I'm caught between a 3 and a 4 on this but will err on the side of generosity done as a small cafe it has a nice if slightly cluttered feel. and while the house specialty is stuffed crepes, they do have other French dishes. we found the food was good and the service fairly quick. The BYOB is a bit of a bother but all too common in PA and at least you can bring something you know you'll like. what was less good for the evening was a) the environment. I don't know if the a/c was broken but it was somewhat stuffy in there. not bad most of the year but when it 88+ degrees outside this started to get a bit much. the other issue were two very loud women talking at levels to obliterate any other conversation in the place-lady if you're reading this, no one cares if you're 65. They paid their bill and we thought they'd move off but they stayed talking and drinking loudly for more than half an hour with no attempt made to move them on even though the staff knew they were causing problems for everyone else there. it was the inaction more than anything that bothered me. Overall a good time and we'd go back, but just in case we'll wait until it's a bit cooler. read more

The good: atmosphere, decor, and service. Food: pretty okay. Value: ok-ish. The bad: the tables being so close together is cute (definitely helps the French bistro vibe) but means you're at the mercy of other diners' hygiene and conversation topics. Cute little bistro with warm atmosphere: loved the 19th c posters, and the brick interior wall made to look like the exterior of a French building with balconies. Small tables quite close together is a good way to maximize the tight space, makes the place lively, & helps sell the "French" experience, but also means that if a diner at the next table wears heavy perfume or (unfortunately in our case) has B.O., that will be part of your meal for as long as they are there. (And despite what people may say that was never an issue I had in France. Smoke yes, B.O. no.) The food was good but not exceptional, and the entrées feel a bit overpriced for the portions and quality. Surprisingly mediocre bread. The French classics are done better than you would get elsewhere (ie, French onion soup was very good--and actually a hefty size), but the more crossover dishes (steak & frites, salads) are better other places. To be fair though, I'm thinking of fine dining places (William Penn Inn, Bridget's) and they are even more expensive than Planchette. Also if you're going to a French bistro you should probably order uniquely French food. I bet the Coq Au Vin would have been great. I did not order that because I'm vegan, and the menu says they can accommodate vegan diners, which is why I chose this place for our anniversary. I was excited because French places are generally not at all vegan friendly. Unfortunately "accommodate" turned out to mean "we can give you a salad with quinoa and no cheese" and that's about it. I had that & a side of spinach, and also shared a side of haricot verts with my dining partner. I would not consider that an especially good meal. And the salad was just ok. The service, however, was very prompt & attentive, especially given how busy it was. Still, it's a place I'm glad we checked out (we live a few blocks away and I want to make sure we try all the local places) but not one I feel a need to return to. read more

Food was good, service was solid. The place has potential but is lacking ambiance. It's also BYOB. The dessert tray was about 2 weeks old. We passed... read more

There are no words to describe what an experience this was; yet, I will attempt to do so anyway. The first thing that should've been a sign to leave was the sheer amount of Eiffel Tower commodities plastered all over the restaurant. The second thing happened a few minutes after being seated. We sat down in our uneven chairs, at our uneven table, when we were suddenly overwhelmed by a pungent smell. We look to our left and see that the table next to us had ordered what seemed to be a salt-baked fish. I cannot describe this smell faithfully, I can only ask you to imagine the oldest, almost completely rotted seafood odor you've ever smelled. It was 100x worse. I honestly don't know if our neighbors next to our table even survived after eating... there's truly no way to tell. At this point we had received our food. My poor mother ordered Steak frites. What arrived was the flesh of a corpse of road-kill, probably a poor unassuming deer hit by oncoming traffic. My father ordered Coq au Vin, which ended up being bare chicken on a plate with no trace of red wine whatsoever. Genuinely why does this restaurant have such success when they serve old/nearly rotted food; one can only wonder... read more

Claudio was a excellent waiter. The menu is good and the specials are great. My fiends had the crepes with duck and seafood. I had the Dover sole. The appetizer was fried calamari and we had dessert chocolate tort and red velvet cake. We arrived around 6:30 on a Tuesday night. Only ones in the restaurant. Others came a little later. We enjoyed the quiet while we ate. It's BYOB. We had an ice bucket for the champagne I will be back read more

I have been to Planchette many times because of consistently good food and attentive service. They always have many fresh fish and other specials in addition to menu items. It's a gem to have such a good cozy restaurant in Ambler. We love it. read more

Walked in with a reservation for 730 for two seated right away at the window seat, which was lovely. The specials list was extensive and amazing. I ordered the appetizer octopus grilled off of it so tender. I also had a crêpe with a salmon which was so yummy. My husband got the fillet special which he said was the best he ever had. Honestly, I thought the bill was gonna be much higher than it was for the two of us with appetizers dinner Dessert and espresso, but 120 for that was amazing & BYOB, which is great and ambler such a sweet little town love it highly recommend read more

Cozy French bistro in Ambler. Friendly service and tasty French cuisine. We were expecting pomme frites but got French fries instead (thicker and not salty), but our main courses were delicious. We were served an incorrect dessert but it was still yummy. Pricey but delicious. read more

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Wonderful food and service! The Bronzino and Dover sole filleted tableside are the best I have ever had. Great neighborhood BYOB! I highly recommend it. read more

My wife and I had lunch here today and what a surprise. The place was empty so service was great. The grilled chicken sandwich with spinach and pesto was very tasty. The fries were amazing. They are freshly made on order and taste nothing like the frozen crap fast food offers. My wife had the classic hamburger and she was impressed as to the taste as well. read more

A memorable Mother's Day Dinner: Rude, overpriced and mediocre. A Mother's Day - we made reservation they took it for 7:30p arrived few minutes late. I was not greeted, seated at worst table and server gave me exasperated look. While awaiting for my party to park asked for the menu to start appetizers, the server stated "I told you to be here at 7:30, it is 7:47pm"and refused to give me a menu. My party arrived and finally gave us a menu. I should have left and gave the server my peace of mind but it is Mother's Day despite feeling disrespected and treated so badly at the start. We stayed. Tried to order appetizer and same server informed me "I need ALL the orders now". I then pressured my family to choose their meal while server was looking annoyed at us. My husband asked to move to a different table and the server changed his attitude and said he will take the order after we move to a better table. The rest of the meal was okay at best. They messed up the order had to wait for bouillabaisse after everyone had their meal served because the server was annoyed and in a rush. Considering each entree was ranged from $45-$55 I expected better from the food but even more from their attitude. After the server acknowledge missing my order he offered dessert in compensation which we appreciated. However, when the bill came they charged us for all the dessert and had to clarify his offer and said he can only remove 1 dessert. Overall the most horrible experience I had as a customer in a restaurant that touts gourmet with okay food. The best thing on the menu was the calamari, grilled octopus and the fries they were superior to their overpriced entree. As for the server and his rudeness it is inexcusable but I forgive you, you may have family that was waiting for you hence your rush to close and want to go home on Mothers Day but you made mine memorable. The food may have been more palatable if it weren't for this interaction. If you want French food in Ambler we highly recommend La Provence with better food, ambience and professionalism from all the staff, unfortunately they are closed on Sundays. read more

the food is OK...the portions are laughable. Started with the fried calamari - which was OK. They mix the calamari with fried hot peppers so you don't get much actual calamari. Not sure how spicy peppers are French but OK...Proportion is more like tapas than an appetizer. For $14, it wasn't close to worth getting. Then the entrees came...for $32 the Steak Frites were a small cup of fries and 8 small pieces of mediocre steak. It was probably 4 ounces after it was cooked. after I got it, I moved the fry cup to see if the rest of the meal was blocked by my view/behind the fries and it wasn't. My kids got the kids meal chicken tenders which had about 3x the meat and the same fries...I should have gotten that. I'm all about restaurants making their margin hut they probably had $1 worth of potatos and $3 worth of steak on the plate. It was so small that I had to go somewhere else and eat a second dinner... My wife and her friend got the seafood crepe and the salmon crepe and split it. they said the salmon one was so bad they couldn't eat it and the seafood one was ok. Service was adequate, ambiance was whatever, we are outside. If you want to massively overpay for small portions of OK food, go here. read more

We met our parents at this spot in Ambler on a Saturday night. We were quite surprised that we couldn't get a 5:30 reservation the day of so we settled for 5pm. Planchette is BYOB and seems to specialize in crepes. We started off with some wonderful grilled octopus and grilled calamari. This is not your usual fried calamari (much much better). For my main course I had a mushroom and duck crepe and my spouse enjoyed the smoked salmon crepe. Both were a bit heavy on the sauce and not the largest portion for a $20+ meal but were very tasty and left room for dessert. For dessert, they come around with the dessert platter so you can't resist! I had a delicious carrot cake slice while my spouse had the banana Nutella crepe. Both were highlights of the evening. The staff was friendly and had great recommendations. They did usher us out around 6:30 for the next reservation, but that's understandable. read more

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There is a saying in France "En faire tout un fromage" which has something to do with cheese and nothing to do with this review of a great little restaurant in Ambler. Well, other than making a big deal of a great night out. The food was wonderful. Planchette has a great menu and there were plenty of specials to choose from. The setting- or la mode (mood) of Planchette is small, crowded (filled to capacity on this Saturday) a bit loud, just a touch over lit and well perfectly perfect. The service was also in the style of European dining- relaxed. Being at a table of ten on a busy Saturday I would not expect anything else. DO NOT forget your wine it's BYOB. Planchette -please don't ever change, it was our first time there and we will be back. The accordion player was a nice touch to balance the atmosphere. read more

Loud, crowded, overpriced, service was mediocre. Crepe was not good, very dry. My friend liked her fish.

This is a special spot and we enjoyed quite a dinner tonight. Lobster bisque was exceptional. Loved my arugula salad which was perfectly dressed. My husband enjoyed his filet and I loved my grilled calamari. Excellent service. We will be back! read more

Disappointed. Crepes had an odd after taste. Will not go back. A bit pricey. Quality is not there. Obviously not a professional chef in kitchen. read more

Had: Escargots de Bourbogne Delectable. La Mer A good variety of seafood. Mornay sauce was yummy. La Viande Not gamey. Very delicate. Both crepes, I was quite surprised that they were both crisp. Texture wise. Give them an A+ read more

Planchette - La Viande - French Near Me - Ambler, Pennsylvania

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This was by far the best piece of meat that I have ever ate. It was cooked perfectly and melted in my mouth. Came here in first Friday in Ambler and it was amazing. I'm would recommend this place to other people. read more

Planchette - The special for the night: filet mignon. - French Near Me - Ambler, Pennsylvania

I made a reservation on OpenTable for Saturday night which we showed up for on time and they acknowledged. We did not have an enjoyable meal. My main course was Braised Short Rib which was inedible and the meat actually tasted spoiled. I told the server and he did take it off the bill. We left knowing we would not be going back and that was that. I then received an email from Open Table that the restaurant canceled our reservation after we left the restaurant, like we were a no show. I think they did this so that I could not leave a bad review. I find this dishonest of the restaurant because we, as well as others, rely on reviews. Zero stars for the food and zero stars for taking away my ability to leave a review read more

What an absolute gem Planchette is in Ambler - cute, charming inside or out. I ate outside on a bright sunny day. Service was prompt friendly and the courses were timed perfectly and my goodness the escargots were tremendous - plump and juicy perfectly prepared and delicious. The smoked trout is the best crepe I have ever eaten. A generous filet paired with delicately sliced asparagus, capers and an exceptional sauce. Finished with a crème brûlée. A taste of Paris in the town of Ambler - who would've known? Now I do and so do you. read more

Planchette - Crème brûlée - French Near Me - Ambler, Pennsylvania

Nice ambiance and service but the food was overall poor, esp compared to good French cooking . Dry bread, flavorless oil, flavorless white sauce on mussels, and poor excuse for crepes! read more

Ordered mussels and fries. The mussels came out and overwhelmed the table with how bad they smelled. Tasted one to be sure and it was mushy and crunchy. There was nothing even redeeming about the sauce- tasted like watered down old seafood. I eat anything and reluctantly had to send the mussels back in fear of getting sick. I was charged 7.00 for the fries that came with the mussels... ??? Like never even ordered fries.. tried the other meals which were ok. Wouldn't describe the food as very French either.. Service was fine. also was incredibly hot inside read more

Planchette - French Near Me - Ambler, Pennsylvania

Enjoyed lunch on a weekday. Warm vibe, nice views to street. Crepe mediterrane had so much flavor, with delicious sauce, delicate crepe. My friend enjoyed escargots, and we shared a slice of moist and tasty red velvet cake. Service was friendly and efficient. Definitely going back! read more

I wanted to love this place! I was so excited for the French onion soup and it was good but it tasted heavily of pepper which I wasn't a fan of. They served complimentary baguette bread but not butter, instead olive oil. The rack of lamb was delicious but sadly each one was cooked a little different and only 2 out of the 4 were cooked to perfection. The salt baked branzino wasn't cooked enough with the salt on (was still pure white) and the fish lacked flavor. Wouldn't return. read more

A charming French restaurant with a great location in downtown Ambler! Service is attentive but not intrusive, wonderful to see since so many places are understaffed these days! Food was great, but the French onion soup was disappointingly watery, lacking the traditional rich flavor. Crepe was perfect and the filling was wonderful and chock-full of duck! Surprisingly, the dessert tray was plopped in front of me once the dinner dishes were cleared, a very effective way to ask if we wanted dessert! We enjoyed a delicious chocolate cake that was just the right mix of rich and light flavor. We had no problem finishing off our delicious meal! Oh, and this place is a byob to seal an enjoyable evening! read more

Such a cute new addition to ambler and a good restaurant to throw into your rotation! I got the savory short rib crepe and my guests got the short rib sandwich and croque monsieur sandwich. Everything was great but I recommend the crepe because it's not something you can get everywhere and it's perfectly light enough to save room for dessert. Dessert was by far the best part- we got the Nutella crepe with bananas. I told the owner I like a lot of Nutella and he made the crepe with a lot of Nutella it was perfect! The prices are very fair and I will definitely be returning to try the French onion soup. read more

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I would not send my worst enemy here. The staff and especially the owner was just nasty and horrible. The owner who made multiple anti-semitic statements physically assaulted a guest of our party who asked a question on the bill. Then said "let's take this outside and fight." Literally said that. One of the worst experiences imaginable. This is after we had a party of 10 and tipped TWENTY-FIVE percent. The food was well-below average. Everything was store-bought and not fresh. It was the only option for a party of 10 and it makes sense why. I've never had a restaurant owner act like this. Cursed out multiple customers. AVOID. read more

Planchette - Owner who assaulted a customer who stated there was an issue with the bill, then tried fighting the customer - French Near Me - Ambler, Pennsylvania

It's a very nice place to have a good meal with your loved ones. It's worth having patience due to how busy they get.

Had reservations for 7pm. When we arrived, could barely get inside, there were so many people waiting. After 10 minutes, hadn't even managed to talk to someone to tell them we were there. After 15 minutes had decided to go somewhere else- had to call to let them know we were walking away from our reservation, since no one was managing the front. This really wasn't right. read more

This is the second time I've dined at Planchette and I have been very pleased both times. The first time was for lunch when I ordered the Croque Monsieur, and this time for dinner, when I had the Poulet crepe and my companion had the short ribs. My companion commented on the tastiness of the sauce and the tenderness of the meat. We had dessert as well and enjoyed our meals. The bread served before the meal was warm and fresh and the food was delicious. The service was excellent on both occasions. Our waiter was friendly and accommodating each time I visited. It is a charming bistro possessing character and warmth, further enhanced by excellent service and food. I do wish to note that we were not at Plancette at busy times, so the waiter was not rushed. read more

It was about 80+ degrees in the restaurant (extremely hot). Unfortunately, we had to wait an hour and 15 minutes for our entrees... I understand a restaurant being busy as I was once in the food industry, but our waiter did not come over to check on us once. I had to get up and ask for more water and then eventually flag down the waiter to inquire about our food. There were no apologies or thank you for your patience. Food was not great. Got the steak frites. The steak was chewy and looked like someone cut it up blindfolded. I honestly would never recommend this restaurant to anyone. read more

Enjoyed a lovely lunch here and tried the hanger steak, grilled octopus, escargot and mussels. Everything was delicious but the mussels and escargot were really great. Very nice service and bistrot vibe, will definitely come back. Don't forget it's BYOB!!!! read more

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We liked going there a lot. Why eating at a regular restaurant/bar if you can eat at a small place and try out new food!? We were seated and served quickly. Waiters were very nice. We had calamari - really good; la viande with duck - yummy but if you don't like the Crêpe to be covered with sauce you should get it on the side; mussels white sauce with fries - loved it, but could've been more. Desert was yummy!!! We got bread and olive oil before food was served. The set up inside is cute, but a little too much decorations and the chairs are not the most comfortable ones; they do have high chairs. read more

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Great addition to the Ambler dining scene. I was a little worried when I saw it opening because it's the second French restaurant in Ambler and I was a afraid the decor was too much. But it works. It's a cute little crowded bistro with lots of noise and live music, just like you'd find in Paris. If you want quiet and serene fine French dining, your best bet is La Provence just a few blocks away. But if you want good food, an attentive owner and someone playing the accordion this is your place. Can't do a Yelp review without talking about the food. We've had the chicken crepes, short rib sandwich, bistro fries, croque monseiur and mussels. All excellent. A great fun local place. read more

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A cozy little Parisian joint in the heart of Ambler. Delicious food and enjoyed great accordion music on Saturday. Love that its BYOB too

The service was excellent, the food was perfectly prepared and can't wait to go back. We had the French onion soup, the Chef Board, Steamed Clams and Mahi Mahi special. All 10 out 10. read more

We enjoyed a fantastic meal this evening! The cheese board and French onion soup were divine. And the Mediterranean crepe, burger and salmon were incredible!! We also enjoyed the musette music - what a fabulous dinner! Great addition to Ambler! read more

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Wonderful, friendly service,creative and delicious food and the live music creates a European cafe vibe. We have gone several times and will continue to go. Listen carefully to their specials cause you won't want to miss them. read more

Today will be the last time we visit the restaurant. I called for a reservation and my reservation was at 7pm. We arrived at 7pm and no one came to ask us to see if we had a reservation. We waited 15 minutes. There was a table for 4 and our reservation was for 3. When my husband finally asked they lied and said my reservation was at 7:30 and the table was for someone else. No one ever came for the spot either. We decided to leave and go somewhere else. There are better options with more polite staff in our area. read more