A. O. C. Bedford

The Scene – Exposed brick, beamed ceilings, linen napkins and tapered candles make it obvious that this is a restaurant for romance. Servers swing from being attentive to patrons to being chatty with each other and stranding tables. Despite the small dining room, diners are not rushed. – – The Food – The Spanish menu is based on the premise that quality ingredients taste best when left to shine on their own. Simple dishes, like tender, thinly sliced octopus seasoned and drizzled with fruity olive oil and tagliatelle with sauteed wild mushrooms and fresh peas, are a…

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Editor's Tips

The Extras:: Bring a bottle on Sunday or Monday night and skip the corkage fee.
Know Before You Go:: The initials A.O.C., D.O.C. and D.O. designate the area from which the food or wine originates; it's also a good barometer of quality since the countries' governments (France, Italy and Spain, respectively) only give the title to the highest quality exports.

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User Reviews (27)

ambiance	96.14999771118164% positive	“Food, service, wine list everything is amazing, and the atmosphere is a great mix of” “The atmosphere is very warm and welcoming, however, and makes a good date setting.” “The food is good but it is expensive, especially for the location and service.” “cute place, a little loud but overall great atmosphere, waitress was the perfect amount of attentive without being too much in our way.” “The service and ambiance are nice, but that's little compensation for a bland and over-priced meal.” “really enjoy the discrete and intimate atmosphere of this place which is hard to find in NY, it has a flare of a French Chateau influenced with Mediterranean and Spanish (from Spain) food.” “The service is very professional and the place is romantic.” “The service was excellent and very attentive and the space was intimate and cozy.” “This restaurant is vvery cozy and perfect for a date.” “Although I would definitely recommend other, cheaper restaurants in the area that have much better food, service and decor.” “delish & great atmosphere” “It is a great atmosphere and I never have felt rushed to finish my dinner.” “I've eaten at AOC Bedford several times, and it is one of my favorite restaurants: superb food, excellent service, and lovely romantic atmosphere with a very warm, friendly feeling.”
dessert	100.0% positive	“And to finish, I loved the deserts prepared in the table side, the crepe suzette flambee is my favorite.” “We started with the super-dooper octopus and the duck pate and then shared a pretty damn good piece of suckling pig between the two of us, followed by a wonderful dessert wine sampler and the crepe suzette.” “love the soups, dinners, and desserts.” “The waiters prepare the crepe suzette near your table and it's a very good dessert.”
drinks	75.0% positive	“The wine list offers a great variety of choices for amateurs and connoisseurs alike.” “While apologies were twice extended & we eventually were seated elsewhere, there was no mention of a complimentary cocktail/wine -- & then service wasn't particularly careful to make up for our long, cold wait at the front door.” “sunday monday. I really enjoy Aoc cause it's my only way to have great food and bring my own wine.” “The waiter's wine suggestions were abysmal.” “Food, service, wine list everything is amazing, and the atmosphere is a great mix of” “Wonderful cocktails and food is very well executed.” “the place is perfect for a date, and the mixture of long and votive candles as well as a dimly bonze-lit hued bar gives the experience of being without electricty.” “We started with the super-dooper octopus and the duck pate and then shared a pretty damn good piece of suckling pig between the two of us, followed by a wonderful dessert wine sampler and the crepe suzette.”
food quality	83.33000183105469% positive	“Others might think it's overpriced but if you are a regular of KFC you will think any other restaurant of NY is overpriced and food tastes the same.” “Wonderful cocktails and food is very well executed.” “The service and ambiance are nice, but that's little compensation for a bland and over-priced meal.” “The only good thing I can say about my meal is that the lamb is very, very tasty.” “The food was superb as always, and the owner and staff were absolutely wonderful throughout the whole event.” “the tartagliatele was an incredible (and huge) appetizer, pasta tasted very fresh, and the salt cod main course was cooked just right.” “went here for my birthday dinner and staff was very accomadating and food was delicious.” “Their menu is very interesting and the food is amazing.” “In the delicious food, the warmth radiatiing off the exposed brick and red walls and the welcoming wait staff, our experience at A.O.C. Bedford was a brilliant escape from the frosty New York evening outside.” “forcing you to lean closer and inspect the delicious (and the spaniard bf should know) paella and enjoy your company.” “Went to AOC Bedford for the first time last night, had a great meal all around.” “The waitstaff are actually aggressive towards you and the food is expensive.” “really enjoy the discrete and intimate atmosphere of this place which is hard to find in NY, it has a flare of a French Chateau influenced with Mediterranean and Spanish (from Spain) food.” “The eggplant appetizer, and beet salad were delectable.” “The food was a far cry from good and the staff was very rude.” “AOC Bedford is a great place for a date if you want to spend wayyy too much money on food that is of average taste, regardless of their quality claims.” “Thinking my first visit must have been a fluke, I went there again the other night only to confirm my initial impression: the food at AOC is mediocre and overpriced.” “The food is good but it is expensive, especially for the location and service.” “I've eaten at AOC Bedford several times, and it is one of my favorite restaurants: superb food, excellent service, and lovely romantic atmosphere with a very warm, friendly feeling.” “The entire party left in such a bad mood that it just ruined the night, despite the excellent food.” “Everything we ate (and it turned into many courses) was delicious, and we agreed that 1.” “love the soups, dinners, and desserts.” “The duck and crepes were also delicious.” “Excellent service; excellent food.” “Although I would definitely recommend other, cheaper restaurants in the area that have much better food, service and decor.” “sunday monday. I really enjoy Aoc cause it's my only way to have great food and bring my own wine.” “The lamb chops, succling pig, duck confit in philo dough, octopus carpaccio, and paella are all really great dishes.”
menu variety	100.0% positive	“The wine list offers a great variety of choices for amateurs and connoisseurs alike.” “The staff is knowledgeable of their menus, serviceable and un-intrusive.” “really had a great dinner, I recomend the roasted duck cooked perfectly, the selection of cheese was unbelievable.” “Their menu is very interesting and the food is amazing.”
overall	100.0% positive	“AOC Bedford is a great place for a date if you want to spend wayyy too much money on food that is of average taste, regardless of their quality claims.” “This is really a great place.” “Hands down this is my favorite restaurant in New York.” “A.O.C. Bedford is probably my favorite restaurant in NY.”
return potential	100.0% positive	“Food was great, but service is so horrendous that unfortunately I will never go there again.”
service	84.77999687194824% positive	“While apologies were twice extended & we eventually were seated elsewhere, there was no mention of a complimentary cocktail/wine -- & then service wasn't particularly careful to make up for our long, cold wait at the front door.” “Excellent service; excellent food.” “The food was superb as always, and the owner and staff were absolutely wonderful throughout the whole event.” “have been twice and it is excellent with impeccable service.” “The service is very professional and the place is romantic.” “The food was a far cry from good and the staff was very rude.” “Food was great, but service is so horrendous that unfortunately I will never go there again.” “In the delicious food, the warmth radiatiing off the exposed brick and red walls and the welcoming wait staff, our experience at A.O.C. Bedford was a brilliant escape from the frosty New York evening outside.” “Although I would definitely recommend other, cheaper restaurants in the area that have much better food, service and decor.” “I've eaten at AOC Bedford several times, and it is one of my favorite restaurants: superb food, excellent service, and lovely romantic atmosphere with a very warm, friendly feeling.” “Food, service, wine list everything is amazing, and the atmosphere is a great mix of” “The staff is knowledgeable of their menus, serviceable and un-intrusive.” “The service was excellent and very attentive and the space was intimate and cozy.” “friendly/special. I highly recommend the Octopus and the durk.” “Sunday night was busy but the service was attentive.” “went here for my birthday dinner and staff was very accomadating and food was delicious.” “The food is good but it is expensive, especially for the location and service.” “cute place, a little loud but overall great atmosphere, waitress was the perfect amount of attentive without being too much in our way.” “The waiter's wine suggestions were abysmal.” “The waiters prepare the crepe suzette near your table and it's a very good dessert.” “In addition, guests are served by the most attentive staff, who will proudly explain their restaurant's philosophy, in the hope that an appreciation for quality will make the patron's dining experience worthy of its own appellation.” “The service and ambiance are nice, but that's little compensation for a bland and over-priced meal.” “The service was very attentive.”
value	35.71000099182129% positive	“Others might think it's overpriced but if you are a regular of KFC you will think any other restaurant of NY is overpriced and food tastes the same.” “Everything here is overpriced.” “The food is good but it is expensive, especially for the location and service.” “Thinking my first visit must have been a fluke, I went there again the other night only to confirm my initial impression: the food at AOC is mediocre and overpriced.” “the tartagliatele was an incredible (and huge) appetizer, pasta tasted very fresh, and the salt cod main course was cooked just right.” “AOC Bedford is a great place for a date if you want to spend wayyy too much money on food that is of average taste, regardless of their quality claims.” “The waitstaff are actually aggressive towards you and the food is expensive.”
wait time	50.0% positive	“the place is perfect for a date, and the mixture of long and votive candles as well as a dimly bonze-lit hued bar gives the experience of being without electricty.” “While apologies were twice extended & we eventually were seated elsewhere, there was no mention of a complimentary cocktail/wine -- & then service wasn't particularly careful to make up for our long, cold wait at the front door.”

10/06/08

Excellent Wine list

by lpayton22

A.O.C. Bedford is probably my favorite restaurant in NY. We have gone there for several important celebrations and they have never let us down. Food, service, wine list everything is amazing, and the atmosphere is a great mix of friendly/special. I highly recommend the Octopus and the durk.

Pros: wine list ,food,staff
Cons: small

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04/14/08

Excellent Food; AWFUL Service

by slurms

Food was great, but service is so horrendous that unfortunately I will never go there again. We had a party of 10 for my girlfriend's birthday. The waitress repeatedly stumbled around, spilling red wine everywhere on the table while pouring. She never asked if we wanted another bottle - just opened one and started pouring. When we overheard the other servers discussing what to do with the remaining cake as there was a lot left, we asked our waitress to have it boxed. She told us we could not as there was none left. The entire party left in such a bad mood that it just ruined the night, despite the excellent food.

Pros: Great food, atmosphere
Cons: Terrible service, attitude

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02/19/08

Warm! Inviting! Romantic! Yumm

by jcplaywright

My husband & I wanted to try something new, so we stopped in A.O.C. Bedford, a place we'd always noticed but never tried. We sat at the bar, since we weren't hungry for a whole dinner, and we ended up staying 3.5 hours! The host/owner was lovely! He was so welcoming, inviting, he made our (delicious!) crepes bar-side, he explained the considerable cheese selection in detail, and he was very generous with the wine. Everything we ate (and it turned into many courses) was delicious, and we agreed that 1. WE MUST GO BACK w/ Friends, and 2. I would write my first review on line ever in Citysearch because our experience was so special.

Pros: Warn, inviting, romantic, excellent food, cozy
Cons: Small restaurant

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10/07/07

Hiden Gem

by lisar_nyc

This is a true gem in NYC. Others might think it's overpriced but if you are a regular of KFC you will think any other restaurant of NY is overpriced and food tastes the same. Their menu is very interesting and the food is amazing. The wine list offers a great variety of choices for amateurs and connoisseurs alike. Desserts are to die for here. I really enjoy the discrete and intimate atmosphere of this place which is hard to find in NY, it has a flare of a French Chateau influenced with Mediterranean and Spanish (from Spain) food. The staff is knowledgeable of their menus, serviceable and un-intrusive.

Their always full, so I highly recommend to make reservations.

Lisa

Pros: Sure to make a great night
Cons: No reservations maight be a problem

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06/21/07

Favorite Place!

by scs25

Hands down this is my favorite restaurant in New York. I have been twice and it is excellent with impeccable service. I love the soups, dinners, and desserts. It is a great atmosphere and I never have felt rushed to finish my dinner.

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A. O. C. Bedford

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What People Are Saying About A. O. C. Bedford

Allison Austin

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Editor's Tips

10/06/08

Excellent Wine list

by lpayton22

04/14/08

Excellent Food; AWFUL Service

by slurms

02/19/08

Warm! Inviting! Romantic! Yumm

by jcplaywright

10/07/07

Hiden Gem

by lisar_nyc

06/21/07

Favorite Place!

by scs25

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