Permanently Closed - 187 Rue Principale

Excellent in every way, food , service, as well as atmosphere. We will be back. Definitely recommend.

Service was very slow for our table. There was just two of us and our reservation was at noon. We were there for two hours, not by choice. As more customers arrived it seemed we were overlooked. We noticed that customers that came after us ate and left before us. Food was good but they need more servers.

Wonderful to have a French restaurant in Emmaus! Merci!

Eh... just ok. When we arrived the hostess sat us upstairs right next to the window, which was fine no one else was there. A few minutes later 4 adults and 1 toddler where going to be seated right next to us but that party asked not to be sat right on top of us... which I agreed with the lady since the restaurant was empty at the time.. the hostess said well we get busy... then fill in as you go... but really. It to much to complain about (by the time we left 1 other couple was seated). When we got our food the waitress asked we needed anything and we told her no... well thank god I didn’t really need anything.... she never came back to check on us... I could of used some salt and pepper that is not on the table (I get it, I shouldn’t have to season food that is done right, but it needed something, sorry). Overall, food is good. But the service needs to be improved, seems to be an on going thing there.. I thought since they are now working for tips it would be better, I was wrong.

Great food and service. We'll definitely be back.

Everything perfect ,food was so delicious ,all of was very enjoyed .Definitely recommended ,love to comeback again soon .Thank you

Very nice place for a special occasion and if you enjoy French food. The food was beautiful, delicious but over priced. Only tried this restaurant because I had a gift certificate.

Excellent and creative food with great service. I've never been to France but can't imagine the French do it better.

Emmaus is a perfect environment for this place. Comfortable, no pressure, great for a slow pace conversation or pro meeting place. Food is cooked perfect and savory

We had a wonderful dining experience at 187 Rue Principale. The service was great and the atmosphere was inviting! The duck was delicious as it was prepared perfectly, tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. The food was presented in a tasteful manner and tasted even better! We will definitely be returning!

Food was mediocre, service was fair. Smoked salmon Eggs Benedict actually contained watery poached salmon. The bread on which the Benedict was served was not toasted and was quite soggy by the time it was served. For ten minutes after our arrival, none of the occupied tables in our area (6 inclusive of ours) had drinks or food (aside from water), despite four of the tables arriving before us (two of the couples had finished their water at this point). Duck confit was overcooked jerky. Was excited to try the place and ended up a bit disappointed.

On a very slow Friday night (we were the only diners for a while) they claimed to be sold out of a couple of items - such as a basic Filet Burger and a desert. The Sea Bass was OK but clearly not as fresh as should have been. Frogs Legs appeared to be something bought frozen, it was breaded then deep fried, not a French preparation at all. Tomahawk Pork chop was tasty and cooked properly but smaller than expected for the $30 price tag.

The restaurant closed! January 14th was the last day.

We were pleasantly surprised by the menu choices and prices. When I made the reservation through Open Table I indicated that this was a birthday celebration, but no one at the restaurant acknowledged this celebration..very disappointed in this lack of acknowledgement.

Usually happy when we go there. Just a small bump. A change policy from no tipping to tipping, made me feel like a A hole. After the waiter to my check ( Not when he gave it). Told us that we are to tip now. Make me kind-of upset. I have no problem tipping or not tipping... but this should of been told to us at the start, when we where seated. Owner came over, who was nice about the whole thing. Told us she would pay for the meal, but that wasn’t the point. She also explained to me the the menu prices came down as well to reflect that. I did leave a mediocre tip. Due to the server not telling us (I think it should of been In their menu now or told right away, as I expressed to the owner)

I will be back. Miscommunication at this point wouldn’t be a reason not to come back. Food is good.

Service and food was top notch as always, no complaints other than the fact that they switched from a no-tipping restaurant to one that now requires tipping. One of the things that first drew me to the restaurant was the fact that they stood behind their food and service in the French way of not accepting tips, but rather paying their staff salaries. I don’t think that the quality of the service/atmosphere/food changed since they require tipping, but I honestly don’t see the reason for this change. They also did not adjust the prices since now they don’t include tip...so technically you’re just paying more for the same food (because of tip). Still a very nice place which is a great find in a small town.

First off this is my first ever review - I felt compelled!
Ordered drinks and 2 apps and 2 entrees. Got warm bread, drinks in short order along with first app of smoked salmon with toast (no cooking required.)
We then sat for 60 min without seeing our waiter -drinks long ago finished. When the waiter finally came he told us our entrees would be with us shortly. I asked about our second meatball app, he looked embarrassed and said I'll put that in.....15 min later meatball arrived. They were actually pretty good. Took another 10 min for entees to arrive (a full 90 min from initial order.
My coq au vin tasted like chicken with BBQ sauce. 1/2 of the potatoes and carrots were literally raw. My wife's "crispy" sea bass had obviously been sitting for quite a while and was actually mushy and limp.
We should have complained, but we had driven quite away and just decided to go with it and never go back.

Dinner at 187 Rue Principale was excellent as usual. We loved the brie and fig plate and the French onion soup was amazing! Great service, interesting and delicious food, and local ingredients make it a favorite. Sad to see that the tip policy needed to change. I guess people didn't understand or think the no tipping policy was as awesome as we thought it was. Would recommend 187 Rue Principale to anyone wanting a delicious dinner!

Dessert was good; everything else was excellent. Everything's handled at a pretty slow pace though, so probably don't expect to go there and be in and out in an hour (it has that kind of European feel to it). But that didn't really bother us at all. My wife and I will definitely be going back.

I've always been really pleased with Rue, and will go back again, but this trip left a little to be desired. Our server was not ready to explain the Quiche of the Day or the Sandwich of the day to us. Additionally, when we did see a server, we asked for a refill on drinks and it took quite a long time to get them to us (we had to ask for them a second time).

Rue used to be a "tip optional" restaurant, where they charged more for items to supplement the tipping to the servers. This has changed, and you are now expected to tip. I am perfectly fine with that, and the change since it was explained to us, however, the portions of the quiche were much smaller than normal and the prices did not change (at least not enough that I could tell).

We'll go back, definitely, but this trip left a bit to be desired. We'll chalk it up to a bad Sunday.

Ladies Bathroom garbage overflowing every Sunday and its right under the hand blower which then blows the paper towels around the bathroom. Ceilings still a mess from leak; coffee is great; sad that tipping is no longer included in high prices; I was ok with the high prices but now, not so much- doesn't seem like the cost of food decreased, maybe the French press decreased a dollar but I don't think anything else was lowered.
Probably won't be going every Sunday anymore.

We really enjoyed the food, ambiance and the service was attentive. Only one spoiler. The restaurant advertises the following (copied directly from their website):187 Rue Principale follows the French tradition no tipping. The cost of service is included in the price of each dish on the menu. Our expectation is that our staff will anticipate and accommodate your needs with an unparalleled level of attentiveness.
When we asked to confirm this with our server, we were told this was "no longer the case" as they were not getting their expected wage/tip. We did tip then and it rankled a bit because of the above statement. Which way is it? Don't advertise no tipping if your staff is asking for it. It put us in an awkward situation and will definitely influence our desire to return.

Way past its


Prime

The menu has lots of farm-to-table choices and the food and service could not have been better. My only problem with this restaurant is the complete lack of privacy. The tables are stacking on top of each other and you can't help but be distracted by the loud talkers at tables to your right and left. I'm sure they want to maximize their return per square foot, but the lack of ambiance has me thinking twice about a return visit.

Our new favorite higher end restaurant

We had an early dinner so the place was mostly empty. The food was good, but the flavors could be a bit bolder. Warm baguette with butter was fine. Drinks were ok. Portions decent and filling. We did not get dessert or coffee.

Outstanding food! Everyone loved their meals. We almost ate the plates.

Always a pleasure to visit 187 Rue Principal - staff is attentive and knowledgable. The restaurant is coming more and more into its own! Thank you for being part of our community!

The only issue keeping this from a 5-star review, was that our original cocktails were not served until after our appetizer was served. We did receive complementary champagne for our special occasion, though, so maybe that is why. Food was exquisite, exception was lobster tail in Bouilliabase was dry. Huge prawn was delicious as was all seafood. Cocktails were incredible. We opted for after dinner drinks instead of dessert. Only minor issue with service was our waiter talked to us while walking away.
We will be back and recommend to friends and family.

Always a great fall back for us when we don't know what we want to do. Wife says what about Rue and off we go. Always a great meal, perfectly prepared. Great bar service. The duck is the best in the valley. The only thing I would like to see are some more menu options that are not fish. The service is always amazing. Thanks to the staff for a great night.

Went there Friday night as a date night. The serve was worse than terrible. One waiter for the entire place. We were there 1 hour and 15 minutes before we even received a bit of bread. Everything took forever and then the appetizer, salad and main dish came out at once - it was like the waiter was trying to make a point. Manager did nothing to help.

Rue Principale never disappoints and remains my favorite Lehigh Valley restaurant. As good as any five star restaurant in NYC, San Francisco and Seattle, we're lucky to have such high quality, creative cuisine right here in Emmaus. Lucky us! P.S. If you love duck, no one does it better than Rue.

Our favorite local restaurant. Delicious food for Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner. Cozy ambience. Great to stop in or plan in advance. Friendly welcoming staff.

This was a really nice find in Emmaus. The restaurant is quaint, clean inside ... outside seating in a pretty setting. They make crepes which are so hard to find and I got a full french Press when I ordered coffee! The service was steady and unobtrusive. No tipping here; all is included in the price. We had lunch on a Saturday and I'm guessing dinner is just as good.

We had a nice dinner until we asked for the check. The waitress told us the owner ran a no tipping policy and was based on how things are done in France. She went on to explain that she only earned $2.85 an hour and we could tip if we felt the service was good. We also found out we couldn't tip on our credit cards. So we scrounged up a $50 cash tip and left it in the table. After reading other reviews about the tipping we felt we were duped by our waitress. There were no signs or notices that the tip was built into the price of the food. I feel like we were scammed into leaving a cash tip since tipping on the credit card via the iPad was not an option.
Dear owner your employees are ripping off your newest customers by telling them how little you pay them so they can collect cash tips that you don't see. Either post on the menu that the tip is included or convert to the America system of dining and tipping.Really disappointed by the actions of your employees. After that experience we probably won't be going back for a second time.

Food was not as good previously. Service was good.

On our last 2 visits, there were several items on the menu not available. It is a small menu to begin with. I find it unacceptable to be out of regular menu items by 6:30 on a Saturday evening.
They also did not have any entree specials, just 2 appetizers. The food was just OK. I have been there a dozen times and the food preparation seems to be heading in the wrong direction.

Excellent food, excellent service!! The crepes are amazing. Everything is fresh. Can't wait to go back!

Dinner reservation with a girlfriend visiting from out of town. Our server (Shelby?) was attentive but not overly-solicitous (a good thing!). The menu is on the smaller side, but that just makes ordering easier. We shared the liver mousse appetizer which was silky-smooth and lovely, although we did ask for a few more slices of the light, toasted bread which was the perfect vehicle. My friend ordered the lobster salad which she loved. I totally enjoyed the vegetarian entree (small red & yellow bell peppers stuffed with rice & black beans). I am not a vegetarian but this appealed because it did not contain mushrooms. Loved it -- the only thing that would have enhanced it would have been just a tiny bit of cheese as a light binding agent for the rice & beans. And my cocktail was perfect... unfortunately, I forget the name of it but it was the first one on the list. Shelby assured me it would not be sweet & she was right. She was also right about the vegetarian entree.
I will definitely go back. :)

We love 187 Rue Principale. It has become our favorite local restaurant. The ambience is lovely, cozy, warm. The menu is fairly small but changes regularly and every dish we've had was perfection. It's a neighborhood gem. The service is always exceptional - kudos to Chris and Shelby!