Cafe Rabelais
French restaurant · Virginia Court ·
French bistro serving market-based menu & 600+ wines
French bistro serving market-based menu & 600+ wines
"Cafe Rabelais in Rice Village is tailored for an intimate, quiet meal and is small enough to feel cozy but not cramped. This space seems designed for reclining at a wooden table with escargots swimming in garlic butter. And if the bottles lining every available wall or the textbook masquerading as a bottle list wasn’t indication enough, the folks at this French bistro take their wine seriously. With literally hundreds to choose from, you can scour the pages for the exact varietal you’re looking for or let your server take the helm. Whatever you decide to sip on, pair it with some mussels in a rich cream sauce for a Parisian countryside feel." - chelsea thomas, gianni greene, julie takahashi
"This Rice Village brasserie is a great spot to grab classic French fare, with small plates like escargot and foie gras terrine, and rich dishes like cassoulet, boeuf à la Bourguignon, and its tender roasted rack of lamb served with a honey-thyme brown sauce. Choose from its extensive wine list, which features more than 600 varieties of wine, and then settle into the cozy dining room and pretend you’re in Paris. Pro tip: Order the profiteroles, no matter how full you are at the end of the meal — or take them to go home." - Brittany Britto Garley
"Get a taste of French-inspired luxury dining at Cafe Rabelais in Rice Village this holiday. From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Christmas Eve, the restaurant will serve its annual four-course prix fixe dinner with extra festive cheer for $82 per person. Past menus have featured pork belly confit with prune sauce, crawfish bisque, and cinnamon-smoked pheasant with vegetable couscous and cranberry jus." - Brittany Britto Garley
"Small enough to feel cozy but not quite cramped, the interior of the French bistro Cafe Rabelais is tailored for an intimate, quiet meal. If the bottles lining every available wall or the textbook masquerading as a wine list aren’t indication enough, this place takes wine seriously. With literally hundreds of options to choose from, you can dig through the pages for the exact glass you’re looking for, or let your server take the helm and make the decision for you. Whatever you decide to sip on, pair it with some mussels in a rich cream sauce, or with escargots swimming in garlic butter. And maybe imagine what the Parisian countryside feels like for a while." - gianni greene, chelsea thomas
"Classics are such for a reason, and Café Rabelais is a prime example in Rice Village: French staples like beef bourguignon and trout amandine remain some of the restaurant’s most sought-after dishes, but don’t forget to explore the restaurant’s board of changing specials — especially if the foie gras torchon is on the menu." - Brittany Britto Garley
