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- Menu Front
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- Menu Back
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- French Onion Soup
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- Crepe Roll
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- Verona
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- Crepe Roll
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- Crepe Roll
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- Dessert Menu
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- Martinique
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- Creme Brulee
Cafe Bonaparte
1522 Wisconsin Ave NW
Washington, DC 20007
(202) 333-8830
First of all, I would like to mention that this restaurant is located in a pretty swanky part of town, and has really nice streets to walk on, so its a great place to take a date on in the spring or good walking weather. Also, the ambiance within the restaurant is really nice. The waitress that we had was extremely nice and accommodating, and didn’t try to up sell me something that I didn’t want.
Setting
The restaurant was pretty small, and half of it was dominated by a pretty big bar. The tables were pretty tightly packed so if you are a bit claustrophobic, this place might be a little intimidating. I really liked the feel of the restaurant, though it may not feel ultra french or anything, it had a unique air to its atmosphere.
Food
First dish was the French Onion soup. It was VERY good, definitely the best french onion soup that I have had so far in my life. The onions were nicely caramelized and sweet, but not cooked to the point of complete mush. The soup was flavorful and salty, but not TOO salty. And the croutons were seasoned just right, which helped balance the flavors of the soup. And of course, but not lastly, THE CHEESE TOPPING. I don’t exactly remember the type of cheese used, but it was such a delicious ooey gooey sticky icky cover, and that is all you need to know.
The next course was the crepe roll. The crepe roll is essentially a french-fried spring roll. The roll itself was a crispy crepe filled with crawfish, shrimp and cabbage. The roll itself was unimpressive, but when paired with the pesto aioli, everything changed. The pesto was light and yet flavorful, I couldn’t get enough aioli into each bite. The salad that sat in the middle of my dish was fairly ordinary but didn’t disappoint.
THEN CAME DESSERT. So as you may garner from the pictures, this restaurant specializes in crepes, and so thusly, I opted for a crepe dessert. My accomplice got the creme brulee, which was my first ever, so I have no comparison to make, but the top was very light and crispy and sweet, whilst the soft and creamy part under the crisp topping was very very good, it definitely peaked my interest in creme brulees as a dessert option. For MY OWN dessert, I ordered the Martinique, which was a crepe filled with caramelized mango slices, and topped with a lemon gelato, pistachio piece sprinkles and a berry melba drizzle. This has definitely become my number one favorite dessert crepe of all time. The warm and slightly crispy crepe with the warm mango was the perfect compliment to the lemon sorbet, each on their own was already astounding, but when eaten together, the warm and cold sensations was an absolute delight to the senses.
Overall
I was extremely pleased with the setting and food. It is the perfect place for anyone to take someone they want to impress, or enjoy a fancy / classy brunch. I would definitely return to this place for the desserts alone, but I think I would try a different savory crepe.