Cute French place with excellent outdoor seating. Everything in the menu is great, though beer selection is a bit lacking. Excellent lunch spot. read more

The ambiance outside was nice on a sunny, spring day. The scallops were quite good, but beware of the braised beef if you aren't up for very hot & spicy. Wish we'd be warned on that one, as the spice overpowered the other flavors. Friendly & attentive staff. read more

This restaurant is great! The food is wonderful, the staff is polite and helpful and the portions are generous. The only reasons I did not give all 5 stars are that this place is a little pricey and due to the small size of the building getting around can be tricky. I ordered the steak frites with a sparkling rosé and my boyfriend had the special (lamb shoulder). Both of our meals were amazing and we left full thanks to the awesome portions. We will be going back read more

Had a truly wonderful meal here - like most good French restaurants they do a great job with their sauces

Amazing food and atmosphere (we sat outside). The wine selection was great and the cheese plate was superb. I loved the bouillabaise! Waitstaff was attentive, despite the full patio. read more

Bonnie above must have a palette very sensitive to herbs and sugar, because I LOVE this place. I especially love their crabcake dish. Not only is the food consistenly excellent, its a very cozy atmosphere, I love that they serve escargots, and the staff are always friendly. Once our waiter recommended an excellent wine from Alsace, and another time I was served a slice of delicious home-made strawberry rhubarb pie - for free! There was one time when there was a mix-up, and we were promised a specific table and then they had to give it to someone who had a reservation (who they had forgotten about). I'm not usually very forgiving with restaurants, but I forgave this transgression because the other nine times (more or less) I've been, everything (service, food, atmosphere) was above and beyond for the price. read more

My fiancé and I went here during Restaurant Week. He got the mussels appetizer, hanger steak for the main course, and the profiterole dessert. I got the arugula salad, crab cake, and blanc mange. First, the good stuff: the food was all quite good--the hanger steak was a bit chewy, but tasty. Crab cake was nice and meaty, and I loved the sauce that came with it. The blanc mange was a perfect level of sweetness to complement the tartness of the fresh berries that came with it and the herbaceous quality of the mint syrup that was drizzled over it. Yum! The food came out in a reasonable amount of time and was well-paced. Now, the not-so-good stuff: the service was terrible. The hostess seated us and dropped off our menus with nothing more than a terse "welcome." Our waiter never even told us his name! He took our orders (again, saying nothing more than was absolutely necessary) and disappeared. I think he refilled my water glass once, but he never asked if my fiance wanted a second beer when he finished his first (part-way through the main course). Runners brought our food, so we didn't see the waiter then. No one ever stopped to ask how the food was (not once in THREE courses!). It was quite ridiculous. We sat outside on the patio at a bar table. Before our food even arrived, we were very grateful that we were at a pretty high up table. Why? We saw at least a half dozen rats run across the patio, right under our feet, over the course of our meal. I felt bad for the regular tables next to us who had to keep lifting their feet to avoid the rats! It was seriously off-putting. I know we're outside, so there's a limit to what the restaurant can do, but that REALLY ruined the atmosphere. It would be better to not utilize the patio at all than to get a reputation for having rats running around! read more

A real gem on the pedestrian mall a very nice lunch good wine, mussels and even steak tartare. A beautiful day in c'ville

There is no photo yet of the lamb ragout, but it was delicious and looks much more interesting than the prior lamb meatballs. Yes, inside eating is very cramped but two of us ate at the bar and watched how carefully the staff maneuvered in very tight space. Service attention was non-stop. Great choice for a special occasion. read more

Lovely spot in the historical pedestrian mall. We came for appies and a beer. Thrilled they offered devil's backbone and the pei mussels are fabulous. Excellent service too. We'll return another day when we're hungrier. read more

Petit Pois' food is excellent! Yes, quarters are tight, but it does have a wonderful feel. Informal but no scrimping on high quality ingredients and excellent value for what you get. The Polyface Farms organic chicken mousse was exquisite! There was an intimate, friendly feel when a friend and I ate there recently. Service was great despite a jam-packed room and the feel and food was terrific! read more

nice little gem in downtown Charlottesville. Gets crowded fast but I could see why. My husband said they were the best mussels he has ever had! I had a great small salad. I thought I was getting carpaccio when I ordered the tar tar...it was good just not my thing. We would go back if we were in the area~ Very friendly and attentive~ read more

Ridiculously overpriced. I got the gnocci. it was cold and soupy. really really unfortunate and waste of money.

This restaurant was disappointing. Everything we had (snails, cassoulet, trout) hadn't been prepared with enough care: undercooked, not stewed enough, lack of attention to the seasoning... The ambience was nice but the service minimal and the price too high for that kind of quality. read more

We have been to Petit Pois many times and had more positive experiences. This time, while the food was fine, we were surprised at how expensive any glass of wine was - $11 minimum. Maybe that is the going rate now. The service was awkward, although they were pleasant. The food prices may also be misleading since you would need to order a side (additional $5) if you want vegetables with your meal. read more

Came here twice for a dinner and a brunch. Lobster bisque was impressive, but other dishes were not. Salmon was very undercooked. And they brought food very slowly. Not gonna come back. read more

Okay.. the five stars here go to the excellent service. I went to the Tom Tom Restaurant Week, the restaurant was packed and I didn't have a reservation. Our server, Cloe, was so attentive and helpful towards my husband and friends. She was knowledgeable about wines and efficient. The steak was good, a bit overcooked but they clearly were very busy, so Ill give them the benefit of the doubt. The wine list is impressive, and Id recommend going on a less busy evening. read more

Petit Pois is always my first choice for lunch with friends or dinner with my husband. I love everything about this restaurant. Its location is perfect - charmingly tucked behind the big Central Place fountain making it a wonderful location to enjoy a meal on a pretty day. The small interior space is intimate and elegant, and very French bistro, and the food is always divine and imaginative. read more

Just had a terrible brunch here- undercooked, bland and parts inedible. Add to that indifferent service. Only saving grace was the beautiful shade and nice breeze. read more

$12 for 2 courses at lunch and beautifully prepared trout. Awesome!

We had a wonderful meal here. The bourride (shellfish stew) was terrific. My nephews loved the hanger steak, and my sister-in-law said the trout was excellent. The place is a little small so next time I would ask to reserve a table with the banquet seats. The service was good, but it became crowded quickly so the wait staff was a little less attentive towards the end of our meal. I would definitely eat here again! read more

Having grown up in Montreal Quebec, I am a big fan of french cuisine. Needless to say I have eaten there on several occasions and have experienced excellent dishes and fine service. Will return again and bring guests to enjoy the food which is prepared with great care. Also appreciate the fact that the menu is limited so my decision was easy and my favorites so far are the french onion soup and the trout. I'm a vegetarian so I haven't been in a position to rate the meat. Bon appetit mes amis :) read more

The food was good, but not great. Our total meal (water, 2 entrees and dessert) was about $80. DEFINITELY not worth the price in my opinion when you have other French restaurants in the Charlottesville/Richmond area that are worlds better. The service needed improvement and wasn't especially attentive to our table. Speaking of the tables - you are seated extremely close to other patrons in the restaurant. If you "luck out" and get seated beside very loud-talking patrons you will NOT be able to carry on a conversation with your table. Definitely not the restaurant to visit for a romantic date (we made this mistake - don't be like us!). read more

I went to Paris for the first time last year and Petis Pois could be pulled right out of it. I think the food is great- it has a nice European feel. I've been back several times. Get the duck Confit! read more

My husband and I were disappointed in the quality and quantity of the food here. He ordered "beet risotto with scallops". When the dish came, there was 1 scallop that was sliced into 2 pieces and there were no beets in the risotto....just beet juice. My shrimp dish had 3 small pieces of shrimp and black-eyed peas. To top everything off, I was charged $3.75 for a glass of plain seltzer water with lemon. When I asked the waitress about it, she said that is what they normally charge. I have never had this happen at any restaurant. Not going back.................. read more

Perfect spot for patio dining on the downtown mall....shady and set back from pedestrian walkway. Quieter and more subdued than most of the other options. Crab cake with creamed corn, sautéed spinach and roasted tomato is delish. Desserts are large enough for sharing and quite decadent, particularly profiteroles with ice cream and warm fudge sauce. Service tends to be a bit disorganized and slow, but if time is not an issue, rates a 5 star for me. read more

Best Sunday Brunch in town! Even the kids beg to go to Petit Pois! The staff is very friendly and accommodating. Everything is Devine. The Brioche is a favorite. We love to sit out on the patio. Best seat on the mall. read more

I'm giving this restaurant a low rating because of the horrible service we received. I called to make a reservation and was asked if this was a special occasion. I said yes, it was our 10th anniversary. I was asked if there were food allergy issues--no, there weren't. All good. We arrived at 5:45 on 10/30/16, a little early and were the first ones inside the restaurant. We were seated in the worst seat in the place by the host/waiter, a Mr. H. Calder. His attitude was pretty poor from the start, as in he seemed TOTALLY uninterested in serving. He brought bottled water, and spilled it on my husband. Did not apologize. He told us that there were 3 main dishes that were unavailable, scallops being one of the dishes. That's fine. but when another dish was ordered that was supposed to have scallops in it, it had none, yet we were still charged full price for it. A beer was ordered, and we asked to have it brought with the main dish. He brought it with the appetizers first, and we told him, again, to please bring it with the main dish. He then brought the beer when we were almost done with the main course. We told him that we didn't want it. Mind you, there was NO ONE inside, and not too many people at the few outside tables that were there. We will not be returning. This was our second time, and I believe this restaurant has fallen both in quality and service. The food was okay, but not worth a third time. read more

Restaurant Week Menu review: We ate the three course dinner for restaurant week. Petit Pois was in the $19 tier and offered a pretty versatile and creative menu that I was really looking forward to. While the tables were quite squashed together it worked in that intimate french cafe feel. Service was friendly and prompt and the overall atmosphere was enjoyable. However I was really disappointed with the overall meal most of which was incredibly salty. First course was the goat cheese and beet tartlet which was pleasant but salty. Second course was the butternut squash risotto which actually pretty delicious and a very small burger that came with an overwhelming and salty heap of sautéed onions on top and cold frites. Deserts were a hazelnut chocolate mousse and vanilla ice cream profiterole, both of which were good. So overall three stars. I'm glad we tried the restaurant week menu and I appreciate a creative menu in the lower price tier but with so many other excellent restaurants in Charlottesville, I was not inspired to come back on a regular week. read more