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Make reservations or call ahead before showing up; since it is a small venue.
Be ready for eccentricity.
If you're not into commercialism and are ok with the cats on the patio deck and the hanging plants and I love the capoiera dancers across the way, then this place is for you.
Bring cash-- Simone does NOT take credit cards nor debit.
I had to create a yelp account just to write this review, as we are really disappointed and upset about this place.
Main problems are:
- no service, worse than Paris bistros (from where I am)
- only cash, but not written anywhere and ends up going to the atm with the $5 fee.
- waistress does not know anything
- kitchen right in your face, and we heard the microwave 4 times.
- the food is not especially french, and I could have get better food from the frozen section in picard
- they did not even warm up the soups enough in their microwave
- $16 for entrees, too expensive
- way too much melted cheese everywhere
In other words, I really do not know how other people gave more than 3 stars. If you want good french food, go somewhere else. You have nothing to lose not going there!
Whenever I get homesick for the life I never had in France, I go to Chez Simone. Refined comfort food the way you wished your mother cooked. Simple good honest French home cooking served up by the cook herself...I am sure she's cooking up her family recipes. When we first stumbled upon this place Simone seemed a little grumpy, but like all French aunties, she warms up after a glass! The potato omelet with fresh herbs is my favorite breakfast...I detect the liberal use of butter and I am glad!
When visiting Chez Simone, it feels like you are visiting someones house and their grand-ma has invited you into her kitchen for some rustic French food. Inside, there are a few small tables and seating for up to 15 people.
The food is ok ... I may have liked it more if I did not see her heating the crepes in the microwave. That was a big disappointment to see a French chef using the microwave for a traditional course.
The onion soup should have been seasoned better and the way the cheese was clumped inside was not appetizing. The salads were fine but nothing special.
Overall, this is a cute place with some charm. Simone has been cooking this way for more than 30 years, so I guess other people may like it more than I did. Just don't keep your eye on the microwave, it may change the allure.
Sorry to be a wet blanket, but we won't be back.
Yes, charming location for tiny restaurant, family French-country style, grandma and grandpa in the kitchen - and warmly greeting established customers ... but:
1. inept waitress, didn't know how to handle/present wine or food
2. water glasses not-refilled
3. wine poured to fill glass to top (bad) - then ignored
4. French-onion soup ordinary
5. Casoulet mediocre
6. Creamy scallops good, not outstanding
7. Creme brulee sagging, weak
8. Cook's conversations intruded over short wall
9. Salad dressing undistinguished, OK, but ...
You gotta like the people as people - that's the one real positive - but we won't be back.
Simone stayed open late for us one night and cooked us dinner. If I were French, it would be like eating at moms, I'm sure. It's not a fancy place, but the prices are low and there's a lot of charm. Apparently she's been cooking here for 30 years.
Bring cash. Another customer tipped us off to this and luckily we had enough on us. It's amazing that a dinner restaurant doesn't take credit cards, but I guesss I can understand it due to the way Simone runs things.
If you're lucky (or just arrive at closing time) you'll see two huge cats come sauntering up to the store. They actually climb in by way of the lighted vines.
The 3 star rating is because I was expecting a bit more. The food wasn't exceptional (although good), the menu was rather limited and cash only just doesn't work well for me.
When we get nostalgic, my daughter and I head towards Chez Simone... The place is very tiny - a few tables inside and a couple more on the patio during summer. Nothing is hip or trendy about the decor - or absence thereof, but the food is exactly what you will find at the "Bistro du coin" anywhere in France: Great, comforting, hearty and authentic. The Quiche Lorraine is my daughter's favorite, the Blanquette is delicious as well as whatever Simone has cooked for the day. If you like dessert, you can't be deceived by the Clafoutis.
Simone might seems a bit grumpy on the surface, but she is extremely friendly as you get to know her. She will talk to you in a very funny Fr-English even if she knows you are French: that always cracks us up.
We love the place.
I've been coming to this quaint little establishment for a while- and it's a bit of a hidden gem. Simone( who is authentically French) is the owner of this little kitchen-- you really feel as though you have come into Simone's dining room and get the pleasure of sitting right next to the kitchen as she amusingly orders her serves around and hugs her regulars-- all with the accompanying cat who waltzes by the door.
The establishment is adorable, only seating about five tables, so it can be a very romantic venture. If you are looking for a rotating menu, you won't find it here-- expect Beef Burgundy, fillet of sole, lamb shank, and coquilles- (scallops in a heavy cream sauce), and an assortment of crepes. And of course, the trusty onion soup with the gooey cheese that I will inevitably have to wrestle with...
The pate is amazing-- and it's my favorite choice for the appetizers, but the escargot was almost chewy the last time we had it. The fillet of sole was plentiful, with a side of mashed potatoes and diced carrots (all entrees come with the same sides); my date had the beef burgundy which was lacking in flavor, and a bit too cold for my taste.
My advice is to check it out-- the ambiance is charming, the food is good, not outstanding, and the prices are VERY reasonable...all entrees are about $13!
This is what a restaurant should be... tasty food with a unique personal touch. Simone's cannot be called hip or fancy but the food is solid.
While dinner is good, a quality French brunch cannot be beat.
A non-pretentious cafe with country style french comfort food. Cozy and casual with a small menu of quiche, onion soup, omelets, crepes, a tart and whatever Simone is making for dinner that night. Brunch on Saturday & Sunday and I think dinner Thursday through Saturday nights - just go by the alley (back past the corner florist) , walk up the stairs and check out the menu and hours posted on the door. This is not haute cuisine, thank god, it's country style comfort food made by an old French woman who 'doesn't suffer fools' and who is brutally honest - she's French and I love it.
Memorial Day I had off and wanted some onion soup. I went by, but she was shut. I came down to the florist to pick up a rose and Simone came around the corner, she had gone to the market. She recognized me and asked if I was looking for her. She was busy prepping for the coming week, but took the time to make me my onion soup and bring me some tea.
Cash only, no attitudes and an old French woman.
Its French cuisine which means not easy for a vegetarian, but both times I've been I really enjoyed my food. I think the close interior is neat, but it also feels a little like eating at the house of someone you don't know very well.
All in all, I highly recommend it for something a little different.
Diamond in the rough. In the middle of the Piedmont Ave feeding frenzy, this restaurant is just adorable. Nice and quiet, you can actually have a conversation with someone here. Chef and staffs are friendly.
Food is good and pretty basic, but good enough for us to want to come back and try other things. Menu is not extensive but it looks like the main dish changes often. Can't comment on the wine. We asked for the wine list a couple of times, but seems like there is only one wine list in the entire restaurant and someone else is hording it and we never saw it.
Going to Chez Simone is what I imagine it would be like to go to a crazy French aunt's house for dinner... that is if I had a French aunt. I've been going to Chez Simone for years and love the cozy atmosphere, French comfort food, and the quirky French owner and Eritrean staff. (
Thank god for Simone... She's been doing this for 30 years, and I hope that Chez Simone is around for another 30.
I love this place. I lived in Paris for a while and when I get a little homesick, I stop by this place and get some great French comfort food. Simone is an amazing cook and has that wonderful French passion for food. I am never disappointed by the menu and love to come back when I know that it is changing. They don't take credit cards, so bring cash. However go eat here. You will not be disappointed.
The smallest restaurant i've ever been to...in life. It was like we were in her kitchen. Simone has the cutest entrance way that leads to her restaurant and she was cooking while talking to her customers...now that's what you call intimate. The bf and I ate outside on the patio (with hanging patio plants with christmas lights that apparently stay on yearly) and the waitress (who had a heavy french accent) had to read the menu to us b/c we couldn't read Simon's writing (i guess she writes up the menu herself everyday? not sure). I had one of her crepes and bf got the salmon and french onion soup. The crepe was good by the salmon was just ok. I loved the soup though! By the way, she doesn't take credit card...bring cash. haha.
"Simple" describes this place perfectly. The decour isn't fancy, and the menu isn't big, but the food is tasty, typical french fare. It has a very homey feel to it, especially the handwritten daily specials menu. That night the lamb roast came with free soup or salad, and dinner for two with wine came to about $50. Very affordable. We ate outside on the wooden patio which is across from what I think is a brazilian dance studio which was in full gear throughout the dinner. I thought the drum music was a nice touch but I could see how it could get annoying.
Oh and also, it's cash only, Highly recommend for a relaxed dinner
French-inspired entrees in a setting so lovely one can't imagine why everyone who works here is so cranky. Ignore the attitude and enjoy delicious crepes, omelets and quiches, along with more substantial dishes like cassoulet and coq au vin.
As we looked for the place, it was nicely tucked away, we open the door and its... on the borderline of being cute. But I like places like this, the decor wasn't great but we had hopes the food would shine. The menu was disappointing, 2 seafood dishes and 2 meat dishes... where is the poultry? I ordered a soup and salad, the hubby ordered the beef. It wasn't bad. For the price and the food I would go back. It was very typical homestyle French, but I was aching for a cassoulet of some sort. Strawberry tart was fresh, simple, and tasty. Say hello to the tom cat waiting for his vittles on a branch outside.
i went back (for the second time) for brunch yesterday, we were her only customers until almost 2 hours later, so simone and us got into chatting a bit...
it was my birthday yesterday, so she asked me how old i am; and before i had a chance to lie about my age, she brutally guessed a much higher number than i would hope, that soup nazi style honesty cost you 1 star simone...
i am just kidding of course, i am old enough to face the reality...
but you know the bottom line is she doesn't use computer, so my rating probably wouldn't hurt or even matter to her...
but at the same time, it probably means she has never read all these comments and feedbacks about her restaurant, her cooking, her food, her service, and her.
if none of her fans has thought about printing all these out (in big fonts please!!), i will do it, bind it, and hand it to her the next time i go.
i am not a frequent, because i do not live nearby, but i love her truthfulness and the feeling of eating at grandma's house.
love you simone, and i hope you stay healthy for many more years!
OK food at OK prices. Wait staff is not knowledgeable, and needs to run back to ask the owner/cook for the answers to some of the simplest questions. Overall service is poor, which is why I generally spend my money at restaurants OTHER than Chez Simone.
If you remember the Soup Nazi on "Seinfeld," Simone is the female verion... only WITHOUT the long line of customers waiting for her food. In Simone's case, "No wine for you!" She could use a reality check about being so incredibly cranky to the people spending money at her little restaurant. She obviously has some core customers or friends, to which she is very friendly. I too have seen her greet and send them off with hugs. For the rest of us mere mortals, I would expect no more than courteous or friendly service, which Simone has no intention of doling out. I suppose she intends to rely only on her chosen few favorite customers for her retirement nest egg.
One comment in Lily G's review about Simone's refusal to speak French cracks me up. Maybe that's how I got put on her sh!t list in the first place. I am not French, but do speak 5 languages fluently and used to speak French relatively well. Each time that I have said anything to Simone in French, she gets even grumpier than she was, and replies in English.
Overall: there are sooo many other places to enjoy a dinner after a hard day at the office, for better service, better food, and even better prices.
My boyfriend and I come here when we want to have a special "can't fail" night. This place is delicious, friendly, cozy, and reasonably priced. My recommendation is the baked scallop, very creamy and rich, the salad dressing is delicate, also their eggplant is always fresh and satisfying. If you save some room for desert, definitely have their out-of-the-world fruit tarts and strawberry crepe-amazing, amazing-amazing. It only charges $10 corkage fee, so it's worth it to bring a good bottle of wine and enjoy your night out in the made-believe French country side.
I loved Chez Simone. We went when it was cold and rainy outside, and there is nothing better than a tiny, warm French restaurant on a cold night. Service was very attentive, food was great - I highly recommend.
I think perhaps Chez Simone is the perfect setting for French country food. The decor is simple - the focus is on the food - and the outdoor deck is the perfect setting for brunch on a sunny day. The food is superb (it's nice to have a break from "fusion") and Simone is one of the friendliest and most open people i know...you just have to get to know her and, as someone else pointed out, lose the attitude and enjoy the food.
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