Bizou

French restaurant · Charlottesville

Bizou

French restaurant · Charlottesville

1

119 W Main St, Charlottesville, VA 22902

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Highlights

In a charming former diner with plaza seating, this spot serves up classic comfort food and modern Southern delights, perfect for a cozy meal out.  

Featured in Eater
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119 W Main St, Charlottesville, VA 22902 Get directions

bizoudowntown.com
@bizoumain

$$$$$$ · Menu

Reserve

Information

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119 W Main St, Charlottesville, VA 22902 Get directions

+1 434 977 1818
bizoudowntown.com
@bizoumain

$$$$$$ · Menu

Reserve

Features

dine in
takeout
delivery
payment credit card
Tap to pay
reservations
wifi
outdoor seating

Last updated

Jul 10, 2025

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@eater

"Bizou is well loved for serving up locally-sourced comfort food in diner digs on the Downtown Mall. While both lunch and dinner are remarkable in their own right, if you only get one meal at Bizou, make it brunch, where dishes like spanikopita quiche and birria biscuits show off the creativity of the culinary team, lead by owners Vincent Derquenne and Tim Burgess. Visit sister restaurant Bang! for clever cocktails and Asian street foods." - Stephanie Ganz, Tim Ebner

The Best Restaurants for Dining Out in Charlottesville, Virginia - Eater DC
View Postcard for Bizou

Michael Reed

Google
I had the short rib lasagna, very tasty and packed with meat. My wife took the safe, uninteresting route with the salmon. She wishes she had the lasagna. Very good food. They squeezed us in without a reservation and we made it to our movie on time.

Justin Nguyen-Le

Google
Servers were all very polite and hospitable. The atmosphere was mellow with dim lighting. BUT THE FOOD THO. THE FOOD WAS STUPENDOUS. The short rib croquettes, the duck ravioli, the scallop seasonal special, the creme brulee! The short rib croquettes and their crunchy exterior when you bite into it, the creamy and soft short ribs interior dipped into the rich and creamy hint of mustard SAuce. Exquisite. The duck ravioli was full of flavor, perfectly cooked al dente ravioli, so good. Touched my tralala. The scallop had a very nice grilled flavor, there was so much different flavor in one dish. Like the autumn leaves. The pumpkin slices, to the carrots, to whatever was in there. I don't even know where they get their olive oil. That was such a smooth and fruity flavor. The creme brulee was a nice finisher. I would love to go back.

S. Chen

Google
Splendid French style dishes. • autumn squash tart absolutely exquisite. Fall in a bite, roasted cinnamony squash, buttery crisp and rich tart, pumpkin seed texture pop, & matchless goat cheese yogurt sauce with hint of sweetness and basil garnish. • tuna tartare with minty green sauce and sweet sour soy glaze, fresh tuna, & crispy wonton fried strips for dipping and crunch texture. • confit duck ravioli with generous richly flavorful sauce, garlic pesto, basil, goat cheese yogurt drizzle. Succulent duck in al dente ravioli pasta. Restaurant floorplan a bit narrow feeling, service can be a bit rushed and desultory by some of the staff but attentive and great by others. Superb food.

Jason

Google
The roasted beet salad was flavorful but would have liked more beets, the apple took over. NY strip frites were really good...steak a little under-seasoned, chimichurri was excellent.

Charlotte

Google
Vegetarian options and all the servers work together as a team. Even the bartender came to ask exactly how the cocktails are desired. I would like more than one napkin but hey the food was amazing. Very quaint place.

J. G.

Google
This restaurant has been around a long time, and when I come back to Charlottesville for work purposes, I always try to make a trip here for dinner. The service is always good and the food is excellent, and I swear it's gotten better recently. The duck confit ravioli and the steak and frites are definitely a must try. Please give this place a try if you're in town, I'm looking forward to my next meal here.

Jonathan Plum

Google
I was driving through the area and after a little google search, I decided to eat at Bizou. I was really excited to eat here after seeing the countless reviews stating how amazing the food was. Upon walking in, I was greeted by one of the cooks who seemed very friendly. I walked up to the wait for a host sign and proceeded to wait…for approx 4 minutes. The restaurant had only 2 people sitting at the bar and it was notably not very busy for a popular restaurant at this time of day. Finally a very young blonde man walked up to me and instead of saying hi or giving any type of greeting, asks if I have a reservation with a hint of irritation in his voice. I tell him I don’t which was obviously a gamble on a Sunday. He walks away without saying a word towards the dining room. He promptly returns and says we have no tables but I can go to the bar, and then turns around and walks away. Welcome to Bizou! I should have walked out but had driven down from DC and was hungry so I took the seat. It would be 5 minutes before someone would give me a menu which happened to be the guy who “greeted me”. He says here’s a menu and silverware and walks off. Irritated and having never visited Charlottesville before, I start to google other restaurants around me. FINALLY, a waitress comes over. Things proceed as normal from this point on. I got soup, a bacon egg and cheese sandwich and a soda…for $30. The sandwich was phenomenal. The soup was meh. I noticed everyone was greeted in the same manner…do you have a reservation. Never a hello. Welcome. Nothing. I highly suggest the restaurant either provide better training or get someone who actually cares about the job. The weirdest thing that happened was when a man walked in asking to place a carry out order and the same host had no clue what to do or if they even allowed that. So I started thinking, well maybe he’s brand new and nervous. So the customer walks over to the waitress to ask her…and she also has no clue if they have take out. The man starts laughing because it’s so absurd these 2 people have no idea. Anyway, I’d return only if I could get take out since the host was so rude…maybe they will have an answer by then. 🤷🏼‍♂️

Hanh Nguyen

Google
Short rib croquettes, duck ravioli, and seared scallop are fantastic. 👍

Steve M.

Yelp
Great restaurant on the pedestrian mall. We just walked in. The staff was friendly and nice and the food was excellent. Tried 4 different entrees and all would be ordered again

Caroline G.

Yelp
I appreciated the very warm service we got at Bizou when we went for an early lunch this week. The food we had was tasty southern fare, and I especially enjoyed the buttermilk biscuit. It made me laugh that their iced tea can be ordered sweet or "Northern."

Maryann C.

Yelp
I never got to try Bizou while I attended UVA, so when my friend and I went back for a visit, this was high on our list to try! The atmosphere inside is a little bit dim and not super spacious, but it's a nice place for a date or a higher end dinner. We both got a drink and I got the pan seared salmon. We both enjoyed our dishes and drinks, just nothing super extraordinary. Our service was just fine as well and the prices were about what we'd expect for downtown Charlottesville.

Courtney T.

Yelp
After reading a few food blogs. E decided to try Bizou as we are new to the area. It's a pretty small restaurants that feels very cozy as the seating area is in the back. Our server was very prompt with taking our order and the food did not take very long to come out. I ordered the shrimp and grits which was different than the normal presentation. I had asked the server if the mushrooms in the dish were larger or small since I'm not a huge fan of them. He told me they were small slivers but when the dish came out there were very large chunks. The beef ragu gnocchi was good but not great. The beef was very tender, but the fried gnocchi did not taste like gnocchi to us. They were more like unflavored large fried mashed potato bites. We're glad we tried it but most likely would rather try some other restaurants in the area instead of returning.

Elizabeth D.

Yelp
We sat out on Bizou's patio in the middle of the downtown mall for an afternoon drink - great location! The beer selection was pretty limited, but the prices were good. My husband's drink seemed to have some kind of sediment floating in it - but it wasn't a big enough issue for him to send it back. The service was pretty good, too - friendly staff that were fairly attentive. Definitely got the job done as a nice happy hour spot!

Emma E.

Yelp
I went here a few years ago and the food and service were significantly better 5+ years ago. For a place that's been in cville for 30 years, I am disappointed with how much they've let their service and food slip. We came in for restaurant week and the inside of the restaurant is really cute, it is an old diner converted into a nicer restaurant. We ordered the mussels & frites to start along with the lamb croquettes. Both of the apps came out within about 10 mins of us sitting which was VERY fast. The other 4 tables in the restaurant were either on apps or on their entrees so it wasn't too busy. Both apps were very good, I would eat both again. The croquettes were the standout, 5/5. The mussels were fine, 3/5 - not the freshest or largest I've had and the fries were machine cut probably pre frozen. For entrees we ran into issues. Despite the quick service for the appetizers, we watched the 4 tables around us go from course to course with no change or any word from our server. After about 45 minutes of waiting around, all 4 tables cleared out and we were the only ones left. They had 3 people working the line and about 6 servers/hosts, so I was shocked our food took this long. We ordered the steak and chicken gnocchi so i understand steak takes a bit but this was outrageously long. One of the servers actually came and awkwardly dropped us off menus and apologized that we had been seated and no one checked on us... this was more awkward when he realized we already had our apps and we were waiting for the entrees to come out. He grabbed the menus and ran off and provided us no update with how long our food would take. When the food came it was clear it had been forgotten. The chicken piccata was fried and cold, and the chicken itself was hard and stringy. It was almost all breading. The gnocchi was awful, it was homemade but tasted like balls of mashed potato with no seasoning. Our server gave us a heads up the dish would be lemony but this was the only discernible flavor. Very bland and boring. My boyfriends steak was the total opposite. Very well seasoned and well cooked and the potatoes were delicious as were the Brussels. He actually used to manage a restaurant and he said the steak was actually really good. It came medium rare but you could tell it sat under their warmer for way too long, the edges had dried out in the time it had sat. But overall it was a solid entree. The desserts came out after a bit of a wait and were uninspiring. The stone fruit hand pie was basically just unseasoned peaches inside plain pastry dough with a cream sauce. Put some cinnamon or cloves in there, please!!! The grilled banana bread tasted freezer burned and looked like it had been cooked then stored cold then reheated. It was very dry. Both were edible but below expectations. We spent $115 for a 3 course meal for 2 with tax and tip included and it was not worth it. Cville has an abundance of good restaurants, specifically with this style of offerings, and Bizou did not live up to expectations. If you want similar options but better quality, try Orzo, the Ridley, Mockingbird, or any of the endless upscale American eateries in the area. Almost all do a better job than Bizou.

Angela S.

Yelp
We are from Austin, TX and come to Charlottesville a couple times a year. We come here every time. Very cute inside the restaurant or you can eat outside on the mall.

Allie S.

Yelp
Yum! We stopped by after driving back in from VA beach for brunch. Not sure if the brunch menu changes, but i had the banana bread French toast - WOW. So fresh & decadent, but not too rich, was able to polish off the whole thing. Loved the fruit on the sides! Our server was attentive & sweet. The place itself is a little confusing when you first come in because it is a tight area and the indoor seating & bathroom is in the very back & kinda hard to see, but it's a vibe once you get used to it. So good!

Bri J.

Yelp
Came in August with 2 friends who love this place. Service was really great -- very thoughtful waitress. I totally enjoyed my meal, even though it took a little longer for it to arrive (because they had forgotten i ordered it without something). Prices were a little spendy, but worth it for high quality. We ate outside, which was comfortable.

Annaliese M.

Yelp
I visited Bizou for brunch and it was decent. I got the Beet and Chèvre salad with a chocolate croissant on the side. I must say that the chocolate croissant was very good-it was buttery and had a great flake to it. The salad was also good, but not amazing. It contained a lot of beets, both purple and golden varieties, which I appreciated but I could've used a little goat cheese. I would say that the dinner or regular lunch menu seemed more appealing to me. I am not a huge Brunch lover, and the options on this particular menu were heavy and not what I would enjoy as Brunch fare. The group I was dining with ordered the sausage biscuits and gravy and the bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit. Both were said to be delicious. I would want to give this place another try at dinner to get a better idea of the food here.

Jasmine M.

Yelp
This review is for the brunch and dinner at bizou. For the brunch, I really enjoyed sitting outside during nice weather. The drinks at brunch looked really good and my friend enjoyed hers. I enjoyed the Khachapuri bread boat -- it was a lot of food but really interesting and delicious! My friend who got the French toast was disappointed as it was only one slice of bread for $14ish, so not a very good deal. For dinner, I always enjoy eating the vegetarian specials they have especially the pastas! Their bread is also delicious and so warm!

Graysen V.

Yelp
A wonderful place to bring parents visiting UVA. The food was delicious and our server was so kind and prompt. The bread was very light and fluffy, and the steak was perfectly cooked. My mom LOVED her pasta and couldn't stop raving about it. We also sat outside and had a lovely view of the downtown mall and the street performers. An excellent place to eat at when visiting downtown Charlottesville and want something a little nicer without the insane price tag.

Bill T.

Yelp
Came here for a nice Sunday brunch with a friend from high school and we had a great time. We were able to sit outside and it was nice to watch the people walk by. I had biscuits and gravy with a side of bacon and it really hit the spot. The coffee was delicious as well. This definitely is a terrific place for a leisurely meal to catch up with friends.

Maury M.

Yelp
Very nice dinner at Bizou! I had Salmon which was very good! We shared a wonderful Asian Calamari appetizer. Everyone had drinks and enjoyed. The outdoor dining area is great too

Nancy H.

Yelp
Bizou has been on my list of restaurants to visit in Charlottesville and I finally visited for Valentine's Day. We ordered the tomatillo shrimp tostada appetizer which honestly stole the show for me. Don't get me wrong the entrees were great, but the tostada dish was the perfect balance of crunch, citrus, and freshness. The fat from the guac really tied all the flavors together. I ordered the seared sirloin steak which was wonderful and the Mac and cheese and broccolini paired well together with it. The short rib ragu gnocchi was also delicious, loved the soft, pillowy texture of the gnocchi. The atmosphere is nice inside, can be as casual or nice as you want it to be.

Doreen L.

Yelp
This is a joke. I ordered meatloaf that comes with mashed potatoes and they had the audacity to serve me French fries without asking me if the substitution was acceptable. Don't seat me if you're going to serve me subpar meals for the same cost. Extremely disappointed.

Justin N.

Yelp
Came here with friends for restaurant week. The atmosphere inside the restaurant is very diner-esque. They also have casual outdoor seating out in the downtown mall. For the first course, we shared the Peach Salad, Crispy Corn Fritters, and Grilled Oyster Mushroom. Everything was good but not amazing. My favorite was the corn fritters. They were fried well and tasted great in the sauce. For the second course, we shared the Seared Filet of Salmon, Gnocchi Bolognese, and Truffle Mushroom Tamale. The gnocchi and mushroom tamale were good but not memorable. My favorite was the salmon. It was seared nicely, and the sauce was amazing. The sauce tied the salmon, zucchini, and potatoes together really well. For the third course, we shared the Creme Brûlée, Apple Cobbler, Lemon Doughnuts. I love creme brûlée but the one we had was overcooked which was disappointing. The Apple Cobbler and Lemon Doughnuts were pretty good. Warm apple pie a la mode is one of my favorite desserts and their apple cobbler definitely hit the spot. The Lemon Doughnuts with raspberry sorbet were refreshing and unique. The flavors of the dessert were tasty, creative, and fun. Overall, the atmosphere and food at Bizou was enjoyable. Most of the dishes we tried weren't amazing to me but I think it's a solid spot in the downtown mall.

Hank C.

Yelp
My boyfriend and I came here for our monthly date night. We decided to do skyline drive this weekend and ended up in Charlottesville because he surprised me with Rocky Horror tickets. We were figuring out dinner and Bizou caught our eyes. We are SO glad we stopped here for a quick bite. The Duck dumplings, the Short rib gnocchi and the grilled banana bread were most excellent. Starter, Entree and Dessert exceeded our expectations. If you have the opportunity, please stop in and try their fare!

Tricia H.

Yelp
Horrible! Unreal issue with the homeless coming up to our table while trying to enjoy a glass of wine. The staff chased me down because I walked 15 steps across the walkway to avoid the person begging me for a beer. The waiter said he didn't want to have to call the police on ME!! seriously? Get your priorities straight!

Stephanie A.

Yelp
I was visiting Charlottesville for the day and looking for somewhere nice for dinner, and saw that Bizou was featured on a number of listacles! We stopped in just after 5PM, so we were able to be seated without a reservation. But it all went downhill from there. We hardly saw our waiter, and it took me 15 minutes of FRANTICALLY waving to get his attention. I hate doing that, but the window had passed to politely wait for him to stop by. When he finally stopped by after seeing me waving, he immediately apologized for our food being delayed and said it would be out soon, that the kitchen was backed up. I explained that that wasn't actually why I had flagged him down--I just needed more water--he got me some quickly. But (1) how could the kitchen already be backed up so early in the night, and (2) our food did not arrive shortly after. It arrived a very long time after. And then, it wasn't even very good. I got the ragu and while the potatoes were good, the meat was fatty, and the flavor was average. We had wanted to get dessert but the mains took so long we didn't want to stay longer. Given the below poor service, average atmosphere, and below average food, I wouldn't recommend it.

Julia M.

Yelp
Located in downtown Charlottesville, Bizou's aesthetics is reminiscent of Europe--narrow entrance ways like the alleyways of Europe. If seated outside, one can enjoy the atmosphere fully--people watching as live music plays in the background. Atmosphere aside, the ultimate question remains: does Bizou deliver a chef's kiss dish to its patrons? I had the opportunity to try three dishes--the pan-seared salmon, the lemon shrimp linguine, and the roasted chicken marsala. The chicken marsala was decent but did not stand out in any particular way with a rather weak flavor profile, dissuading any potential second visitations. The lemon shrimp linguine had a strong citrus tang. Aside from that, there were no strong nor unique qualities meriting a loyal customer. It wasn't until I tried the pan-seared salmon that I thought Bizou was worth a second visitation. The salmon was soft and not too dry, melting in the mouth. The accompanying vegetables of roasted carrots and kale were well seasoned but also laid upon a delicious, tangy sauce. This dish was unanimously the favorite amongst my party of three. For this alone, I think I would consider visiting Bizou again.

Jo L.

Yelp
Bizou is a nice place for dinner, especially during Charlottesville Downtown's Restaurant Week. Their items are reasonably priced, and the vibes are wonderful for a date night or a nice night out in general. Parking's a little difficult as it's paid parking a few blocks away (difficult to find the place itself), but there is generally always spots available.

Joy F.

Yelp
Old time favorite! Always dependable! I've never had a bad experience there! I appreciate while there are daily specials they keep some regulars on the menu... for example the best meats loaf in town.

Taryn F.

Yelp
Absolutely loved Charlottesville. We had dinner at Bizou because we wanted a good meal and reviews were good. They were in the top 10 list of places to eat. I called to make a reservation but it was only walk in service. I wholeheartedly agree with the reviews. Located on the President's mall the ambiance is wam and authentic. The staff was welcoming. As you walk in you see the food being prepared. I started with a generous glass of montepulciano. My husband had a local pale ale. I ordered the shrimp scampi and he ordered the chicken pot pie made from scratch. The food was delicious, made with fresh ingredients and prepared daily. I wanted dessert but I had no room. A fantastic experience further endearing us to Charlottesville.

Emma S.

Yelp
I went to Bizou for the first time on Friday night-- so so good! We started with a bread platter which seemed a little overpriced, but it came with three bread types, sweet butter, and an olive tapenade. Next, had their salmon which was incredible! Tons of flavor with basil pesto, minced garlic, oil, and herbs. The dish also had baby spinach and tricolor fingerling potatoes which were to die for. Highly recommend!! The dessert, a hot fudge sundae, was slightly underwhelming in terms of size but the taste made up for it. Ending up being the perfect amount of food for the night. Service was also friendly and prompt & the outdoor seating area was really pleasant. Definitely recommend stopping at Bizou if you're on the downtown mall!

Kevin D.

Yelp
Bizou has an interesting interior shaping, going from like a bottle's neck entrance expanding into a larger bottle's body for the dining area. I like that I can watch the preparation of the food (at the entrance at that). I experience good customer service during my visit; employees help me navigate the menu for Vegan options (the establishment is accommodating for Vegans as best as possible with the available options). I order a Black Bean Soup which is flavorful with varying spices and other small pieces of vegetables. The Black Bean Soup is thinner than thick though reasonably filling (a medium-light weight meal). The establishment takes different forms of payment.

Jeff H.

Yelp
It's always a delight to randomly stop at a restaurant and find....they know what they are doing. Solid service... well-prepared dishes.

Christine H.

Yelp
Bizou has a cute look and bistro vibe with old movie posters. Unfortunately, the food was lackluster. The biscuits and gravy, as well as the eggs Benedict were a 4. But the croissant was really sub par. The croissant sandwich, despite its price tag, was cold, not toasted, and the fruit was not ripe. So unfortunately, I'll have to skip this place next time but with the nice ambiance and decor, I'll rate it a 4.

Collin J.

Yelp
Enjoyed the specials. I had trout, bf had steak. Beautiful presentation and delicious flavor! A little pricey, but great for an occasional nice dinner

Leslie F.

Yelp
The food is very disappointing. Salad seemed as if had been made the day before. Greens limp. Not a good experience. Manager unapologetic.

Peter F.

Yelp
This is absolutely the worst place I've ever been to in Cville. I'm honestly shocked that people have given this place decent ratings. The staff was pretty nice but the issue was after we sat down and placed our order, we kept having to wait and wait for our order. Every time we asked the server, he would tell us our food would be coming right out. Except we kept waiting for another 30min....then another 30 min....and finally 90 minutes had gone by and we still didn't get our food yet. So we went and complained to the manager, who acted like he clearly didn't give a shit and told us nonchalantly that they were just putting our order into the system. We told him this was absolutely ridiculous and told him we were going to go somewhere else. This guy had absolutely 0 customer service skills, no "sorry" at all, didn't care, and just responded with a "yeah that's fine". Maybe don't hire a dopey-looking 20-year-old college dropouts as your manager Bizou.

Guilherme B.

Yelp
Bizou it's a must try restaurant. Even though I don't believe I would be a coming back customer I do believe, in the other side, that nobody leaves this restaurant unhappy. Food is delicious, service it runs pretty smoothly and ambiance (inside seating) feels pretty casual and private.

Chad H.

Yelp
Nice outdoor eating area in downtown Charlottesville. They have a big tent setup, so you don't need to worry about the rain.The seating outside is benches with no backs, so if you have major back issues, I would recommend you look elsewhere. I had the caprese salad which was quite good. Fresh tomatoes, arugula, olive oil, vinegar, and some mozzarella cheese, my favorite.The pesto on it was delicious and I gobbled it up quickly. The french fries were delicious. A touch of crispiness and the chipotle aioli sauce was very good. I'm not a big sauce guy, but couldn't resist dipping my fries in that chipotle aioli. Everyone else in my group also seemed to enjoy their salads and sandwiches.Quality service and good food. Definitely a solid option in downtown Charlottesville.

Joseph T.

Yelp
Walked by while perusing the shops of west Main Street. I saw the croissants in the window and knew we needed to try them. Once I walked in, I looked at the menu and saw the free range chicken eggs. At that point I decided to order the bacon, egg, and cheese on an English muffin. It was buttery and delicious! I highly recommend it. My wife ordered the croissant sandwich. It was excellent too. The croissants are a must order. I had a couples glasses of cava while we had brunch. They have a very nice wine list with great variety. The service was friendly, attentive, and hospitable.

Sema U.

Yelp
Dinner here was great! We had salmon, plum salad, and bread basket. Everything was delicious (except it would have been better if the bread was served warm).

Traci E.

Yelp
Recently dined at Bizou with a family group of 7 on a busy Saturday night (recommended by local family). We were promptly seating inside the dining room (they currently have outdoor seating). Our server was friendly and prompt and honest...he wasn't as familiar with the menu as you'd expect. We ordered a variety from appetizers to entrees. The food was served hot and fresh. I sampled most of the dishes we all ordered and everything was flavorful. I had the mushroom cacio e pepe. It was flavorful, sauced just right and filling. A funny note - Someone in our party asked our server about the roasted carrot salad as carrots aren't listed in the description on the menu other than the title... we did discover yes there are carrots in it.

Ziv H.

Yelp
Upscale outdoors on the brick-walk, center-town. The menu, an omnium gatherum of appetizers, suited presumably to the chef's prefs, or their read on us. Shrimp and grits, papardelle in chanterelles and beurre blanc, short-rib ravioli, tomato tatin tart, caesar with roasted b.sprouts shaved across like parmesan planings. So what. It doesn't have to 'fit.' The short rib ravioli were delicate, not bruising (in beefy flavor nor salt)- very enjoyable. The brussels caesar good again, as months ago. The daily Special pasta left no plated traces, as did not of the three appetizers and four entrees. A Stony pale ipa, new to me, was a great come along, between a lager and a mildly sour ipa, a perfect add to the beef flavor. Dumplings and ice cream. A pass next time. Battered balls with a white ice cream dip and bit of caramel. Not sure what i imagined but i wish i had the creme bruleé. The price is on the higher end for Mall meals, so plan a budget to match.

Kathleen D.

Yelp
My mom and I chose Bizou along Charlottesville's Downtown Mall for dinner on Friday night based on the posted menu. We didn't have a reservation, so we were thankful when we were able to be seated right away. First things first: If it's nice enough, eat outside. The tables inside are absurdly close together. Like, uncomfortably close. To our left, a lady kept diverting her cough germs to us by half covering her mouth so the germs would avoid her family. To our right, an older gentleman made a fist each time he coughed, so his cough germs would expel in all directions. My mom's chair was also right up against the lady behind her and there was no way to adjust it. Obviously they can't control the behavior of customers, but they could maybe adjust the layout a bit. We started with the burrata, which was the highlight of the meal and the only positive note I can mention in here. After that, I ordered the fettuccine and meatballs. There was a lag before it arrived, and I was starving, so against my better judgment, I kept trying to eat it despite an unexpected overpowering taste of spice. When the server dropped it off, I had asked for grated cheese. She was super flustered throughout our visit, and she replied, "It will be a minute" in an oddly intense tone. When she eventually stopped by again, I asked for the cheese again (she forgot) and asked if she could find out where the spiciness was from, since I have a sensitivity to peppers. Turns out it was from red pepper flakes. That was NOT on the menu under the description (see photo attached for proof), and it frankly should have been. Red pepper flakes can alter the entire taste of a dish, and it overpowered every other flavor. I asked her to relay my feedback to the chef, but I'd assume that did not occur...so here we are. Chef, if you are reading this, please either add red pepper flakes to the description, or ditch the red pepper flakes. I left most of the dish behind. She did offer to replace it, but by that time a) the damage was done and b) I did not feel like waiting around in the claustrophobic setting while also adding to her apparently insane stress level. I was hoping she'd just comp the dish, but she didn't. All around, there's no need for me to return. I'm glad other reviewers had better experiences, but this place is not my cup of tea at all.

Lina J.

Yelp
One star off for the truly terrible service of Diana C (at least that's what it said on our receipt, she was short, brunette, never introduced herself). We were seated for 15 minutes without anyone acknowledging us. We ended up asking the hostess who had someone else help us and had our orders in right away. In those 15 minutes, Diana was serving the booth right next to us, never even looked in our direction. If she just said "I'll be right with you!" I honestly wouldn't have minded. She finally came to our table AFTER we put our orders in (???) with someone who actually helped us. And she didn't offer any apology or explanation. I'm pretty sure we were still technically her table, but she never checked on us after giving us our food and completely ignored us until it was time for us to pay our bill (and even then, said maybe like 3 words to us total). We did not flag any other servers for help after our intial order, but literally other servers who passed by spontaneously checked on us more than her. ***Otherwise*** thank you to everyone else for providing excellent, friendly service and delicious, delicious food! It was my second time at Bizou (first time being restaurant week, a much better overall experience than this time). We ordered the shrimp scampi and short ribs and both dishes were excellent with flavor off the charts. Thought the presentation of the short ribs could've been improved (it came in this small black bowl vs the shrimp scampi being in a large white dish - it just seemed really mismatched for both being entrees). Also got the lavender panna cotta (which I had tried during restaurant week and was still amazing!) I love the cute decor and that there are old mini-jukeboxes on the walls of the booth seats. I like the open kitchen layout too - so cool to see dishes being prepared in real-time. And I think the layout of passing by the kitchen first is quite cute and cozy. We will come back - but, respectfully, hope service will be better next time.

Lori S.

Yelp
The food was awesome here, but yesterday our credit card was compromised (not fun when you are out of town visitors) and since this was the only time we used our card and it was taken by our waiter and out of our sight-we started seeing fraudulent charges about an hour after our visit. Some were even from a local pizza joint in Charlottesville. Luckily the charges were denied. If you eat there, please pay with cash since one of their employees is a thief.

Catherine F.

Yelp
Probably an oversight, we were seated for 20 minutes before we asked if we could order a drink and our food. The host took care of us. We only had 2 dishes : the mussels & the bread board. Mussels were good.

Fran B.

Yelp
Interesting menu. No reservations. Service was fast. Food was creative. On the mall, easy to find.

Krista R.

Yelp
I've been here for brunch and it's AMAZING so a few of us decided to come for dinner. It just so happen to be restaurant week which I was so excited about to try a little of everything. For appetizers we got the watermelon gazpacho the duck dumplings and the peach salad all had amazing flavor and taste we all enjoyed. For dinner we each got the seared salmon and some of us got the steak Frites. The salmon dish was absolutely divine the steak dish was kind of lacking a little flavor and the meat was some what over cooked. As for dessert everybody got a little bit of everything. Some of us got the peach crumble pie, the popcorn Panna cotta, and the Keylime crème brûlée, and the grilled banana bread which was the talk of the table. Service was kind of all over the place they brought us new dishes before they cleared out our old dishes we constantly had to ask for water refills. Wasn't quite sure who our server really was as there were numerous people coming to our table for many different things. I'll give them a benefit of the doubt as it was a crazy busy night and it was also restaurant week. I would definitely come back to this place again for breakfast and for dinner

Jennifer C.

Yelp
I wish we could get food this f'n delicious in Philly. Best food we've had in years...Going back tonight!!!

Gerry R.

Yelp
Friday (1/13): horrible service, great food. Sunday (1/15): horrible service, horrible food. We went to Bizou on a Friday night for a celebratory dinner. The service was horrible: forgot ten drinks, confusion with the bill, and a wrong appetizer. The incorrect appetizer brought to us was a butternut squash fritter - it was delicious. On Sunday night, we went with our friends visiting from out of town. We ordered the butternut squash fritter. When we received it, there was no squash in the fritter. We flagged it to the waiters attention. He returned with a handful of tiny fried butternut squash cubes. We ordered our entrees: two shrimp linguine. We received two small portions of the meal, and halfway through, we received the other half of our meal. The shrimp linguine had BIG discrepancies from two days before: the shrimp was over cooked, linguine was mushy, and the sauce was watery. Our waiters asked how our food was and we mentioned our complains, twice. We asked our waiter to send these back and get the check. He said that was not an option and our food has "been on the plate for too long". Someone please let me know when the appropriate timeframe is return your food. We were told to pay the full check and begrudgingly did so.

Alli A.

Yelp
Love Bizou! They do not take reservations for better or worse but we haven't had trouble getting a table. They have fabulous food, great comfort food. Pretty plating and reasonable. We had the barata salad (always a hit) and we shared our main courses. The gnocchi (which is my favorite pasta ever) was so delicious and tender! The short rib was delicious! We shared a bottle of wine and shared the coffee dessert. Cannot wait to go again. Definitely recommend.

Elizabeth K.

Yelp
We had a terrific meal on our visit to Charlottesville. The food was perfection, we were a party of 5 and everyone left happy. I ordered the chicken pot pie and was impressed by the flavors. It was just the right portion and texture. Cozy restaurant on a chilly night made it even more perfect. Staff was friendly.

Ashley H.

Yelp
I came here for my birthday dinner and really enjoyed it! For apps we ordered the Brussels sprout, duck pate, house rolls, and smoked trout, everything was seriously so good and filling. My favorite was the smoked trout which came as a sort of dip and had a truffle Dijon mustard sauce on the side. For my main I ordered the pork chops which came with gnocchi and collard greens. This dish was also super filling and good though their gnocchi was on the softer side for me (I like mine crispy). For desert I would definitely recommend the grilled banana bread. The inside is a little small and dimly lit, so I would recommend sitting outside if you can. Bizou also takes reservations which is always a plus. All in all I would totally recommend coming here with friends and sharing a bunch of their appetizers!

Dwaipayan R.

Yelp
Their potatoes are the best! They also did a great job with the kale toast. Although the eggs could've been done better. Service is impeccable. And NOT exorbitantly priced like some of the other restaurants in town!