Bistrot Chez Remy Review
Bistrot Chez Rémy is a table service restaurant in the Streets of Paris Ratatouille mini-land at the Walt Disney Studios Park known as La Place de Rémy. In this Disneyland Paris dining review, we’ll share food photos plus a look at the themed design, and thoughts on whether this is recommended for a meal during your visit to the France parks.
Serving traditional French cuisine, Bistrot Chez Rémy is modeled after the restaurant that Remy opens in the Disney-Pixar film Ratatouille, and the premise of the restaurant is that guests shrink down to the size of rats and are served in a larger than life environment where champagne corks, silverware, jam jar lids, and other “kitchen stuff” are all integrated into the restaurant.
I haven’t reviewed many restaurants from Disneyland Resort Paris, but those I have reviewed haven’t been exactly favorable. As a result of disappointing and overpriced meals (plus limited restaurant hours and a surplus of closures), we usually opt to eat most of our meals in the Disney Village at Earl of Sandwich or Five Guys.
I might have done the same thing this time around but for the fact that this was a popular new restaurant, so I thought things might be different. Plus, it looked sort of cool, and anything that could redeem the maligned Walt Disney Studios Park in my eyes was probably a good thing. I’m glad I gave it a try, because it ended up being a bright spot in terms of Disneyland Resort Paris dining.
Before we get to the meal itself, let’s take a look at the decor…
I think it comes as no surprise that Imagineering chose to model the restaurant after the one Remy opens in Ratatouille. It’s an obvious way to allow theme park guests to enter one of their favorite films, so it was a natural fit.
Admittedly, it felt a little odd that the higher end dining experience was in a location that’s ostensibly less refined than some of the counter service restaurants in Parc Disneyland next door, but I still completely get why the “giant kitchen stuff” design motif was chosen here.
I do think that in some cases the design flourishes were a tad superficial and done on the cheap when they could have had a bit more depth and detail.
Despite all of the different props to give dimensionality to the restaurant, in places it felt a bit flat as a result, if that makes any sense.
This is really a minor criticism, as overall, the restaurant was very charming and fun. It was enjoyable to peruse the various elements that had been pulled from the film, and although it’s been a few years since I’ve seen Ratatouille, I recall several nods to the film throughout the restaurant.
The idea of being able to step into a scene from the film obviously has a lot of allure for many Disney fans and families, and I think the execution here is largely on-point.
Thematically, it’s not the kind of flagship dining experience you’d expect to find in an area themed to France, nor is it the kind of restaurant you’d expect to find in Fantasyland.
It’s sort of an alternate-reality Paris where rats operate restaurants with an interior akin to what a rat would design, and cuisine and an exterior akin to what a human Parisian would create.
It’s the same type of world where you might find a real-looking Route 66 that is inexplicably inhabited by talking cars. If you start to think about it too much the illusion all falls apart, but you don’t really have occasion to think about it, because it just feels right.
Ultimately, it works the same way as a castle next to an alpine mountain at the end of a turn of the century United States main street. That’s probably commentary better reserved for a comprehensive look at the attraction and land, but it applies here, too, because I think it helps explain why the restaurant works despite not being what you’d expect it to be.
Moving right along to the food, Bistrot Chez Remy has multiple tiers of prix fixe menus at different price points.
Each of these menus are extremely limited in terms of choices (in some cases, there is no choice). As I understand, two upper tiers were added to the menu after the restaurant opened to make it more of a fine dining experience.
Not being too discouraged from my previous visit to Disneyland Paris, I decided to go all in and order from the Gusteau Menu (the highest tier of the menu), which was 59.99 Euro per person.
This included a starter, entree, dessert, and drink. At nearly $70 for just me, this wasn’t going to be a cheap meal…
As soon as my carafe of water arrived, without thinking, I slipped into blogger mode and started photographing it. Now, I think it’s probably an odd sight no matter where you are to see a dude eating alone taking photos of an ordinary container of water, but I feel like in the United States, it’s slightly more commonplace, so you don’t draw quite as many looks.
Well, in France that apparently is not the case–or at least it isn’t in a restaurant that has just opened for the day where the staff aren’t exactly busy–because I could feel a lot of eyes on me. Ha, whatever…
Next up was the bread course, which was fairly standard. Nothing earth-shattering about this or the accompanying butter.
Following that was the starter course of foie gras. This is the starter that comes with the premium prix fixe menu, although I’m sure you could downgrade to the salad on the Remy or Emile menus if you have ethical qualms with foie gras, which is a common dish in France served at most bistros.
I’ve only had foie gras a few times, but this seemed like a thicker spread whereas elsewhere it has an almost buttery quality. Regardless, the foie gras was excellent, having a nice texture and creamy, rich taste.
Next up was the main course, consisting of a premium filet of beef with candied potatoes and mustard jus de meaux chef’s sauce.
I ordered mine rare with a bit of trepidation. In the past, I’ve found that Disneyland Paris only really succeeds at extremes: either cold cuts of meat or over-cooked and flavorless chunks.
I don’t even know where to begin with this filet. It was, in a word: perfection. Wonderfully cooked with a great texture on the outside, and pink inside. The meat was tender and incredibly flavorful. It was one of the best steaks I’ve ever had at a Disney restaurant, totally shattering my very low expectations.
I only tried a bit of the sauce, which was good, as I didn’t want anything interfering with the succulent taste of that meat. The candied potatoes were also good, with an unexpected sweet taste.
The main course also came with “premium” ratatouille. I believe all of the menus come with ratatouille; I’m not sure what distinguishes premium from regular ratatouille.
I’m not a huge fan of ratatouille, but I cannot deny that this was well presented and pretty good for what it was. It had a tough act to follow with the filet, and it certainly wasn’t that good, but it had a complex taste; the flavors contrasted and complimented one another pretty well. Again, it’s not my favorite dish in the world and I wouldn’t order it on an a la carte menu, but that’s more about my preferences than the quality of this ratatouille.
For dessert, I opted to go with the tiramisu. I was running on very little sleep and not thinking, and for some reason when I saw it on the menu I thought it was a French dessert. (It’s not–it’s Italian, which I knew…)
This was the only thing about the meal that didn’t blow me away. It was a good dessert, but as far as tiramisu goes, it tasted relatively simple and had a mass-produced feel to it. I’ve heard the mousse is good, so I’d probably opt for that next time.
Overall, Bistrot Chez Remy totally defied my expectations. Not only based on prior experience, but based on the size of the restaurant and limited menu, both of which suggest this is a place looking to churn patrons as quickly as possible. Although my bread did come out quickly, my server adjusted the pacing on the fly (I think) seeing that I was looking for more of a leisurely dining experience.
Given its cartoonish interior, I was expecting a restaurant that would pander to families with small children, but that was not the case at all. Service was excellent, and my meal was the best I’ve had at Disneyland Paris by a wide margin. The decor doesn’t match the quality of the menus, but it’s a nice, fun touch, and I don’t think there’s any law requiring fine dining to have a stuffy or pretentious atmosphere. After all, the theme of Ratatouille is that “anyone can cook.” Well, it turns out that Remy sure can cook!
For the basics of planning a visit to Disneyland Paris, check out our Disneyland Paris Trip Planning Guide. Want to see more photos or read about Disneyland Paris in agonizing detail? Check out our Disneyland Paris Trip Report! For more dining reviews, check out our Disneyland Paris Restaurant Reviews (scroll down on that page).
Your Thoughts
Have you dined at Bistrot Chez Remy? What did you think? Would you like to see restaurant come to Walt Disney World? Your comments are half the fun, so please share any questions or feedback about Bistrot Chez Remy that you have in the comments!
We were disappointed in the lack of options on the menu as it was a set menu. We enjoyed the restaurant as it was unique to the movie with items being oversized, however, the food was a huge letdown. The soup we chose arrived luke warm while the steak option was overcooked and fatty.
Although COVID protocols were being adhered to, they crammed a bunch of families at tables that were side by side while plenty of vacant tables surrounded us.
Overall, we just felt rushed with selecting our order, eating and departing. It was all a mad rush, even though it was not a peak time.
We know theme parks can be overpriced for food, we just expected a bit more quality for the quantity of money we dished out.
If you could only choose one…Chez Remy or Agrabah Cafe….which would you choose?
Hi, thank you for yet another insightful review!
Did you dine for lunch or dinner? and is there a preference in your eyes?
I was thinking dinner may have a slightly more inviting ambiance with nicer lighting, but I am unsure as we are only in the park for half a day so time wise lunch is better suited to our constraints.
Please advise if in your opinion you would make your way back to the restaurant for dinner? or just settle with lunch?
Many thanks,
We received free meals with our stay at the Disneyland Hotel in Patis and were absolutely enchanted with the theme and the food. I agree with you exactly the food as we chose the same dishes you did. Tried with the foie gras – didn’t think we would like it but it was wonderful. The steak was amazing and the sauce fantastic. Enjoyed trying the ratatouille but agreed that I wouldn’t order it at a restaurant. The presentation of it was amazing. We opted for the chocolate mousse and the eclair and both were outstanding. Going again in a into and we are isisting that our friends eat here.
Great review and great pictures as usuaL And honestly, a man should feel free to sit alone anywhere he wants in France and take pictures of water. Isn’t that why we stormed the beaches of Normandy?
Glad to see they (kind of) changed the ratatouille dish. I ate there their opening week and they were only offering a more traditional ratatouille (i.e. a bowl of cooked vegetables). I guess after all the confusion they tried to fix things with a “premium” dish, though it still looks disappointingly nothing like the one in the movie.
Overall, it does look like they are improving the experience, though I’d still pick Walt’s over Chez Remy, which I think might actually end up being cheaper.
Look forward to seeing where you rank Remy’s in your list of top themed DLP restaurants.
I have not yet tried this restaurant, but given your comments, it is on my list for my next visit 😉
In my view, it is better for a restaurant to limit the choice of dishes and menus if offset by higher quality. Let me explain, a smaller choice allows the kitchen to focus on those few dishes making them completely on site and avoiding whether industrial and / or frozen. A tip, avoid restaurants with a menu of dishes from dozens, with a little luck, they will add a little parsley to look pretty, but their only cooking utensil is microwave! For this restaurant, it seems that the foie gras and ratatouille are “home”.
I’ve been waiting for this review (it’s odd how it’s more enjoyable to read reviews of things you’ve experienced yourself, when reading reviews of things you haven’t experienced would be more useful!).
I’m guessing you were dining on your own – and slipped into the character of Anton Ego all too easily… Did childhood memories come flooding back as you took your first bite? The difference between the regular and the premium ratatouille (by the way) is presentation, and that’s about it.
I’m guessing you saw the “d’Isgny” butter served with the bread (believed to be the origin of the Disney name?)
I had the same meal as you (apart from the dessert, where I had the cheese) – I’m glad you liked the steak (I was pleasantly surprised it was cooked properly rare!).
Did you notice the wine bottles – with the more recent of the two having the date of the attraction’s creation on it? I thought that was a great idea!
I definitely agree with your criticism of things feeling “flat” though – the tables were especially weak in that regard (I wonder how many casual guests really realise they are eating off the lid of a tin of olives, etc?).
I certainly don’t think it makes sense for the land to come to WDW. I think that adjacent resorts should have as little duplication as possible – and WDW and DLP both target the same market to an extent. It would be like putting Radiator Racers in Hollywood Studios – casual who live between DL and WDW aren’t going to feel a pressing need to visit based on that! A much more effective “cloned attraction” would be something from Tokyo or HKDL (or indeed Shanghai).
But almost more importantly – the visions for Place de Remy, and Epcot’s Paris (which is where this would go, if we’re being realistic) are drastically different. Both versions of Paris are idealised versions, but I have heard PdR described as “Pixar’s Paris”, which is pretty much the opposite of Epcot’s vision.
Finally, if you enjoyed this experience I wonder if you’d also enjoy California Grill one day. I share your opinion on DLP dining in general, but my meals both here and in Cal. Grill defied expectations in a big way – and the view onto the castle lit up at night is unbeatable.
Sorry for the long post… As you can see, I’ve been looking forward to this! 🙂
Yes, the wine was definitely a nice touch, as were several things they got right. Kudos for so many of the details there, even despite my “flat” complaint.
I am generally against cloning, but from the perspective as an uber-fan who does visit all of the resorts worldwide, and likes them to have their own unique draw. The reality is that the vast majority of guests will only visit one Disney resort in their lifetime. Even Disneyland and Walt Disney World don’t see a ton of overlap in guests, beyond the really hardcore fans.
I almost did California Grill this time, actually, after the great meal I had at Bistrot Chez Remy…until I saw the prices on the menu. Yikes! I know all of the restaurants are more expensive at Disneyland Paris, but California Grill seemed a bit ridiculous.
I ate here in Decemeber, I really enjoyed it but didn’t really like the fact it was a set menu. It seems that’s what DLP are doing with a lot of places now as cafe Mickey is the same. It’s a shame as it makes it much more expensive and you are forced to have a 3 course meal. Anyway Bistro Chez Remey is an incredible restaurant along with that whole area I hope it’s a sign for more things to come in the studios. I’m glad you enjoyed it and the photos are great!!
Set menus are definitely the trend at Disneyland Paris. I think I’ve seen them at the majority of restaurants there.
Being a huge fan of the film, I would have rather eaten a fine dinning meal inside Gusteau’s than Chez Remy’s, but what they did looks fun. Great details like the champagne foil chairs and Christmas lights chandelier.
I agree with you in part, and it would have been really nice to have both: Gusteau’s as a table service and Remy’s as counter service, but it’s tough to complain about the end result here because the finished product is pretty solid.