La Piquette

I came here on a Friday night by myself. I initially wanted to be seated at the bar, but it was full, so I was promptly seated at a table. The inside is small and cozy. On the menu, they have a pretty large selection of entrees as well as desserts and alcohol. I ordered: House red wine: very good for $12. Steak frites: excellent. The steak was tender, and the red wine sauce was delicious. Gateau l'orange: highly recommend- the cake was soft, warm, and citrusy, and came with a creme anglaise for dipping. The meal came with bread and olive oil, which was also really good. The service was friendly and efficient. Overall, I really enjoyed my entire meal and I will definitely be back. I might like this place better than Le Diplomate....

food and setting was so great that i felt compelled to give a shout out to La Piquette. it started with the french baguette slices served warm with a bit of olive oil. crusting on the bread was delicious. added some salt and pepper to the olive oil and was in heaven. i ordered the trout meuniere mainly because Julia Childs raved about it in her book and boy did it deliver so simple yet full of flavor. we hadnt booked in advance but they had several tented areas which were unexpectedly nice and cozy even on a cold evening. the desserts were top notch as well. we ordered an apple tart a la mode as well as creme brulee which were both delicious as well wait staff was prompt and pleasant. i couldnt recommend this restaurant more if youre in the mood for french cuisine. La Piquette is one of my favs now!

La Piquette is one of those rare restaurants that hits a perfect trifecta of great food, service and ambience. The food was authentic French, comparable to some of the best food I've had in Paris. There were four of us and each one of us enjoyed all three courses we ordered. That's 12 dishes total and they hit it out of the park on all 12. Can't remember the last time that happened. The service was everything you might want it to be: attentive, friendly and efficient, but without being intrusive. And the atmosphere was lively without being oppressively loud.

We dropped in for Christmas dinner and did not leave disappointed. The ambiance was cozy and inviting. We were seated outside (by choice) where they had blankets and heat lamps. Our waiter was incredibly attentive and jovial. There was a special Christmas menu, but they were out of a few options once we arrived. However, they were happy to make minor substitutions. None of the dishes disappointed and their commitment to quality is notable.

This restaurant is just spectacular. I've gone on many occasions whether it's because my family is visiting or I want an intimate and special date night. It is a small restaurant that almost at first glance seems unassuming, but the food is out of this world! Seriously. If you go, you have to get the Canard Rôti à L'Orange. The potato is buttery, the duck is rich, and the sauce is so balanced. The chocolate mousse is decadent... I could go on and on. But if you want authentic and delicious French food, you need to go to La Piquette. The service is always quick and good and the servers have always given really great suggestions on dishes to try. I would argue this is the best French restaurant in the DC area.

Had an early dinner here with friends over the weekend. Recommend you make a reservation. Service was excellent and food was good. A definite gem for French food in DC.

If you want a great French food experience go here. The staff was great and accommodating to menu changes. Of course the tables were close so be prepared to sing happy birthday to the table next to you if that happens. The salmon tartare was excellent. I love it when you have a few avocados left over when you have been trying to match up your bites. The mushroom app was straight forward and tasty. I would not get it again unless I am there with a mushroom lover. The fresh baked bread is totally carb-worthy. Just do it and don't think about it. If you like duck, get the confit dish. Few things beat a perfectly cooked duck leg with a crispy skin. Why don't chefs find more ways to use lentils? They are such a great side, especially when they are paired with a rich and thoughtful sauce as this chef presented.

I had an excellent dinner here. The menu was extensive with some wonderful dishes like Cassoulet. The ambiance is especially nice. They add a 3% service charge so patrons can augment the wages of servers. I disagree with this, but it is far less than the outrageous 22% fee charged at other DC restaurants, such as Moon Rabbit.

As during past visits, we loved the ambience here. Very French & very charming. We had 2 appetizers for the table & neither was a hit. The shrimp ceviche wasn't great & the calamari was entirely forgettable. I had the trout for my entree. It was fine, but not nearly as good as I've had elsewhere. Not memorable. The highlight of the food we ordered were the French fries.

One of the few places in DC that feels authentically French. You can find a lot of classics here that aren't served elsewhere like rabbit and sweetbreads. They have excellent bread and a nice bar. There's also great people watching here. It's one of the places where it feels like locals have been going forever. A little on the pricey side, but a nice treat.

This restaurant is great! Francis is the chef who was the chef at the French Embassy for 17 years! The Fois Gras here is beyond delicious! The service is beyond compare!

La Piquette is a French bistro, located in the Cleveland Park 'hood. They offer a brunch, lunch, and a dinner menu, offering items such as duck confit, steak frites, and gâteau à l'orange. We came here for dinner, and started off with: +Fricassée de Champignons - prepared with shiitake, royal trumpets, hen of the wood mushrooms, shallots, butter, and parsley; great for anyone who loves mushrooms +Baby Artichokes "Barigoule" - with shallots, garlic, parsley, thyme, capers, olives, and a sherry vinaigrette +Tartelette aux Tomates Confites - with goat cheese, sauteed tomatoes, garlic, and basil, with an Amish salade; tomatoes were fresh We also ordered some salads: +the Smoked Trout Salad - with tartar sauce, red onions, lemon, and citrus +and, the Salade Composée - with French green lentils, beets, quinoa, avocado, leeks, shallots, red cabbage, and cucumber; our party really enjoyed this salad For our mains, we had: +Braised Beef Short Ribs - braised in red wine with mushrooms, onions, carrots, served with a pomme puree; the short ribs were tender +Coq au Vin - braised organic chicken in a red wine sauce, served with a pomme puree; stewed well We finished the meal with a Gâteau à l'Orange, and this was just okay. Bread was also forgettable. Service was friendly and welcoming, and the atmosphere inside was relaxed. +fresh veggies +friendly service

Wonderful and very nice ambiance. I had the gazpacho (perfect) and salmon tartare. Then the duck foie gras. It was delightful. Hubs had spiced lamb sausage and it was delicious. He loved it. We shared the dame Blanche. That was such a treat and highly recommend. Love love love. I will come back

3.5 rounded to 4. Fresh from a trip to France, we tried La Piquette. In comparison to other local options, I would commend it for their larger selection (of dinner plates if not wines by the glass), but noted the higher price tag (e.g. Confit de canard for $39 versus $35 Chez Billy Sud). But the interior felt like a French bistro (minus the French language), and the food tasted good. The poireaux vinaigrette happily involved warm leeks and could be a share size if having other entrées. The smoked trout salad entrée was good (while the grapefruit clashed with the tartar sauce - it was nice having some shaved celery (?) in the dish). Note that the escargot is made à la provençale (not à la bourguignonne) so perhaps the taste of escargot get lost in the tomato sauce a bit. My husband linked his sauteed shrimp pasta, and I had no complaints about the confit de canard (the lentils were not very buttery, making for a lighter taste, and the duck was not dry). They did not have the pinot noir from sancerre by the glass so the pinot noir from languedoc was my accompaniment. Perhaps their vins maison are worth a try, I'm not sure. Finally the mousse au chocolat was okay. The chocolate was not very bitter nor airy, and perhaps the whipped cream made it taste more milk chocolatey. Good service, loud (reasonable that I don't recall they had music playing), tables close together. Not very accessible by metro unfortunately (Cleveland Park is about a 18 minute walk away).

La Piquette was the restaurant highlight of my entire trip (DC,NYC,LV)! It's the quintessential French bistro. We sat next to a mother/daughter/granddaughter from France but now living in DC and it's their "go to" for French food. That's how you know. We had the Canard Roti a l'orange and the Coq au Vin. The duck was tender, cooked to a perfect med rare. It was seasoned well with a little bit of caramelization on the skin. It was fanned on the plate with a wilted kale salad between the duck and the pommes purée. There was an orange vinaigrette in the kale salad that ran out to the duck...aw man was it gooood! The pommes purée was silky and seasoned well. I love Coq au Vin. I made it a couple of times, but only because it's hard to find in Hawaii. My goodness was this dish delicious. Tender and tasty---stewed in good red wine. You could taste more then one layer of umami flavor. It sat in that same silky pommes purée. Mains was paired with French wine that suited each dish perfectly....thanks for the waiters recommendation! We ended the meal with the orange cake. Ummmm....it's good. Like really really good. And it comes out warm with a small dish of fresh cream. Beyond the food, the service was great. Attentive wait staff that made you feel like they were happy we were there. The vibe of the restaurant made you feel like you were in a small town in France. I absolutely loved this place.

Came for lunch on a Thursday in June. It was a bit sticky and muggy outside so I had an indoor table. Was seated promptly and brought a generous and delicious baguette with olive oil. I ordered the soup of the day, gazpacho, and a steak frites. The gazpacho was delicious - slightly spicy, with a rich tomato flavor. The steak was perfectly prepared and with a generous serving of crisp, thin frites. Espresso topped off a wonderful lunch.

Great, food, very friendly staff and just a great social dinner place inside and outside

While I ate at la Piquette I had a flashback to my time in France. This restaurant serves authentic and genuine French cuisine. I believe is not as well known as other French spots in the city making it underrated. It deserves all the praise in the world bc it's truly a delightful dining experience My favorite apps was the steak tartare and mushroom dish. The escargot was unique in that it was made in tomato sauce instead of cooked in garlic. Mussels were splendid. For entree make sure you get the trout, it was absolutely praiseworthy. Everything was so fresh I had no complaints. I'd recommend making reservations! Bon appetit!

Love this restaurant great food and service! The Steak Tartare is not to be missed! Best wine selection too, very French very Chic

Had an opportunity to try on a weekday evening. The restaurant was very lively yet comfy at the same time. It was extremely warm and inviting. We had an opportunity to try the Steak Frite and the Duck Breast. Both dishes were executed well in terms of temperature. The sauce of the steak Frite was very slightly under-seasoned and the duck sauce was about the same amount over seasoned. It wasn't enough to take away from how good the dishes were though. Would definitely return if in the area.

This place is fantastic. Pleasant outside, and charming in (if loud). Our server was attentive, but never hovering. The chef's yellow-tinged (saffron-infused?) ratatouille impressed with complexity and just sheer deliciousness. A brilliantly constructed lapin linguini entre employed an unctuous cream sauce, mild green olives, fresh shaved garlic, warm capers, and delightfully 'al dente' celery. It's a special dish -- worth a visit just for this. Next time, I'll sample seafood offerings. I will return!

Moved into the neighborhood and was told to check out this French restaurant. I was not disappointed. This a small and slightly noisy place this is indeed a neighborhood gem. All the staff is super nice and helpful. I had the pate appetizer and the scallops for a main course. The pate was fantastic and the scallops among the best I have had ever. My wife had the escargot and the duck l'orange which she loved. They do not have a gluten-free menu nor indicate gluten dishes on the menu, but the staff was super helpful and we had no issues ordering. I know I will be coming here again.

The food was really awful. The potato leek soup bore no resemblance to potato leek soup. The salad - forgetting name was just odd and looked like rabbit food - vegetables, quinoa, cucumbers were good, but the rest wasn't good. Service was excellent,

Absolutely lovely dinner! Everything was delicious and beautifully plated as well. We had a variety of appetizers-each one was special! For the main course we had the soft shell crabs -excellent! For dessert our generous host gave our table of 6 every single dessert on the menu! I highly recommend all of them! I look forward to returning to this charming restaurant! Tres bien!

Likely our favorite restaurant in D.C. It's a neighborhood spot where you will generally see locals and occasional celebrity journalists and VIPs. Regardless they treat everyone as a VIP. We have yet to have anything but a stellar dinner there. The way they are able to source very high quality meats and fish must be a trade secret. You can't go wrong with any of the fish, but now we are obsessed with the duck. Beyond the food, the staff is beyond kind and warm. We have noticed the same team working there for the past 4 years now and they are always in good spirits and are happy to see people enjoying their dinner and doing what they can to ensure its a great experience.

I am very impressed. The steak frites are Manique. The mussels are not too be missed! The food is artistically prepared and is beautiful.

Very good dinner. Definitely recommend this restaurant. We had the scallops and the salmon dinner. Also had French fries and chocolate mousse. The dinner started off with a warm toasty bread with olive oil which was yummy too. We will definitely come back. Make reservations.

This is our go to restaurant for special occasions and dining with out of town guests. Never had a disappointing evening even when we showed up to meet friends a week early. They found us a spot.

The food and service were exceptional! I look forward to returning on my next trip to DC!

A great bistro style French restaurant. Good classic dishes very well Cooked. Good job La piquete

Great food, reasonable prices, good service. Reservations are recommended if you don't want to wait.

Great food, even better service. Cute neighborhood around! Went with my boyfriend for an anniversary - they brought us champagne and were so great!

Food was excellent; service was top notch! I suggest ordering a variety of appetizers and entrees- and share!

5 stars! Outstanding food & atmosphere. Authentic French dishes were a delight. Super friendly staff too. Easy walk from the National Cathedral.

Adequte food...which I have enjoyed...I order online for delivery...the cost was twice the price of the item. never delivered. called the restaurant and they blamed UBER EATS. They called then back and they tried to contact UBER...whose fault is that? The man at the restaurant asked me to contact UBER for a reimbursement. Will go to bed hungry, pack 60 dollars and was insulted by the restaurant. avoid them.

Amazing food and atmosphere, I highly recommend! I came here for dinner and the duck was to die for.

Everything about my experience was delightful...from the warm ambiance to the delicious food (bread, trout, scallops, orange cake) to the gracious service. A wonderful spot to celebrate following a remarkable and historic event at Washington National Cathedral. You will adjust your attitude about "house wine" after experiencing their wonderful red.

Been here 3 times in the last couple of years pre-Covid; each visit I ordered something different, and whatever I got was always tasty. Just stopped by and did take-out, and found the same excellent French food and helpful service during this time of the pandemic. Love the consistency. Recommend: pan seared foie gras (appetizer); crab cakes (main course); any of the salads. Washington Post Food Critic Tom Sietsema gave approval for this spot in 2019. I agree.

Excellent dinner with friends here. Parking is difficult, but there's an expensive ($15) Giant parking lot nearby if you can't find on street parking. I had the skate, served with spinach, and it was excellent. Service was quite good, although my pet peeve is when a server names the specials without mentioning the cost. Also, I asked for a substitute for the mashed potatoes, and whatever other kind of potatoes I got looked just like mashed potatoes. All in all, an enjoyable dining evening. Highly recommended!

Food was amazing. Drinks were amazing. Service was amazing. 10/10! Will definitely be back next time I am in DC!

My wife and I wanted to eat outside as it was a lovely evening for our area. We we're able to get an outdoor reservation at La Piquette and decided to check it out, we we're pleasantly impressed by the quality of the service, our server & all the staff were friendly and welcoming. The food quality was very good. We went with the 5 choice each so that we could try many things. We enjoyed all of our food and had plenty left to take home to enjoy. I really enjoyed the cucumbers, the carnitas tacos, the tuna crudo and the lemon dessert, definitely recommend trying it out.

My boyfriend and I went to La Piquette to celebrate two occasions (and it just so happened to be Bastille Day!) As first timers, we were absolutely blown away by the amazing food and stellar service. We started our meal with a French 75, a French martini, oysters, and artichokes. Then we got the orange duck and braised short ribs (both came with mashed potatoes), and a bottle of wine. We finished the meal with the creme brûlée and the gateau a l' orange. Not only did everything taste delicious, but it came beautifully presented as well. The dishes were works of art. We have nothing but positive things to say about all of the food- taste and presentation. We agreed the duck was particularly spectacular, as were the mashed potatoes (the best mashed potatoes I've ever had). Our waiter, Jorge, did not steer us wrong. We're so happy we chose to come here and celebrate, and we cannot wait to return! No pictures... because we inhaled the food so quickly.

The perfect, quaint French cafe experience. Wonderful food and wine and incredibly friendly efficient staff. Will be back on our visits to D.C.

Food is great! It looks like an old Paris restaurant. It is very comfortable. Seating is tight, but it is still pleasant.

Over priced. Mediocre at best. Service was poor. Would not return. Noisy to boot. Overall not a good experience.

Cyndy's Bottom Line: A true French bistrot in DC. *Reservations on OpenTable *Street parking *Inside and outside dining *Great variety of items on the menu *Food is consistently good. This is what we ate: *Compliment bread with olive oil. Delicious and fresh. *Frites are a must order. Always crisp and nicely salted so addictive! *Trout almondine served with salad greens. Cooked perfectly, tender and well seasoned. *Fromage omelette - yummy fluffy and cheesy.

Good French food and really good (un-French) service at this pleasant bistro in Cleveland Park. There is not much of a view, but there's a bunch of outdoor seating, and we sat at the edge of the interior with the full doors open to the patio because it was a nice day. The Red Ginger Fizz was a nice cocktail with which to start - the pomegranate and ginger help counteract the bite of the champagne. We also had a French Mule, sort of a sweet alcoholic lemonade. The pan-seared Fois Gras with stewed apples and red wine reduction was nice - most places don't make it fresh to order - but not the best we've had. My omelette basquaise was really a frittata with peppers and potatoes, with a side salad. It was simple and tasty. The salmon tartare was probably the best dish, layered atop some avocado. The mushroom risotto was indulgently heavy, so my daughter still had plenty to take home. We tried three desserts, a silly overkill, and they were all rich and flavorful.

I've never left a review before this, but the service at this place was so bad that I had to say something. I had the worst service ever by a tall bald man with a thick accent. We had a family table with 4 kids and he asked for an ID from one of them (the oldest child too), making the child so uncomfortable by singling them out and ruining her Christmas eve. The rest of the night, he was extremely unpleasant and made the whole dining experience significantly worse. The old lady next to us was also very unhappy with his service, making it clear that the person shouldn't be employed as a waiter at such a good restaurant. If you're eating there next time and get a tall bald man with an accent serving you, make sure to ask for a different waiter.

Great service. Reminiscent of a bistro in Paris or NY. Food was amazing. Overall great spot! Had been to almost all the other restaurants in the area and not this one. What a mistake. The duck was fantastic! Can't wait to go back.