Petit Robert Bistro

05/12/2008 Posted by chungli

My wife and I have lived in the South End for about 10 years. When this restaurant first opened in Kenmore Square, we rushed to visit - in hopes of finding authentic French Cuisine. We did!! One, of not the onlty restaurant in Boston to service authentic french food - and numerous varieites of organ meats. They then opened on Columbus Ave., which is so much closer. Most of the staff from Kenmore (at least the French staff) moved to this location to our delight. We eat at this establishment very often, and, although reservations are now accepted at this location, we choose to sit at the bar. The bartender is a charming and very well informed man relative to food, wine, cheese, etc. He is always extremely helpful and very polite. Being Asian, many of these delicacies are foreign to us, but must truthfully say we have never had a bad meal here - which is why we continue to dine here. I do not even know the bartender's name, but we purposely sit at the bar for his recommendations. He has never led us astray!! Kudos to the owner of this staff for employing a great staff. The hostess as well is most courteous and we appreciate being treated so well. Having lived in different parts of Western Europe, we realize that being a waiter or bartender is not just a job, but a profession. This restaurant has it all: Fantastic food, great waitstaff, and a very diligent and helpful bartender. We wish you years of good luck and fortune!

05/12/2008 Posted by jpcesq

This is a great neighborhood spot to dine on traditional French food; if I lived closer, I would eat here every day. There is always a good mix on the menu so that you can go for "comfort food" (onion soup & coq au vin?) when you need something familiar, or try something more adventurous from the regular menu or the daily specials when you want to try something you might not necessarily try to cook at home. The dessert selection also ranges from the familiar to the more exotic. All of the food (appetizers, entrees, desserts) is excellent, very reasonably priced, and the portions are big. Almost the entire staff speaks French and understands what the food is and how it should taste. They are uniformly friendly and unfailingly helpful. Especially delightful is the weekend bartender, who is always willing to make suggestions about what to order, explain what the food actually is (for those unfamiliar with it), and even give a tutorial on various French cheeses (served with a baguette, never EVER with crackers!). It's also fun to learn about various drinks that are popular in France but not necessarily here(including the notorious absinthe!); he and the staff have come up with a tasty cocktail menu. My family and friends love coming here with me. But even when I go to eat by myself, I never feel like I am alone. Now that the weather is finally getting better, the outdoor terrace is great for having a meal and a glass of wine while people-watching. I can't wait to spend more time there. Overall this is a wonderful place to have a classic French meal, at affordable prices, and with excellent service. See you there!

Pros: variety & quality of food, great service

Cons: none

05/11/2008 Posted by banci

Living in Tremont St, I am so lucky to celebrate the best authentic french place in Boston, So Frenchy and unique. Of course, the menu made by Jacky Robert is... tres fantastique. But, the big value... the atmosphere ,so hilarious. Even if you couldn't get any french words, the frenchy waistaff seems to come from directly from Paris. We like to sit down at the Bar, to appreciate one Ricard, or even the Absinthe. Don't forget the inimitable guy from Burgundy behind the bar. Always singing and telling some stories about cheeses. We love it.

05/10/2008 Posted by cassyfont

If you're looking for high quality French food, don't go here. You're better off elsewhere. The only dish that is decent is the foie gras. To top it off, their staff are SOOO RUDE! I had to drop by to pick up an order that my sister placed over the phone (I stopped eating there after facing rude service time and time again). I walked in and said hi to the bartender who just looked at me and completely ignored me! Then some other girl walks in and he's helping her! The thing is, he has a reputation for being rude to Asian people. Most of my Asian friends refuse to meet up there cos the bartender just blatently ignores you if you're someone of color. I had to stand there for 7 minutes today JUST to pick up my to-go order while the serving staff were just standing there! Maybe management is trying to keep the place White, so beware. If you're a person of color, you'll get shoddy service and definitely an attitude from their bartender.

Pros: foie gras. That's it

Cons: BAD service, rude bartender. cramped restaurant, lazy and obnoxious servers.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

05/03/2008 Posted by btfoodlover

I went there a few weeks ago with a group of 8 women to celebrate a baby shower. The dining room is small so we were sat in the bar area which actually turned out to be a bit more quiet than the dining room. We shared appetizers and each had an entree and dessert and the bill was very reasonnable. The wine list is great with a lot of options in the $30 range. like the reviewer below, I had called in advance. and was told that the house policy was to refuse outside cake, since they would be liable if anyone got sick on it. I was a little disappointed but the manager put a chocolate "congratulations" sign on the mom-to-be's cake- which was a nice touch. I wish they would allow us to bring our cake but I can't really blame a restaurant for actually wanting to sell the food they make, can I? I will definitely be back.

Pros: great and fun vibe

Cons: hard for large parties

05/03/2008 Posted by syg

I was very happy to see they started to take reservations (open table ones as well) which I would definitely recommend.

04/18/2008 Posted by BostonMe

Awful Experience - almost ruined my best friends birthday! Last night my group of 10 had reservations at the Petit Robert in the south end and when i got there a little early to drop off the cake the manager and a random waitress were extremely rude and unprofessional even rolling their eyes at me when i stated that I have brought in cakes to many other Boston establishments, i then offered to pay a plating fee which they then said was illegal in the state of Massachusetts which is a blatant lie considering I walked over to Douzo and had a great time celebrating my best friends birthday with our cake!

03/07/2008 Posted by bettygurl2008

The Lobster Bisque here is great. The lamb was really tiny in portion and a little fatty but the flavor was great. The dessert was amazing, especially the crepe and the dessert with the little chocolate Eiffel tower. So Yummy, I will definitely be back!

02/25/2008 Posted by stylcec

As a french I know what I am expecting with french food and Bistro Robert is my favorite . The staff is excellent and friendly ( which is important when you go with kids !) and the food is so GOOD !!!!!!! The desserts are to die for .....I think I tried all of them !!!! Not talking of the bread ! I can't tell you what to order because I just love the complete menu .

Pros: food , location , ambience and staff

Cons: none

11/11/2007 Posted by rl727

The good news is that the food was splendid--I didn't know beet salad could be delicious--and my dining companions felt the same about their respective meals. The wait staff was attentive and prompt. The bad news is that the host was unable to organize the wait for tables, which made the meal begin with a sour taste. He gave inconsistent or unclear information, sometimes responded only with a shrug and delphic smile, and was beset with angry customers complaining that there seemed to be no seating system at all. He didn't seem malicious, just over his head. A promised 10 minute wait turned into 45 minutes. "Promptness" in bringing food ordinarily shouldn't be a factor in a bistro, where a leisurely meal is the goal, but because of the seating issue, we ran into a scheduling problem, which is why we were appreciative that the woman who served us was so excellent . She was able to accomodate our concerns, even volunteering which items on the menu took longer to cook than others. The sorbets for desert were overly frozen, but that was a small deviation from wonderful food. We would happily return, but only if we were on no schedule.