Chez Francois Restaurant & Touche Bistro

Met our friends at the restaurant. This was their first time dining at Chez Francois and on their bucket list before a big move to St Louis (my wife & I have been there several times in the past). We were greeted by the owner and offered a table in the enclosed veranda overlooking the Vermilion River - beautiful early evening views. The lead waiter (Dave) & wait staff was extremely attentive, ensuring our dining experience was outstanding. We were presented an overview of the menu, offered wine pairing suggestions and tended by the wait staff for our every need. The food was beyond excellent and well worth the price. I started with a lobster bisque (topped w/puff pastry) loaded with tender chunks of lobster claw meat. This was followed by a fresh, expertly presented boutique salad and then a surf & turf main course featuring veal, a sea scallop, a jumbo shrimp, lobster meat & accompanied by a vegetable side. Our dinner companions had similar delicious gourmet dishes. It was definitely a bucket list-worthy evening! As I hinted; this is an expensive restaurant and proper attire is required (jacket for gents - no jeans). However, the price for experiencing delectable French cuisine at Chez Francois is still far less than a plane ticket to Paris. No more than 45 mins west of Cleveland; this is destination worth visiting!

Probably one of the best restaurants in the area! The tea options were fantastic. For starters, we mainly ordered a variety of appetizers, including escargot, lobster Bisque, and artichoke hearts. The escargot was a favorite, and the bisque was generous with its lobster portions. We ordered the shrimp and scallop fettuccini which had great jumbo shrimp and delicious scallops. Lastly, our table had two different risotto’s, both of which were spectacular, with the vegetable risotto being an unexpected favorite.

Eating here is definitely an event. I attended a wine tasting and dinner, which was extravagant to say the least. Six courses of delicious food, accompanied by almost a dozen wines, made for a night that I won’t forget. The owner of the winery that we tasted spoke at length about each bottle, and my table left with several to take home.

Superb experience in every category of fine dining. Personally, the Beef Wellington is my go to at Chez Francois! Matt and his staff are second to none. Until next time, happy holidays.

What an experience!! I thoroughly enjoyed every second at Chez Francois. The food was exquisite. The service was the best, Rachel took such great care of us! We were tucked away in a private room, and felt like we had the whole place to ourselves. I wish I lived closer, but the 50 minute drive will not keep me from coming back! Highly recommend!!

Chez Francois epitomizes the world-class dining experience; the presentation is impeccable, the staff incredible, atmosphere impressive, and the experience inspiring. The amazing cuisine and extensive wine list speak for themselves. Upon entering the beautifully enhanced historic space, we were greeted with heartfelt welcomes from the staff. Casual banter between my dad and the owner immediately put as at ease. And the hospitality expanded as we met our wait staff, enjoying engaging conversations with Oscar, our waiter. Admittedly, we were initially apprehensive about dining at this award-winning establishment in Vermillion; it's a fair drive from the East Side, we're not that comfortable in formal attire, and the current economy has not worked in our favor as of late. But we had a milestone birthday to celebrate, and we wanted it to be memorable. And it was! I share Matthew's enthusiasm and pride in placing Northeast Ohio on the culinary map.

This place is what you think it is and perhaps more. We celebrated out first anniversary here on 10/15. The service was excellent, as was the atmosphere. The food, the cocktails, and the wine was exquisite! We will definitely be returning to this little gem in Vermilion. :)

Honestly 5 stars just isn't enough for this beautiful restaurant. They deserve all the stars in the sky and I truly mean that. They made my husband and I feel so special from the start, for our Honeymoon dinner. We both were surprised with our own personalized menu, we could not have asked for a better table with a lovely view of The Vermilion River, and the staff was top notch and extremely knowledgeable as well as helpful. Each course was just melt in your mouth delicious. I highly recommend you all to treat yourself and come here! It was an amazing experience.

Thank you Chez Francois Restaurant for all you did for us!

Everything was delicious. Truly exceptional clam bake. Can't wait to do it again next year.

Beautiful romantic setting restaurant. We come here yearly for our anniversary. Would recommend this place for any special occasion. Food is delicious. The special veal chop with risotto is one of the best meals I've ever had. It's nice to have a local restaurant in the area that is still formal and feels special.

Remember Christmas 2022 when the weather dropped to -20°? We had reservations that night, but we made it trek.

I had the beef wellington for the first time and my wife the fish.
Our waiter was as knowledgeable as a mixologist, knowing ingredients, great profile vocabulary, and even brought me extra whiskey because he felt there wasn't enough alcohol in my drink.

Love this place! The owner is very down to earth and approachable. Will return.

We ate dinner in the dining room, Everything we had was excellent. All the appetizers were great, Dinner and dessert were fantastic. The creme brulee is the best I've had in Ohio. They do 2 team service in the dining room which was great because one was wonderful, and 1 was not so great. But it doesn't even matter because the ambience the location the food everything about it just wonderful.

Amazing experience. Formal, yet inviting dining room. Staff was knowledgeable, and on top of service.
The food was so delicious, made to perfection. My first 4-star restaurant, and it did not disapoint.

My wife and I came to Chez Francois on our wedding night and now come here to celebrate our anniversary just about every year. We've also enjoyed Touché Bistro, their smaller restaurant overlooking the Vermillion lagoons, on several occasions. Chez Francois is the cream of the crop of fine dining. When you enter the restaurant you are struck by the look of the place, it's elegant and creative, and it feels like you are somewhere else entirely. The food options are are just incredible, matched only by the taste of the various dishes. I've had multiple dishes here including the beef Wellington, and of course, their one-of-a-kind truffle course. And the wine and drinks are for every palette
The service is fabulous, attentive to your needs and patient with your questions. It's no secret, Chez is a $$$$ establishment, but everyone should experience it at least once in their lives.

I spent a relaxing evening with a perfect view of the lake as requested.
My meal was perfect.
I was celebrating a couple of anniversaries and the anniversary of a day I'd been looking forward to.
My evening was magical.

We had the best first time experience at Chez Francois! We made our reservation for the riverfront cafe and the table we got couldn’t have been more perfect. It was pretty private and we had the perfect view of the river. It was a lot of fun to watch and wave at all the boats going by. Our servers were Roger and Hunter and they were great. Roger was professional yet personable and we loved the conversations we had with him. Their drink and cocktail menu was extensive and I’m glad I went with the French martini- it was perfect! We started with the lobster bisque which had huge pieces of lobster, and we also got the diver sea scallops with morel mushrooms in its natural shell. This was absolutely the most incredible thing I have ever had. It had 4 big scallops and it was so filling. The garlic butter sauce was phenomenal and you can tell that they use only the highest quality of ingredients. It was also wrapped in puff pastry… YUM!! Highly recommend. For dinner we got the beef Wellington and the veal. Both were cooked to perfection and the veal was a perfect mix of flavors. Even though we were stuffed after all that, they somehow convinced us to try the cherry dessert. It was perfect - not too rich and not too filling. I highly suggest everyone at least tries their homemade vanilla bean ice cream.

We had a great experience and we can’t wait to be back!

Incredible and special evening enjoying the annual Truffle & Wine dinner. Every dish had their usual attention to detail but was truly unique.

Another incredible evening this time for a South African wine dinner. Every morsel was amazing and the wines were exquisite

Update *July 2023* Enjoyed a dinner on the upstairs Touche Patio. The service was incredible and the meal as always was divine! The soft shelled crab has been my favorite dish and will be my dieing meal. The filet mignon is so tender you do not need a knife!

We went for a celebratory dinner and were not disappointed. Wonderful atmosphere, wonderful staff, wonderful food, wonderful drink, and a wonderful experience. Very cozy.
Had the espresso martini. One of the best salads I've ever had. We had the flaming dessert as well which was delicious and fun.

It was the most delicious filet mignon I've ever had. Staff was wonderful, very attentive. I would highly recommend.

Had a great dinner experience for my birthday. The staff was very friendly and super professional. The staff had a birthday card signed by everyone at the table which was a nice touch. Started with the amuse bouche which was tasty like a salsa. Then the waygu beef tartare which was very smooth and good. The lobster ravioli had 3 raviolis and large chunks of lobster in it. The season corn soup was poured at the table and had a great taste to it. The lobster bisque came topped with a light flakey pastry and large chunks of lobster meat in it as well. So delicious! Main course, lamb was cooked exactly to my liking and the beef wellington well cooked to perfection. Overall, very good dining experience; amazing foods only made better by the fantastic staff. Highly recommended!