French Crust Cafe & Bistro

4.6

779 Reviews

$30 and under

Contemporary French

Make a reservation

2 people

Nov 24, 2024

7:00 PM

Booked 14 times today

Great for brunch
Charming
Neighborhood gem

The French Crust Café is a little bit of Paris in the heart of Over-The-Rhine. Chef Jean-Robert de Cavel welcomes you to his charming café for classic French fare with a contemporary twist. This popular Café offers everything from classic breakfast dishes like Eggs Benedict to delicious dinner entree's like Salmon en Persillade. French pastries and chocolates from Master Chocolatier, Jean Philippe Solnom. Jean Robert enjoys offering his Family Dinner Meals to-go and a Thursday evening 4-course special dinner. Please contact the restaurant directly for more details on the special features.

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Contemporary French, Bistro, European
Hours of operation
Wed–Sun 10:00 am–3:00 pm
Phone number
(513) 455-3720
Website
http://www.jrcincy.com/french-crust-cafe/
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Business Casual

Location
1801 Elm St, Cincinnati, OH 45202
Neighborhood
Over the Rhine
Cross street
Corner of Elm & W Elder Street
Parking details
Street parking available. Multiple public parking lots are available on W Elder Street.
Additional
Beer, Cafe, Cocktails, Full Bar, Takeout, Weekend Brunch, Wine

French Onion Soup$8.50
Gruyère, crostini
Creamy Chicken Soup$4.75
blended rice, mushrooms
Escargots à la Burgundy$15.00
garlic butter, breadcrumbs
Oeuf Mayonnaise $7.50
Parisian deviled eggs
Baked Camembert$16.50
field greens, dried figs, honey, mixed nuts
Pommes Frites $6.50
ketchup, harissa mayonnaise

Salads

House Salad$4.50
field greens, dried fruit, cherry tomatoes, radishes and honey mustard dressing
Caesar Salad $12.00
romaine, parmigiano, bacon, croutons, dressing
Salad Niçoise $16.50
mixed greens, frisée, tuna, haricot verts, egg, olives, potato, tomatoes

Entrees

Catch of the Day
Priced Daily
Shrimp & Scallop Vol-au-vent$19.50
seasonal vegetables, white wine cream
Coq au Vin$22.00
rustic mashed potatoes, baguette bread
Steak Frites $36.00
8oz flatiron steak, demi-glace, frites, side salad
Daily Vegetarian$14.00

Sandwiches (Lunch & Brunch)

Croque Madame$16.50
ham, Swiss, bechamel, sunny-side egg
Flat Croissant$14.50
chicken, apple, mushroom, Swiss - or - tomato, avocado, Brie
Duo of Salmon$18.00
croissant, egg mimosa, avocado, tomatoes
CBLT $18.50
charcuterie, bacon, lettuce, tomato, white bread
Burger $18.00
tomato, lettuce, French slaw, brioche bun, frites

Breakfast

Omelette $9.50
Gruyère, herbs
Eggs Benedict $12.00
brioche, two poached eggs, roasted tomatoes, spinach, hollandaise
Puff Pastry with Goetta $12.00
goetta, poached egg, hollandaise, piperade
Pancakes$10.00
maple butter, compote
Scrambled Egg Croissant $12.50
goat cheese, confit tomatoes
Eggs any style$3.00
Bacon / Sausage / Goetta$4.00
Quiche$14.50
ham, Gruyère, leeks -or- Goat cheese, zucchini, tomato. Served with soup or salad

Desserts

Creme brulée$6.50
Pot de crème$7.50
Chocolate cake$8.50
Seasonal fruit tarte$7.50

What 779 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.6

4.6 based on recent ratings

4.5Food
4.6Service
4.6Ambience
4.3Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

Cincinnati / Dayton
Great for brunch
Cincinnati
Great for brunch

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

French Crust Cafe & Bistro in Cincinnati offers a slice of France with "fantastic food and great atmosphere." Known for its "excellent service, ambience, and food," this charming spot is perfect for brunch or dinner. While the menu may be minimal, the dishes are "delicious and very reasonable," making it a delightful culinary destination.

779 Reviews

S
Sandy
Cincinnati
8 reviews
vip
5.0
8 reviews
Dined on November 16, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
service was great, new menu choices were all very good
Is this helpful?
C
Charles
Cincinnati
493 reviews
vip
5.0
493 reviews
Dined on November 14, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
What a wonderful evening with Ched Daniel and Molly Wellman! Amazing and fun !!!Thank you.
Is this helpful?
M
Morris
Cincinnati
42 reviews
vip
5.0
42 reviews
Dined on November 14, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Exceptional, outstanding and a unique drink/food experience
Is this helpful?
K
Kevin
Cincinnati
88 reviews
vip
3.0
88 reviews
Dined on November 10, 2024
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 3
Our most recent visit on a Sunday afternoon was disappointing. We have eaten here before and had great food and service. It seemed like Sunday was having a bad day in the kitchen which was not helped by what appeared to be a short-staffed in the front of the house. I will chalk this up to a bad day and will try again.
Is this helpful?
b
barb
Cincinnati
6 reviews
1.0
6 reviews
Dined on November 9, 2024
1. Overall 1
2. Food 2
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 2
Waited 40 minutes for food. Saw other tables that came in after us getting food. All 4 of us ordered soup and quiche. When we finally got food, soup was room temperature and quiche was cold. We told server and he offered to get us new food but it was getting late and we said just box it up. Very disappointing. I had been there many times and had great food and service. It was first time for the other three ladies and they don’t plan to return
Is this helpful?
S
Samantha
Cincinnati
1 review
3.0
1 review
Dined on November 2, 2024
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
1st time here with a friend, had Salmon Benedict - I would not come here and get this again, only so-so. Server was great!
Is this helpful?
c
catieco
Cincinnati
4 reviews
3.0
4 reviews
Dined on November 2, 2024
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 3
The chicken soup was phenomenal. The croissants were typical and really had no flavor. I tried both the chocolate and pistachio.
Is this helpful?
J
JOHN
London
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on October 31, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
In the very heart of Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood lies a pretty good facsimile of a French bistro. The food is reliably good and includes unexpected additions like fresh and free slices of warm French bread. Quiche is among their daily features, something I order almost every visit. I’ve been when the place is buzzing with the Sunday brunch crowd and other times when it is quiet with no music blaring and the kitchen sounds very distant. The tables are not crowded, and carrying on an unrushed conversation is easy.
Is this helpful?
S
Stephanie
Cincinnati
5 reviews
3.0
5 reviews
Dined on October 19, 2024
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 4
Food was just ok, not commensurate to the price. Service was extremely slow from the waiter. We were going to order a second round of drinks but opted out because we didn’t have another 30 minutes to wait. Food came out quick because they were on a limited menu for Blink which was obviously already prepped and waiting. The meatballs came out in about 90 seconds. The fries, meatballs and chicken/gravy were loaded with salt. The rustic potatoes looked and tasted like potato salad that had been microwaved. Hamburgers were fine. Salad was ok, nothing special. Overall I’d rate it a C+
Is this helpful?
R
Ron
Charleston
4 reviews
4.0
4 reviews
Dined on October 13, 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 3
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
I was very disappointed in the croque madam. It was dry, bechamel sauce was too thick and tasteless … had to request a side of it because there wasn’t much on the sandwich part. That’s when I realized it was tasteless. The croque wasn’t hot at all, skimpy on the meat and cheese compared to the amount of bread. My friend got the salad nicoise salad with fries and they were excellent. Service was great … Ben was our server.
Is this helpful?

FAQs

French Crust Cafe & Bistro offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (513) 455-3720.

French Crust Cafe & Bistro is rated 4.6 stars by 779 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

Nov 24, 2024

7:00 PM

Booked 14 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for French Crust Cafe & Bistro

1801 Elm St, Cincinnati, OH 45202

Additional information

Cross street
Corner of Elm & W Elder Street
Neighborhood
Over the Rhine
Hours of operation
Wed–Sun 10:00 am–3:00 pm
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Contemporary French, Bistro, European
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Business Casual
Parking details
Street parking available. Multiple public parking lots are available on W Elder Street.
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Additional
Beer, Cafe, Cocktails, Full Bar, Takeout, Weekend Brunch, Wine

Website
http://www.jrcincy.com/french-crust-cafe/
Phone number
(513) 455-3720

French Crust Cafe & Bistro

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

Appetizers

French Onion Soup$8.50

Creamy Chicken Soup$4.75

Escargots à la Burgundy$15.00

Oeuf Mayonnaise $7.50

Baked Camembert$16.50

Pommes Frites $6.50

Salads

House Salad$4.50

Caesar Salad $12.00

Salad Niçoise $16.50

Entrees

Catch of the Day

Shrimp & Scallop Vol-au-vent$19.50

Coq au Vin$22.00

Steak Frites $36.00

Daily Vegetarian$14.00

Sandwiches (Lunch & Brunch)

Croque Madame$16.50

Flat Croissant$14.50

Duo of Salmon$18.00

CBLT $18.50

Burger $18.00

Breakfast

Omelette $9.50

Eggs Benedict $12.00

Puff Pastry with Goetta $12.00

Pancakes$10.00

Scrambled Egg Croissant $12.50

Eggs any style$3.00

Bacon / Sausage / Goetta$4.00

Quiche$14.50

Desserts

Creme brulée$6.50

Pot de crème$7.50

Chocolate cake$8.50

Seasonal fruit tarte$7.50

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

Review summary

FAQs

Does French Crust Cafe & Bistro offer delivery through OpenTable or takeout?

How is French Crust Cafe & Bistro restaurant rated?

Is French Crust Cafe & Bistro currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information