Bistro Vatel

Love this place! Great atmosphere, great service and delicious food.
We will definitely be back!

My favorite restaurant in San Antonio. I’ve been to France twice and am no expert, but this food seems authentic and unique. The tenderloin is my favorite dish. I also love the dark, quaint, cozy feel of the place.

Great local gem my wife and I have been there many times wine selection superb and food excellent and service above any fine restaurants we have been in around the country
I suggest anyone in the area make this a must stop for great food and drink

From the owner taking the reservation to the final «au revoir» after our meal, this was an exceptional meal and experience. The restaurant is located in small strip mall in Olmos Park near the traffic circle and is not very impressive from the outside, but, once we entered, we were greeted by a warm, simple décor and the quiet hum of couples and families enjoying a good evening. Our waiter was perfectly attentive, recognizing when we were ready for more wine, and leaving us alone when we were clearly deep in conversation. I started w/​the lobster tempura, perfectly prepared with two delicious accompanying sauces. My wife said her pear and Gorgonzola salad was «perfect.» She had the Coq au Vin and I had the Veal chop with truffles special; both were delicious in that way that only the best chef’s can accomplish — nothing fussy or surprising, just exceptional attention to ingredients and cooking resulting in a meal which left us both saying this was one of the best we have had in a long time. The chocolate mouse was nicely bittersweet and rounded out the evening very well. The wine list contained a number of French wines we had not tried before, so we went with our waiter’s recommendation and enjoyed an excellent ’08 Burgundy; also have some standard mid to high end American wines.

So this is, without a doubt, my favorite restaurant in San Antonio. I just love the food here. We’ve been three or four times over the past couple of years and it’s always outstanding. I read the negative reviews and can only think this place must have some off nights but we always go on a Saturday night and it’s always been fantastic. What I love about Chez Vatel so much is just the classic menu, flawless execution and top of the line ingredients. Sometimes I get weary of trendy menus and signature cocktails. I can always count on Chez Vatel to deliver the real thing.

Loved the small French café feeling. Food was great. A definite stop for brunch anytime I goto San Antonio.

Off the beaten path stand out! Our Chrysler rental was taunted by Range Rover, Porsche, Benz and other parking lot bullies while we feasted. The knowledgeable staff answered questions without pretension and shared personal opinions to make recommendations from an amazing menu that only challenged as the prospects exceeded the reality of our appetites.
It is a strip mall and we were comfortable in very casual clothes (as we have been in Paris). It is a bistro after all. So show up hungry, with imagination and enjoy!

Cockroach on the table, came with the bread basket but we deiced to stay anyway. Ordered raviolis and an appetizer, they were way undercooked! Rabbit seemed to have been fed rubber before being served. Hangar steak was cold, chewy, and tasted of airplane food. Did not even attempt to eat it. Service was non existent. The only thing good was the wine (which is hard to mess up!) Check came out to $ 260 for four people. It hurt!!!

Checked this place out for restaurant week dinner with friends. The food here was pretty awful for the price. I ordered the goat cheese with bio-​grapes tart, the veal scallopini, and turtle cake. Our waiter was relatively friendly and helped explained what things were on the menu. The food however was bad and the portions were kind of small for the 40-​ish dollars I paid. I was definitely hungry later, so it was not satisfying or filling.
Food:
Goat Cheese with biogrape tart: ⁵⁄₅ This was the only thing I had that I enjoyed. I thought the appetizer was unique. It tasted kind of Mediterranean because of how they prepared the grapes. It tasted like dolma but with a pastry and greens on the side. The pastry tart was prepared well; nice and fluffy.
Veal Scallopini: ²⁄₅. Veal was really tough. The mushroom sauce was okay/​average. The noodles that came with it were just seasoned with salt and pepper I think. It was pretty bland. The veggies were cooked well. The meat portion was pretty tiny for an entrée. It was just one skinny piece of veal about the size of chicken strip. I still can’t believe I paid $ 40 bucks for this.
Turtle Tart: ¹⁄₅ Difficult to eat if you don’t like 90% dark chocolate. It was really really really bitter and couldn’t finish it. I wasn’t aware it was dark chocolate either. There wasn’t a description on the menu.
I also took a look at what some of my other friends got and tasted a few things:
Fries: ¹⁄₅. Pretty bad. Overcooked and brown. Crispy because they were kind of burnt.
Melon carpaccio: ¹⁄₅. Bad concept. Ham and thinly sliced melon don’t go together. My friend was super unsatisfied with the appetizer.
My friend got the pork butt curry which she said was good, but still I wouldn’t pay $ 40 for pork. The portion was also small. Another friend got the skate with fries. The fish looked tiny and sad and in my opinion not worth $ 40.
Price: Not worth it. Small portions and low quality of food. I’d rather get a nice steak.
Overall, I don’t think I’ll be back to give it a second try.

Great service but the food was only fair. The bread is actually lousy. The pom frites were fine. My fish with fava beans was not very good, or very fresh. My wife had venison which was pretty good. Most items were fair to good and I was expecting amazing. I doubt that we will return.

had an event there recently and the experience was absolutely incredible.
Damien and his staff not only serve delicious, exquisitely prepared food, but their service is impeccable and their attitude is easy going; like being in someone’s home.
a true gem in San Antonio. no prentention, just good food, great service, and lots of fun!

BLUF: It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great, given the way some people talked about this place. Food was good, but not out of this world, the service was good, it just didn’t seem like it was worth the price point.
Came here for a special event, read the mix reviews of either hating this place or loving it, so I knew it was somewhat of a gamble. We made reservations and were seated immediately The wine list was okay, but heavy emphasis on high end wines, and given the restaurant the selection was somewhat limited.
The Service: Our experience with the service was pleasant, and enjoyable. The waiter answered our questions and was attentive. I read some other reviews having problems, but for us he came by and checked about once every 10 – 15 minutes. Was very knowledgeable about the menu, and gave good recommendation. I know that some have had bad experiences with the service, but ours was great.
The Food: Good, but not great and not seemingly worth the price point that they are charging. We had the scallops and the veal liver. Scallops are a serious gamble in any restaurant, and some in San Antonio can’t do them right if their life depended on it, this place did them right. The veal liver was good, was it the best? Not really, and not the hype that surrounded it, but maybe I am just being over critical.
Other things to consider, the restaurant has a dingy feel to it, and while we were expecting a relaxed French serving atmosphere, it felt like they were rushing us out the door. Would I go back? Not for a while. Do I recommend it? People should try this restaurant, it could have been an off night for the food or that I ordered the wrong thing off of the menu. I generally don’t write a restaurant off the first go, but it will be a while before I go back.

Worst Dining Experience EVER!!!
We «dined» in isolation in the «new» side. We were abandoned, orphaned and outcast…
Not only were we ignored. The wait staff did the TOTAL OPPOSITE of our request.
We were seated in the «new» section, with only a couple of other tables seated. There was the feeling of a being in a storage unit. I had a view of an espresso machine in storage.
The first item of irritation was being seated under the vent of a COLD BLOWING air condition vent in December. The room was cold. The first «hint» of the torture we would endure came when we asked the «water server» that was adjusting the thermostat if he would raise the temperature. His response was «other side» wanted the temperature lowered. Not only did he not do as we requested, he lowered the temperature even further.
We were sitting under a strong cold breeze. The candle was flickering. I asked to be moved to a different table. We were granted that wish, but the room was still cold.
Service was minimum. The wine was served, the order was taken, the food was served, the check was taken. Other than that our «waiter» was not around. He had tables on the «other side». He barely could be bothered with us. There was the feeling of being orphaned and abandoned.
We were outcasts!!!
During the course of the meal, I went to the restroom through the «other side». That when it became apparent that we had been «duped». Others were enjoying their meals in the warmth of a filled dining area. There was the sounds of people sharing life over wonderful food in a warm room. We didn’t share in this experience as we were abandoned and in isolation.
For me, the food was delivered to a cold a «eaters’. Any diners at our table had left the room. Now it was an endurance test to finish the food and leave.
In the above setting the food din’t matter.
It was my worst dining experience ever.

The short, condensed version: the food is delicious.
The more critical version: Our service was pretty slow, as the place seemed understaffed for a Saturday night. There was no hostess to greet us, nor for most of the night. They don’t have runners, and we saw food sitting in the pass for a long time. Our waitress did acknowledge the delay, and gave us hefty refills of our wine, so we were happy.
«What sides come with your Grilled Pompano?»
«Fingerling potatoes and steamed vegetables.»
«Oh, okay. How about with your other Halibut?»
«Fingerling potatoes and steamed vegetables.»
«Oh okay.»
So one the one hand, you’re thinking bistro bistro, comfort food, low prices — and then you see $ 42 entrees, but with off the shelf sides. It was still good, I was just a bit puzzled. We did appreciate the flexibility of the menu — and the ability to go prix fixe ($ 49) or a la carte with any of the items.
Having said all the above, we still walked away with happy tummies.

I have no complaints about the food. It was wonderful.
The service was the worst I have ever experienced, sadly. Plates sat unbussed for 15 minutes or longer. From the time we sat down to the time we were begging for the check from whoever came by (the waitress preferred a very long distance relationship) 2 hours had elapsed for 2 courses.
I don’t care how good the food was (it was) the wait and inattentiveness was ridiculous. Come by, say you’re busy, say you put the next course on, take the dirty plates, offer more wine, do anything but ignore us and hug every other person who comes in. There were at least 4 servers and 1 busser, no one could have had more than 4 tables a piece. The busser kept our waters full. I have no complaints there.
It seemed every person in the restaurant knew each other. Customers would go to each other’s tables and chat, servers would hug and greet patrons as long lost friends. One man had two bottles for bottle service. I am sure these folks felt like they were being attended to. We, sadly, did not.

Hands down the most sophisticated menu in San Antonio. The clientele is full of locals from the neighborhood and is truly a hidden gem.
As you see the pictures uploaded were roasted bone marrow, halibut, pan seared scallops, roasted duck breast, and the floating island desert.
Pictures speak for themselves great food with even better service.

I went yesterday for restaurant week and i have to say the food was extraordinary. I was very torn as to what to order since all options seemed really delicious. I endes up going with the fig and goat cheese salad as an appetizer, thelb shank in curry sauce for main course (they ran out so they served me hanger steak perfectly cooked medium rare). For dessert, we were supposed to have the panna cotta but they ran out. I ended up having the tokio delight (a play on «sweet sushi»). It was vert delicious but unfortunately i had had the same thing 2 days before in its sister restaurant, bite (owned by the chefs wife from what i heard), so it wasnt a novelty for me.
Overall they proved to be a place i would for sure return.

Hubby and I met some friends at this intimate French restaurant and had a lovely dinner on a Saturday night. The dining room is a bit small and was full for the entirety we were there. There is a separate lounge area but it didn’t look like they served diners there. The choice of art in the restaurant is a bit odd, as other reviewers have stated. There seems to be a piece from every genre of art.
I started the meal with the mussels (they are so hard to pass up), which were soo tasty! The broth was a divine mixture of garlic and lemon and heaven. Dipping bread in the broth was my favorite part of the night and there were plenty of mussels to share with the table. The other appetizers that we tried were the foie gras (which was a smaller portion than we expected even by foie gras standards), the escargot (quite tasty) and the lentil soup (quite thin/​brothy for lentil soup). Overall, it was a good start to the meal.
For entrees, we had the grilled quail with proscuitto risotto, beef tenderloin, and two cassoulets, one of their specials that day. One of our friends asked the waiter to surprise him with his entrée and the waiter ended up choosing the same entrée as my husband, hence two cassoulets. I found this a bit odd but I suppose the waiter didn’t realize we would share and give each other tastes of our entrees. The quail had good flavor, which can be hard to accomplish, the tenderloin was cooked appropriately and the cassoulet was good but had more tomatoes than expected. Rounded out by good beer & wine and some adequate desserts, all around this meal was a success.
As a side note: Our friend has a severe mushroom allergy and did have trouble finding an entrée that did not include mushrooms in some way, as an FYI to other mushroom-​allergy, EpiPen-​carrying diners.

We had steak and duck confit. Steak was good but not great. Duck confit was a little dry and salty. Service is a little disorganized given the lack of staff.

Went last night and loved it. No complaints on food or wine. As stated by others, this is not a pretty location… oh no, not even charming, but the food and atmosphere were delightful. Duck Confit… too yummy
Makes me want to get my son in boot camp just so I can come to SA again and eat here.
Go, eat, enjoy… life is short!