Bar Boulud

Restaurants near Lincoln Center tend to cater toward the fur-draped opera set, but Daniel Boulud's bistro lures a more downtown crowd. Wine cues the design, whether it's the shape of the dining room, roughly resembling a bottle on its side, artful photos of wine stains, or the round communal tasting table that wears a sparkling crown of suspended glasses. On the house-made charcuterie menu, the pate grand-mere might blissfully kill its namesake relative with its moist, heart-stopping blend of chicken liver, pork and cognac. Tart flavors shine elsewhere, like in a lime-dressed snapper crudo…

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Editor's Tips

Where to Sit:: If you don't have reservations, the communal wine table is reserved for walk-ins.
What to Drink:: The wine list is massive, but the sommeliers are helpful without being snooty or resorting to upsells. Try the reasonably priced Domaine Boisson Massif D'Uchaux ($34), a versatile red that works well across the menu.
Private Rooms:: Two private dining rooms can be booked for parties of 20 to 50 people.

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User Reviews (28)

ambiance	100.0% positive	“with a defen daniel flavor and very nice looking unique atmosphere, with very nice staff and amazing food.” “Great food, good service in a relaxed atmosphere” “really enjoyed the atmosphere and it wasnt to hard on the wallet.” “the wine recommendations were spot on and the ambience was perfect.”
dessert	100.0% positive	“The cheese plate had some wonderful selections and desserts were delicious.”
drinks	76.78999900817871% positive	“We informed the wait staff who, bar the hostess, was excellent and apologetic about the gaffes and immediately took it off the bill.” “We LOVE wine, but as I was on a weeklong course of antibiotics, we didn't want to drink.” “The charcutrie is very good and with the wine list, are both the saving grace.” “Or maybe they used a machine similar to the shimmering red monolith used to slice cold cuts, which was right on the bar for all to see and fear - I pitied the two people who were seated mere inches away from it.” “The waitress was very pushy about the wine, to the point where I actually felt compelled to say, "I can't drink; I'm on medication" which is none of her business.” “We order drinks.” “bar boulud, the best chef in the world, finale make a nice relax place at the west side for the young group of people.” “the wine recommendations were spot on and the ambience was perfect.” “For the drink I ordered a port wine which they ran out of but the manager was nice enough to substitute a delicious port.” “Although the food was good, the wine list was very expensive.” “The food is good, and the prices are fair - The wine list is surprisingly diverse, with all the usually suspects, but an excellent selection < 100 (nice job Daniel Johnnes) The booths across from the "bar" are the place to eat and I hear a rumor that the ” “Mediocre to awful food, aggressive and bad service, great wine” “The drinks were warm and tasteless as well and cost $30.” “As wine and food lovers, my wife and I frequent the best of the best that NYC has to offer, and rarely complain about prices, however, we do expect excellent service, especially when we frequent a place and spend good money at the drop of a hat.”
food quality	87.5% positive	“The food at Bar Boulud is pretty good for the price (the charcuterie in particular is fantastic).” “have never commented on any restaurant in the 10 years I have lived and eaten in this great city full of great food.” “The pasta was tasty, but my skate was so salty I thought it must have been cooked in seawater.” “Great food, only so so service but hopefully it will improve once it finds its legs” “the wait staff was amazing and the food was delightful.” “believe in paying good money for good food, but it made me angry to give them my cash after that meal.” “The waiter was rude and forgetful and not even apologetic for forgetting my simple request for salt and pepper (for the flavorless plate of lettuce/ salad).” “The food is very good starting with the pork belly, escargot and the salads - all were delightful.” “The food was mediocre at best, and over-priced.” “The steak frites was average, although the frites were cruncy and the mustard was good.” “For the drink I ordered a port wine which they ran out of but the manager was nice enough to substitute a delicious port.” “The food is good, and the prices are fair - The wine list is surprisingly diverse, with all the usually suspects, but an excellent selection < 100 (nice job Daniel Johnnes) The booths across from the "bar" are the place to eat and I hear a rumor that the ” “We love beef-cheek ravioli and onion confit and pistachios, so what could be better?” “Although the food was good, the wine list was very expensive.” “The food was great.” “Great food, good service in a relaxed atmosphere” “Mediocre to awful food, aggressive and bad service, great wine” “As wine and food lovers, my wife and I frequent the best of the best that NYC has to offer, and rarely complain about prices, however, we do expect excellent service, especially when we frequent a place and spend good money at the drop of a hat.” “When it did come, it literally looked, smelled (and, we suspect, tasted) like a can of "Fancy Feast" cat or dog food.” “The only good thing about Bar Boulud is the extensive winelist, which can unfortunately be found at a great number of other restaurants in the city with far better food and significantly better service.” “with a defen daniel flavor and very nice looking unique atmosphere, with very nice staff and amazing food.” “The cheese plate had some wonderful selections and desserts were delicious.”
menu variety	85.71000099182129% positive	“Poor quality ingredients, boring menu options, and just lazy, tasteless cooking.” “The food is good, and the prices are fair - The wine list is surprisingly diverse, with all the usually suspects, but an excellent selection < 100 (nice job Daniel Johnnes) The booths across from the "bar" are the place to eat and I hear a rumor that the ” “We were conned into ordering the large charcuterie platter for two, which includes a large selection of the chef's best terrines and pates, and which was mediocre.” “The cheese plate had some wonderful selections and desserts were delicious.” “Once Bar Boulud revamps its front of the house staff, I will return to enjoy Bar Boulud's impressive menu.” “highly recommend the pate on the brunch menu.” “The only good thing about Bar Boulud is the extensive winelist, which can unfortunately be found at a great number of other restaurants in the city with far better food and significantly better service.”
overall	100.0% positive	“As wine and food lovers, my wife and I frequent the best of the best that NYC has to offer, and rarely complain about prices, however, we do expect excellent service, especially when we frequent a place and spend good money at the drop of a hat.” “bar boulud, the best chef in the world, finale make a nice relax place at the west side for the young group of people.” “recommended the place to more then 10 different groups of mix age people and they thanking me how great the place was.” “The food is good, and the prices are fair - The wine list is surprisingly diverse, with all the usually suspects, but an excellent selection < 100 (nice job Daniel Johnnes) The booths across from the "bar" are the place to eat and I hear a rumor that the ”
return potential	100.0% positive	“Once Bar Boulud revamps its front of the house staff, I will return to enjoy Bar Boulud's impressive menu.”
service	74.0399980545044% positive	“Disappointing service” “Amazing service” “The waiter was rude and forgetful and not even apologetic for forgetting my simple request for salt and pepper (for the flavorless plate of lettuce/ salad).” “For the drink I ordered a port wine which they ran out of but the manager was nice enough to substitute a delicious port.” “recommended the place to more then 10 different groups of mix age people and they thanking me how great the place was.” “The service is just terrible.” “Or maybe they used a machine similar to the shimmering red monolith used to slice cold cuts, which was right on the bar for all to see and fear - I pitied the two people who were seated mere inches away from it.” “bar boulud, the best chef in the world, finale make a nice relax place at the west side for the young group of people.” “Mediocre to awful food, aggressive and bad service, great wine” “Good Food, bad service at door” “with a defen daniel flavor and very nice looking unique atmosphere, with very nice staff and amazing food.” “Food was great, the service was terribly spotty - the hostess refused to seat us in a booth because we did not have reservations, even though it was empty.” “the wait staff was amazing and the food was delightful.” “Generally, one of the (many) draws of a quality restaurant is great service.” “the entire staff was amazing and very accomodating for a vegetarian in a french restaurant.” “We informed the wait staff who, bar the hostess, was excellent and apologetic about the gaffes and immediately took it off the bill.” “The waitress was very pushy about the wine, to the point where I actually felt compelled to say, "I can't drink; I'm on medication" which is none of her business.” “Great food, good service in a relaxed atmosphere” “Once Bar Boulud revamps its front of the house staff, I will return to enjoy Bar Boulud's impressive menu.” “Is there any particular reason for the hostess of a "nice" restaurant in NYC, to be pompous and arrogant to guests?” “As wine and food lovers, my wife and I frequent the best of the best that NYC has to offer, and rarely complain about prices, however, we do expect excellent service, especially when we frequent a place and spend good money at the drop of a hat.” “The service seemed really good and the waitress was attentive.” “Great food, only so so service but hopefully it will improve once it finds its legs” “If a waiter offers the check without being asked for it one would at least expect that he inquires if his guests would like to order anything else.” “The service was unrefined with a clear focus being fast turnaround of tables.” “The only good thing about Bar Boulud is the extensive winelist, which can unfortunately be found at a great number of other restaurants in the city with far better food and significantly better service.”
value	100.0% positive	“The food at Bar Boulud is pretty good for the price (the charcuterie in particular is fantastic).” “believe in paying good money for good food, but it made me angry to give them my cash after that meal.” “The food is good, and the prices are fair - The wine list is surprisingly diverse, with all the usually suspects, but an excellent selection < 100 (nice job Daniel Johnnes) The booths across from the "bar" are the place to eat and I hear a rumor that the ” “Although the food was good, the wine list was very expensive.” “As wine and food lovers, my wife and I frequent the best of the best that NYC has to offer, and rarely complain about prices, however, we do expect excellent service, especially when we frequent a place and spend good money at the drop of a hat.”
wait time	100.0% positive	“With main courses arriving in less than 10 minutes fast turnaround seems to be a general scheme.” “The food is good, and the prices are fair - The wine list is surprisingly diverse, with all the usually suspects, but an excellent selection < 100 (nice job Daniel Johnnes) The booths across from the "bar" are the place to eat and I hear a rumor that the ”

09/06/11

Little Birthday Splurge

by ppw tim

We really enjoyed our dinner here. We went on a summer Saturday for early-ish dinner and were thrilled with the friendly welcome, got the table of our choice, the food was great, the wine list varied and not overly priced for the neighborhood.

The service was amazing yet "discreet", just as one hopes for in an upscale Manhattan restaurant.

The decor is low key without being cold and the atmosphere very pleasant.

I would go back in a heartbeat.

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10/31/10

Bad Bar Boulud

by Snagam

No rating deserved. Just give it a miss. From the unfriendly greeting at the door, the silly service (far too many buspersons and very little else) to the absolutely dire food - just take a walk in the park or go over to the coffee bar at Alice Tully Hall. A big no.

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10/13/10

Mistake!!

by samW

Oops, going to Bar Boulud was one of the mistakes I did in a really long time for pick a restaurant. The reviews I saw were good, but the visit was total disappointment. Service was poor and I did not like the style of seating in the front. No privacy at all and you might end up getting a kick or two from the table right next to you. Way overpriced and not worth the hype. Better if you avoid!

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07/04/10

not the ues

by tov

Sitting outdoors this week was so cramped itruined a good meal. sillly pretentious and disorganized. .

Pros: good food
Cons: rude, pretentious waitstaff

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09/28/09

Dog food tastes better!

by xany212

We went to Bar Boulud b/c I love charcuterie. We shared a plate of "Compote De Joue De Boeuf" described as "shredded slow-braised beef cheek onion confit and pistachio" which we were excited to order. We love beef-cheek ravioli and onion confit and pistachios, so what could be better? First of all, it took FOREVER to come, and no, we weren't there during rush hour before the theater. When it did come, it literally looked, smelled (and, we suspect, tasted) like a can of "Fancy Feast" cat or dog food.

Service was terrible, too. Very slow and unresponsive. My dinner date's main course (tagliatelle) came out before my main course (skate). The pasta was tasty, but my skate was so salty I thought it must have been cooked in seawater.

They never refilled out water - not once. We couldn't flag someone down for ages and finally did, but the check arrived before he returned with the pitcher. Our server, who was female, took our order and dropped off the check. Everything else was delivered by someone else. She never checked back to see if things were ok with us.

We LOVE wine, but as I was on a weeklong course of antibiotics, we didn't want to drink. The waitress was very pushy about the wine, to the point where I actually felt compelled to say, "I can't drink; I'm on medication" which is none of her business.

In short, almost any other restaurant near Lincoln Center will give you a better dining experience.

It breaks my heart to write this, b/c Daniel, the chef's flagship restaurant is one of our favorites, but we are so disgusted by "Bar Boulud" that it will be a while before we go to any of Daniel Boulud's restaurants again, and never back to that one.

Bar Boulud

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What People Are Saying About Bar Boulud

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Justin Hartung

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Editor's Tips

User Reviews (28)

09/06/11

Little Birthday Splurge

by ppw tim

10/31/10

Bad Bar Boulud

by Snagam

10/13/10

Mistake!!

by samW

07/04/10

not the ues

by tov

09/28/09

Dog food tastes better!

by xany212

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