Cafe Lafayette

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.

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 ! 🇫🇷🍷

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.

I love this restaurant! Been going here a while.

Brunch
Their Croquet Madame and French Toast are my favorites for brunch.

Appetizers
Their 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.

Dinner
I 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.

Drinks
My bestie loves their blueberry lavender gimlet. I enjoy most of their red wine selections, especially their Blue Rock Cab and Cristia Red Blend.

Atmosphere
The 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.

Events
I 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.

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.

The absolute best Gem you could find around . Most definitely a spot worth traveling to. Food is amazing. Talked to owner . He was trained in France by chefs and bakers for years. High quality taste for sure. Service is so catering and humble. Great place

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!

Love this place. Nice little secret spot with a great atmosphere

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

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

Lunch on Patio was relaxing and the day was just right temp. Food was great and so was service.

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!

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

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.

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.

Excellent meal. We just happened across this place on our drive to Los Angeles from the Sequoia National Park. I had the Chinese Chicken Salad and it was a huge portion. I had to take half of it with me. It was so yummy. My husband had the clam chowder and it was better than what we had in San Francisco.

A great place for an excellent meal in a quaint setting. I was part of a dinner gathering in one of the private rooms. We had great service and could visit easily. Pricing is a bit higher than typical for the area, but the dining experience was very nice.

I've only been here a couple of times but my experience has been great! The food is excellent and the variety is impressive. It is pretty expensive but well worth it. The staff is courteous and take care of you.

Took my beautiful niece for her birthday lunch today. Absolutely delicious & great service from Jessica. The owner Fred even came by my table to introduce himself. I would highly recommend this restaurant.

The food is amazing and the portions are hearty. I actually prefer this restaurant to Visalia's Vintage Press. It is more intimate and has all the charm of the French Quarter in New Orleans. The Service was first class.