Over the years this has been a traditional family celebration spot. Not anymore. For my mother's 76 birthday we had reservations for 7:00 and a party of 5 in the main restaurant. We arrived to be told it would be a minute so we stood and waited. Other parties walked in with reservations for 7:30 and were seated immediately. HUMPH???Could it be our odd number? After ten minutes we inquired again, explaining that standing around for 10 minutes is not an option for our 76 yr old mother. Again told they were just setting up the table. After 20 minutes we were escorted to a table that was behind the coffee service station. I thought my head was going to explode but everyone else in the party said "Forget about it" Quickly they learned why I did not want to sit there. A bad seat usually means the most incompetent waitstaff in the place which it did. You don't give your best servers a bad setup. Unfortunately everything just got worse. It took 20 minutes to get our water and drink order in...another ten minutes to put in our appetizer order. And our dinner order was not taken until after our appetizers were taken away. I love a leisurely dinner but not a feeling of neglect. In our server's defense not all seemed to be her fault. She had tables that were spread out so she/we could not see each other. The servers are expected to bus their own tables AND run their own food not a good idea at a busy restaurant. The crown to top off the dinner was sitting in front of empty dirty dishes for twenty minutes. Food ...oh yeah I should be rating the food...I can't even remember if we liked it because we were so upset by the time we left. As I said, I at least will not be returning. read more

After going to Escadrille a few times, I feel comfortable... in the Greenhouse Cafe. The function of the service was fine at the Gourmet Room, but it felt a bit... forced. Foodwise, the quality felt little different from the Greenhouse Cafe to really warrant the difference beyond wanting a tableside traditional 'Caesar's Salad' rather than the anchovie-laden amalgamation that is the modern take, trying out a Chateaubriand with bearnaise, or flambe for the closet pyromaniacs. Escadrille is a 'large' restaurant with a full-function facility. Pants are required at dinner hours, but I mind that not. Despite being a 'large' restaurant, the general quality of the food is very well executed. The menu describes what the food is honestly and the quality is good. It does not do anything special to really elevate itself, but it is consistent. The prime rib I have found very tender and a good cut. The veal in madeira with lobster tail, shrimp, and artichokes also very well done. The main dishes I have had there are all done well. I just wish the sides were not so... pedestrian. They are all tourrines of simple foods with a little garnish. They need something not so much daring, but... not so bland. It seems like the side selections were made to avoid failing a test rather than trying to perform well at one. The service at the Greenhouse Cafe seems to have much more energy. The live music offered is always a nice thing unless you are sitting at that corner and trying to talk. I would not come here for a first date, but a third or later one is not bad. It's not a bad place to take your or their parents to either. The Gourmet Room might work better for that, but only if they are naturally 'the type'. Personally, stick to the Cafe. Order some oysters, French onion soup, an entree (with Gruyere instead of those other cheeses), sit back, and just talk and eat. If you're looking for something really adventurous, go somewhere else, but if you want to just have a relaxed night of well-executed "comfort foods", this is a good place. Every restaurant has its niche, and for my demographic, it might go over a lot of people's heads. For the price, the food is priced very appropriately, not overpriced for the food and service that is delivered. There is ample parking except for our first time when they had a pile of functions that spilled over, so it was actually packed on a Wednesday night (though the dining room was not). Again, stick to the Cafe. Dishes to try: PEI Oysters, Baked Brie, French Onion Soup, Prime Rib, Roast Duckling a l'Orange, Veal Catherine read more

I had the displeasure of dining at Cafe Escadrille. We took my mother there for a "special" birthday and left after the salad! I have nothing positive to say about this experience from the unfilled water glasses, to drinks that never arrived, to our dry bread, to our terrible $26 table side Caesar salad it was one of the worst dining experiences I have ever had. We chose to dine in the gourmet room but the food and service were anything but gourmet, especially based on the exorbitant prices. Our waitress, Kimberly, was terrible, she had no personality, her attitude was negative and she was completely unaccommodating. When asked if we could order certain items off the other menu she was short and said no, yet minutes later we overheard her helping another table and she made exceptions and allowed them to order off their other menu. She never even offered to tell us what the specials were for the evening. We really tried to make the experience work but when she started and stopped making our table-side Caesar salad for the FOURTH time we had enough. As she gave us our plates of terribly fishy salad with too much mustard we asked for the bill. Needless to say 20 minutes later we had to go ask the maitre d for the bill as fabulous Kimberly never even came back to the table to apologize or even bring the bill! Thank goodness my family had a sense of humor and we rallied enough to laugh about it after--down the street at Papa Razzi! read more

Sat at the bar Tuesday feb. 13, 2018. Has an enjoyable experience with a friendly, polite n courteous staff. Food was delivered in a very timely manner after being ordered. Got 3 apps- sushi, oyster slider which was delicious n crispy with a nice remoulade. Also ordered a classic Caesar salad which was very ample, fresh n great balance in the dressing. Nice atmosphere where all the bar guests seemed friendly n engaged with other patrons around them. read more

This place failed to immpress me, from the longer than predicted wait for a table (we were told about 15 minutes, and after closer to 25 my husband went to check with the hostess, ad we were brought to our table shortly) to the ridiculously inflated wine prices. We went on a busy Friday evening, sat in the dining room (not the Gourmet room or the bar which were also options) at a table for two. Our server was clearly in over his head and reminded me of the waiter in Fawlty Towers, the way he was always rushing about. The entrees include salad, and the server (let's call him Miguel!) tipped over my little gravy boat of vinaigrette, all over the salad and tablecloth, thankfully none on me. Salads were fine. Miguel was grinding non-existant peppercorns onto my salad; I observed that the grinder must be empty. He was astonished and went to retrieve another grinder. We ordered wine by the glass rather than pay the insane prices on the 'by the bottle' list. There were some good offerings by the glass; I had pinot grigio and husband had a red. Can't recall exactly which. I ordered the baked scrod with fries, hsuband ordered duck a l'orange with garlic mashed potatoes. My fish was so ordinary, fries ok, just nothing at all stood out about this meal. Husband's duck was served with some braised red cabbage, kind of an odd pairing. He said it was fine, not outstanding in any way. It just was not memorable or appealing in any way that makes me want to return. There are too many other places to explore! read more

Very disappointed in my lunch experience today. I went in and sat at the bar. I ordered a filet with rice pilaf and fot a london broil with tons of mushrooms on top!! I will not be returning. Service was average read more

Second time was certainly NOT a charm for me. And there will likely not be a third. My husband and I decided for our wedding anniversary to stay local, rather than heading into Boston and going to one of our "go to" spots - Abe & Louie's or Grille 23, or trying something new. We had eaten in Cafe Escadrille's Gourmet Room to celebrate our engagement, so we thought it was fitting to go here for our anniversary. We were first of all thrown by the fact that they don't accept reservations until after 8:30 for the Gourmet Room. This seems counter-intuitive, since you would want to make sure you fill the seats during prime dinner service and then get the stragglers from the bar later...but I digress. Either way, we took the 8:30 and showed up at 8:00, thinking we might get seated but happy to have a drink either way. We arrive at 8 and go to the hostess stand. She gave us a ton of attitude, advising us that they were very busy and we would need to come back at the actual time of our reservation to get seated. My husband advised her that we would be at the bar, but asked her to at least confirm the reservation, which she did. We head to the bar, and wait 5 minutes for a bartender to acknowledge us - which they didn't. It was busy, with all seats filled, but not too many outside of the bar along the wall - it certainly wasn't shoulder to shoulder. A couple got up and we took their seats. Then we proceeded to sit down with their food and drink remnants for another five minutes until we were finally acknowledged by the bartender. (Maybe hire a busser or barback for a Saturday night?)Kudos to him for cleaning the mess up quickly and making two excellent drinks for us; things seemed to be looking up. Fast forward 20 minutes or so, we arrive back at the host station (having settled up our tab given that we had a reservation) and let them know we were back for our reservation. The hostess appeared to have no recollection that she had already spoken to us, but stated that someone would be with us shortly to seat us. We proceed to wait almost 20 minutes to be seated. By now, there is essentially no one waiting in the doorway except for us, and it appears that the hostesses aren't making much of an effort to determine why we aren't being helped. My husband asked what the delay was about 10 minutes in, and the hostess responded that there was a specific person who was to seat us. I then asked to see a menu, given that by now I am very hungry and we have a baby at home with a sitter and the night is getting later and later. The hostess advised me that they only have 1 menu at the host stand and someone else was perusing it. It was about this time that we called around to see if we could get seated nearby faster...but we were still about 40 minutes out from a table at the other nice restaurant nearby. So we waited. Now, 20 minutes late, we are finally seated. Mind you, not by the mythical host who we kept waiting for, but by one of the hostesses who kept telling us they couldn't seat us. We sit down, and wait some more, finally getting to see the menu and the wine list around 9:10. 40 minutes into our "reservation", still nothing ordered. Our server is pleasant if seemingly harried; the room is completely understaffed. We surmise that the host must be the one running(!) back and forth through the dining room, and stopping at everyone else's table. (Not only did he not seat us, he never spoke to us, nor apologize for seating us late.) We actually never received an apology from anyone at the restaurant for being seated late. The food and wine prove to be excellent, if the tableside presentation was a bit fumbled by the lack of appropriate condiments, utensils, etc. - the server did his best with what appeared to be no help from either the kitchen or a back server (didn't see one of those all night). Our table was missing bread plates and napkins, and no one ever even refilled our water. (Again, busser, back server, anyone?) And our first bit of food (which was the tableside salad, not even bread) came at 9:30 - 1 hour after our reservation. However, the dinner from start (original time of reservation) to finish took 2.5 hours - utterly ridiculous for a couple who was ready to order within 5 minutes of sitting down. The room was so understaffed, and with the number of tableside presentations that were being done, there was no time for any of the three servers to check in between courses, tidy up dishes, etc. I commend our server for his efforts, were for it now for him, we definitely would have walked out prior to eating our salads. I think he was put in a difficult position by management, who should have been the ones at our table apologizing. read more

I LOVE this place...been coming here for YEARS. The bartenders are the best, GREAT apps....but $26 for (Chicken Picatta) 4 SMALL pieces of chicken is outrageous. Plus...Portions have been downgraded BIG TIME. read more

This place is such a cougar den. However, I came for mambo and mojito night and had an absolute blast. The bartenders were perfect. They made up delicious mojitos with fresh fruit extremely fast, all while being devoured by cougars. I do not mambo but the mambo instructor made me wish I did! Everyone, young and old, seemed to be having a blast. We then retired to the actual restaurant where we drank some wine, ate some delicious lobster macaroni and stuffed mushrooms, and gossiped with some cougars about men and Cache fashion tips. The waitress was awesome and the food was perfect. Certainly above my price range, however, worth it for a special treat! read more

2-stars because this place should be so much better. Food: The food was ok, scallops wrapped in bacon were average, coconut shrimp was average, the Filet Mignon had no spices on it whatsoever and left me feeling ill (and I'm a red meat kinda guy). Drinks were more expensive than average, and draft beer was served in a smaller than pint glass. Service: When asking for my girlfriends meal to be wrapped up at the end of the evening we were told "I'm not allowed to do that." and the plate was taken away. I find that unacceptable for a restaurant that charges so much. read more

This place is past it's prime. This was my father's favorite restaurant for business customers 20 years ago - and I think those waitresses are still working today. I regularly lunch here for business - and granted there are a lot of blue hairs - the food is pretty good, and the service generally efficient. It's one of the few places in Burlington that takes lunch reservations. We went for dinner last week and it was terrible. We seriously felt like we were on an episode of the Sopranos. Atmosphere VERY loud, live music that sounded like an animal waiting to be put out of misery. Our waitress was surly, service was slow (and it was not very busy - on the later side after the dinner rush). We were seated almost 15 minutes before even being greeted, and then someone (not our waitress) dumped stale bread on our table and when we asked her for water she rolled her eyes (but did comply - so we appreciated that). We still had not been greeted at this point and my husband wanted to walk out - I was too hungry to leave. My husband had swordfish which was, in fact, excellent. I had the surf and turf - shrimp was chewy and flavorless - like it'd been sitting and overcooked. Came with a clams casino which was inedible (rubber). Dinner was $150 for 2 for entrees, 2 glasses of wine, and one shared dessert. Food was ok, but the service was really, really bad - almost like she got stuck with us when she was about to be cut from the floor (and I waited tables for years - I get it - but an average dinner here is a $30 tip - probably worth another hour of your time). With so many new restaurants to enjoy in Burlington, hungry for business, we will not be back. read more

Have been coming here for 15 years.. so consistent.. had another awesome meal there last night. Kerry the Mgr is the best

Have been coming here for years and like to sit at the bar. The inmates are running the asylum at the bar Lately. Owner needs to send a few of them to customer service school. Be nice and don't ignore (eye contact is key)cause there are options for us to spend our money! read more

Old men and their old wives eating old man food. Expensive for the style and quality and the burb location.

Overall very disappointing but at the same time expensive meal. While the bacon and blue appetizer was delicious, the entrees were flavorless. Service was slow and the waitress was at times rude. Interesting atmosphere, has a 70s feel. read more

Same overpriced food, same people at the bar oogling everyone that comes on. Good Cougar hang-out! Clicky place that is past it's prime.

There is a new group of "foodies" dedicated to sampling various lunch venues. I have volunteered to publish some reviews on the offerings so look back often. (disclaimer - the views are my own and in no way reflect a consensus.) Escadrille gets points for ambiance, speedy enough service (we were a group of 12), and attractive presentation of dishes. We ordered the spectrum of salad to liver. IMHO our server could have used a spritzer of personality, but hey, maybe she was up late watching MNF. Knowing the place is kinda fancy, you should expect it to be kinda pricey lunch- all in all I declare I am a fan. read more

Dinner was really good! The renovations are beautiful and the menu is extensive with moderate prices. Really like the atmosphere of the dining area. read more

I am a little late with my review. Myself, hubby, parents, and grandfather dined here for Fathers Day. It was my 2nd time here, & my parents are regulars. I had a filet with Scallops with salad, and mashed. It was absolutely delish!! My grandfather who is 93 yrs old & very picky about his food, had haddock and loved it. Both times I have eaten here I loved the food. Our waitress was great also. read more

Ok.. well went here last night.. haven't been in a couple years so decided to try it out again. "Mehh" is really all I have to say about Cafe Escadrille. It's "ok". Way over priced for what it is. I eat out probably twice a week so I'd like to think i'm somewhat a good judge on whats good out there and being a big fan of fine food as well is a plus. The Tuna sashimi for an app was pretty good.. meaning it was fresh so really couldnt f that up. Cesar salad... ehh ok, nuthing crazy. The Salmon I had was good. Thats about it... it was grilled salmon with dill sauce on the side... I make that at home and it has more flavor I think. The bottle of wine was over priced but hey thats what you get when you order bottles at a restaurant. Desert was again... ok. Fruit in Grand Marnier.. nothing to crazy but again "ok". Ate in the cafe.. it was nice but for $160 not including tip... definitly was not worth it. (the bottle was I think $55). I think for that sort of money for two people in Burlington is a little over the top.. and I really dont mind paying however much it is for a great meal... this just isn't worth that. The management is obviously paying for the beautiful building and decor..... you aren't paying for top notch meals. Just my two cents. -g read more

i'm basing this solely on the one thing that stood out to me. their crabs benidict. oooh the memories. i wonder if they still have it there? they used big chunks of real crab meat, eggs fried just enough so the yolk oozes out when you break it and all on top of an english muffin. i need to go back to this place. went there a few times in the past with a buddy of mine. he was a secret shopper so i got to eat for free. that helps on the 5 star rating. it's more of an upscale restaurant. the prices reflect that too. so does their exotic car parking lot. long live the crabs benedict! read more

Worst experience I've had in a long time. Both myself and my husband were ill after our meal. They charge way too much for such low quality food. They only give one refill on drinks, which are in tall thin glasses. I would not recommend this restaurant and would pick mcdonalds before going back. read more

Do not recommend. Paid $100 bill for a $72 tab and got $18 back "by accident" at the bar. Yeah, I'm not that stupid and you used a cash register. I'll go somewhere else next time. read more

We went here with a group for my mother in laws birthday. The bill was split and tips paid accordingly (20% on each one) the waitress came back over after the bill was paid questioning her tip and asking if there was a problem. The situation was extremely embarrassing especially since the service and food were average at best. We will not be returning. read more

I went here for a family members birthday a while back. Pricey but the atmosphere was beautiful and I really enjoyed the chicken picatta. Portions were small but probably what you're supposed to eat. lol I do like when you can eat half though and have half to take home for tomorrows lunch! Especially when you're paying that much. Like I said , this was a couple of years ago, will definitely give them another try! read more

We went for a celebratory dinner. The margarita was just OK. The bread bowl was crackers and bland bread. The stuffed mushrooms were supposed to have crab but they were mostly bread and cheese. The salad with beets and goat cheese was delicious. I would order that again. My main dish - stuffed ravioli was strangely seasoned with too much amaretto. And there was no presentation it did not look appetizing. read more

The evening begins with a 40 minutes wait for a table, despite the reservation. Why bother to make reservations, if you are going to have to wait longer than you would have to in most places without one? This is NOT a fine dining experience. They may have washcloths in the restrooms, but that's all. In fact, the restroom is, probably the cleanest, and nicest looking area in the whole joint. Even the tablecloths are unironed and look like they are being reused between guests. The wait stuff is unfriendly and slow. They would try to take my order while running by on the opposite side of the table, so that I'd have to yell for them to hear. I spoke in my normal voice, and she put her hands on the table, bent over to me, and literally yelled at my face: "SPEAK UP!". I don't think so. After the 40 minute wait for a table, if took the waiter another 25 to get my beer, and then she just turned around and left before we could tell here we were ready with the order ... and did not come back for another 15 minutes. The hotdog on kids menu costs $11. This is the single most expensive frankfurter I have ever seen. Now, I realize, they try to pretend they are "fine dining" and everything, and you are not supposed to complain about prices ... But a frankfurter is a frankfurter, there is nothing "fine" about it, and the service I have already described - not exactly pampering either. Places like Bertuccis etc., know to bring water to the tables, even without being asked. These guys could not be bothered ... I had asked twice, but never got a glass. The food is ... mediocre at best. The house salad had some cucumber wedges and a plum tomato that had started to rot in it. The lamb was dry and bland. The duck was dry, bland and overcooked. The sauce was unimaginative, the garnish (like a bunch of carrot puree on a slice of a tomato) looked plain yuky. I would trade any of their overpriced dishes for a one from Outback, or even "99" - it would taste way better, and save a small fortune too. read more

In a word: terrible. This place is not nearly as upscale as its prices or attitude would have you think. The first disappointment my party encountered was the issue of The Cake. We had hoped to surprise my aunt with a nice birthday cake from a local bakery and to actually eat it in the restaurant (as is allowed in many other establishments). However, in lieu of bringing your own cake, Cafe Escadrille prefers that you purchase their $25 "Celebration Cake," as the surly hostess explained to us. We were offered the rather comical option of presenting the cake (lighting the candles, singing happy birthday) and then immediately boxing it up. We opted to just bring it inside with us just so it didn't melt in the car. To add insult to injury, on the way to the table my father, charged with carrying the cumbersome box o' cake, was accosted by two additional employees who were alarmed about our contraband dessert ("Sir, sir, the ca-!" "We know!"). At the end of the meal, The Cake, now sadly sitting under the table at my mother's feet, was brought up again by our waitress, who jested about us perhaps having a cake at home and forgoing their dessert, signaling that we were being heavily gossiped about among the staff. As one would expect, the food was mediocre. The salad consisted of browning iceberg lettuce, one slice of cucumber and one measly cherry tomato. The dressing wasn't much to write home about either. Along with the overcooked steak, the unidentifiable cubed side vegetable in white sauce on my plate, and spotty service, it's safe to say that none of us will be back to Cafe Escadrille. Ever. read more

EXCELLENT FOOD, EXCELLENT SERVICE We eat out frequently but nothing is quite like the Café Escadrille's Gourmet Room. Their chateaubriand, which is hard to find on restaurant menus, is our favorite. It is absolutely "melt in your mouth" delicious. Our salads were perfect and our friends ordered steak and fish and they both enjoyed their meals. We finished up with baked Alaska...yum. Also my margarita(s)were delish. To compliment the great food was the wonderful service we received from Victor who was quite charming. We'll be back soon. read more

Always a pleasure eating here. Great food and great atmosphere. The filet mignon is one of the best I've had. The ice cream puff is to die for read more

I'm a big fan. Bartenders are friendly, the waitress had a smile and told us some of her favorites off the menu. The place is expensive but the food quality is good. read more

hmmmm 3 stars??? lunch recently....this is a big place with a bar area, a dining area, several meeting rooms, a fireplaced lounge and apparently even more space downstairs....we ate in the bar area next to a large open window which was very nice, not much of a view but still nice, and it was a beautiful day so the breeze was an added, drinks were good (not big) and as ordered, ri calamari was excellent, wife had the tropical fruit salad with swordfish which was excellent, i had the burger which was good but a bit over cooked, but all in all we enjoyed the food, service was pleasant and attentive, this is a beautiful place, judging by the reviews perhaps not a great place during crowded periods, but on a sort of quiet afternoon, very nice!! read more

The food was great! Our server was not so great, but then we realized why! She was being trailed by a newbie, she had several tables, one of which was a very large group! She was stressed! After the group left, her attitude greatly improved! read more

We went to Cafe Escadrille for a date night on a Saturday. It was very easy to get reservation, which was my first hint to the quality and taste of the food. When we get there, we were seated quickly. There were a lot of available tables which was not a good sign either. Place looked tired and old fashioned. From paintings on the walls to the color palette, chairs, etc. everything looked from 80s. Waiter came for drinks and we said we would like to order the food as well as we wanted to make it to movies in 2 hours. He said he cannot take orders at that time, I asked for why and he repeated "why? I have 5 tables ahead of you and I cannot take it right now" I found this very rude and not up to the standard of a good, reputable restaurant. After back and forth, we were able to give the order. We got fried calamari, chicken masala, and seafood pasta. Calamari was soggy, and the sauce was uninspired, sub-par. Seafood pasta was little pasta and lots of seafood but seafood was not chopped or integrated into the pasta. It was like I asked my son to cook the food and he mixed things up. There was no balance. Chicken Masala was sub-par as well. Desert was not any good either, it was way too sweet and over-powering. I will never come back to Cafe Escadrille again, it is definitely not worth half of what we paid. They should update the decor, and menu. Better yet, get a decent chef. I would not recommend Cafe Escadrille for any occasion. Stay away. read more

I wanted to redo my old review because I have been back here two or three times since then. I actually had my last big meal here before I went on my new diet! I got the prime rib and it was unbelievably good! The meat was just perfect texture and taste. It was so good I can't even remember what I got for a salad and side dish! LOL Of course the Thanksgiving meal I had a few years ago was the best I have ever had in any restaurant. The group I was with all agreed that the Cafe Escadrille is one of the best around! read more

Service was great. Ambiance was decent, but the band was abysmal. Based on the price I would expect much more from the food. Had the NY strip, Scallops, Shrimp cocktail, and brie. Meh... read more

We hosted a small baby shower for my sister last weekend (about 25 people) in the function room in the lower level. The only way I can describe it is PERFECTION. The food was amazing, everyone raved about it. They were able to accommodate guests with allergies and children with no problem. The service was also outstanding! The chocolate-chip cannoli cake was delicious. The event coordinator ask us to send pictures of some ideas of what we would like for the cake and pastry chef to review and she did an amazing job replicating it (even better than the picture we sent). I would highly recommend Cafe Escadrille for hosting an event. Their event coordinators are very friendly, professional and made the party planning on our end seem effortless. read more

We came here for a luncheon after a funeral. It was a catered affair in one of the function rooms. The food was good and fresh. The staff were very nice. read more

This is a great suburban restaurant, a nice place to get a delicious continental meal. Nice atmosphere, good wine selection, and great menu, and priced right for the dining experience. Great place for couples or for a family special occasion- good seafood and steak! read more

I'm not a prolific writer so I'll keep this simple. 1) unaware of Gourmet Room mentioned in other reviews 2) reservation requested and denied for 6:30 - arrived early at 6:30 and numerous tables available 3) generally slow service throughout the meal 4) no bread served until requested 5) no bread plates until requested 6) EXCELLENT prime rim but VERY expensive 7) special dessert of pudding with Jameson sauce - all of our party of five tried the dessert and found it dry and tasteless - told server who had manager/hostess come to the table and hear our complaints - didn't finish $9:00 plate that was on our final bill 8) on exit told same manager/hostess of general dissapointment including charge for dessert - told it could be removed from already paid bill - I told her that it should never have been included and declined reimbursement 9) coffee cold 10) will look for prime rib elsewhere read more