Reviews of Bistro Sancerre (Restaurant)

Joe Berg

Another win for Lena and her Grand Crew at Sancerre. The 3 course restaurant week offerings of fine dishes were superb. A must for the list of any epicurious diner looking for the best! Thank you chef Trent!

IvY LoS

Great place for a steak, had the Ribeye, it was amazing!

Scot Evans

New in the area, but the service was great. I will definitely revisit.

Robbi Savage

Love this place! Food is great, service super and ambiance is lovely. Sat outside for Easter Dinner - fantastic!

albert wong

French bistro. Ok food, but a bit expensive.

Ashley Brooke

Huge wine selection. Best ribeye I ever had.

Shirley Riley

The food was really good.This place is great! Friendly service and good prices. It was quite delicious!

Tuan Phan

I love the rib eye steak!!!!

Gina Stewart

If you're wanting a place that will make your taste buds soar, look no further than Alexandria's own Bistro Sancerre! Located just across from the King Street Metro Station you will find a French dining experience that will be well worth your walk/drive. Tonight my fiance and I started with the crab dip & baguettes, then on to the munkfish medallions with roasted cauliflower, golden raisins, capers, lemon, herbs & crisp prosciutto (Gluten Free!) & finally topped the evening off with a small French press coffee and the summer blueberry clofoutis with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream...yummy!! There are Gluten Free and Vegetarian options listed on the full menu (see pictures for menu), so most everyone can find something to please their paletts! If you've never been by here my question to you is, what's stopping you? Stop by for lunch, dinner every day of the week or brunch on Sundays, you won't be disappointed! Shout out to Roger, Thank you for the great service!! Enjoy!!

Ben Roberts

New lunch favorite for our team, crepes, soups, salads, omelettes, etc, all high praise!

J R

A gorgeous hostess started off the night great and it continued to be a lovely experience. Very good food everyone was very friendly. The chef and the manager came out and greeted us it was a very nice experience

Chris Royal

The restaurant is large and well-appointed on the inside including an art gallery area for both paintings and sculptures. It was a nice treat to view this area with a glass of wine of which there is a huge selection. The outside seating area is also large and is part of bigger quad area with trees and a center water fountain. Given the nice weather during the visit, this setup makes for a quiet and serene dinning experience. There is nothing else really like it in the Old Town area. There is no traffic noise or exhaust fumes as with the eateries along King Street. The food quantity, quality and preparation were outstanding with the main course being the New York Strip steak. Even though steaks can be ordered plain, several sauces are offered. The Cognac Peppercorn sauce is highly recommended and paired well with the red wine. The Brussels Sprout side dish was uniquely prepared allowing the seared balsamic flavor to be evenly distributed. The dessert were the Profiteroles with a flaky pastry and vanilla bean ice cream very reminiscent of the type offered in France. The accompanied warm sauce was made with a large amount of dark chocolate providing an intense flavor when poured over the cream filled pastry. Bistro Sancerre is unique in the Old Town area and will be visited again.

Robert Judson

We went for our anniversary. Our preference most places is to try happy hour and we had awesome food and wonderful bartender. William was awesome.

Romain Garnier

We really loved our time at Bistro Sancerre. The service was great - perfect combination of attentive but not overbearing. The food was really tasty - from the bread we had as a starter, to the Crème brûlée as a dessert. And the wine - and the selection of wine - complemented the meal perfectly! We also appreciated the nice touch of the chef coming and checking on the guests at the end of the meal. Overall, a welcome addition to the Alexandria restaurant scene. We will be back!

David Williams

Very nice: excellent staff, relaxed and tasty dinner.

rita kane

Wonderful unique French food. Great prices. Superb service and wine selection. Heated outdoor seating. Just a great place.

Kelley Reed

Great food!!

Kevin Lu

Delicious food, lovely ambiance

Christophe Attoumbré

Awesome!!! And Nancy was very careful. I recommend!

Dax Kannady

Amazing find.

Mike Muscatello

We had an exceptional dinner on opening night. The restaurant has a fantastic wine selection. I had the venison, my wife, the scallops. The venison was perfectly cooked and very flavorful. For dessert, the lemon plate was a nice way to top off the evening. Service was good and the ambiance was nice too. Vibrant, but not too loud. Overall, a welcome addition to Alexandria.

Larva Larva

Lunch was amazing. This place is huge, too, so good for groups. My waiter was great.

Tyson Dymock

This is the best steak I have ever had. The service was on point and the wine selection is beautiful.

Shanta Cardiel

Food was okay. Needed salt. I ordered the French onion soup and the chicken ballotine. Would order both again. My husband didn't like his halibut. Decor and ambiance was great. Valet parking available.

Jeremy Skog

Do not go to this terrible restaurant. In their first week of operation they have decided to try and set up tables and barriers to block a main pedestrian commuter route for people walking to and from King Street metro. I don’t know why they would make an extra effort to alienate the Alexandria community. No one who lives or works in Alexandria should support such an uncaring neighbor.

Andre Garber

What really stands out here is the excellent service. The service is attentive, professional and warm. The decor is clean with attractive paintings lining the walls of the upper floor. Be prepared for assertive flavors. If you like your steak with a char, this is the place for you.

Tim F

I've been here 4 times. Every time the food has been excellent, but this time it wasn't. Still very good, but my duck was a little dry when I asked for it medium rare and my wife's food was good but again not crazy good like its been in the past. I really love the location and the out door seating by the fountain. The wine selection is excellent, and I particularly like the format for choosing the bottle, ie get up and look through it all. Great place, I'll be going back but I hope the food gets back to its previous excellence.

Jonathan Collum

This is a spot I've never seen before despite it being close to other restaurants I frequent. The Google walking directions may throw you off a bit but look for it sort of in the courtyard of the building. We were seated quickly but service all around was not very quick or attentive. I had the burger which was quite tasty, but despite ordering it with an egg it didn't come that way. Their fries were good and had a somewhat mysterious flavor that we attributed perhaps to truffle oil. My coworkers likes but didn't love their choices (crab cakes, mussels, and something on a very large crusty bread section). If you are on this end of king street options are limited in walking distance so it's a fine option if you aren't looking to walk too far.

Gerald Romero

A cheerful and friendly restaurant.Great service and atmosphere. Food was tasty I enjoyed my visit.

Kalimullah Ziai

I did not like it at all.

Katherine Aversano

I really wanted to like this restaurant. The menu is ambitious and could be a real success, but fell short in timing and personnel - both of which made the food unimpressing. The server arrived with a persona of being comfortable/sarcastic or just aloof with us and we dined on a Saturday night - we were clearly not there for the server’s company or amusement. The server also was snippy about drinks and apps - stating that they would return when we knew what we wanted because they clearly interrupted something. Also had to call server back to get a forgotten order. Politely and at a reasonable volume requested the server using sir/ma’am to which was met snippily with “my name is ____.” The apps arrived luke warm - they clearly had been siting for a bit. The escargot has a great puff pastry, but served luke warm, it cooled quickly and the mushrooms and snails got cold. Ricotta gnocchi was also served luke warm, with no hint of rosemary on vegetables. It was accompanied by cold vegetable fritters not listed on the menu. The salad/soup arrived before staff cleared the app plates. One of our guests sat with two empty plates in his hands waiting for someone to take them from him so he could eat his soup. The food deliverer waited to set and remove all other plates before taking them from the original 2-plate holding guest. French onion soup was hearty and flavorful. Between courses the chef came out and walked around, but not to greet guests. He was seemingly counting on his fingers at each table to see which meals had been delivered to tables. This is not something that should be occurring when someone from back-of-house trusts how front-of-house is doing their jobs. Front of house, except for one man filling water and clearing dishes, was not timed well at all. The main courses left much to be desired. What the restaurant is trying to do would be delicious if they were able to do it all well. Maybe the menu needs to be paired down so as to not take on too much? The scallops were good, but nothing I couldn’t do at home. One filet was underdone (which, honestly, is always better than overdone - so not a big deal). The filet was served lukewarm. The salmon was good with a nice broth, but again served luke warm. I wish the night had gone better. And frankly was embarrassed to have taken guests to this restaurant with all the other delicious places to go in Old Town.

charles audrain

Notified restaurant of gluten allergy when booked on Open Table. Most restaurants acknowledge this when you check in with hostess or server, this restaurant did not. Server was not knowledgeable of what food items were gluten free so checked with kitchen. After two visits to kitchen was told we could have steak or fish with no sauce and they would try to find a vegetable. It was very obvious that their business plan did not involve food allergies. I do appreciate them being upfront with us about the very limited items that they could prepare gluten free. We have eaten in many french restaurants and bistros and have had no problems finding a safe but interesting meal. Alexandria is full of restaurants that can easily accomodate a gluten free diet and offer tasty meals. We left the restaurant and walked down King Street to have a delicious meal. A piece of protein and a steamed vegetable was the only offerings 15 years ago. I occasionally will find a restaurant that is does not appreciate the business of the celiac community. We had high hopes for this neighborhood restaurant since it is an easy walk from our home, but left with no intention on returning. Received response from manager that 70% of menu was gluten free. The menu we were presented did not indicate that, nor did the server and kitchen staff discuss that with us after multiple trips to the kitchen. Recommend better training for server and kitchen staff for food allergies.

Mark McClung

Great food, but a bit expensive for lunch

Thomas Taylor

Nice Bistro, Food was Great!!

Jason Bias

A Great new restaurant in Old Town. The steak and frites are excellent and the crab cake is delicious. The wine selection has definitely been methodically picked. There were a few hiccups I noticed on opening weekend (when I went), but these were definitely overcome by the atmosphere. This place has potential and is an exciting new restaurant in Old Town that will definitely be around for a while. (first time review on Google, usually use Yelp, but to be honest I use google reviews more myself, so I am converting over). I went back for a second time and the food was even better. I asked the server if they had changed anything and they mentioned that they had a new chef. Hats off to the new chef, I didn't think this place could get any tastier.

M Fedoris

My first taste of French cuisine blew me out of the water. The chef takes traditional French favorites and adds small twists of American styles. I loved the escargot and highly suggest the duck wings. The wine is reasonably priced as it is retail - had a great wine flight with my hanger steak. Definitely going back!

Rocky Banks

Great food and presentation. Pastry department needs some improvement. Staff is still learning their craft. Profiterole sauce was cold and not pourable, too much ice cream in the profiterole, profiteroles were over done. Lemon sponge was dry. Chocolate Napolean look wonderful.

Dianne Childers

Excellent! Mussels were delicious, bread excellent, 3 different kinds of strawberry desserts. Bartender and waiters so friendly and attentive. Very comfortable environment. Will definitely go back....maybe tomorrow!!

Tom Kelly

I can’t wait to return to Bistro Sancerre. The owners did a fabulous job designing & building the restaurant - it’s absolutely stunning. I wasn’t very hungry when I went for dinner & couldn’t finish my meal, so I will update this post after I’ve had the opportunity to really enjoy a meal there. I did have the Duet Pork though & it was cooked to perfection. Also had a Pinot noir from Sancerre, France that was the perfect accompaniment.

Sean Ryan

Tried Bistro Sancerre for the first time and both food and drinks were excellent! They have a large outdoor seating area that lines a beautiful courtyard. Service was also very good. A welcome addition to Old Town - French food in a fairly casual ambiance.

Hilda Kroll

What could be more French than quiche Lorraine and a petite salad? Go international with a cappuccino and you'll agree with server/bartender Dave that it's the perfect lunch, especially when the bill comes and it's only $15.50 plus tax. The lunch menu is a perfect way for someone on a budget to try French food. The quiche of the day, sandwiches and crepes, all served with a petite salad, range in price from $10 to $15. Across the street from the Metro and buses, it's a nice way to begin or end your visit to Old Town.

Bradford Pace

This French classic delivers more than simple Sancerre. Lots of wine options.

Amy-Renee Dull-Collins

Bistro Sancerre is a restaurant right in the heart of Old Town Alexandria, right outside of DC. It has become one of my new favorites in the area. I was so glad to see something being done with this vacant space.. As you enter the place you are welcomed by a magnificent setting, very luxurious yet very relaxing. Sitting in any table you have a wonderful view of the entire restaurant, including being able to look out at Old town also and the HUGE variety of bottled wines on the wall. I forgot to mention there is cozy lounge (waiting area) also the bar area is quite unique as well. I used the restaurants Open Table, therefore I did not have to wait. The menu offers a wide variety of mouth-watering starters. I had the 72 hour beef crepinette with a delicious red onion bacon jam with potato mousseline, while my friend tried the jumbo lump crab cake, celery root remoulade, with a spiced rice flour cracker. They were exquisite!! The main course consisted of a New York Strip (cooked perfectly ) a bundle of root vegetables ,onion rings, and a roasted garlic Aioli and my friend had the Crispy skinned North Atlantic salmon, a potato puree, the 10 Vegetable Beignets, which were outstanding. Served with a lemon bouillon. We were really thrilled. It all was followed by a delicious s'mores dessert!! Yum! All the products were fresh and the dishes had the warmth of home-made food. The chefs take great care in selecting the best quality ingredients. The restaurant also caters for all tastes by providing a large selection of the best wines! The service was outstanding. From the time I walked in the door until the door was held for me on my way out and was Thanked by the owner and hostess!! I highly recommend going to Bistro Sancerre.

Anthony Smith

Great French food and service.

Kitty Richmond

We are fans of Grand Cru and were excited to try Bistro Sancerre. Four of us spent a delicious evening at this new restaurant, indulging in great drinks, wine and sharing eight incredible "starters". We loved them all but particularly the escargot, gnocchi, mushrooms, and duck lollipops. The service was very friendly and efficient, the ambience is modern but warm, and the food was creative, delicious, and beautifully presented. Can't wait for warm weather to dine in their courtyard.

Stephen Yanchuk

About me: I live and work nearby and was excited to see a new restaurant moving into such a huge space. *Please "like" if my review was helpful in your decision and you respect a poster that has hundreds of reviews* -1 Star Ambiance: We sat near the bar to get a good view of everything and everyone. The lighting is harsh white, and a lot of hard surfaces makes sound fairly echoy. The kitchen is right through the bar so I dont expect this place to ever have a decent bar scene as there would be no room. The lighting above us made us feel like we were being interrogated and put us a little on edge. -2 star Handling of difficult situation: As our food was being delivered, our server's hand got hit from behind which caused him to shove the plate into the wine glasses and causing them to pour over. Accidents happen, but it gives a good test of character to see how the management staff would respond. I am not a squeaky wheel client and will not lower myself to such complaining in front of my date when I am unhappy. So...how did they do? They replaced my soup that had wine poured into it, moved us to a clean table, and replaced one of the glasses of wine. -Some of the wine had spilled out of the other glass, or mixed with the other wine, it just seemed odd to not replace both that had been knocked over -It was a fairly chaotic event and based on the already stark lighting, shook both me and my date to our core, it would have been nice to have someone check up on us again. -at the end of the day, we got 2 glasses of wine, 2 appetizers, and 1 soup totaling $58. That is a steep price for what I consider a completely unacceptable event. I tried to keep my cool in the middle of my date and expected the management to make it up to us after the ordeal, not completely neglect us. -1 star Server attitude: I asked my server what the "Strudel of Duck confit" was. The reply regarding the strudel part was "its a puffed pastry that is like a poptart, I probably shouldnt say that, the chef might not like that". Firstly, it isnt like a poptart, poptart makes one think its like a Jamaica beef patty, which it isnt. It seemed to be a puffed pastry that absorbs the duck fat and is fried to a crispy texture. If I'm paying $16 for an appetizer, please dont treat the experience like this is a TGIFridays. I expect a little more class for this pricepoint. This honestly didnt bother me much till recapping everything wrong with the whole evening. The one star: Well google forces us to leave at least one star. The french onion soup wasn't too salty. It was the grand opening, so maybe yall will turn it around? Reply to response: You can try to validate your actions, but the premium cost of your establishment was not met. Accidents happen, but it falls on management to make the situation right for the patrons. As you continue to make excuses, my above review (doubt management is able to meet the expectations of clients at this pricepoint) is further validated. I do often pay extra for a dinner and a show, visiting your establishment was not such affair.

Judith H

What a surprise to find such a wonderful new French restaurant in our neighborhood! The food was delicious (escargot, frogs’ legs, jumbo asparagus, creative Brie salad). The service was very attentive. But the crowning pièce de résistance, which the chef made just for my birthday dinner, was the apple tart served with wonderful vanilla ice cream. And all at a reasonable price in a very elegant setting.

Rae M.

Happy hour super sub-par, service meh unless you are wearing a suit (please note I am not being gender specific here). Literally got menus AFTER the person who sat down 5 minutes after us, mind you we had already spoken to the bartender and asked for menus, we were defiantly an after thought. Food was unimaginative and all baguette based (ie. the beef tip on a baguette, the manor cheese that comes with 6 small slices of a baguette for two people, the muscles that come with the traditional baguette).... weirdly so. Will not be returning, there are much better options in the area. The atmosphere is nice enough and the only thing keeping this place from 2 stars. There is outdoor seating where you can be forgotten about on a beautiful Alexandria evening.

Jonathan McCarter

Watched this place get built out the last year during my walk home, they did a great job and am glad they are now open. Had a great dinner tonight, NY strip was awesome.

Binu Thomas

Went there during happy hour. Unusually the draft beers were not on happy pricing only a couple of bottles of beer. The happy food specials were good. We pick a draft beer of Bell's TWO HEARTED ALE which is from Michigan.