Chef Yannick Cam has worked in Paris, the Riviera, London, New York and Washington DC. He served the top French Army generals and has experience in a Michelin 3 star restaurant. He accommodates vegan, gluten free needs and serves only the finest ingredients. His wine selection is superb. I have dined in thirty countries in great restaurants. I am grateful Bistro Provence is within walking distance. He is sensitive to inflammation of his customers through diet and finally stopped putting bread out given the issues many have with it. I’m grateful he cares about his customers. I’ve never been disappointed in the six years I have dined here.

Dined in, ordered risotto with scallops and chicken. Lovely food all around and the “backyard” ambience was fantastic. Show up on Sunday afternoon for a quiet, intimate, delicious dining experience.Only caveat is some sticker shock for a bottle of “sparkling” when they bring it over: 11 bucks. Otherwise delicious food worth the while

Mediocre!For the price, the service was simply not available. While the staff were nice, they didnt have the tasting menu we booked. Not to mention the food was underwhelming.This is for people who think they have having a high class meal minus the actual high class...

Not only was the food fantastic, but the staff was super friendly! My friend and I are both teens and decided to go out and try something fancier, and the staff was more than welcoming. The patio and the restaurant itself is incredibly beautiful. Cannot recommend this enough to others looking for an amazing meal and service!

Son and I ate here during the Covid period (so perhaps not representative). Restaurant has an old school European feel. Nice back garden area. Food was nice but portions were small and prices were in nose bleed territory. My overall sense the restaurant needs a Gordon Ramsey make-over to attract new patronage.

This is my fourth time in this restaurant. I have the over to meet the owner. The owner enjoys his business. He has many many years of experience and his clientele are loyal and enjoy this amazing building. Yes, the restaurant is in a building and have many rooms. I recommend this place :-)

Fantastic food

Main course underseasoned. Charged $6.50 for a basket of artisanal breads that had only 6 pieces of a small baguette. When we talked to the manager she said only that the bread was indeed artisinal! Did not remove from bill.Garden was a lovely setting and risotto appetizer was good.

Very beautiful little spot. Food was perfect. With everything cooked by hand after it is ordered expect it to take some time. Service was friendly.

The food is magical here! We had a birthday lunch here on a rainy Saturday. Service was a bit lacking and slow as there was only one waiter for the entire restaurant. Shocking! He was very courteous when he came around. But the food made up for any shortcomings.

Great food, friendly and helpful staff, and beautiful ambience. Everything was so delicious that we wished we could lick our plates afterwards. Wed love to come back again!

One of the most enjoyable meals of my life. This delicious Rhône wine made of Grenache (55%), Syrah (25%), Carignan (10%), Cinsault (5%), and Mourvèdre (5%) perfectly complimented the seared sea scallop appetizer with oyster mushrooms and duck breast main (with a smoked porcini reduction and eggplant purée). and the waiter Wilhelm is a hoot.

ABSOLUTELY beautiful food...presentation as well as flavor.

I have had the honor of eating the exquisite food made by the famous French chef and owner of this gem in Bethesda!The food is wonderful and decadent! The atmosphere took me to France and the service was great. The best, besides the food, was listening to the chefs very interesting stories from his career. I highly recommend this place to anyone that wants to indulge and pamper themself with high class French cuisine!!

Restaurant is very pretty and has patio seating - very cute and cozy. Food is amazing!!! However, Ive never seen a French place not serving any bread at all. When we asked for bread, they said jokingly: Our baker went out of business, so we dont have any. Next time bring your own bread. We really thought the server was joking, but, apparently, not. Then we asked for a cocktail menu. They said they didnt have a menu, but could make anything we wished. The server made good suggestions. Then he came back with a drink in a martini glass and extra in a regular glass saying that he didnt measure it right, so here you are. We were pleased of course. At the end we have received a check for $100 for 4 drinks. We asked why we were charged $25 a drink, and the server said that he charged us for extra that he gave us. We said that we didnt really ask for extra, but he said It is what it is. You gotta pay since you drank it. We were really displeased with the situation, we paid, but would not go back.

This place and Charleston is the best place for foies gras hands down in the state of Maryland. Great service and great food!

Great food and beautiful atmosphere but severely understaffed. Getting seated, getting our orders in, and getting our food all took way longer than it should. The bread we got was stale. The duck confit and sea scallop risotto was delicious

If theres a better example of what exquisite French fare perfectly prepared should be I havent found it yet in this region. Combined with the charming atmosphere, watching Chef Cam prepare it, and the ability to talk to your dining companions its a near perfect experience.

This place always delivers. They have fantastic food for fair pricing, there no long wait even when the place is full.

This spot constantly delivers. They have good dishes for affordable pricing, there no long wait even when they are packed.

Amazing food, fantastic service, phenomenal atmosphere.

The spot is pure magic. Having been to Provence many times, and many French restaurants in general, I must say this is a very special place. From the crusty-tender duck confit, to amazing foie gras, to lobster pastry appetizer - this has become my favorite local Bethesda spot for a meal! I hope the chef does not retire anytime soon.

I went there for my birthday. Had the Brussels sprouts which were delicious and the Duck Confit which was melt in your mouth amazing. They gave me a lemon custard for dessert with a candle on it. Amazing. Adorable. And wonderful ambiance in the courtyard!

Love it! Great food, beautiful wine list! Friendly and professional service! It becomes my favorite french restaurant in DC.

Ive been to several high end restaurants around the world and have eaten some pretty wild meals but Ive never had what felt like an intimate connection to a restaurant before. I went with my girlfriend and best friend on Saturday Jan 2 at 9pm. The server informed us that the restaurant would be closing at 10pm sharp. No problem. We had one of the most amazing meals of our lives. We ordered the 2004 Les Forts de Latour with our steak and fish, the wine was an experience on its own and the food was absolutely amazing. It wasnt just the incredible food but the vibe from the restaurant was so homey and lovely.Chef Cam was the only one in the kitchen, every time we looked in his direction he was just smiling and having a lovely time making fantastic food. Its kind of hard to describe how great of a time we had here in such a short time but I highly recommend coming in for yourself.We will absolutely be back and hopefully be able to enjoy the restaurant and ambiance after the COVID restrictions are lifted. After leaving the restaurant, I spent the next few hours reading about our wine and the history behind it. I also had no idea Chef Cam was a world renowned chef, pretty amazing, we just looked at nice food in Bethesda and picked this restaurant based on the reviews. We are looking to bringing our friends to Bistro Province soon!Cheers

What an experience! Transported me back to the Loire Valley! The food couldnt have been made any fresher. The chef is a true genius. Im definitely adding this to my list for date night, it is worth every penny.

I visit this superb restaurant once a month since I like the good mood that is unique to this restaurant. The team is exceptionally welcoming and professional. The service is very quick. Most important, the food they prepare is highly distinguished. I ate there more than once and I was always delighted. The rate is decent. I recommend this place to my friends and family.

Had an amazing dinner last night at Bistro Provence. Everything my friend and I ordered was just delicious: escargot, foie gras, duck confit, and roasted duck breast. Will definitely be back!!

Delicious food, wonderful service at this cozy romantic French Bistro. We will be back!

This goes to our server Bill. Man you were awesome, respectful, and a role model to follow. I cant believe you were serving 7 tables all by yourself at the same time. That requires a lot of patience, self discipline and positive energy which you have them all. Food was great, my girlfriend and I enjoyed every bite. However, the only thing that made me feel uncomfortable was the fact that you were all alone having to serves all, I feel management should consider having at least 2 or more servers in order to be more efficient. Bill it is not your fault and we understood this but other clients wont feel the same.Best of luck,

The restaurant is wonderful and spacious, the menu was enchanting and the rates were very inexpensive. rapidly, efficient service and very affable waiters. I highly recommend this place.

Hello reader!The lovely people at Bistro Provence hosted our private dinner for roughly 30 people last week. It was a beautiful event!The staff were very professional and attentive. Some of the menu was in French (very fun) and the staff took the time to help us understand everything. A great touch! The food was incredible and just the right amount. Personally, I had the lobster purse, scallops, and apple tarte. They were all divine! I also got to try my friends risotto, which was also amazing. The wine was perfectly flowing and delicious.The private space is wonderfully sized and has its own bathroom. Everyone raved about the meal and how much fun they had. We wouldnt have had it any other way.I simply cannot say enough good things about the service, food, and overall ease of planning the event! I had zero worries and as an event planner, that is an essential feeling to have :)Much love to all who read this,Kayla

I celebrated my PhD last night in this great restaurant. happy to tell that we enjoyed a pleasant evening and the venue was certainly the reason for that happy celebration. The team cooperated in a sweet manner, the meals were great and my guests were very pleased. We shall definitely visit again for more celebrations. thanks very much.

French cuisine cooked by an amazing chef from France. The food is amazing and fresh. The wait staff is very friendly. He sang happy birthday to my wife solo when he found out it was her birthday. The menu is small, but that is why the food is amazing. A must visit and I will definitely return for another dining experience that was a culinary festival of French cuisine.

Very clean and accessible spot. They offer big meals and for reasonable prices. We enjoyed the food a lot and the staff members were very amiable and chatty. Recommended.

Very nice

Great food. Tasty unlimited fresh made bread. Great location. They offer a nice 3 course package before 7PM. The waiting service needs improvement. Good wine selection, but not a good value at ~ $18 ave per glass for an average wine. Nice outdoor tables in the back terrace.

The best French experience Ive ever been to.

From the first moment you enter this place the personel give you an enjoyable feeling. Very friendly stuff, it is a kind place to pass time with buddies or with your date. heavenly cuisine, experienced chef, good cost and nice service. Highly recommended.

My husband and I had a stellar experience at Bistro Provence - the food and service were excellent. My veal chop was perfectly savory and tender, and his diver scallops were melt in your mouth delicious. The lobster purses were sublime. Endive salad was delicate yet distinctive with a lovely, light Roquefort dressing - very refreshing. Desserts - the nougat and chocolate mousse parfait were fab. Shocked to find this exquisite gem in our own back yard. Weve had too many average meals at too many restaurants in the area for ridiculous prices. We are happy to pay for quality. The prices here - for such high quality food - are a great value. We will definitely be back to Bistro Provence (again and again)!! Chef Cam is a true artist/chef.

Food was excellent, although very slow meal overall, which can be good depending on with whom you are sharing a meal. Its a very cozy, pretty place--would love to try sitting in the back garden when its warm.

The ambience and warm attention from the staff only serve to highlight the glorious food. We chuckled when the waiter mentioned that everything was cooked to order and that there are no warming trays in the kitchen so the service might seem slower than were used to. It never seemed slow to us but we had planned to linger and the pace of serving each course felt just right. The food came out in perfect portions with beautiful presentation and each bite was better than the last from the first course to the last. We will certainly be back.

This place is worth a try. They have big portions for fair rates. Consistently neat and with good character. I highly recommend this place.

The food is constantly fresh and delicious, employees hands over excellent service. I really like how clean it is and mood. Highly recommended.

Outstanding food. Nice very cosy restaurant. Sitting near where the chef cooks is more lively, but a little noisy. Sitting in the regular dining room is quieter. Never have been in the garden. Ordering before 7 pm you get prix fixe, which is an excellent value for money.

BEAUTIFUL and WONDERFUL food! Absolutely love this place. The chefs are amazing!

Really excellent food and service. We visited on a rainy November day, so we didnt get a chance to sit outside. But the interior is beautiful, and we were seated where we could see Chef Cam perform his magic near the warm and cozy kitchen. So we were very happy. What a very lovely restaurant. We plan to return often.

Outstanding French food, though prices are high for Bethesda.

I constantly arrive getting some food in this spot. I love the swift service and well prepared food. I recommend this place.

Food was incredible from appetizers to dessert. Ambiance was delightful. This was a special night out for us and Bistro Provence provided us with a lovely evening all around.

Well, I have to say this chef knows what is doing. Wine and champagne are not overly expensive. Great dinner experience. Chapo

Best cuisine in the DC area. each time we eat here, something blows us away whether it be the duck, asparagus soup, grilled squid, crepes, or French toast. The ratatouille is light and amazing. The prix fixed lunch is a great deal. The brunch is the neighborhoods little secret.

An eclectic setting but the food was awesome and not too expensive for what youre receiving.

Great food, great service, great chef! Went out for a nice lunch with my girlfriends and couldn’t have asked for more. Food came out amazing and the entire restaurant just screams elegance. For sure will be visiting again.

Was disappointed with the experience overall. The flavor of the food was excellent but it seemed like it had been cooked a few hours ago then kinda sorta reheated. They kept the food coming fast (we did the dinner bistro 3 course deal), but it seemed liked they just wanted to get us out of there.However, my main gripe is there were constantly (every single second) a few waiters loitering by the bar/hanging over our table. At first I didnt think much of it but it got real uncomfortable after a while. How would you feel if there was a stranger hovering over you all dinner?

We lived in Paris, and so were delighted to discover Yannick Cam and his Bistro Provence. We have dined here twice, and were very impressed by the food and the service (contrary to the experience of some other reviewers on this site). The lobster purses are exquisite, but everything is very well prepared. The wine is pricey, but of high quality. We will return tonight.

Very good food. Service spotty. Did not have the wine I ordered. They suggested a more expensive wine but did not offer to honor the price of the original wine that I ordered. Its not about the money, its about the principle. I still spent over $230.00for dinner for 2 people. My guest was wearing black pants and the napkins were white, so we asked for a black napkin and the waiter said for what? Hmm.

Excellent atmosphere and personal service.

I love that you can sit right next to the kitchen and watch the chefs cook everything right in front of you. Felt very intimate and homely.

The Bethesda food scene is absolutely mediocre, but this restaurant is one of the only ones I have been actually impressed with. It is a quiet, neighborhood hidden gem with excellent service. It is quiet and really feels like an escape. I am a vegetarian, so French food isn’t the best fit, but I can make a meal of just their appetizers, and was so impressed with the flavor and savoriness. Brunch is great as well. My only complaint was the mimosa was $14 but the price wasn’t on the menu. That’s too much given the main course was $12. I feel like this place struggles financially and isn’t the most popular because of its location, and I want people to know that it is a friendly, delicious, local gem worth going out of your way for.

Lovely chef. Wonderful food.

Go to Mon Ami Gabi. Better (cleaner) ambience, better service, much bigger menu, better ingredient quality, more rational prices. Busboys not hovering next to your table trying to grab your plate while you’re eating. Can’t believe the ratings Provence gets.

Excellent, although this was my first time at this restaurant. Great food and service. Food was delicious.

French restaurant yes but not a bistro! For instance, the typical hanger stake with French fries was not on the menu. Instead, there was a rib eye steak for $58, a price that my wife and I were not willing to pay no matter how great that steak could have been. The soup was ok but a little watery, the salads and the main courses were not special, and the apple tarte tatin was caramelized to a point that it tasted bitter. The cappuccino came cold and after sending it back they made a new one that was below par. Once you start to have a disappointment, other things such as the silverware that needs an upgrade starts to stand out. Overall, definitely not over a 4 star experience.We received a quick response from the restaurant where they think we were disappointed with not finding steak and fritz in the menu. They completely missed the point that there food was mediocre and what they are charging on some of the items is unreasonable. More importantly, they caused us to start the night on a down mood. Not sure how the others gave such high rating!

An excellent bistro. Chef Cam produces wonderful food in a casual classy setting. The service ranges from outstanding to variable. Some of the best food in Bethesda.

Always good food and amazing service

I love this quiet, delicious restaurant. It is perfect for both lunch and dinner. Don’t miss the secret inner courtyard!

V. Expensive for food that was good but not exceptional. Grade B+. Service was horrible and would never go back. Embarrassed recommending Bistro for our party of four.We sat - as did everyone else - for 2.5 hours before being served main meal. Arrived at 6:30 and left after 10 without desert or coffee. Really weird staff and managers acting like wait was typical. No table turnovers all night. Staff pushed specials that turned out nearly twice the cost of average meal - never mentioning price when we asked for recommendations, so bill was a shock. Ouch.

I had filet mignon here. It wasnt what I would expect from a upend place. For what they charge I expected juicy and very tender but it didnt meet that standard. Service is good. The desserts are good but didnt meet my upend standards.

Chef Yannick does an amazing job every time. I was a former customer of LeParadou and followed him to Bistro Provence. The open kitchen just makes a great conversation to bring friends from out of town, watching a true artist at work, making your food fresh, just simply amazing.

The experience was quite bad overall. The service is untrained and they really do not know what they are doing, to the point of lacking manners some times and not understanding very simple rules of the service industry (e.g. like not taking the dish out of your hands when you asked them not to do that.... and they still keep pulling). The oversize plates (not the food, the actual dishes themselves) made it quite uncomfortable to even place everything on the table for 7 people that we were in. On top of that, they tried to rearrange the table every single time they brought a new dish.....like 5 times at least, which was very annoying. Forgetting the service, the bathroom wasnt appropriate for this kind of place, not clean and in a horrible location. We were of course expecting at least that the food would be good to compensate for all the bad stuff. Not at all. Mediocre at best, and very much not French cuisine anyways. Definitely not worth the price by far. A very disappointing experience and waste of money. When you go to a place like this and pay those prices, this is simply intolerable.

Compares with anything you can get in Paris or Marseille! Good authentic French food and a wine cellar to match. Recommended.

Generally excellent food, although the duck was tough, and the service was extremely slow to the point that it took over an hour for the appetizers to arrive, and 2.5 hours after arriving, we were finally served dinner. Ridiculous.

We were so disappointed. From what we had heard about the chef, we were very excited. He is talented, but there is insufficient staffing both in the kitchen and for the tables. It took 15 minutes to get our first glass of wine. Two of the specials on the menu were not available. The asparagus soup was divine but the parmesan custard in the middle had no parmesan flavor. The duck came with a terrine of foie gras which was mainly terrine and a micro speck of foie gras. The duck was cooked perfectly but had no flavor. The lemon torte would have been amazing but a splash of amaretto drowned out the subtlety of the lemon. Why, oh why? And everything was just so very slow. Bottom line, if you want a great, dependable French bistro, go to La Chaumière in Georgetown. Its worth the trip.

Our business meeting in one of the private rooms had superb ambiance. Food selection was great; the presentation and taste were memorable.

Great food and service. The most amazing and authentic French cuisine in Washington DC area.

Great little place tucked away in Bethesda. Food was very good, real French country cooking

Nice place and good food.

Scrumptious, perfectly cooked, exquisite French fare in a pleasant, low-key setting, with authentic, unintrusive servers. A bit of Paris on the Potomac!

This small quaint restaurant has the most amazing french cuisine in the DC area. Chef Yannick made us the most marvelous three course meal. The lobster purse was just exquisite, and the chocolate soufle is a must, which you have to order in advance, but it is worth it.

I went here as my last meal in Bethesda when I moved as I hadnt been yet and figured that I should try to end on a high note by going to what had been regarded to me as the best restaurant in Bethesda. Of course I was wary, having been told that before, when Id first moved there with places like Blacks that ended up being completely abhorrent, so I reserved my judgement. Bistro Provence fully lived up to, and even exceeded my expectation - it is the best restaurant in Bethesda. Our food was simply unbelievable, from the salmon tartar topped with the most exquisite caviar imaginable (for someone who has not acquired a caviar taste to say that speaks volumes), to the veal chop that was sized for Fred Flintstone but cooked for Fred Astaire (the size was just a nice bonus, I wasnt expecting what I got). The Bordeaux was amazing, full-bodied, and not overpriced; it needed a few minutes to open up and Im so glad that I didnt send it back because it was completely worth the wait and risk. We finished with a lava cake that was prepared to perfection and accompanied by the smoothest deliciously subtle ice cream to clean the palate; of course I needed a cognac to accompany it, and given the damage that Id already incurred on my wallet, opted for the house cognac - what a great choice it ended up to be. Bistro Provence has tied Cafe Renaissance (Vienna) for my favorite restaurant in the D.C. area.These bad reviews are completely unfounded, its possible that I just got lucky on a good night but I really dont think so. It seems like the tastes of these individuals are quite elementary, and I dont think that they realize that the staff in a restaurant like this are probably better educated and more worldly than they are; not having patience for people who wont (actually, cant) fully appreciate the experience. Paris would tear these people to shreds.

First time, going to this restaurant and I was highly disappointed for lack of professionalism and the food. First , I did not feel the French atmosphere at all, more like a Mexican restaurant. I didn’t like the food, this is not a French cuisine and overpriced for what you are getting. I made a reservation through the manager on the phone for a private room table for 2 , once we got there I was told by the staff, after staff spoke with the manager to confirm my reservation , that there is no table for 2 people in the private rooms section. The manager did not even come down to tell us, she had to tell the staff over the phone while we were waiting downstairs. Meanwhile , she was upstairs in the private rooms section . We decided to stay downstairs and cope with the noise. About 45 mins , the manager came downstairs and being hypocritical , she told us how sorry she was, keep apologizing and asked us if we wanted to move now, we told her No because we were not willing to move after we were already sitting , started drinking and ordered our food which by the way was tasteless when we got it. I’m sure she gave our table to some other guests or she didn’t have a table at all but still accepted my reservation, ridiculous. Staff are not friendly, all seem scared, cold and confused . This is Not a French restaurant , I have been to couple of them and I can tell the difference specially the Food, again it is more like a Mexican cuisine with a French name attached to it and overpriced . If you want a good French restaurant go to - le vieux Logis restaurant in Bethesda , you will have the best French cuisine , staff over there are very professional , very welcoming and again you will have a great, Real french food. I should have gone there again but I thought I should try this restaurant for the first time and I was highly disappointed .

Excellent service , great food , will go there again and again

Fabulous place for lunch. Incredibly well prepared and tasty food

Really good food and good service.

I would sell my children for a serving of the lobster purses... Well maybe the neighbors kids. I love this place!

We had a wonderful meal, and as it was a birthday celebration, were treated to a scrumptious chocolate layer cake for dessert!

Very slow service. $350 for 5 people for brunch

Its a beautiful place to eat and have wonderful moments.

The best deal for quality and price for having lunch in Bethesda

Exquisite french cuisine and wine

Chef Yannick Cams artistry with elements he has chosen yields tasty delights, deft presentation, and a full sensory experience. Thank you, Chef!

This is a beautiful place with delicious food and great service.

Good food but expensive with small portion on a plate.

Small portions aka real French portions NOT American sized portions. Delicious and really lovely quaint Provincial decor.

Great food, great place, we love it!!!!

Food was one of the best I have ever tried, very nice venue and excellent customer service

Outstanding. Best restaurant in bethesda

Wonderful food, and the best service hands down!!

The wait staff was untrained at best, but was closer to being out right bad. They tried, multiple times, to refill our wine glasses, which had wine in them, with water. They didnt get us various things we asked for until the 2nd or 3rd request. The service was also quite slow. They also misstated the price on the wine as $50 but was actually $130, which we found out when we got the bill.To add to that, the food was mediocre and I felt I would have gotten a better tasting meal at Chipotle.To get to the bathroom, I either had to take a filthy staircase down or ride the elevator which smelled like trash.We spent nearly $600 that night for 5 people for food, drinks and tip. I expected a lot more for this kind of money. McDonalds has higher standards than this place. This is one of those restaurants thats all about the name and being able to tell people you went there, rather than serving high quality, tasty food with competent wait staff. Its a shame considering all the hype surrounding it.