Petit Robert Bistro

Loic is the best!!! Classic French bistro and a staff who is very familiar with French cuisine. Can’t go wrong with the steak frites and the drinks are cheap!

Just perfect. Solid value reliable French fare. Pâté (homemade) to start, steak fries and chocolate mousse and you are on the Left Bank or should I say Rive Gauche? Waiters lack polish… too much Hi I’m Jahn and I’ll be your server tonight… what in hell would their function be other than that? Hey Boston can we stop that meaningless greeting please?

Another great post-​matinée meal! Each of us enjoyed all three courses: for me the butternut squash soup du jour (an odd choice for springtime, but tasty nevertheless), the romaine and blue cheese salad, and the «duck duo» with vegetables. My companions had the onion soup, beef bourguignon, and sauteed kale (raved about that!) and the mussels and grilled swordfish. Service was courteous, not obsequious, attentive, not hovering. Nice and quiet, allowing easy conversation in normal voices. All left happy! We’ll be back!

The waiter Smith was very-​very nice. The escargot was delicious!!! The calamari appetizer was crispy and hot! Steak Frites is really good. We would definitely go back.

Thought this place was wonderful. I had the lobster mac and cheese, which was delicious. Great service, fun atmosphere. Would definitely go back.

After several positive experiences, so much so that we invited our parents there for a night out with everyone, my partner and I had a terrible experience the other night. We had made a reservation for my birthday and it was not held. There was no apology. Just a «do you mind sitting at the bar», delivered by a loud and possibly intoxicated greeter (who we haven’t seen before) who was awkwardly handsy with my fiancée. We sat at the bar for quite a while which was also awkward as we watched the bartender snap angrily at the greeter and otherwise act surly and unfriendly toward us, until he finally mumbled «do you want anything?» At least we think that’s what he said.
Long story short it took us around 30 minutes to finally be seated, again with no apology or recognition that we had in fact made a reservation. Even after we were seated we waited and waited another fifteen minutes for the waiter to finally come over to our table. When she finally did, she said «ok what do you want?» Keep in mind, this was essentially her greeting to us.
So I told her, upset but not inappropriately so, that I was not happy with the service at all, and given that we were customers who had given them pretty regular business in the past, it was especially disappointing.
As soon as I opened my mouth her eyes glazed over and she kept saying over me in a flat mechanical voice, «I’m sorry.» You know how you can say one thing but mean a completely different thing? Yeah. She was saying I’m sorry but was basically saying I could give a shit.
Not sure what happened. We’ve had this very waitress twice before in fact and she was good. I don’t know if there’s new management, if the oily greeter guy was new and messing stuff up or what. Clearly it was a busy night. But if that means blowing reservations wihtout apology and getting pissy with your customers before they are able to make eye contact with you, then I’d say you’re not doing your base job as a restaurant.
We won’t be going back.
This is the Columbus Ave location.

Petit Robert bistro is a chain of French restaurants located throughout Boston. This one is the closest one to the Prudential building, in a quiet brownstone apts area.
Like the other locations it has cute décor, outside sitting area when warm enough, and mostly French speaking staff.
The calamari appetizer was beyond amazing, crispy and hot. But unfortunately my go-​to favorites that I usually order at the other petit Robert bistros were overcooked here. The duck (cooked in duck fat, decadently scrumptious) which is fantastic in the Kenmore and Brookline locations, was rubbery here and a little flavorless. The fattier bits were fine but the less meaty areas were done for.
The calfs liver was also quite overcooked (I’m sure that is preferable for most people so that’s good) It was covered with bacon slices so that did help with the rubberiness.
Sides were great, the pomme frites (thin fries) were served lukewarm so that was a little disappointing.
The salad with Roquefort cheese was a little plain as it only had olive oil and.Roquefort. But as you cheese lovers may well know, it’s a very strong cheese so enjoy.
Kale salad was delicious, kaley and not tough.
Staff got a bit overwhelmed when it got busy (took a while to get checked out) but other than that, an okay location for this chain of restaurants.

Had a lovely dinner here last night with good friends. Best onion soup I’ve had in a long time, outstanding Coq au Vin, followed by shared profiterole. Good service was the icing on the cake.
The only reason I didn’t give Petit Robert 5 stars was the noise level. As the restaurant filled, room became very loud and we had a hard time having a conversation.
Very happy PRB has Valet Parking ($ 15)

I have been wanting to try this place for a while and decided to go on a whim. We were very pleased with our meals. I studied in France and am familiar with French cuisine. I felt that this food was of high quality and very authentic. I would say that they have the best French food in Boston.

This was my first time at Petit Robert, but I really loved it. We started with the escargot, which was delicious. I had the lamb with polenta and veggies and was really impressed. The sauce on the lamb went perfectly with everything else on the plate, and the polenta was the best I’ve had. My boyfriend had the mushroom risotto and I ended up asking him to switch plates half way through because it was so delicious. The crème brûlée was a perfect way to end a wonderful meal.

The food was good. The waiter was very nice.
Dessert was very good vanilla creame brûlée
The escargot was good it was hold in 6 circle /​pan like it been cooked it
Jaret dagneau (beef stew lamb shank with potato and veggie is really good
Duck duo is good
Risotto is good

Went there for a birthday dinner.
We start with a sharing plate of Pâté. Nice and tasty with 3 different varieties. My partner hates the chicken liver pâté but I think because it has a non common taste, but for me, as a French person, I like it. The bread was good. Than I had the lobster bisque that was OK but not great, more on the sweet side.
The main course, lamb with a side of Brussels sprout.
2 different lambs in the plate: lamb chop that was delicious and lamb stew in a tomato sauce that I didn’t like at all.
Wine selection was good.

this place is amazing. Came here on Sunday for brunch before heading to the Huntington theater and we got a reservation and it was great.
the good:
*seated right away
*cozy, warm, adorable restaurant
*white table cloth more fancy area with a more chill relaxed area when you first walk in
*omlet was great
*fresh croissants are delicious (got 2 of them!)
*coffee is GREAT
*really nice, friendly staff.
Overall, excellent quality and pricing. I wish that they had asked if I wanted extra salad instead of fries since I didn’t eat the fries with my meal.
Otherwise, the best!
Love it!

Excellent service and a very intimate, romantic ambience. It was NYE and we had a bottle of white burgundy from Macon Villages that was sublime, complimenting out dishes superbly. For appetizers go for the patê. Entrées, the scallops and if they have the monkfish special do it! Finished with a nice glass of Macallan 18 year NEAT. All around a very pleasant experience

This is just based on the brunch. After three visits so far, it seems Petit Robert is going to be one of our regular brunch spots. The food is always delicious. Coffee and drinks are good. Service is attentive. What else do you need especially when the setting is spacious and quite enough for conversation. A great place to meet and catch up with people.

This was a solid dining experience. The service was excellent and the food was good.
Our waiter had good recommendations and I appreciated that they had a few half bottles available on their wine list.
We were not rushed through our meal and although we were the last table there, they let us sit and enjoy our after dinner coffees without pressuring us to pay he check. The food was good though not exceptional. The bread on the other hand took me back to cafes in France, perfectly crusty and served with butter that melts on to it immediately.

Top notch wait staff. Everyone was very pleasant and attentive. The waiter gave very helpful recommendations for each course. We had reservations for 4 people at 8:45 on a Friday night. We were greeted warmly and promptly. It was a short wait for the table, but the host kept us updated with the table status.
Starting with cocktails — I wish I could remember the name of my drink because it was fantastic…“tangerine something…”? Citrusy and refreshing, exactly as I had requested.
The bread is AMAZING — there’s something about hot loaves of bread that just make any dining experience better. The bread had a perfect crust on the outside and was light and fluffy on the inside. We devoured two loaves immediately and asked for more.
We shared escargot, which was pretty standard. I’d say dipping the bread in the garlic-​pesto-​butter of the escargot dish was the highlight for me.
We also ordered a side of pommes frites to share — they were pretty standard thin cut french fries.
I had the skirt steak with bordelaise sauce. The steak was very flavorful and an expertly cooked medium-​rare. I was very happy with the mushroom bordelaise sauce. The veggies were broccoli and cauliflower. The broccoli was nicely done, but the cauliflower was a little too al dente for my liking. It was a bit hard to cut, even with my steak knife.
The table shared the dessert of the day: tiramisu (as recommended). Each layer was very light and complimented it’s neighbor layers well.
Overall it was an extremely pleasant dinner. We were one of the last tables in the restaurant, but they let us sit and enjoy our after dinner coffee and tea without pressuring us to leave.
I would definitely come again.

I always come by this restaurant whenever im picking up pastries from café madeline opposite for brunch. It is always a pleasant meal especially their brunch menu of egg benedict and french toast!
Its such a great place with a relaxed, easy atomsphere with french comfort food! Yum!

Feels like you are back in Paris. A church across the street adds to the flavor.
Petit french cuisine. Omelettes are great. Soup is fine.
A retractable roof to make enough shade when sitting on a hot day. Even the wind blows along the street to release you from the daytime heart.
Perfect for brunch.

3.5 stars, rounded down to 3.
My boyfriend and I came in for brunch on Easter around 12:30PM. We got seated at the table right next to the window, which was nice. There is a fair bit of space in the restaurant and I never felt too close to the table next to us, which was nice.
I judge restaurants pretty harshly on the complimentary bread that they provide, and oh my goodness, PRB kills it with their complimentary baguettes. These baguettes are bomb. They come out extremely fresh and warm, and my boyfriend and I each had one for ourselves before our meal.
My boyfriend ordered the omelette lyonnaise and I ordered the boeuf bourguignon.
1) Omelette Lyonnaise ($ 12) – very large serving that came with a salad and fries. The omelette was cooked to perfection, very moist and still a bit runny, exactly how my boyfriend prefers his eggs. Many places leave the omelettes a bit too dry, but PRB did a good job with. The bacon in the omelette was also extremely crispy and delicious, not too greasy either.
2) Boeuf bourguignon ($ 26) – I really actually wanted to order the omelette lyonnaise myself, but when my boyfriend said that’s what he wanted, I decided to switch it up. Normally when I’ve ordered beef bourguignon at other restaurants, it comes as a pasta dish (thanks, Julia Childs). Here, I got the beef stew with some potatoes and vegetables on the side. It surprised me a bit, but the beef itself was very tender. I barely needed to use the steak knife to cut through the beef; my fork was enough. The stew wasn’t too heavy in flavoring and I guess I don’t mind cutting back on carbs since I ate an entire baguette by myself anyway. Overall, quite good, though pricey. The vegetables were good, nothing too spectacular, but seasoned well.
Now, a few gripes about the restaurant. Our host never gave us the Easter specials menu. I saw other tables with them but for some reason it seems like the host just forgot? It would have been nice to see, but I didn’t notice until after we had ordered. That being said, the waiter never walked us through any specials either, so we also didn’t have a clue that there were any specials.
Another issue I had with PRB was the fact that on our check, we were charged $ 27 for the beef bourguignon. It clearly says $ 26 on the menu, and it’s just confusing to me as to why we were charged a different price. We pointed this out to our waiter and he changed it for us with no questions asks /​no explanation given, but I kind of was more curious about the why, instead of caring for the $ 1 difference.
I would come back for brunch and get an omelette. $ 12 for the omelette seemed very worth it. $ 26 for the beef bourguignon, not so much. I’ve had better and cheaper elsewhere. Definitely take a quick look at the check though… Can’t say I trust this place too much after the extra dollar charged on my dish.