Ratatouille is one of our favourite Disney movies, there is something about the story of how a mouse became a chef. When we started to visit Disneyland Paris we were thrilled to hear they had a restaurant based on the film. However each time we tried to book it, there was no availability. So you can imagine how thrilled we were when a reservation became available and we were finally able to experience this unique dining location.
Bistrot Chez Rémy is located in the Place de Rémy in Disneyland Paris, located next to Remy's Ratatouille Adventure trackless ride, which when you disembark you can see into this magical restaurant.
Stepping into Rémy's world
The fun starts before you have even sat down. You check in for your reservation and wait to be called through, and even the doors set the scene, etched with Rémy's little chef hat and whiskers. This is one of those restaurants where the theming carries the whole experience, and Disney has clearly had a good time with it.
Once you are through, the whole point is that you are now rat sized, so everything around you is built to match. Giant forks and serving spoons hang on the walls, an oversized "Anyone Can Cook!" sign watches over the room in tribute to Chef Gusteau, and even the tablecloths and napkins carry that same chef hat and whiskers motif. It is bright, it is playful, and it goes far beyond a themed room with a few nods to Ratatouille dotted about. Whether you are a die hard fan of the film or you just fancy something a bit different from the usual table service, it is a genuinely fun space to eat in.
What is on the menu
Chez Rémy keeps things simple with a set menu. Adults choose between the Rémy menu, which gives you a starter and a main, and the Émile menu, which adds a dessert to make it the full three courses. There is a Little Chef menu for the children too. Being the two big kids that we are, we went for all three courses. Our starter was the duck and pistachio pâté en croûte, served with a little dressed salad and a spoonful of fig jam, and it reminded us of the pâté we had enjoyed previously over at Auberge de Cendrillon in the main park. A nice civilised way to begin. For the main we had the roast chicken with herbs, a generous plate of it scattered with chives and served with roasted new potatoes, onions and a bed of spinach. It was actually quite tasty, and a good sight better than we were expecting given how our first visit had gone. Then came dessert, the Bistrot Delight, a light choux pastry filled with vanilla cream and topped with fresh berries, finished with a little red wax seal made of chocolate. This was the real highlight. It was genuinely delicious and, as you will see in a moment, we had plenty of time to look forward to it.
The service still needs work
The theming in Chez Rémy is spot on and the food has come good, but oh, the service. After we were seated we waited a good ten to fifteen minutes before a waiter even came over to us, and then there was another wait before we could order drinks. Once the order was in, the starter and main course arrived nice and promptly, just as we were settling into the swing of things. Then it all ground to a halt. We had a good twenty to twenty five minutes between finishing our main and anyone so much as asking what we fancied for dessert. The pastry was worth the wait, we will give it that, but that is a long time to sit twiddling your thumbs in a restaurant that is meant to be a treat.
So is Bistrot Chez Rémy worth it?
Food wise, yes. It is not the finest meal we have ever had in Disney, but it is a perfectly good one, and a proper improvement on our first visit. Add in the theming, which is a real joy and reason enough to book on its own if you love the film, and there is plenty to recommend it.
The sticking point is the service, which we found to be very slow, but that may have improved since we visited. We are planning to book again on a future trip, as despite the service we enjoyed it.
Watch our full visit
