Petit Robert Bistro

Very nice place but a few complaints:
The Brussels Spouts were so overcooked I thought someone’s grandmother was in the kitchen making sure they were boiled, as people did with all vegetables back in the 1950s. A school cafeteria could have done better.
If you come on a date or with one other person, you will be in very close quarter with other tables for two, sitting across from your dining companion in a long line of chairs on one side or a bench on the other. It is really too tight for comfort — you will hear every word your neighbors say, and they you.
If you have a party of three or more, this won’t be a concern.
Very nice waitstaff and very nice Frecnh menu.

My first dinner in Boston and it was memorable. I called in and made a reservation and was seated right away. The place was pumping. I was dining alone because I was traveling. I ordered the half chicken and a salad and asked if I could order a half glass of wine because it wasn’t on the menu. My server was quick to say no. I don’t believe he stopped by my table one time after I receive my food. I was there for quite a while & never once was asked how my meal was or how I was doing. I had to flag down a different server to ask for the check. The food was ok, prices were a little high and the service was extraordinarily poor. I will not return

Decided to stop by while looking for a good dessert place in the Kenmore/​Fenway area and we were not at all disappointed. It was really authentic and what can go wrong with French dessert? Our waitress, Nicole, was very enthusiastic about the desserts. She told us she lived in France for 5 years and then proceeded to describe each dessert to us. We were very satisfied with the number of selections they had and I ended up getting the Pear Tart. It was delicious, especially with the almond paste in it that I love!

We went to the bistro on a Sunday night around 7 and there were only a couple tables occupied. Service was very friendly and attentive. We had selected this place because they had sweetbreads on the menu, something we really can’t seem to find on menus in Boston or cooked correctly (eastern standard slaughtered them). Upon arrival, I asked about the dish as it is on the website but not the menu. They said sadly it was no longer available. (Fine but update your website!). We ordered the lobster soup (excellent) and onion soup (also excellent), piping hot bread with butter and the escargots which were just amazing. They come in a parley butter that is out of this world, just trust. Mains, we had the steak and frites which was good (solid choice) and the rack of lamb with stewed beans. The lamb was a perfect medium rare and a generous portion. The stewed beans were very flavorful but needed more moisture. The beans did have some parsley butter topped on which added a nice bright flavor which was necessary. Dessert – we wanted to order the coffee soufflé but the pastry chef doesn’t work Sunday nights (don’t blame her but good to know) so we went with the special of carrot cake which was great (no frosting, a first but still delightful) and giant profiterole because we wanted chocolate with espressos (just let me live). Wine selection was very nice, several notable but inexpensive French wineries on the menu. We ordered the Château des Roches-​Sauvignon Blanc which was perfectly crisp and paired nicely with the escargots. We really liked the ambiance of the place as well. It’s totally unassuming and it’s always nice to dine at a place that doesn’t move tables like mad people. We will return!

I went there on a weeknight, a little late, around 9pm and we were the only clients. The service was very good. We had bread right away, which was DELICIOUS! I’m french and it’s not easy to find good bread but this one was great! Everything we ordered was good!
4 stars because at some point, a little mouse was running in the restaurant! I know it happens in every restaurants unfortunately… But the waiter stood in the room until we left, just in case the mouse would be back, as I’m very scared of it. It was very nice of him!

Went here with a friend to grab a bite to eat for dinner.
Other restaurants in the area were pretty packed so we ended up here and were seated right away.
To start off, we went with the french onion soup which was very tasty. I don’t know if I’ve ever had a bad french onion soup, and this one doesn’t disappoint.
For my meal I decided to go with the scallops. There were 4 good sized scallops over a bed of brussels sprouts risotto. They were very rich and the risotto had good flavor as well. Overall, it was a decent sized portion and quite enjoyable.
I also had one of their alcoholic ginger beers which I’d never had but really liked as well.
A nice, low key spot for a date or small group, but not really large enough for more than 4 people. Service was friendly and food came out relatively quickly. Worth checking out if you are in the area.

Service — 4 stars. Food — 3 stars. Atmosphere — 4 stars. 3 stars overall since we came here for food!
I got the Croque Monsieur. It was really just a grilled ham and cheese. Another person in our party got the same dish and we both noted that it would have been nice to have a sauce or something with it. Also, I felt that both our sandwiches were overdone, with burnt edges and burnt spots on one side. This also made the sandwich overly crispy. I did like the fries and salad it came with. I would come back if that’s where co-​workers were going for lunch, but I wouldn’t suggest it myself.

You don’t always get what is
wife and I went there for a lunch. there were only six other people in the restaurant.
I ordered a croque madame. It sounded so appetizing. However when they put the plate in front of me it was not a true croque madame. And I figured a French restaurant would be able to get that right. What I received were two pieces of barely toasted bread with one small piece of sliced ham and one small piece of sliced cheese in between the bread, and an egg on top. A real version of this dish would have the correct amount and type of cheese, correct amount and type of ham, as well as the Bechamel sauce and is supposed to be baked in the oven. Let’s just say I was extremely disappointed and will never go back there again.

I met a friend for dinner at petit Robert and there were a lot of things I enjoyed and a few that I could’ve done without.
I ordered the «Le grand Cosmo,» which I thought was delicious. My friend and I decided we wanted to be fat asses so we ordered a couple of appetizers. We had the asian style tuna tartare, escargot, the mussels, and the foie gras. Now, the asian style tuna tartare was incredibly salty. Calling something «asian style,» and just pouring soy sauce on it, doesn’t make it asian style. And they present it already spreaded on bread which I found that the amount was way too much on each slice. The escargot was delicious. Nice buttery flavor. The mussels were super bland and the presented no bread to dip with the broth. I guess it worked out since the broth had no flavor anyways. Saving grace on the appetizers was the foie gras. Nice and creamy with a delicious sauce and sweet grapes to contrast the flavors.
For the entrée, I ordered the duck confit. Well, I found it to be very dry and the pork sausage was forgettable. To end my dinner, I ordered the bread pudding which I thought was very good. I wanted to order the soufflé but it was a lemon flavor and I’m not a big fan of lemon. But the bread pudding was enjoyable.
Overall, I would still give petit Robert another chance. At least I know not to order certain things.

I came here for a birthday party on a Saturday night and the restaurant was just starting to get packed. Unfortunately, for the longest time, there was no front-​of-​house or wait staff to receive anyone that entered the restaurant. For a Saturday, the restaurant seemed understaffed.
Overall, the appetizer ordered and dessert were the strongest aspects of the dinner, while the entrée was the weakest. I did enjoy the experience but there were some hiccups.
I went for the pâté maison plate and you do get a lot of pâté. The chicken liver pâté is smooth and rich with savory flavor without it being too salty. Yeah, it’s not duck liver but it’s pretty good. The country pâté is more rustic, so it’s less smooth, but good too. I also enjoyed the rillette.
The duck confit with cabbage and sausage did not impress. The duck was rather dry and the sausage not memorable. Everything just seemed average with this offering.
The giant profiterole dessert was really good and while I conflicted between ordering that and the well-​known chocolate cake with chocolate Eiffel Tower, the former was a good decision. The profiterole was sweet and comes with a great deal of vanilla ice cream and totally immersed with rich chocolate. If you have significant room for dessert, this might be a viable pick.
Service was friendly and polite, but it had its struggles. The restaurant being loud, it was tough to communicate with wait staff. They made a few mistakes with orders and, like I described above, the restaurant seemed understaffed for a Saturday night.

Delicious, very reasonably priced French food! Came here with my best friend on a Saturday night and we were seated immediately. We split the escargot, which was spot on and had lots of delicious garlic sauce to dip our bread in, as well as the calf’s liver and sweetbreads. Both entrees were excellent! The calf’s liver was very generous in portion and came with bacon (yum!). The sweetbreads at first seemed a little on the smaller side, but its flavor and texture really made up for it! It was soft and tender, much lighter than the liver. The sweetbreads came with an excess amount of capers, so beware of that as they can overpower the delicate flavors of the dish.
For dessert, we ordered the lemon soufflé which was everything that a soufflé should be. The flavor was subtly sweet and lemon-​y, not overpowering at all. The inside of the soufflé was so soft, almost creamy, and the outside was super crispy. It came with a sauce that was a little too alcoholic for our tastes, and given how moist the soufflé was anyway, really did not need sauce!
Definitely a new favorite in Boston!

I came back to the downtown crossing location for drinks. I wanted to give this place another chance. I went for drinks with my friend and bar service was GREAT. I ordered the escargot again and we both gobbled it down. We also ordered the smoked salmon platter.
Service was completely different than the BU location so I was happy.

⁴⁄₅ Nice décor. Nice outdoor seating.
³⁄₅ Ok food. Gaslight has better food than here.
¹⁄₅ Service. But it was just our waiter. I see the waiter serving the section next to ours and he was very amiable, attentive and hospitable. I forgot his name, but our waiter was arrogant and condescending on multiple occasion during the night. Mind you, I didn’t go in there dressed like a bum. Needless to say, he got a 10% tip and a personal complaint to the manager.
Would not recommend. Would not go there again.

Here’s a free piece of dating advice. When a date asks you what your jacket is made from, don’t tell them it’s from roadkill. Even if it is, don’t tell them. If you do, however, decided to ignore this advice and tell them, don’t tell them that you also used the meat from said roadkill to make your meals. It won’t improve the situation. There’s a time and a place for boasting about your abilities as a roadkill culinarian and outfitter; that place is the rail yard with all of your other train-​hopping buddies. Boy, they sure got a kick out of this little faux pas.
Needless to say, I was desperate to prove myself as an individual of culture after that little slip-​up. My brain was racing, trying to put together some options. A round of polo? It was raining. A trip to the opera, perhaps? Timpani rolls make me scream. Perhaps a nice meal at a wee French bistro? Ah, très bien! After a quick browse of some nearby options, I found this place to have all that I was seeking.
We entered. ‘Bonjour,’ they said, greeting us upon arrival. ‘Bonjourrrrrrrr,’ I began, rolling my ‘r’s with such grace and fluidity that my 6^th grade Spanish teacher would have wept with joy were she there to hear it. ‘Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr,’ I continued, raising my hands high to the ceiling as if to ask the heavens for more oxygen so that I might continue my roll a bit longer. I finished, leaning over to gasp for breath as I looked up at my date for approval before we were seated.
As I looked across the table, sticking my tongue into the water the waiter has just brought to cool it down from all that rolling, my date informed my that Spanish and French were two separate languages. My confidence now shattered, it was at this point that the evening’s plan of proving myself cultured started to crumble.
I ordered the escargot bourguignon and the bluefish poêle, at this point so embarrassed about my accent that I didn’t even make eye-​contact with the waiter. I’m sure I butchered whatever French I spoke so severely that his eyes were probably watering from sheer disgust and discomfort, as though he were watching the Duke of Wellington towel floss himself with the French flag. I didn’t say much from then on out, luckily the food was good enough to keep us both distracted from my ineptitude, and that’s saying something.
The escargots were rich, buttery, and, thankfully, not drowned in garlic as they so often seem to be. The fish was seared just enough to accent without overwhelming the flavor of the bluefish. Not that you can overwhelm the flavor of bluefish easily, but it was a nice balance, especially atop the peas. I ate all my veggies! Someone earned themselves an extra beer.
My evening didn’t go as originally planned but it all turned out all right in the end. My stomach was filled with a good meal, our table was attended to with superb service, and my date didn’t even file a restraining order! Now that I’m older, wiser, and just a skosh more culturally refined, I wouldn’t mind a trip back to Lil’ Bob’s bistro.

This review is just for the bar. I have yet to try the food at Petit Robert.
Great venue if you want a place to sit that’s not too loud to watch any sporting event.
I went to Petit Robert to watch one of the World Cup matches and found the experience to be quiet pleasant.
The bartender was attentive, and was even nice enough to divide the tab among several friends.
I’m curious to go back and try the food sometime soon!

It’s difficult for a French restaurant to not feel kitschy in the middle of Kendall square because in Paris, you don’t have to put a mini Eiffel Tower outside of your restaurant to designate it as such, but c’est la vie.
The menu seemed pretty authentic, but as we had already had dinner, my boyfriend only ventured in here to have dessert. We ordered the «mousse au chocolat» and a couple drinks – port for me, muscat for him. The mousse was very good – light, airy, and chocolate-​y. The «langue du chat» cookie was a perfect compliment, providing texture and a delicate vanilla flavor.
I actually sampled their pâté at the Bastille Day celebration a week earlier, and it was quite good! I’d definitely come back to try the dinner menu.
As some other reviewers have mentioned, it is a VERY small space so this would not be a great place for large groups, I would say 4 people, maybe 6 at the absolute maximum.

They call them-​self French bistro ??? They need to learn first difference between meet cuts and stop calling veal t-​bone as veal chop, and it’s was rare occasion when in $ 30 dish I have to add salt, I ask for Manhattan and basemen told me that he don’t have ingredients to do it !!!
this maybe reasons why on Saturday around 7 pm I was able to get table without any reservation

I am very impressed with Petit Robert Bistro. I called for last minute reservations on Saturday night for a table for 5, and they were able to give us a table 45 minutes later. They also sat us even though the entire party wasn’t present and didn’t seem perturbed when people were running late.
As for the food, it’s pretty incredible. I got the pork belly with a port reduction and have no regrets. It was just perfect — fatty, juicy, and not dried out. The sauce went very well with the dish and the accompanying wine, recommended by the waitress, was amazing.
The whole experience at Petit Robert Bistro was a very memorable one and I am thankful for their excellent service, food, and ambiance.

Petit Robert’s Restaurant Week menu is comme ci, comme ca, but their regular lunch menu is tres bien!
We came by for lunch, intending to order off the aforementioned Restaurant Week menu. But everything being offered seemed kind of blah, and there were so many things on the regular menu that sounded delicious, so we went with that instead. The onion soup… You can’t come here and not get it. It was chock full of onions and loaded up with yummy Swiss cheese… And the bread that they brought out (and generously replenished as needed) was perfect for mopping up every last drop.
I ordered the beef bourguignon for my entrée — short ribs strewed in red wine. It comes at a hefty price tag though, especially for lunch. Seriously, an entire three-​course RW lunch would’ve been the same price as this one entrée. But it was ridiculously tasty and oh-​so-​filling. Well worth it. So worth it that I felt like I was going to burst and had to pass on dessert! Tragic, I know.
Well, au revoir for now, Petit Robert. But I’ll be back.

Are you looking for some satisfactory, quintessential and some tasty French style food at a price under $ 100 in a city like Boston? Well, if you said yes, this place may have your answer. I think if you come here looking for some excellent and high quality food, I think you will be «sorely disappointed» but if you have not had French food for months and you really want to eat some famous French dishes, then this place is not really terrible.
Sunday evening after 7:30 PM is not a bad time to come because it is not too busy. We ordered three dishes: Foie Gras, Coq au Vin, and Boeuf Bourguignon. Foie Gras is duck’s liver and it is probably one of the most controversial French dishes. Coq au Vin is chicken that has been marinated in wine. Boeuf Bourguignon is stewed beef braised in wine. All of these dishes are supposedly some of the most famous dishes in French cuisine.
The Foie Gras was tasty, the tenderness was great, and the flavor of the rhubarb made it a great appetizer. The chicken from the Coq au Vin was really juicy and had a good flavor and I did not find any serious problem with the sauce. I think it is a good value dish you could get for $ 20. The beef from the Boeuf Bourguignon had a decent flavor, I really liked the sauce, and the vegetables seemed to be freshly cooked. The bread was a great complement and I liked the crustiness. One dish of Foie Gras, a couple pieces of bread, and either a dish of Coq au Vin or Boeuf Bourguignon should be enough to fill the stomach of a grown man.
The only bad part of my experience here was the service. It took a long time to wait for the food. I took a look at the kitchen, and it appeared to be understaffed. If you are looking for a quick meal, you should not come here, but if you are going to have a long and interesting dinner appointment, it’s not a bad choice. Bistro supposedly came from a Russian word, meaning «quickly», so the service does not live up to the name of this place. The location is great, it’s not too far from Fenway. The interior has a nice small charm, and I sometimes felt like I was in a slightly better place.
Overall, this place is not a bad choice for decently good French food in a city like Boston, but it’s not terrible. Despite this, I am giving this place a good rating because I thought my meal was good, prices were not bad, and I think this place has so much potential. If you come here looking for the best French food in a somewhat decent city like Boston, I think you should not come to this place. However, if you have not had French food for months, and if you order the more famous French dishes such as Coq au Vin or Boeuf Bourguignon, I think you may have a pleasant experience, but not an amazing experience.

Who: With b.
When: Past Friday night, 7:30−8ish. No reservation, no wait. It was actually fairly empty, which I attribute to its odd location. I didn’t mind the quieter atmosphere though. Sometimes you just don’t feel like shouting over a plate of food at your dining companion, ya know? My first visit and b’s second (though first for dinner).
Where: The hostess sat us in one of their half circle booths that face the big windows (not too much of a view since there’s a big building right next door). Not a big fan of those booths because I’m never sure if I’m supposed to be watching a show or if I’m the show and being watched. It wasn’t too bad since we were only staring at one occupied table in front of us.
Why: ‘Cause we hungry. Plus food is always good after crying during a heart-​to-​heart in the park.
What:
Can’t recall the names but b got a Riesling (soft, floral notes) and I tried a Pinot Gris (light, crisp, fruity). Enjoyable.
Escargots (six snails in garlic and parsley butter)
— We decided to be adventurous but the adventure kind of fell flat since the snails were actually fairly small. Barely double the size of the ones I used to eat during dim sum at Chinese restaurants. The snails were soft and chewy but we didn’t taste much else except for the garlic and parsley butter, which was good for dipping the bread into. Pass.
— As a completely unrelated aside, the escargots were listed under the hors d’oeuvres, a French word I used to pronounce as «whores davores,» which b switched around and changed into «divorced whores.» So we were sitting in our booth, giggling like silly, unworldly little girls, asking each other which divorced whore we were eyeing on the menu. Yup.
Grilled Scallops (with fava bean schmoo — what a fun word to say! — mango, and white asparagus)
— We knew we definitely wanted to order this, not just because we like scallops and because anything with mango is a plus, but we knew we had to find out what this schmoo was. Unfortunately, I no longer remember the description our waiter gave us. But it looked like plain guacamole and tasted bean-​y. I had more fun saying the name. The scallops were grilled just right and paired with the schmoo and mango, which had some hot peppers mixed in, it was an interesting mix of flavors.
Boeuf Bourguignon (beef short rib braised in red wine with roasted potato and carrots)
— Julie & Julia anyone? It was a generous portion of meat, which was very tender and broke apart easily. The sauce was flavorful and bordering on a little bit too salty for me. b would have liked more sauce since some bites of the beef was a bit dry. I was fine with it since more sauce would have made it too salty for me. Enjoyable but I’m sure Julia was much better at making it.
Side of Pomme Frites (handcut french fries)
— Not too much to say except that I was just in the mood for some fries. Satisfactory.
All in all, I liked the setting and ambiance much more than the food, which was decent. Service was friendly although I felt slightly rushed towards the end because the kitchen was closing and our waiter wanted to know if we wanted to order dessert. We were the only ones left in the dining area and there was one couple sitting at the bar. Though they supposedly close at 11, I felt like we were getting in the way of their cleaning up and closing. They had a pretty extensive dessert menu but we passed since we were pretty full anyway. Wouldn’t mind visiting again for a cozy, romantic dinner for two. And some divorced whores.

I actually went to college years ago right down the street from here but for whatever reason never knew about this spot and never tried it until brunch recently. I love French food and always look forward to trying new spots, but I sometimes find the food doesn’t live up to my high expectations.
Petit Robert Bistro definitely lived up to what I had hoped. Not only was some of the staff actually French (that helps with authenticity) along with the music playing in the background, but all of the food was very satisfactory.
The French onion soup was right on. The Croque Madame was just the right balance between buttery bread, gooey cheese, salty ham, and the runny fried egg on top. The fries were also perfect. The pâté trio was delicious. I loved each of the 3 varieties and even brought home leftovers which I enjoyed the next day spread on fresh bread.
My only disappointment is that it took me this long to discover this spot! I lived in Boston for 4 years for college, moved away and visit only occasionally now. If I had known back then, I would have definitely become a regular. Better late than never, I guess :)