Grand Cru Wine Bar and Bistro

Great restaurant with outdoor seating. It was raining so we had to be inside but next time, we will definitely take advantage of the outdoor option. The food was great and I like the wine flights option. I tried three different wines. I would have liked to see more old world wines, especially from unknown regions of South East Europe like Bosnia, Croatia, Greece, etc….Still giving five stars because the food was outstanding.

Had the most incredible birthday dinner at Grand Cru. Our server Erick did everything to make our experience amazing. Will most certainly come back for future date nights!

This restaurant serves French cuisine that is delicious, of excellent quality, and generously proportioned at a reasonable price; a hidden gem in the Ballston area. The service was impeccable and couldn't have been better. We're looking forward to trying more dishes on their menu.

This is a good, pretty inexpensive European-style bistro, with a decent beer and wine selection and a good selection of light plates. The outdoor dining area is very pleasant when the weather is right, and is mostly shaded by the tall buildings surrounding the area and is also lined by small trees. The indoor seating used to be a bit problematic: you'd end up smelling like the food because the seating area was so small! They've moved to a larger space now, so I doubt that's a problem. The service is generally good and helpful, although I had to remind them to bring my draft beer the last time I went. I didn't try these myself, but the menu has a fair number of European dishes that aren't that common here: frog legs, snails, duck and so on. My dining companion tried these and liked them very much. The pictures shown are of deviled eggs, baked brie, potato gnocchi, duck strudel, escargot, and frog legs.

Perfect place for our Girls Night. I was looking for a chic, cute place with a cozy atmosphere, and this restaurant brought it all. We both ordered the Chilean Wine Flight which the glasses were generously filled, the Cheese Fondue and the French Onion Soup which was DIVINE. 5 out of 5 stars, will definitely be returning!

Good food and wonderful service. The waiters were really kind and helpful on our anniversary. Our food was tasty, especially the salmon and the French onion soup. Would recommend, especially on a cold winter day!

❗ Escargot DELICIOUS! So flavorful with fresh herbs, philo dough and great texture! Warm brie, very creamy and light. The biggest lamb shanks we've ever seen! Steak was on point and the white chocolate bread pudding was also amazing. Staff was attentive, fast and super friendly.

Great friendly vibe in the outside area , quieter inside for private conversation. Menu was extensive as Carlos our waiter was attentive and efficient. Bruschetta was great . My friends ordered lamb rack which was huge , shrimp and andouille pasta , monkfish and I had lobster fritters with a salad beautifully presented. Great night we all thoroughly enjoyed the food etc but the very loud annoying drunk woman at a nearby table was a little annoying. Should have been handled quietly by the Restaurant rather then raining on 50 peoples dinners. We ordered a cone of silence for her ! We will be back though !

Went for a bourbon tasting and dinner. First off, this place seems casual and homey. The staff is super friendly and warm and made me feel so welcome. The space for the tasting was a decent size though there are lots of tables which are close - not to the point where it's uncomfortable to get in and out of. The dinner was good. Did it wow? No, but it was really about the tasting. The bourbon is where the event shined. I loved the welcome cocktail, the explanations of bourbon in general, and explanations of the specific ones. We also got a glass of red wine because, why not? The other attendees were friendly and it was just an all around fun event. I'd definitely come back for another event or just to try more things.

Nice spot in Ballston. I strongly recommend for a nice day because the patio area is really peaceful and lovely, tucked away in a courtyard with a fountain. Happy hour is at the bar or on the patio until 6:30pm. There's a few discounted food items, and $7.50 glasses of wine and $12 classic cocktails like old fashioned. The bottle of wine of the day is the best deal at $23. Beef bourginon and mushroom orzo were big hits. My friend said Escargot is better at some other spots. Service was a little slow but not awful. Overall a nice experience, and I would return.

Let's focus on the positives first. I love the wine market concept. There is small wine list but you can browse and select a bottle from the shelves. Excellent selection! Fast and very friendly wait staff - GREAT with kids. Extremely clean bathroom. I was disappointed with the food. Escargot tasted bland and needed more salt. Similarly, the Bouillabaisse didn't deliver while the shrimp and scallops tasted rubbery. Steak in the steak frites wasn't the best cut. I so wanted to love it here but perhaps another time.

With a dinning establishment with a name like Grand Cru you have established yourself as a high bar as Grand Cru wines are the pinnacle of quality and prestige within the wine world. Grand Cru in Arlington clearly makes the effort to be at the pinnacle of quality. When eating French I am always looking for fish on the menu as French know fish. I ordered the oven roasted honey balsamic steelhead trout with garlic roasted vegetables medley. It was perfectly prepared as I expected. The vegetables were equally prepared. With my meal I chose my wine from the by the glass menu which had numerous selections. I chose a classic Côtes du Rhône from the Domaine A. Berthet Rayne. For desert I had an encore glass. All in all Grand Cru is worth the visit if you crave classic French. My server was Erick and he was excellent. Attentive and knowledgeable. I enjoyed my evening at the Grand Cru.

Stumbled across Grand Cru Wine Bar as I was actually looking for my friend that was waiting for me at a nearby restaurant. Just know we ended up enjoying our time here instead of the other place. Grand Cru offers a great happy hour menu which includes $5 glasses of wine of Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Rose, Pinot Nior, Merlot, Shiraz and Cabernet. I mean come on they have something for all wine drinkers. As for food, they have a variety of reasonably priced apps to choose from. We opted for the truffled deviled eggs and mussels. I wasn't really a fan of the truffle deviled eggs, just a little too much truffle that over powered the taste of everything else. As for the mussels they were delicious. Those who eat mussels know it's really all about the sauce that they are in. And this garlic, thyme white wine butter sauce was top tier. Now that I know . where this hidden gem is located, I will definitely be back soon.

Went to grand cru on a nice day and was able to sit outside and enjoy a bunch of small appetizers! I would go back for the crab dip and beef carpaccio alone!!! Amazing dishes! I also really enjoyed the beef Wellingtons and our salad! My wine was great! I am excited to go back again! And possibly try one of the entrees. Great outdoor eating area!!

Was here last night and snagged an outdoor table on their quaint and inviting patio (it's first come, first serve even with reservation, get here early when the weather is good!). All the white wines were excellent but the escargot which is usually always great, was in need of salt. After an hour of more wine and chatting (long after the escargot was gone) we were like where's our food? We asked another server (the one with the megawatt smile :)...that's when our 'real' server came back and apologized and said our meal would be out shortly- the order apparently hadn't made it to the kitchen. Also they comped our dinner (scallops and pasta dishes - both very good) which was totally unexpected. I'm already a regular here so I will definitely be back. This was an unusual wrinkle, not normal. But how they corrected it was appreciated, a sign of their customer service so thanks GC! Note to management- your menus are getting tired and showing their age. You've been using the same ones since I've been coming here (a loooong time) and they are definitely in need of replacement!

Delicious food and great ambience! Service was excellent. I will definitely go back when in Arlington.

Nice little wine bar on Magnolia. Knowledgeable staff. Excellent selection. Wine flights avail for those who aren't sure what style or type you want to drink. Cute outdoor area as well that faces Magnolia. If wine isn't your jam, they also have a small selection of craft beers to choose from.

Scallops were room temperature at best. Waitress was wonderful. Ambience is nice. Overall. Not coming back. Food was subpar. Plus, the fact we had to pay four dollars for a basket of bread.

This is hands down my favorite spot in ballston. I went here on a date night with my boyfriend and was blown away by the restaurant. If you want Paris vibes this is the place! The food was spectacular and so was the wine. We ended up getting escargot, French onion soup, fresh bread and steak dish topped on a crescent roll (pictured below). The escargot was delicious, bathed in garlic and butter. The French onion soup was also amazing, tasted so good and was very warm right out of the oven. It had a breaded layer on top. All of the dishes had beautiful presentations. Our drinks also were amazing. I got a mule from the cocktail list. We were stuffed by the end and didn't have room for desert. The atmosphere in the restaurant is calming, relaxing and wonderful for a date night or anniversary. I highly recommend this restaurant! We will be back!

I came here with a few friends for dinner and we all left very satisfied. They had perfect portion sizes, their specialty smoke whiskey drink was delicious and made for a great experience during dinner. All of our food was delicious we got the crab dip which was super rich and delicious. The staff was great we never had empty glasses! Definitely a great date night, girls night, night out with friends place.

Grand Cru never disappoints, had the escargot and the Greek salad either salmon paired with my favorite white r we one , Sancerre . Perfect dinner excellent service as usual!

This place is in my regular rotation. I always get the Caesar salad first. I love the steak and frites. The burger is my latest obsession. I get it with crumbled blue cheese. The service is always good. Covid protocol are followed. I'll be back soon.

The food was excellent. The service was great. The patio is lovely. And it was a beautiful day.

Came with my husband for our two year anniversary. Such a wonderful night filled with excellent wine and amazing food. We had the bubbly wine flight and another red-filled one -- both included generous pours and very high quality wine. We had the crab dip as an appetizer which we finished in less than five minutes (perhaps more so my husband than I lol). For dinner we had the scallops and the trout which both blew us out of the water. Most thoughtful and special part of the evening was the special champagne toast and chocolate strawberry mousse they brought to the table in honor of our anniversary -- so unexpected and so thoughtful. We have found our new go to spot for both a relaxing glass of wine and a special occasion. Do not believe the other reviews -- food is excellent and complements the 10/10 wine.

It was delicious and I was very happy. Here is why I am not giving it a five star, we waited and waited and waited for service. Too long. It got long enough I had to ask the hostess at the front for more beverage and she obliged immediately and in a friendly manner. Our waiter was sort of stand off-ish - maybe he thought we ordered too much food. I am not sure. The fondue was outstanding, and I strongly recommend it, even though it is not a healthy option - oh boy is it good. Another thing, it has a small flame beneath and when the cheese got low, it started to burn and we had to extinguish the flame bc our waiter was nowhere to be found. We also got the beef wellington tarts which were very crispy but overall not the best I have had as I am used to a lot more meat within the bread but tasty nonetheless. We both got french onion soup and loved it, good size and great taste - higher than normal matter of fact which is wonderful. I loved the organic chicken for my entree and I strongly recommend it. Overall, a great meal and i recommend this wine bar.

I have been here several times and it is always a great place to go. No loud music, just chatting from others inside the dinning area and that is a good sign. I had onion soup and green salad and a glass of malbec wine. Wait staff were fast and friendly and got the order right the first time. Will return.

Good God, my my, considering the decor, the menu, the name, the prices.... I suppose I was expecting something.... more?......good?... fair?.... Nope. It was my first time here, and I will say, they have a fair wine list, and a decent menu. While waiting, I had sat at the bar and ordered a drink. I wandered over to the host as a courtesy..."we have a reservation in a few minutes, but she's not here yet, I'm at the bar." His reaction? "uh, yeah, ok." As we are trying to get our table, I cannot find the barman. Nowhere to be seen. Another barman, he don't know, can't be bothered, wait'll the first guy gets back. So my date and I, we wait. Simple request, what do we owe. Ok, so we pay, we go on to our table. Turns out the host was not just the host, he was also the waiter. The only waiter. A little careless, indifferent, not particularly gracious, but.... the waiter. We wait and wait some more. He returns, takes our wine order and does the pour. The entrees, well, if you have any questions or issues, the entrees are available as described on the menu. Thats it. This is an elaborate setup at full price. If you have an issue, he reads the menu to you. No changes. We don't work around it for you. ok. We order. Food is brought by someone else. There is no further checkup. Entrees seem ok (we had filet and salmon), but if you need anything.... too late. We poured the rest of the wine ourself. We never saw our waiter again. Another guy came to offer dessert menu. That was some kind of lemon tart with strawberries. There is another annoyance factor and I guess it isn't entirely their fault. The noise level is insane. It isn't the cutomers, its the walls. There are ways to correct this but they haven't done it. The ambience overall actually seems good. But I could not hear a word my date was saying. When it comes time to leave, they just turn on the lights. Which means..."get out." But we still don't have a check. Or a waiter. We walk up to the desk (like you do at denny's), where there is still no waiter. I left a full gratuity as a personal favor to him. But that is the last $210 they are getting from me. This is kinda what Arlington has become. They keep ignoring you, and you keep coming back. How long does this go on? I had ignored this place for years. The location is kind of a back alley affair, and I guess that is the service we got. Now I know. Could they try harder? What a shame. I am stunned and do not recommend you come here. Idiots.

I don't know what to say. Something has happened to this place. And not in a good way. I've been to this place numerous times, and usually love it so much. But the last two times have been complete duds, and yesterday's experience was so terrible that I'll never be back. Everyone should be wary of good reviews that are over 2 months old, because this is not the same place I remember. First of all, I understand that it is hard to find wait staff after the pandemic. But this restaurant had one waiter working on a Saturday night and he was abysmally slow. After an hour waiting for our appetizers, I had to politely remind him that we were still waiting for our food. He replied to me, "oh where are you sitting again". Huh? I asked for some bread while we waited as we were all starving now. He did eventually bring some over and we finally got our appetizers 15 minutes later. But then the entrees took almost another 45 minutes. All of this despite the restaurant only at 1/3 capacity. I let our our waiter know that we were hungry again and could he bring us more bread. Again, he eventually did with the entrees. I had ordered duck and what was on my place was a total disaster unfit for what used to be an amazing restaurant. One tiny leg of duck the size of my thumb and concomitant part of my hand. That's it! And the cherry gravy was terrible - tasted like gravy from a can that had been oversalted. Add insult to injury, after a 3-hour meal that was terrible, we found out that he had charged us for the bread. Twice. Not only that - but he charged us the full bread basket price, which is supposed to contain different fancy breads. All we got was normal white bread. We didn't penalize our waiter in the tip. Despite the fact that he was really slow, it seems like a mistake with the restaurant and its operations and cooking staff. What a letdown. We will never be going back. There are plenty of alternatives around that won't cost you an arm and a leg and that won't make you leave feeling hungrier than when you arrived. P.S. My spouse got the beef stroganoff and it was really terrible - dry, salty, and utterly uninspired with tough pieces of beef. Our friends got salads and they were just average.

A gem of a place to find. Their wine flights are so affordable and the food level is definitely upscale in quality and taste.

Excellent date spot with inside and outside seating. House wines are delicious at a good price and the entrees are good, too. The steak frites is cooked well each time. I really love this spot and wish I found it sooner!

I'm new to Virginia and have been searching for new dining experiences in the Arlininton area. One of the places I discovered, Gran Cru in Ballston. The wine selection is amazing, with over 400 different bottles of wine to choose from! The decor is amazing with a full lenght bar, wine racks that serve as centerpieces to the restaurant. The menu is so strong. I had the Prime Filet of Beef that is accompanied by garlic mash potatoes. Very tasty. Service is great, especially our server Tuya, and Eric at the bar who attended to our party prior to dinner. Overall, it's a place that I'll keep coming back to in the future!

Came here for Tuesday night happy hour! $5 drinks and food which is a great deal! Only at the bar! 4-6:30pm!! Great value, little tapa sized dishes! Didn't get given a regular menu so not sure whatt they had. Skip the crab & corn fritte! Tasted like a deep frIed dough (strong Baking soda aftertaste) the mussels must not be in season as they tiny! The braised short rib sliders were delicious!! Love the toasted bun! Great touch.

Hidden little spot that I didn't even know existed. Came with a large group and they were able to accommodate us with no issues! They have a nice large wine selection and different flights. The food was really good! I got the burger because someone's review really made me crave it. I was not disappointed! Definitely will come back again and I recommend checking it out The staff was attentive and friendly. The whole expirtcne was nice!

Loved their wine wall where you can pick out your own bottle and their wine flights. The cheese board was well done with four fantastic cheeses and honeycomb. Their bread was only eclipsed by their oh-so-salty, whipped butter. Their filet was rather tough and the duck, while seasoned well, lacked an entree-sized portion. This combined with the ultra slow service brought down their otherwise high marks.

Very nice local wine bar. Service was excellent. Great attention to detail and making sure everyone in our party was happy. The food was delicious and well presented. Prices were reasonable as well.

Most of the food tasted fresh. The $18 quiche was cold in the middle. The portions were definitely far from grand, we went home hungry. I remember when this place first opened up I was working at a local locksmith company and we did a large amount of work for them and they stiffed us on most of the bill. I didn't think about mentioning my past experience with the locksmith company until the lack of customer service by a manager when I was served cold expensive food. I think that kind of sums up the vibe of the place. If you park in the garage they validate parking but don't mention it's only for the first hour. The building the garage is in closes at 6 so you'll have to walk around to The car ramp when you leave. You'll see someone at the front desk but they won't open the door. We thought we were locked out and after knocking and getting the lady's attention she still refused to let us in. It was only after aggressively pulling on the door did she finally get up and let us in. Take the cru somewhere else!

Grand Cru was outstanding. We had a small party of 6. The wine list is outrageous is terms of selection of red, whites, cabs, blends, Pinots and regions. Service was quick, but not rushed. The ribeye I ordered to pair with my Caymus was perfectly cooked to medium rare, with a delightful char. Highly recommend this spot if you're in the area.

Exceptional food and service all at a reasonable price was blown away with the andouille/shrimp pasta dish! Amazing!!

First time here for dine-in - wonderful service by kind staff. Absolutely delicious food. Second time here for take-out/pick-up - horrible service by a male staff member, unfortunately could not see his name. I believe he may have been of Hispanic or Filipino descent but of course I do not want to speculate these things. First, even though my order was CLEARLY the only order for pick-up on the table, and it was the EXACT order items, and I even gave him my name, he continued to insist I show him the exact app I ordered from as well as the order. He was rude and tone was not kind at ALL. Then it was "ok you may take this now", waving at the bag in front of me. Then, I asked may I have utensils? He said it wasn't requested. Um, so I asked again, no utensils provided? He repeated, wasn't requested. What kind of service is this? Can't even provide disposable plastic utensils? I don't blame the restaurant at all - they are very popular and have wonderful food, plus the dine-in service was great. It was this particular staff member who was extremely rude. Thank you.

Grand Cru, an often overlooked wine bar and restaurant in Ballston, is worth the splurge every now and again. For a friends birthday, our group had a reservation for 6pm on Saturday evening. The receptionist accepted a reservation for 16, so good for big groups! Upon arrival the restaurant was quite dead. Our server was attentive but at one point asked for us to share menus because she needed some of the menus back from us for other tables. As I said, it wasn't really busy (at least not in the Backroom) so this was puzzling. I enjoyed a wine flight, but for $18 for three wines, I wouldn't said it's a huge bargain. Albeit, the pours are nice size and the wines are nice - hence the splurge reference at the beginning. For dinner, I ordered the roast chicken and my goodness, it was so good. The mash potatoes and asparagus served with were good and it has a wonderful sauce. Pretty much everyone cleaned their plate. A few things to note, the prices are a little high and it appears there's upcharges here and there. For instance, table bread basket will cost and changing salad dressings on some salads also had a charge. Dinner and wine flights for two came out to be $~115, which is a little pricer than some nearby locations. The food did live up to the cost though so I would recommend every now and again. Not sure if the price is what keeps people away? I'm interested to try their happy hour as they advertise deals.

I've been wanting to try this place for awhile now. A bit hard to find based on google maps but when I found the restaurant it was tucked away in an adorable courtyard. We enjoyed the outdoor dining experience with Carlos who was very attentive and helpful with the wine selection. The food was all good but with the andoullie and shrimp Alfredo I was disappointed it just seemed like a bunch of penne and no signs of shrimp. Fair pricing and good menu selection. Unsure if I'd go back if all the food is that skimpy but still enjoyed our night.

I'm sorry that some recent diners had negative experiences at/impressions of Grand Cru. I had not been to the restaurant for quite some time, so I was not sure what might have changed from my earlier, positive experiences. My significant other and I went last night to celebrate her birthday and had a completely wonderful experience. The service - from the welcome at the front door to the "bus" staff to the server - was attentive and professional. I had requested a table a bit removed from the bar area so that we could chat without having to raise our voices, and that request was met. We also were there mid-week, so there were fewer tables occupied that helped with keeping down the noise level and likely allowed for efficient service. We might have had a different experience if we had gone on a weekend night. That is only speculation, though. While this is not a cheap restaurant to dine at, given the recent rise in inflation, I was not put off by the prices. Definitely not an every night dining spot if you order three courses with alcohol, but well worth it for a special occasion. You can make a nice meal of a shared starter and salads if you wanted to spend less. We started with a glass of wine each, a Cotes du Rhone and a Chardonnay, which were excellent. Our starter of a Beef Wellington tarts to share was well-prepared and delicious. We had main dishes of the fillet of salmon and the sauteed diver scallops - both of high quality, excellently prepared and well-presented. We finished with a shared dessert of bread pudding that was delicious without being too heavy and rich - to our palates at least. And because it was a birthday celebration, our server brought us two complimentary glasses of sparkling wine. All-in-all, a very wonderful experience.

They have good fondue, that I can say. However the lighting is quite low and the cell reception and wifi are quite weak... I understand that having dinner it shouldn't matter what the cell reception or wifi is like but just keep that in mind. The folks at the bar are super friendly and accommodating. I didn't want an alcoholic drink while I was there so they prepared a nice strawberry mocktail. Good for a quiet low key date

Mr. Zaldana gave me an excellent experience. I was happy to have left with an abundance of knowledge.

Overpriced food. Mediocre service. We got the beef stroganoff that was very sad. Small portion & bland. What actually cost $27? The beef? Idk but it wasn't flavorful. The burger was okay. Fries were barely cooked. Also got beef Wellington tarts, which was probably the best thing we had. It's not saying much though, bc the beef was super chewy. Server came up and immediately said "ready to order drinks?" Never asked if we've ever been before or suggest any food or drink items. Service def could've been better. Probably never coming back.

Excellent wine bar. Highly recommended. Note that there is a minor parking difficulty in the evenings. You can drive into the parking garage and exit through the building lobby. When you return the lobby is locked so you have to walk down the parking garage ramp, not a big deal.

I've been going here for years (prior to their move across the courtyard), and it has been consistently great! Wine, American/French tapas, and desserts are all fantastic for dessert. They also have a great executive lunch special (soup, crepe/sandwich combo); go for the French onion soup, it's one of the best I've had and a meal in itself.

Good wine, good food, good atmosphere. I'm ready to come again next time I'm in Ballston.

Will never return! After a good experience things quickly went down hill with no explanation. Once, this seemed like a good place to get a decently priced and satisfying meal. Suddenly the portions were cut in half, and when asked about why a handful of brussels sprouts suddenly cost $20 before adding chicken, the staff responded by saying basically 'too bad deal with it.' You can see in the picture attached that this is unacceptable for a dinner portion, especially at that price. What really stuck with me the most was how Grand Cru handled our complaint. They acknowledged that they reduced the size, said we could go elsewhere and get more accurately priced and filling salads, and blamed it all on 'produce prices.' Clearly from the picture this statement is laughable.

This is a fantastic location for a beverage in quiet, shady, off-street patio seating, and their Happy Hour prices are spot on. I would definitely return for a glass of wine. Their Happy Hour food menu was not notable, and the food seemed mediocre. The service however, was friendly. I haven't been for a full meal, nor do I intend to subject myself to their kitchen for a full meal, given the intense competition for unique and ecclectic tastes in the D.C. area, so kindly read other reviews to check out their full food menu. Based on nice service and great environment, I would definitely hit their Happy Hour again.

When we moved into a new office in a new part of town, I needed a "go to" restaurant for a quiet lunch or a noisy business dinner- and I found the perfect spot in Grand Cru! Everything I've had from the duck confit and seafood crepes, to the creole pasta, to the salmon with beet risotto has been cooked perfectly, with wonderful flavors and excellent presentation. The LaMer crepe is a personal favorite. My business guests have enjoyed the wine selections and the private room in back is great for large groups. The patio is a nice escape in the summer time- particularly with a great staff who are attentive to your needs. It is wonderful to have a place that you can trust for food, service and fun- I found that new home at Grand Cru.

Actually a huge fan of the food here! They had this brussel sprout salad which was very tasty (and healthy...I think). Their appetizer crab cakes were a great size and very delicious! I've gotten the salmon w the beets risotto twice and both times were very good. It was my first time trying beets at this restaurant and if beets could taste like this all the time, I'd probably have it more often!

This review is for Happy Hour (M-F 4-6:30). First they don't really publicize it - you have to ask for the HH menu. $5 house wines and appetizers $5-9. Tonight they had a bowl of mussels for $7 - good taste at a good price. Also various dips and sliders. Lovely setting adjacent to the path/park and fountain. You can decide if the regular dinner menu is worth the price, but HH is definitely a good deal.

This is a great date-night spot (very romantic, great wine and entree choices, nice but not crazy expensive), even though I usually go here with my girlfriends. We really appreciated that they had a Chenin Blanc from South Africa on their wine list. The food and service are always very good. When we last went, there was a large tent outside to accommodate COVID-19 precautions and protect against the freak rainstorms Arlington seems to have all the time in the summer.

I've been here several times at this point and have yet to be disappointed! Love the ambience, friendly service, and tasty food. The mac and cheese is comprised of penne pasta, bacon bits on top, and of course ooey gooey cheesy perfection throughout - so freaking satisfying. I also love getting the Executive Special (offered at lunchtime on weekdays) which gives you the option of soup or salad + a crepe or sandwich + dessert. All the soups I've tried so far have been great and the chicken and mushroom crepe is yummy!!! My only complaint would be the dessert. They say it's "chef's choice" which excited me initially but spoiler alert, the chef only ever "chooses" the raspberry sorbet (that is always always always the one they give you, which frankly gets rather boring after a while). Change that and my love for this place would only increase!

Something negative has happened at Grand Cru. My wife and I have been going to Grand Cru numerous times over many years and this past year we have seen this restaurant decline in service and food/drink quality. Our recent visit was one of the worst restaurant experiences period. The service was terrible and our food mediocre. The restaurant was not that busy on a Saturday night (telling) yet the waiter was rarely seen. Even our drinks were not to standards. Hopefully they get their act together. It use to be a great restaurant. We will not return!!!

Last Saturday, we went to Grand Cru for dinner. The food was so bad that I was a professional food critic. Here is a list of the problems: (1) the restaurant took over 30 minutes to deliver the food. (2) the food was cool not even warm (3) the scallops were under cooked and had to be sent back (4) the duck breast was a leg and thigh and literally still had the leg bone in it and was tough (5) the manager told me that the duck breast was always served with the leg in it, since the leg is always attached to the thigh, they must be serving some weird form of duck (6) the drinks were supposed to be an Arnold Palmer and sweet tea, they were served with no sweetener and we had to add the sweetener ourselves, the only sweetener was no calorie no real sugar, we also tried each other's tea an could not tell which one was which (7) the online menu said the duck breast was supposed to have sweet potato puree, there was no sweet potato (8) after eating as much as we could stand, I asked the server to leave the duck plate on the table, three times the server tried to take the plate and I had to put my hand on the plate to hold onto it. At that time, I asked to speak to the manager. I got the impression they knew I was going to complain and wanted to hide the evidence. By the way, at the beginning we could only see two other tables were occupied - they were not busy. We will never visit the restaurant again and will not recommend it to anyone. John C.