The short: Monet's is a charming place run by two incredibly nice people that serves a decent dinner and fantastic dessert. I may have given this restaurant too many stars, but that says something about this restaurant- Monet's is the kind of place you want to be able to give a five star review. Monet's is run by two truly kind people. You can tell they are putting their hearts and souls into this little place. They have taken a less-than-ideal little room and bathroom and turned it into a cute little French cafe one might see on the bank of the seine. Now for the negative: the owners of the restaurant are the only servers. They are very friendly, which is a positive, but it means that not only are they slow because they have to serve a whole room alone, but they are are slowed down by the constant conversations they strike up with their patrons. They have a lot on their plate, and forgot to bring me a spoon for my soup for almost 10 minutes. The food was good, but not great. Too much balsamic vinegar on everything. The dessert, however, was awesome. The lavender cheesecake was absurdly good. All in all, I would say this is actually a three star restaurant, but I loved the people so much, that I am giving it four. read more

The food and wine are delicious. Girls night out with the cheese platter and a glass of wine... Perfect night. One recommendation: MAKE RESERVATIONS. This place is probably the best restaurant in town, and it gets filled up quickly! read more

My wife and I went here last night to celebrate our 29th anniversary. Big Mistake! Unless you like warm Chardonnay, stale warmed-over bread and waiting an hour for your meal! But the real reason why we finally just walked out without our dinner was the absolute disregard by the waitress and manager. They were too busy taking care of their regulars to be concerned about us. So if you're not in the "Exeter Scene", skip this "for locals only" joint! read more

Wow! What a magnificent place this is. I had the lobster ravioli, which was beyond describable on how delicious it was. The sauce was so creamy, along with the fresh basil and shaved Parmesan on top. This meal looked and tasted like a masterpiece. It was true heaven in my mouth. For dessert we got the lavender cheesecake, which I had never had in my life, and let me tell you, I will definitely have it again! It was so creamy, yet not too sweet, and topped w raspberry sauce. Wow, it was amazing. The almond raspberry cake was also tasty. What really made our evening was not only the great tasting food and wonderful ambiance, but the waitresses and the owner were super nice! They went out of their way to talk with us, ask us about our day, and ask us how our meal was. This place is a true gem and I recommend u come here if u want to have a great evening with a great &fresh tasting meal with great prices! read more

I have eaten here twice and the food is excellent. Definitely try the lobster toast appetizer!

Ended up in Exeter by chance, random couple of nights in the middle of nowhere after a rough day of ditching camp sites and switching hotels with two kids in tow - and oh, my God! We just had the most amazing dinner! This place is a gem hidden in a dust bowl. The bistro would be at home in Paris, Stockholm, London or any amazing European city, coupled with the amazing service and friendly demeanor of laid back California. It truly is the best of both worlds and if you ever find yourself within three hours drive of this place - go, go, go! It's small, cozy, attentive, with an amazing wine selection (try the Jada Jack of Hearts, it's $60 for a $55 bottle of wine, amazing, I don't know how they make money!) and fantastic food. We had the spicy lamb sausage pizza on focaccia and it was amazing. The deserts are to die for and we are already booked to come back tomorrow. On a weekday you could get a table but the place is small and Friday to Sunday reservations are a good idea. And the staff... Great service. Personal and attentive without being obtrusive. The owner came for a chat and stayed because she was welcome, not because she was overly chatty in any way, just the right balance of friendliness and personal service. I'd move from Beverly Hills to Exeter just to make this my local Bistro! read more

Monets Wine Bistro - Amazing ambiance. French bistro, Cali style. Best of both worlds. - French Near Me - Exeter, California

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HORRIBLE VALENTINE'S DINNER!! We had reservations and still had to wait a long time. Our waitress only came up to us once. Our steaks were cooked wrong. The owner/manager said, we have lost steaks here. She said they were rare and well cooked steaks. Not ours but she still places them on our table to us even after we told her they weren't ours. Tasted like beef stew btw. Although, there was one really nice waitress (not ours) who came to talk to us because we seemed upset. read more

Came here for dinner on a vacation trip to Sequoia from the recommendations from yelpers. The food here is excellent. We had the french rivera crepe and the steak sandwich, both of which was excellent. We also had the lavender cheesecake, which is one of the best cheesecakes I've ever had. The best part about this place is its fairly cheap! Definitely will come again if I am nearby. read more

Me and my husband had an amazing time at Monet's last night (Friday). The atmosphere was so good, vibrant and with great energy! There was live music, tap dance and everything was happening so spontaneous. The service was excellent. The only reason we give 4 stars is because of the food it was good but not great. read more

The food here is great. Service is ehh.. prices are.... well, you go for the food, I'll just say that :)

Stumbled upon Monet's while searching Yelp. Very quaint with a wonderful menu. Used to live in Paris so I'm always interested in French restaurants. Monet's helped me feel like I was back in Paris. Attentive service, fantastic White Lavender Mocha, and an on-site owner. We immediately made reservations for future dates. Highly recommended! read more

Excellent food and service in downtown Exeter. Surprisingly charming place with a great menu, wine selection, and friendly personal service. A real gem and worth going out of your way for. read more

Amazing elegant diner and service what a great Friday night amazing end to the work week!

This place is amazing! Their wild mushroom soup with brie is DELICIOUS (and I don't even like mushrooms!). I had the chicken cordon bleu crepe & I loved it. Hubby had the flank steak panini & that was delicious too! We had the chocolate banana crepe for dessert....YUM!!!! The service is outstanding as is the ambiance. The owner Jennifer stopped by our table to check on us & introduce herself. Took our 4 1/2 year old daughter there & she loved it too. I know some have said it isn't kid friendly but it was for us. We will definitely be back! read more

We were asked to wait outside in 40 degree weather for a table when a couple before us weren't asked the same nor the people after us! The waitress was rude and uninviting. I will never go back there again, it's unfortunate because I hear great things about the food. read more

They have a lot of wine and good beers to choose from. The lamb pizza is awesome. The desserts are out of control, seriously the best in the county. Service is good too and sometimes live musicians play. Caleb is very knowledgeable of wine and beer pairings too. You're in for a good experience when he's your server. read more

Absolutely excellent. True French cuisine, lovely place, very good live music, and the best food I had in a long time. Can't understand why this place is hidden in a small town like Exceter - if you are around that area and enjoy excellent food, make sure you dine here. read more

I'm giving Monet's 5 stars as that's what I'm anticipating. Reviews indicate they're open for breakfast. I had my heart set on the french toast. They are no longer open for breakfast. They open at 11:00AM and begin with lunch. The Menu looked great. Holly allowed us in and she indicated that she's the baker. We'll be looking forward to a return visit with dinner in mind this time. I'll give a follow up review. read more

This place is wonderful! The food is exquisite and the atmosphere is divine. I recently got engaged while dining there. The staff was in on the wonderful occasion and I can't thank them enough for making our very special evening, one I will never forget. Thank you Jennifer and staff. Gale R. & Larry F. read more

Great food. Quaint place. Had the caramelized onion Brie with honey app. Outstanding. Monte Christo pasta with flank but you didn't need meat with that dish. Cheese and sundriedRavioli with Salmon. Awesome. For dessert grand marnier choc cake. Awesome. read more

This is definitely a gem in Exeter! The town is full of mexican joints and a so-so sandwich shop. Monet's is a little pricey, but so worth it. The food is amazing, you can tell because it's always packed. I had a ciabatta pizza and I could have eaten the large one all by myself! The chef does an amazing job. It's a small restaurant, but so cozy and beautiful. They have a great wine and craft beer selection to go along with various sodas and coffee drinks. The patio area is quaint and fun, it's an awesome upscale cafe setting. The staff is quick and attentive and super friendly. My family will be going back every weekend! read more

Monets does not disappoint! The service was fantastic. The food is amazing. Presentation, quality, accuracy and pairings are just perfect. Very CA focused wine list. We drove from San Francisco to stop here and I would do it again. read more

As ALWAYS....Great atmosphere...GREAT music performed by Rick....and EXCELLENT food! What a sweet romantic treat from my boyfriend. Loved it ALL!!! read more

Wonderful dinner! We had the escargot, French onion soup, Monte Carlo pasta and Mona Lisa Pizza. What topped it all was the fabulous lavender cheesecake - yum yum! We were stopping by overnight and who knew we'd come across such a great find. Friendly service too. Five stars :) read more

Delicious food, excellent ambiance and great wines. One of Exeter's best restaurants.

Wow. This place is amazing! The atmosphere is warm, comfortable, homey, simple, and rich. The service is superior. The food is like mouth sex! (And everyone leaves satisfied!!). Not to be missed. read more

We absolutely LOVE Monet's! Even though it says that it's not good for kids, we always love taking our young son there. He has been going there with us since he was two, and he loves the kids' crepe and bowel of fruit that he gets there. It's our favorite place to go with him, because there are better options for him than the usual kids' menus with fast food-type options. And we are never disappointed with our meal. It can be a very romantic place to go too. I highly recommend it. read more

Hands down the best place in town for dinner. (Better than places in other towns too). I've eaten here at least a dozen times. I look forward to eating here when I'm in town for work. Every dish I've had so far has been top notch. Amazing huge yummy salads, individual pizzas, great crepes and paninis. All unique. You can tell the chefs take pride in their creations. And the desserts! Don't get me started. The BEST cheesecake I've ever had. The best lemon meringue pie I've ever had. The best Black Forest cake..... They may sound like everyday deserts, but I assure you they will be the best version you'll ever have. And the ambiance is perfect. read more

In the culinary wasteland of Visalia-Exeter-Tulare, where restaurants like Vintage Press are superstars, I suppose Monet's is a 5-star restaurant, but to my palette, its odd location in a quiet non-discript small farm town contrasts sharply with the good intentions and high-culinary bar that Monet's doesn't quite live up to. I don't mind the high prices if the food lives up to it, but with all the glowing reviews and 5-star reviews, customers seem to expect the glowing reviews as proof enough of its elevated status as one of the best restaurants around. If you've never eaten anywhere else outside of this area, you may agree with the other reviews posted here. I found the food overpriced and odd pairings of ingredients on the same plate off-putting. I will continue to support Monet's (even in spite of it's good intentions and failure to execute) with hope that someday they'll get it right. read more