Lafayette Bistro

Frankly, for the prices, I was completely underwhelmed. An empty restaurant on West Queen West should have been our first clue, especially when Ali the others are practically full.
The only stars are for the polite service and quaint back yard patio, the duck confite was dry and boring, and the French onion soup which admittedly was the only good part of the meal was really not much better than I could have made at home.
I’ve never written a review, so the fact that the combination of high prices and poor quality was enough to get me to write this should say enough. Either the quality needs to go up or the prices need to come down.

Enjoyed this place last summer a couple of times, but drove by it today and saw newspapers covering their window. Not sure if they’ve closed of if they’re renovating.

As a frenchman I know my food and generally avoid eating french outside my home when not in France.
But I must say the Lafayette in a modest, convivial way, achieves a very genuine experience at a very reasonable cost.
I have had the «confit» which was the best I had in a long time (I tried it in much more fancy place where it was just plain dry!), the desserts are tasty and authentic… and the boss knows how to make you feel at home!

From the moment I started learning French in grade four, I was enamoured by all things French. Their way of life, their style, their wines — but most of all — their food! My father always said that the two biggest food cultures in the world have to be Chinese and French. I can’t help but agree.
When I was in Paris last year, I got hooked on bistros. They line the streets like taxi cabs line the airport — ils sont partout!
In this month’s edition of lunch with Ms. B, my high school English teacher, I decided to take her downtown to Lafayette Bistro. Like most women in her generation (my mom, my friend’s moms, and everyone in that age group), she dreads driving downtown. That and I had a Living Social voucher to use up, so why the heck not?!
Parking is pretty plentiful on this less busy strip of Queen West, and relatively inexpensive. I had made reservations ahead of time, and so the wait wasn’t very long.
The décor is typical French bistro, with opera posters adorning the walls and simple tables and chairs. But there was something homey and inviting about Lafayette that I adored. The windows out front let in a lot of natural lighting, and though the restaurant is in no way small, it was cozy and quaint.
The menu itself is not extensive, but features bistro classics from sandwiches to French onion soup.
Co-​owner and chef Jean-​Pierre Boué (is it just me or are a lot of Toronto’s French chefs named JP?) is absolutely adorable, and is a «mingle with the crowd» type of restauranteur. He personally served up some dishes while inquiring with his guests about their meal.
My Living Social voucher entitled us to a soup, entrée, dessert and drink. This cost me a total of $ 25. To my surprise, the voucher included alcoholic beverages as we weren’t charged for the glass of white wine that Ms. B ordered! Now I feel kind of ripped off for ordering a cappuccino: p
I opted for French Onion Soup which, like all the food I had that day came out piping hot (just the way I like it!). The soup had a good onion-​y flavour, and the cheese was oozing out of the cauldron-​like ramekin like a mean witches brew! The cheese was a little bit too gooey for me but that’s perhaps my fault for not giving the cheese enough time to congeal. Its the same thing with cheese on a pizza.
For mains I opted for the Duck Confit + Lentils. My first reaction was «That is a really big bed of lentils,» but once I tasted it, there couldn’t have been enough of it. The butter brought out a sweetness in the lentils, and the mixture was creamy and satisfying. I didn’t have a knife for the longest time and fared fine with just a fork; the meat just fell off the bone.
Their dessert menu consisted of their rendition of a Banana Sundae and Pommes Tatin (sans the tarte) as well as plain ice cream. The pommes tatin was cinnamon-​y, creamy, rich and warmed me on the inside with the hot apples. I did miss having pie crust to tie it altogether though.
V E R D I C T
Lafayette is definitely a place I would go for my French food fix. Their menu is simple, but the food is comforting and delicious. The only downer is that menu selection is a bit limiting.
I am always in search of local gems, and Lafayette has found a place on that list.
On a side note, I think that Nice, France is the new Paris. Chef Jean-​Pierre Boué is from there, and so are the owners of Nice Bistro in Whitby. It seems that all my positive French dining experiences are owned and operated by the French who come from that region! Next stop, Paris, Nice!

BOTTOM LINE: Quaint and unassuming, a comfortable spot for some casual French dining. Order their French onion soup!
(2.5 STARS)
I’ve come here a few times for lunch, and I’ve always felt welcomed by the owner and (Parisian) staff. It’s not flashy on the inside and some of the décor is a bit kitschy (e.g., why is there a stuffed doll elephant on the ground near the door?), but overall, it’s quiet comfortable. The menu looks really cheaply made with inserted white sheets of paper in a flimsy plastic book. They also advertise draft beers but that’s definitely not available. Their food also a bit pricier than one might expect for the neighbourhood, but generally solid.
1. Specifically, their French onion soup is GOOD! Served in a hearty bowl, it’s freshly baked with a good portion of cheese and really nice caramelized onions. To top it off, it manages to not be over-​the-​top salty!
2. Their duck confit is juicy and the lentils were sweet.
3. The French burger was just okay although it was cooked to a nice medium. Just remember that it doesn’t come with a bun (would that make it a freedom burger: P).
4. The roasted tomato sandwich was surprisingly full of flavour.
Also, if you manage to get a table by the window, it makes for great people watching, or at least, patient watching on smoking breaks as the hospital is just across the street!

This seems to be a cursed location for restaurants and I don’t see that changing any time soon. I’ve walked past La Fayette many times since it opened and the sandwich board out front always has the same specials: Fish Soup and some kind of Fish dish, usually Garlic Shrimp. This is no way to get the Queen Street crowd into your resto. and may explain the complete lack of customers.
For some reason, my friend and I decided to try this place out yesterday, a decision I regretted almost as soon as we’d sat down. The main dining area is quite nice, very cozy and comfortable looking, aside from the strong smell of fish that filled the air (I guess the soup’s on!). The smell was too much so we decided to sit on the patio out back, which is very quaint, though VERY dark in the evening if you’re at the far tables.
We started with a $ 10.50 Kir Royale (Sparkling Wine and Cassis), which was so flat and cloyingly sweet, I chugged it back quickly and ordered a beer. They brought out bread and butter, which immediately set off warning signals. It was just a dry, store-​bought poppy seed roll cut into slices with some packets (!!) of whipped butter, the kind that come with the plastic cutlery when you order Swiss Chalet delivery. Not something you’d expect at a French Bistro.
There was only one other table of customers in the place, but it took ages for our appetizer (the $ 16.50 Charcuterie platter) to arrive. What a huge disappointment. A very small assortment of low-​quality deli meats that tasted like they’d been sitting around in the kitchen too long. Neither of us wanted to finish.
Again, it took ages for our mains to arrive and by this point it was almost pitch black so we could hardly see our plates. There was an order mixup and my friend received chicken instead of Duck Confit. This was quickly rectified, but as we ate, we heard the other table complaining that they were missing one of their Lamb Shank dish. This is with TWO tables in a near empty restaurant.
To the food! The Duck Confit, tasted «odd» and wasn’t crispy at all, and came with a truckload of fried potatoes, which weren’t so great either. I had Beef Bourguignon, which was basically beef short ribs and mashed potatoes. I’ve got to admit, though, it was pretty tasty, but certainly not worth the $ 20+ price they charged. We finished quickly, paid and got the hell out of there.
Dinner was $ 115 for two, which is highway robbery after the bad food and crappy service we were given. I can’t imagine how they’d handle a full restaurant, but I don’t think they’ll ever have to worry about that.
This place will be gone in no time. Avoid and spend your money at one of the many MUCH better places in this area.

I really enjoyed the food at this place as well as the service.
Food tasted good, the portions were decent, however the prices were a bit steep.
The service was friendly with a smile, and the server kept trying to make conversation. She didn’t seem to know what to do with my group deal voucher, however I guess I must’ve been the first customer she dealt with that was using one, so that’s understandable.
If it weren’t for this place being out of my price range, I’d definitely go back to it for the food & experience.

Not sure why this place got terrible reviews. I had a delightful experience. If you’re looking for a cozy romantic yet casual-​ish setting this place is perfect.
Simple, homey French dishes, warm friendly service. what more could you want on a freezing cold night?
I started with a deeeelicious glass of Pinot Noir and French onion soup. For my main I had the boeuf bourguignon, it was soo tender and delicious. We ended with a cappuccino and the upside down apple tart.
Everything was yummy, great portions. I left a satisfied rolley polley. lol

Ya, I may be just piling on the trashfest here, but I have to put my 2¢ in here. In a neighbourhood with such great places as Beau Lieu, Watusi, Union, and even, dare I say, Nyood, how someplace like this can even think to survive is beyond me.
I went there with Melinda M, on a night we wanted to try someplace new. There’s nothing wrong with trying someplace new, except when it turns out badly. And it turned out badly.
I ordered lamb rack and it was three scrawny pieces of miscooked lamb on a bed of mostly carrots and leeks in a oily mixture. Melinda M’s dish, the steak, had an odd flavour — perhaps a never cleaned grill.
Yes, this place has changed owners and themes a few times in the last few years, but that’s no reason not to be good. It was not. Alas, never going back — and nor should you.

I always wonder how people go to places that only warrant 1 star reviews. Now I know. And let’s say, BrianS and I took one for the team last night. We went to Lafayette Bistro so you won’t have to.
The interior is quite nice and the server was funny and nice too. I just can’t give the place more than 1 star because I don’t want anyone wasting their time and money going to this place which serves such poor food.
Prices seemed reasonable, but yuck. I got a steak frites. The fries were undercooked and the steak just had this weird flavour. I couldn’t discern what it was — BrianS thinks that and the «rack of lamb» he was served (horribly cut three pieces of lamb — Gordon Ramsay would have thrown someone out of the kitchen for that atrocity) were cooked on a dirty grill.
Gross? yes! gross. I tried it so you don’t have to.
The location of this place has been a revolving door for restaurants for years (crêpe place, Italian tapas…) and I think that will continue. Maybe we’ll try the next restaurant that takes residence. We won’t be back to Lafayette Bistro. We ate so little of the food that we were out less than an hour after sitting and went home and had snacks at home. Should have done that to start!