La Boheme

What? A French restaurant in the Bay Area with real French food, French speaking waiters, and a French ambiance. Wonderful foie gras, confit de canard, and sorbet coupled with many wines by the glass or half carafe. Really good service despite how busy the place was and the prices are very reasonable. The only downers are the noise level and the cramped quarters. Make a reservation to ensure you are not disappointed.

So happy to have this restaurant in the neighborhood. Let’s start with the most important piece — the chocolate soufflé, which is outstanding albeit too small (I would literally order 2 next time). The grand marnier was also good, but hey, for me it’s all about chocolate.
The meal was lovely, the service was excellent — and like in France, no one rushed us even though we were there on a Saturday night at prime time. We had the marinated salmon (fabulous), the onion soup, the Monkfish, the grilled duck and the rack of lamb. All excellent. We felt like we were back in a bistro in Paris, although the waiters were friendlier here.

La Boheme has a nice atmosphere and a fun menu — «Les Wines by le glass» being my favorite entry. The food was good, sometimes great.
I had clams & mussels + prime rib; my wife had onion soup + scallops. The clams were gritty, and the least tasty of the evening, but the mussels were excellent. Prime rib was surprisingly neutral, requiring the Roquefort sauce to give it life. My wife’s onion soup was surprisingly sweet — not bad, but odd. The scallops were simply amazing.
On the wine list, the sauternes was superb; the cotes du rhone not so much. I’m not sure what Unilocal’s price guidelines represent, but I’d mark this place $$$ instead of $$. With wine, we were $ 55/​person before tipping.
I will come back and try more on the menu. Will definitely try more seafood, and the meat deserves a 2^nd chance.
Re-​reading my post, I’m asking myself why a 4– instead of a 3-​star review: La Boheme shows promise; the scallops were that good.

Had dinner here on a Saturday night. Reservations seem like the thing to do for dinner. We made them for 5:30pm. Of the 13 tables I could see from my seat, 11 of them had «reserved» on them. A number of tables were occupied and by 6:00pm all the tables except one were taken and the empty one was being held for a reservation.
Parking on California may be a challenge, but there is a public parking lot around the corner. At 5:00pm on a Saturday there were still quite a few sdpots. However, by 7:15 pm the parking lot was full. It sfair to say, come early to get parking.
Service was excellent. We had reservations and were immediately seated. Our water glasses were refilled through out the meal. The waiter was excellent and on top of things. When we left, we were thanked by the waiter and a woman that seemed to be the owner.
Décor is really nice. Good lighting, I didn’t need my glasses. French type posters up on the wall. Clean lines on décor. Ambiance was excellent.
Place was super clean, including the bathroom, no graffiti, waste basket emptied.
I couldn’t figure out how to lock the bathroom door… only negative here. Maybe I am not smart enough?
Food was DELICIOUS. We had French Onion Soup that was like… WOW! Wife had Foie Gra appetizer and it was also excellent. For entrée we all had different things (Sweetbreads, prime rib, tornadoes) and they were without exception wonderful. For desert the soufflé were delicious. We had two chocolate and one Grand Marnier. Bread and butter were served, and the bread was warm.
Price was up there. Not excessive or greedy gouging. But, you have to pay for what you get. If you want top quality then your going to pay top dollar. No exception here… about $ 70/​person which included what was mentioned above plus a coke, glass of wine, and a coffee.
Holy smokes, this place is great. Eat here again and again and again and again

While La Boheme has a solid menu, a nice atmosphere, decent execution and a proper wine list… The most of the staff and service was absolutely not on par with expectations.
Upon walking into the restaurant, the hostess was absent. We stood in the entryway in full view of the bar and watched the hostess causally drink a glass of wine and completely ignore us for several minutes. When she did saunder over, she sat us in between two very noisy table despite there being several other empty tables which were more appropriate.
Our server was charming & knowledgeable– immediately greeting us and offering up the specials. He even offered the suggestion to order the soufflé in advance so we wouldn’t wait too long after dinner. He was the highlight of the service.
The food was above average– we both ordered classic French dishes and they were prepared properly and with nice presentations.
Unfortunately– what made us really unhappy with the overall experience was the server clearing the table next to us sloshed/​splattered a dark brown sauce all over my dates jacket & shirt… He mumbled an apology and walked away. He didn’t even offer a napkin or anything and the amount of splash was substantial. It’s not overall a big deal but it was really unacceptable considering La Boheme is part of the Pastis family and we have come to love, love, love them and their excellent service.
I really hope that La Boheme levels up– I do enjoy a good French wine list and some variety in Palo Alto!

New cute small café on California st. I’m happy they have opened, they have added variety to this strip and food is great especially for the price point. I have noticed the crowd here seems a bit more mature, like seniors? Lol no clue why… Btw service is on the slower side, which makes it very much like going to a French café in France.
Food– reminds me of left bank bistro, but I think food and price is better here.
One tip– if you want dessert, take a look ahead of time, because the chocolate cake takes 20 minuets to prepare. As well, they are still new so no problem getting a seat right away.

Oh my, traditional bistro fare doesn’t get much better! We were greeted by both our host and the chef, and by the way, reservations are advised as the place fills up early in the week – long may that continue for them, they deserve it! We had the feeling we could have stayed all evening; we’ll return often, if only to work our way up, down, and across the menu. Soup, salad, entrée, dessert (s) – all prepared with care. The floating island was the real deal (I’ve found the recipe somewhat labor intensive, and my results are nowhere as good as theirs – yes I DO love dessert). The cote de boeuf and filet mignon were fork tender and flavorful – can’t wait to try the fish preparations. Why leave home? We could spend a lot of time on California Avenue!!!

Food, service, ambience — everything is awesome. We could get in without reservation luckily because we went there for dinner just when they were opening but I highly recommend to do a prior reservation before coming.

Good service and nice food! My husband said he liked here because the food is not so heavy as other traditional New American restaurants. Strawberry tart was amazing, with sweet cream milk, but not too sweet.

It’s cool that California Avenue has taken to becoming more like a Parisian alley with no less than five French themed restaurants in the area and all with similar menu items and similar outdoor seating but perhaps what is even more amazing is that one restauranteur has connections or is behind four of these including Café Brioche, Joanie’s, Pastis, and now Boheme. In fact, all these restaurants are on the same block!
On a wet weekend day, I went for an early brunch and was surprised to find La Boheme relatively uncrowded and definitely less so than its sister restaurant Pastis where patrons were waiting in the rain.
The interior is casual but more open and less crowded than Pastis and service was friendly. The menu for brunch focuses on omelettes, sandwiches, and salads and is not too radically different from the other eateries. My order:
French Onion Soup — $ 9. I’ve had this item at Café Brioche, Joanie’s, Pastis and now here but I think this was one of my favorite renditions of all of them. Piping hot, perfectly melted cheese and a soup broth that was savory but also a hint of sweetness from the onions. There’s a touch too much bread inside (2 – 3 slices) which was hard for me as I’m trying to go low carb.
Ham, Cheese, and Potato Omelette — $ 14. The omelettes are served with a side of diced pan fried potatoes that are seasoned well and go great with ketchup. The omelette is generous and filling. Nothing too remarkable but solid.
Croque Monsieur — $ 15. Ordered with poached egg on top which were done nicely, the croque Monsieur was filling, cheesy, decadent and definitely not low carb. Same tasty potatoes on the side.
Beignets — $ 6. Freshly fried, not too sweet, and covered with generous powdered sugar. Very good.
Overall, we had a nice brunch at La Boheme. I think prices are a touch higher than the other French bistros nearby but I think execution is better too. The ingredients are all organically sourced and I think it showed most in the French Onion soup. One small criticism, the orange juice ($ 3.50) was sad. Smaller glass than water glasses and barely half filled.
I love California Avenue and I think it’s great that we have so many solid brunch spots and now we have another. It looks like La Boheme distinguishes itself further at dinner so we may have to go back for that. Until then, let’s add some more variety to join the high end (Baume, Zola), Japanese (Jin Sho, Homma’s) and Cuban (La Bodeguita) we already have.
La Boheme accepts credit cards including American Express.

Great place. Food was excellent! When u hear some of the servers speak in French, you know this place could be authentic. The food proved it. Definitely worth going.

Came here for a work lunch today and I definitely want to come back again! I got the ratatouille chicken crêpe, very cheesy! I’ve never had something like this before and it was amazing! Already a crêpe lover and this just took it to a whole other level! My coworkers got a variety of open face sandwiches, which looked super tasty as well. Will definitely be back!

Excellent food and great menu 100% PARIS!
If you look for Parisian restaurant experience in Silicon Valley you have the place here!

Great food. Great ambiance. I had snails and scallops with mushrooms. Both dishes tasted great.

Very good restaurant, and I’m French, as you can imagine I know about French restaurants. The cooking was excellent (I was blown away by the Soufflé au Grand Marnier ;) and the service faultless… The French food + the American service = the perfect mix !
I was there once with friends and I promised myself to come back with my family.

Ahhhhmazing. They need to make another star for this place.
Delightful place. The owners are super nice. You can tell their touch on everything they do.

We were impressed with the classical feel of this new restaurant on California Avenue. It felt like my favorite café in the West of France. Then to find my favorite fish on the menu, Monkfish, made my night!
The food was excellent, creative, and everything we had hoped it would be! Most importantly it tasted great. As significant for me was that was presented well. It made you feel like you were out on the town instead of a place called Joe’s Diner. Lastly, the service was friendly, helpful and very professional. Yet you felt like you were at a great restaurant in the French Countryside or in a small town by the seashore! I guess I would use the term «casual elegance» to describe the overall experience!
The Chocolate Soufflé equaled my favorite Soufflé at Chef Allen’s in Hollywood Florida in the late ‘90s. Add an Espresso, great company and an owner that truly seems to care about his /​their staff makes this a keeper!
Try it, you won’t be disappointed!

Outstanding new French restaurant on California Avenue! La Boheme is a great addition to a great food town. My Belgian in-​laws would recognize it as the same fare we shared with them in Brussels last month. The frites, of course, were divine. The Tartare was perfect, and just a little piquant. They were out of snails, but the sardine appetizer was wonderful. Wife had the soupe l’oignon and loved it; her salmon papillotte looked wonderful, and I never got a bite, so I suspect she loved it too.
Save room for their provincial dessert specialties. Unique! We will be back soon, and frequently.

This is new French restaurant in Palo Alto with great food at reasonable prices. Three of us went for a special lunch today. We started with French Onion soup– perfect for the cold rainy weather outside. The soup was hot, with just the right amount of cheese.
I had the Salade a Chèvre Chaud au Miel, hard to find here and yet so delicious. The ingredients were fresh and there was just a hint of sweet honey. My friend enjoyed a Crêpe de la Mer, covered in a rich
Béchamel sauce.
For dessert we tried the Mousse aux Marrons and the Soufflé au Grand Marnier. By now we were quite full, but these were a nice sweet ending to our lunch.
Lastly, the staff were friendly and attentive, we will be back!

Im a big fan of Joanies and Pastis and that restaurant family has grown by another. La Boheme marks a solid traditional French bistro. They’ve taken over the old Chez Frank hotdog space and turned it into something you’d see on any corner in Paris. Half roasted chicken with frites/​sauteed vegetables. Mussels/​clams in butter sauce and the house marinated salmon were all excellent. Im now dying to try the dinner menu as it has a ton of things you cant get during lunch. Certainly will be back to taste that fare.