Bastille Brasserie & Bar: A Taste of Authentic French Cuisine in Alexandria

Great food! So much flavor. True French. Wine pairing was excellent. Service was wonderful.

We celebrated our anniversary here and were lucky enough to have Andres H as our server. He was just the best of the best - old school hospitality, a step above, really making it feel like a special meal. He’s charming and funny and attentive and wonderful, a total star. We both did a prix fixe dinner and got a bottle of wine - there was a 30% discount on bottles this evening so it was a pretty great deal. One of our meals was onion soup, duck à l’orange, and cheese plate, and the other was pâté, moules frites, and crème brûlée. There wasn’t a dud in the batch - I’d highly recommend any and all to bring you joy. Extra credit to the person who came by to ask if I’d like ketchup, aioli, or mustard for my fries - love an option. I hope this place gets its flowers and is a success for a billion years, I love it so much!

We had a great dinner at Bastille. Juan, the manager, was extremely nice and came to check on us multiple times throughout the evening. The food and cocktails were great and we will definitely be back!

I attended a wedding luncheon at this restaurant. The appetizers were genuinely enjoyable, and the staff clearly put effort into setting up the event. While there were some areas that could’ve been improved, overall, their preparation was adequate for the occasion. However, I was taken aback by one particular incident. I requested a medium-rare steak, but what I received was nearly well-done—charred, rubbery, and heavily overseasoned to the point of bitterness. As shown in the photo, the portion was small to begin with, and by the third piece, I simply couldn’t eat any more. I politely asked the staff if the dish could be remade or substituted. The response I got was disappointing. I was told that the kitchen had only prepared enough food for the expected guest count—which struck me as questionable, since I knew several invitees didn’t end up attending. What truly frustrated me, though, was when the staff member remarked that she might have been able to help had I not eaten the steak. That logic didn’t sit right with me. If the kitchen had only prepared a limited number of meals, then it shouldn’t have mattered whether I had taken a few bites or not. Besides, how could I have known the quality of the dish without tasting it? It felt like a no-win, catch-22 situation. What bothered me most wasn’t just the poorly cooked steak, but the attitude with which the issue was handled. Apart from the appetizers, the rest of the meal ranged from mediocre to disappointing. Frankly, I’m relieved I never tried this restaurant before, despite living nearby for the past decade.

This place is absolutely fantastic. My wife and I stopped in during restaurant week and were treated to a wonderful experience from the time we walked in the door. All of the food was absolutely delicious. The service was exceptional, and I cannot wait to come back. The hanger steak was cooked perfectly and had great flavor. I am not a big fan of duck, but my wife said it was among the best she has ever had. The escargot was exactly what you would expect in flavor/preparation, but it did throw me for a loop when they did not come in their shell. Profiterolesprofiterolesprofiteroles You have to have the profiteroles

Sat at the bar and loved the ambience. It’s quaint and can be a nice romantic spot for couples. Our bartender was great and he recommended the prix fixe menu and it was definitely worth it. Got the marinated beets salad, lamb and Crème brûlée! Will definitely return. Great service, great food. What else can one ask for?!

We took our friend out for his birthday. He chose Bastille. It's a decent restaurant and pretty popular with its clientele. Our waiter was really nice. He was friendly and helpful. My friends ordered the cold asparagus soup (special for the day) and I got the chicken liver pate. I enjoyed my dish. My friends didn't say much about the soup but they must have liked it because they cleaned out the bowl!! For the main dish, I got the trout almondine. The fish was soft and fork tender. Perhaps a bit too much butter!! The others ordered the duck breast and steak frites. Overall we were content with the meal. For dessert, I got the profiterole and one friend got the sorbet. Nice, but not outstanding.

My husband and I moved to the area from Clarendon and were looking for a new French spot as an alternative to Lyon Hall. Unfortunately Bastille disappointed food and value wise. The service and staff was fantastic though. Our food review: the steak frites was overcooked and too salty and didn’t come with any dipping sauce- no mayonnaise, ketchup, etc for the fries. We asked for some. The pâté was a bit dense and unattractive. We also didn’t really like the rock shrimp fritter beignets. The beer also wasn’t that cold. The table bread was ok with good butter. We liked the beet salad. We also think they should build the cost of additional bread baskets into the menu and not list “additional baskets of bread are $3” on the menu. I can only imagine how challenging it is to run a restaurant but It just felt a little stingy considering the menu is on the expensive side so seeing this immediately soured our first impression a little bit. Overall, it’s a nice dining experience but Lyon hall has better food for better prices with a more vibrant energy.