Les Halles
“Like a Lou Reed who cooks, Anthony Bourdain embodies all that is rock in the culinary ecosystem…”
“The brasserie is in the financial district but it is worth the trip, the food is perfectly prepared.”
“I've never been to the Park Ave location but I'll go there check it out on Wednesday and will write a review.”
Les Halles
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
Rate and write a review Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
The food is quite good here but the service fell flat. As many other reviewers have mentioned, the ambiance is very important especially at a place that is renowned for Anthony Bourdain's touch. The hostess greeted me and took my name, I went to the bathroom, and she completely forgot who I was when I came back. The servers for the night were also disengaged, seemed to spend more time gossiping among themselves, and uninterested in providing a friendly experience to their guests.
For the food, we had the duck and pork entrees. Both were quite good, but the wine selection they had was not. The caramelized apple tart we had for dessert was also too sweet in the wrong ways. Not sure if the Park Ave location is better, but I'm unlikely to venture back to this brasserie again.
When you play in the French sandbox, you need to bring your best toys because the French have very high standards. I had been craving steak frites and decided this was the locale to extinguish my vampiric hunger. The only reason I looked at the menu was to ponder whether there was some essential starter to help usher in the meat and potato. I did not order the fois gras that tempted me.
Instead I opted for a sassy Manhattan derivative while she went with her standard Vesper. We both ordered the steak frites with sauce Bernaise and a side order of string beans. It comes with a simple salad. We enjoyed it all – notably the string beans. In the back of our crania lingered the memory of the same meal in Paris last summer.
Decor is classic bistro which is always nice. Oddly, the hostess seated us in the way back of the dining room rather than up front with the cool people. If you eat here be sure to have a preference for cool or dud table location. I would have preferred to be part of the showcase in the bustle up front.
The server was generic with a French accent but, unlike most French waiters, he did not hit on my bride.
I'll have to come here when it's not a national holiday because the service was terrible! The place itself is okay, average priced restaurant one step up from a diner. Decent brunch menu-salads, eggs a variety of ways, sandwiches, a few apps. The place itself has old wooden furniture, a room in the front and a room in the back, We came for bunch and the place was dead when we arrived. They sat us in the back and then disappeared. The waitress finally came back and asked if we wanted anything to drink. I had a $5 mimosa and my buddy had a Bloody Mary. She was not friendly at all! After she gave us our drinks we were hard pressed to find her again. When she finally came back I ordered a chicken sandwich off of the brunch menu, pretty basic sandwich, roasted chicken, lettuce, chipotle mayo on a hard roll with a choice of frozen french fries or a light salad. She asked if I wanted cheese with it, and I was a bit bummed with their cheese selection, Swiss, blue cheese or goat cheese-I went with Swiss and a side salad. Pretty basic. Anyway, I asked the waiter for extra mayo and he came back 20 minutes later with it. At that point I was totally over it! Then we waited forever to get the check and forever to get change! My buddy said his coffee was terrible. Oh well.
I've been the Park Ave location before and was expecting a similar experience here. I came during happy hour and the bar was full, but the hostess was able to pull two stools up to a bar table to accommodate us. We ordered the tuna tartare, olives and a glass of red wine each. The wine and tartare were fine but some of the mixed olives tasted rancid. I've never had an olive like that. We told our waitress who tried to be accommodating and ask if we wanted anything else instead. We declined and she said she would take them off our bill. When the bill arrived, they were still on it. We tried to flag her down but couldn't get her attention fast enough. Our uber was already outside so we just paid it. I also thought the bathrooms here were a mess and pretty gross. I would not return to this location.
Come here for happy hour a lot. They have $1 and $2 oysters. The drinks aren't bad either – usually get the elderflower one which is good. The truffle fries are AMAZING and a must get. The tuna tartare is also delicious and comes in a phyllo shell. Service is usually pretty good too.
Few evenings ago I finally try it and it was a lovely experience. I looked at its menus and offers on my way home from the office for months. It looked elegant, with a nice crowd and good specials – and I wasn't disappointed.
I brought 4 friends with me, and we sat at the bar, since the happy hour, 3-7 pm, is served just there. We all got drinks and few bites to share: truffle oil fresh fries, tuna tartare, oysters, and calamari. Everything was delicious, and service really nice. I am not a big oyster person, but my friends who are oysters-aficionados loved them.
Every meal and drink is between $7-9. It's good for couples of small groups of friends.
I never been to their uptown location that just closed. This venue is a great option for a Lower Manhattan/Financial District lunch or evening meal. It's closed to the Fulton subway hub, on John Street.
Based on stopping for for a glass of wine and a couple appetizers we enjoyed it and would come back for a classic French bistro fix if in NY and the area. Good wine list, good options for some quick appetizers to tide you over.
I came to Les Halles on a Thursday evening 7:45 ish, and was shocked that there was no wait time. I was under the impression that Les Halles was incredibly famous, especially due to the celebrity factor this place has gotten ever since parts unknown has started to air.
After being seated (by the manager), he spoke to us for a little while about what we might want to have. I get that this probably isn't the regular experience most people get, but it was very nice, and appreciated.
I got the steak, frites, salad, while my friend got… maybe red snapper? We got a cream of spinach to share. Everything was really excellent, and the waitress we got was very attentive. Would definitely come back- but might want to try the midtown location next.