Cute restaurant with live jazz! Came on a night they had live music and loved every second of it. The vibe is everything -- cozy, romantic, and the perfect spot for a date night or a night out where you actually want to enjoy the atmosphere. Wild to find out this used to be Baby Shank because I used to love that place too. It was such a cool surprise seeing how they transformed the space. Definitely feels like a hidden gem. The menu slaps -- the steak was amazing, the salads were fresh and full of flavor, and overall the food, ambiance, and live music made this a great experience. Already looking forward to coming back. read more

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What a fun night! We came for Thursday jazz (which definitely was less speakeasy and more easy listening--still great, but wanted to share), and had such a good time. The musicians were lightly singing and playing the piano, allowing for us to chat and not have to strain to hear one another. The dinner menu is a great deal and we all ordered. You can select an app, entree, and dessert, which includes bottomless fries and salad (which is topped with the most delicious vinaigrette), for $45. They also have $10 martinis. I had the burrata, mussels, and we all opted for a different dessert so we could share. Everything was so delicious. We ordered a side of the baguette which was so crunchy, fresh, and hot. The butter was absolutely delicious, and every bite was spectacular. The carafes of wine were a great deal as well, coming in half a liter and a liter ($18/$34), with the wine tasting good. I will certainly be retuning for a future jazz night or potentially a night on their beautiful patio. Heads up--a reservation is recommended as it fills up quickly on Thursdays! read more

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I came here for their jazz nights on the second floor on Thursdays. We were sat down somewhere close to the window and the jazz was very relaxing. I could hear the singer but also hear my friends talk. The service was very quick too. My friends and I got the pre fixe menu and a warm baguette with Normandy butter. The pre fixe menu includes endless fries and green salad and appetizer, entree and a dessert. Everything was wonderful. Between all of us, we got the tuna carpaccio, burata, mussels, burger and all of the desserts. I loved the cheesecake, tuna carpaccio and warm baguette. I would absolutely come back here again! read more

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I came here for brunch. We sat downstairs by the jazz band. The music was great. It is very loud and we would have preferred a seat not as close to the band but the place was crowded. The servers were polite. We ordered French toast to share and steak and frites. I ordered my steak medium but it did come well. I believe since I ordered my eggs cooked my steak may have sat or cooked a bit longer. I recommended getting the eggs runny! Idk why I ordered them fried and cooked through. It wasn't a huge deal bc the flavor was there for the steak. It was delicious and so was the chimichurri. The French toast was delicioussssss I would def recommend. It reminded me of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. The place was so nice. Crowded but I get it. I wish they had the rooftop open for brunch and more mocktail options. read more

Bonne Vie Cafe & Bistro - Steak and frites - French Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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I recently went to jazz brunch at Bonne Vie and had a great time! I was surprised that the restaurant didn't have a bigger crowd on a Saturday, but it was also a rainy day. The restaurant inside is elegant with an old fashioned charm. Everyone I encountered, from the host to the servers, were friendly and polite. I tried the steak frites entree, which was a pretty generous portion for the price. It tasted fantastic too! The chimichurri sauce was very flavorful. My party tried some of the mocktails and I also had a mimosa - all of which tasted great. I really enjoyed the live jazz singers as well! The option to tip them via Venmo from your table was a nice gesture. read more

Bonne Vie Cafe & Bistro - Steak frites brunch option with over hard eggs - French Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Went for a birthday brunch. Food was good, and the cocktails were great. I was impressed by the wine by the glass options as well. They don't do any sort of special treatment/desserts, etc. for birthdays which is absolutely fine for me but worth noting for those who may want a more celebratory(?) celebration. I think they might have some kinks to work out between how they advertise reservations for special events (like the Gypsy Jazz brunch). They also seated us at a table for 8 at first even though the reservation was for 10 people that was also not in the area where the live music was although that was what the reservation advertised. When everyone arrived we then had to move tables to make space possibly where we were supposed to be the whole time? From a customer's perspective it just seemed a bit disorganized and confusing. read more

Bonne Vie Cafe & Bistro - Steak and Eggs - French Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

3.75 Stars, soooooooo close to 4 and with a few tweaks, could get there! We saw their bottomless fries and salad Thursday special (also the same day as their upstairs jazz night....note...those are different reservations and different specials ($10 martinis and jazz upstairs only).....cause you know a brotha loves some fries!! Taking over the old Baby Shank space with very few changes, the downstairs is moody and great for group dinners. Serving French Bistro style classics like Trout Almandine, Steak Frite and roast chicken the menu is brief (which I appreciate, just do what you do well). The Thursday special, as I said is $45 for a starter, a main, a desert and shared bottomless fries and salad that come with your main dish. The starters. The table got the flat bread (it has some crazy description, but it's just flat bread pizza) was solid coming with a vegie and a meat option. The salmon carpaccio was served with a lemon caper sauce and field greens had a slight texture issue (served more like gravlax instead of diced means the sauce didn't penetrate all of the fish); but if you got the perfect bite, it was solid. The rabbit terrine was the winner, served with a salad and bread, it was meaty with a subtle flavoring. For mains we had the steak (medium rare, I would go medium next time, the cut wasn't medium-rare quality) served with roasted onions and lightly sauced. Solid. The roast chicken. Tender and moist. Solid but needed salt. And the Trout, full fish filet and skin-side smothered in almond parsley sauce. The sauce should have been put on the meat side to imbue that with the flavor, also needed salt and something to lift the flavor (maybe more citrus). The salad and fires come with your main and really are bottomless. Waiving your server down, they come with a giant bowl of piping hot fries. Truely the star of the show. Perfectly salted and went with every main dish. Even the salad was good, with a solid vinaigrette. They have a great priced house caraf of white, red or rose wine that we washed all this down with. We were stuffed to the gills. Service was responsive and the pacing was very good. I know French food is known for understated-elevated; this place is soooooo close to hitting the nail on the head. I'll certainly be back to check out the jazz and tinis (make reservations, we went up to check it out and it was packed)! read more

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The pre fixe menu was such a steal! So much food for a great price! All of the food tasted super fresh and high quality and so delicious! Our server was also quite attentive and replaced our fries without us asking so we could have warm fries. The ambience and decor was also very beautiful! It would have been nice if there was a vegetarian entree option on the pre fix menu. My friend called ahead and the restaurant texted her alternate items they could make - which was super nice and appreciated! But it seems they could just have a veg item on the entree menu. Towards the end we did start to feel rush as the server started to rearrange tables and reset the area. We were told we could move downstairs but we weren't offered a table down there. We ended up leaving because we were ready to go anyway but giving us a table downstairs might have led us to order more! Overall a pretty good experience and delish food! read more

Bonne Vie Cafe & Bistro - French Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Do NOT Come Here! Strong side eye to all the good food reviews on here.. This IS the WORST restaurant I've been to in the DC area of all my years living here. I'm truly flabbergasted. Came here for Galentine's Day on a weekday. Three of us ordered the Whole Rainbow Trout, the other two ordered the skit steak. Both options BAD. The trout was tiny--they found the scrawniest, saddest looking one...cooked it with no seasoning, threw some almonds on it, and served it (see photo). We tried to eat it and couldn't--all three of our plates were 75% still there when we left. I tried the skirt steak, too burnt on the edges and bland...You know it's bad when the best things on the menu are fries and the bread. I even saw the man sitting at the table next to us discreetly spit out the cheesecake (the dessert of the week) into his napkin. Food: 1/10 Our waiter was also the front of the house. She was too nonchalant...we wanted to order drinks and it took what felt like a decade for her to come back to the table. We had to request they start bringing out the fries, the sauces, the salad, for more water. The staff was not on top of anything. Service: 3/10 Do not come here for the food, you will be disappointed. The bar area is cute, so if you want to come here for drinks, maybeee you'll have better luck enjoying this restaurant. read more

This cocktail happy hour is... Insane. These are maybe the best priced--and quality--cocktails for happy at any U street area bar. The atmosphere is suave, service is very friendly and chatty, and the $10 skirt steak happy hour tapas with chimichurri was incredible. It's a great new addition to the area. Cocktail of the MONTH: A custom espresso martini with mezcal instead of vodka. It was the best cocktail I've had in over a month. https://dc.eater.com/openings/165086/bonne-vie-cafe-bistro-french-u-street-dc-restaurant-openings read more

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The brunch was delicious. I had the shakouska. And the baguette was warm and tasty. The food came quickly and the vibe was calm and enjoyable. read more

Bonne Vie Cafe & Bistro - French Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

The price fix was a great deal. Chocolate mouse cake was out of this world. Love the outside deck

Welcome, Bonne Vie! The bistro offers both a dining and a cafe menu. We came here for an early dinner, and took advantage of their pre-fixe menu which comes with unlimited fries! The party receives a green salad to share, and you choose an entree, a plats principaux, and a douceurs - I went for: +the Pâté de Campagne & Mustard +the Skirt Steak +and, the Apple Beignet The hubs ordered: +the Tarte Flambée - prepared with caramelized onions, anchovies, olives, and burrata +the Hamburger Double - with cheddar and cocktail sauce +and, the Apple Tarte We also ordered the baguette with a side of Normandy-churned butter to share. The dishes were well-presented, and the service was sweet and friendly! The restaurant itself is so cute and cozy - love the red velvet-like booth seating and the framed pictures! A nice spot that is perfect for date nights or small get-togethers. I'd love to try their coffee/pastries, brunch, and HH on the next visit! Online reservations is taken and easy to make! +prix-fixe menu +friendly staff +offers both cafe and a dining menu read more

The rooftop is now open! What are delightful find for our neighborhood. I have been to the Bonne Vie a few times now. The first time was on the street level, which was lovely and romantic. The happy hour was fantastic. Not only were the drinks delicious, but they had small bites that were exceptional (ordered the fish dish and fries). Tonight, though, we were up on the roof - which is an ideal spot for having groups of friends together. They didn't have HH because it was Sunday (the only day they don't have HH), but we enjoyed salads and sides in addition to our drinks. Absolutely love this place. There are different rooms to match different moods. Such a great gathering spot! A big thank you to David and his team for making our evening so pleasant. read more

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WOW! Amazing experience here. Most of our party enjoyed the prix fixe menu but the hosts graciously allowed the rest of our party to order a la carte, if they wanted to. The burrata was amazing, the cheese itself was so savory and flavorful, and the fruit chutney was delightful. The skirt steak was well seasoned and perfectly cooked. The chocolate coconut cake was great, but the showstopper dessert was undoubtedly the apple tarte. The sea bream was cooked, deboned and seasoned perfectly, and the pressed chicken was very good. Great drinks, too. It can be so hard to find a Hugo spritz on a drink menu, much less a well executed one, but the bartender was spot on. Also enjoyed the Boulevardier and the French Blonde. The fries and salad delivered with the prix fixe menu were a nice touch. The prix fixe at this place is truly an amazing value! Excellent service and a nice, moody ambiance. Lively but not so loud that we couldn't hear each other. Can't wait to come back! read more

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My friends and I sat at the bar tonight for their jazz and martini night. Wonderful ambiance, service, and music! Our bartender (David and I sadly don't remember the other's name) were very attentive and the drinks were delicious! Love the variety of martinis and enjoyed the fries too. Such a fun spot -- we will definitely be back!! read more

Hosted a casual get together with friends here, and it was great. They gave us a dedicated area at the bar, brought the platters of food out once guests started arriving, made sure the bartenders took care of us. Overall, I thought the food and service was fine, especially considering it was a Friday night and the place was packed. I'd come back. Also, the drinks and food are well-priced. Atmosphere is fun! read more

I really wanted to love this spot because the interior is incredibly cozy and the service was very attentive throughout the night. I ordered the steak frites prix-fixe, but unfortunately, the kitchen didn't quite deliver. While the unlimited fries were great, the steak arrived cold, and the cheesecake was still frozen in the center. It's a lovely atmosphere, but for the price of a full course meal, the food quality just wasn't there. I'm not sure I'd return. read more

Limited menu choices for brunch. The omelet had a vinegar-ish taste and was too dry for a classic French omelet. The half chicken was classicly French and the French fries were a huge hit. With all the French options in DC I'm not sure I'd need to go back....but decent all in all. read more

Bar service is excellent. Thank you, Cristian and Jason! Mussels and French fries were great. read more

Joselin was an amazing server!!! The food was delicious. She deserves the world and made our night perfect!! read more

Bonne Vie Cafe & Bistro - French Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I have big hopes for this place. I have been a few times. The decor is good. Great location. Good addition to neighborhood. Service is good, and head manager is very friendly. But the regular staff don't know French food. Prices are ok. The half carafe of wine is well priced and good quality. It feels like a diamond in the rough. But they need to make it much more authentic. It seems the main focus is to serve alcohol. (Très américain!) The menu is TINY! Please expand it. They do not bring a basket baguette to the table. Rather the restau charges $11 for bread. read more

Not sure what the 5-star reviews on Google are about... seem paid TBH. I went for brunch and had a negative experience. Upon walking in there is an immediate unpleasant smell, which is masked by strongly scented candles throughout. When I asked for Earl Grey tea they didn't have it and instead served Lipton. If that wasn't bad enough, the water and dishes made the tea taste like mildew. Upon inspection, all of the dishes seemed a bit dirty, really. I ordered an omelette and it came out burnt, but wrapped up so the burnt half was wrapped into the omelette, like they hoped I wouldn't notice... I sent it back and they re-made it, and comped it - that's really only reason I'm giving 1 star (other than that you cant give 0) is that they were nice and service was decent (though our waiter was awkward, making jokes that fell very flat because we didn't know if he was joking). My party also got the French Toast which was odd, steak and eggs (undewhelming), and shakshuka (fine). The bacon and fries were the only things that got no complaints. Go anywhere else on 18th in AdMo, you'll be glad you did. read more

The food was mediocre at best. The kitchen must be understaffed--our first dish came out 45 minuters after we ordered, and only after speaking to the server and the manager a few times. The first wine we ordered was unavailable as was one of the two appetitzers we ordered. The roast chicken was overcooked and underseasoned. The dessserts, cheescake and creme brulee, wwere inedible. read more

Great new spot! The ambience was great and the staff was unbelievable. Ask for Jose when you go, his service was impeccable. The feta salad was to die for. Will be back! read more

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I would not recommend coming here. As we entered the restaurant and waited to be seated we were faced with a couple of very unsatisified customers asking for the manager. We went in anyway, and it was a mistake! Our server was unpleasant to say the least. We had a reservation at 9pm, and our server informed us we could not have the steak since we came in too late and they were out. Food was mid, and that's for the best dishes. Mussels were some of the worst I had in my life, the toast that comes with the mussels and with burrata tasted burnt but was actually cold. To add to the bad experience, the staff went out of their way to make us feel unpleasant. Despite their official hours being 11:00am-1:00am on a Saturday, about an 1.5h into our dinner we eating our main dish, when we clearly heard our server say to her colleague "I asked then 5 times to take the plates away, I don't know what they're doing" in a very rude tone, referring to us. She even tried to take our plates (clearly unfinished) a couple of times. Finally, once our dessert (profiteroles were bad, apple pie was good) arrived, we asked for the check. Despite the listed closure time was 1am, at 10.40pm they started cleaning the floor very loudly around our table, clearly wanting us out. It turned our that the 1L wine carafe, allegedly 32 dollars, was charged 48 dollars, and then a discount of 13 dollars was applied to our check. Not only did that charge us more compared to the listed price, but were the suggested tip amounts based on the pre-discounted total balance + taxes, which isn't the case anywhere else. Our server insisted we filled our check immediately as she wanted to leave, which was a perfect end to this "great" night. Overall, I don't think I will ever come back to this place and I don't see why anyone should. read more

It's too bad this place is so cute because it is by far the worst restaurant experience I've had in DC. Took us 40 minutes to get our water glasses filled and our drink orders in and it was only downhill from there. We did the prix fixe with bottomless fries and salad and had to ask repeatedly why it took nearly 2 hours to get any food. They of course forgot the fries and salad until our meals showed up (salad is a stretch - it was a bowl of lettuce with no dressing) and the food was entirely inedible. 3 people got the skirt steak - none of them ate it, it was all fat and gristle and I got the trout almondine and it was just gross - fishy, bony, and cold. They did try to give us a round of drinks/wine for our experience, but I'm sorry they need to close up shop and start entirely over again. read more

Alex was our server this time. The man. Great happy hour. Highly recommend. Always a great time.

Such a great spot! The food was awesome, everything tasted super fresh and well put together. Service was friendly and quick, and the whole vibe just felt really welcoming. Even the menu design was cool (small detail but it stood out). Definitely coming back! read more

I came to stop by on a stroll and decided to take a seat at the bar and was attended and checked upon with a timely manner and a captivating charisma by Jason he was very accommodating and knowledgeable about the menu and the process in how the meals were cooked and plated, we also don't drink alcohol so he was very understanding and offered us alternatives that weren't on the menu but that should be on the menu and he was attentive and a guide through our coursing as if he was the chef himself and made our night spectacular I highly recommend to ask for him read more

Antonio! Fantastic service and great environment! Will be back for sure! The food was great and the drinks were great

Our bartender Antonio was excellent when we came for happy hour. The steak was phenomenal and the drinks were superb. We will be back soon.

Antoniooooo is the best. Absolute boss. Amazing service! Never thought we would come here. But this guy makes it all worth it.

Do not come here! The manager is super shady. We had an event this weekend and he flat out lied multiple times: we were told one thing about the food menu and were given something completely different that wasn't of the quality promised such as substituting risotto for french fries. That was just one of many issues with the food. Then he lied about the bar tab total. They overcharge and are not willing to admit their wrong. Also the manager seems to have a problem speaking to females even though the hostess was a female. He only wanted to negotiate with males. It was a horrible experience and I want to save other people the trouble from also being scammed. read more