Le Bistro de L'Hôtel

We dined at Le Bistro de L'Hôtel and opted for the tasting menu for two, primarily for the highly sought-after Bresse chicken, a dish that is hard to come by despite its premium price. Given the cost, I expected the restaurant to be classified as fine dining; however, the service did not meet the standards one would anticipate from such an establishment. While the food itself was delicious, the service fell short, lacking even the basic attentiveness one might find at a casual bistro. Here are a few specific points that contributed to our disappointing experience: Reservation and Seating: I made a reservation online over a month in advance, complete with a credit card deposit. On the day of our visit, I was the first to arrive, yet we were seated at a table directly in front of the staircases—far from an ideal spot. It was disheartening to see later arrivals being assigned more desirable seats by the windows, particularly when they were a party of two. Service and Communication: Each dish was served by a different waiter or waitress, and none of them took the time to introduce the dishes. This lack of communication left us unsure about what we were eating unless we referred to the tasting menu ourselves. For a restaurant of this caliber, I consider this to be a fundamental oversight. Bresse Chicken Service: When the Bresse chicken was served, the staff began cutting it beside our table without any notification. We had no idea the chicken being prepared was for us until we saw someone slicing it. Clear communication in this regard is crucial, especially in a fine dining setting. Wine Pricing: The wine prices were excessively marked up, reaching up to three times the normal retail price. While it's common for restaurants to mark up wine, a threefold increase is excessive and should be approached with caution if you plan to enjoy a bottle during your visit. Overall, our experience at Le Bistro de L'Hôtel was quite disappointing, and I cannot recommend it. The combination of excellent food and subpar service left much to be desired. For a restaurant that positions itself as fine dining, the service should be equally refined to match the quality of the food.

Four of us at the hotel and on the second night decided to try their bistro. We are so glad we did. The service, quality of food and wine selection was amazingly top shelf. Of course we enjoyed the roast chicken for two which was out of this world. We also enjoyed fresh cod, veal kidneys, escargot and the best frites we have experienced yet. Wine selection is massive. The staff were very attentive the whole night and enhanced our experience. Highly recommend and worthy of the 5 star rating. They earned it. .

Excellent spot for an elevated French meal! The atmosphere was lovely, service top-notch and the dishes were your classic French comfort food. If you're there to try the chicken (seemed like everyone was) but don't want the eyes on you for the tableside carving, there is another chicken dish on the menu that was delicious and just as good-looking as the other diner's full bird. The tableside flambé for the Grand Marnier crepes was pretty cool though! The wine list is one of the most extensive we saw on our entire 2 week trip. Highly recommend!

Fabulous meal! Amazing service and extremely voluminous wine menu. The waiters were always attentive. We came for the bresse chicken and it was definitely worth it. The patio was lovely.

We made the booking by stopping by in person while only the pizza place attached next door was open. I thought for sure they would say “just call back later” but the guy at the pizza place walked out, around the corner and in to the closed restaurant to get the bookings register to take our reservation. We ordered the chefs tasting and a bottle of wine. They did a spin on the Bourgogne oeuf by serving it with a heap of truffles and the Bresse chicken was whole roasted and carved tableside, quite spectacular. The crepe Suzette was also flambeed tableside. Best combination of food and service we received over four days eating in Beaune. I would go back once on every visit.

The Bresse whole roast chicken was easily one of the best meals I have ever eaten. With plenty to share between two of us, the chicken was carved at the table and served in it's own juices. A totally unique flavour.

Ok. This is a must visit restaurant if you are into classic Burgundy cuisine. The food is fantastic and the wine list makes you drool just to peruse it. Dining here is not inexpensive but oh is it worth the splurge. The Bresse chicken for 2ppl is the single greatest chicken dish I have ever tasted. It is carved tableside with such mastery that it looks like you are watching a video played back in high speed. As appetizers we had White Asparagus and Snails; for entrees the Charolais Côte de Boeuf (for 2) and Poulet de Bresse (for 2). The beef was great but GET THE BRESSE. Really.

It's not often that a restaurant experience ticks every single box, but this one does. The menu and wine list lived up to every expectation. I credit the wonderful ambience to the staff, who manage to be efficient, sweet and courteous under pressure. I will go out of my way to visit again.

Let's start with the ambiance - we sat outside in the courtyard which is charming the service was impeccable. I've heard about the whole chicken and that it's a must so why not go with their signature dish. We started with Escargot (fantastic) had a few different wines and their delicious roasted chicken. It is the epitome of the perfect roasted chicken. We were a table of 6 with many dietary restrictions and they handled it beautifully.

Excellent meal and overall experience. We arrived for our reservation and were seated immediately with drink orders promptly taken. They returned swiftly with kir royale and champagne. We ordered the Menu Degustation (€120.) We asked the sommelier to suggest a wine based on our preferences and budget; his recommendation was perfect. An amuse bouche kicked things off. First course: sashimi was fresh and delicious. Second course: Oeuf cocotte a la truffle aestivum (baked egg with shaved summer truffle...it was a revelation). Main course was - as my fellow Californian Laura G had - the roast chicken. It was perhaps the best I've ever had. Juicy, tender meat and crispy skin bathed in the roast juices. C'est magnifique! Then cheese followed by crepes Suzette prepared tableside for a wonderful presentation. Service was gracious and attentive. The staff is fluent in English. Nick says if you want a special meal in Beaune, you can't go wrong here. Only thing I would change is the consistency of the mashed potatoes - a little too soft/liquidy for me, but still tasty.

This place is known for their roasted whole chicken, we ordered that and it was okay. A little bump as I was anticipating a better outcome since I saw almost every table order that as well. It was juicy and taste okay, but I think it could had been cooked a little bit more because the meat was tough near the bone. I couldn't even cut the meat off with the knife. The sweet bread and steak was not bad, over all was a good dinner.

Nice décor, excellent service, they really took care of us, we were 7 people and we ate most everything family style. They were able to handle us, 7 crazy Americans, without any complaints. To start, I tasted 3 different plates. The escargots were amazing, tender not rubbery and the garlic parsley butter was sooooo buttery. Don't forget to pick up the shell and tip it upside down in your mouth. Wow. And of course we dipped bread into the plate too. The second item was the pate de foie gras, it was as most others, tasty and smooth. The mozzarella and tomatoes were great, the tomatoes were not underripe. For the main courses we had of course the blue-footed famous Bresse whole chickens! Most of us agreed it was the best chicken they had ever had. Moist and tender and juicy and it was swimming in its own jus and fat. Yep, more bread dipping! We also had the Charolais beef with truffles on top. The waiter brought a WHOLE black truffle and shaved it ALL on top! Wow wow wow. The beef was great, very flavorful. For those who don't know, it is a special kind of steer found in France. Afterwards we all had cheese. Good selection. The wines all night were stellar and reasonably priced. Great experience!

Hmmmmm... how do I put this? I had an interesting experience here I guess is the nicest way to say it. After hearing from countless locals that this was the spot to eat at in Beaune we gave it a whirl (or in my case hurl) on our last night in town. You walk in from the cold city streets to a nicely decorated and a tad bit upscale dining room. White table cloths and proper servers will promptly greet and seat you and offer up wine. When in France you have no choice, order the wine. Complimentary olive oil and cheese was brought to the table and it was at about that point that I felt my body heat going through the roof. Seated directly next to the heater I dug into course number one. A huge portion of escargot swimming in butter and cream as you'd expect. Pretty good but I have had better. Course two was a sea bass with even more butter which had a nice crust to it but was incredibly rich. It was about this time I had to step outside and get some air. Course three... cheeeeeeese. I am never one to turn down some good cheese but this had gone to far and I needed some balance here! Bold, stinky, dry and creamy... they covered all cheese bases and I had had enough. I needed some fresh veggies or a nice salad to calm it down a bit but this meal was turned up to 11. I tossed my buddy my card and left him to finish dessert alone while I walked the streets soaking in the crisp fresh air. Reportedly the dessert was just as heavy and I don't think I would have lasted another second in there. I always thought I liked French food but maybe the just do it better in the good ol' U.S.A.. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!

Get the Poulet de Bresse. Trust me, it is amazing! At the advice of winemaker Alex Gambal, we found our way to Bistro de l'Hotel for dinner. And we went with his recommendation, the roasted whole Bresse chicken. At 85 euros, it's definitely not cheap, but this bird is thing of beauty. It came to the table, golden brown and delicious, and our very skillful server carved that thing faster than car thieves can take apart a Camry. The chicken was succulent and incredibly flavorful, the kind of food that instills silence at the table as everyone just revels in their food. We also ordered a really nice white Burgundy, a 2012 Hubert Lamy Saint Aubin 1er Cru "Les Frionnes" (75 €), which was bright and citrusy and went very well with the chicken. If you visit Burgundy without trying poulet de Bresse at least once, then you really haven't visited Burgundy. And I can think of no better place in Beaune to try it than at Bistro de l'Hotel.

Service, wine list & food all exceptional! This is a must go when you visit Beaune! The little details like having a pillowed chair for my handbag and keeping our bottle of Echezeaux at the right temperature were highly appreciated! The Escargot was my favorite preparation I've ever had... My husband had the pigeon and I had the sole...both prepared at the table which added to the experience. Exceptional flavors and presentation!