Reviews of Cafe Renaissance (Restaurant)

Alec Holden

Fantastic spot to buy food when in a hurry. Their customer service is efficient, pricing is fair, good ambience. I highly recommend this spot.

Sound Asleep

Owner was there to greet me, food was delicious and just the right amount. Wine selection was great and waiter was friendly and knowledgeable. Will definitely be returning. Would be an amazing date spot.

Vincent Awesomeness

The best in town. Authentic and delicious French cuisine.

Kevin Turner

A truly Excellent High End Restaurant! The food is really excellent and the staff is top-noch! Frequently the Head Chief actually stops by your table, sits with you, and personally discuses the various menu options, and what he can do modify them to your liking!

Tony Lee

Old world French restaurant with old world charm, wonderfully decorated. Great foods, friendly and attentive staff. Free parking in front. Located right off Maple Avenue in the heart of Vienna. My favorite French restaurant in Northern Virginia.

Joe Cacciapaglia

Excellent European Continental fare

mink44

A hidden gem with personable service.

David Lease

Café Renaissance has been one of our top dining choices for about 25 years. We had another enjoyable evening last night and I realized I'm overdue in updating my review of Café Renaissance. If you're expecting the typical snooty French restaurant, you won't find it here. Everyone, from the owner greeting us at the door to our waiter, the busboy, and the chef who joined us for dinner create that hard-to-find neighborhood café vibe -- that just happens to serve fantastic food. The atmosphere is relaxed with an extensive and reasonably-priced wine list, a select globe-spanning menu where you can close your eyes and select your dinner -- and be impressed with whatever you choose. Service is professional and friendly -- with a adept touch so that romantic moments aren't disturbed. Just a wonderful restaurant -- great for romantic dinners, engagement parties, business meals, and any other event where you want that rare integration of wonderful food, great service, and a friendly room of fellow diners.

Judy Hamilton

The staff was friendly and efficient. The food was so very good. It is now one of my favorite restaurants and we will be regulars.

Nancy Fatemi

This is a wonderfully warm, Old Europe restaurant with lovely ambiance and attentive staff. The food is excellent! The knowledgeable staff readily offers recommendations as to wine selection and specials, all excellent. Whether you have a special occasion or not, this is the place to go for a memorable time and top value.

Lei Zhang

Service is great. A little too expensive for me but I guess it's the regular price for a fine dining restaurant.

Chris Gilstrap

The restaurant is quiet and beautiful. The staff could not be more polite and attentive. The food was delicious. I'm looking forward to my next visit!

Jesus Mejia

The dinner and service was excellent. Arrived with a warm welcoming and our server was amazing. Will be back.

Lam Pham

Excellent food and experience. Thank you.

leyda molina

Had a rude waiter...when we asked for an extra chair to place our purses, he responded we don’t have hooks, this is not McDonalds, then proceeded to say that our bags were not that expensive..I mean really... The food excellent...

David Allen

Service was excellent and the food was very good.

Ayushi Gupta

loved the ambiance and interior decor! not a huge fan of the entrees but this is one of the best places for dessert!

Steve DeWeese

Perfect cozy french restaurant

Heather McNelis

My boyfriend and I were so happy we found this place on OpenTable. The food was amazing. (Also, order the Irish coffee).

Richard Plocica

Consistently voted number one romantic supper date in northern Virginia. Excellent almost fawning service and memorable food. A place to treat yourself with someone special in the intimate atmosphere. Old World continental class and style.

Valerie Keller

One star says it all.

Alice Wang

Café Renaissance is a wonderfully elegant, romantic restaurant in Vienna. Unassuming from the exterior, the interior is charming and warm. The walls are adorned with Impressionist-style paintings and reminiscent of traditional Parisian décor, especially with Degas' dancers painted on one wall. Each table is decorated with roses and everything looks very romantic and refined. I ordered the lobster bisque as an appetizer and sea scallops in a cilantro sauce for my entrée. Food was delicious. Great flavors all around the table. We also ordered a bottle of wine, which our server helped to cork and wrap after our meal to take home with us. Service is super attentive and professional here. Our server was very knowledgeable and friendly. Since it was my birthday, he and the other servers came over with a large plate of dessert samplers and sang happy birthday to me. Beautiful décor, fantastic food, excellent service. What more could you ask for?

Chris Sheft

Great food, had a great time.

sanam dalil

Fabulous

Mr.Chris Duncan

Fantastic food, personable service, intimate setting.

GG Grace

Thank you Cafe Renaissance for making Mom’s 90th birthday a very special event. The food was excellent, the service superb and all at a very reasonable cost. The staff delighted her great grandchildren with their patience and attention to them. It was a most memorable occasion. It was a perfect venue for having a private party with family and friends. I highly recommend this restaurant. We will definitely be back.

shamot84

Wonderful night we had here. Managers and servers are amazing. They make you feel like home. Ambience is beautiful and warm. Fine dining in heart of Vienna!

Jessica Spargo

Absolutely flawless service! And such lovely and delicious food. My mother-in-law and I went during lunch, so the atmosphere was quiet, but I understand the dinner service to be much busier. It's a small space, so I highly recommend making reservations. We had the beet and arugula salad, crab stuffed oysters, salmon, and halibut. We capped our meal with coffee--everything was rich yet light. We will definitely be back.

Stacy Tran

Service is awesome. All staffs are friendly and attentive. The best entree Le ChateauBriand pour deux.

Cindy Exum Metcalf

Today the Women's Club of Greater Reston (WCGR) was delighted to have their Annual Holiday Luncheon at Cafe Renaissance. The food was c'est délicieux! With 58 ladies in attendance, I must say that I have never had so many ladies remark on how delicious the meal was. The service, as always was impeccable. Saeed and his staff & especially the amazing Chef did a fabulous job! If I could give them more stars, I would!

Todd and Alishia Knop

The food was pretty good but didn't follow the items expected with the meal i.e risotto was supposed to be plated and was not. The risotto that came out was much like rice a Roni. Not close to risotto a bit. That lack of checking plating before service should have been automatic for white linen and the per plate cost. The filet was very large, didn't come out rare as I asked for it though. It was a kind of nouvelle cuisine. A carrot was served with each of three meals, super huge, very done, but very sweet. The squash & sweet potato bisque was delightful! The oysters were very good as well although they weren't quite the Rockefeller we are used too. The cod was delicious as was the salmon. The staff was extremely pleasant and very welcoming, they definitely were humbled by our presence and grateful for our dining there, genuine, which was very nice.

Nicole Piper

Excellent food and fantastic service!

grace strother

Always a pleasure coming to this place!

Divya Paul

Food is absolutely amazing!

Nicalena Neary

Cafe Renaissance is a French Restaurant located in Vienna VA. The decor is cozy, bright and pretty. Food is French style with a touch of American-- eg, Veal, Mussels or Cheese Steak with a French flair. They are opened for Lunch and Dinner and Brunch on Sunday. Wine and Bar items are available.

Betty Holup

It was the best experience for my 70th birthday. Service was superb and ambiance without question. Plenty to eat and the presentation added to it.

Cathy Brudvig

Be sure to order an Irish coffee. Definitely worth it; quite a show

Dan Willham

We've been coming here for years and have always enjoyed ourselves. The food and service are excellent. Saeed and his staff treat their guests like family. Enjoy the bananas foster prepared table-side.

Ted Phillips

A wonderful dining experience! The owners greet you enthusiastically and warmly when you arrive. The atmosphere is European in flavor and very cozy. The food is extraordinary - the Chef is a true artist. Every little detail is there. The menu leans toward classic French cuisine and everything is well-executed. Make sure to budget two or three hours and savor the experience. Highly recommended!

C. Elm

To my experience, this is the worse restaurant I have ever been. My friend and I went there for lunch and had important things to talk about. The owner and the waiter would come on and on, interrupt us with their bad accent, trying to be funny! The interior decorating and the food were both dreadful . I can't remember ever having been in any restaurant as bad as this one. A McDonald has more ambience than Cafe Renaissance. Never again!!

J-S D-de-B

Went there many times. Always a delight

Bridget Merz

Always a wonderful dining experience! You are made to feel at home and catered to.

Susan Dudley

Sayeed, the owner, ensures every visit is special - the food, the atmosphere, and the service. We celebrated my friend's birthday over high tea and felt royal!

Karen Lumpkins

I love going here for their wine dinners...always have a great time. Also have been to their Saturday Teas....took two friends with me and we had a marvelous time.

Giancarlo Lenci

Excellent restaurant with very friendly staff (Johnathan was very nice with us). It makes you feel at home! Delicious food.

Ann Poulson

Birthday celebration was best ever. Personal attention from cook made us feel special. Meals were excellent, some made to order. Looking forward to next visit.

4Rock4Roll

Marvelous and unique food and atmosphere. Perfect French music, amazing wine list, and friendly staff.

J L

Recently my wife and I had another delightful lunch at Cafe Renaissance. It reminded us again why this has been our favorite restaurant for almost 15 years. Saeed, his lovely wife and their superb chef are charming hosts whose singular goal is to make each visit a memorable one. The cuisine is excellent. The service is unmatched . The décor and floral arrangements are "old world romantic". Sandy and I go for lunch whenever we are near Vienna. It is our restaurant of choice for special evenings with family and friends. Thanks, Saeed.

Abhinav Ananthula

good food great taste!

Fred

Always welcomed, treated like respected guests, we were seated in a classical setting. The upscale ambiance is not expected in a strip mall location. The dishes are varied and expertly prepared. Food is fresh, tasty and presentation is comparable to upscale dining. The owner is very accommodating and special requests are quickly met. Great place for special romantic occasion.

D. THOMAS GERDOVICH

Excellent service and hospitality. Food was not bad. Dining there is an old world experience as it should be.

Nick Katsaras

Very friendly staff and excellent food!

Raymond Hubbard

A gem of a high quality French Restaurant. Reservations easy, Service Excellent. Food quality and preparation excellent. Having just returned from 4 years in Abu Dhabi, we have been in search of a french restaurant to replace our loved Le Bergerie that closed in Alexandria. Well, we have found it. Cafe Renaissance hits everything on just the right note. A very good wine list, wonderful selection of starters, Dover Sole entee and Lemoncello cake for desert is just outstanding. Don't miss a wonderful evening here, Saeed and team have created a very enjoyable environment. Thanks Cafe Renaissance!!

Dan Dailey

Amazing

Kaya Hamilton

Everything was great until the bill came... We had a big ticket and about 8 different paying methods.. When we asked our server to put them on separate tickets , he he said he couldn't-it was a handwritten ticket.. so instead of him figuring out the cost for each person, we had to spend the next 45 minutes figuring it out, only to find out he put the wrong total on the ticket.. So then he spent the next HOUR AND A HALF trying to fix everything!!! Right before we left he basically said that he deserved a 90$ (which was 20%) dollar tip, and from from a table full of youth...

Carlos Aramayo

This place is excellent! The food was amazing (I had the filet mignon), the attention and service we received was top notch and lot personalized compared to the countless restaurants I've been to. The ambiance is very romantic, cozy, home-like, and not over-the-top extravagant. I got to meet the owner and the man is fantastic, very honest and caring for all of his customers. Additionally, this place is actually affordable and is great not only for casual lunches or dinners, but for a special occasion as well. I highly recommend this restaurant.

Karen Cassiday

As always, a wonderful spot for a romantic dinner!

Harry Hink

I can not describe the treatment and service you will receive from the management team, the chef, and server/wait staff. From start to finish, by far the best experience in the area. Always a personal visit from the owner and the chef. They take great pride in what they are serving and making sure you receive what you want. The meal comes with a personal touch. If you have dietary concerns, this is the place for you. The daily specials were to die for. We had a home made lobster ravioli which made your month water. At the end, you have to experience the Irish coffee and Banana's Foster. I know you will be full, but a must!!!! We spent our Anniversary there and will spend many more there in the future. At the end of the evening the owner sat with us to ensure our experience was unforgettable. Well, it truly was. I highly recommend Cafe Renaissance

Sam Ignacio

I was very pleased with my first experience with Cafe Renaissance. From beginning to end. Went to Cafe Renaissance for a birthday dinner date for my girlfriend and had no complaints. I made no reservations, so I called ahead (around 5:30 pm) to see if there was any availability. The host told me to come in as that they had plenty of open tables. The location is in the corner of a small strip mall and can be easily overlooked. Our dinner was at 7pm, on a Monday, so we had an easy time looking for parking. The restaurant is a decent size. The walls are hand painted with European paintings and there were 3 other dates and a small party of 4 there. The host was kind and very personable (may have been the owner). We were all spaced out and had a private piece of the restaurant. The server was a kind and personable elder man from Europe and also made the experience delightful. The bread is freshly baked. They help make the dipping, which is just olive oil and Parmesan. They have a great wine selection. We just ended up sharing a glass of white whine since we were ordering seafood. We ordered the special appetizer, which was baked oyster with crab meat. I ended up getting the baked flounder and my gf got the baked trout. The sides were the same, grilled asparagus and potatoes. They gave my gf a birthday dessert sampler which was delicious. Overall, very good experience. Great for dates and small family dinners. A little pricey but I guess you're paying for the experience. One other small issue was I thought the restaurant was just a tad too warm, but i can't complain because I'm writing this review in the middle of winter.

Ava Abadi

small fine dining gem located in Vienna. when you walk inside you are transported to another time. gold framed paintings and beautiful flower arrangements are very pleasing to look at. the food is tasty. my favorite is the mussels in pesto cream sauce. their Saturday tea - once a month- is an absolute bargain. you receive an insane amount of food - sandwiches, fruits, desserts, for around $25/person. absolute must try.

Alycia Carcillo

Excellent food, wine and service

Fritz Reese

Our mussels and lobster were over done, but the rest of our food was great. The beef Wellington is no Gordon Ramsay but it is kind of an Eastern spin on the dish, which was very tasty and intriguing. The server was very nice and we had a great time talking to him. On the downside the chef came out to talk to us and was awkwardly hitting on my brother's girlfriend thirty years younger than him. The server acted like he does that all the time. All in all a great place, just don't take a pretty girl here.

Bob Bessette

The gem of Vienna, Virginia. Truly a Five Star restaurant.

Avalamanda Satish

Good place for delicious food.

Chris Vallianos

The food is superb, they do a very flavorful terrine with perfect texture. Traditional French style cuisine in an unlikely location. The maitre de, makes a perfect martini, and I was pleased with the price even of top shelf vodka. The wine selection is extensive with pairing suggestions. The waitstaff know when to approach the table, how to ask proper questions and engage clientele and not to be too pushy. I would recommend this place for special occasions and/or clients. Keep up the good work Saeed.

Katy Kasmai

The decor is a distasteful, worn and dirty attempt at old world Europe. The so called fine French cuisine is neither fine nor French. The staff is curt and confused. The mother's day brunch was not really a brunch, and when asking the head waiter a simple question such as "are drinks included with the brunch" the response was "is this your first time at a restaurant? The only free drink here is Vienna tap water". The afternoon continued with the staff making constant awkward comments, and at one point just as one waiter offered us juice the other waiter cut in to say "don't get it its too sugary". The average age of patronage: 85. These positive reviews can not possibly be for real, but we were fooled and our mother's day ruined.

M Cole

Dark, dingy and rude! These people exude their idea of French. But it definitely is not. I have had so much nicer people serve me in France than at the cafe Renaissance. The stale decorations seem a desperate attempt at cozy but isnt. The worse attitude I've ever had by door greeter. This little business needs to take a step back and reacess how they want new customers to feel about their business before putting their future in jeopardy. Absolutely terrible experience.

Robert Sedaker

Had lunch there with my mom today. Everything was amazing. The service was warm and on point. The food was the real superstar here (as well it should be). I am not exaggerating when I say it was the first time I have actually cleaned my plate in 2018 at a restaurant, and I did so enthusiastically! Everything was cooked to perfection! EVERYTHING! I will be back for sure! And when the occasion arises, I will bring many friends as well!!! PS this is only the 2nd 5-star review I have ever posted in my life! This place is special!

Hawi Bekele Bengessa

This is Great!! The owner and the managers are so kind and are amazzinnggggg at customer service!! Will definetly be back!

vihang pandya

Almost 10 years and we keep coming back. Thank you for saving the corner table for us everytime..

Aylene Ilkson

This restaurant definitely takes you back to old world France.. or something like it. Definitely a more formal setting with ornate gold trim on everything and elaborate fresh flower arrangements. The food which isn’t exactly what’s on the website was hit or miss, but certainly heavy in the traditional French way. The owner is very passionate but service was a little slow to start but the food comes out in a timely fashion. Get ready for some random sides with every dish such as a very large carrot.. singular. Green beans, a singular piece of broccoli with beshamel on top and some random spinach. Overall a weird experience with some tasty bites.

george dove

Once again a fabulous evening at cafe Renaissance. Our round table for 9 was perfect. Food and wine was excellent and creative. Best carrot I ever ate! Ambiance conducive to great conversation. Service efficient. Can’t wait to return. George dove

K. M. Ellis

Wonderful people! Wonderful wine and food! What a great mother's day experience!

George Prior

Love Cafe Renaissance. Have been many times and the experience is always the best. The Staff and Menu are wonderful. It is so nice

Debbie Wolfe

Cafe' Renaissance is simply a wonderful restaurant. First of all, the look of the restaurant is so quaint and tastefully decorated. They just changed the white columns to gold and boy did it make everything look so vibrant. There are always white table cloths with fresh flower arrangements on each and every table making everything look crisp and clean. The service is always impeccable and honestly they just can't do enough for you. They are very accomodating when it comes to changing up a menu item and their portions are very generous. There half portions are huge. With regards to after dinner drinks and desserts, the owner is always coming by offering a free drink or sample of dessert. The staff treat you like family even if you are there for the first time. All I can say is, that it's a great bang for your buck. Enjoy!

Barbara Kernan

Renaissance Cafe is a very special find. It is like stepping back in time to enjoy the ambience, the owner, the Chef and the wait staff who make the experience very personal and caring. The food is prepared meticulously, flavorfully, deliciously and generously. And extensive menu from which it is very hard to choose from all the wonderful possibilities. I give it well deserved five stars

Sam Smilie

Excellent food, excellent service

Jesse Birch

Quality food and decent selection of wine. Will go back.

Andrew R. Stec

Excellent wine selection. Outstanding food. Great ambiance. Super staff. Very enjoyable dining experience. Recommend highly.

Michelle Jafari

good food, service is also very good, but expect an experince, not a fast food place but very good

Will Chan

Soso service and over price.

Chapman Dugger

This is our favorite restaurant in Vienna. My wife and I have been dining with Saeed the owner for over 16 years. Great food, lovely ambience and a true feeling that you are special! We went last night to celebrate my wifes birthday. His daughter plays violin music occasionally. You will enjoy specialty desserts and wine pairings.I always return for the personal service and sincere appreciation that is given for a dining night.! Dugger Vienna, Va.

Duaa Albethiny

Loved the food, top service and delicious dessert

Hans Z

being Persian I am very picky in finding great tasting food. few months ago, me and my wife had dinner at the café renaissance on a Wednesday night, food was great , the owner and the chef also made sure our food was prepared the way we wanted. I was also very pleasantly surprised when I got the bill, usually the check for fine dinning restaurants are a lot more than what we got. I would definitely recommend café renaissance to anyone who loves great tasting passionately prepared food with a great atmosphere.

Yulio Gamonal

Enjoying my birthday dinner with Corina the love of my life! Thanks Barbie for such a great surprise and delicious French cuisine at Cafe Renaissance! I really recommend this restaurant for any special person in your life or special occasions. Bon appetite!

Mehdi Mehran-Nejad

Excellent friendly romantic couisine