La Chatelaine French Bakery & Bistro

Such a cute little place. Came here for a quick breakfast over the weekend. I’ve been to the location in UA a few times but always for a private event so had forgotten about the café style ordering. Took a minute to figure out what I wanted to order and kind of fumbled through the approved process. I ordered where I was supposed to pay and tried to pay where I was supposed to order. I didn’t get my own tray when I was supposed to… haha. The lady behind the counter looked at me as if I had lobsters crawling out of my ears. Help a girl out, why don’t ya? In the end it turned out fine, but there was no one else in there so she could have probably asked «have you been here before?» and gave me a few pointers. Helped myself to as much french roast as I felt was socially acceptable and hit the road when I was ready. Baguette sandwich was huge and delicious! And you can order soup for breakfast… score.

Oui loved La Chat!
I meant *we* — not oui — pardon my French.
We stopped by for a quick lunch at this casual French bistro/​bakery and tried the $ 8.50 lunch combination. You get your choice of soup (French onion or tomato basil that day), a petite Caesar salad with housemade croutons and freshly grated cheese, and a hard roll sandwich with either ham, turkey or housemade hard salami.
Being a lover of Caesar salad, I loved mine here which had a housemade dressing and was very fresh. I also loved the *pain au chocolat* (chocolate croissant) which I ordered separately, as they have a patisserie area separate from the lunch counter display. It was nicely moist, not overly buttery or flaky, and perfect when warmed up. Much better versus the famous Pistachia Vera, in my opinion.
For the sandwich, I would have preferred a baguette sandwich as the hard roll was a bit too hard for me. The salami was nice because it wasn’t too hard and had great fresh flavor.
I would definitely return next time I’m in town and try their quiches, which are on display in their lunch counter, and grab another pain au chocolat. Oui!
TIP: You can place orders for King’s cake now, if you would like to celebrate the festival after Christmas known as Epiphany. Don’t eat the charm!

This place has wonderful ambience and I think it could definitely be a great spot for a date! Service was fine, but food didn’t stand out at all. Had French onion soup (lack of ingredients to me, very different from the other French restaurants that I’ve tried) and Ohio beef short rib indochine (really just an alright dish, I would suggest the prime rib French dip from Nordstrom instead). Can’t speak about the desserts though-​if I do come back, that’s probably the only thing that I would give it another try!

I really enjoyed the laid back atmosphere of this bistro. I would have given this a place a higher score if all of my order was taken. The breakfast special I had was excellent. I had eggs, bacon and powder-​sugar covered toast. I got macaroons and a mousse pastry to go. Both were delicious.

We stopped in for something sweet on our way through town, OMG the tarts are amazing!

The help was very friendly but the food wasn’t great. Got the eggs benedict which was just okay. Didn’t particularly enjoy the coffee either. My wife wasn’t really blown away by her french toast and overall it was just a blah experience. Maybe we just didn’t order the right things but we won’t be rushing back to try again either. Did I mention how friendly the staff was?

This was my first breakfast experience and for the price I expected French perfection. Friday July 3, at 9:15am we met another couple for coffee and breakfast. Their French café is my favorite coffee of all the coffee I have enjoyed in my life, so smooth and velvety. And the pastries are delicious WHEN fresh… the individual chocolate cakes tend to get a metallic, refrigerated flavor when left in the case for a couple days. I have been for lunch many, many times and have NEVER been disappointed, but breakfast was a disatisfying let down. I ordered the French toast and the toast and whipped cream were delightful, BUT the blueberries had been previously frozen. When I put a fork full of the blueberries in my mouth and chewed I had what felt like a wad of wet paper in my mouth and discarded it in my napkin. At this time of year fresh berries are readily available and I don’t know the reason for not accompanying fresh strawberries with fresh blueberries, but I knew something was off when they weren’t mixed together on my plate. And the itty bitty serving of table syrup instead of real maple syrup was shameful. My husband ordered a croissant and al a cart sausages… He received 2 pinky finger sized brown-​n-​serve links for what a whole box at the grocery store costs? I realize profit margins in the restaurant and food truck business are slim, but that seems like a huge rip off. I will go back for lunches, coffee and Fresh pastries, but doubtful for the breakfast. It is So sad and disappointing they fell so short of my expectations set upon their lunch performance and on such simple breakfast dishes. Plus I can do without the attitude… perhaps this is what the staff perceive as a typical Frenchman/​woman and they are trying to offer the whole French experience to the consumer, but until your food is the pinnacle of foodie experiences, keep the snooty attitude in check.

Delicious fresh pastries, love the napolean cake and the fresh quiche with fruit. awesome little patio to enjoy your treats and the downtown old dublin atmosphere

RUDE!!! RUDE! RUDE! I was there for the dublin wedding walk as a participating bride and the waitress at the bar was very rude. im sorry but i will never go back to this restaurant again!

Maybe I just assume that everything French is fancy. Perhaps my expectations were to have little skinny men in black pants and white shirts with skinny black ties and patent leather shoes dancing and twirling while they balance a thousand things on their serving trays to deliver meals to the hungry guests. Or maybe I wanted to see shelves of pastries lining the walls from floor to ceiling in colors of pink, green, white, blue and yellow! Maybe. These were my expectations heading into La Chatelaine.
Unfortunately for my imagination, I did not get what I expected. However, what I did get was still enjoyable. It was a quaint store located in old downtown Dublin. I walked in and heard cheery French music playing. It smelled AMAZING — a nice combination of freshly brewed coffee and whatever was baking at the moment. I wasn’t overly impressed with the menu or the overall cafeteria-​style of it, but again, see the above expectations (note the dancing waiters). I wasn’t in the mood for a lot, so I ordered the tomato bisque and then a flan for dessert. They were both very tasty.
If I’m in the area again, I will definitely be back. And perhaps I’ll add a comment card that they should consider adding dancing waiters to their staff.

The almond croissant is so incredibly inferior to Pistacia Vera. The almond paste was weird and kind of bland. The croque Monsieur was premade and supposedly sitting under a heat lamp, but it was room temp — yuck. Looked like the only things made to order were the egg dishes. Coffee was pretty bland self serve. Overall, sad «French» bistro.

What a great place for brunch! I’d like to comment on any of their other meals but I can’t stop coming just for their brunch. There’s just something great about sitting down in a french style place with great breakfast food, french pastries and mimosas. What more would you want to start your day out with? Not much to say about the service as there isn’t much. You walk in, take a tray, order cafeteria style and sit down with your beverage and wait for someone to bring you your food. End of story. They seem to have good beer too but again, mimosas for breakfast is all I’ve managed so far.

Nice place to enjoy some fresh breakfast. Went on a Saturday morning and was delighted to have their chocolate croissant and fresh oj (among other things). I have been to the Upper Arlington location quite a few times but mostly for lunch buffet. Both locations are equally good.

Yum, soups and bisques, great bread for sandwiches, such pretty desserts! The pastries were good, not great, but they were absolutely beautiful! Every food item I have tried has been wonderful. Staff has always been pleasant and helpful. Outdoor patio:)

Cute little fresh bakery and bistro. They have 3 locations in town, Upper Arlington, Worthington and Dublin, Love going there for breakfast and lunch, and to grab a nice little pastry or fruit tart, and some fresh baked bread.

I think I definitely prefer la Chatelaine for lunch. Although it certainly isn’t «cheap,» it is better than dinner. Also, being cafeteria style, the tipping situation is a bit different.
I tried a croquette monsiuer, which I quite enjoyed. The bechamel sauce does give it a sweet tone, though it goes nicely with the salty ham. For dessert, I tried a tasty chocolate croissant — delicate, soft bread and rich dark chocolate inside. Quite good. I also tried their coffee, which is a self-​service deal at lunch. It was decent, though I can’t say I was blown away by it.
Service was fine. They had a lot of people behind the counter, though by the time I arrived there weren’t –that– many people. Indeed, they shut the place down and began mopping soon after as they were changing over for dinner. They didn’t seem to mind lunch customers hanging around, though, and we did not feel particularly rushed to depart.
The only thing I’d mention is that the quiche or sandwiches etc. do not come with sides, and while portions are certainly adequate, you definitely will not have left overs. At $ 7+ per slice, it adds up quickly if you add your own sides (soup, salad, bread). They do have some lunch specials (a sandwich and soup for $ 8), but those are only M~F, 11 to 2 I believe.
Also, the menu situation is a bit confusing. There are menus with specials when you first come in, then multiple menus hanging above the counters in different places. It isn’t a big deal if there isn’t a crowd, but if there is, well, the entry area isn’t that large. Come when it isn’t crowded.

I came here Sunday with my wife around 9 am. First, the ordering:
1. You walk in and there’s basically a cafeteria line.
2. You pick up a tray and your silverware
3. You place your order with the guy
4. If your order is ready made, he will go further down the cafeteria line and give it to you, otherwise, he will put it through the kitchen window and ask for your name
5. If you want OJ or coffee, you just take it from the shelf
6. You pay at the register
7. Coffee is right around the corner to the right (along with free water… both iced and not)
8. Wait for someone to call out your name if you ordered through the window and waive them down :)
OK. now that’s out of the way.
I had the Croque Monsieur: (Ham with Béchamel sauce) Which basically tasted like buttery bread with ham, cream/​butter and a generous helping of cheese on top. If I had known it would be so rich, I might have not gotten it, but then again, i didnt know what Béchamel sauce was, and now that I do, it makes sense. It was really good, but very rich and heavy.
My wife ordered the French Toast and honestly I was a little underwhelmed by it. it was basically 2 pieces of bread, cut diagonally and there wasn’t really any oomph behind it in taste or texture.
The ambiance is pretty nice, reminds me of a cottage or something you’d see in the country side in France. Also, perhaps it was due to the time, but there was a large gathering of older grandma/​grandpas there, which was cute.

The atmosphere is really nice inside. Rustic and just like you would see in France. The service was also friendly.
However the quality of their bakery is severely lacking from comparable french pastry. My pan au chocolat (or I think they call it a chocolatine croissant) was very dry and stale, at least a day old. It was the only thing I got so I really can’t compare the rest of the menu.
Upon leaving, there was a bakery truck unloading racks of baked goods onto a cart in the parking lot. Making me wonder if they even bake on premises.

A little disappointed in myself that I haven’t tried this place before. I knew about the one on Lane way back, and this one is not far from me so I pass it often, but never really had a reason to stop. Now, with a trip to France coming up, and my mom (who will also be, and has been, in France) in town, it seemed like a good time.
The atmosphere is cozy, the service was good, and luckily the power didn’t go out. Up front there is a pastry case and wine area. Outdoors might be nice when the weather is dry. There was good bread at the table, and we each had soup– mom and I had lobster bisque, my sweetie had tomato basil. All were good. I had the vol au vent, a sort of deconstructed chicken pot pie. It was incredibly good. Perfectly cooked chunks of chicken, good mushrooms, an excellent pastry crust, flavorful sauce. Sweetheart had mac and cheese with chicken, which was creamy and comforting. Mom had steak frite, which was good, but not prepared the way she has had it in France.
Overall the two ladies, who have both been to Europe, said it was reasonably authentic, in terms of food and service. I am looking forward to eating well over there. And I’ll be back to this place, before and after the trip…

Went here tonight to sit on the patio and have some dinner. We just caught the tail end of their happy hour.
Sitting on the patio made for a truly remarkable evening. The sun was low in the sky in the west just at the end of bridge street, and a pink hue enveloped all of the village and made everything seem incredibly dreamy.
The happy hour specials were $ 3 off bottles of wine, and $ 1 off glasses of wine and beers. Meh, not really the best happy hour prices. Anyway, we ended up sharing a bottle of the house cotes du rhone for $ 18 at the happy hour price. It was wonderful – a truly perfect bottle of wine. I did have a slight issue with the service of the wine – it came out already opened which I thought was odd. I don’t think I’ve ever ordered a bottle of wine in a restaurant that was not opened table side.
We started with a charcuterie platter consisting of some country pâté and a few different cured meats. I was disappointed that they were apparently out of cornichons which typically accompany a charcuterie platter. It *is* a french restaurant, so this surprised me. I hate it when restaurants are *out* of stuff, especially when the restaurant is literally right up the street from numerous grocery stores. The largest whole foods in the country is less than a mile away, as is a kroger «fresh fare” – and both stores stock ample amounts of odd, high-​end, gourmet items and they both surely carry cornichons. Anyway, they substituted greek olives for the cornichons on the platter. The meat was good and I liked the country pâté which is supposedly made in house. The platter was served with some dijon mustard, which I didn’t find to be as hot as I normally prefer my dijon to be.
We were also served some bread that was outstanding. Regular, crusty baguette slices as well as some very dense, rich sourdough. My friend got a caesar salad – which he said was great, and I started with some french onion soup. Apparently here they don’t top the onion soup with croutons and cheese, but instead serve the cheese and croutons on the side… I’m not sure if they are trying to be authentic or what, but I’ve been all over France numerous times and have never had my onion soup served this way. I prefer the soup to already be constructed and then broiled so the cheese browns a little bit. The soup was also «just warm» and not hot. I’m a soup snob and like my soup to be served piping hot, so I was mildly disappointed with my overall soup experience here. The flavor of the broth was fine, but overall I just didn’t like their take on onion soup.
For my main course I had spaghetti. The sauce was a good bolognese, though a tad salty, but like the soup, this dish was not served hot. Further, I prefer my pasta al dente, and this pasta was overcooked and almost mushy. Overall, it was okay, but I’ve made better at home. My biggest complaint about the main courses (we both had the spaghetti) was that they came out when we were only ½ way done with our soup/​salad and charcuterie platter. This is a big pet peeve of mine. I like to linger when I’m at a restaurant for dinner and take my time, and I felt rushed here.
For dessert I had a piece of pear pie… it wasn’t bad, but again, it was just okay. Overall this place was alright, and I’d like to return sometime and try some other dishes. I wasn’t disappointed, but I didn’t leave feeling satisfied, especially since I had a non-​stop day and was forced to skip lunch – this meal just didn’t do it for me.