Café Normandie Restaurant

The sauces are first class. The food has flavor, texture and presentation that impresses. Plenty of food to take somehome but it was too good. It to overeat and finish everything served. The French onion soup here hits every important detail. Great stringy cheese, lots of onion with just the right amount of bread. The croque monster had 4 slices of ham and was covered in a cream sauce forcing one to eat with a knife and fork. And the flan was the right temperature with caramel sauce. Service was also thorough without being intrusive. Everyone was nice, attentive and helpful. They were not afraid to make recommendations.

Came in on a snowy evening for a birthday dinner. For some reason I wasn't expecting much (likely because I'm not the biggest fan of French food) but I was honestly blown away! The bread service was simple with French bread and butter but warm and delicious. We got escargots and baked mussels for apps, and I loved both! They were not chewy at all and the butter they were both covered in had great flavor. I opted for the roast chicken with rosemary au jus and French fries, and the chicken was crispy, au just was full of flavor and the French fries dipped in the sauce (or their homemade mayo) were to die for. Everyone else at my table thoroughly enjoyed their meals as well. I'd like to come back again when they have the ribeye in stock.

Great breakfast place Nice find food was delicious. Omelette and steak and eggs Nice cappuccino

This is no French Bistro, no table cloths, paper napkins, no spoons. The food lacked taste, the Roasted Bone Marrow was over cooked, and had little marrow. Service was good, even though understaffed. The wine list is diverse and European. Normandie has the ability to be great, with mainly semi private booths and a great Chef and owner Jean-Louis Evennou.

First of all... YUM! Excellent food, delicious flavors and kind service!Had a fun friend birthday dinner, parking wasn't too bad.

Today was my second time at Cafe Normandie. The ambience is quaint. We were seated at the high top table which was comfortable. Our server Anna was lovely. The restaurant got busy fairly quickly but she took our drink orders right away. My significant other has an egg allergy and mostly all of the brunch menu has eggs. We asked for the lunch menu but since it was 11 am, they only offered the breakfast menu. My significant other ordered the steak without the eggs and substituted the eggs with spinach and mushrooms. He asked for the steak medium rare but it came out well done and cut like leather. We couldn't find our server because she was making drinks. By the time she came back and offered to make another steak, we were already finished eating. I felt so bad for him because all he ate was spinach. If you are the owner or manager of Cafe Normandie, can you please add non-egg menu items. The waffles are not an option because it doesn't contain protein. Possibly a burger or fish option would be a nice addition to your brunch menu.I did enjoy the ham, brie, and scrambled eggs crepe. Please note in the menu the cheese option is Swiss. I just substituted the Swiss cheese with Brie because I don't like Swiss cheese. For the lunch menu, you will see many crepe options. Not sure why they only have one option for crepes in the breakfast menu. Although I had a good experience with my meal, I would not go back for breakfast if my significant other cannot eat anything on the menu.

My wife and I were out for a date night and we traversed through the French desert that was Cafe Normandie. The wait staff was woefully in the weeds, which I can understand and forgive but the blandness of the food I cannot. Serving gold packaged pats of butter isn't charming or retro, it's annoying. The dishes are pleasing to the eye but on the palate they lack imagination and are simply there, flavorless and uninspiring. To quote Gordon Ramsay....it's BLAND!

I'm so ashamed that it's taken me this long to finally dine here! I've lived around Annapolis most of my life, and I even went to school just blocks away. But dining here... it just never happened for various reasons. Until recently.We finally had a date night and we made the most of it. Strolling around downtown Annapolis and enjoying the cooler Fall air and cozy little town. We made reservations online in advance, and I'm glad we did! This place was packed!We started off with the baked mussels for an appetizer. They were cooked very well (not rubbery and not raw), with a flavorful herbed butter sauce on the plate. Use the bread to sop up all the goodness!Next, we each tried a soup, the cream of crab and the classic French onion. Both were tremendous! Depending on your mood, either one will more than satisfy. The cream of crab was velvety and had a sizeable portion of lump crab meat. The French onion might have been the best I've had; the broth was killer and the onions, cheese, and crouton rounded things out.Our entrées were the roasted corn risotto with scallops and the roasted half duck with raspberry sauce. The risotto was very good! The corn added a fun sweetness and crunchy texture, while the creamy risotto made a perfect bed for the scallops (also expertly cooked). The duck was fantastic, and the meat literally just fell off the bone. The skin was flavorful, but lacked the crispiness after being blanketed with the sauce. The sauce was a great contrast between sweet and savory, with not a strong raspberry flavor, but a deeply crafted taste and unctuous mouthfeel.Yeah... it was good.We didn't have room for dessert at this point, which is a darn shame, as everything looked so good! I really wanted to try the peach tart, which I think is a seasonal dish, so maybe next time. Save room!The décor is really cozy and quaint. There is a fireplace in the center of the room and exposed wooden beams above. It has a French cottage atmosphere and a warm light scheme. Overall, this is a must-do place in Annapolis. I really wish I had tried this place out sooner, but I plan on returning frequently. If you dig on French cuisine, I highly recommend trying them out!

In the past couple of weeks, I've had two business lunches at Cafe Normandie, and I like it! This French restaurant has been open in Annapolis since 1986, which is incredible. And I can see why. The menu is really broad, with lots of French specialties (escargot, duck mousse, country pate, baked brie, crepes, omelets, bouillabaisse, trout almondine, etc.) and some Mid-Atlantic specialties and American favorites as well (crabcake sandwich, burger), so there's likely something for everyone. Both times I've gone for lunch, I've had their Niçoise Salad, because it's such a great lunch - ahi tuna (I got it rare), tomato, cucumber, red onion, green beans, olives, anchovies, hard-boiled eggs, mixed peppers, and their house basil vinaigrette. The service is great - always friendly. The restaurant is a little dated but in a charming way that I actually appreciate (in a time when so many restaurants look exactly the same and can be style over substance) - it's cozy and old-fashioned and feels French Country chic. Overall, it's a place I'm happy to go back to - whether for a business lunch or a meal with friends.

I hate to do this but I've emailed the owner twice over the past month to the address he provided me and he has chosen to ignore me. So, I'm posting my message to him personally. We were appalled after leaving this restaurant on Mother's Day.------------------Hi,I've thought long and hard about sending a message to the owner and have finally decided I think that I should.I have wanted to eat at your restaurant for so long now and finally my husband booked a reservation for four for my Mother's Day presents I was so excited!We had a reservation for 7:30. We were there on time and ready! However, the girl working the front desk said you guys were running behind bc she had each table assigned already. She got our number and asked us to wait outside till she contacted us.Finally, at 8:20 and after we saw countless people leave and other families come in and immediately get seated, I went back in and asked if she was ready to seat us. She said no, there wasn't a table ready for us yet. I asked how long and she said verbatim "I don't know. Maybe you should find another place to eat since it's getting so late."At that point, a waitress came up and asked her what the problem was and I told her that we'd had a reservation for 7:30 and that I was being told there wasn't a table for us. The sweet waitress (I cannot remember her name) pointed at a table of four and said to the hostess "that one is available, seat them there." That upset the hostess so she sat us down with no silverware or menus. I had to go back up and ask for menus and it was clear she was not happy with me!I had previously had there just one appetizer there in Nov 2022 (and we were in and out - this Mother's Day was first meal to eat there) which was artichoke and crab... it was divine. So I wanted to order it again for the table. The closest thing we could find was the artichoke stuffed with crab dip. What was delivered to our table was physically inedible. The artichoke was burned to a crisp and couldn't be chewed and the amount of "crab" in the artichoke was so small. I almost cried bc it was so expensive and no one could eat it. It got taken away later having not been eaten except for the few bites we tried to chew.Each of us ordered our meals. My daughter got the roast chicken and my spouse got a crepe. Both of them were satisfied with their meals.I ordered the chicken du Normandie and my son ordered the Veal du Normandie. My chicken was so overcooked that (even though I never do this) I had to send back. The waitress informed me that there was no more chicken so what should she bring instead. I said the veal was fine. By this time it is about 9:15 and the restaurant was clearing out. She brought the veal out and it was even more tough: I couldn't cut through it. At that point, I almost cried. My son's veal was just as tough. We were both hungry at that point.Needless to say, we paid our full bill bc it was pushing 10 and our kids had school the next day. I was so upset bc of how hyped your reputation is and bc of how excited I'd been to dine with you all.We are and active duty military family so a meal that is $250 or higher for 4 is an investment. I was so disappointed and like I said, I was on the verge of tears.I don't want to leave a negative review so I thought maybe emailing you about our experience would be a better choice.I do hope to hear back from you.PS: I still haven't heard back... maybe this review will get his attention!