Knowing that Bakersfield is known for Basque food, we made it a point to stop here on our way up the Sierras on a road trip; but we forgot that restaurants may be closed on Mondays. The one we'd been meaning to go to was closed, but Chalet Basque was next on the list, so we came here. We called ahead and made a reservation, but it was still about a half hour for a seat when we got here, and we were told the kitchen was closing soon. It seemed there was only one guy working the whole dining room, and he was working his butt off. The decor is "venerable" and feels like a local hideout. In fact, we got the impression that "regulars" got served first, which is probably as it should be. We had a bottle of the house wine which was great and went well with the dinner; the usual side salad, tongue, and beans were great. Fries and green beans were so-so. My sister had a lamb leg, her daughter had fried chicken, and I had whiskey lamb chops. I think the lamb chops were the best. If we were back in Bakersfield on a Monday night, we might stop here again. read more

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I have eaten here three times since the reopening. Two lunches and one dinner. First lunch was on a Saturday. The food was absolutely delicious. Then, in February, the Friends and Newcomers came here for our monthly luncheon. The manager saw that we all had superb service (20+ ladies) and amazing food. Many of the ladies expressed their satisfaction and pleasure with our meal. The third time I ate there was on a week night. Again, great service and food. All employees were friendly and the prices are reasonable for the amount of food served. read more

My family and I have been regulars for over 30 years and the new ownership has brought back life to this hidden gem. We love the food and you're greeted like family when you come read more

I have been to this location quite a few times and every time I have been there I have received nothing but excellent service, the food and drinks are always of the highest quality and the personel make every visit memorable. The bar area is a cool place to chill and have also had some great family diners in their dining area, overall recommend a visit for sure read more

My husband and I decided to give this place another try since new owner . But sadly still the same poor quality in food and service , it has went down since the change of ownership . Waitress don't even check up on you, or offer refills. Never going back there again . Seems as if regulars are more taken care. Step up your game chalet and give everyone the same respect and good service . Will be going to benjis from now on ,and never turning back. So sad this place was one of my favorites back then . We were always here booking big family dinners .Never again . If you plan to go here just know you'll be ignored only regulars here matter!!!! Very disappointing read more

I want to start with the positive: the food was superb. My husband and I both ordered lamb chops. They were cooked to perfection, smothered in garlic and butter in the Basque fashion; the soup, beans, salsa, bread, salad, green beans and fries were all fresh, hot and delicious. But....we won't be back! We've been to every Basque restaurant in Bakersfield and each one has it's strengths. We had never been to Chalet and since it was the only one open on the Monday evening we were passing through, we decided to give it a try. The exterior is very fancy-looking, for lack of a better word! It was very well maintained, not junky looking like a lot of older establishments. We walked in to find a beautiful dining room, booths with tables set with linens, pleasant lighting. Two adjacent rooms were for larger groups but also were very attractive. We had looked at the menu on their website and were looking forward to a delicious meal; the surroundings were a bonus. The waiter was a bit slow in arriving, but two young girls were fairly attentive, bringing us water and menus. I was surprised that the menus weren't the same as on their website; just about every item had an upcharge on it if you wanted sauce of any kind. As I said above, we both ordered lamb chops ($38) but were kind of surprised when the waiter asked if we wanted butter and garlic. Just as we were about to enjoy our soup, loud rap music came blaring from the bar complete with tableware jarring heavy bass. The bar only has a partial wall separating it from the dining room, which is kind of unusual when you have a formal dining room. The waiter had vanished so there was no one to ask about changing the music, but luckily it changed to old-school country, then new country, then 1980s rock. I like all of these (except rap) when I'm driving around in my car but not when I'm trying to enjoy an expensive dinner. Throughout the meal, the waiter was absent except to check on us one time. There were only two other groups there when we were but they both left shortly after we arrived. When we left, we saw a group of about 6 men dining in the bar, but still, not enough patrons for anyone to be ignored. When we got the bill, we were surprised to see that we had been charged an additional $2 for butter and garlic! This is just odd in a nice restaurant. Besides, lamb chops are traditionally served with butter and garlic in a Basque restaurant, so why charge extra? That old saying "nickel and diming us to death" holds true. We didn't ask about it because we felt like the waiter probably wouldn't care and we were right, based on the comments in some other reviews. I think that maybe they are more focused on their bar trade instead of dining patrons. That's a shame because the food is amazing and the restaurant is beautiful. I hope they do better, but we won't return. read more

Was there last night with a large group of folks for a birthday dinner. The one star review gal that walked out was also. Apparently something was not clean and her salad was slow to arrive. Now the real story. Food was great and so was the service. There was 20-30 people and everyone did not show up at once. So a little waiting is expected. Once we had drinks and sat down, everything was real smooth. The food is served family style and comes out in rounds. You can have as much or little as you want for one price. ( they dont have a individual salad. Never have!) The multiple servers all checked on us during our meal and got refills of everything we asked for. Of course we had extra bread and lots of fries. Over all it was a great night and I was very happy to see the new owner is doing such a good job. I have been eating at this restaurant for over 40 years and the food was as good lastnight as it always has been. You will not be disappointed with this place. We will definitely be back soon. Pro tip... save room for the Butterfinger Pie!! Its incredible!! read more

Chalet Basque Restaurant - Butterfinger pie. - Basque Near Me - Bakersfield, California

I have never felt compelled to leave a yelp review for a business more than I did after eating at Chalet Basque restaurant recently. Being a native from Bakersfield, I have eaten at this establishment many times over the years. On May 17th, I returned to Chalet basque for the first time since new owners took over to enjoy a meal with a lifelong friend. I was so impressed with every facet of my dining experience, I had to actually sign up for a Yelp account to give this restaurant the recognition it deserves. First, the ambiance. Chalet basque has always had a hometown charm with delicious French basque cuisine served in traditional family buffet style. The bar is well decorated and provides a warm atmosphere to enjoy a meal with family or friends. Additionally we were there on a Friday, which meant we also got to enjoy the entertainment of a very talented live band. Now to the best part...the food. I truly believe that this was the best single meal I have ever eaten in my entire 45 years on this earth. Every portion of the large meal (fit for a king) was exceptional. The cabbage soup and beans were amazing with an extra flavor pop I have never experienced at any other basque restaurant before. The bread, salsa, bleu cheese, hard cheese, salad, tomatoes, pickled tongue and French fries were all top notch as well. Everything I tasted was seasoned to perfection and tasted absolutely amazing and I hadn't even tried my entree yet! The entree: I ordered the rack of lamb lollipops. After eating this entree, I told the owner, George, that it was the single best cut of any kind of meat I had ever eaten in my life and I still believe this. I got 4 lamb lollipops that were extremely tender and very savory. The garlic butter complemented the dish which seemed to melt in your mouth with every delicious bite. Top notch! The service was also top notch with no complaints about seating time, service delays or food wait time. Overall I have no reservations about giving this fine establishment a 5 star review. I would give it 10 stars if it would let me. George and his staff have Chalet Basque running the best I have ever experienced it. Well Done!!! read more

Chalet Basque Restaurant - Soup and Bleu cheese. - Basque Near Me - Bakersfield, California

I ate here the other day as I was going through the area it was delicious had pickled tongue, soup salad and veal in white sauce so much delicious food glad I stopped and I will be back again Do yourself a favor and give this place a try read more

Chalet Basque Restaurant - Veal in white sauce - Basque Near Me - Bakersfield, California

I will be giving a bit of room in this review as we came for a cover band on a Friday night and I think there were more people than expected. Chalet Basque is very east to get to, right off of Oak there's plenty of parking on site. There's a bar area and then the dinning area. We wanted order our dinner entrees with the set up for basque food. The soup was good but not super note worthy, the beans and the salsa though, excellent flavor. It's family style so they'll bring a big bowl of soup for your group. I'm the salad and tomatoes had a great tart flavor. My FIL enjoyed the pickled tounge. My main dish was chicken a la basquaise. It was slightly sweet from the tomatoes and had a small layer of cheese. Something different from the traditional dinner items. My husband had the beef bourgonion which, had a great gravy and was tender. Our table mates had the garlic chicken, which was very garlicky and finally an order of pork chops. However the pork chops ended up being lamb and we sent them back and they took that off our order. Because it was during a very packed evening with a lot of folks the fries didn't come until much later and we never got the green beans. Overall I'm still going to give 4 because they were all hustling as he's they could. I'd like to come back for a regular dinner and try it again for a comparison. However he received the lamb chops and by that point he didn't want a replacement. Because it was very busy read more

George at the bar is the BEST! He takes care of his customers. Don't forget the fried chicken with fries and add their fresh garlic sauce! It really is garlic heaven. My husband says it's the best fried chicken he's ever had. I love it too, but I'm more in love with that garlic sauce. Ask for their New York too. They have a great grilled steak that's perfectly cooked. They have a super moody cocktail area which gives up a dark relaxing vibe. My 11 year old loves to come and drink a Shirley temple at the tables while her parents enjoy a cocktail lol. I'll make sure I continue to upload pictures of food and drinks as we keep coming read more

Chalet Basque Restaurant - Shirley Temple on Left, Painkiller on right: $12 pina/orange/cream of coconut/dark rum/cinnamon - Basque Near Me - Bakersfield, California

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The food was amazing! Our group had the fried chicken and lamb chops with of course the set ups. Amazing service, food and drinks. They even had live music in the bar. Great place to eat, relax and enjoy. read more

It has been way too long since I've been here and and I'm kicking myself for it . The server was amazing bringing out dish after dish , outstanding customer service . I would've been just fine eating the cabbage soup with salsa and beans it was beyond delicious ! I ordered the Chicken supreme it was covered in swish cheese , mushrooms and onions it was perfect. My husband ordered the lamb chops and said it was the best he ever had . My daughter had the top sirloin smothered in garlic and butter and yes I had to have a bite it was so tender and yummy !! We had the Salmon Creek Cabernet Sauvignon and also the Merlot it paired nicely with all the dishes . I'll be back for our next date night and I can't wait !! read more

Chalet Basque Restaurant - Lamb chops - Basque Near Me - Bakersfield, California

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I can't say anything about the food because we never got to eat any. We came early last night, on a Friday night. We asked if we could sit in the bar and eat and the bartender said yes, sit anywhere. She took our drink order and served our drinks. We asked for a menu and were provided one. As we waited for someone to take our order, a lady came and sat down and joined another lady in the next booth and the two were given a menu. We were the only customers in the bar area tables. As we sipped our drinks, and I was halfway through mine, a man came and took the ladies order and left, walking right by us, despite me looking up hopefully as he strode right by. He never came back. Pretty soon, a young lady came and set down a plate and napkin set up. Still nobody came to take our order. As we still sat, food started coming to the ladies table. Still no one came to us. We downed our drinks as the ladies ate next to us, and my husband went up to the bar and paid our tab. We had wanted to try this place under the new owners, but never mind. Not now. We went to our old stand by, Benji's, which was packed, and had a fabulous meal. Sorry Chalet, you lost some potential life long customers, for good. read more

George and the staff greeted us and treated us like kings. Newly opened with new owners. Bringing back the old school basque style food. We will certainly be back. I ordered scallops which were perfectly cooked and tender. read more

Chalet Basque Restaurant - Scallops - Basque Near Me - Bakersfield, California

I have to say this place goes overboard to accommodate large groups. We recently Nov 24 needed a place for a large 40+ family event. They stepped up and accommodated us, even with additional headcount at the last minute. I cannot thank them enough for their understanding. With larger groups, you get the tri tip and chicken with all the setup. They went all out for us and the food was spaced perfectly and came out delicious as if it was just me and my wife ordering. They have a large banquet room which would have fit more and we had the whole area so people could socialize. It was such a relief but I know from being a long time customer, that they are good people and take care of their customers. I can't say enough, so all I can say is keep them in mind for larger events, but also just for a casual meal. read more

Food was excellent, lamb chops plus set up. Great bar service. Roxanne the bartender was awesome! Friday night live music is fun.

For the price there are better basque restaurants in Bakersfield. The duck was disgusting, the New York steak was over cooked and flavorless. I ordered pickled tongue I never received it and they tried to charge me double. I would have been happier with McDonald's, as for basque restaurant id go with wool growers or benjies. read more

Food was excellent as always service is top notch. Never a bad experience here. We had a wonderful valentine dinner with jazz music playing, A rose on the table. I highly recommend eating here. We come here often and are never disappointed. read more

A friend and I were there for lunch , they never disappoint. I had the lunch set up and it was awesome and the portions of each was certainly more than enough for me. ( brought some home) you get the soup, beans, French bread. Salsa, green beans, French fries, salad. All for $20.00 . My husband and I have been there several times for dinner and love the Halibut. Not to mention they have Taco Tuesdays which is outstanding. The service is always great and I can't forget to mention the amazing staff Ralph jr, Manny, George, Lacey, Roxanne . You need to check it out if you can. read more

Chalet is under new ownership. I still walk through the door and George brings me a Crown and Coke without asking just like always. The food has always been good... the food now is GREAT! George is still there giving the same great service he has always given us. Manny is still here also. I had the Lamb Shank and the wife had the Garlic Chicken and they were both awesome. They have Pyrenees bread back which is a staple in any Bakersfield Basque restaurant. The pickled tongue is a little different but it's different for the better! read more

Chalet Basque Restaurant - Lamb Shank awesomeness! - Basque Near Me - Bakersfield, California

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Back to my hometown and a bit of nostalgia to the Chalet Basque Restaurant. In my earlier years it was known as JB Marie Chalet Basque. The set up was similar to what I remember. Now, being that I dropped in at 5 PM on a Saturday I knew it would not be that busy for early dinner. The dinning area is still dimly light and quiet enough to have a conversation with friend(s) or a romantic evening out. I wanted to take my time remembering the people, the decor, and atmosphere; it was very similar in the many years back time. I had a friendly server named Manny. Then food comes in courses dish after dish. The drink of iced water, glass of red table wine at room temperature, cabbage soup, beans, salsa, sliced french bread and plenty of real butter. Then has the dishes continued the pickled tongue, and sliced marinated tomatoes, romaine salad with dressing, and then the final course with main dish roast beef with brown gravy and side disk of green beans and french fried potatoes. The food was good, appetizing and flavorful. I doubt you can leave this restaurant hungry. What was amazing all in sudden 37 friends show up all of the families I remember. An family event, inside banquet room or out side dining in the large patio. You can plan an large family event or celebration. They do have a full service bar with you favorite named spirits available too. They even have cozy booths to sit in the bar room area, but then you have the background of music. I do give it a good recommendation on my unannounced visit and taste of nostalgia of my younger years growing up in Bakersfield area. read more

Chalet Basque Restaurant - Roast Beef. This is .5" slice - Basque Near Me - Bakersfield, California

The bartender, laycee is very friendly . Always knows what i want , pays attention to detail, she's a good person

I ordered two dinner setups without a meat entree. All we got was soup, beans, salsa, salad, a few fries and a serving of geeen beans. All of this priced at an expensive $27.00 a meal. The quality of the food was poor and it arrived cold when Uber eats delivered it to me. The quality has definitely gone down since the change in ownership. read more

I have loved this place all my life grew up eating here as tradition and still live it to this day

Great food ! The manager was a big help in what we ordered. The workers were so nice . My friend said his beef dip is the best he had ever had. If you have not tried this place you are missing out! The new management is amazing!!! read more

Another wonderful experience. This classic Bakersfield spot is under new ownership, and they are keeping all the best things about this place, and updating and improving also. Garlic fried chicken : Tender and juicy inside with that amazing garlicky crisp outside. Served with the classic set up that gives you everything you want with a Basque meal. Can we take a minute to say just how good that Basque soup is?? It hits the spot every time. Last visit also under the new ownership we both had steaks topped with garlic (we love our garlic) Perfectly cooked to order. The old school atmosphere is being honored, while getting spruced up along the way. The staff is so friendly, giving amazing service and working together to give customers a wonderful night out. Familiar faces of some servers who have been with the restaurant for years, and new smiling faces to get to know. So happy to see this great Bakersfield spot thriving. Go check them out, whether you have been there before, or if you are looking for something new. Thank you Chalet we will be coming back. read more

I rarely leave reviews, but I had such a good time eating with my family that I felt obligated. I haven't eaten there in years but the food was excellent, service was on point, the beer and drinks were cold, and made just how I like them. Get the tomahawk steak and thank me later lol. Will definitely make this our new spot! read more

The menu had so many great options to choose from, it was hard to decide what to order! I ended up having the filet mignon with blue cheese and it was cooked to perfection. The bar area was welcoming, and the staff were very friendly. The drinks were also very good. I would definitely recommend this restaurant. read more

what can i say!! have been coming here for years even through different management! this place has the best food and service anyone can ask for. maybe because they make you feel like family but shoutout to jorge! 10 year anniversary and he made our evening as if we were in a private dining!! read more

Had an amazing time here. Try their new prime rib. It's finger licking good. The shrimp scampi is a must every time. read more

Chalet Basque Restaurant - Prime Rib - Basque Near Me - Bakersfield, California

What an amazing experience! I booked a table for 19 people for a birthday celebration. The service was top notch! The staff was completely attentive and asked every step of the way to make sure everything went smoothly for my mom's birthday. Food was great! I do not have one thing to critique. Thank you Chalet Basque for a memorable night and such personal attentive service. Truly impressed. read more

When can I come back here!?? Oh ya, it is Friday and there is live music tonight, I may be back sooner than I thought! I had not been here before and have only had Basque food once ever, not being a Bako native. I did not know what to expect when walking in. The building is cool and feels like it has been around a long time. Has an old world feel, lots of rooms, lots of wood and I liked it! Did not at all have a funky smell that I find (keen nose) a lot of older buildings have. We were a large group of ladies here for lunch. Service was great, Especially later when I ordered something to go and was able to speak to a couple of servers. Nice guys! Hubby had asked for a pickled tongue sandwich to go (not my thing!) with fries and he loved it! The size of it, the meat, fresh onion, pickle. He liked the nicely toasted bread too. Perfect and I scored points for grabbing this. Only $9 - plus tip, of course. The food we had.. the set up for lunch was family style of course and we had the soup (SO good), salad (loved the dressing and it was strong but not over the top), fries (NEW FAVE! I know - bad but I went and worked out right after!) and the beef with gravy. This was lean, meaty and one small piece and I was done! Full and satisfied. I really liked how the fries were crispy, almost twice fried but not too crispy and well seasoned. I am so glad for this event as I am not sure if I ever would have gone here. No reason for that though - I love trying new places, this one just had not been on my radar yet. Shout out to Manny - THANK YOU for everything! read more

Chalet Basque Restaurant - Love this soup! Beans and salsa added. Yum - Basque Near Me - Bakersfield, California

We dined here because my husband wanted to try something new. We were traveling through and found this restaurant. The service was wonderful and our server suggested to us many wonderful options. I had the special and my husband had lamb chops. The food was delicious and of course we had to try dessert. Yum. No complaints here. read more

Under new owner I have gone several times and have yet to have anything bad. I had the frog legs with the set up all was excellent. The only complaint was getting our tickets took a little bit but there was a group of us. read more

I wanted to treat my brother for his birthday, he wanted Basque and woolgrowers was closed so we decided to try the new owners Chalet Basque. Food was excellent! I gave it 4 stars because something was missing (Ambiance) there was no music. We will be back next time my brother is in town. read more

If you're looking for something unique to Bakersfield, I highly recommend ordering the Basque pickled tongue sandwich au jus for a take away lunch. It ranks up there as the best sandwich I have eaten in my life. I did a quick search if you can find this in LA and you can't. A weekend food tour is definitely possible in Bakersfield and it is only an hour and half away from LA. As I discovered spending 3 nights in Bako, there's not much to do right now but eat and drink your way through Bakersfield from the safety of your car during the pandemic. read more

Chalet Basque Restaurant - Life changing pickled tongue sandwich au jus - Basque Near Me - Bakersfield, California

Had lunch at Chalet Basque. George , Norma and Chris were so awesome. Just had the bar set up and the food was amazing. The kindness that was shown from the staff was outstanding Thank you George for the little extra. Amazing read more

The Food was amazing hands down. The customer service is very attentive such amazing staff. Best Basque food. Five star for this restaurant thanks to George and Ralph and Ralph Jr read more

Had an excellent dinner here tonight. I had leg of lamb and my wife had Chicken Cordon Blue. Both were very well prepared. And as typical with a Basque Restaurant all of the sides were delicious. read more