La Grande Boucherie - DC

Review summary

1. R

   Robbie

   Toronto

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 4

   Food was good but not great. Would’ve expected more.
   

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2. S

   Stacie

   VIP

   Baltimore

   71 reviews

   5.0

   71 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Staff was attentive and food was classic French bistro fare. Everything we expected.
   

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3. S

   Sharon

   VIP

   Denver

   2 reviews

   4.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 4

   I’ve seen other complaints about poor seating, so I was pleased that we were centrally located near the Christmas tree. The restaurant is nicely decorated for Christmas, but because it’s such a huge space with high ceilings, a large bar right in the middle, and loud music, it was incredibly noisy. We had onion soup, escargots, coq au vin, and entrecôte. All were very good - the entrecôte especially was cooked perfectly to medium rare, but rather oversalted. First few bites were amazing, but then the salt kind of took over. I’m a big fan of salt, so that’s saying a good bit. Service was just okay. Pacing was an issue - there was absolutely no pause whatsoever between appetizers and mains, so literally as soon as our app plates were removed, the entrees were immediately set down. Wine glasses were refilled only once and we refilled them ourselves the rest of the time. After we finished eating around 10-10:30, we still had some wine left and were engaged in conversation, but the check was brought without our asking, and then we were approached not just once but several times to ask if “everything was okay” because we hadn’t put down a credit card yet. By this time the restaurant was half empty so I can’t believe they needed to turn the table around. We really wanted a leisurely dinner and unfortunately felt rushed for most of the meal, which we tried hard to ignore.
   

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4. E

   El

   BW

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 3

   The food was just okay, but not worth the money. Beautiful decor but very loud. The cocktails were good and the wine was excellent ($$$). The lobster bisque was very salty. The steak was not particularly flavorful.
   

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5. K

   Keaton

   New York City

   25 reviews

   1.0

   25 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 4

   I had high hopes when I took my fiancé here to celebrate his birthday, but unfortunately, the experience fell far short of expectations. While the holiday decorations were stunning, the rest of the evening left much to be desired. First, our server made us feel incredibly rushed throughout the meal, which dampened the celebratory mood. Shortly after being seated, we were asked to order our main dishes which then came out no more than 10 minutes later. Later in our meal, our waiter placed our bill on our table before we had even finished eating the dessert we ordered. The restaurant wasn’t that busy and there were plenty of open tables around us, so I don’t know why we were being rushed. We did not feel welcomed or that the restaurant wanted us to be there. To make matters worse, the server had a noticeable body odor, which made the experience uncomfortable as he was passing our table every few minutes. The food itself was just okay—certainly not worth the high prices. I expected something special given the reputation, but it was average at best. Adding to the disappointment, our server didn’t acknowledge my fiancé’s birthday, even though I had mentioned it in advance when making the reservation. The worst part, however, came after we paid and left a generous tip. As we were getting ready to leave, the waiter rushed over to us because he forgot to include 2 drinks we ordered with dessert on the bill, causing a scene in front of other diners. Frankly, we assumed since we were celebrating a birthday, they intentionally left the 2 drinks off as a celebratory gesture since our dessert was on the bill. It was incredibly embarrassing, and it felt as if the waiter thought we were trying to skip out on paying when the mistake was entirely theirs. Overall, while the ambiance was beautiful, the service and overall experience were far from what we expected for such a special occasion. I wouldn’t recommend this restaurant, especially for an important event or celebration.
   

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6. R

   Rebecca

   VIP

   Washington DC

   15 reviews

   3.0

   15 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 5

   Our server was great, pleasant and made sure our drinks were refilled but food was nothing special and honestly not very tasty. Niçoise salad was tasteless, onion soup was very salty and cheese was gloopy and too burnt on top, the burned cheese had an unpleasant odor. It’s a pretty place though.
   

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7. L

   Lynne

   VIP

   Washington DC

   4 reviews

   3.0

   4 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 5

   Ambiance was like an upscale Mon Ami Gabi. The steaks were over cooked and dry. French Fries were over cooked. Beautiful surrounding is a one time visit if the good comes up short in tasting delicious.
   

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8. A

   Andy

   VIP

   Washington DC

   77 reviews

   2.0

   77 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 2
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 5

   A beautiful location but still some kinks to work out - especially with the quality of the meats, which were particularly fatty (and not in a good way), a bit of overcooking (medium was somewhere above medium-well), noticeably weak drinks, and very mechanical and impersonal service. It’s the first time in a long time when I’ve left a restaurant thinking that it’s “one and done” for me. If you’re thinking of going, wait a few months - they just didn’t seem ready for prime time, surprising given the effort put into creating such an inviting and beautifully restored space, as well as the price point.
   

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9. L

   Laura

   Washington DC

   13 reviews

   5.0

   13 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   The place is gorgeous. Service is great. The food portions were larger than I expected.
   

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10. JD

    JessD

    Washington DC

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5

    Stunning location, very festive for the holiday season! We came for an early lunch at 11:30am on the Monday between Christmas and New Year's, and it wasn't crowded at all. The lunch menu is slightly cheaper than the brunch and dinner menu and the portions are HUGE. It's really great bang for your buck, which isn't a given in this city. And the quality was fantastic - easily up there with Le Dip - and the service was much friendlier. Our server was Christopher, who was really lovely and attentive, and altogether we had a really lovely time.
    

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