French brasserie · Rodney Square, Wilmington · $70–$110
French Brasserie$$$Rodney Square, DowntownHD Awards finalist 2021 — Green Room restoration
"Wilmington's gilded 1913 Green Room reborn as a French brasserie with a $62 steak au poivre — book it for closing a deal."
7Food
9Ambience
7Value
About Le Cavalier
The Green Room was Delaware's special-occasion stage for a century: carved oak, gilded chandeliers, waiters in suits, the du Pont name over the door. In September 2020 the Hotel du Pont handed it to Philadelphia chef Tyler Akin, who stripped the white linen, kept the 1913 architecture and reopened it as Le Cavalier, a French brasserie with Provençal and North African leanings. The kitchen now runs under chef Chris Reed. The steak au poivre, a 14-ounce strip with shoestring frites at $62, is the dish the room was rebuilt around.
The Kitchen
Akin's founding menu set the template: brasserie classics with the Mediterranean turned up. Steak frites arrives with bone-marrow salsa verde; the duck breast comes with carrot mousse and bitter-orange confiture at $38; couscous, harissa and preserved lemon move through the menu where a stricter brasserie would reach for cream. Chris Reed, who now leads the kitchen, has kept that register while pushing seasonal sourcing from Delaware Valley farms.
The wine program is the quiet differentiator: a natural-leaning list, one of the only ones in Delaware, strong in Loire and Beaujolais with enough by-the-glass range to keep a long dinner moving. The renovation itself made the design press, with Hospitality Design naming the Green Room transformation an HD Awards finalist in 2021. Within French dining worldwide Le Cavalier sits in the modern-brasserie lane: the technique is classical, the soundtrack and the harissa are not. Weekend brunch keeps the hall alive outside dinner hours, a rarity in a room this grand.
The Room
This is the best-looking dining room between Philadelphia and Baltimore, and it is not close. The 1913 Green Room's carved oak, towering windows and gilded chandeliers all survived the renovation; what changed is the temperature — banquettes, warmer light, a bar that invites lingering, a soundtrack instead of starch. Sound holds at a civilised hum even at capacity because the ceiling height absorbs the rest. Tables carry generous spacing, jackets are common but nothing is required, and the Rodney Square patio seats are the warm-weather move. It reads special-occasion without demanding one.
Best for Closing a Deal
Book Le Cavalier to close because the architecture does half the persuading: a century-old gilded hall built by the du Ponts signals seriousness before anyone opens a folder. Tables are spaced for discretion, the $62 steak au poivre is the order that needs no deliberation, and Resy windows are friendly enough that a Tuesday-for-Thursday booking usually lands. Rodney Square's law firms and banks treat it as the house dining room, so a deal dinner here reads native rather than staged. Compare rooms on the deal-closing hub, and see the Wilmington dining guide for where to take the celebration after signatures.
Not for
Skip it if you want the old Green Room's formality or a tasting-menu performance. The linen and suited service went in 2020; this is a brasserie with a great ceiling.
Frequently Asked
Is Le Cavalier worth it?
Yes, for the room as much as the cooking. Mains run $28 to the $62 steak au poivre, the French technique is sound, and the 1913 Green Room is the most architecturally serious dining space in Delaware. It is priced like a city brasserie rather than a hotel trophy, which keeps locals in the seats and the energy honest.
How hard is it to book Le Cavalier?
Mostly easy: reservations run through Resy, and short-notice weeknight tables are routine. Friday and Saturday primes, hotel event weekends and brunch book several days out. Larger parties should call the restaurant at 302-594-3154. Our reservation-notes guide covers how to flag an occasion so the room works for you.
What is the dress code at Le Cavalier?
Smart casual with room on both sides: the architecture pulls some guests toward jackets while the brasserie format makes good denim unremarkable. Business dress dominates weekday dinners given the Rodney Square law-and-banking crowd. The only real rule is the one the 1913 room imposes on its own; most people dress slightly up once they have seen it.
What is the average meal price at Le Cavalier?
About $70–$110 per person at dinner: starters in the teens and twenties, mains from $28 to the $62 steak au poivre, with the natural-leaning wine list adding $15–$20 a glass. Brunch and bar visits land far lower. For a deal-closing dinner for four with a serious bottle, budget $450–$550.
Is Le Cavalier good for closing a deal?
It is Wilmington's default for exactly that: discreet spacing, a room that signals weight, and a location across Rodney Square from the firms doing the signing. Book a banquette, order the steak au poivre, and let the ceiling work. For the louder celebration afterward, Bardea Food & Drink is a short walk east.
Weeknights are routine; Friday and Saturday primes book several days out. Larger parties should call +1 302-594-3154.
Affiliate disclosure: Restaurants for Kings may earn a commission when you book through our reservation links, at no cost to you. Our scores are editorial and never paid for.
Practical Information
Address42 W 11th St, Hotel du Pont, Wilmington, DE 19801
