Cafe Lafayette

Ken Pulverman

2023-12

We booked tonight as a special holiday dinner at the end of a cross country drive. We aren’t fancy or fussy people, but we generally feel that if you put on fancy airs, you have to deliver. We ended up spending $159 for dinner which is generally 3x compared to our typical simple dinner out consisting of some well scouted authentic ethnic eats. While this is certainly harder to do post pandemic, we generally succeeded over the last 9 days crossing the country.While the food was good here, for the price which included a basic bottle of wine, two dishes and a cup of soup, we could have done better in San Francisco in an experience that would have included appropriate service.Again, we aren’t fancy and generally aren’t bothered unless your inherent promise isn’t met. Here the setup is really a farm town bistro. For the price, however, a table cloth would generally be expected. Slightly loud rock music was playing over the speakers, songs I liked, but neither the volume nor tunes you would expect at a French style bistro. We picked the lamb special as one of our two dishes. The waiter thought it was $36.50 which sounded suspiciously cheap. When the bill came, it was $54.50. The waiter never acknowledged this change. My wife was never asked how she wanted it cooked, and it came out bloody, which just isn’t how rack of lamb is served. We sent it back for more heat, which is something we haven’t done in probably 15 years. The waiter did ask if my shrimp could be blackened at my request, and they came out nicely done. The young waiter seemed to not know the tradition of tasting the wine, serving women first, adding water to the ice bucket to transfer the cold temperature to the wine, and serving with a cloth to wipe the bottle so I wouldn’t have had to wipe the ice cold water on my pants.On net, pretty clunky. This would all be ignored at a different price point or if the restaurant wasn’t putting on airs. I left 15% which pained me as it is the holidays and I wanted to be more generous, but this was more than it warranted. There was also a 3% credit card surcharge which is definitely a restaurant outlier practice, even post pandemic.If I was to pass on a tip, it would be to decide what your implicit promise is and deliver on it. If you are a cafe, you can be casual, have lightly trained staff, simple tables, rock music, and simple dishes at affordable prices. If you are a fine dining restaurant, you do need to train your team, know your prices, and deliver on your fancy airs. Here the implicit brand promise comes wrapped in metaphorical newspaper, and it just doesn’t work.

A T

2024-04

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Kate Soina

2023-05

Me and my husband had an incredible delight to have dinner at Lafayette and now it’s my favorite French restaurant!Starting with atmosphere, outdoor seating is magically beautiful, great music puts you in a right mood and omg the food! Yes prices are on higher end but we live in Los Angeles and tried a lot of expensive restaurants there where we never got to experience such an incredibly kind and attentive service/food and atmosphere, our waitress Ashley was just an angel and even though we were trying this place for the first time we didn’t have much expectation food came out like in the best restaurants in Europe, and we traveled a lot and had many great dinners there, didn’t expect to find such a high quality European experience here.I ordered filet mignon which was made perfectly and mash potato and veggies on the side were all complimenting each other, my martini was perfect and dessert! Wow, this creme brûlée was to die for♥️I would add also that my husband is VEGAN and chef kindly offered couple options that included vegetable gnocchi and garlic French fries and it was just perfectly made and well balanced. And we very much appreciated their attitude about this and making him this delicious food even though it wasn’t on a menu.Overall we truly felt like we are having dinner somewhere in Europe, with great tasting food, nice stuff, music and clean atmosphere. My congregations to the chef ( who is himself French)for creating this beautiful dishes and truly making them with knowledge and love🙏🏻We would be back again and wouldn’t hesitate to drive here from LA for this incredible food.

Bob Lamoureux

2024-05

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Andre Mendes

2022-05

The restaurant looks nice and the staff was friendly. That's pretty much all the praise I can give to this restaurant. For spending $90 per person I would have expected much better tasting food. The bread was home made and was delicious and their french onion was good. The duck was dry and the risotto had way too much asparagus. Escargot was ok. Chicken and potatoes were ok as well, but nothing to justify such a high price. I've had many $20 meals that were much better than this.

Michael Languein

2024-05

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Anita Wigman

2024-04

If you are looking for a delicious diner with great service in a lovely setting then Café Lafayette in Exeter is the place to look for. We were pleasantly surprised to find this hidden gem. We loved the delicious food and enjoyed the great hospitality with a personal touch of chef Fred and his wife Ashley. We think the high quality food meets Michelin standards. The name Lafayette is well chosen as it symbols the best of both the American and the European cuisine.

Model Behavior

2022-05

What a pleasant surprise to have French cuisine in the Central Valley, and cooked by a legitimate Frenchman as well! It was a pleasure to meet the man responsible for such a delicious dinner. My husband and I enjoyed every aspect of the restaurant; atmosphere, service and food! All excellent, a lovely fine dining experience if that is what you are looking for in the quaint little town of Exeter.Merci chef pour la nourriture fantastique, mes compliments à vous et à votre femme pour l'excellent service ! 🇫🇷🍷

Christina

2022-05

Something has changed about the place. Our group arrived for sunday brunch, and found the place completely dead. We were one of very few tables at prime bunch time. The menu seemed extremely expensive, $32 for any item, for BREAKFAST food. Sneaky 18% gratuity for 6 or more people added as a “service fee”. $6.50 penalty if you split a meal. Business is clearly going under and these prices and shady fees left a bad taste in our mouths. $150 for two people for brunch?? Sadly used to love the place and everything else was fine, but won’t return under this management.

Fred Nguyen

2023-10

Fred the chef made us excellent rack of lamb, so tasty and juicy and tender. Licked every piece of the bones.Loved the French onion soup, the real one. The embedded bread was crunchy and so good. The best.Loved the escargot 🐌, so tasty.The cremolette was excellent.We found our favorite hangout in lovely Exeter.We also had Beaudouex wine 🍷The attendant Chris was very … attentive and kind.It was the best experience.

JESSE’S AUTOMOTIVE

2024-04

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Dale Forsyth

2023-12

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Leonard J. Garcia

2023-06

Great Friendly Service For Brunch. We were a party of 15 and our food was set down hot and delicious. Our waiter was Very Friendly, and very Hospitable even though a few of us move seats and not in the seat they ordered from. I can not wait to stop by for dinner some day and hope I get the same server the did an amazing job with the 15 of us.

Brooke Ward

2023-11

I love this restaurant! Been going here a while.BrunchTheir Croquet Madame and French Toast are my favorites for brunch.AppetizersTheir cheese platter, pork belly and caprese are fabulous appetizers that everyone loves that I've been with. They have the best French Onion Soup in the valley.DinnerI can never get enough of their chicken cordon bleu but also have enjoyed their Lamb and Ribeye. Fred makes the best filet mignon but it's not offered daily.DrinksMy bestie loves their blueberry lavender gimlet. I enjoy most of their red wine selections, especially their Blue Rock Cab and Cristia Red Blend.AtmosphereThe owners are super nice and fun to get to know. The patio has heaters, is dog friendly and just beautiful between the brick, overhead lighting and greenery.EventsI am a wedding planner. I've also done a couple weddings here (60 guests max). Fantastic price for a venue with fabulous dining experience for the guests.

Jesse Zarate

2023-05

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mike marshall

2021-05

Celebrating a birthday and an anniversary, food wonderful as usual. My rosemary crusted rack of lamb was yummy.

steven rivera

2023-05

Went their for my nieces bday and we Waited 3 1/2 hours for mediocre food. My nieces pasta tasted horrible and she let the waitress know but no compensation or discount was even offered considering she did not even eat any of her pasta and they even charge for refills. The waiter and waitress were nice but the wait was far too long and being charged for every little thing was ridiculous. We got there at 6:30 and we didn’t get our food until 9 pm and they close at 8:30pm so maybe find a better restaurant.

Danielle Nicholson

2023-05

Visited for New Years Eve, & my husband & I both ordered the Beef Wellington. Such an amazing meal! Every time we've visited, it's been memorable & always delicious!

Sean G. Rosenstock

2022-05

Cafe Lafayette serves American and French style cuisine in a pleasant atmosphere. You can dine inside or outdoors in their open patio with brickwork and umbrellas. The menu is divided into appetizers and entrees, and seems to rotate. The food is well-prepared overall: the grilled prawns with garlic is an excellent appetizer, their steaks are good quality and seasoned well. Service is polite. My quibble with Cafe Lafayette - and why I give them three stars, is their pricing. While the portions for the entrees themselves are reasonable, I don't see them as being roughly $50 per person and that is without wine or other beverages. The appetizer, though delicious, should not be $25 for six prawns. Again, the food here is generally very well done and it is nice to have a good quality restaurant here in the Exeter area, but I would not return here based on their pricing.

Benjamin Rayne

2023-07

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Monica Torres

2017-05

Great customer service, great variety of wine and a very cozy place to enjoy a nice dinner.

Olivier Collard

2017-05

Great place. Outstanding food. Very friendly. The terrace is a paradise.

Raquel Kidwell

2019-05

My husband made a reservation a week in advance. This place is a house turn into a very charming restaurant. I had a rack of lamb, 4 lamb chops it came with mushed potatoes asparagus and sliced carrots. Everything was perfectly cooked. Absolutely delicious !! The dish itself was $48. My husband had beef stew.. yeah that's probably not the right name is French. My little one had pasta with garlic bread. I had a little bite of everything we had that night it was delicious. The dessert was amazing a crepe with a mix of warm berries and ice cream. French cuisine is pricey but worth of trying. Nice experience!

Scott Tapp

2023-05

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daniel sanchez

2023-05

Was Here for Valentines Day.. didn't even get to try the food The Worst experience due to bad service.. waited over an hr and half and was never asked if I wanted a refill on my drink.. Upon leaving asked to speak to manager informed him we were leaving cause of the delay was never offered refills on our drinks.. his response will he don't offer refills cause they're not free..service was just out right bad,

Victoria L.

2018-05

Delicious! A real culinary gym. The food was delicious with the right amount of seasoning. The host was very attentive and welcoming. And at the end of of our wonderful meal the chef came out to shake our hands which was a nice touch. Will definitely be back

Taylor Rodriguez

2020-05

My first visit here for a birthday dinner was great. My visit last night was bad. It took an hour and 30 minutes to get a soup and salad. Our service was average. Our waiter told us "the kitchen was backed up" when we asked if I could get my salad. I understand kitchens get backed up and there is a que when it comes to preparing food, but c'mon. Wanted a nice dinner for me and my girlfriend, did not meet expectations unfortunately. Hopefully management can gain control on whatever happened in the kitchen last night because this place has a cool environment.

The Castle House Family

2017-05

Not particularly impressed. Outside seating is great! SO pretty. But the waiter was a little casual/mouthy. I'm a little old fashioned but slang and just lax language isn't for the work place. Especially a nice restaurant. My order came out wrong and the pasta wasn't even hot. Or very warm. Not enjoyable. Overall, service was a bit lacking and the things that separate ok from great just weren't there. And for the price it should be solid. Too bad, I was excited to go there. But I've heard lunch is better. Doubt I'll try.

Lara Wright

2019-05

Wonderful place!!! Charming courtyard for outdoor seating was wonderful, made the experience of terrific food all the more enjoyable with sun shining through the overhead trees. Service was a little slow, but otherwise perfect with a very nice table side ambiance.

Brian Fulmer

2019-05

Nicely appointed fine dining in a somewhat unexpected location. Well done dishes, perfectly cooked pork tenderloin in my case. Comfortable outside seating was a nice alternative to a pleasant and attractive indoor area. Service was good and attentive, a minor mixup was quickly remedied. I look forward to a return visit.