Annie L.
Google
Visited Le Dôme on 2 January during dinner service, and it was honestly one of the worst dining experiences I’ve had.
The waiter who initially served us was polite, but after ordering, we waited 45 minutes to over an hour for our main course with no update at all. When we tried to ask for an update, two waiters completely ignored us — one in a suit and one without.
Only later did the waiter in the suit come over to explain that they had broken our plate and the chef is remaking it. This explanation was given only after we asked. Shouldn’t staff proactively inform waiting guests, especially when delays are this long? What made it even more frustrating was that large groups who arrived after us were served before us, which is exactly why we asked for an update.
When the main finally arrived, the same waiter in the suit kept coming back repeatedly asking if everything was alright — which felt insincere after how we were treated.
When we asked for the bill and were clearly ready to leave, we were strangely told to sit back down. After paying, the waiter loudly and sarcastically said “thank you” in English, then immediately turned to his colleague and made a rude comment in French, saying “merde.”
Speaking French in front of customers who are clearly non-French-speaking to make rude comments is already disrespectful. What makes it worse — and frankly embarrassing — is that my partner studied French at school, so we clearly understood that he was speaking behind our backs.
Coming from New Zealand, where we have genuinely excellent fine dining, this was even more disappointing. The food was very average — the fish and scallop risotto was bland and completely unremarkable, nowhere near the standard this restaurant pretends to offer.
This is not about “rude French people.” It’s about unprofessional service, poor communication, and blatant disrespect toward paying customers.
Absolutely unacceptable.
Foreigners: do not waste your time or money here.