The Frenchmen

4.4 (49)

$30 and under

Creole / Cajun / Southern

36 Middlebrook Ave, Staunton, VA 24401

Make a booking

The Frenchmen

4.4

$30 and under

Creole / Cajun / Southern

Staunton

Make a booking

2 people

28 Oct 2026

19:00

About this restaurant

Charming
Good for special occasions
Great for creative cocktails

We’re excited to serve you a delightful French/Cajun experience. With the ambiance of the historic Staunton train station and elegant table settings you are gonna feel right in the Frenchmen Street, New Orleans. We offer table service at dinner, 5pm-close Thursday-Saturday & Monday nights, and Sunday brunch. As well as counter service during breakfast and lunch on Thursday-Saturday & Monday. As you can make reservations for our dinner service, our breakfast & lunch is exclusively walk-ins. If you would like to call ahead to make arrangements we will work our best to accommodate all. Our unique menu includes: soups, fresh salads, hearty sandwiches, crepes, and cajun classics. The atmosphere is historic, cozy & a great spot to connect with friends & family, or just grab a quick bite and head back to the office.

Dining areas

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Creole / Cajun / Southern, Contemporary French, Breakfast
Hours of Operation
Mon, Thu, Fri 11:00–20:00 Sat 09:00–21:00 Sun 09:00–17:30
Phone number
(540) 712-0819
Website
https://thefrenchmendowntown.com/
Payment Options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress Code
Casual Dress
Executive Chef
Elizabeth Phifer
Catering
Please visit our website at thefrenchmendowntown.com
Private party facilities
From elegant weddings to business luncheons, baby showers to private dinners — The Frenchmen offers curated menus, personalized service, and a stunning historic train station setting in downtown Staunton.

Location
36 Middlebrook Ave, Staunton, VA 24401
Area
Staunton
Cross Street
Parking Infront of The Frenchmen or the Wharf parking lot!
Parking Details
Street Parking
Public transport
Amtrak & Virginia Scenic Railway until mid November 2025
Additional
Dog Friendly, Gluten-free Options, Indoor Fireplace, Vegan

Concierge
AI Beta

Our AI assistant, Concierge, is here to answer your questions about this restaurant.

Reviews

OpenTable reviews from verified diners

Reviews from people who have dined at The Frenchmen.

4.4

(49)

4.0Food
4.6Service
4.2Ambience
4.3Value

Noise • Moderate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

The Frenchmen, nestled in a historic train station, offers a charming ambiance with "great cocktails" and a delightful "New Orleans style" menu. Diners appreciate the "excellent food" and "beautiful ambience." While some mention service inconsistencies, standout dishes like shrimp and grits and fondue are frequently praised. A unique dining experience awaits.

49 Reviews

K
Kimberly
New York City1 review
5.0
Dined 3 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Took my father and my BFF a former chef to celebrate dad's 88th birthday! The restaurant is gorgeous! It's spacious and just incredible to be in the old train depot. We feasted on crepes, rice & beans, shrimp & grits, corn bread, and mimosas. Recommendations would be to prepare a classic salade nicoise. The tuna ahi was delicious, but the rest of the salad was a weird construction. I suggest improving the coffee and also including a coffee with chicory and perhaps beignets in keeping with the fusion menu.
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R
Robert
Virginia11 reviews
5.0
Dined on 17 October 2026
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Excellent food and service. Great location. We enjoyed our conversation with the owners son who was also our server.
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K
Kristine
Unspecified1 review
3.0
Dined on 12 October 2026
1. Overall 3
2. Food 1
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 2
We decided to try the Frenchman after walking by a while back and thinking it looked cute from the outside. And it truly is - wonderful historic building, beautiful architecture and genuinely good potential with the decor and surroundings. Sadly, the food and ambiance didn't meet our expectations. It was our anniversary and we said so on our reservation. We didn't expect anything but some acknowledgment would have been nice. We were there on a Monday so weren't expecting things to be bustling but it was dead and that should have been our first clue. There were a few people around the bar and the music playing was probably for them but didn't exactly fit the ambiance for what otherwise looks like a white tablecloth meal at a french/cajun restaurant. As romantic as I find Fatboy Slim and Nirvana, it just didn't set the right vibe. The food was the biggest disappointment. The fondue starter was probably the worst fondue I've ever had - the wine was not allowed to cook off properly so it tasted like cheesy cheap house wine. It was served some Rold Gold pretzels (classy), day old bread cubes, apple slices, cherry tomatoes and mini gherkins. Weird, but ok. My husband ate it because he was starving. For dinner, he just had a salad and I tried the jambalaya with chicken and sausage. The salad lettuce was wilted and the dressing watery. Jambalaya is never much to look at but this was somehow grey in color and looked like someone cracked a can of Campbell's chunky soup over some minute rice. Our original plan was to get dessert but the service was a little slow despite there being only a few tables and we didn't want to risk it any further. Overall, the highlight of the night was my husband's $3 happy hour gin martini. We won't be back.
1 person found this helpful
M
Melissa
Washington, D.C. Area3 reviews
4.0
Dined on 3 October 2026
1. Overall 4
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 3
Loved the location and space also enjoyed when the train went buy! Food was average service was average.
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S
Shaun
Virginia2 reviews
5.0
Dined on 8 August 2026
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
This was our first time being here and it was absolutely outstanding. Our server Kyle was very knowledgeable and patient with us as we asked multiple questions about possible substitutions due to dietary restrictions. While this restaurant is located inside the old train station and we did have a Buckingham Branch train come through while eating, the noise was not horrendous or disturbing at all to the meal. Was definitely a place worthy of a meal for our anniversary this year.
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W
Whitney
New York City4 reviews
5.0
Dined on 31 July 2026
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Our Waitress Carly was amazing! Two thumbs up. We will be back
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J
James
Washington, D.C. Area5 reviews
4.0
Dined on 2 July 2026
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Great service. The space is wonderful in the old train station. Very good food at better price points. Keep it up! We'll be back.
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D
Du Gold
San Francisco Bay Area65 reviews
2.0
Dined on 20 June 2026
1. Overall 2
2. Food 3
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 4
Food was supposedly French and Cajun, but i dont think it was truly cajun. Example: gumbo was supposed to be a soup but it came out as gravy. And taste was very salty. Service was nice but slow.
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E
Ellen
Virginia1 review
4.0
Dined on 5 June 2026
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 4
There was nothing stating that lunch needed to be ordered at the counter first. I believe that this should be included on the website. The service started off a bit rocky. I asked for a different set of silverware as the napkin holding them appeared to be dirty, perhaps, it was just stained but, never the less, I asked to have it replaced. And, I wasn't being a jerk about it. I had asked politely. We received it with a rolling of the eyeballs. Once our food was brought to the table, service was great! Same person but, with a much better attitude. The food was very good. I had the 1/2 Po’ Boy Sandwich with Fried Shrimp and my friend had the Salad Nicoise with the Ahi Tuna. Both plates were aesthetically pleasing and tasted delicious.
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W
Wendy Gold
Virginia33 reviews
5.0
Dined on 31 May 2026
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We loved having brunch on Sunday. The food and service were great. The glass in dining room gives a great view of train tracks and we saw a train!
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Dining areas

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Creole / Cajun / Southern, Contemporary French, Breakfast
Hours of Operation
Mon, Thu, Fri 11:00–20:00 Sat 09:00–21:00 Sun 09:00–17:30
Phone number
(540) 712-0819
Website
https://thefrenchmendowntown.com/
Payment Options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress Code
Casual Dress
Executive Chef
Elizabeth Phifer
Catering
Please visit our website at thefrenchmendowntown.com
Private party facilities
From elegant weddings to business luncheons, baby showers to private dinners — The Frenchmen offers curated menus, personalized service, and a stunning historic train station setting in downtown Staunton.

Location
36 Middlebrook Ave, Staunton, VA 24401
Area
Staunton
Cross Street
Parking Infront of The Frenchmen or the Wharf parking lot!
Parking Details
Street Parking
Public transport
Amtrak & Virginia Scenic Railway until mid November 2025
Additional
Dog Friendly, Gluten-free Options, Indoor Fireplace, Vegan

FAQs

Yes, The Frenchmen is family-friendly: reviewers note a secret play space for small children and roomy seating that easily accommodates large family lunches and gatherings.

Yes, The Frenchmen accepts dinner reservations (breakfast and lunch are walk-ins) and asks guests to call ahead to make arrangements; the team says they will do their best to accommodate requests.

Yes, The Frenchmen's historic train-station setting and elegant table settings make it a lovely pick for a special evening, and several guests note anniversary and couples visits.

Casual dress is the guide, comfortable, everyday clothes are entirely appropriate and nothing formal is required.

How FAQ content is generated

Make a booking

The Frenchmen

4.4

$30 and under

Creole / Cajun / Southern

Staunton

Make a booking

2 people

28 Oct 2026

19:00

The Frenchmen

Make a booking

The Frenchmen

Make a booking

About this restaurant

Dining areas

Additional information

Concierge
AI Beta

Menu

Reviews

Review summary

Dining areas

Additional information

FAQs

Is this restaurant kid-friendly?

Can I make any special requests before I arrive?

Is this a good pick for date night?

What is the dress code for The Frenchmen?

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The Frenchmen

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