Maison Batard restaurant review 2025
$100 roast chooks, $2K glasses of wine— we wouldn’t expect anything less from Chris Lucas’s four-level French funland. Here’s what our critic really thought.
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Quiet luxury? Please.
This is Maison Batard my friend, and it’s loud, proud and pulls a crowd.
The vibe’s all money and influential sway.
It’s a world where you’ll drop almost $100 on a whole rotisserie chook and could tip almost $2000 from your savings into an ultra rare, old glass – yes glass –of Burgundy.
If there was a prize for the city’s most anticipated restaurant opening of the year, Chris Lucas’ Maison Batard would top the list.
Believe it or not, Maison Batard’s original plan was to open as a humble, 80-seater bistro at the top end of Bourke St with sunny rooftop and basement bar.
But after Lucas bought the building next door, it snowballed into an eight-year vortex of cash spinning and ridiculous exuberance.
Now that teeny bistro’s over four levels – with a very Parisian basement bar, bustling brasserie on the ground and first floors (Restaurant Batard) and a sun-dappled rooftop (Le Terrace) that’s both a visual and gastronomic portal to Paris. There is no way to experience the enormity of the place in one sitting, which is why I’ve visited multiple times over the past few months.
And the underlying theme? Money. All that luxe is hard to ignore. You’ll see it in the finishings, fixtures, right down to the designer-look uniforms and leather bumbags worn by the waiters (which hold iPads).
But you may also notice, like I did, those business moves to reclaim some of the financial output, which other restaurants play a little more subtly.
Downstairs the restaurant seats 86 people, yet it’s suffocating to dine in, with a high risk of toppling your neighbour’s waterglass on a bathroom dash.
Yet the space is seamlessly managed by an expert army of waiters.
The squashiness may fly in Paris, but if we’re going for authenticity then I’d rather not pay $12 for my bread basket.
The tight manoeuvring of both the aperitif and dessert carts through the maze of tables deserves an applause too, which are whisked over to all at the top and tail ends of the meal.
A money grab or luxe embellishment to your lunch? I’ll let you decide.
Executive chef Adam Sanderson (Ten Minutes by Tractor, Fat Duck, Noma), under the direction of Lucas and culinary director Damian Snell, crafts a behemoth of a menu.
Do try a shucked to order oyster from the bar, depending on what’s fresh and best ($6.50-$8.50 each).
Don’t waste your money in canape land (unless it’s on the $5.50 leek and cheese croquettes at Le Terrase) and instead funnel your funds into the omelette de pommes de terre ($33.50) at the restaurant; all shiny and caviar adorned, hiding a crush of fried chips within the egg roll.
The tuna niçoise salad ($33.50, also MB restaurant) with its jiggly slabs of pan-kissed ruby-red fish, is wow-factor delicious, as is the spanner crab linguine at La Terrasse ($39.50); with the soft sea meat tongue-smooshable like scrambled eggs.
All Lucas restaurants have that one social media viral dish and at Le Terrasse, it’s the cheeseburger ($26.50; all bun and oozy red pepper remoulade), and strawberry and raspberry soft serve sundae (tart and curdy where it counts).
Downstairs it’s the bells and whistles chocolate mousse, charmingly served tableside ($26.50) and that rotisserie chook (half $55, whole $95).
Fall apart tender flesh, annunciated by salty Sicilian olive pops and lapping in a robust chicken stock and butter gravy— order the mashed potato over fries, trust me.
On wine, you can filter your way through the 100-page novel via all corners of the world.
As for the namesake wine, the cheapest glass, available restaurant wide, will set you back $145 for a half-pour-— which I considered (for research) but dared not indulge the company card.
For all that fancy, there are elements of measured sensibility.
Most wines by the glass cost less than $25, including entry-level Burgundy and Bordeaux.
The cheeseburger nudges $27, with most of Le Terrasse’s food is casual and within reach.
Maison Batard is the type of place you’ll want to be seen year-round, filled with social climbers and thrivers.
Sure it has it’s share of culinary let downs and triumphs, but know this is an experience unlike anything in this city, and somewhere you’ll find yourself visiting again.
Quiet no, overt yes, affordable — far from it.
Whether you like it or not, the Maison Batard machine is in full swing and here to stay.