The last time I was at L'Express was more than 10 years, 1 wife, and 1 baby ago, and sometime between 2 and 4 am. It's kind of refreshing to enjoy the place as a sober adult during that most adult of meals -- brunch. L'Express is best approached as a French diner, and if you stick with the basics (burgers, omelettes, croque monsieurs/madames), you'll leave happy. I can't really vouch for the more serious dishes, like steak. I can tell you that my lamb burger was extremely satisfying. We also ordered a Tart Lyonnaise to share (bacon, leek, gruyere cheese). It was like a really tasty quiche. Beers understandably skew Belgian/European but they have a couple of good IPAs and such. All in all, it's a good choice for a small group without the hassle of trendier places. read more

Came for lunch with a friend on a Friday. Not super busy. Nice ambiance. Friend had a fruity basil drink, although we detected no basil, it was still tasty. She had steak tartare which was a generous size and quite good; I had the lamb burger, which was also big and tasty, though it came to me cold. Service was standard. I do think the prices are a bit high for the food, but it's a good all-purpose spot. read more

L’Express - Lamb burger and steak tartare entree - French Near Me - New York, New York

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Man I used to love this spot when I lived in the neighborhood (freshman dorm in college). Where else could you get a steak tartare at 3 in the morning? Alas due to some menu shifts (probably a smart move in their part) their late night menu is a bit more limited than I remember. However the fact that a 24 hr French restaurant exists is still a magical thing. read more

My family and I ate at L'Express for Sunday brunch. Totally enjoyed our meal and experience. I ordered a St Germain spritz which was perfect for a warm NYC day. Then for my meal I ordered the Shashuka (3 poached eggs over a tomato and zucchini stew. Extremely flavorful and hardy. My wife had the Niçoise salad which included fresh tuna prepared medium rare. It was delicious. Pricing was reasonable and service was exceptional. read more

Wow and we just discovered this place while visiting NY. So so good! The burger and the eggs and the croissants. Amazing in all ways. It reminds me of the movie Amelie and it's delightful and delicious all at once . read more

Came a bit after 12 on a Sunday and was lucky to be seated right away. The menu is pretty traditional for a dinner. Service was a bit slow and the waitress constantly kept checking in, not in a bad way but maybe a pressuring way to rush us out. Overall though the food was decent and portion size for price was well worth the value compared to some other places in Manhattan. Got the bacon egg and Swiss on a croissant substituted with ham and appreciated the flexibility read more

L’Express - Ham egg and Swiss on a croissant - French Near Me - New York, New York

Very good and well priced. Not much to say as it's a nyc institution. Reliable good food. read more

L’Express - Desserts! - French Near Me - New York, New York

Great ambiance, attentive service and charming atmosphere. Loved the steak and the wine suggestions. Can't go wrong and open late.

Notes from a fairly long-time patron: this is still a neighborhood place I am happy to have very nearby, and though its indoor and especially outdoor tables are usually very busy, it's big enough that we can usually get a table on the spur of the moment. Lately too the service is pleasant and reliable. Food tip from a long-time customer: in my opinion it's not a good idea to make a change in a permanent and well-liked menu item, in this case the lamb burger. Many reasons, but one is, the long-time customer is of course *not* going to read the menu description of something she's enjoyed there regularly, hundreds of times, for many many years. The other night the one I ordered came, for the first time, with big blobs of a mayonnaise-y sauce smeared on both sides of the burger and the bun. The waiter was very nice about getting me a new bun, I scraped most of the glop off of the burger, but -- it was actually a mildly disgusting experience. Also the burger had something wrong with it, it was crumbly and didn't hold together. If for some reason they *have* to keep serving this this way, instead of going back to putting this stuff on the side where we could ignore it, the waitstaff had better make sure to announce it to anyone ordering, to give them a chance to say no. read more

Love this place!!! Food is amazing and service also. I been there few times but last time we had such amazing service Our server Renato was very professional and sweet we had so many questions and he was very patient to answer all and recommend us new food to try there Everything was so delicious and not expensive It's open 24/7 and it's always busy there is reason for that-it's Great! read more

L’Express - Delicious Dessert - French Near Me - New York, New York

OMG!!! Came on a very early morning after I was at a lounge!! Was extremely hungry and so glad this was the spot we chose to eat at. Inexpensive. Food was good. I had the eggs potatoes toast and bacon and it was amazing. Eggs were cooked to perfection!! Bacon crispy and tasty!! You will not be disappointed read more

Can't say you're open til four and close at 3:00am. Walked here for a late night dinner and find the doors literally chained shut. Used to be a cool place for late night. read more

Friday night had this place bustling. As I waited at the bar for my take-out order the fellow eating a steak there gave it a thumbs up. Unfortunately for me I couldn't say the same. The lamb burger was totally devoid of any taste. Had you blindfolded me and had me guess what I was eating I would have said...mush? And the fries were a limp soggy mess. Disappointing. read more

Fantastic place - excellent authentic French food and highly attentive service. Reasonable prices and one of the most delicious cocktails I've ever had (elderflower martini with pear absolut). We also got the pastis which was excellent and hard to come by. Particularly loved the mussels and the escargot. Will come back again read more

Ok french food. In a city with a million restaurants why would you be ok with just being meh? Not worth the hassle of squeezing yourself in one of their tiny super packed tables indoors. Also, the wine list is sad. read more

Service was great and speedy during Friday lunchtime! Vibes were super cute too. But food seems overpriced for what it is. Even for NYC. The rigatoni was not flavorful. Pretty bland and probably won't go back. read more

This has never been a great place but it's been open and fine enough. Til tonight. It's too stupid and lengthy to bother with all of the reasons I'd bother to write this, but suffice it to say, it required a manager to receive a cocktail with alcohol in it ( not just champale and syrup. The waiter gave us the bill after having 1 st courses taken before even done. Yes, that's before dinner and not even imagining that we might order more. Because he was angry that cocktails with syrup and champale were questioned. Which he was defensive and genuinely a dick about. I'm a very compassionate person and make excuses for most things but this exceeded even my loose definitions of what is tolerable. I've spent time in 3rd world countries, much of Europe and eaten in shanty towns and never been treated this poorly. They are trying to make up for it- took mock tails off the bill, gave us new server at my request.... Forgot to post, months later now, because they're open late, near where I work, I've sucker- returned. Hands down, worst customer service, weak drinks, under or overcooked food, and invariably fail to let it be known that it's last call, or that deserts will not be served while there's time to order. Plenty of great places nearby. Hawksmore is open late, Oceans is superb, Novita is great and Barbounia is loud, but great. Don't do it. Unless you enjoy being made to feel like you're in a Borat movie. read more

My all-time favorite place to be! I know you shouldn't tell people your favorites, because then they get crowded and you can't get in, but if you ever want to get away on a Sunday morning, read the paper, and have an amazing omelette, this is place to be. If your coworker stands you up, this is a great place to get a Kir Royal and a little bite until you have to go meet the vice president at 8 PM. Or, if you just want to lovingly gaze at the gorgeous zinc bar and practice, your French, this is the place to be. I'm sure others will argue that there are fancier, more posh places, this is a Neighborhood place the checks all the boxes and it's consistently good. read more

Had a great dinner here last night with my almost 2 year old son. Dining alone with a baby can be...a bit of a roll of the dice. But a huge shoutout to the staff here, especially Carlos and Maria, for making us feel incredibly welcome the second we stepped inside. An absolute masterclass in hospitality, thank you so much again. read more

We chose this place because they offer late- Night dining, which is now harder to find post-pandemic. Our summary: 1. Service was excellent. Very attentive and friendly wait staff. 2. The soup was quite good, but the salads not so great. And the side of fries- mediocre. Flaccid and tasteless. Also, when we mentioned this to waiter, he removed the fries from the tab. Very impressive. 3. The wine and beer were decent. And prices overall are fair. Overall, we'd rank the restaurant fair., probably 6.5 on a scale of 10 read more

My friend had gone here about 7 years ago and said it was very good. It was a beautiful May Sunday evening in NYC so I decided to give it a shot based on his recommendation. We were able to eat outside. I started with the elderflower martini which was very good accept that they put a dead violet or pansy into the drink itself which i fished out, no problem, whatever. Just hoped a dog did not pee on it :-/ We ordered divine appetizers, salmon tartare for me and baked camembert for him. Great start! But, unfortunately, the main courses were terrible. Maybe the head chef was off on a Sunday night? I ordered the moules merniere and the broth was just awful. Watery, no reduced fish/wine/butter flavor. The mussels were sandy. The french fries were cold and unseasoned.There were small slices of white raw onion in with the mussels and the broth that I think were supposed to be cooked in the brine/broth but were still raw and looked like white worms in the mix. That is the good news! We had to send my friends's beef short ribs bourginone back because it was just awful. The meat was tasteless and stringy. Again, the sauce was watered down so no reduced beef/red wine/butter flavor. No french bread served with the entrees which is de rigueur for a dish with a broth to soak up. So......very disappointing because I love french food. it was crowded (could have been the beautiful weather) and would have been acceptable for drinks and apps, but the mains were beyond bad And the waiter just did not care. They did remove the charge for the short ribs. Much better french bistro food in the city- Le Parisien, Balthazar, etc. Sorry L'Express. You've got to STEP IT UP! read more

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Burger was beyond lackluster for the price. Those that fit the soup said it was burnt

Salad is not that good.. The salmon was supper yummy and well done. Rigatoni is also very yum. Espresso not nice. A bit bitter. read more

L’Express - Yummy salmon - French Near Me - New York, New York

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I have been coming here since Jan 2013 and it is my favorite bar and Brasserie in Manhattan. During Covid the hours shifted from 24 hours to a weekday / weekend schedule less than 24 hours. But the vibe, drinks, bartenders, patrons, servers hasn't changed. This is a real-deal bar : restaurant in Flatiron that I highly recommend. read more

L’Express - French Near Me - New York, New York

This is a very limited review - I only came for a glass of wine in the outdoor seating area. But I appreciate that they still have outdoor seating; the waitress was kind and efficient; and I was pleasantly surprised with the wine "of the day." read more

Wow. Their pork chops are DELICIOUS. I wish I knew how to make them that good. We ordered the escargot, pork chops & duck. Everything was fabulous, including the service. It's your classic French restaurant with great food. Escargot is a MUST if you come here. Don't forget to save some bread to dip in the garlic butter sauce Honestly tastes just like you're in France! read more

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I had brunch here on Sunday and enjoyed a newcomer to the breakfast table. The yummy spinach and sausage frittata has all the savory flavor you would expect from L'Express French eggs but the added pepper jack cheese really brought a symphony of flavor. Savory and delicious. read more

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The salade frisée was a treat to myself after one of my coworkers came to the office with an egg, bacon and cheese sandwich. So I decided to go to my favorite place and switch it up with the healthy version. And yes, I had some bread with it :) I have never been disappointed with l'express. Service is friendly, and cheerful, and my salade frisée was delicious. read more

L’Express - Salade Frisée aux Lardons - French Near Me - New York, New York

Lovely French bistro, unassailable by w some shed outdoor seating as of 22 Good chicken.

Nothing bad, nothing great. Had brunch here and had the burger and a bunch of the wines. Person I was with HD the Niçoise salad. Nothing to write home about. There are probably better options around. The burger was ok. read more

A wonderful place to come and dine and enjoy great wine. Great service friendly environment. In a great location. Very nyc , a slight hole in the wall. Open late read more

I sometimes forget how bad food can be and I thank this charming-looking establishment for the reminder. Everything tasted like the back of a shoe soaked in sidewalk juices. Avoid. read more

That's escargot was very taste and no shell, very good with bread. The service took a while to get us some food water. They have some great outdoor seating but I felt some of the menu items were a bit overpriced for the quality for example my friend got the salad with salmon, it was just iceberg lettuce with an extremely thin piece of salmon which was very salty read more

L’Express - French Near Me - New York, New York

Great bistro ambience, excellent smiling service, terrific food. Lamb burger!! Roast chicken!!

Love the French bistro atmosphere and it's open 24 hrs! I've eaten there with friends a few times and the wine list is wonderful and the best part is every time I've eaten and drank there I barely remember how I got home read more

I love this place! One of my favorite french onion soups in the city & the location is great. The ambience is the main reason I give this place 5 stars. read more

L’Express - Onion Soup Arugula Salad - French Near Me - New York, New York

What I really like about this place is the convenience. Open 24 hours!!! Such places are hard to find these days with everyone closing their kitchen at 11. For that I gave an extra star The decor is more Parisian, spacious and open. Our server was excellent, prompt and very attentive Food came out quicker than I expected The rigatoni was good , and charred Brussel sprout completed the dish Price is reasonable ...portions are filling. Nothing blew me away but I have no complaints read more

Had reserved an outdoor table but when we arrived, we were told none were available. Inside seating was cramped, with tables inches apart. Food took forever to arrive and when it did, it was cold. Service was terrible. Inattentive server who didn't check on our table once. Horrible. read more

Good service, cute place, loved the heat lamps that double as outdoor dining lights. Food was just ok. I love that they have house wine (nice pour!). The lamb burger was suggested to me and it was just ok. I thought it was a bit overly flavored so that I couldn't really taste the meat. The French onion soup was very good and the merguez sausage was also just ok. All in all, nice experience. Food is probably more hit or miss. Would come back to try things like the mussels and the regular burger. read more

Ok, let's get this straight! L'Express is an amazing French diner (and I use the word diner strongly). It's open 24/7 and the food is an excellent option to other late night eateries. Pom frites and mussels at 12:30am, count me in. Would I go out of my way to dine here during normal business hours, likely night. But I work long hours and this spot always hits the spot when I finish up late and room service at the hotel isn't exactly going to fit the bill. Service has always been great and I have always thoroughly enjoyed my meals there. It's always such a nice change of pace! read more