Brasserie Bofinger (La), Paris

After having read reviews of Bofinger, we were excited to go, made a reservation well in advance, and were on time for our reservation. Unfortunatly, our waiter wasn't so excited when we told him (in our broken French) that we ate vegetarian and fish only. I'm pretty sure, actually, that he said "you should go to an italian restaurant", in addition to scoffing at us after taking our order. The food was good, traditional French food. What ruined the meal was the poor waiter. Other staff were good, but he didn't check up on us (at all), left us sitting for extended periods after we finished our course, and made us feel that were in his way. (And we did our best to be unfailingly polite). For a meal priced at a premium (our meal was around 125 Euros), we expected premium service. We simply didn't get it. (Our waiter looked like the bald guy from Benny Hill, in case you go there and get him)

Likes: Great ambience - vibrant and bustling in a classy old brasserie. Dislikes: Disdainful service (e.g the waiter spilt half a glass of Kir over the table - he did not appologise, change the table-cloth or offer to replace or top up the wine. Just one example of disrespectful and surly service throughout), mediocre food for the price. Were it not for the ambience I'd struggle to give Bofinger a star. Don't believe the hype.

This is a beautiful brasserie. The sauerkraut is a traditional dish with sausage, smoked sausage, bacon, and fowl. And very good. I ordered the lamb which was great. The artichoke starter was so-so. The service started out great! However, the wait for the dessert order was unacceptedly long. The waiter was defensive and argued when this was called to his attention. The non-smoking room is upstairs and not the equal of the downstairs main dining room. Still, the argument between our French host and the waiter--the heated exchange and then the "we're friends now" reconciliation--was a cultural experience non pareil.

the food was great the service was great the value was great the ambiance was great the location was great overall it was just so darn great

My family entertained me at Bofinger's for my 60th, and I can tell you it was one of my most memorable birthdays ever. The food - ravioli, oysters, beef, sauces - was exquisite and the wine -St. Emilion Grand Cru Classe - an experience not to be missed! The service and attention were second to none. I recommend the place without any hesitation - to be included in one's itinerary certainly.

We have eaten at the Bofinger several times both as a couple and a party of eight, the latest Feb 2005. Food and service excellant. The staff are very friendly while also being professional.

We've been served french fries that some other table(s) used before, some other fingers... (how many?). Under the first fries, some of them had ketchup on it already... We don't want to think about the way the cook with that spirit... We also wrote to complain but they don't really care... Don't go there. Just a tourist trap.

We were so excited to be able to eat at one of Paris oldest brasseries. I had booked a month in advance and requested a seat near the glass dome downstairs. We also made sure we were dressed nicely for the occasion, but on entering the restaurant this quickly became apparent wasn't enough. Like many other reviews I have seen, we were quickly and rudely ushered up the stairs by the maitre'd and sat in the corner of a backroom away from the fashionable Parisians downstairs. This, we quickly realised was the "tourist room". The waiter eventually gave us some menus after about 10 minutes of waiting and then ignored us for another 10 without offering us any drinks or the wine menu. As the menu was written entirely in French I wanted to ask a couple of questions about some items to have them translated so I knew what I was ordering. Again when asked, the waiter was rude and impatient. I almost walked out when another waitress came over to serve the wine. She had the nerve to actually shout at me for not "tasting it properly" saying to swirl the glass first. The whole room of other diners turned round to stare at this point causing embarrassment for me and my girlfriend. The wine glasses themselves also had to be changed as they were filthy as was my girlfriend’s cutlery. All the dinner plates were scratched and chipped. After an unmemorable first course of foie gras pate that was just thrown on a plate with a sprig of parsley we were served a crab lasagne that although was tasty, was also full of crab shell so every other bite was like eating sand. After this we couldn't wait to leave, so after eventually being presented with a hefty bill of €75 imagine our surprise to see a queue of people out of the door waiting to get a table! We then realised that they seem to live off the hype of being the "oldest brassiere in Paris" so they don't need to care about your customers, people will flock here anyway. We decided that the only way you’re going to get good food and service in here is if you’re a French president, a film star, or a fashionable Parisian with more money than sense. I could have paid half the amount for a much better pub meal in the UK, with better service. This brasserie was, I thought, built upon the tradition of reasonably priced good food and service. Sadly it seems that in this case the traditions have been long forgotten.

Bofinger offers a great lunch menu. The entrees can be shared which allows room to order other delicious sides. It was my favorite lunch spot in Paris!

Very nice room downstairs, but non-smoking is upstairs, which is not as nice. The host was a little upset at me, but I had made a mistake with the reservation time and showed up 2 hours late. They accomodated us after a little wait. Great bar service, but small bar. Service is typical French. Attentive, but they appear to have many tables. Be prepared for a standard long meal. Good prices for what you get. We paid more at less good places. The choucrote ala Bofinger is excellent. Very cool presentation. It is a good place. That is why tourists and locals go.