Been coming here for many years unfortunately now there's too many other good places in New York to make this worth your time. It's become an all American restaurant if you can get past the French names the only thing that's as it used to be is the chocolate mousse and floating island read more

Superb. The fois gras was divine, a generous serving with excellent saturnine. The coq au vin was the best I have had. Ask for Max--outstanding service. read more

I love the tartar here. The waiter was awesome - best service ever. Great wine list too if you like Bordeaux with your roast. read more

To be clear this establishment has good food, but it's inconsistent and sometimes it comes out sub par quality. The service is not up to par w/ the price of the menu, despite their cute uniforms. Last time I was there I found a long black hair in my chicken after I was 1/2 way finished - gross. They merely offered a free creme brûlée. At any nice restaurant I've been in and found a hair in my food they've always comped the meal - this has happened 3 times in my 33 yrs on this planet. I of course paid our bill, but I'll never go back. read more

This was my favorite restaurant , my husband and I went quite often , the service is still excellent but the food is so so and more and more on the stingy portion for a higher price. Too bad I hope this will change read more

Most exquisite restaurant on the Upper East Side. The ambiance and service are impeccable. The food is delicious. Love the place.

I think I came here with an Amazon Local or Groupon Deal, and I didn't realize how fancy it was until I got there. It wasn't jackets-required or anything, but I definitely felt under-dressed. The food is really good (I had brunch there), if a little pricey without the deal -- pretty traditional French. Next time I go I'd like to eat outside, they have an adorable little section out there. read more

Orsay exhibits a friendly and elegant atmosphere with the best seating being outside. The first time I saw Orsey, I had to dine there. It is absolutely incredible and I couldn't wait. After making a reservation I arrived and was seated promptly which is a rarity in this city. I quickly ordered a martini which arrived quickly. I have to give them their dues because it was excellent. I decided to start with the foie gras and the duck a l'orange for the entree. After a short wait the foie gras arrived. It was probably one if the best I have ever had. Absolutely perfect. When the entree arrived I was very impressed. The presentation was very appealing and the smell was so intoxicating. Bite after bite was sensational, its no doubt that they are known for this dish. I selected the creme brulee which took a little time but it was well Worth the wait. It was so creamy, the hard shell was perfect and took just a light tap to break exposing the tasty vanilla custard inside. A real treat not to be missed. So when you crave French look no further than the upper east side and Orsey. You will enjoy the traditional decor and the food will have you coming back for more. I am from BH, Cali... and I am used to the best...! read more

What a gem on the Upper East Side! We love coming here for brunch - the food is delicious (I highly recommend the Croque Madame!), coffee and drinks are great, and service is attentive. As a plus, the outdoor space is really lovely - just closed in enough and removed enough from the sidewalk where you have a little more privacy and feel like you're on a secluded balcony rather than a NYC sidewalk. Get a table, grab a cup of coffee, and enjoy! read more

This has to be the best cuisine in town. It deserves six or seven stars. We were there on a Monday. We had perfectly grilled sardines as a starter and rabbit à la moutarde as a main course. Our attentive server brought us complimentary cookies and chocolates with our coffee. Can't wait to return! read more

service is so-so and food is way too expensive for what you get. Watch out when you order a few drinks, you can double or triple the tab easily . read more

This place was terrible and disappointing at best. I was doing some work in the area and thought I'd try this place for lunch since it was so hyped. It's a nice space for sure. But the service and food do not match the decor. Service was not good. I had to ask for water. I got my own menu. They were slow in cleaning the table . Also I was there around 2:40 in the afternoon and the waiter said they stopped serving at 3:00. He kept pushing me to order. I find out later they have an in between times menu that you can order from. Food was meh. I ordered from the crudités tray table. Which is virtually a salad bar on wheels. Seems like a good idea, but portions are small for the price. The highlight was the floating island dessert that I ordered. It was the only thing I enjoyed about this place. Besides the decent outdoor seating area. I won't go back. There is nothing special about this place. Next time I'm on the upper east side I'll eat somewhere else. Not recommended. read more

The Finest French Bistro in NY. Excellent Service, Ambiance and quality of food only authenticity!

My boyfriend and I came here for NYE dinner and Orsay did not disappoint. We both got the pre-fixe menu, starting with a hamachi tartare cucumber cup and a mini puff filled with truffle cheese. I didn't think the meal could get better, but it did. I got the house smoked salmon that had a vinegar-y flavor to it and was delicious. Steven got the lobster with puff-pastry that was so rich and decadent. He got the veal loin and I got the halibut, both fantastic. And the dessert of trio of chocolates was amazing. The middle meringue was the best, with dulce de leche and chocolate sauce to scrape up. The whole meal was amazing, and the service was fantastic. My only complaint was they brought out our first appetizer when we weren't done with our mini pre-appetizer. We knew they were trying to get people in and out, but we said we wanted to take our time and they were fine either that. We've been three times now and we will be back!! read more

Went for Restaurant Week- what a ripoff. The idea behind Restaurant Week is for a restaurant to lure in people with cheap, good food, so that they'll come back for the expensive stuff. So how disappointing that they just threw plates of slop at us. The fish I had was incredibly bland, I left the restaurant feeling hungrier than I came. Avoid. read more

Good French restaurant. Service was excellent. We sat outside on a nice NY evening. Octopus salad was wonderful but my chicken was overlooked (despite my asking it not be). We will likely go back. read more

I was so mad at them--they REFUSED to do a Vegetarian option for me during restaurant week 2013. Every other restaurant accommodated me but these guys did not. Shame shame shame. read more

Yet another RW dinner for me =) I ordered the pork belly for my appetizer, the lamb for my entree, and the "garden sorbet" for dessert. The pork belly was heavenly! It was "marinated in curried apple and hazelnut salad" so *sigh* so fatty and juicy and tender and oh-so-bad -for-you =) The lamb came with about a spoonful of mashed potatoes and some sort of vegetables (zucchini??) which were pretty good, but nothing fantastic. The lamb itself was yummy and very tender. For dessert I got a small scoop each of carrot sorbet (it was ok), cucumber sorbet (light and slightly tarty) and ginger sorbet (at first I couldn't tell what flavor it was) with a little ice cream cone. My favorite for this meal was the pork belly =) read more

Alright, alright, alright, check this: walk into the joint last night looking to grab a quick drink before our dinner reservation at a REAL restaurant (I mean c'mon, the whole French Bistro thing is full of grade D veiny ribeye "steak" and oily French fries and whatever non-perishables like pasta they have lying around for the last decade--that's not a "restaurant"), and the bar is crowded. In the corner there sits a couple. Wifey, on the phone complaining about how terrible life is, has her purse on a stool. My girlfriend, ever so classy, asks "I'm so sorry, but would you mind if we took this stool? There's only one other unoccupied stool. I hope this isn't too much trouble." Now, I know what you are thinking, "Um, yeah. So this is a normal thing that happens every night at every bar/restaurant in every city in ever country on earth." That's where you'd be wrong. Wifey begins to huff and puff and proclaim to the bartender "Ugh, well that just put me in an AWFUL mood," loud enough for me and my partner to hear. So, I pipe up, asking this Real Housewife of the Upper East Side, "Was that too big of an ask?" That's when her little miscreant husband, face deep in no less than three different types of alcohol, in his garbage UES uniform of backwards Vineyard Vine Hat, cheap zip-up nylon track sweatshirt and ugly khakis loses his mind. He starts mumbling all sorts of strange phrases. "This is my restaurant! If they only knew this was my restaurant! A**holes! This is not the kind of place where you can just do what you want in MY restaurant!" Simply put: garbage human being. I could never stand to support an establishment where the owner is so disconnected from reality and rude. Dine at your peril: you never know when homeboy will just pop up and say something awful to you and your partner. read more

Very few times in my life do I find myself savoring french food. I don't include french pastries in that category because if you're not dying for a french dessert, you're not technically considered "alive". Ever since I saw Ratotuille, I wanted French food. With it being restaurant week, and wanting to impressed my lady friend, I decided that I would take her to Orsay. The Times gave it two stars, the place is always full, and the menu is expensive. It should be good, right? Why, oh why, do I listen to the Times. The problem with going to a pretensious French restaurant (and Orsay is very pretentious) during restaurant week is that the prix fix menu for us cheap diners is considered lower class fare. The meals are uninspired, poorly designed, cooked, or presented. The initial bread order is small and weak. The bread is crusty but in meager portions and is not refilled once finished. My girlfriend and I both had the Tomato Tart salad, a salad sitting on a bed of tomatoes and puff pastry surrounded in an olive sauce. It sounds good but it was weak. The puff pastry was flavorless and the tomatoes soggy and uninteresting. My girlfriend followed up with the cooked Cod dish and I had the veal flank stank with mushroom risotto. The veal was cold and smothered in a sauce that tasted like A1 steak sauce. The risotto was actually very tasty - hot, steamy, creamy. I have the feeling that the cold stank and hot risotto were suppose to complement each other but the combination reminded me of a deli rather than a supposed two star restaurant. The Cod dish came in a black iron cast pot and was suppose to be hot - it was luke warm at best. The Cod was flavorless and weak. My girlfriend took the left over sauce from my plate and used it on the Cod to give the Cod some life. She couldn't finish it and longing wanted my veal steak. That's pretty sad. For dessert, my girlfriend enjoyed the lemon sorbet was very good - clean, crisp, well made. I enjoyed a Pana Cotta with a berry bath which was served in the wrong kind of dish. The berry sauce tasted like it came from a jar but the Pana Cotta was very good. While I sat around in between dishes, I spied at what the other diners were getting. The place was packed. The restaurant is very well put together, reminding me of a step below Artisinal in decour. All of the other dishes being served at the restaurant were far and above better presented, and by other diners' reactions, better tasting than my meal. Although the dishes themselves were nothing new - I doubt anything in that restaurant is innovative - they seemed well prepared and well cooked. I felt cheated and used. My one hundred dollars were going to be used to merely fatten some craptastic owner's wallet when it could be more useful for one of the countless other good restaurants in the city. I will say that the service was good and the bus boys extremely good in serving the dishes, keeping my water class full, and providing effective service. It's really sad when a "great restaurant" can only get the bus boys and risotto right. Orsay's has been around since 2000. Why it was allowed to last longer than 3 weeks is beyond me. read more

Meh. So-so food, I heard some of the dishes were not bad, but in the couple of times I have been to this place, the food wasn't worth the money. (That said, if you HAVE to go there with your upper east side friends, they have a prix-fixe menu which lessens the pain somewhat.) read more

went for brunch. they have a 30-35 $ brunch Sundays to choose from a an appetiser, a main course and juice. What was the surprise...they brought us a bread basket with butter after we ordered ( usually in other restaurants it's complementary ) but at the end we found it on the bill ... 10$ . OK.. never mind.. I ordered duck liver mouse and they brought it with HALF a slice of toast bread..not, one, HALF. Asked for additional bread ( 2 slices of bread to be more precise ) and i found them on the bill .. 5$ ... come ooooon .... I think that if you breathe more than usual in this restaurant they will charge you extra. It's a pity because is a nice place, but they advertise a fixed price brunch and for every little additional thing ( like bread) they charge way to much. read more

Been several times -- and won't go again. Food OK, but it's mainly the room: true Paris brasserie. Tonight I was nearby and hoped for a beer. I step to bar -- only a few people. Do you have Duvel? What? Duvel. What? I don't think inquiring after a Belgian beer at a French place is nutty, but I back away. To hostess: Do you know if you have Duvel? She actually said this: "I'm just the hostess; I don't know anything." But here's the killer. I see manager standing right beside us. Suited up. He listens and looks but says nothing. Awesome. I'm out. read more

It's not the cheapest French restaurant in the area but it's a cut above places like Brasserie Cognac East. The Beef Wellington was excellent as were the crab ravioli. The veal chop that another companion had when I was last there was HUGE. It was the service that especially impressed however. Even on New Year's Eve when things can be generally chaotic the Maitre'd could not have been more charming and accommodating as were the waitresses and hostesses. And it was a very reasonable price on New Year's Eve. The atmosphere was also lovely. Good place to take a date. Classy. I'll definitely be back and will update reviews. read more

This is a very attractive restaurant with rather dismal food and poor service. My wife and I were on our way to the Whitney and thought we'd stop in. At first we were pleased: the bread is great. Like, really great. Waitstaff seemed fine. My wife ordered the salmon / egg sandwich and i got the burger. Both were somewhere around 18-19 dollars apiece. There was quite a long wait for our order and our experience grew more and more negative as we waited--there was a strange attitude to the place. I don't go to restaurants to make friends, but I don't expect people to be rude either-- and there is definitely a strange attitude to this place. When our food did arrive it was very disappointing. For $20 I would expect a decent bistro-style burger. What I got was a pile of some old, greasy, french fries that had clearly been cooked and recooked several times that day (I left all of them on my plate) and a burger with a dry roll and a single piece of aged lettuce. My wife's salmon sandwich was definitely better, but frankly there wasn't much to it and the roll, again, was less than fresh. Generally, I'm pretty easy going as far as service but I would have mentioned my disappointment to our server if she'd bothered to ask us how our meal was. She stopped by after everything was cleared off our table and wanted to know if we'd like dessert. Uh, no.... read more

Visited here today with a very good friend for a belated bday bash that ended up being just two after all. Nice place to go. Very spacious and lightly populated. All the doors to the balcony were open and light came in from all directions and it was fairly breezy. Very pleasant. Decor is fairly elegant but not ostentatious. Very nice wooden tones with an antique white ceiling.. or was it beige? Service was very courteous and prompt even though food took some time to get to the table. I suppose that not ordering appetizers made it seem longer, but well counting on an hour for lunch is a bit on the cutting it short for most restaurants in the city. I ordered Pot roast cod fish and she ordered Tuna and Salmon tartare. Both dishes were very nice. Mine subtly seasoned with artichokes and baby carrots surrounding the codfish. The tartare was very nice. It had some sesame seeds in the mix giving it a nice unusual flavor compared to other tartares I've had before. As a closer we had an apple tarte tatin with creme fraich. Very nice close for a nice lunch. Prices are a bit on the higher end of the spectrum. But not by much. Would go visit again. Maybe for dinner. read more

This is a solid go-go brunch/lunch spot for me. I'm not in this neighborhood very often and I have a hard time finding good places to eat when going to nearby museums. Yes, it is a little old fashioned. But in a way that is its appeal. I've been to Orsay many times and I will go again! read more

I had lunch here with my son and a friend. It was EXCELLENT! The atmosphere is DELIGHTFUL, the staff is SUPERB, and the food is EXCEPTIONAL! Highly recommended! I have read previous posts regarding the prices being a little high, but the prices are exactly what you would expect them to be at a place like this. However, the food quality FAR EXCEEDS expectations, so the quality more than compensates for any price! PS - just noticed the past, negative review given because the hamburger and fries were not good. Really? Who goes to an upscale French restaurant and orders a burger and fries, then claims McDonalds is better...oh, wait, a patron of McDonalds, of course! People never cease to amaze (for lack of a better term...and trying to be polite here) me...wow. read more

At a Saturday dinner visit to Orsay on May 17th, the restaurant tried to pass off chicken for duck in the day's Orange Duck special of the day. Priced at one of the menu's higher-priced offerings at $34 for the duck entre, the flavor and presentation were great, but the poultry was certainly not "duck!" It was 2 leg/thigh quarters--just like you would find the the chicken section at a grocery store--not cool to try an dupe your customers! In about every other way but this slight-of-hand, Orsay came across as a first-class French bistro. read more

There's is a huge void on the upper east side for good go-to restaurants. Everything is overpriced and underwhelming. Orsay is no different. Beautiful space, and seemingly promising when you first walk in, but the food needs an overhaul and better execution. Steak frites was overcooked with soggy fries on one occasion, and other occasions had same level of mediocre results. Caters to more of a local clientele who prefer not to venture outside of a 3 block radius. Bar is very nice and decore is great but overall atmosphere feels very lackluster at best. It's a shame because with some simple fixes it could be much better. Ironically makes you appreciate the care that goes into other places (Balthazar) downtown. read more

I just completed a business trip to New York and actually had some time to wander around the city. I found myself in plenty of great places during this trip. Unfortunately, Orsay was not a great place. Orsay looks Parisian, it feels something less. On Lexington Avenue, in what may be the most vibrant city in the world, Orsay is boring. There is a reference below that notes Orsay presents a dead ambiance. True, in a mortuary sort of way. I shouldn't continue; I only had a drink at the bar. In the final analysis, Orsay looks the part; it just can't remember its lines. read more

My hubby and I ate here this past Saturday. The food was extremely disappointing. I had the French Onion Soup with a side of fries; my husband had the organic burger; we shared the cheese plate. The soup was tasteless, the fries were awful (McDonalds is better), the burger was chewy, gamey, and dry. The only thing that was decent was the cheese plate. Also, totally over priced and terrible service! read more

The location is very well put together and the service was definitely wonderful. It just could have been a touch more impressive with the menu for the price. The dishes were good but for the price it didn't knock my socks off. I'll have to go back and give them another shot, stay tuned. read more

Hadn't been to Orsay in 10 years but so glad I went back. Fabulous lunch, outstanding service! Haven't had a French meal this good since I was in Juan-Les-Pins. Highly recommend! 5 stars by far, if I could give it 10, I would! read more

I've been to this restaurant many times and is one of my favorite neighborhood French restaurant. The restaurant has a beautiful dining room and always adheres to high service level. The food is always exceptionally good and the service is impeccable. I recently visited restaurant and all was reaffirmed. read more

Came here for Valentine's Day and they didn't have a pre fixe menu, didn't really mind but just saying. The chicken was juicy and the lamb chop was on point. The lamb was sensational which came with yummy mash potatoes. read more

My first time doing NYC restaurant week and this was a great way to start. Went with a friend and we had a reservation. Immediately seated. They frequently brought us bread, and restocked the butter when we ran low. My only complaint was one of the butters was refrigerated too long and was difficult to spread. Beyond that, an amazing meal. I started with the Crispy Salmon Cakes over a seaweed salad. It certainly kept to it's name and was crispy. I was impressed that they were able to do it without it being overly bready or fried like you see with some crab cakes. Flavor also on point. My friend got the Pistou and liked it as well (lots of beans). For the main, we both got the Sauteed WIld Skate Wing. Neither of us knew what it was but our waitress immediately said it was delicious and was excited. It was dressed simply with capers which dominated the flavor. However, there was broccoli rabe and croutons to add other textures. The fish was cooked wonderfully. It was white and flaky. After having this here, I may have a new favorite fish. To finish, the Almond Creme filled baked apple. I don't know how they do it but it was amazing. Served in an almost deconstructed manner (baked apple and syrup in one plate, with small scoop of ice cream in a separate). It was just so good. I was blown away by the texture. The ice cream: apple ratio was a little off, but otherwise it was fantastic. read more

The brasserie mainstays on the menu are reliably good: the pheasant, the French onion soup, the creme brulee, all manner of beef. And the escargots are scrumptiously plump. Stray from those into nouveauish territory and you'll start resenting the high prices. Interior is plush and predictably dark. Outdoor seating when weather permits lends the place a semblance of the buzz / buzz-worthiness desperately lacking on the Upper East Side. In absolute terms, however: not destination dining. read more

The Art Nouveau inspired interior provides a fun and French-style atmosphere. The well-prepared BBQ Lamb Shank is fall-off-the-bone delicious and the Butternut Squash Gnocchi complements lamb perfectly. The Fall Salad with wild mushrooms, crudites, baby greens, and shaved parmesan is prepared in the form of a small, layered tower and it makes a good starter for any of the numerous heavy entrees. The grilled Atlantic Salmon and Tuna run on the small side, so you may want to order an appetizer or salad. And if you're brave, Orsay offers an exciting selection of tartares and raw seafood. Solid wine list and bar menu. And for dessert, I highly enjoyed the Creme Caramel and the Brioche Pudding. Unlike a Parisian equivalent, service is friendly and attentive without being annoying. A definite place to dine or drink (at the bar) if you're in the upper eastside. I've been to Orsay twice and I would go back for more. read more

This is one of the best French restaurant's my family has been to (and the family I'm referring to is from Belgium so they know a thing or two about France and the appetizing food). The steak tartar is delicious - topped with a little quail egg even. The outdoor seating on a nice afternoon is a treat too with just enough privacy away from the sidewalk but still great views to people watch. Definitely give Orsay a try if you're in the area. read more