Chez Francois

Excellent food! My dad and I got two different crepes, and they were both fantastic. Savory, full of flavor, and the crepes themselves were nice and soft, but managed to hold all of the food without falling apart or tearing at all. We also got one of the dessert crepes, the Fantome, I believe it was called, and it was AMAZING. Fresh fruit, honey and chocolate that all tasted wonderful together. We will be back.

My wife and I have visited this place several times. I like it enough to want to share my experience with you, especially after seeing some of the other reviews. Let me start with the highlight of the restaurant: the food. You get excellent savory and sweet crepes here, with an authentic flavor that just cannot be matched elsewhere in Concord (and perhaps across the state). The crepe parisienne is a must for anyone who wants to try the food for the first time. I also cannot recommend highly enough the croque-madame. I'll be honest, my wife dragged me here the first time we went. Now I've repaid the favor several times by asking that we revisit. People don't just visit restaurants for the food, though, so let me address the service a bit too. I would estimate that I have visited Chez Francois about five or six times since it opened. The service has ranged from mediocre (the second time we visited the crepes were cold) to excellent (the waitstaff is attentive and happy to explain the menu items; the food came out promptly and was steaming hot). I won't say that the waitstaff is the most talkative in the world...but who goes to a restaurant for the conversation with the waiter? The atmosphere is also nice. They recently added white tablecloths throughout the restaurant, but even before it was a solid location. I can say that I have only visited it during Sunday for lunch; I have no idea what it would be like at night. However, it was cool during the summer months with a solid view of Union Street from almost anywhere (I'm a people watcher). I've lived in Concord nearly my whole life. In that time I have seen restaurants come and go. Most are steakhouses or fast food chains with little to offer other than the same thing in different packaging. Chez Francois falls into neither category. I've traveled a bit in Europe (just a little), and I would compare this food to what I found there. It tastes fresh and is (by Concord standards) different and inventive. Do yourself and this place a favor--stop by and try the food at least once.

Such unmet potential, it's really sad. I hope they can improve and do so quickly. I had been waiting for this restaurant to open since I first saw an ad in Cabarrus Magazine in October - almost a year ago. I tried to visit about a month ago, on a Monday, but they were closed. Today I made it. The menu is varied but the food doesn't live up to its promise. French onion soup was mediocre, the onions weren't even browned, more like boiled. The crepe I was served was crispy, not what a crepe is supposed to be. Our waitress, who was very good, offered to get me another but I declined. The cook staff was overheard talking about probation and what to do if on it, which I found a little too personal to be heard front-of-house. The waitress offered free dessert which I accepted. I asked for no bananas, but there they were. When the bill came there was a $2.00 charge for meat (salmon) which was not mentioned anywhere in the menu. Overall I would only have awarded one star, but the waitress upped the score. I may try them again in six months, if they are still in business.