Max brought me here on a 3rd date so you know what that means. He was trying too hard to be "worldly" except he had rich parents back in LA. Sure he could eat snails without flinching and order a Negroni with champagne (by regions...swoon). He knew how to spend (family) money. This place feels a bit over done. I know Kanye likes it and Birkins are available to all but I'm not coming back unless there's a bottle of Batard and I don't have to watch 30 bad dates with bros from Goldman read more

Lucien - Snails - French Near Me - New York, New York

More about the scene than the food. My two traditional French plates were mediocre. But the dessert was exceptional, a beautifully layered and gently cooked Tarte Tatin with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream that had a "Red Hots" kick to it. Five stars for that desert. The tables are very close together and if you want to experience a bit of the old East Village transgressive preciousness this is the place to be subjected to it. The yellowing photos on the wall of the old culture heroes of the neighborhood, Jim Jarmusch, Gary Indiana, Patti Smith, reminded me of the old Italian restaurants that used to have yellowing photos of their old heroes, Frank Sinatra, Dean Marin, Joe DiMaggio... read more

Perfect quintessential nyc restaurant. Especially for the colder months! Cozy space and food. Had the braised short rib and steak frites. So happy we stumbled upon Lucien!!!! read more

Went to Lucien's for a night cap with friends. It was busy and a fun atmosphere we even saw Sebastian Bear-McClard there with his friends. Although it was packed at 1130 pm, the food and drinks still came out very quickly. The food was delicious and the drinks here are strong. Although a bit pricey, the menu here is worth it and the vibes are great. read more

Lucien - Espresso Martini - French Near Me - New York, New York

Amazing service and very friendly staff members. I applaud their patience after we asked for a refill on the delicious bread basket 10 times(at least) The mussels were flavorful, broth was really good with the bread. Lamb was good but nothing crazy. Scallops were one of my favorites read more

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Awful time. What was once a cute intimate date spot is now just another turn em and burn em packed to the gills instagram restaurant. Tables got smaller, food got pricier and worse. They overbooked the place to the point you couldn't move without completely moving a table to get out of your seat. Parties were elbow to elbow and it was so obnoxiously loud inside there between the blaring music and screaming patrons. Ambience was hell. Truly disappointed as this was my favorite spot for a date night. Service was good though. read more

I love this place, i've been coming here often on and off for many years. It's always crazy, so you have to deal with it but once she gets sit down, it's big time fun featuring good wine and good food, and great service. It's a very authentic French bistro so get the oysters and get the steak frites and you'll be happy and smart. They have bouillabaisse and other great French dishes too, and they are done quite well. read more

Absolutely Appalling! If I could give this place zero stars, I would. I made a reservation five days in advance for a party of 5. Called two days before to confirm and they confirmed. Then they called me again the same day to confirm, and I confirmed again. We showed up on time at 8:00 PM sharp. We were left standing there like complete idiots for a full hour. No apology. Just empty, repeated promises: "Your table will be ready soon." "Just five more minutes." Until 9:00 PM. At that point, we might as well have just walked in without a reservation and gotten the same (lack of) service. And when they finally seated us, they stuck us at the worst table in the entire restaurant directly facing the toilets. When I asked why we even bothered making a reservation, the only excuse was, "We're very busy." So you overbook on purpose and make your guests wait an hour with a reservation? Make it make sense. Save yourself the time, frustration, and complete lack of respect. Go literally anywhere else. read more

I ordered the octopus. it was crispy and dry. Of course my server, Christina didn't know that because she served it to me and then took her one hour lunch break. I watched all of the tables around me get great service. I had to ask another server for a drink. And another server (Beatrice)for mayonnaise to try to choke the dry octopus down because I was starving. But I gave up and ate the potatoes, leaving most of the octopus there. I let the other server, Beatrice know that the octopus was very over cooked. She rudely tried to get me to get another order. I had been sitting there ignored for over 45 minutes with no one coming to see if my food was ok. Finally , I saw Christina (she still never came over to my table) and she accused me of eating 3/4 of the octopus. She implied that because the runner said he checked on me twice (he didn't) that I was lying. She continued to argue with me. Beatrice kept shooting me dirty looks as well. I am appalled at how badly these two young women treated a customer. Even telling me that the customer is not always right. I have owned a restaurant and this would be grounds for termination if employees treated my guests the way these employees treated me. I also did ask for the owner Zach, who had left. This was the first day of my vacation in New York. These young ladies ruined my first day. This is the worst restaurant I have ever been to in the 25 years I have traveled to the city. NYC is my favorite place to visit. And the service and food is always great. I regret stopping by Lucien. I hope that Zach has a talk with these disrespectful employees. As, service like this can ruin your reputation. The bartender, whose name I didn't get, was apologetic, kind and polite. read more

Lucien - Octopus-- tiny and crispy. - French Near Me - New York, New York

Great little French restaurant in the East Village. Love the pate and everything is good! Make sure to make a reservation on the weekends for dinner! read more

I came here for my last "nice" dinner living in the city and was extremely disappointed. To start, we ordered the escargot, a salad and the French onion soup which were great. We order the steak frites and filet mignon medium rare as our entrees and they came out almost well done. We sent our steaks back and they came back blue rare (pictured below). After mentioning to our server about the ahi tuna looking steak, she proceeded to ask if we wanted dessert - girl I just wanted our 60$ steaks cooked right. Service is slow and b*tchy and food was okay for the prices they have the nerve to charge. Safe to say I will never be returning! If you want great french food go to le french diner in the east village. This place is full of influencers looking to be scene and not about the food. Review Edit: I got home from the restaurant and I've been throwing up the past 3 hours and this is all I ate today. read more

Lucien - Filet Mignon au Poivre - French Near Me - New York, New York

This place is a Zoo! Worst service & the crowd is disappointing. Food was decent yet no where near worth all the crap you have to deal with. Tables are so tight you have zero chance of conversation. Ps. I had to kick out lesbian teeens from the single restroom so my date could use it. One star is generous. Don't recommend. Eww Pa bon read more

My partner and I went to Lucien when we were last in New York, and our only regret is that we didn't come sooner. Reservations are limited and by phone only. I recommend calling a few weeks ahead of time. When we arrived, they were still getting the table ready, so we ordered a couple white Negronis at the bar. Before the bartender could finish our drinks, our table was ready. It is a small space, so you will be directly next to someone and hear their conversation, but that's to be expected in New York and is part of the experience. Our server was wonderful and recommended a bottle of red which we ended up loving. For dinner got the escargot, octopus, and the steak frites. All were exceptional, although the steak was a tad undercooked. The highlight of the meal was the profiteroles dessert. DO NOT skip dessert! We grabbed the host's number when leaving so we can make a reservation next time we're back! read more

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It's a solid three. Basic mediocre French establishment with very overpriced menu. Hostess not particularly friendly. Bar staff were kind and considerate. Salad I had for 26 dollars was so small that my jaw dropped when I saw it. It had no dressing, 4 little sprigs of asparagus, four half pieces of hearts of palm, four tinny fried artichokes that were mostly crispy petals, and 20 leaves of mixed greens. Then I had 2 small lamb sausages which were ok served on a very bland bed of polenta that was also lumpy. Apart from a friendly bartender there is nothing to return to. read more

A very cozy, comforting, classic and neighborhood place to go for a casual dinner. This is not that kind of place that would amaze you, but you will feel so relaxed and satisfied while eating there. The best part of the foods was that they are presenting the original flavor of nice foods, without any extra seasoning or thick sauce. Although not using too much seasoning, you still can taste the multiple layers of pleasant flavors. Lots of other restaurants tend to add too much seasonings and sauce on the dishes, which make me feel uncomfortable after eating - Lucien was not one of those restaurants. My favorite dish was the grilled quail. It was stuffed with mushroom risotto. Both the meats and risotto taste so good. The other main course we ordered was the Bouillabaisse, which was also very nice. The service was also very satisfying. Actually before we went there, I saw many negative reviews about their bad services, so I was a little concerned, but still decided to try. Our server was a young girl, who was very nice, considerate and detail-oriented. When I ate my Bouillabaisse, some soup was sprayed onto my coat, and I was handling it. I didn't even ask for any help from the server, but she showed up very quickly and handed a fresh towel and a glass of club soda. She told me if I used some soda and salt, it will help to clean my coat. read more

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Extremely Bad service. Felt very unwelcome. When Lucien was alive it was a vey nice to come for a meal. On a Monday evening, Our table was clear of all glasses by I believe was the manager after we had finished our main courses. We weren't even asked if we wanted desserts . Overpriced, the food want very good neither. I do not recommend it for anyone. read more

I'd give the food 4 stars, but the service here is the absolute worst. Firstly they charge for bread, but don't ask if you want any. Secondly reservations are kind of like a place holder for a line, you're still going to wait and it's very tight in there with nowhere to stand when the bar is full. I came on a date, he lives this place.. unclear why... but I suppose previously he has had great experiences here. We had the foie, frisée salad with Lardon and an egg on top and the filet with frites. The filet was good .. not life changing but good. The frisée was okay, it was slightly underdressed. The Lardon was cooked correctly, as was the egg. The foie was good, but was also missing something as a dish. Simple is great but it felt like an unfinished thought. The issue is the waitstaff and bartender. They take plates away before I'm finished and without asking. Then once the bill came, my date reviewed it and counted out 20 percent, standard tip. He decided to pay cash (weird to me as well) but he did and then he counted out the tip, i watched him... there was nothing else to do! The waitress then told the bartender we undertipped and tipped less than 10 percent. This was categorically untrue... the bartender rudely asked if we had bad service tonight? Where were we from? And he made it very clear he was unhappy with the 20 percent and what the waitress counted as less than 10 percent. There was a back and forth.. after reading other reviews it seems this is commonplace and maybe a bit of a scam here. The only other option is the waitress can't do simple math, so I'm inclined to say it's a scam. They are just looking to make people feel uncomfortable so they tip more after the fact. I'll never come back. La Sirene is WAY BETTER. read more

The owner kicked out a disheveled old man for offering to buy the staff food. He said something like "See you later, comedian", so I don't know if the customer was rude to him or whatever, but it seemed like he was just trying to be sweet to the staff only for the owner to lose his shit and kick him out. Not a business I'd personally want to return to after that cringey exchange. read more

This place is definitely one of the spots you go to in EV if you want to be dining with the "cool" who's who type crowd. It's always crowded and always full of trendy people before they go out on the town for the night. I never really thought it was much more than that to be honest. After eating the Filet Mignon with pepper sauce , I stand very corrected. Simply one of the best pieces of steak with one of the best sauces I've ever had. Better than most steakhouses I've been to in the city tbh. The French onion soup was also really nice, exactly what you're looking for when you order one. We walked in without a resy and just sat at the bar which was better for people watching anyways :) It's pricey, but for me, definitely worth it. read more

Lucien - Filet Mignon au Poivre - French Near Me - New York, New York

The food was delicious and perfectly portioned. I really enjoyed the ambience of the place the workers were really friendly and attentive as well. The only downfall was having to wait a while past the reservation to be sat down but I did have a big party so it was expected because the place is small read more

Come here for the ambiance-- the food and wine are mediocre. Many Europeans hang out here for supper because of the cute outdoor dining, dim yellow lighting and artwork. We came here during a quest for burgers after a comedy show in the area and although they don't typically serve burgers during dinner, our waitress said they could make it for us. Ordered medium rare with gruyere but the burger was a bit over cooked. Not quite flavorful enough either. Decent service--not sure if come back for food though, maybe jus my the bar and some appetizers. read more

Lucien - Burger - French Near Me - New York, New York

If you come here to eat, consider the outdoor dining section as an option. This place is frequented by the LES locals and hipsters. The inside of this eatery was packed. It has a very narrow pathway lined with a few tables. Adjacent from the tables is the bar. People were literally eating at their tables inside while the asses of the folks at the bar was pretty much right on their faces. I couldn't do it, but more power to them. I only went inside because I had to use the restroom. When I went inside I had to literally asked asked this dude to move out of my way so that I could go to the bathroom, this was after politely saying excuse me four times. The food at this place was delicious I ordered Prosecco with the grilled shrimp cocktail salmon and green beans with mashed potatoes I wish the mashed potatoes had butter and gravy they just served me dry mashed potatoes but when mixed with the sauce from the grilled shrimp cocktail and the juice from the salmon it was perfectly all right. On a Friday night this place is packed, but for some reason it didn't take long for me and my guest to find a seat so that was a plus side to this. I would definitely come back here, now that I know the atmosphere and how to move around it. read more

Lucien - Salmon, grilled shrimp cocktail, Prosecco, escargot - French Near Me - New York, New York

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Had three things while I was her; escargot, onion soup, and steak au pounced. Was extremely disappointed with the Escargot. It lacked flavor and was oily. I personally enjoy a buttery and flavorful escargot that you can dip your bread in and drink it all up. If there's no buttery flavorful, you're doing it wrong, sorry. As for the French Onion soup, I didn't go in with any expectations and was pleasantly surprised. The flavor was 10/10 and loved the cheese. The au poivre was the most classic I've gotten in NY, a delicious peppercorn sauce that also tasted delicious! Fries were fried nice and crispy and the steak cooked perfectly too read more

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Glad I stopped in. The service was great. Food was great, as well as the ambiance. Pictures listed with review are explanatory. Food was on point. Just what I needed. I had a grand time alone ! I'll be back. Good hearty Italian Food! read more

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Lucien was one of my favorite places in Manhattan for years. Then the original owner retired and his son took over. His son who wants to spend all his time hanging out in the restaurant with his friends. I'm pretty sure it's not a coincidence that right around that time the quality and serving size of the dishes went downhill. This was the coziest, classiest, most wonderful restaurant. Now it's cheap (quality, not price), loud, and unappealing on multiple levels. It used to feel like you were in Paris; now it feels like you're on Ave D. read more

Wish I could give this restaurant 0/5 stars. Made a birthday reservation 3 months in advance and upon arrival we were told that they had "made a mistake" and booked us for the day after. Upon arrival we were greeted with nothing close to hospitality but they assured us that if we waited by the bar we would be sat within 10-15 minutes. We were not sat for 2 hours. I asked for a manager several times and was assured he would "be out shortly" but unfortunately he never showed up. It wasn't until I asked an entirely different staff member that I was told "we have no manager". At this point I asked for an owner and/ or any sort or managerial staff member but once again I was given the run around. On top of our 2+ hour wait at the bar (for a table booked months ago) and by bar I mean I service hallway.)) my friend whom also happened to be the birthday girl, who made the initial reservation, was struck in the head by a passing servers tray. Once I called for the manager and owner a final time, staff told me I could call between the hours of 10am-12pm. One round of drinks were comped which is appreciated however I will never return to this establishment for any reason. I was embarrassed and I was a guest. read more

Truly horrid service- We made a reservation over a month in advance and after 45min of waiting the ill-mannered blonde hostess tried seating our party of 5 at a table for 4. This is a very small restaurant and physically we all couldn't sit at the table she selected for us. She had a rude attitude, and being sat here was even more insulting than waiting longer at the bar. Even worse was her patronizing "this is what I have available right now" - it's not available if it doesn't fit the whole party size. The only reason we were able to sit down is because a party of 4 saw us waiting swapped their larger table with us mid meal. 5 stars for our fellow diners that swapped with us, 1 star for the hostess experience. read more

Service might be the worst I have experienced anywhere in the east village. Made a birthday reservation a full month in advance, only to wait a full hour to be seated. Staff was incredibly rude and unaccommodating. Will never return. Very rude service, very average food, very tight space. read more

Beware of this deceiving restaurant that charges you one amount when they swipe your card in front of you and another charge after you leave without your authorization. It seems like this is how this crooked restaurant operates based on someone else's review with a similar complaint last year in July. Be careful! When you contact management which happens to be the owner, they don't return your call. The waitresses and management are a bunch of delinquents who have no knowledge about the concept of customer service, honesty or hospitality. So many other worthwhile places to go to vs. being robbed! Spare yourself a horrible experience. Go somewhere else! read more

Came here for lunch purely by accident. We were looking around the neighborhood and they just opened for lunch at 11:30AM. Came in and sat at the table overlooking the picture window. Ordered the Moroccan Merguez (two grilled Moroccan lamb sausages served on a bed of polenta), Sardines Grillées á la Tropeziénne (Grilled sardines, St. Tropez-style) and Salade Lucien (endive, arugula, frisée, mesclun, artichoke, tomato, and a hard boiled egg) to share among two of us. Was a very light lunch but absolutely delicious, especially the grilled sardines. Finished off with a glass of Pernod on the rocks and it brought me back to our trip to Paris many years ago. Not really sure why there are so many bad reviews but I think it is because some people do not understand the food style. Highly recommended. read more

One of NYC popular late night restaurants. Still very popular with the rapper and model community! Steak Frites (filet Meneon) was the best I've ever had & I've eaten at a lot of 5 stars steak houses. Oysters and snails were great appetitizers. Good wine list. I recommend for late night dining & the in scene! Service can be slow be prepared to wait ! read more

Don't come here. We experienced the worst customer service here and were left disappointed. We were allowed to sit at a table but were passive-aggressively pushed to move from the table to bar by a waitress because we "just wanted a drink" and didn't want to order food, yet the restaurant was obviously full of empty tables. I really don't want to step into this place again! There is one very unfriendly and rude waitress. I really felt uncomfortable, getting many weird looks and possibly feeling discriminated against... I did not see her treating anyone else like she treated us... Really, don't come here! NYC has so many other great bars and spots! If you want to experience good service, good food, and drinks, I would recommend going somewhere else! Been looking forward to it but was sadly disappointed! Not sure how this place is famous, maybe those people just got lost on the way to where they were ACTUALLY going... read more

Took me 2 calls to make a reservation of 10 on my bday. First time they told me to call in during the morning so the manager can book my big party reservation. Called the second time early around 11am and finally made the reservation, the lady told me their manager will call back again to confirm about my reservation or they will send me a text message. I asked if there's any specific time frame they will call back to confirm, she said "No" (???? Acts like I don't have to work and I can always stand by on my phone all the time???) Haven't heard from them since then and it's been about 2 weeks, I've been calling everyday for the past few days and nobody ever picked up. The customer services also sounded pretty ignorant. Food looks good would love to try them, but never mind. read more

I was surprised the rating is so low for this restaurant. I found the food delicious just quite expensive (even with inflation). The tart tatin was delicious just very small given the price. I will go back but it's not a place I go too often given the price (plenty of more comfortable places for about same cost). Also as other commented here, I'm surprised so many 20 something's can afford this restaurant as it's always filled with them. read more

Lucien - Braised Beef short ribs - French Near Me - New York, New York

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This restaurant may have been a gem a long time ago, but today it's nothing but a "fake" French bistro with overpriced very average food. The one star is for the bread, because the Chicken paillard (which was dry and tasteless), and the steak (which was very underdone for medium) deseve no stars. Five Guys serve better French fries. In addition, the staff was poorly trained and totally ignorant about French food and drink. Please don't waste your time and money by going to Lucien. read more

Heads up, they're not checking proof of vaccination when you eat indoors. They say they do, but I literally watched them not check every single person as they sat down (and I asked several people if they'd been checked). If you're immune-compromised or you, like me, actually want to feel safe, don't go. As for the food, it's decent and yes, the place is super quaint and pretty. But they must have doubled the prices during COVID because it never used to be so expensive. And hey, I get it, the restaurant industry was left decimated. If you're willing to pay the prices, go for it. But they're incredibly lackadaisical about COVID regulations. read more

I used to come here more often and had not been in a long time. Had dinner here on Sunday night. It still has delicious steak frites, good wine, good service. I don't know why it has so many 1 star reviews on Yelp post pandemic. read more

I have reasons to believe that dark magic is being practiced here. The energy was Demonic and The açaí bowls sucked . I asked Zach for a refund and he looked at me Demonically and scoffed. Hours later I was arrested for doing something not even that bad. Another time he belittled me for not knowing how to spell Kansis . Laughed in my face. Cruel. read more

I was so excited to enjoy a cassoulet, I was told that, of course, since Lucien passed away, quality was not the same. But it is just the worst restaurant I experienced in NYC so far. 40 minutes to be seated with a reservation, half the entrees menu were strikethrough (of course, included the Cassoulet). 3 back and forth to have a wine because the menu was not updated, either the wine was not anymore available, or they brought a 5 year younger wine for the same price! Food was acceptable, but not worth the price at all... Entrees came before the appetizer we had to cancel.!!! Cherry on the cake when we discovered we were charged $4 for a white, dry, disgusting bread... Lucien should roll over in his grave! To avoid if you want to have a sense of French food and welcome... read more

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Honestly, a must-stop in NYC. I love this place and have a strong infatuation with it. The restaurant is really small inside but extremely cozy. The food is incredible and the drinks are to die for. I came here for my birthday this year with all my friends. To be honest, no idea how we got a table being a party of 9, but Lucien was so accomodating. I highly recommend trying ANYTHING on the menu and getting a cocktail. I am that NYC girl who dies for a good espresso martini. They don't use cream but I swear it's incredible. The energy is lively and calm at the same time and very warm and comforting. You will most likely end up running into an artist or local influencer. Very much filled with the LES hipsters, but the food and drinks are worth it. You have to do it at least once. Very pricey but typical for NYC French resturant. read more

Lucien - French Near Me - New York, New York