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The French Laundry: Restaurant Reviews

6640 Washington St, Yountville, CA 94599
707 944-2380
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Ranked #2 of 22 restaurants in Yountville
Price range: $50 - $240
Cuisines: American, French
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Restaurant details
Good for: Romance, Outdoor seating, Special occasions
Dining options: Lunch, Dinner, Reservations, Late Night
Dining style: Fine Dining
Cross street: Creek Street
Description: Built in 1890 as a French Steam Laundry, this rustic two-story stone house is surrounded by a country garden planted with vintage roses, perennials and seasonal herbs. The French Laundry Restaurant has an intimate dining room with 15 tables. The dining time is 3-4 hours with two prix-fixe menus to choose from. Reservations are taken two months in advance to the calendar date (i.e. Reservations for April 1st are taken February 1st). Jackets are required. No Shorts or Tennis Shoes please.
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542 reviews from our community

82% Recommend
    373
    74
    47
    25
    23
Rating summary
    Food
    Service
    Value
    Atmosphere
Date Rating
There are newer reviews for The French Laundry
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Geelong
Top Contributor
60 reviews 60 reviews
35 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 34 cities Reviews in 34 cities
27 helpful votes 27 helpful votes
“memorable lunch, no "molecular"”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed November 18, 2012

The FL has slipped down the ratings a little, such as San Pellegrino for instance, but take no notice, it is still one of the great restaurants in the world & thankfully rejects the trend to deconstructive or molecular gastronomy!
Dined in the back room with 7 friends, perfect service & fabulous food. The "oysters & pearls" as described in Keller's first book (1999) remains one of the greatest dishes you could experience.
All dishes were excellent, beautifully presented & wine advice was first class.
You remember the occasion long after the "douleur" of the bill has been forgotten!

  • Visited September 2012
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Atmosphere
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
    • 5 of 5 stars Food
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Ask Hugo22 about The French Laundry
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
sydney, aus
Top Contributor
72 reviews 72 reviews
12 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 35 cities Reviews in 35 cities
48 helpful votes 48 helpful votes
“Worth every cent!”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed November 18, 2012

Amazing experience and definitely lived up to the hype. It's expensive but so worth it. If they'd told me they had a table free the following night I would have happily backed up! One of our party is a vegetarian and we were surprised that the vegetarian menu was so incredible. Service was fabulous and unobtrusive. The sommelier made some sensational pairing recommendations. Overall a fabulous experience and one I hope to repeat one day.

Visited November 2012
Was this review helpful? Yes 1
Ask marniemac about The French Laundry
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Boston, Massachusetts
Senior Contributor
32 reviews 32 reviews
26 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
“Best restaurant in the world?”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed November 17, 2012

I'm a huge snob that pretty much finds something to complain about everywhere I go. However, our evening there was perfect in every way. The food was fantastic, the wine selection was amazing, and the service was flawless.
The French Laundry truly lived up to all the hype; it's the best restaurant in the world.

  • Visited December 2011
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Atmosphere
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
    • 5 of 5 stars Food
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Ask AStephens7 about The French Laundry
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Top Contributor
65 reviews 65 reviews
38 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 39 cities Reviews in 39 cities
44 helpful votes 44 helpful votes
“If you like a good, plain old meal like everybody else this is not for you”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed November 9, 2012

Three star Michelin restaurants are rarely for people who want a "plain old meal". The French Laundry is no exception. There is not much plain or old about French Laundry. Rather it is Haute Cuisine at its American best. Service is competent, interested and friendly.
It is not a fancy place, it is not more elegant than many much cheaper and simpler restaurants. The ambiance is low key, it is not to watch paintings, people or celebrities you go here. Its to eat.

It is just as good now as it was two years ago.

  • Visited October 2012
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Atmosphere
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
    • 4 of 5 stars Food
Was this review helpful? Yes 2
Ask BRLS about The French Laundry
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Santa Rosa, California
Senior Contributor
31 reviews 31 reviews
21 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 16 cities Reviews in 16 cities
19 helpful votes 19 helpful votes
“In a league of its own”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed November 8, 2012

What can you say about on of the top restuarants in the world. The food is amazing, but it is a very special place and not for everyone. For those who do not know you cannot just showup and have diner. You have to start calling 3 months to the day that you want to eat and hope you get through before they sell out. My meal there lasted about 5 hours and was about $400.00 a person with wine.

Was this review helpful? Yes 2
Ask so1333 about The French Laundry
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

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