Our Food...
A French cuisine has existed at this location for 37 years! We serve Haute Cuisine meaning food that is prepared in an elegant or elaborate manner; the very finest food, prepared perfectly. The French word haute translates as high or superior, cuisine as cooking. We source our food from local artisan farms to nationally acclaimed purveyors of lamb, beef, seafood and specialty foods such as truffles.
We focus on seasonal food items for our weekly specials; such has Maryland soft shell crabs, Alaskan King salmon, Truffles, Ohio sweet corn, peaches & raspberries and other such items. If it is fresh and in season we use it.
Our Wine...
Two wine lists make up our wine program at Chez François both are award winning. Our regular wine list has over 300 wines listed and our Captain’s List has over 600 listed. We focus our lists on French and American wines but we also span the globe for outstanding wines.
Our People
Our service staff is well trained and unobtrusive. We want our service to be friendly, without attitude, knowledgeable and organized. Most of our staff have worked at Chez François for over 5 years if not longer.
The Architecture of Chez François
As previously mentioned, Chez Francois is located in a National Historic Landmark building called The Sail loft Building. In 1840 the port of Vermilion was a shipyard where large sailing vessels were made. The name of the building is derived by the building first commercial use which was to make and store sails for these large sailing vessels that sailed the Great Lakes. The original hand hewn beams and brick walls are still present today and add a rustic/romantic charm to the restaurant. The indoor dining room is formal with jackets requested for men. We are a destination restaurant, a perfect place to celebrate a birthday, anniversary or special event in your life.
The building is nestled along the Vermilion River. We have a Riverfront Café that is casual but sophisticated and not as formal as dining room inside.
Chez François and the Zagat Survey 2005
The Zagat Survey is a national publication service that reviews restaurants on a state–by–state basis. It was started over 20 years ago by the Zagats, a husband and wife team of lawyers living in New York City. The Zagats found that, too often, restaurants were reviewed or ranked by local magazines and newspapers not by how good a restaurant truly was, but by how much advertising or ballot–stuffing was done by a restaurant with these publications. The Zagats decided to do their own surveys with friends and colleagues since they often dined out for business. What started as a guide for their peers 20 years ago has evolved into an unbiased restaurant survey that is used by business travelers throughout America.
Chez François has the honor of once again being one of the top restaurants in the Survey for Ohio.
“Exemplary service from an experienced staff and the best French food within 100 miles (foie gras to die for) make this high-end special-occasion eatery about 40 minutes from downtown Cleveland worth the hike; converted sailmaker’s loft on the Vermilion River boasts a charming exposed-brick interior and patio for great alfresco dining, and provides docking to those who barge in.”
Food 27/30 Décor 26/30 Service 28/30
We thank the participants of the Zagat Survey for their generous, unbiased review of our restaurant.