If you're looking to escape the tourist crowds on the UES, La Bonne Soupe is the move. I was back visiting my old stomping grounds and wanted somewhere outside with a real neighborhood feel and this spot nailed it. I snagged a seat on their upstairs patio, surrounded by the kind of older, well-heeled UES regulars that give the place such a quintessential NYC vibe. I went with the $35 lunch special, which gets you an appetizer and an entrée. For my app, the Escargots de Bourgogne- absolutely the star of the meal, I could've eaten a second order. The Crêpe Forestière for my entrée was lovely too, and I washed it all down with a lemonade. Everything was genuinely delicious. My one small gripe: I got charged for two lemonades, which stung a little given that (a) it's lemonade, and (b) the glass was on the petite side to begin with. Minor quibble, though. Other than that, it was a perfect NYC lunch, exactly what I was hoping for. read more

La Bonne Soupe - Crêpe Forestière - French Near Me - New York, New York

See all

Came here a mere week after five-star my first visit, and this experience was significantly less positive. While the French Onion soup was still a stand-out dish, the painfully slow service detracted. There appeared to be a single waitress working. I didn't notice during my first visit if there were multiple servers, but the first time I did hear the waiter advise another table that the kitchen was behind and there would be a wait for food. (This didn't affect me since on my first visit I only ordered soup.) Same thing happened this time, and there was a significant delay between our soup/salad course and entrees. We were told the kitchen was backed up. this is apparently the norm. For appetizers, the French onion soup was a gold star dish. My friend had the goat cheese salad which she said was also very good. The Chicken Cordon Bleu was good, and a hard-to-find dish in NYC. While eating our entrees, the server never checked on how things were or if we needed anything. Once finished, we sat there for a long time waiting for our plates to be cleared, and finally had to "announce" that we were done and request our dessert (as we had ordered the prix fixe menu). For dessert we ordered the Dame Blanche and Profiteroles. I would recommend neither. The ice cream (in both) was poor quality, crystallized and not creamy. A real shame. In all, the meal too 2.5 hours due to the slow service. The soup remains fantastic. I'm downgrading my review to recommend this spot only for soup and salad and not a full, hours-long meal. For that, it's 5 stars, for a full meal a middling 3. read more

Really cute cafe with all the French classics. Very good food. We had: Beef bourguignon - Very rich and sticks to your ribs. Steak sandwich - Very good Lobster bisque - Very good Fries - Good Baguette n butter - Good Goat cheese salad - Very good read more

I had dinner at La Bonne Soupe with a few of my friends. We all decided to get the prix fixed menu which turned out to be the perfect choice for all of us. Since we ordered different appetizers, entrees and desserts, we created our own tasting menu and got to try a bit of everything. For my meal, I started with the escargots and the modules fries for my entrees. The mussels were well prepared and the crispy shoe string fries was paired well with it. My friends kept reaching over to grab some to nibble on. Because everyone shared, I got to try the tagliatelle, chicken liver pate, and the poached salmon. All of dishes were classic French foods. Regarding the dessert, two out of the three were excellent. I enjoyed the profiteroles and the crepe gourmand. However, the creme bruless caught me off guard as it had rum in it and the flavor was quite strong for my liking. We all wished we have been warned. It was quite unexpected. Overall, it was a great group dining spot that had solid French food. read more

See all

Not as good as previously. The onion soup which I have had before and was the best this side of the Atlantic was more bread than soup. I will come again thinking that this has to be an off night read more

All around delicious. Super cozy, warm atmosphere and solid service. Loved the escargots, it was a generous portion and very flavorful full of garlic as it should. The frites were the best I've had - super thin and crunchy and the mussels were fantastic in a delicious white wine sauce and again a LARGE portion. We were left happy and full - the Bordeaux Blanc we ordered was perfect to go with it all. read more

See all

If you're looking for classic French comfort food without the pretense, La Bonne Soupe is such a lovely spot. It feels like the kind of place you'd stumble into in a quiet Paris side street with warm lighting, relaxed energy, and no rush to finish your meal. We started with the escargots and French onion soup, and both were exactly what you'd hope for from a neighborhood French kitchen. The escargots came in a rich garlic-herb butter that made us want to mop the plate clean with bread. The onion soup had that perfect, slow cooked sweetness with a bubbling layer of cheese that felt like a hug in a bowl. For our mains, we tried the morel pasta and the boeuf bourguignon. The pasta was earthy, creamy, and full of flavor without being heavy every bite had that morel mushroom richness that feels special. The boeuf bourguignon was classic: tender beef, deep red wine sauce, and hearty, old-school comfort that tastes like it's been simmering for hours. We finished with the crème brûlée, and it was the perfect ending as it was so silky and smooth with that satisfying crack of caramelized sugar on top. Overall, La Bonne Soupe isn't flashy or modern but it's familiar, cozy, and genuinely comforting. A great pick if you want French food that feels homemade rather than staged, and a reminder that laidback dining can still be memorable. I'd go back for the onion soup and crème brûlée alone. read more

See all

We ordered a lunch prefix for $35. The French onion soup was the Best. My steak sandwich was very salty and heavy on the sauce, and my friends think that Andre was just OK. The service was very good very slow. A nice poster on the wall. Definitely, does the prefix get your money's worth read more

See all

Dined here before our Broadway show last week, and it was exactly as we pictured a French Bistro should be. Everything we ordered was excellent - except for the chocolate mousse for dessert. It was very dense - more like chocolate fudge texture. We even commented that our home made chocolate mousse is much better. Service was off, we had different people coming over, asking us if we wanted to order, yet we had already ordered. The entrees took way too long to come out - to the point where we had to ask. We allowed just about 2 hours for our meal, which should have been way more time than needed. Instead, we had to rush to the theater to make it there on time read more

See all

Wow! I can't wait to return when the upstairs balcony is open. Waitstaff very kind and happy, plenty of bread, cute little dried flower bouquets... plus the most delicious escargot in Manhattan. read more

La Bonne Soupe - Escargot - French Near Me - New York, New York

See all

When I used to travel regularly to New York, this was one of my favorite stops. I could relax, have a tasty lunch or dinner by myself and regroup. Today, I had the chance to revisit it and it felt very good to be there. Very few changes, warm and friendly atmosphere and good food. We had the Croque Madame and the Quiche du Jour - this time zucchini - and a glass of Gorro Vinho Verde. All good. read more

See all

The food and service were excellent! We tried the lunch prix fixe and tried the escargot de Bourgogne, the crêpe Alaska, the crêpe forestière and the steak sandwich. And for drinks we tried Le Spritz with St. Germain. Everything was outstanding! read more

Excellent friendly service. This place is an institution in Manhattan. Been around since the 1970s. I remember my mom listening to WOR and them advertising regularly. The food is great! I had the leek soup, which was the soup of the day, and my dining partners had a tomato (which was thickened interestingly enough with rice, not cream) and the traditional French onion soup, all were great. The quiche was airy, fluffy and light and the steak sandwich, made with hanger steak, was flavourful. Atmosphere is of your typical French bistro. This place has been going for over 50 years, so they must be doing something right! read more

See all

Soup and escargot were excellent as was the salade niçoise and service from the charming, attentive waiter. A promising start, but the mussels were disappointingly overcooked, their texture chewy rather than tender and the broth sauce felt thin, with little complexity. The dish could benefit from a hotter temperature and a more robust, well-seasoned broth. Le bouillon était fade et les saveurs manquaient de profondeur. All in all, it was fine to be dining at this cozy neighborhood spot in good company, surrounded by friends - entre amis, on ne mange pas seulement, on se sert des rires et des histoires qui vont avec le dessert. read more

See all

Charming old school intimate bistro vibe. Good food and great pre fix deal. Service is attentive

Delightful neighborhood gem. Over heard some locals share many restaurants have closed recently and they were super glad this one seems to be doing well. On a Sunday evening there was a bout a 30 min wait for a table without a reservation. It was very cozy with two levels and a patio that's open during the warmer months. My date and I ordered the French onion soup and butternut squash soup. The butternut was cooked very well but the squash was as sweet as I like. It was topped with pumpkin seeds, bacon and a drizzle of EVOO, perfection. We also ordered our own Cesar salads and nothing special there. I had the steak frites in peppercorn sauce meditate and it was cooked perfectly. We shared a 1/2 bottle of wine. Great night over all. The service was a little slow but that's to be expected in a true French restaurant. read more

La Bonne Soupe - Menu - French Near Me - New York, New York

Cozy bistro atmosphere and menu to match! Had a delicious croque madame with a side salad...with the delicious salad dressing that only French bistros can make. Service was perfect, not obtrusive and we lingered over our coffees with no pressure to give up our table. read more

Ok so I got a burger, and I know this place is probably known for soup, but I was so hungry from not eating all day. Gotta say, burger wasn't my favorite. Lacked flavor? I think it needed salt quite desperately. Fries were good. The Brie on the burger was nice. But the meat was the lacking part. It was kinda tough and bland. Burger was pretty though. Resistant is very cute. Say upstairs because we were a big group. Pricey place!! read more

La Bonne Soupe - French Near Me - New York, New York

Side notes: Added a current menu as the menu is slightly different compared to online with for instance the seafood pie also being an extra $7 on the prix fixe and the steak on the menu is listed at 7 oz instead of 6. In general, I would recommend sticking with the bistro classics. Particularly good French onion soup and solid bourguignon while the dessert was fine. From others, the burger wouldn't be recommended which was a pretty easy tell judging by the color or perhaps don't order too many as the cook times might be off. I was at this long running French bistro earlier in the evening with a group of five others. The place inside was comfortable with two floors and it wasn't particularly loud. The server was friendly and gave recommendations such as wine and otherwise (two people had glasses) noting among other things that the prix fixe is worth it specifically if you're looking to get a dessert also which makes sense based on the price point. My food in general was slightly above average brasserie food while others didn't seem to enjoy their meal as much and as I stuck with the classics, I would recommend doing the same. They didn't give any bread and butter to start out with which is unfortunate and it appears to be extra on the menu here which is surprising for a classical bistro such as this. I went with the prix fixe for $65 (or more for the frites/seafood pie) which was worth it. My appetizer was the French Onion Soup with caramelized onions in beef stock with croutons & gruyère. Listed as $17 outside of said prix fixe, this was an outstanding version and the easy highlight of the night so I guess the name of the restaurant makes perfect sense. The dark stock had a depth of flavor and there was a large amount of cheese with enough bread and onions. There might be a bit of nitpicks but otherwise, no real complaints. Two others got the same appetizer with one of them contemplating between that and one of the two soups of the day (a potage and a mushroom based and both vegan surprisingly.) My main dish was the Boeuf Bourguignon with beef chuck, pearl onions, carrots, and mushrooms served with mashed potatoes. Normally for $35, this was a standard but tasty bourguignon. It was definitely not the tastiest I have had and while there wasn't as much beef as some other spots among others, the beef was very tender. The wine sauce was good and paired nicely with the vegetables along with the buttery mashed potatoes. This was solid but not as notable as the soup. I tried the pommes frites from another person which were tasty and went well with the wine sauce from my dish. Three of the other people had the Burger de la Maison for $28 with dry aged beef, thick sliced brie, caramelized onions, arugula, house Dijon, and vinaigrette served with pommes frites. One person's burger was unfortunately overcooked (was requested medium rare,) one person's burger seemed to be cooked medium as requested and they thought it was good, and the last person seemed to like her burger (though it's hard to trust the opinion of someone who likes a medium well burger.) Two others had the Steamed Mussels for $32 with Dijon mustard, white wine, and creme fraiche also served with pommes frites. They appeared to be plenty of mussels and both of them seemed like they thought it was fine though lighter in flavor than they hoped. My dessert choice was the Grand Marnier Crème Brûlée which would be $15 like all the other desserts if it wasn't part of the deal. This was solid with the sugar topping having a good flavor from the liqueur with the little pieces of caramelized citron being a good touch. Another person ordered the Mousse au Chocolat which was served with créme chantilly which they enjoyed. The desserts weren't the biggest but they were good. The food here was hit or miss for most of the others but for me, it was all hits. Upper 3. read more

See all

La Bonne Soupe 48 W. 55th. St. New York, NY 10019 Soupe Du Jour Quiche Du Jour Grand Marnier Crème Brûlée Goat Cheese Salad Petites Soupieres de la Mer Dame Blanche There is no need to wait around for restaurant week because this specialty French restaurant serves prix fixe meals all year round. Choose a 2-course lunch prix fixe or a 3-course dinner prix fixe for a set price. The smooth tomato soup was hot and creamy. The best part was dipping the toasted baguette, which was a perfect replacement for the typical croutons. It was undoubtedly one of the best appetizers especially during the colder months of the year. This thick, crusty French tart was packed with spinach. It also came with a refreshing side salad. For small upcharge, I added a third course to the lunch prix fixe. Usually three's a crowd, but that certainly is not the case here. The custard was very tasty and was topped with a hardened caramel shell. This gourmet salad was piled high and deep with mixed greens and fruit. The goat cheese was the backbone to this starter. If you are looking for an upscale seafood version of a pot pie, you've found it! This entrée is loaded with mussels, scallops, clams and an assortment of vegetables. Watch and observe as le serveur pours hot chocolate syrup over this phenomenal closer to the meal. The inside is filled with a heaping pile of chantilly cream and lightly sprinkled with almonds. Stop by if you want to try top quality French cuisine. The prix fixe is definitely the best pick. #labonnesoupe #frenchcuisine #soupedujour #quichedujour #grandmarnier #cremebrulee #GoatCheeseSalad #dameblanche #nycfoodie #foodstagram #localspots #eats #foodreviews read more

See all

Tried the soup, salad n coffee combo for $25. Tasty n filling for me. Enjoyable. Small restaurant but decent menu. Enjoy!! read more

La Bonne Soupe - French Near Me - New York, New York

Found this quaint little French spot after spending the whole day at the MoMA. It was my boyfriend's first time having escargot and he thought they were delectable and I have to agree. Both our entrees were amazing and were perfectly paired with a carafe of Bordeaux. We finished up our perfect meal with a crème brûlée. Service was impeccable and the ambiance can't be beat. read more

See all

First of all, the vibes, aesthetic, and service was immaculate. The cheesy French onion soup was so unique and cheese really was best part. The soup was a bit overly salty so we couldn't finish it. The moules frites were SO YUM jammed with flavor and bunch of sauce at the bottom, the fries were too overly crispy for my tastes. The boeuf bourguignob was also amazing with tender flavorful beef and perfectly seasoned mashed potatoes. Overall amazing experience! read more

La Bonne Soupe - French Near Me - New York, New York

See all

La Bonne Soup is a traditional French restaurant. It has super cozy vibes with the coolest things are the Parisian posters on the walls, it just adds to that small town local spot. I got the mussel frites - the fries were nice and crispy and soft on the inside. The muscles were cooked well and the white wine sauce was divine. I love the amount of parsley they put on it to bring some freshness to the dish. We also shared a creme brûlée and it was brûlée exceptionally well and had a beautiful citrus pull in the custard. The service was great and they were super attentive even with us being on the second floor. read more

La Bonne Soupe - Creme Brulee - French Near Me - New York, New York

See all

Food: The French food was amazing here. We ordered at the French onion soup, escargot, and beef bourguignon. The French onion soup was served hot with a nice layer of bubbly burnt cheese on top. Although this isn't the best French onion soup I've had, it was still very delicious. The escargot was my favorite. It is served with fresh baguette, and the garlic butter was very good for dipping the bread in. The beef bourguignon was also excellent, and the beef was very tender. Serve with mashed potatoes, carrots, and pearl onions. Portions are a bit small here which is nice so you can try different dishes. They also have a pre fixe menu for $58 which includes you're a choice of an appetizer, entrée, and dessert. Service: Service was excellent here. Our server was very warm and friendly. Ambiance: Usually I find a lot of French restaurants to feel pretentious, but this place had very down to earth vibes. I felt very comfortable and welcomed here. The restaurant is small, but has two floors. Seating was comfortable, but the tables are very close together. Overall, I would highly recommend this restaurant! read more

The restaurant was recommended by a coworker and did not disappoint. The space is cozy, and the service was excellent. There were a few minor hiccups during the meal, but our waitress addressed them promptly. I would definitely recommend this place. We tried several dishes--mussels, a hamburger, a salad, and a beef dish--and all were quite good. While I wouldn't call the food exceptional, it was solid and enjoyable enough to make us want to come back. read more

Craving French food on our last night in the city found this spot that could accommodate a large group on a Saturday.. We are all very very happy we did dine here... French Onion soup was amazing Beef bourguignon yummy Steak cooker perfectly.. Chicken amazing. Bookmarked and coming back read more

See all

Such a cute place so close to Broadway, and the food was beyond superb. Definitely coming back read more

La Bonne Soupe - Glass of wine on the balcony - French Near Me - New York, New York

See all

Sadly, I had a disappointing meal at this restaurant. I've had hundreds of bowls of French Onion Soup in my life and this one is average at best. They use a LOT of cheese, I give them that, but the taste of the broth is just meh. And this is apparently what they're known for? They charge $4 for a side of baguette and butter. The bread was cut unevenly and clearly was from two different loaves of baguette. The butter was three random pieces served scattered on a plate. One piece was about 1" in diameter and the other two pieces were about half that. Like it was leftover butter. Just a sloppy, uncaring way to serve bread and butter to a customer. The profiteroles were good and I asked what kind of tea they had. I chose a cup of English Breakfast tea from the list. Instead of being served hot English Breakfast, I was served warm Earl Grey. Black tea won't steep well in warm water and I couldn't be bothered to send it back. An appropriate way to end a crappy meal. Service was friendly, so there is that. read more

We went to La Bonne Soupe after seeing the Ruth Asawa exhibit at MOMA, which is a block away. A must see. My wife first went to La Bonne Soupe 40 years ago with her high school French class and she had to order in French. I went with her during college, probably my first French meal. Now as frequent Parisian travelers, 7x for my wife, 5x for me and having just returned from Paris and Bordeaux we feel our palates have definitely been refined to make a review. The restaurant was filled, frequented with a crowd mature and young. It reminded us when we dated. Service was efficient but nice. We both had the famous French Onion Soup which was good. The escargot was in a terrine vs shells but still tasty. No foie gras was available. The chicken pate was disappointing, too loose and not seasoned. The baguette was average, not crunchy (humidity?). The wines were reasonable. There is no such thing as a bad French meal. read more

La Bonne Soupe - French Onion Soup - French Near Me - New York, New York

Some of the best French onion soup I've ever had! Cute little dining room with attentive service. read more

La Bonne Soupe - Lunch Menu - French Near Me - New York, New York

See all

This is now one of my favorite French restaurants in Manhattan! My friend has been recommending this place to me for a few years, and I finally got to go for dinner on a Tuesday night (made a reservation in advance). It was a lovely evening, so we decided to sit on the roof outside on the second floor. There's also these really cute seats on the balcony on the second floor that would be perfect for a date night. I decided to do the prix fixe dinner for $58, and I ordered the tuna tartare as my starter, the mussels for my entrée, and lastly, the chocolate mousse for my dessert. Everything tasted delicious! Our server was super friendly as well. Although I did not order soup myself, I did try one of the soups of the day that somebody else ordered, and it was so yummy. This restaurant definitely lives up to its name. read more

See all

Cute little French cafe not far off 5th and MOMA. Perfect stop for lunch or brunch. Very friendly staff. Awesome French onion soup with Caesar salad. Looking forward to trying other stuff in future visits. read more

See all

We really enjoyed our dinner upstairs on a cold New York Feb night. The onion soup is better than any soup you could get in Paris and the servers and cozy atmosphere are top noche as well. We shared a salad with added chicken and two great glasses of French wine and want to go back to try the burger and beef bourgonne. read more

So impressed with this place! I picked it on a whim while planning a birthday party for a friend who loves French food because I felt like the prices were pretty reasonable for French food. We all fell in love! My friend described the ambiance as feeling like "they were in someone's living room." It's very cozy. Service was quick and accurate. They also paid attention to my Resy denoting that it was someone's birthday! Everyone loved their food. Another friend said it was the best fries she's ever had. The boeuf bourguignon was so delicious, I want to eat it every day! My friend who always orders steak frites was impressed with La Bonne Soupe's. We all added it to our list of favorite places! read more

La Bonne Soupe - Boeuf Bourguignon - French Near Me - New York, New York

This BEST French onion soup in the city. Every time I go it's an utter delight. It's a very cozy vibe inside and I love to go with friends for a nice relaxing and simple french dinner with amazing flavors. My go to is their dinner prefix menu which is soup or salad, entree, then dessert. I always get the same thing: starting with the French onion soup. The flavors are INSANE. Perfectly crispy cooked cheese on top, the right about of croutons for the consistency, and the beef and sherry flavor just blows my mind every time. When I say they make the best French onion soup, I dare you to try this and tell me one better. It blows them all out of the water! The steak frites is always my entree and the sauce is just so thick, creamy, and an absolutely flavor explosion (bet you haven't heard that one in a while lol) it truly is! Then the dessert...not only is it decadent and delicious but it's always camera ready...by that I mean you're absolutely gonna wanna film yourself pouring the indulgent chocolate on top of it. It gets the people going! This is one of my absolute favorite places to go for a meal in the city, and I hope they continue to be amazing. Well done, La Bonne. Well done. read more

See all

I have always enjoyed my meals here. I typically order the fondue, which is expensive and an ample portion. It can probably feed two, if one also had appetizers, or it could serve one very hungry person by itself. The French onion soup is also excellent. Service has been good. The tables downstairs are crowded very close together, which is why I dinged the one star. I have never left hungry. read more

The food was good not great but better then average. However, the service was VERY slow

Stopped by La Bonnie Soupe for a work lunch and it was an excellent experience. The restaurant is a cool little European style vibe with a small seating area and we got some bread butter and jam to start (in true French fashion). For my main course I got the steak frites which was awesome. The steak was cooked to perfection and the fries were super crispy and delicious. I almost feel guilty for not trying a soup but like that big cyborg man from Austria said, "I will be back!" read more

La Bonne Soupe - NY Strip Steak Frites au Poivre - French Near Me - New York, New York

La Bonne Soup is a staple in this neighborhood and has been for a long time. It's consistently good and just the place I want to go for a comforting lunch on a cold winter day. As the name suggests, they are known for soup. Their French onion soup is one of the best I've had! They have a $37 price fix lunch that comes with soup and a sandwich or omelette. I got the quiche of the day and French onion soup. The quiche of the day was salmon and spinach. While the crust was very very good, I think I would prefer a vegetarian quiche as the salmon was overpowering. It came with a side salad with a tasty mustard vinaigrette. They also have cheese fondue for $70 and this looked great! I'm sure a couple of people could share it. I look forward to my next visit. read more

La Bonne Soupe - Quiche - French Near Me - New York, New York