Le Refuge

Truly authentic French restaurant in Old Town that is a great experience. You walk right into a classic French restaurant environment led by a hard working and efficient team ready to make your evening a good one. The menu has all of the classics, the wine menu is well done and can accommodate any pairing. Le Refuge is an awesome choice for nice date night.

Of course this isn’t the only French bistro restaurant. It’s not even the only one in Alexandria, Va. But it might be the best. Authentic food, service & atmosphere.

Just like a legit Cafe in France. Their escargot are very unique and perhaps the best. This time of year the cassoulet special is often available and definitely worth it!

A new (to us) favorite in Old Town! Le Refuge was surprisingly delightful and we felt like we were back in France. The food was delicious and our waiter was very friendly and helpful. Definitely make a reservation because this place gets packed. The profiteroles were a perfect end to a fantastic evening. Very highly recommended!

Affordable for everyday dining and the perfect place to celebrate the most important special occasions. It's obvious that great care has been taken to make sure every detail is just right, from the decor to the lighting, music, and most importantly, the food. The perfect place to celebrate my 80th birthday with good friends.

What a lovely experience. I can't believe we haven't eaten here during our time in old Town. Warm attentive service, well prepared cocktails, good wine list. Carefully prepared appetizers and classic French entrées. Great deserts.

Such a fun place! Our waiter was so hilarious and wonderful. We had such a great time here. The food was excellent and the ambiance of the restaurant truly has a great French bistro, cozy vibe. And of course the food is excellent and although not 100% authentic French, more of a traditional French cuisine with a slight American twist, it was still very very delicious! I ordered the duck breast which was so wonderfully done. So tender and juicy. A great time and great food! Highly highly recommend! Perfect for date night or a night out with the girls.

We were a party of 8, celebrating a birthday. The restaurant is small and intimate. You feel like you've been transported to a Bistro in France. The service was very friendly and efficient. We enjoyed the food very much. I had a split pea soup which was tasty...it was warm, rather than piping hot, when it arrived. But I enjoyed it. My main was a trout almondine. So delicious. Would definitely recommend and intend to visit again.

Many years since I last dined at Le Refuge and I was delighted finding the same masterful quality of classic French country fare dropping in for lunch yesterday. I did not really drop in, I called first. Many other things have changed in over 3 decades of visiting LR but not the food nor the visual ambience.

When I first dined at LR in the 1980’s you could barely see from the front door to the back of the dining room through the haze of cigarette smoke and it is a short distance. The restaurant seats 42 people at full capacity having a handful of 4 top tables and the rest are tables for 2. All tables have 2 table clothes, red wine color cloth with a white one angled on top of it. The interior air cleared with the smoking ban in restaurants in 2009 and now customers are required to wear a mask to come through the front door.

There was only 1 couple dining enjoying lunch when I was seated at 1:00 PM. They finished and left by the time my entree arrived and there were 3 people who came in picking up take out orders during my visit so it is not reasonable to comment on service being the only diner having the exclusive attention of the server.

I started out having a Kir Royal, moving to a glass of White Bordeaux with my entree and Remy accompanying a shot of espresso with dessert. My food order sequence was baked onion soup with Swiss cheese followed by trout with mushrooms and almonds in lemon butter sauce entree and puff pastry with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce and freshly made whipped cream for dessert. All dishes were made with fresh quality ingredients masterfully prepared. Onion soup and trout hit my table top piping hot which is a distinction of fine dining restaurants. Artfully plated elevated flavors are served here.

Le Refuge has street parking, but we found a spot around the corner. We started with a bottle of Malbec, Conquistador de Argentina. For appetizers we ordered the Country Pate, and Escargot. They were out of Escargot, but our very knowledgeable server suggested the crayfish. She was right, they were delicious. Pate was also very tasty. They also brought French bread, and. Continued to bring it all through the meal. It was that good.
For dinner, my wife had the quails, with a vegetable medley and scalloped potatoes. She loved it all. I had the Coq au Vin, with the same sides. Very good. Sauce was incredible, though I'm sure it wasn't devoid of sodium. Portions for both were fine.
For desert, we split a Creme Brule. It was big so splitting it was easy.
It is a bit pricey, but value for what we got was fine.

Everything was FABULOUS. An amazing selection of surf and turf, and every single thing is mouth-watering. The filet mignon cut like butter and the scallops were cooked to perfection. Will be coming here for every special occasion for the foreseeable future!!

Cute, small, cozy spot. Their French onion soup is delicious, I'm still dreaming about it days later... We also ordered and loved their duck breast with raspberry sauce from the winter specials menu. House red wine was also 👌 excellent, much more than most.

Wonderful french restaurant. Best I have had. Great french atmosphere. Wonderful music playing. Very reasonable prices. Great selections. The escargot wasin a tomato sauce and tasted flavorful. The stuffed mushrooms were big and plentiful. The frogs legs were the biggest plate i have seen at a restaurant. The lamb shank was cut yhin and in a grest sauce. The scalloped potatoes nice and creamy. Definitely worth the try. Get a bread basket withvthe food. Good choices and soft butter.

The atmosphere is enchanting, you feel like you are in Europe. Cozy and romantic. We had the heart of palms salad and it blew us away! Delicious deserts too.

Great place all around. Small but cozy with a genuine french bistro feel. Food is absolutely delicious. Just about anything I've ever ordered here was amazing. The fillet mignon, calf liver, and onion soup are the best items on the menu in my opinion. Definitely worth a visit if you love French cuisine. Make a reservation as the place gets really busy.

I feel like I'm in France when I eat here. The food is fresh, the wine list stellar. The atmosphere is a delight and I feel like I'm visiting family when I'm dining.

un vrai restaurant français! Boef Wellington was perfect. The duck was..perfect. The wine, bourbon, mousse.. all perfect. The service exceptional. Will return often when in old town.make sure you make reservations tho. Cozy place. Fills up fast.

I'd give it 10 stars if I could. Everything is immaculate, from the staff, to the wine, to the food. If you are celebrating something special, or otherwise just looking to have a fantastic dinner in an intimate setting, this is your place. Make sure to say hello to Elias and ask for his recommendations.

Bruno meal. Ordered the advertised specials on the sign outside - split pea soup cassoulet. Both were excellent. Very cozy dining room and a long time business in town. They know what they’re doing there.

Excellent experience here. The food was unbelievable! Super cozy spot, felt like I was back in France. Did I mention how unbelievable the food was? Probably the best I've had in 20 years in the DMV.