My husband and I decided to give this little restaurant a try in the hopes that it would be a place special enough to bring two dear friends coming to visit us in the near future. Petit Pois surpassed our expectations! It has such charming character both inside and outside. It has a very intimate outside dining area that in enshrouded by beautiful trees and plants. There are many tables with seating that is so eclectic which only adds to the outside ambience. The inside area has about 7 to 8 tables making it perfect for a date night or lunch with friends. It also has a small bar area if one is just looking to have a glass of wine or cocktail. And the bar is fully stocked with an endless array of liquor for any type of cocktail one might be in the mood for. The service was absolutely fantastic. The waiters were attentive but did not hover. The menu is small but had items that could even accommodate my KETO diet. The prices were very reasonable given the incredible quality of the food. My husband and I shared a glass of delicious Sauvignon Blanc that was so refreshing on a very hot summer day. He and I ordered an appetizer. I had a delicious mixed green salad with goat cheese and tomatoes. He had a bowl of gazpacho. Once done our entrees arrived. I ordered the trout with green beans and he the shrimp risotto. He and I agreed that both of our meals were out of this world! Never had I eaten trout and the way this was prepared melted in my mouth. My husband's dish was absolutely delectable! Petit Pois is an amazing little gem in the heart of Charlottesville that is open for both lunch and dinner. I HIGHLY recommend that anyone living in the area or visiting make a point of dining there!! read more

Some friends and I did a day trip to Charlottesville. While walking along the main shopping area, we noticed this restaurant which had a nice tree covered outdoor patio. We sat outside and each ordered lunch and a beverage. The lunch menu was full of varied offerings so we were each able to find something we liked. I opted for the house cheeseburger and frites. The burger was everything you'd want it to be, flavorful and juicy, and the seasoned frites were thin and tasty. The salad was just a pile of greens with no dressing, so wasn't a big fan of that. I got a Kronenbourg 1664 French lager with my lunch and it was really tasty. The waitress was friendly and attentive. I'd definitely eat here again, especially on a nice day in their patio. read more

Petit Pois - Cheers on the patio - French Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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Last review was a bit short and forgot pictures. The TLDR the food was amazing, going back soon. read more

Petit Pois - French Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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Absolutely phenomenal service, dinner and drinks! Every bite was mouthwatering. You could 100% taste the French influence. read more

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We loved Petit Pois! The restaurant was a little hard to find - the outdoor seating looks like it's shared with Zocalo, but once you find it, you won't be disappointed! The highlight was the lobster bisque - it had a caramel flavor that we had never tasted elsewhere. We also loved the mussels - the sauce was so tasty that we finished it all with the complimentary bread. The arugula salad was also nice. Pricing was very reasonable for the quality and quantity we received! read more

Petit Pois - Arugula Salad - French Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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My husband and I enjoyed a wonderful meal tonight. The staff was friendly, knowledgeable and service was excellent. My husband enjoyed a plentiful serving of delicious mussels followed by the flavorful shrimp risotto. I had the kale salad and trout almondine. Both were great. We will definitely eat here again when in C'ville! read more

When did C'ville become such a foodie town?! What a fantastic dinner we had at Petite Pois! We had an early 5pm reservation before seeing Dave Matthews and we sat next to another couple who had the same plan. My friend has a dairy and gluten allergy and they were able to accommodate her beautifully. We shared the beet salad with the goat cheese on the side (for me), trout amandine (made with olive oil instead of butter), and crab cake. Our meal was perfect. I would order all of these dishes again! The service was wonderful. We parked in the lot just around the corner. Just an overall delightful meal! read more

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Saturday night, gorgeous weather, and patio dining in charming Charlottesville! Quite the winning combination! I ordered their lobster & shrimp bisque which was quite nice! A little on the salty side but was nice. Then came the entree of their Coq au Vin which I paired with a French Syrah. Ohhh their Coq au Vin was some delightful chicken! Prepared perfectly and it was just the right amount of juiciness and saturated with flavor. For dessert, I indulged in beignets that were excellent! My waitress was very pleasant and helpful in coordinating me picking up the bill for my table. 5/5 all around! read more

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The food here is delicious. The presentation was attractive. There were 8 of us dining on a Saturday night. The place was busy and our waitress was new. She forgot a few things but made up for it because she was so pleasant. Everyone loved what the had. read more

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Lunch yesterday. Sat outside under a heat lamp. Very sweet. Had the lobster & shrimp bisque - great as always. lamb baked in Philo dough with garlic spinach Total yumm. Great service. Yummy food Perfect ambiance. A great lunch. read more

We stopped in for a later lunch, around 2:30 on a Friday. There were a couple of tables finishing up outside and then us. We were promptly sat, offered water(which was not cold at all) in dirty glasses. And then we sat. For about 15 minutes, watching as two different servers passed us by, resetting tables. No one asked us if we were ready, and one of the servers, stopped and started chatting with a table that was sat well after us, brought them their water and started taking their order. All without anyone but the host/busboy acknowledging us, at all. After the 15 minutes, we decided to leave. Not okay. Do better. read more

A sweet, little French spot on the downtown mall (no parking lot; use street parking or one of the garages). They have a solid hanger steak with fries. A fun date place, especially if you're headed to a show at the Paramount right next door! read more

We came here on a busy Wednesday for lunch and were greeted and seated outside right away. You can sit inside too but it was a gorgeous day out. Seats were comfortable and had umbrellas with shade and beautiful flowering plants of all sizes around the courtyard. Our server was fantastic and we ordered libations first and then our main sides. My trout was so tasty, I could have ate 3 more since the filet was really small. My parents had the crab cake and said it was amazing too. Bathrooms were clean and I can't wait to go back to try something new! read more

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This is nestled in a bit of a shadowy corner of downtown, so it never caught my eye, so I am glad I found reviews online that led me here! It was easy to get seated on Saturday lunchtime, and we chose to sit outdoors (we ended up being chilly because it was blustery and out of the sun but the warm food helped). Between four people, we decided to go family-style with the appetizers of French onion soup, lamb mergeuz soup, and gnocchi. Due to an accident, we got the shrimp risotto (uncharged that we got to keep), and it ended up being one of the best apps. The lamb mergeuz soup was delectable, very unique in flavor and well-balanced in my opinion, bringing a good earthy meaty taste alongside the tender beans and carrots. The French onion soup was done well. While the risotto looked like it had been sitting out for a moment (a bit congealed looking), it tasted phenomenal and was the best risotto I've ever had. It was not overly cheesy or buttery, just perfectly creamy held up by some of the flavor of shrimp. The gnocchi ended up being the weakest app; while the gnocchi were so tender and pillowy, the flavors were confusing, dominated by salt and strangely mingling tangy, herby, and nutty flavors. I personally ordered the crab cake and loved my choice. Without excess breading, the crab cake was satisfying and had an excellent flavor including notes of citrus and mustard(?) that went great with the sweet creamed corn -- I was indifferent about the spinach. The appetizer portions are very generous! I was so satisfied by this meal and would love to come back again to try other menu items and see how it changes seasonally! read more

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A girlfriend and I were visiting Charlottesville and wandering around the downtown area on a Friday night. It was a perfect night outside so we decided to try one of the restaurants with outdoor seating- Petit Pois looked great! We snagged a table outside and proceeded to have a most wonderful experience. Our server, Hector, was super attentive and gave us the best suggestions. We decided to share several appetizers because they all sounded so good- best decision ever! We had the smoked salmon, burrata and peppers, shrimp and grits, and crispy brussel sprouts. They were all absolutely fantastic- each dish was generously sized (we should have only ordered 2-3 dishes) and tasted fantastic. We each also enjoyed a handcrafted beverage which made everything even a bit better. Definitely recommend. read more

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We have lived in Charlottesville for 7 years. While we have only eaten at Petit Pois 4 times, it was the first restaurant we at at when we came up to initially look for places to live and it was the most recent place we have dine out, last night for NYE. It is small and cramped. They can't do anything about that. The service has always been top notch, warm, hospitable, engaging and friendly without being over the top. While nothing we have ever eaten there has been memorable; that isn't a slight. Everything has always been good and of the value that we have paid. A place like this with its' price point need to make good food that is better than what I can do at home and better than a chain or corporate "faux" bistro. Along with the good food and the exceptional service they always hit the mark. Last night was the 2nd time we have come in for a New Years Eve meal. We live within walking distance to the downtown mall and we aren't party animals so we typically don't make NYE reservations and just walk down to the strip and see if we can saddle up at a bar somewhere. Last week my fiancee mentioned that this year she would like to make reservations and go out. I searched everywhere in Charlottesville and the surrounding area and all reservations were booked up. Bummer. So, we decided to do our regular routine, put on decent clothes and walk and see if we could slide in somewhere----our first choice as Petit Pois. We go there and talked to the host to see if there was anything possible available, knowing the probability was low and we were OK with that. The host checked, talked to his folks, came out and showed us to a table. Yes, it was small and it was cramped but THEY MADE IT HAPPEN FOR US. Everything was what we expected. The food was good, the service as great, and the price was reasonable, and we had a nice meal and got home in time to watch the ball drop. Thanks Petit Pois. We will see you next New Years. read more

We made a reservation for dinner here to celebrate my wife's birthday at 7:45pm. We arrived and were given the choice to sit inside or out- we chose to sit on the patio to enjoy the ambiance of downtown Charlottesville. We ordered wine and an old fashioned and were about three sips in before our server was "just letting us know" the kitchen closes at 8. This was our first time visiting and didn't realize we would be on a time crunch having been offered a reservation at 7:45pm. He ultimately gave us the speech "if it were up to me you could wait but the kitchen staff gets upset". It was whatever. We knew what we wanted to eat we just weren't quite ready to order. I should mention that my wife's old fashioned was mostly watered down tasting. She orders these at dinner all the time and it was just not up to standards. See photo. We shared the coq au vin which seemed to be just about the only authentic French item on the menu. I was a little disappointed in that. There were no specials. Our meal was tasty. They have definitely perfected this dish and the portion was huge (glad we split it). All in all we would maybe try this place again but it's low on the priority list. read more

Petit Pois - Coq Au Vin - French Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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We came for our anniversary and this place was awesome! It's very small inside so make a reservation ahead of time! The coq au vin was devine, French onion soup was delicious and the beignets were the perfect ending to a lovely meal. read more

I had to return the crab cake. It seemed the oil it was fried in was rancid or used motor oil. But I did get another choice and dessert was free. $$$$ read more

Excellent al fresco lunch. Efficient, friendly and courteous service. Very tasty food at reasonable prices. Delicious crab cake, outstanding merguez soup (could be a main course), delicate salmon with lentils, and beignets and chocolate mousse to close. Limited but interesting wine list. Overall, highly satisfactory and strongly recommended. read more

Overall- food was good but nothing blew us away. Went here bc we wanted French food, but there wasn't a lot of French on the menu. We asked to be seated outside and we're accommodated immediately around 630 p Pm on a Friday night. $13 - The lobster shrimp bisque was quite tasty and not overly salted like they usually are. There was 1 shrimp cut into 5 pieces at the bottom of the bowl. It's be better with some lobster meat if they want to include the 1 shrimp. Otherwise, the flavors were there. $13 - The beet, pistachio, goat cheese and orange salad was ok. Good, not the east I've had. $29 - Crab cake entree. Sizable portion with whole mustard seed in it atop a tiny bit of wilted spinach and sweet corn. $26 - Trout Almandine. So. Much. Fish. It was like a whole filet. The skin was perfectly crispy with a healthy portion of sliced almonds in capers. The green beans were nicely cooked and not mushy (but not crisp either which is my preference). Only thing missing was some citrus. read more

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Had dinner here this past Friday night. The trout entree is amazing. It's quite a big portion, actually. Lobster bisque was good. A little salty, I thought. It's very rich. This was definitely a decadent meal. The service was pretty good. It's a cute little intimate spot that's worth checking out. We thought the prices were fair for being a nicer quality restaurant. Good location. read more

Wonderful lunch outside with great wine and fabulous food! Highly recommend Petit Pois if you are ever in Charlottesville. read more

Petit Pois - French Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Great food from this bistro. Our server, Molly was great and accommodating. They have some good risotto dishes on the lunch menu. Space inside the restaurant is a little tight so we sat outside. Outside was ok until the sun changed position and our party started to get hot. Next door restaurant was playing continuous Samba music, which through no fault of PP did dampen the ambience a little. read more

Petit Pois is one of our favorite restaurants in Charlottesville, We had a delicious meal, it was a beautiful afternoon, Molly was a delightful waitress read more

Petit Pois - French Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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We walked into this adorable French boutique restaurant and met Brandon our waiter. He was super friendly, accommodating and went above and beyond to make our first experience spectacular. We started with custom mocktails that were fabulous, mine was a citrus ginger flair and my friends a lime mint sparkling experience. Then we wanted everything on the menu, but decided to get three things and split them. We had a lovely beet, goat cheese arugula salad with a lovely citrus vinaigrette. The beets were perfect and the dressing was divine. Then we had split the house burger with Swiss and onions and the house rosemary fries which were delectable, crispy and seasoned to perfection. He even split the plate so we could keep it neat and didn't have to replace ourselves. Then we split the crab cake and it too was awesome. The corn coulis was amazing the crab was really meaty crab with an excellent but light flavor and I saw a hint of mustard seed. We then saw the table next to us endulge in profiteroles, and had to split those as well. Brandon and Lindsey were amazing and I would highly recommend for a casual dining experience outdoors in downtown Charlottesville. The fountains and greenery outside was relaxing and I almost felt I was at a French bistro in a side street of Paris. I will be back again. (My pictures do not do the experience or food justice.) read more

Petit Pois - Crab cake on corn coulis - French Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

There's something special about Main Street in downtown Charlottesville and the wide array of dining options is certainly part of that! On one particular evening, I was in the mood for some French food and landed at Petit Pois. I was alone and opted to sit outside on the patio where the hostess gave me a hightop table close to the action. I ordered mussels, French onion soup, and a glass of wine. Overall, it was a-ok but didn't leave me wanting to come back for more. I was particularly letdown by the French Onion Soup. Not sure if it wasn't hot enough or what, but the cheese was a strange texture and I found it all rather bland. The mussels were more flavorful but didn't have a ton of broth to soak up with the bread which is usually the best part! I don't know if it was because I was by myself, but the service could've also been better. I was there for a full meal but found the waitress to be inattentive and she didn't let me know of specials which I ended up overhearing her tell neighboring tables later on in my meal... It was my first time at the restaurant so a little more warmth would be appreciated and I would've also probably got dessert but didn't want to overstay my welcome. The nice patio, people watching, and wine made up for some of the misses. I wouldn't completely discount returning here in the future to maybe try some other dishes, but I wouldn't come back alone. read more

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We had a wonderful Valentine's date night at Peti Pois. They helped me surprise my fiancée with flowers I ordered and prepared it on our table before we arrive. All of the staff are easy to talk to and food never disappoints us. My fiancée loved the Lamb Pastilla and I enjoyed their hanger steak and Mussels. Peti pois is definitely a gem in Charlottesville. read more

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The service and the food is good but I could'nt see any actual French food on the menu except the coq au vin... read more

Petit Pois - Coq au vin - French Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

It's raining. Ok, drizzling. People still eating outside all over the downtown mall. We walk up and down looking at menus and accommodations. Petit Pois was the perfect choice for the drizzly Friday night. The outdoor tented seating was great for our still anxious about eating out because of COVID. He had the bisque and I had the beet salad. Both were great. I had gnocchi - a vegetarian meal. So good. I'm not a huge gnocchi person so there may have been too many gnocchi still it was yummy and filling. He had the pan fried trout and green beans. I was able to have a bite and I agree it was worthy of another trip! Also we skipped dessert but the neighboring tables did not and now I have to have some chocolate mouse and beignets. Confident that you'll have a great meal if you choose Petit Pois. read more

Petit Pois - Gnocchi with mushrooms and peas. - French Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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We stopped in feeling like a French meal after falling in love with Lafayette while touring Monticello. It was a perfect little restaurant! I ordered a cute cocktail & waitress made a Shirley Temple for my daughter. We ordered smoked salmon appetizer that was delicious. I got trout for dinner & skin was crispy to perfection & a lot so I shared it. My daughter got Butternut Squag Risotto & ate every bite. It was everything we hoped for & waitress was very friendly & didn't rush us at all read more

Petit Pois - Enjoying a French dinner in downtown Charlottesville - French Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Simply delicious! I would recommend for a nice evening out or cool date night. The food is fresh, inventive, French, colorful and unique. Sit on the patio or inside, you'll enjoy you're time at Petit Pois. read more

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We came here for our anniversary. Had two hours until we needed to leave, which we thought would be sufficient. Drinks and appetizers delivered within 30 mins. After an hour, we wondered about the status of our crabcake and risotto. We gave it a little longer, and then asked when parties who had arrived well after us were served. "The food should be ready in just a few minutes." Then another 20 mins passed, and I informed our waitress that if the food arrived within 10 mins, we would need it in a box. Beyond that, we would need to leave. Another worried, neighboring table received their dinners. "Hmm...that looks like what I ordered," I thought. After a few more minutes, the manager delivered something. But sadly, it wasn't our food, but rather some disappointing news. Our order was lost. It was never prepared. And it wouldn't be prepared, not in the remaining time. So they comped our drinks, my fairly tasty pea soup, and the nice tomato salad. Very disappointing, not enough of a sincere apology from the waitress, and a promise from me that I will not be back. read more

I had been here for dinner years ago and liked it quite a bit, so invited a guest speaker and colleagues for the meal after. You can only reserve a table inside so we did that, but when we got there we found that more people were outside. There were 9 of us and they gave us a long table against a corner, making it hard to get up and sit down. The servers were cheery but there were moments of confusion. Also the food was decent but not as hot as most of us would like. read more

I didn't know this place even existed. The food was excellent. The Brussel sprouts were cooked perfectly the flavor was delicious. The kale salad was lacking the cheese it supposedly came with I asked for more because I literally didn't see any. The crab cake with cream of corn and spinach was AMAZING!!!! My friends got the shrimp risotto and it literally had 3 shrimp on it. They were disappointed. The server was okay took a while to get drinks, water, refills. I think I saw our server three times for drink order, food order and check. Never came back to ask how things were etc. Some other guy was attending to our table more than our waiter. The menu online vs in house was different along with the prices. Was a little disappointed when I had my mind set on one thing to find out it's not on the menu. The menu online said the carb cake is $22 yet I was charged $29. Might want to update the menu online to reflect the menu when you sit down. read more

Petit Pois - Crab cake with cream of corn and spinach - French Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

This is a small, intimate restaurant with great service. Unfortunately, I forget the name of our waiter (younger, African-American guy) but he was awesome despite the fact that I think he was the only one working the room aside from the young bus boy and hostess. The food, drink/wine menus were nice. We especially enjoyed the beet salad, French onion soup and the burger. The vegetarian gnocchi were average, which cost them a star. We didn't leave any room for dessert. read more

The food here is below average. Not terrible. The only thing French about this place is the few French words they have on their signage in the bathroom. Gnocchi is Italian. Service is cafe style. For example. They give you a plate with 4 forks, 4 knives and 4 napkins for you to spread out. That's ok. If you charge prices for a cheap cafe. read more

My husband and I have eaten here several times while visiting Charlottesville. The service is excellent. The food is wonderful. We have had most of their dishes. Their menu changes frequently. Before COVID we did a special that included an appetizer, entree, and dessert. It was incredible. My husband didn't like their coq au vin. He loved everything else. He loves their scallops and risotto. Their soups are fantastic. Their salads are amazing. read more

I went here with my boyfriend to celebrate my birthday. The food was delicious--he got the crabcake and I ended up with the shrimp risotto (more on this later). The risotto was actually an appetizer but at $12 it's a super good deal as it's almost entree-sized. It was decadent and I could taste the parmesan in every bite! I tried a bit of my boyfriend's dish too--the crabcake was a little dry for my taste but overall the dish was good and he seemed to enjoy it a lot. The service, on the other hand, was a disaster. As in, there was no service. Our server was the only employee working the front of house (there wasn't even a separate host/hostess) and had probably around 10 tables to cover. When we arrived, we waited for about 5 minutes to be seated by the server, which was fine, although the restaurant wasn't crowded at that point so that was a bit odd. I ordered the butternut squash risotto, but in our server's hurry I guess she put in the wrong order and that's how I ended up with an appetizer instead of an entree (although as I said earlier it was excellent so not a huge deal). Our server was nearly running from one table to the next the entire time we were dining, which was stressful to watch and honestly a bit distracting. We were not asked how our meal was once nor were our water glasses refilled despite being empty for 3/4 of the time we were there. Even getting our server's attention for the check was difficult because she would dash inside before we could catch her. Overall, the food was fantastic but this was probably the worst service I've had at a restaurant. Petit Pois should think about hiring extra staff or redistributing employee tasks, as they seem to be placing unmanageable responsibilities on their current staff. read more

Petit Pois - Shrimp risotto - French Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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Came in (at admittedly a slightly off hour; about 2pm) after seeing the shrimp risotto billed as a lunch special and was delighted! I accompanied it with a light Elderflower soda which has a lovely brisk sensation to it and went along nicely as a light compliment to the very creamy and delicious risotto. The staff was really attentive without being overwhelming or pushy. Can't recommend this place enough! :) I also got a white chocolate ganache as a dessert; delightful and flavorful, a nice compliment and means to end an already wonderful meal. read more

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