Restaurant Review: Bistro La Bonne

On Saturday night, I had a real hankering for some French food upon returning to D.C. after a wonderfully relaxing week at the beach. Bistro Du Coin in Dupont is usually our go-to for this kind of food but we were up for trying something new since my days in D.C. feel like they are flying by. After a lengthy search on OpenTable, we settled on Bistro La Bonne on U Street. The review were consistently good and it was walking distance from the apartment.

Upon arrival, I have to admit that I was immediately skeptical about this place. First, there weren't many people there, which seems strange for a Saturday night in the city. Plus, the people who were there seemed to only be drinking and not eating. I worried that the reviews might have been good for a happy hour go-er rather than someone looking for a nice meal. I have to say that the outside decor screams more of a dive bar than a French bistro even though the website is what you would expect from a fancy restaurant. Dan said we could leave and go somewhere else, but I wanted to trust the the online reviews so badly that we ended up staying. Overall, I'm really happy that we stuck to our original decision and gave Bistro La Bonne a try.

The service was a bit slow at first, but we were forgiving once we realized that there was only one waiter for the entire floor. Our server, a French gentleman named Clement, was friendly, hospitable, and checked up on us often despite how many tables he was serving at the same time. The rest of the staff became very attentive even though we felt virtually ignored during the first 10-15 minutes.

Now, let's get to the more important part: the food. The food was absolutely fantastic. Dan claimed that his meal was better than he's ever had at Bistro Du Coin. After having a bite for myself, I have to agree that their steak frites dish was definitely up there. However, I'm not sure that I'm ready to give up my allegiance to Bistro Du Coin just yet. We started off with escargot and, not only were those little snails to die for, we couldn't stop dipping out bread in the leftover sauce. I had moules normades with bacon, apple, mushrooms, and apple cider sauce. I could not stop eating those little suckers - the mussels were just that good and the sauce was exquisite and perfectly complimented the mussels without being too overbearing.

I cannot recommend this place more to people who like French food (and even those who don't). There is a nice upstairs area for an intimate date or bigger tables for a group downstairs. And the prices are very reasonable for the amount and quality of food you get. I think it's worth a try for everyone in the area!

Check out the menu here.

Address: 1340 U Street Washington NW, DC 20009