Reviews Le Pavillon

Another Great Meal. Although I may only be a occasional visitor to the St. Augustine area, Le Pavillon has become a must for me on every visit. This particular visit I was attending a convention in the area and insisted to my friends that dinner had to be here and no where else. (My previous visit to the area was several months ago when I was the one being told by my friends I need to eat at Le Pavillon.)
Myself and five others arrived around 8:20 (about 20 minutes earlier then our reservation.) We were greeted promptly and taken to out table. I was happy to see several other tables all enjoying their meal. Being the only one in our group who has eaten there before, I was asked to suggest items on the menu. (Keep in mind that the waitstaff already promptly greeted the table, went over specials and made suggestions as well.) After having previously enjoyed the Onion Soup, myself and another guest decided to indulge in what I consider to be the best onion soup I have ever had. The broth is thicker then most onion soup which lends itself to much more flavor then would be expected. The onions were tender yet not mushy and the cheese layer is thin enough to actually melt and incorporate itself into the soup. (we have all had that time when there is too much cheese and it congeals into a ball somewhere half way down your throat. This was not the case here.)
I found myself in a quandary due to the fact my friend back home (who brought me here for my first meal) has been putting the bouillabaisse into my head for months I felt compelled to order it. However I had the lamb last visit and wanted it again. (along with the veal oscar that I tried last visit as well.) Thankfully the table next to us ordered it before we did and once that terrine opened up and my friends and I got a whiff of that intoxicating aroma, we elected to split it as a starter before our meal. The three of us were very satisfied with this decision. Our server split the order for us in the back and remembered my comment about leaving mussels out of my portion. The light broth was so flavorful along with the tender seafood, I literally scraped the bowl with my bread. (The bread itself is also amazing)
As for salads, they are simple and delicious. Bibb lettuce and a delicious vinaigrette. This is very traditional and meant simply to lighten the palate before your meal after eating your starters. If you're looking to eat an entire garden in a bowl, then all I can assume is you can't appreciate the true reason for a salad course. If you can appreciate it's true purpose, this salad is a spot on example.
For main course, we ordered three lamb racks and three veal oscar. (I know it wasn't adventurous of us, but we decided to keep it traditional) All but one of us elected to have Bearnaise with our lamb. One went with the traditional mint jelly. All were ordered medium rare-medium and were cooked to out liking. (Lamb can get a bit gelatinous in its rare state) The crust must have something addictive in it because we all but inhaled the bones. As for the veal, it was perfect. About 3/8" thick and still very tender. (We all know veal is tender when battered paper thin. This was still thick and had amazing texture) With the addition to the crabmeat and Bearnaise it too was inhaled. Out of the six of us, one person took home two chops. The rest aided us in what I would call food euphoria. Needless to say, we had no room for dessert.
The building is set in an old house and has a really cool charm to it. (If you want perfect decor with plenty of pretentiousness, go somewhere else. Half of your bill will go to pay the designer.) Its a nice place for what it is. It's about the food and service. Our service as I already alluded to was great. On top of things when needed and allowed us to enjoy our night out. I will always eat here when in town and recommend it to anyone looking for a great meal at a reasonable price.

Wow.... Again, we are new to Florida and have been up and down the coast of Florida just dining out. We relocated from NH. We were looking for a restaurant that was serving Prime Rib (our favorite). For years, we have traveled and ordered prime rib at nearly every restaurant we dine at. The benchmark is a place in Essex, Mass called Lewis's. Upon entering Le Pavillon, I instantly felt comfortable by the very courteous hostess. The restaurant is an old home which has been very nicely re-modeled to accommodate a clean kitchen/quaint bathrooms decorated to the era . We had called ahead and she remembered my voice asking if they were serving prime rib; the rib is only served on Saturday. We were seated in a small windowed room w/eight tables in all. This reminded me of some of the many homes turned restaurants up in New England. The tables had double table cloth coverings and were pleasingly set with the basics. A friendly waitress approached us with the specials and soups of the day, adding that prime rib is a specialty every Saturday (we were in luck). The menu is simple with great choices. With the exception of you choosing your main entree, the sides are all predetermined for you. We ordered the prime rib and the only 1 question the server asked was how we would like it cooked (MedRare). The meal arrived and was served with sides of a salad of greens w/a house vinegarette dressing (excellent) along with some of the best rolls I have ever had (I believe they were Asiago rolls/no butter needed). The meat was served w/oven-roasted, lightly seasoned red potatoes, a breadcrumb topped oven baked 1/2 tomato as well as sauteed, buttered green beans. The quality of the cut of beef itself was above average. It was seasoned perfectly and cooked medium rare just as requested. The food was exquisite and we enjoyed the entire dining experience. We even ordered dessert in spite of our meal being very filling; as the choices were irresistible. 80% of the desserts are prepared on site; we had the key lime pie and creme brule', which is made by their own chefs and my elderly father enjoyed the Dark German Black Forrest cake is imported from a nearby bakery and just beyond description, it was wonderful I would rate the atmosphere a 10 and the service a 10, the filet mignon a 8 and the prime rib an 8 on a scale of 1-10 (Lewis's in Essex, Mass still #10 and the benchmark. Will continue dining to try to find the ultimate prime rib!

Got their first thing when they opened. The staff are extremely helpful, nice. My waitress allowed me to order a not on the menu combination. The food was perfectly seasoned, as in did not need to add salt or pepper. It is one of the best restaurants in St. Augustine. The setting, furniture, paintings really made me feel like a high end restaurant.

Great place! Finally a French onion soup that’s not salty. They did not have the Atlantic fish but were very accommodating and gave me the best crab cakes I ever had with grilled vegetables, since I did not want potatoes. Is great to go to a place where food is flavor is at best. Thank you for making mu night.

Ooo la la! Lovely dinner of appetizers tonight. I have been a little under the weather and wanted some good French onion soup and that's exactly what I found at Le Pavilion. Everything is locally sourced and made from scratch in house and you can taste their passion and love of food in their dishes. We had them bring everything at once. I got my onion soup with a Florentine crepe. My companion got the cream of potato, bacon and onion soup and the Boar sausage appetizer. They layered the flavors so well! The decor was warm French country with hardwood floors and lace curtains. Our server was a knowledgeable college student who was attentive and charming. We will definitely be back to explore more of this fine restaurant's offerings.