Bistro Romain – Paris (Republique)

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A nice and friendly restaurant which had seasonal additions to its menu. This month was the ravioli month so we decided that they should be sampled.

The first time at this restaurant, we had the mint, basil, tomato and ricotta tortellini which tasted really good. We also had the grilled vegetables (aubergine, red pepper and courgette) and matchstick potatoes (fries). The little ciabatta rolls were fresh and just the right amount to go with the meal.

The service was really good and on our second visit, the waiter remembered how we liked our coffee (with additional hot milk). This was one of the few restaurants that gave us chocolate to go with the coffee.

We tried the ratatouille ravioli as well which was not a disappointment. Unfortunately the dessert chocolate ravioli was chewy and we wouldn’t recommend it.

All in all, a great restaurant with good quick service and tasty food.

Bistro Romain, 17 place de la Republique, 75003, Paris

Rating: ★★★★☆

3 Comments Add yours

  1. mike says:

    I visited the Bistro Romain near the Opera in Paris with my wife and young son on January 8th 2010. Our experience was quite similar to Kate’s. The food and service was far below average… even for a chain restaurant… especially for the price. Food did not seem fresh at all, and the service was slow if not non-existent. We ordered two “menu” (prix fixe) items and some other things on the regular menu. Salad double chevre was OK, to be fair – even if it clearly was not fresh. The pasta was exactly the same as Kate’s – without the black hair. Very basic, and very dry and crusty from spending time under a heat lamp. Steak was far below average (very tough – even though it was cooked medium rare) – the sauce tasted like it was from a can – the chips served with them were the best part, even if they seemed like they were taken from the Mc Donald’s down the street. Salmon carpaccio which is supposed to be “all you can eat” – but didn’t see the point as it took over 30 minutes to have a waiter (not the same as the first) ask if we wanted more (of course this was after two of us had finished). After another 30 or 45 minutes (having seen no wait staff) I went to try and find one of the waiters – I saw one chatting with the bartender – and signaled that we needed her. She didn’t come. So – my wife (a Parisian) went to complain rather loudly of course there was a flurry of apologies, etc. The best part was that they offered us complementary desert and coffee as a gesture of apology, but once the 4th person (the hostess who seemed mean mean mean) noticed that we had deserts included in our menu’s, well, she flat out said – well, we offer you coffee then. Good day. It was a horrible experience. Was told that the manager would come by, but he or she never did. It’s a pity because my wife had said that she had been there many years ago, and it was great. Apparently, such is not the case any more. I strongly recommend that no one go to this restaurant. There are plenty of great places in Paris and this establishment does not deserve your time.

  2. kate says:

    I visited with 6 friends in August. We had very poor service and food. We ordered our meal plus wine, it 20 minutes to be told they did not have the wine we ordered. We were given warm table water, but no water glasses. We received the wrong starters, one had a black hair on the pasta ,one main meal was forgotten, two main meals were sent back as they had been sitting under a hot plate and the pasta was hard and dry! We had to call the manager to remove the meals and a starter from the bill. The most disorganised restaurant I have been to, people got bored of waiting to be seated and left…they were the lucky ones! Would never recommend this place.

  3. lee says:

    When I go back to Paris (soon I hope!), this restaurant is on my list of places to eat again. Friendly staff, great food and a relaxing atmosphere!

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