Pure assholes. If you make a reservation, confirm via email but don't pick up your phone (bc it doesn't work in France) they'll cancel your reservation without informing you. We got to the door pointed to the name on her list (only to have her yell at us about not touching it and to wait) and she abruptly marched us next door to the hotel where they proceeded to tell us they couldn't honor the reservation and had no space for us ... despite several visibly open tables. Rude to the max. Don't even bother going there. Amazing food and the kindest staff just a few steps away at Le Procope. read more

Snobbish services like they're pissed off at everyone in the world. Only thing that got our attention was their food. Foie gras was the best we had so far in Paris. Had the marrow bone was fantastic as well. Even Anthony bourdian recommended this place. read more

We decided to give this place a stab after reading glowing reviews about it in guidebooks, online, etc and we picked it as where we'd celebrate my girlfriends birthday. It was comically bad. The wait, while certainly daunting, wasn't the end of the world; I'm more than willing to put in the time for good food and I would expect to have to wait on a Saturday in Paris. We queued up outside and stood in the cold for a little over an hour before being seated outside where the headlamps weren't sufficient for the cold night. The food did not justify the wait or the suffering once seated. The menu is unnecessarily complicated and given the quality of the food I found it pretentious in the worst sort of way. The waiter was obviously selling what they needed to move to people, talking them out of certain dishes and into others in waves. I had their suggested version of 'Boeuf Bourguignon' and it tasted as though it came out of a can. My girlfriend had the pork, which was unappealing and went more than half uneaten. The people next to us (on both sides) weren't happy either and I only saw a few appealing dishes being served (the chicken, which the waiter was talking people out of, looked amazing). Perhaps it was an off night or perhaps it was a new staff, but whatever the reasons, we didn't find a single reason why this place was worth the wait or the money. We couldn't do anything but laugh about it after and throw the guidebook in the trash. read more

There are a number of forgettable restaurants to eat in Paris and this one is a prime example! The food is atrocious and the aura of Alain Ducasse has long dispersed. People are always fearful of trying restaurants unless it's been written about. Believe me this one is not anything special. People line up and wait to have mediocre food and pay dearly for it read more

Do NOT go to this restaurant!!! I don't understand what the hype is all about... The food is average, nothing special. The SERVICE is HORRIBLE!!! I have never been to a restaurant with such nasty and rude service. Not have I never given a restaurant negative review. Menu is in French, so I asked the waitress to tell me what was on the menu, boy did this bitch get mad! I asked for my meat to be well done, it came out rare. I asked to get it well done by putting it on the grill, it took 40min to get my steak back! I am not a picky eater, so when I say the food is average then its NOT GOOD! read more

Im sad to write this review. Especially with a place that has such a high reputation. Now I couldn't make the time for the evening tasting menus but we did drop in for lunch. A bevy of awesome bistro entrees throughout the fairly large menu. Now the food we had, the charcuterie, lamb rack, beef cheeks , boudin blanc, we're all really good. THe one thing that didn't sit right? The pate du campagne. It seemed a bit dry but we ate it anyways. By mid afternoon my friend was feeling ill. By dinner I was feeling ill. After dinner my other friend felt ill. Coincidence? I think not. I have a cast iron stomach and never go down this easy. I've eaten at some crazy places in my life, but never been wrecked this bad. By mid dinner I was feeling a fever setting on and I knew I was food poisoned. I was down and out that night and half way through the next day. The issue? Well, the pate is done in a way where they pass it around in huge loaf. You take what you want and give it back to them, I think they keep passing it out to other customers until it's gone. So who knows what has happened to it. My local friends have described the same thing. So disappointing. So if you go here, the other food is awesome. Just avoid the communal pate. It's a gut crusher. read more

In Paris for 36 hours for meetings and long lay over; hit Yelp to find as many great spots to eat at as I could in 36 hours. By far the best place I ate at was Le Comptoir du Relais! Arrived around 1:30 pm on a Saturday in Dec right before Christmas (very busy shopping time as all of the French outside of Paris come in on the weekends for their holiday shopping). Was expecting a long wait and was pleasantly surprised with what happened. First of all I should mention that while I speak enough French to get around, it is elementary at best and I certainly cannot hold a conversation. You should def know that this place is a classic French establishment and the manager (I believe possibly the owner) is a very to the point (but not rude) woman who doesn't speak English (or at least chooses not to; which I'm okay with, not in America, in France). She does a great job at running an amazing (and very busy) establishment with phenomenal food. When I walked in to request a table (very small inside w/ about 10 small 2 person tables on the outside patio), I failed to get what she was trying to tell me that I needed to wait under the umbrella outside the patio area for a table. After a failed French/English conversation on giving her my name to wait for a table and obviously seeing there were no tables at that time, I just sort of stood outside wondering how to proceed. She came out, took me by the arm and led me next door to a tiny (and I mean tiny) room connected to the main restaurant, said a few things in French to the guy at the counter and was gone. Thankfully the guy at the counter (picture a counter w/ tiny kitchen behind it and about a 4 ft wide by 12 ft long area for customers to stand; no tables, no chairs) spoke English and got me started. Thru talking with him and a couple of other Americans patrons (who thankfully were fluent in French), I figured out that they were connected to the main restaurant and it was kind of a stand at the counter to eat/take out tapas style place. So I decided to order a few bites while waiting on my table. I can't remember what I had but I ordered about 6 things and each was better than the next! Very long story short, dishes were amazing, space was cramped (and perfectly French; exactly the kind of experience I was looking for), service was very friendly and quick and was a perfect warm up to my lunch (although to be honest I was full after my "starters"). After about 45 mins, the owner came back in and showed me to one of the patio tables. Had a few glasses of amazing red wine (couldn't tell you what they were, had the waiter pick but they were fantastic), had the escargot, the suckling pig (unbelievably tender and delicious) and fromage for desert (simply amazing). Net/net, don't come here expecting everyone to speak English and to be provided an English menu (while that can be nice sometimes, a truly French experience is what I was looking for and was not disappointed). And even though there was no English, the service was still very friendly and accommodating. The food was amazing, the wine was fantastic; def the best meal and best dining experience I had in Paris! Highly recommended!! read more

We were so excited to come to this restaurant after seeing the l'avant comptoir menu. Upon arriving we were a bit confused as to which one was which (The Relais has 3 restaurants) and seeing as no one greeted us at any we were about to walk away. After a rough start where no one came to even give us water for 30 minutes it was worth the wait. Each dish we had was exciting and we pushed our boundaries a lot trying things without knowing what they were (an English description in the menu might help since the servers weren't exactly helpful). In the end I rate the food a 5 and the service a 1. read more

I don't know what took me so long to get this one out. This was one of my favorite meals in Paris. I'd recommend going during off-peak, they don't accept reservations, everyone just lines up outside for a table. It's worth a moderate wait. I'm not sure if the menu has changed since we were there but we had the escargot, braised beef, milk braised pork, foie gras. Everything there is delicious, even if you have no idea what you're ordering :) read more

Really disappointed. Went again with my (French) husband and a friend from out of town. Food wasn't as good. But the service was absolutely terrible. Every person in the restaurant was in a bad mood. They were angry to help us at all. Not sure what happened that night but we won't be going back. We live up the street and there are plenty of other places that serve better food with better service. read more

We were just around this neighborhood around noon time so we decided to give it a try. This is a tiny restaurant, we waited for 10 minutes outside and got seated. The menu is written in French but the waiter is very helpful explaining in English. We ordered 4 dishes and a glass of wine, they all came up at the same time. Maybe we should have told the waiter to bring it one by one. One lady kept on trying to clean up our table before we finished the dish, guess it's a very popular restaurant so they faster turn over. Overall not bad but not fantastic. read more

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Try your luck, and reserve 2 to 3 months ahead (at the hotel desk), for the gastronomic menu on weekdays, not available on the weekends. Otherwise try your luck for a no reservation lunch or 5PM dinner: the wait can be a torture. Place is cramped, food is good classic French fare with a bit of invention, prices not through the roof, and you'll be happy you have tried before you see one of the movies showing in the Odeon area. read more

The 5 stars are only for the food that was fabulous especially the foie gras but the service was so so and the person doing the seating is quite rude and dismissive. read more

After the Anthony Bourdain listing, I had to swing by and pray a table would become available within a reasonable amount of time. I actually called several weeks before heading out to Paris to make a reservation for a midweek dinner but obviously this place was booked up for the entire month. So, after touring the Notre Dame towers I decided to walk over hoping for a lunch seating. Just as I expected, there was a line outside on the sidewalk for lunch seating. The menu is 100% french so be prepared to use that offline translator. I was able to figure out a decent lunch consisting of pork, codfish, a fromage assortment and a bottle of rose wine. The flavors are full and well put together. You can clearly taste the difference in flavor as to why Le Comptoir is so popular. This was probably one of the toughest experiences I had ordering because neither the servers nor hostess had the time to explain the menu. But all in all, I was extremely happy with the order. The food is as good as they say considering the 20-30 min wait you have to account for. Go for to avoid insane waiting time, order whatever on the menu, point at and ask what other people are having if you must. read more

Le Comptoir - Bistros Near Me - Paris, 75

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Terribly looooong service. Yea the place was full but it doesn't explain why we had to wait 2 hours for some appetizers and 2 entrees, no dessert even. Also, I ordered something that couldn't stomach, and the waitress wouldn't take it off the bill, even though I barely touched it. This is first time I ever come across this in any restaurant. that's absolutely absurd! also the waitress kept keeping her gaze down so she doesn't catch your eye so that you ask her anything. Terrible service, ok food. Don't recommend it. read more

Great food and a very local spot. Glad we decided to stop here for lunch and waited for about 20-30 mins. We asked for recommendations and I didn't feel that our waitress had much patience for English speaking diners. Oh well...it was great a experience and the best was the beef cheek stew! I can't wait to try their other restaurant. read more

Service was terrible. They were rude and dismissive. We ordered the red wine after they recommended it and they gave us white wine. The food was unimpressive. The croque monsieur was a mediocre grilled cheese. The lobster bisque was salty and had not one piece of lobster in it. Was not worth even 5 euros, let alone 35 euros! Can't say the service next door at the crepe/tapas bar was any better. read more

The food was good. However I would not recommend this place if you are visiting Paris for the first time and are struggling with the language. Initially they were very friendly to visit seat us and that disappeared when we were struggling with the menu. We will ask if retardants speak Spanish from now on and not English. read more

Super friendly service. But if you don't have reservations, it can be a super long wait. We tried eating outside along with some others with blankets and heat lamps in the dead of winter. Definitely took away from the experience. Will have to do it proper next time. What we had was delicious though - even though we were frozen solid. read more

This place was always packed, took us three tries to finally eat here. The food was good and the dessert was phenomenal. The service on the other hand was lackluster, although that's pretty typical of all Parisian restaurants. I was just really annoyed that we were stuck there for over two hours for what was supposed to be a quick lunch. Took twenty min to accomplish any request such as water or the bill. The waitress/hostess/owner just added to the stigma that all Parisians are rude. She seemed awfully full of herself. read more

I only had half a day in Paris, and I probably spent more time researching what I was going to eat there than any other city on my trip. We had just spent 3 hours doing a walking tour of Paris, I had showed our guide all of my Yelp bookmarks, and she pointed to L'Avant Comptoir, we accidently ended up here, which happens to be the next door neighbor of the famed hot spot. I was looking for your typical French Brasserie to eat lunch, I wanted to sit outside and people watch, listen to the cars and bikes go by, have a couple glasses of champagne, and take my time with my lunch. This spot fit all of the above. My friend and I do not speak any French, and our waitress seemed annoyed with it at first. The entire menu is in French, so we told our server to pick a couple items for us, we aren't picky eaters. She first brought out this amazing dish to share, I'm kicking myself for not writing down what it was, I still to this day have no idea what I ate. I did take a pic tho. It was like a mousse, with a hint of salmon or some kind of fish, a gelee on top with black balls on top. Great description, right? I don't even know if I was eating it right, I was dipping my bread into it. It was delish. Then she brought us the jamon and melon. Another table hit. The grand finale, she brought us bone marrow. Quite simply the best bone marrow I've ever had. Served with a really good pea puree. After a shared two bottles of champagne, we ended up making friends with some locals at the next table, we stayed there for a couple hours and the waitress didn't seem to mind. What a great afternoon, we left Paris with a full belly, empty pockets and our hair smelling like a mixture of gasoline and cigarettes from sitting on the patio. Mission accomplished. read more

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Though I had intended to visit the tapas bar they own next door I scored a seat for lunch and a sounded the line. The couple next to us where eating a beautiful dish and when we motioned with our hungry eyes they spoke clearly in New York accents that the place is knows for it. We proceeded to order as if we were getting Tapas and shared about 6 Different plates between us with not one disappointment other than the people speaking French seemed to be getting their food before we did, but I've been in the business to understand that situation and easily forgive after few good bites. It's was such a good meal that we decided to go for dinner two night later. A friend from the states was in, and her hotel was near by, so it was a perfect send off. I called in the am to reserve a table which I was told would be outside. We had lunch outside and knew the heat lamps and blankets where in great condition. I was called two hours later to be informed that a table inside had become available if I wanted that instead. I found it to be very nice and not at all living up the negative view that many on my people have stereotyped the French with. Dinner, as I was informed was a prix fix menu at $60 a person. Since we had not had a dinner for less all week together we felt this would be fine and they didn't disappoint. Each dish was better than the last and they were very kind to accommodate my friends dietary restrictions without batting an eyelash. The cheese course was when we showed our true tacky American side embarrassing ourselves over the opportunity to be gluttonous and disgraceful. They removed the plate after we began to roll our faces against the cold hard surface and made no mention of the disgrace again as they brought desert and the bill. Rumor has it they plan to open another spot up the road and I can't see why not. It's a gold mine of good food and shouldn't be missed. read more

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Great wine (try the chateauneuf du pape, one of the red wines by the glass), great bread, great food. The only downside is that service was really slow. You MUST order the cochonaille assortment - 5 different types of charcuterie, served with cornichons. I'm not sure what everything was but my favorite was the delicious blood sausage. They all went great with the fluffy, crusty bread. As my plat principal, the waiter recommended the joue de boeuf, a stew served with elbow macaroni, carottes, mushrooms, onions, and purple potato chips. Simple enough, but delicious! If you have room, get the assortiment de fromages before dessert - a great selection of 5 cheeses that changes daily. You can then order dessert or do what I did and go next door to order a crepe to go from L'Avant Comptoir, and walk off the large but delicious meal. It gets crowded very quickly and on the weekends it's first come first served so get there early, before 7:30pm. read more

I love this place! Ages ago I came here and wanted to bring my sister here while in Paris. The food did not disappoint. We arrived at noon for lunch. No English menu which can be tough. They aren't super eager to help either. Get 3 stars for the fact that they clearly don't want tourists. Pots de pate wasn't great. Did not eat. My sister had croque monsieur which was tastie but like a tostie. The salad niscoise salad was amazing. I think if you know what to order you're golden. read more

I gad chicken and my wife had beef cheek stew. Hers was better than mine but the environment was not my thing. Sitting elbow to elbow on a small sidewalk may he French but I pass. The staff was so busy that they paid no attention to individuals. Not going back. read more

Incredible. My friend and I ordered the bone marrow appetizer, pork braised in milk and beef cheek entrees, and coffee crème brulée for dessert. Everything was excellent. I would say the least impressive was the dessert and 45 min wait, but the latter was worth it. :) read more

We stood in line for an hour on a cold rainy November night. I have to say as soon as I left the restaurant, the long wait was just a foggy memory. This by far was the best meal I've had in Paris. The restaurant even though is pretty small, is brimming with such energy. I always wanted to find good French food and yummy red wine, and this place fulfilled my expectations completely. Filled with loyal locals - its testament to the amazing food you will have! I had the steak with mushrooms, which blew my mind away. For dessert, I had creme brulee, which had a coffee twist. Warning - the menu is in French and its best to ask the waiter for their favorite dish =) read more

We stayed at the attached hotel so we took advantage of the opportunity to eat here. The food was some of the most flavorful we had in Paris. It seems the chef here liked to use more spice and seasoning than most others. The dishes were simpler and more humble, but definitely flavorful. The overall dining experience was a bit hectic. Service was not refined. It was very informal and even a bit sloppy. The cheese presentation was great because you can choose as much and as many as you like! read more

Ignored for 10 minutes and we left. No English translations on the menu Only a few customers but we were not waited on.

One of my favorite lunch places. Excellent choices, service, and prices.

Visited Le Comptoir the first week of May while vacationing in Paris. We explicitly sought this place out because of the Anthony Bourdain recommendation on No Reservations. This would turn out to be one of the absolute worst restaurant experiences I've ever had. I speak enough French to read a menu and to order appropriately, so this wasn't a case of language barrier or of the French reacting to a tourist who refused to speak their language. This place just has some really terrible staff. We arrived for lunch and waited behind a few other groups under umbrellas in front of the cafe. A table situated outside the actual proper cafe area (on the sidewalk, around the 'corner' of the awning that extended outside to wrap up the patio seating) became available that a group of three didn't want and was offered to my wife and I instead. After being seated we found 2 things - no menus and our table was uncomfortably situated in the increasingly warm sunlight. Ten minutes went by before a waitress appeared to give us a menu. I asked her at that time if we could raise the umbrella (I don't like messing around with a business' property) and she said "1 minute" then vanished. A few minutes later she comes back and asked if we were ready to order. I indicated the wine we wanted but said we needed a moment longer for my wife to decide on an entree. She rolled her eyes and walked off - umbrella still not opened. At this point we just opened the umbrella ourselves and situated it for optimal shade. A busboy brought by our wine. This would be the last person from the staff that we would see for 30 minutes. The waitress *finally* came back to get our food orders after we walked into the actual cafe and got her attention. It took another twenty minutes to get our two courses served. They were ok, nothing more. Certainly not the food that Tony Bourdain had raved about on No Reservations. I had ordered the half chicken rotisserie, and it was good but no more so than anything else I'd had at any other cafe in Paris. My wife's dishes on the other hand were tremendously over-salted to the point that she couldn't eat any of the side vegetables. After we were done eating it took another 15 minutes to get the check. I was profoundly disappointed in the service at Le Comptoir. The waitress was rude, nowhere to be seen, and the food was mediocre for the price. In hindsight we wish we had just left the restaurant after our wine arrived because it was the only enjoyable part of the experience. Waste of almost 3 hours of a great day in Paris and over a 100 euros. I really can't recommend this place to anyone. Perhaps it was good when Bourdain filmed here, but the popularity seems to have run it downhill in a hurry. read more

This use to be a favorite among food critiques and writers. I took was impressed when I went there maybe 3-years ago. I hadn't been to this restaurant in a long time, because the lines to get in are outrageous and it's become more a production line. But I decided to go with friends for a late lunch and keep an open mind. I have to say the quality of the food really went downhill from when I remembered, so true it reinforced when I've read from so-called "trusted" reviewers. I suppose when it's filled with so many tourist and they're turning tables quicker than McDonalds quality is going to be hard to maintain. So, I guess I'll stick with my neighborhood restaurants, and leave this to the tourists! read more

This cafe stands up to its rating. I tried Fais Gras for the first time here and was surprised that I liked it. They have a wide range of menu items and my wife and i like to revisit this cafe to sample some of all their items. read more

Are you serious?? Wait in line for this? Been comin for years but after last night NO MORE. The steak wayyy overdone. The waiter doin us a favor? read more

First restaurant experience so far in Paris. I can't read French so I had to rely on the staff. They were somewhat helpful. I feel it's overpriced for the amount food quality and quantity. read more

Tourists love this place. But, don't let that fool you. This is an excellent neo-bistro with excellent hours (a decent lunch at 4pm is rare luxury in Paris). The food is simple yet innovative. And, the atmosphere is relaxed. Service is surprisingly good for a place that is so understaffed. The haddock gelee and herring roe starter is incredible and should be sampled by all. For an after dinner drink, I am a personal fan of the cherries in eau de vie- a digestif and dessert in one. read more

Prepare to wait. Had escargot. Excellent but messy must use fingers Fresh bread but I guess to be expected in Paris smoked chicken on salad with cheese good read more

Pricey, yes, and there was quite a wait for a Sunday afternoon, but it was a delightful meal full of interesting takes on bistro classics. Recommended for people with adventurous pallets since the menu could intimidate a bit. If you're lucky enough to get a seat outside, the people watching is quite good too! read more

We went here for dinner and shared the foie gras de canard (w/ a citron marmalade), Niçoise salad, and roasted scallop special. Everything was excellent! Highly recommend those dishes and this restaurant! read more

We discovered this restaurant thanks to a friend's suggestion and since it was in our neighborhood, we walked over. It is extremely crowded almost all of the time, but since we were the first in the waiting line, we stayed. (A few moments later there was a long line behind us.) We started with the Pate Campagne, which was very fatty (as it should be I guess) - a bit too much for me. We ate some of it. My husband got the chicken salad, which he liked very much and I ordered the "faux filet" which was an incredibly big and good steak. Even when you ask to have it medium, you get rare - that seems to be true everywhere, so it was very red. It had a delicious sauce (which I normally don't like on steak) and the beef was tender as well as tasty. I do not like being crammed into the tiny tables - and here you are pretty much crammed into a small space. I am still amazed that we didn't knock over someone's wine - ours or our neighbors'. The manager is brusque, busy and efficient - she has no tolerance for fools and we did have one of those (American unfortunately) carrying on while we ate. All in all, a good experience not only with the food, but with the general feel of a truly Parisian bistro. read more