Bistro Citron
“Their bread, pate, and butter–served in unlimited supply, if you ask–is delicious.”
“Some things are a bit inflated but mot inflated more than most of the UWS.”
“This place is a fantastic unassuming French bistro on the Upper West Side, nearby the Natural History Museum.”
Bistro Citron
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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We came for brunch. The hanger steak sandwich was great, as well as the French onion soup. The soup is better than most other restaurants and I would definitely order it next time.
The service was friendly and attentive.
I would definitely come back.
I'm always pretty impressed with how nice the UWS is- it's quiet, has a number of nice amenities to its inhabitants (playgrounds etc, decent schools), and has a number of nice restaurants to eat at. It's really lacking in the cheap, convenient food department of course- there aren't many fast food places like McD or Chipotle around, but I suppose that's by design rather than by accident.
Citron is one of those aforementioned restaurants that is kind of a small, nice place. They have outdoor seating too, which is great because there aren't too many passerbys, so even if you eat outside, you have some peace and quiet. Still, I think these seats are only appropriate for the summer season…
Me and one other friend came here on a Friday, and were surprised to find no wait time. We ordered a bunch of food here. We got the mussels in the white wine sauce, which were really quite good, and were a decent deal. We also ordered the oysters, which were alright, but probably not worth it in retrospect due to how much they cost. The mussels came with some add on fries, which were kind of a random side dish with mussels.
We also got french onion soup, and a scallops and shrimp dish. The onion soup was just fine, and the scallops and shrimp, while decent, was severely lacking- for $32 dollars, we got two scallops and three shrimps, accompanied with some cabbage underneath. The total came to about $123.
All in all, this is an okay place for ambiance and maybe for mussels, but a little too expensive for all the other dishes in general. Also they're a little stingy with the bread here, as they only serve you piece by piece, rather than giving you a basket.
A friend and I were starving, so decided to just a pick a random place for lunch. Ended up coming here since it was convenient.
Ordered off their lunch menu,
I got the soup of the day (I love soups), which was a potato and leek soup. Every time I kept slurping it, tastes like the soup from a chicken ramen noodles. That's basically the way I describe this soup. I don't know that's a good thing, bad thing, or whatever thing.
For my entree, I got the Gratin De Macaroni- Elbow Pasta served with ham, green peas in a light cream sauce. This was okay dish. Basically a mac & cheese dish. Needs a bit more taste and flavor to the dish. Piping hot though. Careful don't touch the plate.
Every time my friend and I were looking around, the staff plus the owner immediately assumed we needed something. Nice to know they are on their "A" game with service.
A nice, simple, and cozy restaurant.
The UWS is not a place for gourmet, Michelin-starred, fine dining; rather, it's a true 'hood and its restaurants veer toward the comfort, homey, family-style vibe. Bistro Citron is a good example, as I can see it being the perfect place for an exhausted pair of new parents to have a much sought-after romantic date night/night off–delicious French food at slightly below average Manhattan prices (compared to places a few neighborhoods south), all in a cozy, intimate, dimly lit setting.
Since we weren't very hungry, we ended up splitting a salad and entree. The Salade de Betteraves was fantastic–fresh, healthy and perfectly roasted. The Trout Amandine was tender, with very fragrant sauce. The drinks were also stellar–I'd recommend the French Martini over the Peartini if you had to choose.
This bistro is charming and has the feel of a Parisian eatery. The food was quite nice–my brother and I each had the steak sandwich. He had fries (I mean, frites) and I had a double order of salad. The baguettes are lovely… not quite what you'd get in Europe, but perfectly respectable.
The service was very good. They refilled my water glass 4 times during lunch and chuckled politely at our lame jokes. (So, not terribly Parisian, actually, but welcome in NYC).
This place is a fantastic unassuming French bistro on the Upper West Side, nearby the Natural History Museum.
THE SERVICE: We came here for brunch on a Sunday around 1pm. The place was bustling and exciting, but the service was excellent. We had our 1 year old baby with us and the staff was incredibly kind and accommodating.
THE DRINKS: The drink menu is super fun and exciting. The mixologist creates new drinks constantly so there's always something fun and exciting to try.
THE FOOD: The food is typical French brunch food – buttery and delicious. They served croissants with butter and jam as an appetizer which is AMAZING. All the food looks, smells, and tastes amazingly. From the Croque Monsieur to the crepes to the ol stand by Oeufs Benedict, it's all delicious and wonderful.
On the first sunny Saturday in Manhattan, after a warm walk in Central Park we were giving into our hunger pains and were lured to Bistro Citron by an empty table on their quaint semi shaded patio.
We arrived during an off hour, not quite breakfast, lunch or brunch in my opinion but were treated to their brunch menu. We started with oysters with the classic horseradish presentation, a refreshing way to start the meal. We also enjoyed a bottle of sparkling Rose, overpriced in my opinion, however it paired perfectly with our afternoon.
For our mains we ordered the Frisée Salad ($11.00) with a poached egg, bacon lardons, dressed with a mustard vinaigrette and a large order of the Mussels with chorizo ($20.00) to share.
The salad was good (average), the bacon lardons were too hard for me and had me concerned at times that I might chip a tooth, thankfully I walked away with all my teeth intact. The Mussels were tasty even though I think their version of chorizo was sweet Italian sausage, was hard to find, and offered little to no heat whatsoever. I would like to note my disappointment in the serving size of the Mussels we received for $20.00, being so close to the ocean with Mussels readily available I find it odd that we may have received 20 Mussels for $20.00. There is a place in Denver, CO (a landlocked state) that offers Mussels and Fries for $12.95 where I get a minimum of 60 Mussels to an order and they use real chorizo.
Service was just meh, our server had no personality at all and was only there when he absolutely had to be. Bistron Citron is a place you default to because you're hungry and need to satisfy grumbling stomachs, not a food destination.
The food was good but basically double the price that it should have been, given the portion sizes and what I was getting. A tiny salad with roasted beets and chevre was $14; a cup (not bowl) of french onion soup was $10. The food was definitely well made and the service was great. I have nothing but absolute praise for the quality of the food and for the service. But for these prices I would go elsewhere.