bistrot lepic and wine bar

What bistrot lepic and wine bar does

Bistrot Lepic & Wine Bar is a privately held French bistro and wine bar founded in April 1995 by Chef Bruno Fortin in Upper Georgetown, Washington DC. The restaurant operates from a single 45-seat storefront at 1736 Wisconsin Avenue NW and is run by a team of 1-10 employees led by Managing Partner Cyrille Brenac (who joined in 2005) and Chef de Cuisine Javier Rincon (appointed July 2026), with founder Bruno Fortin having stepped back from kitchen duties in 2017. The offering centers on traditional French bistro cuisine — including French onion soup, veal cheeks, duck confit, tournedos au poivre, and escargots — served across lunch, dinner, weekend brunch, and prix-fixe menus.

The business operates multiple distinct revenue surfaces within a single physical footprint: a ground-floor main dining room, a second-floor Wine Bar with a 500-bottle Bordeaux cellar and live jazz every Wednesday, a Wine Room for private events (up to 16 guests), and Wine Bar private hire (up to 50 cocktail-style guests) with minimum food and beverage spending of $800-$4,000 depending on venue and meal period. Ancillary revenue comes from branded merchandise (umbrellas, wine keys, pourers, kitchen towels, show plates) sold in-restaurant only, and from online pickup and delivery via Toast Tab. Reservations are managed through OpenTable and the marketing mix relies on editorial press, the Le Buzz blog, a Constant Contact newsletter, and organic social, with no paid performance marketing disclosed.

The company is closely held by its founder and managing partner, has no institutional funding or external investors, and has no disclosed proprietary technology. Its strategic footprint is anchored to a sister concept, La Piquette Bistrot in Cleveland Park, opened by Cyrille Brenac in 2013. Notable patrons over its 30-year history include Hillary Rodham Clinton, John Kerry, Tom Brokaw, Jim Lehrer, Donna Shalala, and Washington Post critic Tom Sietsema, and the restaurant has received sustained recognition including Bon Appétit Top 10 New Restaurants (1996), Washingtonian Best New Restaurant in Washington (1996), Town & Country Personal Secret Favorite (1998), and Zagat Top 40 in Washington, DC.

Name

bistrot lepic and wine bar

Legal name

Bistrot Lepic & Wine Bar

Website

https://bistrotlepic.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bistrot Lepic & Wine Bar is an independently owned French bistro and wine bar in Upper Georgetown, Washington DC, founded in 1995. It serves neighborhood residents, diplomats, and dining enthusiasts across lunch, dinner, brunch, private events, and a 500-bottle wine program with weekly live jazz.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

French Bistro Restaurant

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Brasseries, Bistros & Trattorias (THAFACAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Wine Bars (THAFAEAF)

Keywords

• French bistro cuisine
• Wine bar service
• Private dining events
• Weekend brunch service
• Live jazz performances

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Dining Service: Revenue from food and beverage sales across lunch, dinner, brunch, and wine bar service. Traditional dine-in model with à la carte and prix-fixe menu options.
2. Private Events & Catering: Revenue from private dining room and wine bar rentals for special events. Minimum food and beverage spending requirements apply ($2,000-$4,000 for wine bar, $800-$1,200 for wine room).
3. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including umbrellas, wine keys, wine pourers, kitchen towels, and show plates for pickup only.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Bistrot Lepic & Wine Bar is a traditional French bistro and wine bar located in Upper Georgetown, Washington DC, founded in 1995. It operates a main dining room serving classic French bistro cuisine, a second-floor Wine Bar with an extensive French wine program featuring a 500-bottle Bordeaux cellar, private event spaces, weekend brunch, prix-fixe menus, happy hour wine specials, and live jazz performances every Wednesday.

Product overview

Bistrot Lepic & Wine Bar is a traditional French bistro and wine bar restaurant offering a unified dining experience centered on authentic French cuisine. The core offering consists of the main dining room serving classic French bistro dishes, complemented by an upstairs Wine Bar with an extensive French wine program and live jazz on Wednesdays. Additional services include private dining in the Wine Room, weekend brunch, prix-fixe menus, happy hour wine specials, and branded merchandise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Main Dining Room - French Cuisine Traditional French bistro cuisine served in the main ground-floor dining room, featuring classic dishes with a modern twist. Open for lunch (Tuesday-Friday), dinner (Tuesday-Sunday), and brunch (Saturday-Sunday), serving neighborhood residents, diplomats, and Francophiles seeking authentic French dining in Georgetown.
• Wine Bar Second-floor wine bar featuring an extensive French wine selection from Bordeaux, Burgundy, Loire Valley, and small producers. Serves all wines by the glass at half price during happy hour (Tuesday-Thursday & Sunday, 5-7pm) and hosts live jazz every Wednesday from 6-9pm with no cover charge.
• Wine Room - Private Events Private dining room on the second floor featuring a 500-bottle Bordeaux wine cellar, accommodating up to 16 guests for brunch, lunch, or dinner celebrations. Minimum food and beverage spending of $800 for lunch or $1,200 for dinner.
• Wine Bar Private Hire Full Wine Bar venue available for private events accommodating up to 30 seated guests or 50 cocktail reception. Minimum food and beverage spending of $2,000 for lunch and $4,000 for dinner.
• Weekend Brunch

Quantifiable outcome

• Named Top 10 New Restaurant in the Country by Bon Appétit in 1996
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• La PiquetteminorOthersSister bistrot restaurant located on Macomb Street in Cleveland Park, also owned by Cyrille Brenac. Offers similar French bistro fare with dinner daily and weekend brunch. Functions as a related but separate dining concept rather than a formal partnership.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Marcel's by Robert Wiedmaier: French-Belgian fine dining restaurant in downtown Washington DC, run by chef Robert Wiedmaier. Comparable as an established DC French cuisine destination serving diplomats, government officials, and special-occasion diners.
• La Banane: Critically acclaimed French restaurant in downtown Washington DC offering classic and modern French cuisine. Comparable as a high-end French dining destination in the DC market.
• Bastille: French brasserie and raw bar in Alexandria, VA serving classic bistro fare with an extensive French wine selection. Comparable French bistro concept serving the broader DC metropolitan Francophile market.
• Chez Billy Sud: French bistro and wine bar in Georgetown, Washington DC, serving classic French fare with an extensive wine program. Closest direct competitor to Bistrot Lepic in the immediate Upper Georgetown neighborhood.
• Brasserie Liberté: Modern French brasserie and oyster bar at the Georgetown waterfront, serving classic French fare and cocktails. Directly comparable as a Georgetown-adjacent French dining concept targeting similar neighborhood clientele.
• La Piquette: Sister French bistrot opened in 2013 by Managing Partner Cyrille Brenac on Macomb Street in Cleveland Park, Washington DC. Operates dinner nightly and weekend brunch with similar French bistro fare, sharing ownership and operational DNA with Bistrot Lepic.
• Le Diplomate: Iconic French brasserie in Washington DC's Logan Circle, operated by Stephen Starr. Directly comparable as a high-volume, critically acclaimed French restaurant serving the DC Francophile and special-occasion diner segment.
• Café Milano: Long-running Italian restaurant in Georgetown with strong diplomatic and political clientele — Managing Partner Cyrille Brenac previously managed and expanded the restaurant. Highly comparable in positioning, audience, and DC power-broker clientele.

Broad incumbents

• Bouchon Bistro: Thomas Keller's national French bistro concept with multiple locations. Comparable as a scaled French bistro brand with classic cuisine, French wine program, and bistro positioning — though operating at substantially larger scale than Bistrot Lepic.

Regional players

• Café Provence: French bistro in Bethesda, MD serving Provençal cuisine with a French wine focus. Comparable French bistro concept serving the DC metro area's Francophile segment outside the immediate Georgetown core.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bistrot-lepic-and-wine-bar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about bistrot lepic and wine bar