Went here for a very light dinner with a friend around 8pm on a Saturday. No wait, sat outside. We shared an the Endive Salad and tomato garlic Moules Frites (a bucket of mussels and a cup of fries), totaling $32.50. Felt authentically French for 3 reasons: 1) The table behind me was speaking French (always a good sign when you have French people at a French restaurant) 2) The waiters have French accents 3) Most of the menu was not cheap for the quantity, but in my experience, French cuisine is about quality and always leaves room for dessert, opposite the American shove-your-face-until-you're-bloated-for-$9.99 deal That said, I do think the bucket of mussels is a great deal! They don't cheat you by filling it halfway like at Bubba Gump. We didn't get any dessert, but oh my did the chocolate souffle at the table next to us look amazing! I didn't get to taste it, but judging by the way the 13-year-old boy was scarfing it down, I'll get it next time. That and a glass of wine to go with the mussels. Service was great, normal serve time, and even replaced our shell plates halfway through. Had to call them to bring us our check, but they were prompt. Cesca B., I don't know why one person would want a whole pot of mussels either. The Moules Frites are for sharing yo :) read more

Review is for Drinks only. Good place for a quick drink after work, on the way home. They have a limited beer selection (3 drafts) but Leffe (Blond or Brown) is always available for cheap! The terrace earned them the fourth stat. I have never eaten there but don't take it as a bad sign: as a French, I try to avoid French Bistros which remind me too much of what I miss from my homeland... read more

A nice spot on the way home. I had the 'steak and frittes' and it was great with a few beers. If you need a Bud Light, this isn't the spot. They have some great beers from Belgium ala' Cafe B (75th street). If you speak French try you language skills with the staff. A lot of people were speaking French but not enough to annoy me. The last thing I need is trying to enjoy my meal in a room full of Gaullists blabbing about "Liberte' Egalite' Fraternite' and Maurice Chevalier" Mussels. I don't like them. I was almost the only one there not eating mussels. It seemed that every table had a kettle or two filled over the brim with cooked mussels, their little mouths agape. If you like them, this seems like 'The Place' for serious mussel eaters. A friend says they are great and the stew or sauce is great for bread dipping....Whatever the hell that means...! read more

We go to Jacques often have always enjoyed food and staff was always great. That is up until today where shall I begin oh the waiter was extremely rude as if he was not working on tips. In addition to being rude he was not a very good server at all. The mussels which have always been deliciously prepared were oily and tasted like bad wine. Speaking of bad wine we ordered a bottle of Pinot Grigio which tasted like Florida supermarket wine but the real injustice was when they charged us 64 dollars for the 6 dollar bottle of wine....that's right 6 dollars we looked it up right there. When gently questioned about this obscene price gauging the Maitre D was more rude than his inept server. Well time to look for a new place "Hit the road Jacques" read more

On par with the other reviews, I think. The service was solid (nothing to write home about) and the food was below average. Here's what we had: Onion soup - 4/10 not the standard preparation. Tasted like a tomato(?) or vegetable(?) base. Used a mix of cheese. Half chicken - 4/10 dry as hell. The only reason this isn't a 2 of 10 is because the sides were good. Creme brûlée - 8/10 definitely the highlight of the meal. A bit sweeter than I've had in other places IMO, but overall would order again. If we went for cocktails and dessert, this would probably get 4/5 stars, but we didn't. read more

After a few hours browsing the Frick Collection on East 70th, my wife and I cabbed over to Jacques Brasserie on East 85th for lunch. We had consulted websites, menus, and reviews of many UES eateries, and felt that Jacques offered what we were looking for. Our experience confirms that 3.5 stars, the current Yelp average, is a reasonable assessment of what one can expect. We chanced not making a reservation. It worked out fine, since there were only two other groups in the restaurant when we arrived. I was a bit put off from the beginning by the way we were greeted. Instead of a warm and friendly welcome, it seemed more like we were being checked into a debriefing center. We were instructed to check our coats, entered into the computer, and crisply asked whether we had a reservation. Fortunately, though, the service did pick up from there. I knew what I wanted--I had come for the escargot and moules. While my wife considered her options, I perused the wine list. I settled on a 2014 Bourgogne, as it would work with both the mussels and my wife's steak frites. We placed our order, but a few minutes later, our server returned to confirm our wine selection. First, he pointed to the most expensive wine in that section of the wine list. I told him no, then pointed to the one I had chosen. I must admit I did so without my readers, but I knew I had selected the third on the list. When he presented the bottle, it was not a 2014 but a 2016, and from a different winery altogether. To make a long story short, I had originally been given an outdated menu that listed a wine that was no longer available. A pretty careless error for a place that charges premium prices. Once the wine snafu was resolved, the escargot were served. The garlic butter with parsley was spot on--I swabbed up every drop from my portion and my wife's. The escargot themselves, although unusually plump, chewed like pieces of Bazooka bubble gum. That suggested to us that they were either overbroiled or perhaps a bit past their prime. We were a bit apprehensive when the entrees arrived. The concern turned to delight, however, as almost everything was spot on. My wife's 11 oz steak was cooked perfectly and was very tender. The dijonnaise sauce for the moules was very delicate, with only a hint of the mustard base. We both agreed that the frites were among the best we'd ever had. The only small issue I might raise is that a few of the mussels were gritty, but that can't always be helped. We were also pleased with our desserts and would recommend either: the chocolate soufflé or the terrine. Be aware, though, that the soufflé is on the small side. To close the loop on the service, we were satisfied with the service we received once the wine kerfuffle was addressed. The staff never reached the level of "friendly," but it was professional. They kept the meal well-paced, did not rush us, and ensured our water and wine were replenished as needed. I noted that many reviews of UES establishments comment on the steep prices. The UES is arguably the toniest and most well-to-do neighborhood in Manhattan. Of course prices are going to be high. However, that does indicate to me that everything in those establishments should justify the premiums they charge. In this case, Jacques Brasserie fell short and cost it a star in a rating for what was an otherwise enjoyable meal. read more

Awesome local neighborhood spot. Very reasonable price for the amount and quality of food, and spot-on authentic parisian atmosphere. I ordered the french onion soup, and while I don't think that was their strong course, I loved the muscles and snails... YUM! I've been wanting to try their new bar called 1534 in nolita for a while, but in the meantime I will definitely be back here. Visiting Jacques is like taking a vacation to Paris for a few hours... read more

Meh is right. This is basically a Generic Brand French Bistro. Charming outdoor seating area? Check. Slightly snooty waitstaff? Check. Classic items like steak tartare and moules frites? Check. However, Jacques never transcends itself to become anything special or interesting. At a recent brunch here, I had a sub-par chicken sandwich with a side of semi-tasteless fries. With so many French options in the city, I'm not sure what you would need to seek out here (though, again, the outdoor seating area is very pleasant and nice). Cafe D'Alsace, which is in the same neighborhood, is a better option. read more

Drove from westchester to have brunch with family only to be told by the hostess that they do not have high chair. Kid friendly but no high chair. Very disappointing drive and paying for parking we have to have brunch elsewhere read more

Loved this restaurant. The outdoor seating reminds me of the cafes in Paris. The food was delicious (shrimp, steak frites, chocolate souffle, yum) and the service was quick and friendly. I love the accessibility and non-pretentiousness of a great restaurant in NYC. The restaurant is filled with locals so that should be the best indicator of approval. I will return and bring friends. read more

I am giving this Bistro 3 stars for their menu choices, their prix fixe choices, and such. My husband's sister took us out for my birthday and another celebration. I was quite happy to be taken out, and enjoyed myself. The only thing is, the only problem, is that the mussels made me ill. A few hours after eating, I became sick, and today am not feeling well either. I do not know if it was because I wear a nose ring (he he he) or if they were having an "off-day", but I have a small case of food poisoning from eating here. I know it was definitely the mussels because I was the only one in our party who ate them. The other diners I was with did not fall ill from their food. (Lucky) They have nice wines by the glass, and their creme brulee is good. Please eat here with an ebb of caution, because I did and am, in fact ill from the mussels. It is a shame because it is a quaint place, and perfect to sit outside or inside. The staff were polite, too! If any employees are reading this- please look into your mussels. They would be wonderful if I did not fall ill. A-ok for service, decor, outdoor seating, menu options and wine! read more

Brunch - I had trout, perfectly cooked and excellent veggies on side. My wife had mussels OMG - huge, from Long Island apparently and fantastic flavors. Great meal. read more

I have been here twice and both times have been VERY pleased with the food. The onion tarte is wonderful, the mussels were perfect, and the creme brulee wasn't bad either! The wait staff was friendly and attentive and the decor is very charming and pleasant. Overall it's a great neighborhood Bistro that I think I should frequent a bit more. read more

Never been a huge fan of french food. The appetizers were definately a hit, but the entres were not. Tuna tartar - pretty good, but not the best Onion Tart with goat cheese - LOVE IT!!! Roasted Chicken entre - chicken was over cooked Pepper Steak - pretty good Lamb Chops - over cooked I don't expect to go back again. read more

A great spot- delicious food, excellent service. Came for Father's Day with my family. Attractive venue- spacious and bright. Good for Sunday brunch for families or for date night. We tried the mussels, tomato/burrata, and for mains hanger steak, salmon, and some of the sandwiches. Everything great, the mussels were amazing. Enjoyed the maps of the rose festival. My one disappointment was that their everyday cocktail specials (unlimited mimosas for $20, a carafe of bloody marys for $24) was unavailable for Father's Day. Will have to return to avail ourselves of that- and the mussels. read more

Three out of four of us had a fantastic meal. The one was a disaster from start to finish. Kind of harshed our dining experience. In the past I have been this person at the table (at this restaurant) so it brought back terrible memories. Its a shame since our last experience here was really superb. We will try again but if something like today happens again I foresee another year hiatus. They really hate cooking meat over rare. Beware. Well done came bloody with half raw eggs!!! One thing to note. Try the french toast! Really delicious and the serving is plenty. read more

Very nice staff, very attentive and pleasant. The food was good, I love moules frite and I felt like back home in France :) my husband liked the niçoise as well , tried the tuna it was delish ! Thank you for such a good service and food read more

This is another restaurant that I really wanted to like but I couldn't. From the outside this place has a very inviting look with the coveted outside seating and the inside has an authentic French feel. The food is also on par. We ordered the foie gras which I really liked. Their pomme frites may be the best I've ever had second only to the Breslin's pomme frites. Their moules dijonnaise was to die for as was their steak frites with their bernaise sauce. The only problem here was the "service". The servers had a pompous air to them and they were amateurs at best. Anytime servers and busboys walk past a table with finished plates and empty water glasses about fifty times without noticing it's time to clean up and refill means that there is very poor management on site. This place needs a management overhaul in order to bring in competent a competent wait staff. Something Jacques does not have! read more

Ok restaurant. The foie gras was decent, but the souffle was more like a lava cake and less airy then a typical souffle. It had great flavors though but the texture was a bit off for my taste. Wait staff was attentive but a bit impatient and short with me. I came close to closing time and wanted a small bite to eat after my wine drinking so I was a bit tipsy as well. Those may have been the reasons why. read more

Bloodies are nice and spicy Get lamb sausage egg goat cheese onion sando - it's large and in charge. And succulent read more

Fabulous service, wonderful food and it feels like you're truly in Paris. I cannot recommend this place enough.

First of all our waiter was sooo rude.From the moment he came to our table he had a terrible attitude. The food was good but the service ruined it I will never go back read more

GREAT fries! (frites) Absolutely fantastic, some of the best fries I have ever tasted. Mussels were not stupendous. Want to go back and try the burger, with sliced apple and blue cheese it sounds great. We enjoyed the peach lambics with our meal. Nice spot to sit outside and while away an evening. read more

I have been to Jacques on a number of visits to NYC - always for Sunday brunch and always for the Croque Madame. Sure - there are many other options I could try but why mess with a great thing (particularly after a late night on the town). I love the atmosphere, the neighborhood "hangout" vibe - but I do have one mega-complaint - they no longer serve Leffe Brown on tap!!! read more

Perfect service and Good food. The mussels in piticular were excellent. The meal was conducted at our own pace and we never felt rushed or ignored. read more

Jacques - Late during a slow time. Intimate atmosphere with dining at your own pace - French Near Me - New York, New York

Poulette mussels are top notch! Service was amazing and the Covid atmosphere was fantastic! One of the best out door dining atmospheres i have seen since covid. read more

There are quite a few reasonably priced bistro style French restaurants in NYC. The food here is fine (not excellent), the decor pleasant, but the waiter left a poor taste. He brought the disagreeableness you try to avoid in Paris (and that you rarely have to deal with in better culinary centers like Lyons). Despite that we tipped well. But we don't plan to return. read more

Jacques is my go-to special occasion neighborhood brasserie. It is totally delicious, the service is (ahem) authentically Euro and the food is consistent and decadent and yummy. read more

Delicious meal, attentive servers, great beverages, fun & safe experience with servers masked and tables socially-distanced outside. We split the plentiful mussels that were delicious and then split a steak frites - also wonderful. Chocolate souffle? Oui, merci! I'm an oenophile, and really enjoyed theirs wines as well! read more

I took my mother for her birthday and it was a little loud, so don't go with someone that has an hearing that is not what it use to be and of course if you want a romantic diner...not really, but the food was excellent and the service was great. I had mussels Provençal and they were really good, she took the trout and of course complained that it wasn't the entire fish like we do in France, you with the head and tail, but she said it was very good. The dessert was some chocolate thing and that was also really good so beside being too loud but it seems to be the trend nowadays it was a excellent diner. read more

Pros: Good place for a date. Once of the few nicer restaurants on the UES. Cozy atmosphere. Cons: Overpriced. Not enough vegetarian options. Service is generally good, but occasionally it can be a miss. read more

went there last night with 2 other couples so we were 6. The vibe is great, romantic and they have live music. A guitar player played classic and alternative rock. We started with French onion soup, foie gras, mussels. all delicious. we had trout, steak frittes, and branzino also all delicious. we had chocolate soufflés and apple tart to end a perfect night. I highly recommend this a s a date place or a place to meet up with friends. read more

TL;DR - Terrible experience, terrible service. So my girlfriend and I decided to try Jacques for brunch. It's was already 330pm so we called ahead and they confirmed they had brunch till 4pm. We got there by 335pm and were delighted to find an unlimited mimosa with the brunch meal for $20 deal. From this point onwards the experience got progressively worse. Our server was hardly welcoming and when we asked for the unlimited mimosa (with your meal, mind you) deal we were informed that it wouldn't make sense since brunch ends in 20min (at 4pm). Now, I've had plenty of unlimited mimosa brunches across the city and I have never been told that the unlimited deal does not extend for the length of the meal. Why offer it in the first place? Next, the bread and butter was brought over and literally thrown on to the table. Literally thrown. We were very surprised by the service and attitude. For a few dollars saved on mimosas they lost our business in perpetuity. We spoke to the manager and he insinuated the it was time for everyone to change shifts, so they could not accommodate us. read more

Great service... and the atmosphere took me back to Paris! After reading all these reviews about the Moules Frites, I wish I had tried them. Another reason to go back! I had the Croque Monsier, which was awesome. I would totally go back again. read more

See all

Had a wonderful lunch in mid afternoon, a single glass of wine with a cheese plate and beet salad. Traditional Parisian vibe and impeccable service yet combined with a relaxed atmosphere. Very nice indeed! read more

Oh boy. This used to be our neighborhood French place but good grief has it gotten rough. Tonight my lovely wife and I were celebrating a new job with wine and oysters. The waiter was very nice. We were seated quickly and got our water right away. She ordered a nice Bordeaux and Bluepoints. They arrived, she ate one and nearly gagged. Slimy and awful. Not your normal Bluepoint. "Waiter! Can you please take these back, they are not right." "Sure, I'm sorry" Not a minute later our nauseating Bluepoints are back at our table in the hands of the T-shirt clad manager, "these are not bad, these are good oysters" says the manager poking his finger into one of the larger, slimier ones. "These are fine" "We've had a few oysters in our day and I'm sorry to say, No, they aren't, they are disgusting, are you arguing with me?" "There is nothing wrong with these oysters, we aren't charging you, but they are fine" he snarled. Annnnnnnd that's the last time we come to Jaques. read more

My husband and I walked over to Jacques recently after a lovely spring walk in Central Park. We were looking forward to enjoying their croque monsieur for lunch, but we were shocked when we received our dishes...have had croque monsieur many times at different restaurants both in NYC and Paris. It was just plain awful. We actually are still talking about it days later..the appearance was not pretty, the bread was two slices of white bread (similar to wonder bread), with poor quality ham, way too much bechamel sauce, and the cheese was extremely burnt. It tasted stale, old...maybe it was premade/frozen? This was served with burnt, completely tasteless fries and a small salad (with some completely wilted leaves mixed in) which was not good either. Overall, a really terrible experience. My husband let the waiter know that the dish was not good and he simply took the plate, walked away and removed it from the bill...he did not even ask what was wrong with it or how mine was. Did I mention I had the same dish (but it was croque madame)...same awful flavor with an egg that was a bit too undercooked. We decided it was not worth addressing further as we just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. So we got stuck with paying for one disgusting dish. I am writing this review in the hopes that they address this croque situation asap. Unfortunately, we will not be returning to see if it improves. read more

The moules were so shriveled and fishy-tasting. Obviously not fresh. The staff took the order off our bill, but I was surprised to find that poor quality for a $24 order of mussels. Atmosphere was very loud making it difficult to talk. Servers were attentive with refilling our water but difficult to flag down for anything else. Everyone raved about their steaks, however. I wouldn't go here again, though. read more

Food delicious (burger and moules frites) but quite disappointing, service wise. On a relatively quiet Saturday night, the manager/maitre d' walked back and forth between those of us dining outside and those in the restaurant. He never came over to ask how we were doing, didn't notice the overflowing dish of mussel shells (we shouldn't have to ask to have the bowl emptied or to ask for more bread to sop up the wonderful broth), and most certainly did not apologize to us for the service snafu. Our appetizer and entrees came out at the same time which meant that what we had expected to be a pleasant, leisurely Saturday dining experience turned into a quick dinner. When we pointed out that the appetizer should have come out first and separately, our server came over and swept the appetizer off the table, apologizing but not offering any sort of comp. We kept on expecting the manager to come to our table and apologize or at least acknowledge what had happened. For a relatively upscale restaurant that we used to count on..... read more

Cute little Belgian restaurant. Perfect for a quiet dinner with a great ambiance. The service was on point and very attentive. Over all a very good experience. read more