I've only been here for post-dinner cocktails, but really enjoyed both the drinks and the ambiance. Even though it initially strikes me as more of a romantic restaurant (and I myself was on a date), there were lots of large friend groups dining as well. The dim lighting/candles paired with the quirky decor seems to be great for both. The bar was pretty empty, so we grabbed seats there. The bartenders weren't particularly friendly, but they were attentive which is fine by me. We ordered a couple of cocktails and wine, and I really liked the one with cognac, as well as the Beaujolais. I wish I wasn't so full because the dessert menu looked really good too. Next time! read more

Primrose - Cocktails - French Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Very cute restaurant in the neighborhood. Tartare app was tasty and the ingredients in the pasta were so fresh! Excited to try more :-) read more

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I liked Primrose's decor and atmosphere, but the food left something to be desired. To start off, I was the first to arrive from my party and decided to have a drink at the bar. I had the Mont Blanc, which I loved. It had a big citrus kick and was refreshing, yet boozy. The bartender was attentive and followed up to make sure I liked my drink. I also liked that they transferred my drink to the dinner bill and didn't make me close out (which always disrupts the flow/momentum of the evening IMO). For food, we had the heirloom tomatoes, the gnocchi, and the steak frites au poivre. Oh and the creme brulee, I almost forgot... not a good sign. The heirloom tomato small plate was only okay. It had slices of peaches in it as well as some basil. I do think it's a interesting idea, but it just wasn't memorable and fell short in its execution. The gnocchi was probably our favorite dish. It was cooked perfectly and truly was delicious. My only qualm is I wish the sauce was mixed in with it instead of just dropped on top of the gnocchi. It looked very unappealing. Finally, the steak frites was the biggest disaster. Both of our steaks were chewy, and I honestly couldn't wait to be done with it. My biggest issue was that the "poivre" sauce came in a side container and was not good. While the steak had a good coating of peppercorn, the sauce was just a joke. It's taste, appearance, and consistency was WAY off. The fries, on the other hand were crispy and tasty. For dessert, we had the creme brulee, which is one of my favorite desserts. It tasted fine, but the appearance was underwhelming. The bowl it was served in was far too large and I would have liked some berries or something to go along with it. It bored me. I did enjoy the bottle of wine we had with dinner. It was the Beaujolais-Villages 2016 (see picture). Finally, our waiter was inattentive and we had to waive him down to make any progress with our night. When we encouraged him (well... outright asked him) to tell us more about the menu, he did explain the dishes quite well. read more

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The first things you notice when you walk in are the feather lamps above the high tops. This place has a very unique design. We came here for a dinner at the suggestion of our neighbor. We were really excited to try it, but it just didn't do it for us. Well, for me at least. Don't get me wrong, the food was pretty good, just not quite worth the price. I wasn't too impressed. I ordered the gnocchi, which wasn't amazing. My date ordered the chicken entree, and I will say that I've never had chicken that tender in my life. (Obviously I tried his dish because I wasn't super interested in mine). We also ordered the ham tartine with Amish butter as an appetizer. That actually did wow me, and I should've had that as my meal The suggestion from our neighbor was centered around their wine nights. And I can vouch for the wine. They have a great selection, and the server had great suggestions. read more

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This place is a little bit of a mission to get to and you can't tell from the outside that this is primrose - look for dark blue umbrellas. Once you get inside the decor is amazing!! The decor alone makes me want to eat here all the time. I ordered the French toast and it is the best!! Highly recommended. I ordered a side of egg and also biscuits to share - the biscuits are delicious and come with butter and honey (make sure to order these). Cons: my French press coffee had nothing but coffee grounds in it and I needed to order a new one. The waiter took a while to take our drink order and food order. Once our food order was in we waited at least 40 minutes. I will say the staff was friendly and acknowledged that the food came out super slow and gave us a free appetizer - this is the reason I didn't score this place lower because the service could use some help. If the service would have been good I would have given this place a 5. I will for sure be back for happy hour, brunch or dinner. Such a cute place!! read more

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Decided to try this place randomly on a Saturday for brunch. Surprisingly there was no wait for seating. The staff was extremely nice and attentive. The decor was probably my favorite part about this place. Indoor and outdoor spots were very cute and picture worthy. The bar was nice and they had a nice drink list. Menu wasn't extensive but they had a few good vegetarian options. I opted for the French toast and a side of potatoes. The syrup was the star of the show and made the dish for me. Everything was fresh and good but I took away one star because the food was just good but not great. Lacked depth of flavor. read more

Primrose - French toast - French Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

What a special jewel box of a neighborhood restaurant. Every aspect of Primrose, from the whimsically decorated interior to the menu's lively, light take on French bistro fare, feels like a treasure. We walked in on a weekend evening without a reservation, but were able to snag seats at one of the counter-height communal tables. Our server was friendly and food arrived at a good pace. I went with a French onion soup ($10) and shrimp toast ($15), both of which were excellent, unique renditions that featured Asian elements; the onion soup, instead of using beef broth, had a really nice base of shiitake and kombu, and the shrimp toast tasted like Thai shrimp cakes atop the most buttery brioche I've ever had. Other members of my party enjoyed the duck liver mousse, the steak-frites, and the ricotta gnocchi. After discussing dry white wine options with the server, I was a bit disappointed with the Auxerrois blend. Unfortunately, I found it tasted like green apples - tart rather than dry - it was fine, just not what I was looking for. Since the menu features more obscure wines, I think the drinks menu would benefit from a wine flight so that diners can try 3-4 tasting-size pours and make more well-informed decisions. I wish Primrose existed in my corner of DC - those dusty rose feather lamps and sea-green, back-lit bar are just stunning, and the varied menu has items for everyone from the voraciously hungry to those just looking for a light bite, from the die-hard carnivores to the vegetarians. As it is, I'll happily make the trek out to Brookland for this wonderful place. read more

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This review is solely for drinks and appetizers. The restaurant is very isolated in a secluded neighborhood. But it's a wonderful little surprise. I loved the color scheme of the designs and it had a nice mixture of modern and renaissance feel. We didn't make reservations and had to wait about 20 minutes on a Saturday night. We enjoyed a drink at the bar. Bartender was friendly but was a bit aloof. I ordered the rien a voir which was brandy, figs, and bitters. Very strong but a bit too sweet for my taste. Once we were seated at our table, we were hungry but ended up ordering and filling ourselves up with only appetizers. Our waiter was nice and attentive. We got the baked mushrooms, steak tartar, and fries. Well seasoned fries with good crunch on the outside but soft on the inside. The baked mushrooms were huge and heavenly! Heavy on the butter but loved the puff pastry and different mushroom fillings. The steak tartar was also very good especially with the confit egg on top. Hope to come again and actually make it to the entrees! read more

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The restaurant's brunch menu was limited. There were 8 entree options to choose from and because our reservation was at 1:15 pm, with the restaurant closing at 2 pm, we received subpar food. We had the French toast and salmon eggs Benedict. Each dish cost $15-$20 but I don't think it was worth it. The ambiance was good but overall, I wouldn't visit this restaurant again. read more

Primrose - Salmon Eggs Benedict - French Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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I could not be happier that I discovered Primrose! I've been house sitting in DC for a month and a half, and other than the French onion soup at Le Diplomate, the two meals I have had at Primrose have been the best meals I've had in six weeks. I came for dinner first, and had the scallops, which were perfectly prepared and accompanied by a lovely creamed vegetable concoction. My friend ordered the gnocchi and she loved it. We both split a side of mac and cheese, and a side of brussel sprouts, and both were incredibly good. In fact, I got another side of mac and cheese to take home because I liked it that much. We also got desserts and they were fine, but the apps and entrees were the standouts. We returned to Primrose for brunch for my birthday this weekend. The French toast -- which we got to split as an appetizer (be indulgent on your birthday!) was better than any I've had in years. Just slightly crispy outside, neither mushy or dry inside, thick cut and flavorful, with plenty of delicious fresh fruit. Not pictured: the excellent burger I ordered and spicy chicken sandwich my friend ordered. We both enjoyed our entrees, though it's the French toast I'm dreaming about coming back for. I only wish the restaurant was closer to where I was staying and didn't require a Lyft ride -- if it was closer I'd probably eat here at least three times a week until I go back to NYC. I also want to mention that the servers were both knowledgeable and lovely each time. I'm terrible with names so unfortunately I can't shout out the two people who waited on us, but the first night was a guy who was fun and joked around with us knew a lot about the food, made great suggestions, and seems to really like working there, which says something about the restaurant. The brunch this weekend, our waitress was a young woman who was very nice and chatty, even though she had a ton of tables to work at the same time. I can't wait to return. read more

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Absolutely delicious meal and time. The chicken was delicious and the the sides were even better. Highly recommend the fried chicken along with the fried green tomatoes (who knew the French could cook southern?). Definitely ask Seb for a nice wine pairing as well, he did us a nice light bodied pairing that cut through the grease well. I'll be back. read more

Primrose - Half fried Chicken, fried green tomatoes, corn - French Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Cool vibe, delightful staff, but underwhelming weekend lunch menu. Came here with a group of girls for drinks, dishes, and dessert. Was very impressed walking in at the chic yet laidback bistro atmosphere, and of course by the ostrich feather chandeliers. But the menu was sort of confusing to me. The prices and the style of food - ie: $15 croque monsieur, $16 eggs/bacon/biscuit dish - suggested they were meant for individual ordering. But then some items - $9 yogurt parfait, $10 French onion soup - seemed like they should have been appetizers or that the rest of the menu was meant for sharing. I ended up ordering the French onion soup and sharing eggs cocotte with a friend. The soup was good but not exceptional. They use a vegetarian broth, if I recall correctly, so that's nice if you are looking for something meatless. The eggs were very much not to our taste. The dish came with sunny side eggs on top and a tan mushroom cream underneath. It came with some crusty toast on the side, but not nearly enough to get all the cream. It wasn't especially appetizing to look at and it tasted sort of bland. Drinks and dessert to share were good. I'd probably try this place for dinner - which I hear is good - but I am not likely to come back for brunch. read more

What a wonderful spot! The ambiance is gorgeous, the service was absolutely lovely. We were a party of 6 and shared quite a bit of what we ordered. Loved it. read more

Primrose has been one of our favorite spots in the city since it opened, but we haven't been to the restaurant since the pandemic started. My wife and I finally decided after a year-plus that it was time for a date night so she made a "reservation" (more on this soon) on the patio for 6:30pm on a Saturday. Even our kids were excited for our "date night" and they hurried us out the door to go enjoy ourselves. We arrived on a beautiful evening to a full patio and full dining room (great to see!) and Peter greeted us out front and asked if we had a reservation. We gave our name and....nothing. I looked at my wife and asked if she was sure she actually made the reservation. She insisted she did, but alas....nothing. Peter continued to look, hoping to find our name, but it was clear there was not in fact a reservation. Dang. As I started contemplating our embarrassing exit and how to salvage our date night, Peter asked us to hold on and insisted he wanted to do something to accommodate us. Shockingly, he asked if we'd mind sitting at the large banquet booth that did not happen to be booked for the evening. Obviously we did not mind one bit. Date night was back on. Not only did Peter get us a spot to sit, but he also took it upon himself to take care of us for the evening so the burden didn't fall unexpectedly to one of his servers and potentially take away their ability to take fantastic care of their current guests. As always, the cocktails, wine and food were all spectacular. The big standout was the PEI mussels. So many restaurants serve some version of "PEI" mussels. We've had many. We cook them often at home. We've never had mussels this good. These PEI's were absolutely monstrous in size. Perfectly cooked, we could have ordered a couple more servings and been totally fine with that being our meal, they were THAT good. Everything else delivered too - the bistro steak with pommes puree and baby kale, the mushroom ricotta gnocchi with beurre blanc, and side of frittes were all delicious. When it came to wine, we asked Peter for a bottle of red and a bottle of white of his choosing and gave him a price point with which to work. He put some real thought into it based on what we were eating and came back for a conversation to share his thinking and asked us some of our general wine preferences. Both bottles were amazing and paired perfectly with our food. Thanks Peter and team Primrose for giving us a date night to remember even though we showed up with a phantom reservation when the house was full. Our date night was a best in class experience in hospitality, with the food and wine to match. Merci. read more

I was a little disappointed after what seemed like quite a bit of hype. The best thing about Primrose is the lovely ambiance. However at the bar the service was slow even though it wasn't that busy, the burger was dry and unflavored and the cocktails were surprisingly tiny for the price. It's a one and done for me. read more

I've visited Primrose twice. The food and ambiance are excellent, the wine list is fantastic. Down a star for poor service, though. We constantly have to flag servers down for water refills, for the bill, and the last time I ordered oysters they arrived in mostly-melted ice cubes, with a bowl filled with tepid water. Clearly they'd been sitting for awhile. When service was slow the first time we visited, I thought I caught the manager saying to a server who showed up that they were one down. So I was willing to give the benefit of the doubt. But when it happened the second time, it made me wish they didn't automatically include the 20% service fee. Our server was nice, but when you have to constantly flag them down, I'm not sure the 20% was truly earned. Overall though, the food and ambiance are special enough to ensure I'll be visiting again. I would advise newcomers to visit expecting to sit long between being seated / receiving drinks / appetizers / main course, and be prepared to ask for what you need. I wouldn't visit if you only had an hour for dinner. read more

Primrose - French Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Primrose is a French-inspired wine bar in beautiful Brookland. The restaurant has an all-star cast with experience at DC culinary institutions like Red Hen, Rasika, and the Dabney (to name a few). The restaurant has an inviting atmosphere with a welcoming outdoor patio and bistro lights. Inside has a more intimate feel with many dimly lit tables set aside for two or small groups on the outside overlooking the windows, and high tops and the bar for those looking to enjoy the cocktails and food with friends. The staff was fantastic and friendly from the moment we arrived. Brandon, our waiter, made us feel right at home and provided us with some great recommendations on food and cocktails. We sampled 4 of the 5 cocktails on the menu and each will have us coming back for more. You really cannot go wrong with anything on the menu! They also have an excellent wine selection and flights of Brandy. For food, we enjoyed the Steak Frites and Beef Bourguignon. While the food menu was not extensive, everything sounded tasty and the flavor of these two dishes will certainly have us come back for more. Primrose is perfect for a romantic evening, drinks with friends, or a business dinner and while we have not been to brunch there yet, we look forward to trying that out. Although it has only been open a year, it won't be long until this restaurant becomes more of a destination (and probably won't be long until Michelin comes knocking). We look forward to our next visit and making Primrose our regular Brookland spot for food, wine, cocktails, and a great atmosphere! read more

This is a great place to spot for Sunday brunch. We sat at the bar and the server was very nice and brought our food at a reasonable time. If you want a typical brunch dish, this is the place to go. read more

Primrose - Thick-Cut Bacon & Biscuits with butter/honey - French Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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This neighborhood gem hits all the marks! excellent good excellent service and nice ambiance. my one criticism is that they didn't serve bread with the meal. Go figure... read more

Lovely neighborhood spot with a thoughtful wine list and delicious vegetarian onion soup. Staff is always pleasant and friendly and the owner is usually around, overall very pleasant and hospitable place. read more

Popped into Primrose for a lovely brunch this morning. We arrived at 11 when they opened and were obviously seated right away. The staff were all so friendly and so patient with me as I photographed everything. LOL. It was hard to not take pictures of such a beautiful restaurant! My bf and I split the French press coffee, which had enough coffee for two full cups each. We shared the French onion soup ($10), which came nice and hot for this rainy day. It was somewhat on the sweeter side but still pretty good. I ordered the Cote de boeuf ($16), which is essentially a baked puff pastry with shredded short rib and potatoes inside and a sunny side up egg on top. It was very savory and such a comforting dish. Definitely recommend. My bf got the croque madame ($15), which came with a side salad. He said it was very filling and also enjoyed his meal. The location is further out from the popular spots in dc, it's near Howard U and Trinity. This meant locals only, which was nice. Overall, I really enjoyed my brunch here and will definitely return one day! read more

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Cute place for brunch outside on their patio. The French Toast was nice and thick with a little crispness to the outside but soft in the middle still. The white truffle hollandaise sauce was very good and something I haven't had before in a hollandaise. The eggs were poached perfectly. My only thing is that I wish there was a little more hollandaise as the flavor was lost once you separated the egg. read more

Primrose - Smoked Salmon Eggs Benny - French Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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This was a great place for brunch! The spicy chicken sandwich was delicious and juicy! read more

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This a lovely French restaurant tucked away outside the heart of the city. The patio and interior are both spectacular. The food is very good - especially at the price point. This is a decently fancy place for good value, which I would say is a rare combination. read more

Primrose - Risotto - French Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Came here with my friends for dinner for the first time.The decor is lovely and they have a great patio space. Will note the "inside" space is basically outside too as all of the doors/windows are open! Would 100% recommend Primose to anyone. We started out with the brussel sprouts (caramel sauce was amazing) and shrimp. Then my friend and I both had the salmon, which was cooked to perfection, and my other friend did the steak. I can't eat dairy, so will call out appetizer options were limited for me. The kitchen was able to do the brussels dairy free. For entrees, definitely more options and my salmon meal was already dairy free with no modifications. Will definitely be back! read more

This place is really cute and the ambiance is great. That being said, I was not a huge fan of the food. It may be that I am not that into french food, but I just found the food bland. The bread and butter In the beginning was a nice touch. The butter was nice and creamy. I have heard they have a good brunch, so I will come back for that. read more

Whenever we have friends or family visiting from out of town, Primrose is our go-to. It's the perfect combination of a friendly neighborhood restaurant, fine dining, and chill cocktail spot. We love the recent additions to the dinner menu, and a recent brunch with 8 of us was spot on. We are so happy to have Primrose in the neighborhood! Also want to add - one of my favorite things about Primrose is that I never feel rushed. So many restaurants in DC want to get you in and out as quickly as possible. At primrose I feel like I can actually relax and enjoy a night out. read more

Location A+ Customer Service B- Food A+ Decor A++ Lauren was awesome, super attentive; service was ok, bartender was great, restaurant vibe awesome! read more

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Overpriced for low quality food. Pretentious yet clueless wait staff. Nothing to see here. Move along.

We had dinner here last night. Ambiance was good and wait staff attentive but the rockfish (portion size and flavoring) didn't blow me away (cauliflower appetizer was excellent) and the wine pours seemed light considering the cost. Considering the 20% service fee that doesn't go to the waitstaff, I don't consider this a good value. Maybe we'll give them another try in a few months. read more

Nostalgic French restaurant with exceptional lamb and chicken dishes; and a really beautiful brunch option, with crepes and pancakes, and they do an egg over easy on a side of potatoes perfectly. The wine and champagne options are abundant, and this is in a great location near the Maryland border in D.C. with ample street parking! A must if you're in the area hungry for some French flair. read more

Primrose - French Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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One of the best meals I have had in a while was at Primrose Last night! We had a reservation for 8:00 on a Sunday. We got there early so sat at the bar for a few minutes. The bartender recommended a great special lemonade with locally distilled vodka. Around 7:55 some tables opened up and we were able to choose between inside or out. We decided to sit outside because it was so nice out and the patio is adorbs! We got the beet salad petit plate and the Parisian gnocchi to start. HOLY COW the gnocchi was huge and pillowy soft. The waitress explained that it was made of pastry dough as opposed to potato which gave it the unique texture. Highly recommend! For my main, I ordered the primrose burger and it was delish. The gruyere, double patties, the roll. Just amazing, all of it. For desert I figured, what the hell? So I went for it and ordered the pots de creme. So glad i did. It was dense and decadent and felt like a true treat. Please go here. read more

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BRUNCH REVIEW ONLY. I like to start with the good, so let's! Ambiance. Stunning. So beautifully designed. French bistro with a fun flair. Parking. Easy. You won't be driving around for 30 minutes looking, and that's always a win in a city with $200 tickets (@ me DC). Service was fine, not spectacular. Employees are relaxed and around so you can kind of get whatever you need, provided it's in stock, regardless of who is waiting on you. Also appeared very clean, although I did not see the restroom. Now the bad. The food. Was bad. Kind of a thing when you're at a restaurant. Food. We ordered the quiche, potato hash, bacon, and French toast. I ate about 1/4 of my quiche before I decided it wasn't worth the calories and tore it apart to get to the pasty dipped in the goat cheese (which was delicious, definitely had a white wine something going on, yum) and fresh tomatoes that garnished said quiche. Honestly, I would have been really happy with just that. There was no flavor in the food. How do you caramelize onions and there's no flavor? Potatoes, dry, and mine are better, not worth $9 -don't waste your money. French toast, also dry. Could have sat in the mixture a bit longer (the crème on top was divine). Bacon, (wait for it) dry - shocker. The driest bacon I have ever seen. It was drier than burnt bacon. Actually now that I think of it, maybe it was jerky? I actually laughed at attempts to eat it (not me, I like my jaw). Having experienced proper French food it was really underwhelming. I don't really believe they deserve the 3 stars but I'm sarcastic, not a monster. No pics. Not worth the effort. read more

Ambiance is amazing and the service is top tier! Quality food at reasonable pricing. I was warmly greeted by Sebastian and couldn't have had a better experience start to end. Enjoyed the primrose burger and the mac & cheese as well as the mussels. It's a must try! You ain't regret it. Reisling from France ... amazing. read more

OMG the ambiance here might be the best in the whole city--it's absolutely gorgeous!!! And they kept the floor-to-ceiling windows open--even in the cold--to help with air flow during the times of COVID, which I really appreciate and not all restaurants are doing. Our server had a dry humor, confidence, and attentiveness. The foie gras was sweet and creamy, just a dream to eat; the butternut squash soup had a bit of a delicious kick; and the crab tagliatelle was satisfying. I would be happy to come back here, particularly on date night--it's just probably not at the very top of my list since nothing really in particular stood out as amazing or unique and the cocktails were a bit limited when they could have gotten really interesting to match the vibe. read more

I have eaten here twice--the first time was very good, and the second time (tonight) was an A+. The first time I had the steak frites which was tasty, but tonight I had the burger which is a new addition from the last time I visited. It is a top 5 burger lifetime for me. So good. Carmelized onions, gruyere, and two smashed patties cooked medium. Also the appetizer of flash fried asparagus is a can't miss. Love this new addition to Brookland.. read more

My earlier review was totally wrong. I'll keep this simple: Cocktails... really excellent... get an Aviation Service.... Thoughtful and read more

Overpriced and mediocre. Over the past few months they've raised their prices significantly and on top of that added a ridiculous 20 service fee and expect you to tip on top of that. read more

Primrose used to be spectacular. Having frequented the restaurant since it's opening, I was always grateful to have a high quality chic restaurant within walking distance of our home. We continued to go to Primrose throughout the pandemic, first as take out and then on the un enclosed balcony... and now with its bigger than ever structure. Last night we were stunned at our horrible experience. The service was awful, we had to ask many times to input our order, but we understand staffing is tough everywhere. The cocktails, normally wonderful, were poorly made. The revised menu has very few of the former delicious plates and has become more an American eatery in a pretty location. That would be fine if the food quality was high, but it no longer is. Our food arrived cold, over salted & entirely ordinary/nothing special and decidedly bland. The new Primrose is a mere glimmer of its former quality and style glory. I'm very sad to see it's demise on every aspect. The place will remain full as it's the only restaurant of its class in the area, but sincerely it no longer deserves its reputation... read more

We tried to get a cup of coffee and sit outside on sunny day. Upon walking in We were asked with Unwelcoming tone if we had a reservation. For a coffee we said? We had to wait 10 min to be given the menu and when we finally ordered we found out that they couldn't serve it to us because they didn't have clean cups, they couldn't wash them and didn't know how long would it take. We felt that they didn't want to serve us and we left. Stylish interior but very poor customer service. read more