Bistro des Copains

This is a sad review for me… as I have recently heard that the sweet Bistro des Copains has closed its doors. This wonderful endeavor was a true work of love… of family & friends. of owners… of long term staff… and of long term customers. It was in a unique setting, the perfect size and the friendliest of establishments. I was served delicious food by the sweetest waitstaff … I am grateful to have experienced the Bistro and thank the owners for creating such a loving and welcoming atmosphere. Merci… xo

Last weekend my husband and i had dinner here based on the good reviews and recommendations from Occidental locals we met while visiting there. My husband had the rabbit and I had the short rib. He found his dish very tasteless and below his expectations, and I agree that it was very ordinary and indistinctive in flavor I enjoyed the short rib as it was very tender and lean with a tasty sauce. Combining my 4 stars and my husband’s 3 stars, II would give 3.5 stars if possible but would not highly recommend this food compared to the many exceptional restaurants in the Bay Area.

This review will be an apparent anomaly to the rest. However, it should be addressed and I’d hope the restaurant will take matters into consideration.
We made reservations a week ahead and the restaurant responded within 20 min to our request. I always appreciate a rapid response as such!
We arrived to the restaurant. Parking spots a-​plenty, though dimly-​lit. Our corner table was adjacent to the kitchen, which served its purpose for the reasons I will list later.
My significant other and I have food allergies like the common folks, so we like to preface our dinner orders with said information. The waitress assured us that our chosen dishes would not be a problem. I don’t recall whether she had gone into the kitchen to confirm with the chefs, but we trusted her word.
We started off with a shared appetizer: tuna tartare with quail egg. Beautiful presentation. Much different taste than what’re used to, simply due to the rawness that overpowered the plain salt and pepper.
As for entrees, we chose boeuf en daube (braised short rib) and lapin a la moutarde (rabbit). Satisfying and fulfiling portions for the price. The short rib was more of a stew, aka extremely tender meat, paired with flavorful garlic mashed potatoes. The rabbit appeared stew-​like; it was hard to identify the rabbit underneath the pile of fettucini and veggies. It was too overwhelming in sauce that I couldn’t taste the rabbit.
Dessert is tricky because that’s usually when our allergies set off. Nuts and spices. We reminded yet another waitress of our allergies (we had a flurry of helpers – why? Where’s the continuity?). I remember clearly that she did NOT check with the kitchen. We, again, allowed her confidence to influence her choices. Our original waitress, who was informed of my allergies at the beginning of our dinner, took our order.
Lo and behold, my first bite had the SPECIFIC allergy that we mentioned. Persimmons? More like per-​cinnamon. I spat it out in fury, watered down my throat, and asked another kind server about the dessert. He confirmed that it contained the ingredient and apologized. He suggested another dessert and alluded to the fact that it would be a compensation. We begrudgingly accepted, only to discover that it was billed. The waitress returned for our sympathy but I was not having it. Thank you for spoiling my birthday dinner. I hope the waitresses are trained to eject epi-​pens. Hyperbolic, yes, but my anger ensues.
You live and learn. We make sure to ask our future waiters/​waitresses to check with the kitchen. I’m giving two stars for the RSVP and short rib.

Quote «oh no this has made all other French toast not good». The choice of brunch is fantastic and the tastes are just superb. Won’t be long before the brunch reputation has you waiting for a table.

Actually OPEN now, at 11 in the morning! They’re doing weekend BRUNCH, which is super exciting!

Best meal we had on our honeymoon! From start to finish, great food and super friendly service.
I typically avoid ordering chicken because after all, it’s chicken, but the poulet roti is not to be missed. Absolutely phenomenal.
The waiter recommended a 2011 Dutton Goldfield Pinot which paired well and was one of the best pinots I’ve had this year.

We were there for locals night. Brought a nice bottle and it took two requests and 25 minutes to get someone to open it. Staff was very apathetic. We had the blonde waitress and she seemed «zoned out» during all of our interactions. The food was perfect, but if you want timely service request to be seated in the brunette sever’s section. We spoke with other friends since, and they said the same thing.

The food at this place is SOOOOO good you want to close your eyes while eating. It’s a bit expensive so we save it for special occasions. It has a nice ambiance and the servers are friendly and attentive but not ostentatious,
I was disappointed in my dessert (burned profiteroles) and the restroom is not very nice; otherwise I would’ve given it five stars.

What a cozy, wonderful treat of a restaurant! To start, the servers were friendly, gave excellent suggestions on both food and wine and were attentive. We had the escargots (get them!), cheese plate, and duck and rabbit entrees. THE RABBIT! Served over pasta with a delightful sauce, carrots, onions, mushrooms: it was like eating chicken noodle soup, but WAY better. The food was good-​for-​your-​soul kind of food, the atmosphere was inviting, and the wine was delicious. This place won our hearts (and will win our miles and we won’t mind driving the 90 minutes it takes us to get here!)
One last reason why this place is amazing: we realized after driving home for 30 minutes that we left a pair of sunglasses on the window ledge. When we called to ask if they were there, not only did the employee offer to keep them safe, but offered without hesitation to Priority Mail them back to us.
This place is all class without the frills. Great for date night!

What a wonderful little restaurant.
The reason four stars instead of five; IT IS SO LOUD!!! Having owned a little restaurant once I know there are many (fabric among them) things that can be done to dampen that. We have good friends who live six miles away who would eat here every week but can’t take the racket.
The other reason for a lack of a fifth star is it’s warm inside this restaurant which is reflected in the wines-​by-​the-​glass. Sitting there at 75 plus degrees, that’s a tad warm to be serving such otherwise delicious wines.
That said, this was one of the best meals out my husband and I have had in years. The food was so fresh and delicious, the service staff so warm and attentive, that we would suffer through the noise (we had to shout to hear each other speak, just like everyone else was obviously doing) at least once each week. Mmmm… I’m still thinking about those mussels and those scallops. My husband’s duck was perfect. And the dessert a delight.
Really nice, balanced and thoughtful wine list. I WOULD NOT bring in my own bottle here but instead participate in ordering something not easily found on other wine lists. Had a wonderful bottle of unusual Grenache (small production) so dandy I can’t recall its name at all!
Wonderful restaurant. Check it out. Don’t go for intimate conversation. Go for the food and wine. We will be back!

We’ve dined here several times and are always really happy with the quality of the ingredients, the preparation of the food and the ambiance. Yum!

Definitely a great little spot in a cute little town!
This came upon recommendation from one of the wineries we visited. I would make a reservation here as there’s only a few tables.
The menu was very simple and limited selection. Sometimes I prefer it that way as too many options can make you so indecisive. They had various dishes from salads, steak frites, chicken to short rib to rabbit. I opted for something simple the butter lettuce salad. I know, I know how could I? Especially with all the delicious foods… well, we had so much cheese and such during wine tasting, I need something light! But my friends went ahead and ordered the heavier meals. One friend ordered the chicken. I was lucky enough to try it and it was delicious, cooked nicely not too dry and the sauce was wonderful! Another friend ordered the short rib, wow talk about tender meat and the sauce was also wonderful. I’m surprised she didn’t link the platter clean. Lastly, my other friend ordered the steak frites which was good, but standard — nothing out of the ordinary. We did order dessert which was a strawberry cake. Very simple and light — also delicious.
If you’re around this area, this is a place not to miss. Service was good and prices are decent. Loved the food and the simplicity of this place!

Went here for the first time tonight and it was pretty darn good. Called at 4:45 on a Sunday night for reservations and got one at 5:15 with no problem. The chocolate pot dessert was one of the more amazing chocolate experiences I’ve had. We drove up from Novato to use a gift certificate we got and we’ll happily go again without the gift card!

We had a lovely meal in this teeny-​tiny town of Occidental. The ambiance is very cozy even though the place was close to filled while we were there.
The open hearth oven sets a tone and though you may not feel like you’re in France it does evoke a European small village laid-​back feeling.
I had one of the few vegetarian options available — a vegetable tart — which was delicious. My partner had a salad and fish dish that was enjoyed as well.

Wow this place was knock-​your-​socks-​off good! It’s a quiet unassuming little spot that is Michelin recommended. We were wine tasting in the Sebastapol area and decided to try it.
And I’m so glad we did!
Everything we had was absolutely delicious — the rabbit, the scallops, the flatbread, the lamb, and the beer salad.
It’s the kind of place where you an see the kitchen, you meet the owner, and they use the absolute freshest ingredients — you can just feel the love they put into their food.
The service was awesome too. Everyone was more than helpful, especially since we came with a group whose language was primarily spanish. They were very patient and helpful.
Can’t wait to come back here again. This was a true gem to find!

It is so so so gooood!!! Nice small place. wonderfull dinner. I recommend to
Everyone to go this Resturant!

Best restaurant in the area. I didn’t have great service since it was the end of the night and it was very busy but the servers knew what they were talking about and the cooks sure know how to cook. I have only been once but it was the best meal I’ve had since I’ve moved to the area. Amazing!

My wife and I have been coming to Bistro for many years whenever we are up in western Sonoma County because we feel the food here is the best in the area by far! The service is wonderful as well and it’s always a joy to see the same friendly faces and knowing that they (seem to) enjoy working here.
I am always on the lookout for a good chicken meal and am constantly surprised that it is rarely done with any «style». Problem solved! Their chicken is to-​die-​for-​good… Steak with frites is yum-​yum-​yummy and their desserts are hard to turn down even if we’re full.
Looking forward to our next visit…

This is the only French restaurant in Occidental, California (pop. 1000). It seats about 50 ppl and the night I was there it was packed with patrons. This was the night before Thanksgiving when most ppl are indoors getting ready for the big meal the next day. I sampled the escargot in puff pastry, braised rabbit with Brussels sprouts, sauteed spinach and ravioli. A guest at another table ordered the short ribs and raved about it. The food was rich and delicious, the wine selections very good and service was excellent. I highly recommend this restaurant. The owner, Michel stopped by our table to greet us and asked about our dinners. I always appreciate when the owners have a sincere interest in knowing what the customers think about their meal. I’ll definitely be back to try the other dishes.

From now on, we will always come here for dinner when we stay in Bodega Bay. Straight out of the Provence countryside, this charming bistro serves up wonderful, homey yet elegant dishes.
They had me at the crusty, soft rolls with housemade olive tapenade. My entrée of scallops with risotto and mushrooms was superb. The owner himself oversees everything, walks around checking on you and making sure you have a lovely time. I couldn’t have asked for more… except maybe dessert. Next time gadget!