Papillon Restaurant

"Best French restaurant in the East Bay. An amazing place with amazing food. Great for birthdays and the owner makes it a very personal first time experience. I tried almost ten different things from the menu and everything was great. I'll be coming back."

"It was a rainy at Fremont and it was our anniversary. We decided to go to this closest restaurant to celebrate it. It's a 40 years established restaurant by a couple though when we were seated with the menu card it had the 45th anniversary so probably they need to update online. The moment you get inside there's a smell of oldness, feels like the carpets have not changed since they started. Not a great feeling at the entrance itself. They have a huge bar but it was empty except the bar tender who was welcoming us. We were sitting at the patio area inside and a few customers were already there. We started with drinks , Pomme Peartini - Grey Goose Pear, Pomegranate liqueur, fresh lemon and Triple Sec, Candy Red Appletini - Made with Vodka, butterscotch, Sour Apple Pucker, cranberry juice, and Godiva Chocolate Martini- Made with Godiva Liqueur, Absolut Vanilla and a chocolate powder rim. There drink menu is really interesting because they have a great wine list, beer and special cocktails as well. We ordered the appetizer Escargot - served in a buttery herb sauce and eaten with special tools (a clamp and a long pointed fork), this dish is unique and is a must get if it's your first time here. The sea snails are served in a shell and retain a bit of heat when you dig into them. It comes with 6 pieces. Also we ordered SPINACH SALAD Cherry Wood Bacon, Candied Walnuts, Strawberries, Orange & Rice Wine, it was delicious we enjoyed it. Then we ordered French onion soup puff pastry - most entrees will have the option to upgrade to the French onion soup over the house salad. Do it. You will not regret it. The French onion soup is delicious - hearty onion pieces with cheese and puff pastry with every bite. I have to say that I have tried this at many restaurants but nothing can beat this one. My main course was Seafood Wellington - delicious take on a seafood variation of the classic Wellington. A mix of crab, prawns and lobster encased in a puff pastry was delicious. If you love seafood then you must try it. AMERICAN KOBE`BEEF SHORT RIB SLOW OVEN BRAISED Horseradish Mashed Potatoes, White Truffle Salt, taste delicious, well cooked as it just melts in the mouth. ANGEL HAIR PASTA with Artichoke Hearts, Squash, Mushrooms, in Tomato Broth or Crème Sauce, it's a lot and we had to get a takeout box. ANGUS FILET MIGNON* with Cabernet Sauce topped with Gorgonzola, Roasted Sweet Garlic Herb Butter, it's delicious, everything has it's unique taste and flavor. We ended with Peach bread pudding with cream anglaise and vanilla ice cream with happy anniversary written on it.It was a delicious experience. They're only open for dinner service so be prepared to plan ahead and make reservations if possible. The parking lot is a small entrance to the restaurant so be careful not to miss on Mission Boulevard. It gets dark in the evening so you may have to find the parking spot carefully. When we arrived it was not that crowded so we got lucky with parking. Overall, Papillon is the perfect place to go if you have any special occasion to celebrate where you can sit down to experience their finest delicacies . There's a bit of Fremont history this being close to Charlie Chaplin's town Niles and the railway museum. During Christmas time you will see the decorated Niles train with lights running across Sunol. There's more to explore."

"I have lived so close to the restaurant for a long time and finally we went to celebrate a friend's birthday. The result was an amazing evening. We were greeted by the owner Charlie and served by Connor. The food was amazingly delicious. For appetizers we ordered the roasted beet salad, the stuffed mushroom and the roasted brussel sprouts. For entrees we ordered the almond crusted halibut and the angel hair pasta with tomato sauce and grilled chicken. They tasted so good. The portions were good and the presentation was beautiful. The special dessert of the night was cheesecake creme brulee. First time I ever had that and it was amazing. So this was my first time eating here but it will not be the last."

"This has been a family favorite for years. We love celebrating our special days here because the owner and staff always make it memorable with their friendly service, amazing food, and attention to detail."

"One of few places serve well-made Beef Wellington in Bay Area. Both food quality and service are extremely good. They also provide us a fantastic free desert as wedding gift!"