Cafe Colline

Treated myself to a lovely lunch out on a cold day while errands--a good book, fantastic French onion soup, a delicious Pinot Noir, and a creme brulee that was tasty (though I've had better--it was a little curdled and the sugar wasn't bruleed quite enough) was all I needed to perk myself up a bit.It's a cute French bistro and service was perfect.I highly recommend and would love to go back to try more!

It's pricey, like everything now. I had lunch, onion soup, a cheeseburger, and a bottle (large) of sparkling water. With the automatic 20% gratuity it was $51.For $51 I would have liked for my French onion soup to be larger, and not good but great. I also would have liked the burger to be more astounding. I'm not sure for instance that the burger at Duke's Grocery on 17th Street in Dupont Circle isn't better.The staff were lovely.I will go back and try something else.

Finally tried this place for lunch and it lived up to the hype. The one thing that stood out was the fantastic service on a Friday at 1pm. Our waiter went above and beyond, and we ended up both getting the burger on his recommendation. I initially was not thinking of getting this at a French place, but he said they had already made 26 of them that day and it comes with a special sauce that they make in house. Wow...he was right. I will for sure be back to get the burger again. It was absolutely delicious and comes with great fries. Also got the mocha dessert which was good. Parking: there is a large parking lot in the back and some spots in front. On a Friday at 1:30pm it was packed, so I can only imagine what it is like at a busy time.Reservation: they didn't take reservations for a Friday lunch, but I think you need to make them for dinner time. Attire: people were dressed nicely. No sweatshirts, jeans would be appropriate with a nice sweater. Men had suit jackets on.

Cafe Colline is an adorable diner that does not feel stuck up at all, despite its fame. We got the branzino, mussels frites, French toast, and escargot with puff pastry on top. The puff pastry was genuinely such a clever addition to the dish, soaking up all the flavors of the mushroom sauce nicely. The French toast, according to my partner, was the best he ever had--it was nicely caramelized on the outside and gooey on the inside. The mussels were cooked in a broth that was very strong in wine and fennel, giving it a unique and unforgettable aroma. The branzino was probably the least favored dish of the meal, as the lemon flavor was slightly too overpowering. Our server was friendly and attentive, and he took the time to explain the mussels frites dish to me! Note, they only offer French pressed coffee, no espresso.

Took a risk on a Saturday night with no reservations and tried to see if the bar was available. Turned out great as there were a few seats at the end of the bar as we waited for space in the middle to open up. Super friendly and efficient service which makes dinning at the bar a quick experience for some groups. Ordered a few cocktails, an appetizer, and our entrees so we were there for a little less than an hour. Everything was amazing, no need to go into detail.

I have literally no notes. This is the closest thing my fiance and I have had to a perfect meal in as long as we can remember. A regular theme in my reviews is that I don't mind a high price point in exchange for high value, but a lot of DC restaurants simply fall short of offering a value commensurate with the price point and so I regularly find myself complaining about prices in my Yelp reviews. Cafe Colline, on the other hand, perfectly demonstrates the principle that higher value food and service is worth a higher price. While this is by no means a cheap restaurant, for the value we received in exchange for what we spent, I thought the ultimate cost of our meal was beyond reasonable.The ambiance is warm and definitely a nod to French country living without being cartoonish and while staying modern. The vibe is sexy but not so sexy you'd feel awkward going with a parent or friends.Service was excellent, despite gratuity being included automatically (which would normally elicit a complaint from yours truly, but with the level of service we got it is impossible to take issue). Not only was our server absolutely lovely - personable, gracious, knowledgeable and able to identify which dishes had my unusual allergen right off the bat - but we found the hostesses and bussers perfectly attentive as well. Meal timing was excellent. The menu was thoughtful. It wasn't a massive selection but there were more than enough options for everyone to be happy and by keeping it manageable they were able to ensure quality and execution. And boy did they. Both our fish dishes were perfectly cooked with beautiful sauces and veggie accompaniments. The portions of fish were generous and came in thick, juicy cuts.Our apple cake desert was charming and, blessedly, not overly sweet. My Cote du Rhone was highly drinkable and my fiance enjoyed his painkiller cocktail, which is one of his go to drinks. Fries coming out of the kitchen and passing by looked amazing, and a gentleman at the bar was savoring a huge, enviable French press coffee.The drink program is well curated and our server was able to advise on pairings. The modern French music was a nice touch. We found ourselves even commenting on how much we liked the floor treatment and the exposed beams and high ceilings. The restaurant was quite full and yet we never felt cramped or like it was too loud. Tables were nicely spaced and so we actually enjoyed the experience of being in a bustling space.Truly well done, with thought given to every little detail. A++

This very cute cafe had delicious food and yummy drinks! I went here for a late lunch on a Friday and had an absolutely great time. Our server was knowledgeable, nice, and had good recommendations. He recommended the burger after saying it's one of the best he's had. He was not lying!! The burger was absolutely delicious, highly highly recommend. I also had some sparkling brut rose and we shared the mocha custard dessert. Can't wait to visit again!

What a gem of a neighborhood restaurant. The duck confit never ceases to disappoint (10 out of 10 every time) and I love the lavender chèvre appetizer. The space is intimate, welcoming, and strikes the balance of fancy to casual, making it a perfect destination for a birthday dinner, parents' night out, or catch up with friends.Parking is easy with a few spots in front and a lot in the back. Service is warm and welcoming. And the food is reliably good.

A busyness Saturday night but we were seated promptly for our early evening reservation. Water (still or sparkling) was quickly poured by the bus staff , our waitress then took our drink and appetizer orders and asked if we wanted to order our meals. We got the chèvre with figs for our appetizers- good but cumbersome to eat, cheese was cold and barely spreadable on the crunchy bread whose crust disintegrated leaving crumbs everywhere. Our waitress was in a hurry, pleasant enough but clearly didn't want to be there and was hurrying us along in the process. We ordered bib salad to share with- excellent but we had to split it up at the table, as the salad arrived our waitress informed us there was a communication problem with the kitchen and that our entrees were ready-after specifically asking her to stage the meals. My wife's steak frites was excellent as well as my pork chop. Rice pudding for dessert was good but seemed tired , a complimentary glass of champagne topped off the night. In short, great food-decent service but a noticeable "move along" environment that put a damper on an otherwise great experience

I don't get out much to locations with French cuisine so Cafe Colline was different. We really didn't expect French, we were thinking cafe! But boy oh boy, what a succulent surprise!As per usual, we were out almost at sunset and hit up Cafe Colline, something we thought of a while back but never really saw the menu. Only knew from the ratings they were up there. Parking was easy, street side and in the back, plenty to find. Seating in Colline was hard however but luckily they have outdoor seating and it's a beautiful weather at the end of the summer.The host and waitress were very kind and attentive which always makes these outings even better. Menu came out and to our surprise, they're all french style dishes. I was thinking Cafe with sandwiches and crepes and coffee and tea. We ordered some escargot for starters, then cote de porc, moules frites, basque cheese cake, and mango sorbet at the end.I'm not much into escargot but this dish potentially changed my mind on the these little critters. The butter, the mix of herbs and some other ingredients I can't identify, maybe some sort of liver pureed, just amazing flavor there. The pork loin was cook perfectly with the side of mashed potato, all on point. The mussels were just okay for me. Very different type of broth versus say an Italian style broth but still delicious.The desserts rounded everything off nicely as we enjoyed the night outside. There's not much more I can say but we enjoyed the night, the setting, the food, it all came together nicely. And man, I could go back for more of those escargots.