Le Baratin

A charming local French bistro in Belleville. Very classic, cosy and non-pretentious. The waiter will hand you a hand written menu/blackboard, only in French, to order from. A perfect spot if you want a Parisian dinner experience like a local, away from tourists and hype.

It has its reputation for a reason. Incredible French cuisine prepared flawlessly. The recommended wine was one of the best we have ever had. For those who say the service is rude, it goes a long way to be polite and learn how to say 'I'm sorry, I don't speak French' in French, if you are a foreigner.

I was in the restaurant business for many years and consequently am extremely forgiving when things go wrong because I know how difficult and stressful busy times can be. I am always respectful, kind and grateful to restaurant staff. But I have never experienced anything close to what the 4 of us experienced at Le Baratin. From the moment we were seated we were treated with nothing short of disdain. After sitting for at least 30 minutes with nothing other than water being offered, the menu blackboard was slammed on our table and the waiter took off. When he came back sometime later with a pad and pencil for our order we said we’d like to order a cocktail, and he replied “No, only wine”. There were bottles of whiskey on the bar so that was confusing. Anyway we said we’d like to order wine. He replied we needed to order our food first, which we did, and again he took off. Sometime later the first courses came out and we told that server that we wanted to order wine. He asked what wine. We asked for a menu and he pointed to the blackboard on the wall, which was featuring about 12 wines. I saw a bottle of wine behind the bar which I recognized and which was not on the blackboard, and instead asked for that. He went and opened it and slammed it on the table and left. We then saw an order of clams go out and hadn’t noticed that on the menu, so we signaled that server and asked for an order of that as well. We were told “no”. Our server then brought our main courses. All this time we watched our server chatting, interacting, and laughing with other tables, not to mention bringing them bottles of wine before they ordered their dinners. The food was mediocre. It did look like they had a nice selection of natural wines, but the selection was kept hidden from us. I should also clarify that all my interaction with the servers was done in French. One of our dining companions got up to pay the bill and much to our chagrin walked over and gave our server an additional 20 euros. We were all appalled, but it was like flipping a switch. We were then treated to big smiles and “Au revoirs”. The experience did nothing to dispel the stereotype of the surly Parisian. Having spent an enormous amount of time in France over the years, I’m very careful to avoid being an “ugly American”. I’m at a complete loss to understand the foul treatment we received. Again, I normally post only positive reviews because having been in the business I know how aggravating poor reviews can be. However, this experience was nothing short of shocking, and completely unprovoked.

I had planned to spend my 65th birthday in Paris and I could not have picked a better place for unpretentious , delicious food cooked by a legend ...From the cool vibe to the great service from our friendly and obliging waiter to my chat with Chef Raquel after the meal it will be one to remember. It's a little tricky making the phone res but if you call around 3:30 P.M they will have finished the lunch rush. Chef's husband runs the front of the house and while he doesnt suffer any foolishness did set me up with an excellent Morgon I was very happy with..Don't be scared of him..lol...Well worth the visit and a chance to try freshly seasonal food prepared with a deft touch and love...Not cheap but worth every penny and far better than other more expensive meals I have eaten in a town where you can go seriously wrong when it comes to picking a restaurant ..