Chef Thomas Keller’s French Laundry restaurant in Yountville, California, is considered one of the best restaurants in the world. This three Michelin-star restaurant has nurtured the talent of an incredible list of chefs, all of whom have their own three-star spots around the world. Names like René Redzepi of Noma, Grant Achatz of Chicago’s Alinea, and Corey Lee of Benu in San Francisco all worked under Keller.

Before we made our reservation at the French Laundry, we were on the fence about dining there. Some diners leave supremely satisfied, while others leave feeling like they’ve been fleeced. With three Michelin stars and a bucket list feel to it, on our most recent wine-tasting trip to Napa Valley, we couldn’t resist giving it a try. 

About Chef Thomas Keller

Chef Thomas Keller is a classically trained chef who was introduced to cooking at his mother’s restaurant when he picked up shifts there as a teenager. He began developing his style of cooking when Master Chef Roland Henin took a young Keller under his wing and began mentoring him. 

Like many chefs before him, Keller traveled to Paris to stage under a number of fine dining restaurants to continue gaining experience and honing his style. When he was ready to return home, he was hired at La Reserve, a Manhattan hot spot known for its refined fare. His time at La Reserve was short-lived, however. A stock market crash changed diners habits, and the restaurant’s owners pivoted to a casual bistro-style.

The fit wasn’t a good match for Keller at the time, and he relocated to Napa Valley with the idea of opening his own restaurant. The French Laundry opened in Yountville, California in 1994, and Keller has been considered one of the world’s most impactful chefs ever since.

The Menu

The menus across all of Thomas Keller’s restaurants reflect his classical French training. At the French Laundry, Keller’s team offers two daily menus: a Chef’s Tasting Menu and a Tasting of Vegetables. Menus vary by season and ingredient availability, but staples like “Oysters and Pearls”, are a year round staple.

We should also mention that the restaurant has a sizable garden in downtown Yountville – right across the street, in fact, and many of the vegetables and herbs are sourced from here.

The Wine List & Wine Pairing Options

We’re not overstating things when we say that the French Laundry has one of the most impressive wine cellars in the world. The restaurant has an eye-watering $3 million worth of wine on-site! The number of bottles curated by the restaurant is just mind-boggling and it leans heavily into French and California (largely Napa) wines. Take a look at the photos: we were impressed!

Diners can opt to order wines by the glass or bottle or select one of three pairing options at $300, $500, or $1000 per person. Be aware that if you select the wine pairing, these are selected daily by the sommelier team and are not listed on the menu. 

Corkage here is $200 per bottle with a limit of one bottle per two guests.

Our Experience

Oh boy, where do we start? Let’s start with what we liked about our experience.

The Pros:

• The food and wine pairing was exceptional. The behind-the-scenes look at the kitchen and cellar was a highlight of the night. The level of detail that the chefs take when plating makes every dish like its own work of food art.  
• When you go to the French Laundry, they have a team of service staff shepherding your dining experience. One of our servers “Finch” stole the night. He was funny, warm, and entertaining.
• If you have visited Napa Valley, then you know how chilly the evenings can get when the sun goes down. To help guests stay comfortable throughout the meal, the floor is heated outside.

The Cons:

The Seating Situation

To start the evening off, our party of six was seated on the patio next to the door, which wouldn’t have been a problem had half of our table not been staring at a station with dirty dishes. We noticed a table for six out in the lawn area and requested a move. We were told, “This is your table; we can’t move you”. The table we asked to be moved to was NOT occupied throughout the entire evening.

Now for the wine pairing

This was a very strange experience for us. Here’s what happened: we let the Sommelier know we would like to add a wine pairing to our dinner.  We were given the option of $300, $500, or $1000 per person to pair. We chose the $500 pairing. 

My husband and I love wine, and we always like to ask the sommelier a little about the path they took to get into the industry and obtain their sommelier certification. We’re in the industry, so this is an interesting topic of conversation for us.

I asked the Sommelier, “What level of Sommelier are you?”. Evidentially, this question set the next couple of hours into a not-so-great experience. He postured and said, “What do you mean? There are 100’s of certifications. The tone and posture were extremely uncomfortable. The Sommelier obviously did not feel confident in something. 

I tried to backpedal by saying we were only curious as we are WSET Level 2 and didn’t mean any disrespect. He poured our first glass and left the table. Now, moving forward through the rest of all the pairings. Keep in mind, I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that when I would have a low amount of wine or no wine at all, the Sommelier would top off the tasting with what was left in the bottle to the person on my left, then to my right, then to their right or the rest of the table and not add any more wine to my glass.  

Then he would put the bottle in the middle of the table, completely ignoring me. This did not happen one time. It happened 3x in a row. The entire table was in awe as to what was going on. The French Laundry is known for exceptional flawless service, and I was being treated with utter disrespect because I asked him what level of Sommelier he was. It was shocking.

Inconsistent service across the board

The other odd thing that happened, and I’m not sure if this had anything to do with the Sommelier or not, but the lady filling up my glass of water poured water in my glass, then looked away while pouring the rest and continued to pour the water outside my glass onto the table. This happened twice! We all had huge eyes watching this and I did not say a word because the entire experience now was just not comprehendible.

Tips

• The restaurant takes reservations two months in advance. If you plan on dining during the holidays, planning ahead is crucial.
• Tables for 2 are the hardest tables to book. These spots are scooped up by couples celebrating special occasions the minute they are released. 
• The easiest tables to book at those for groups of 4 or more guests. At the writing of this post (December 2023), there were ample reservations available at the end of January 2024 and throughout February 2024.

Final Thoughts

When we write a review of a restaurant that’s the caliber of the French Laundry, we like to be as transparent as possible with our readers. So, here’s the bottom line with this three Michelin-star restaurant: Our group spent $1295 per person at the French Laundry before tax and tip. 

This broke down to $595 per person + $500 for Wine Pairing + about $200 for supplements.  

Was it worth it?  

No.  

Would we recommend you dine there? 

No.

Is it overrated?  

YES.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long has the French Laundry has three Michelin stars?

The restaurant has been awarded three Michelin stars year after year since 2007. Chef Thomas Keller is the only American chef to have multiple restaurants with three Michelin stars that were awarded at the same time. The other three Michelin star restaurant is Per Se in New York City. 

How much does the French Laundry cost?

The cost of dining at the French Laundry ranges starts at $390 per person (that’s for the base menu), and increases when you add wines, wine pairings, supplements like truffles, wagyu, and caviar.