Le Grainne Cafe
“I bumped up my rating from 4 to 5 stars since we have been here probably dozens of times and it is the best.”
“Stumbled upon this place in Chelsea before a lunchtime cruise at Chelsea Piers.”
“I had the oeuf maison (poached egg) over ratatouille and my friend had a fruits frais (fresh fruit) crepe.”
Le Grainne Cafe
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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French quality from start to finish at this restaurant. I went for breakfast and can't say how impressed I was with everything I ordered. The French toast is dream quality. The eggs are fluffy and the home fries were just right. Loved the ice tea here. For dessert I wrapped things up with a lavender crème brulee. Incredible to say the least. It's really that good and worth the trip and the repeat trip that you will most likely do. It's country quaint inside and the view makes it fun to people watch. Definitely a thumbs up.
Last stop for a Saturday night pre-Independence Day 2016 with my party of six for coffee, tea and wind down. In hopes of sitting outdoors facing the street evoke a Parisian café we were short on one wicker-like chair which to our dismay the waiter prohibited us to pull one extra chair facing the short side of the table because it blocks the path for passage as well as waiter service. The other option was to sit indoors putting tables together to accommodate our large party. Personally, I rather be indoors away from a loud noisy urban street traffic, distraction of outdoor pedestrian traffic, direct sun, or muggy humidity to intake a cool air conditioned environment. Le Grainne Café is very dark café with very minimal lighting to enhance the intimate atmosphere for couples. Price is reasonable for NYC standards. It opens late for the night owls. Business card is available at the hostess table. A cool down to wind down the day with European espressos, coffee, cappuccino and lastly one measly Chamomile tea with honey was a relaxing happy ending for a day's end.
Three stars due to the somewhat cold attitude from our waiter with the extra chair for the outdoor table blocking passage and further inflicting more blockages to our rejoice for enlightenment to achieve happiness. When inquiring, nicely, permission to consume outside food in their premises the response was another cold attitude. Okay, consuming outside food is prohibited but no need for the stolid response and this is customer service in a restaurant hospitality establishment to service patrons? ICK!!
So doesn't the bread usually come out right after you place your order? Apparently not, well at least not at Le Grainne Café. This is how it works.
Upon my friend's arrival:
1) Stand near the front entrance where host is sure to see you.
2) Get ignored by host as he welcomes the couple standing behind you.
3) Catch the attention of the host and let him know that you were there before said couple. (Couple says, "Um I think she was here first.)
4) Get seated at a table near the wall as you wait for your friend.
Upon my arrival:
1) Friend grabs seat next to you in slightly tight area, with small tables.
2) Waitress comes to take your order and asks if you want drinks. Not quite ready you ask for more time.
3) She comes a second time and takes your orders.
4) You wait for ten, twenty, and then hirtyty minutes. You glance at waitress and see her look behind counter at cooking area.
5) She comes over to your table and lets you know the food is not ready. You ask for bread.
6) The bread comes and it is very good. Your food comes five minutes later.
7) The French toast is the best you've ever had. The ham that comes with it is like sliced ham from the deli but it tastes okay. The fruit salad that comes with the order is just okay also, but the potatoes are pretty good.
8) The place begins to empty as the brunch crowd departs. It feels slightly drafty and the restaurant is lacking the feeling of a café. It is s neither cozy, nor comfortable, nor warm.
9) You'll come back but only if you have a strong craving for French toast. You'll only recommend the place if someone request a great French toast spot.
+++
– awesome mussels (marinieres)
++
– french bread matched well with the sauce
+
– crepes are good, I'd prefer more filling tho
– I randomly chose a wine, they get a half a star bc I liked it
– adequate service
–
– They lose half a star for no fries
This place was so cute and quaint, my goodness. The salade de poulet was top-notch and everyone was kind & friendly. It's also in an absolute gem of a neighborhood – close to lots of places nearby to grab something sweet or an espresso afterwards!
I went here for a business brunch and it was fine. It was a little dark on the inside but in a charming, French bistro sort of way. The food was pretty standard and average to slightly below average, but the service was fine and they made an excellent cappuccino. All-in-all, considering the many other options not sure I'd make it a point to go back here.
Portion sizes are HUGE here. We ordered a mussel dish to share as an appetizer and I personally got the spaghetti and regretted my ordering decisions as soon as the appetizer arrived. They give you an entire POT of mussels. Which is amazing! I was full before I even started my pasta.
The prices here are relatively high but reasonable for how much food they give you. So if you're not too hungry and feeling poor, I think you'd be fine splitting an entree with a friend and still go home feeling full.
They also give you a ton of bread.
Love Le Grainne!! But, if you come for brunch or dinner on the weekends, then expect a long wait, like 1-2 hours. So, I recommend coming for dinner during the week, or late on weekends, which is what we did on a Saturday night.
We weren't sure what we wanted to eat and it was on the later side, like 10pm, but wanted something casual, tasty and simple…so Le Grainne was the perfect spot for that.
I highly recommend getting the Savory Crepes. In my opinion, they're as good as you get in Paris, albeit pricier, and they have a number of quality ingredients you can add to the crepe. We went with Gruyere, Egg, Turkey and Mushrooms – kept it simple, but it was exceptional and delicious.
We also went got the Crab Cake, which was recommended by our waiter, and we thought it was good, but not necessarily anything to write home about. I'd stick to the Crepes.
I've been here for Brunch as well, and all of their Egg dishes and Croque Monsieur or Croque Madame are excellent as well.
If you get lucky and snag a table outside in warm weather, you'll be very happy – great way to spend an afternoon – French food, people watching and heavy French accents from the waiters, almost as good as in Paris…well not exactly as you can't beat Paris, but at least it's close.