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We are a cozy and intimate 500sf, 28-seat BYOB restaurant specializing in deliciously creative French-Global dishes, curated with local farm-to-table produce, the highest quality non-gmo antibiotic-free proteins and exotic global ingredients. In the summer of 2020, we opened our new patio for outdoor dining, outfitted with a romantic pavilion to protect our guests from the elements. The small pavilion is also equipped with propane heaters and optional fur throws for guests during cooler evenings in Autumn. We offer small party catering, with our entire restaurant available for private events for up to 28 guests. After 12+ years, we have retired and closed as of 12/21/25. Please see our Instagram page for more information. Thank you.
Small BYOB French restaurant with thoughtfully sourced, creative dishes & classy, modern decor.
Address and Contact Information
Address: 110 W Orange St, Lancaster, PA 17603
Phone: (717) 208-6697
Website: http://www.citronnellepa.com/
Menu Photos
Related Web Results
Citronnelle | French fine dining restaurant in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Citronnelle is an upscale French restaurant serving fresh, seasonal and local cuisine with global influences. We are located in Lancaster PA.
Citronnelle to close Lancaster city restaurant; ‘We have so much to …
The French restaurant at 110 W. Orange St., which opened in 2013, will close after a final dinner service on Dec. 21. “We are humbled by your …
Citronnelle, Lancaster PA (@citronnellepa) • Instagram photos and …
Tiny BYOB, Big flavors. Cooked w/❤️. Locally sourced, globally inspired cuisine. We have retired as of 12/21/25. Thank you for 12+ wonderful years!
Reviews
M Preciado
Quaint but not stuffy. The service is definitely on par with what you experience in France. It is not rushed, but deliberate and effective. Could be a coincidence, but wanted to address the other reviews regarding slow service. We had the grilled octopus, cassoulet, and the signature souffle all were excellent. We tried the vegetable of the day which was garlic butter spinach, it was bland and overly wet, we do not recommend it. The place is BYOB so we enjoyed an excellent Bordeaux. Unfortunately the last day of service will be 12/21/2025 as this place is closing.
… moreN T
Very small and tight vibe. Just a few tables. I did not enjoy the service that day as well it was slow with nobody there and her vibe was weird. The steak and fries were good. The pork was really good. Steak could have been cooked better.
… moreJ W
The server was very friendly and kind, providing a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Although she did check-in with us regarding our appetizer, she was too preoccupied to check-in regarding our entree, due to her being the only staff in the dining area catering to 4 different tables; understandable but didn’t leave us the opportunity to address our issues with the entree (which will be highlighted below) until we paid for our bill and came across someone else by happenstance. The aesthetics were elegant and on the dimmer side, especially if you’re seating at the corner tables away from the light, we recommend sitting closer to the light or by the entrance if there’s still light out. We really loved the crab croquettes appetizer, which had a perfectly crispy exterior that complimented perfectly with the moist interior mixture of potato and crab that paired very well with the aioli. The crispy potato that accompanied the NY strip was perfectly balanced as well, with the crispiest exterior that I ever had with a potato dish!
Unfortunately that was the highlight to the entire dish, for the strip was extremely lean without any fat or marbling to help balance out the leanness of the steak (which is evident in the attached photos below). Usually a NY strip, even if grass fed, would still have a strip of fat on the outer layer, but ours did not have any at all, which you can see from all slices we’ve made. We weren’t hoping for ribeye-quality fats at all, but just one that wasn’t completely lean. The creamed spinach was also quite bitter and watery, which definitely diluted its creaminess unfortunately; you can see from the photo the wateriness in the creamed spinach where the cream began separating. We love their menu and the restaurant’s elegant vibe, as well as how beautifully the food was presented, but unfortunately we were left disappointed by our main entree. I highly recommend their crab croquettes so please give that a try if you can, I promise you won’t regret it!
Thank you for reading and best of luck! (:
… moreUnfortunately that was the highlight to the entire dish, for the strip was extremely lean without any fat or marbling to help balance out the leanness of the steak (which is evident in the attached photos below). Usually a NY strip, even if grass fed, would still have a strip of fat on the outer layer, but ours did not have any at all, which you can see from all slices we’ve made. We weren’t hoping for ribeye-quality fats at all, but just one that wasn’t completely lean. The creamed spinach was also quite bitter and watery, which definitely diluted its creaminess unfortunately; you can see from the photo the wateriness in the creamed spinach where the cream began separating. We love their menu and the restaurant’s elegant vibe, as well as how beautifully the food was presented, but unfortunately we were left disappointed by our main entree. I highly recommend their crab croquettes so please give that a try if you can, I promise you won’t regret it!
Thank you for reading and best of luck! (:
Amy S
Absolutely incredible. The crab croquettes were very soft and had a excellent crab taste. The arrangement of the plates were beautiful. The inside of the restaurant was very personal. You could tell that everything was done with care, intentionality. The main courseries were fantastic. The steak was cooked perfectly, chicken was delicate with a beautiful mushroom flavor. The desserts were not overly sweet. I would really recommend giving this place a try!
… moreEmily Yam
I came here for my birthday with my family; I have come here for ten years and I have never been disappointed with the food, service or atmosphere. The dishes are innovative, well balanced and always cooked perfectly. Andrew the server was great, the owner Susan is always so welcoming and kind and Chef Rafael is a master of his craft!
… moreLena G
We have been to Citronnelle twice. Very special little French restaurant. Citronnelle is a gem, we will reserve a table again.
The combination of the assorted seafood dish complements each other and tastes very delicious. Usually shellfish tend to leave sand in the dish, but this dish delighted me from beginning to end. The sauce tastes great.
We tried different dishes for both dinners, and each one was a pleasant surprise…bring your own favorite wine (not provided by the restaurant) and enjoy the family atmosphere, friendly conversation…it was great! We can’t wait for the next time
… moreThe combination of the assorted seafood dish complements each other and tastes very delicious. Usually shellfish tend to leave sand in the dish, but this dish delighted me from beginning to end. The sauce tastes great.
We tried different dishes for both dinners, and each one was a pleasant surprise…bring your own favorite wine (not provided by the restaurant) and enjoy the family atmosphere, friendly conversation…it was great! We can’t wait for the next time
Lauren N
Citronelle is a hidden gem, even amongst Lancaster county natives. Only a handful of people even knew what I was talking about when I brought it up as a place I wanted to try.
The experience itself was really amazing. We went for an early dinner, so we were able to get in there before a crowd formed which is ideal for me. I’m not a fan of a lot of noise and I suspect it gets loud in there given it’s a small space. The service was on point, and my husband and I enjoyed the BYOB aspect. There is a corkage fee but it’s not unreasonable.
We shared the crab Croquettes for our appetizer. They were flavorful, crispy, creamy- just all of the things! For entrees, he selected the New York strip. It came out perfectly as ordered and was delicious. I had the duck bisteeya. I did not know what to expect with this and was very pleased with the result. It was very yummy, the flavor profile reminded me a little of Curry. We tried both the chocolate and lemongrass souffles for dessert. They were pretty good but nothing compared to everything else we had. We will definitely return for special occasions.
… moreThe experience itself was really amazing. We went for an early dinner, so we were able to get in there before a crowd formed which is ideal for me. I’m not a fan of a lot of noise and I suspect it gets loud in there given it’s a small space. The service was on point, and my husband and I enjoyed the BYOB aspect. There is a corkage fee but it’s not unreasonable.
We shared the crab Croquettes for our appetizer. They were flavorful, crispy, creamy- just all of the things! For entrees, he selected the New York strip. It came out perfectly as ordered and was delicious. I had the duck bisteeya. I did not know what to expect with this and was very pleased with the result. It was very yummy, the flavor profile reminded me a little of Curry. We tried both the chocolate and lemongrass souffles for dessert. They were pretty good but nothing compared to everything else we had. We will definitely return for special occasions.
Jackie Gordon Singing Chef
Rude.
Initially, when I sent an email to change my reservation the owner was very gracious.
Unfortunatel, the young woman who is waiting on us was less so. It is rude to tell your customers, once you’ve told them that you’ve run out of french fries, after putting down the menus and not mentioning the items that you were missing, to suggest that they go to McDonald’s if they want fries.
It’s also very strange for a Modern French bistro restaurant to run out of bread at 7:30 in the evening. Yes, it is odd that they served some sort of version of focaccia instead of a proper baguettes but maybe that’s all part of the modern twist? However, every one of us has access to even Frozen baguettes from any chain grocery store that we can reheat when we run out of bread for ourselves and in a pinch, for our customers. The waitress seem to have an attitude when she delivered that news as well.
It is the hospitality business even in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and she did not seem very hospitable.
As far as the food went, the appetizers were fine. We especially enjoyed the croquettes and the carpaccio.
I found the duck and fig bisteeya to the incredibly dense and lacking in duck. There was a lot of fig. Not an interesting dish. Although my co diner enjoyed his so it is a case of to each his own.
The fish of the day was good and so was the lamb.
The complete failure was the dessert. The souffles, which we ordered with our mains tasted like scrambled eggs with sugar and flavorings in them. They were curdled. They were not souffles and the creme anglaise was the consistency of milk not properly made creme anglaise.
Two good things about this restaurant are:
One, that it’s fairly quiet.
It’s a very plain room ambiance-wise, but you can’t hear your fellow diners, which is nice.
Two, the corkage fee is very low.
Another snide response from our waitress was regarding whether or not they had anything that was non-alcoholic to drink. She said only coffee or tea. I found out later there was a ginger beer on the menu that she didn’t think I needed to know about.
It seems strange with the plethora of non-alcoholic drinks and mocktails available at most restaurants these days that this place would not have a better selection.
… moreInitially, when I sent an email to change my reservation the owner was very gracious.
Unfortunatel, the young woman who is waiting on us was less so. It is rude to tell your customers, once you’ve told them that you’ve run out of french fries, after putting down the menus and not mentioning the items that you were missing, to suggest that they go to McDonald’s if they want fries.
It’s also very strange for a Modern French bistro restaurant to run out of bread at 7:30 in the evening. Yes, it is odd that they served some sort of version of focaccia instead of a proper baguettes but maybe that’s all part of the modern twist? However, every one of us has access to even Frozen baguettes from any chain grocery store that we can reheat when we run out of bread for ourselves and in a pinch, for our customers. The waitress seem to have an attitude when she delivered that news as well.
It is the hospitality business even in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and she did not seem very hospitable.
As far as the food went, the appetizers were fine. We especially enjoyed the croquettes and the carpaccio.
I found the duck and fig bisteeya to the incredibly dense and lacking in duck. There was a lot of fig. Not an interesting dish. Although my co diner enjoyed his so it is a case of to each his own.
The fish of the day was good and so was the lamb.
The complete failure was the dessert. The souffles, which we ordered with our mains tasted like scrambled eggs with sugar and flavorings in them. They were curdled. They were not souffles and the creme anglaise was the consistency of milk not properly made creme anglaise.
Two good things about this restaurant are:
One, that it’s fairly quiet.
It’s a very plain room ambiance-wise, but you can’t hear your fellow diners, which is nice.
Two, the corkage fee is very low.
Another snide response from our waitress was regarding whether or not they had anything that was non-alcoholic to drink. She said only coffee or tea. I found out later there was a ginger beer on the menu that she didn’t think I needed to know about.
It seems strange with the plethora of non-alcoholic drinks and mocktails available at most restaurants these days that this place would not have a better selection.
Leila McGrath
After a 2 year absence & 5 star review… I found the lamb tender with delicious sauce, the mushroom risotto lovely, the soufflé as good as ever. The vegetables could use some seasoning, the octopus was a little chewy & salty, the pate used to be creamier & more generous. Dessert took some time to come. The salad could do without the pickled pearl onions which hit one in the back of the throat. But nice flavor overall.
… moreJason Zimmerman
I had Citronnelle on my list for a long time! My friends were in from L.A. so I made reservations. Overall, the food was underwhelming. Maybe I expected too much, but I wasn’t a fan of some of the flavors and also felt that the ‘umami’ was missing. However, the services was impeccable, the environment was romantic and high-end, so maybe I just had an off night (me and/or the restaurant).
… more