the side, and pesto on top of the crepes. The food wasn’t delicious by any standards.
3/ we ordered a cheese only crepe. Not only did they add a $1.95 extra for the request, but they charged us full price for it.
We shelled north of $150 for the table but ended having a very disappointing dinner during our last day in DC.

How to go to France without leaving the States. It’s a great location. And always a good idea. Le meilleur restaurant français à DC

The quality of food has deteriorated immensely in the past 2 months. Yesterday I ordered the "special" pan fried cod with quinoua tabouli.the fish was stinking - and the taboul was clearly old. Had to return the dish. Ordered mussels next but they were also quite stale. Extremely disappointing! And the staff's attitude did not help, unfortunately.

Bravo! Love this place. Have ordered a dozen times and been there in person once. What a consistently great, fresh, and flavorful spot. Thank you to le chat.

Great date night spot, doesn’t take reservations and very small. Food was great! Very Parisian:)

Had a great time eating at Le Chat! Food was yummy, and we tried the suzette en flambé which was cool! People watching was also entertaining. Overall great experience and hope to return again soon!

Not only was the food delicious, the customer service was exquisite. The way we were greeted made us feel like family. The owner and manager welcomed us as if we were old friends. The restaurant has a very romantic setting with a lovely terrace to enjoy your meal-especially on a warm, breezy evening. I plan to dine more often and to bring friends! Kudos to Sam and Issa!

Beautiful food that is so delicious! This place has exquisite dinner- we had a three course meal with wine. Kind and thoughtful staff, wonderful owner, and AWE-MAZING chef!

What a bummer of an experience. The food was over-priced, over-cooked, the beer was warm, we weren’t allowed to order bread till we ordered an entrée and they didn’t let us split the check. Everything was centered on convenience for the business and not the customer. Higher prices are fine but when you match the price with the value. I could have gotten a better experience at an Olive Garden for less. That says something. Won’t be back. 2 stars because as far a I could see it was at least clean.

Charming restaurant, excellent service and exquisite food. Our server could not have been more efficient and accommodating.

Delicious food and great service. The wait staff was great and helped us navigate the wheel-chair ramp, and went out of their way to provide desserts that we requested that weren't on the menu. My dad and stepmom have been having dates here for over a decade and have had a number of events here too ️ Can't go wrong with Le Chat Noir!