(212) 229-2611

253 W 11th St (at 4th St.)
New York, NY 10014 40.7363 -74.0034

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Neighborhoods: West Village, Downtown

Hours:

Mon-Fri 11:30am-4pm, 5:30pm-10:30pm

Sat 10:30am-4pm, 5:30pm-10pm

Sun 10:30am-4pm, 5:30-10pm

Price:

$$$

Last updated 8.16.11

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

Cash

Restaurant Special Features:

Local Favorite, Lunch Spot, B.Y.O.B., Brunch

Cuisine:

French

Editor's Tips

What People Are Saying About Tartine

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

Intimate, candlelit Tartine serves creative French bistro fare in an unpretentious, if inexplicably lighthouse-themed, environment. Couples bearing fine wine and microbrewed beer in brown paper bags brave snow, sleet and sweltering heat to line up in front of this diminutive B.Y.O.B. West Village gem, especially for brunch. The hearty French menu is executed with smart, flavorful touches. French onion soup, for example, arrives cooked in a flaky potpie crust, while grilled herb-encrusted salmon comes with a garnish of capers, scallions, chopped tomatoes and grapefruit wedges. The brunch menu…

Editor's Tips

Know Before You Go:
Tartine accepts only cash, so be sure to hit the ATM in advance.
Save Money:
If you do B.Y.O.B., there's no corkage fee.
ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. “The coffee is still great, the pastries beautiful to look at in the case, and the view is wonderful.”
  2. “They have great cafe food and great quiet location with”
  3. “such a nice beautiful cozy restaurant!”
  4. “In the winter it's cute and cozy and in the summer it's a great place to sit outside and have a bottle of wine but note it's BYOB.”
  5. “As previous reviews have stated, it is a cozy restaurant with limited seating.”
  6. “We love the location, the decor, the great food, the incredibly delicious deserts, the great BYOB policy.”
  7. “I'd been told how cozy and romantic Tartine was before I went on a date, and my dinner there totally confirmed this.”
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. “highly recommend this restaurant for some comfy French food and beautiful, delicious desserts!”
  2. “The sauteed chicken is my favorite but make sure to save room for dessert.”
  3. “Instead, I settled with a white and chocolate mousse with fresh strawberries!”
  4. “The entrees and desserts are wonderful and I love that it's a BYOB!”
  5. “The food was okay, the roasted pear salad was amazing, the chicken pot pie - too creamy, and the steak frites nothing to write home about.”
  6. “The desset of a light raspberry chocolate mousse cake was amazing.”
  7. “The food was ecellent and their self baked deserts were delicious as well.”
  8. “I'd leave room for their enticing desserts.”
  9. “We love the location, the decor, the great food, the incredibly delicious deserts, the great BYOB policy.”
drinks
87.5% positive
  1. “The coffee is still great, the pastries beautiful to look at in the case, and the view is wonderful.”
  2. “I've seen long lines, but if you're in leisurely mood, it's nice to bring a bottle of wine and dine, because the neighborhood and French feel is memorable.”
  3. “Even the coffee was good!”
  4. “We explained that we changed our minds, despite the fact that we already paid, and wanted to order coffee after all.”
  5. “In the winter it's cute and cozy and in the summer it's a great place to sit outside and have a bottle of wine but note it's BYOB.”
  6. “If you've paid, then you decide to wait out a storm, so you choose to order a coffee, you've got a problem.”
  7. “It was still a nice night, wait staff was attentive and it is a nice option to bring your own wine.”
  8. “She walked away in a huff, and had the BUSBOY pass on the same message: you can't order coffee because you've already paid (have these people never heard of someone changing their mind?”
food quality
83.33000183105469% positive
  1. “The hollandaise is homeade to perfection, the poached eggs are always done just right, and the crispy potatos with chives and tomatoes are the perfect complement to an already perfect dish.”
  2. “The food is good, a standard stand-by.”
  3. “The sauteed chicken is my favorite but make sure to save room for dessert.”
  4. “The food, however, was marvelous, and at $10 per person, a great value.”
  5. “However, if you want good food with a pleasant wait staff then try the million other restaurants in New York.”
  6. “The BYOB policy is fantastic, and the food is consistently good.”
  7. “The food was okay, the roasted pear salad was amazing, the chicken pot pie - too creamy, and the steak frites nothing to write home about.”
  8. “At dinner time, they serve an herbed goat cheese salad (appetizer) which is also the best in NYC.”
  9. “The potatoes had been sitting out for probably a few hours, and were rock hard, covered in cold oil.”
  10. “The food was delicious; perfect bistro food.”
  11. “We had a fantastic French meal of classic French onion soup, an onion and goat cheese tart, and mussels with saffron broth!”
  12. “The food is GREAT and the service is STRAIGHT FORWARD.”
  13. “They have great cafe food and great quiet location with”
  14. “Now though, the food is really bad; from the pasteurized Tropicana orange juice to the really soggy (not moist but soggy) apple pancake.”
  15. “The little tarts are delicious.”
  16. “Great bistro food”
  17. “With so many better restaurants in the area, this place is not worth the wait, the bad service, cramped tables, mediocre food, and the cash only policy.”
  18. “The coffee is still great, the pastries beautiful to look at in the case, and the view is wonderful.”
  19. “Great food; however, you're bound to wait awhile.”
  20. “Did I mention the food was terrible?”
  21. “Great food for the right price”
  22. “My date seem to enjoy the spicy chicken but they fries was overwhelming.”
  23. “highly recommend this restaurant for some comfy French food and beautiful, delicious desserts!”
  24. “We love the location, the decor, the great food, the incredibly delicious deserts, the great BYOB policy.”
  25. “There is a total disconnect between the rather good food at a reasonable price and the absolutely mindnumbing surlyness of the waitstaff.”
  26. “My fellow dinner and I were thoroughly impressed by this food.”
  27. “The food was ecellent and their self baked deserts were delicious as well.”
  28. “Great fries”
  29. “Instead, I settled with a white and chocolate mousse with fresh strawberries!”
  30. “Wonderful tartine (sandwiches) and soups served daily.”
  31. “Only complaint was that the OJ was not fresh squeezed.”
  32. “and it saddens me to always have to share the dining room with such dreadful pretentious babies- but such is the price to live in such a wonderful city and eat such wonderful cheap food.”
  33. “Outside of that, the service is good and the food even better.”
  34. “The food, however, is excellent, and they always offer an imaginative specials list.”
  35. “My grilled salmon was tasty but nothing special.”
  36. “The croquettes are very good, the mussels just OK, the spinach salad is great, but by far the best part is the BYOB!”
  37. “There are plenty of restaurants in New York with good food AND friendly staff.”
  38. “ordered the spicy chicken and house salad which were delicious.”
  39. “Although both came closer to well-done, the food was otherwise excellent.”
  40. “the eggs benedict were gross -- the yolks hard, the english muffins stiff as boards; and the waiter was SO rude when we asked for new eggs.”
  41. “Fantastic French food”
  42. “Tartine's food is good - but the service is extremely rude.”
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. “Dinner was absolutely fabulous, completely reasonable, and our waitress had some great suggestions from the menu.”
  2. “The Apple Pancakes are great and definitely are worth the selection.”
overall
100.0% positive
  1. “This is my favorite BYOB restaurant in New York.”
  2. “In the winter it's cute and cozy and in the summer it's a great place to sit outside and have a bottle of wine but note it's BYOB.”
  3. “this is your traditional French bistro, great place to start your date, and move on toward all the bars in the village afterwards.”
  4. “such a nice beautiful cozy restaurant!”
  5. “great place”
  6. “Tartine was my friend's favorite restaurant in New York and since she introduced me to it, I might argue it's mine as well.”
service
52.270002365112305% positive
  1. “There are plenty of restaurants in New York with good food AND friendly staff.”
  2. “just wish that people loved it a bit less since it can get really crowded.”
  3. “However, what I do love is that the staff here are knowledgeable.”
  4. “The waiter was rude and disinterested, and all the patrons at the table next to us had to get up and shuffle out the door (literally), in order for there to be room for us to move out of our seats.”
  5. “the eggs benedict were gross -- the yolks hard, the english muffins stiff as boards; and the waiter was SO rude when we asked for new eggs.”
  6. “have heard much about this place and before i wrote this, I saw that some peopl complained about waiting and the rude staff.”
  7. “I'm guessing the people talking about not liking pretentious spots are the most pretentious people around.”
  8. “The food is GREAT and the service is STRAIGHT FORWARD.”
  9. “The service was attentive and pleasant.”
  10. “Sorry folks, but what you've read by others as far as the totally rude waitstaff, is in my opinion totally justified.”
  11. “Outside of that, the service is good and the food even better.”
  12. “To sum up my experience at Tartine in a nut-shell it was: 1) a long wait 2) a grossly small restaurant with people bumping into your chair every time they pass 3) a rude and poorly trained staff with major attitude 4) a bus boy that thinks its ok to sweep”
  13. “Tartine's food is good - but the service is extremely rude.”
  14. “With so many better restaurants in the area, this place is not worth the wait, the bad service, cramped tables, mediocre food, and the cash only policy.”
  15. “It was still a nice night, wait staff was attentive and it is a nice option to bring your own wine.”
  16. “However, if you want good food with a pleasant wait staff then try the million other restaurants in New York.”
  17. “It doesn't seem as though they hire any server with a nice skill set.”
  18. “She walked away in a huff, and had the BUSBOY pass on the same message: you can't order coffee because you've already paid (have these people never heard of someone changing their mind?”
  19. “The waitresses are horrible, but who the hell cares.”
  20. “The service is nice enough, but you can't help but feel a little rushed with the line of people outside waiting.”
  21. “Dinner was absolutely fabulous, completely reasonable, and our waitress had some great suggestions from the menu.”
  22. “Extremely rude service”
value
83.33000183105469% positive
  1. “and it saddens me to always have to share the dining room with such dreadful pretentious babies- but such is the price to live in such a wonderful city and eat such wonderful cheap food.”
  2. “The Apple Pancakes are great and definitely are worth the selection.”
  3. “Tartine is one of my favorite places in Manhattan for value, quality, and setting.”
  4. “The food, however, was marvelous, and at $10 per person, a great value.”
  5. “With so many better restaurants in the area, this place is not worth the wait, the bad service, cramped tables, mediocre food, and the cash only policy.”
  6. “There is something very special about a restaurant that can offer amazing delights at reasonable prices.”
  7. “Great food for the right price”
  8. “They come in a huge bucket.”
  9. “There is a total disconnect between the rather good food at a reasonable price and the absolutely mindnumbing surlyness of the waitstaff.”
wait time
50.0% positive
  1. “This was one of the best meals I have had in a long time.”
  2. “I've seen long lines, but if you're in leisurely mood, it's nice to bring a bottle of wine and dine, because the neighborhood and French feel is memorable.”
  3. “Relaxing, but quite slow.”
  4. “To sum up my experience at Tartine in a nut-shell it was: 1) a long wait 2) a grossly small restaurant with people bumping into your chair every time they pass 3) a rude and poorly trained staff with major attitude 4) a bus boy that thinks its ok to sweep”
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

10/11/09

love this place!

by daniellekeeps

such a nice beautiful cozy restaurant! its fantastic the waitress held our spot on the line and allowed us to go around the block for a bottle of wine! and we had a table waiting for us once we got back!

yes its byob! such a value at that and such a selection at the shop around the block. i bet they get so much business because of this restaurant.

this is your traditional French bistro, great place to start your date, and move on toward all the bars in the village afterwards.

love it!

  • Pros: really cute, friendly, good prices
  • Cons: get thier early or their could be a line
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

08/19/09

A Cozy french bistro minus the price.

by ninong

This is my favorite BYOB restaurant in New York. Everytime I have a timeoff I make sure that I dined at Tartine.

I had been going to this place since it open. I know most of the waiters. They are very friendly and accomodating.

My favorite is the curry mussels with frites. Delicious. You can get better food than this.

Service is excellent. Kudos to Tartine.

  • Pros: Good and excellent food. Fantastic service .
  • Cons: They may run out of their special
4 Star Rating: Recommended

01/21/09

Delicious, and BYOB, which is great

by halli620

This place is adorable. I was taken here on a date and I love that it's BYOB. They even open the bottle for you. I got the chicken and my date got the spicy chicken, and I picked the spinach salad and the sauce from the chicken mixed with it and it was fantastic. We went on a Friday and there was a very long wait, so be prepared. I'm not sure how long we waited, maybe 45 minutes, but unfortunately since the line's on the sidewalk and not private property, you can't open your bottle while you wait. It's very cramped inside so you really have to squeeze into your seats, but I loved it anyway. Cash only (caught us off guard).

  • Pros: delicious, and BYOB
  • Cons: very long wait, very cramped inside
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

01/16/09

Ginormous Chicken P0T Pie and a Salad for under 20 bucks!? WHAT!?

by SensitiveBobby

This restaurant has the best curry and coconut milk mussels on special. They come in a huge bucket. They make me weep.

I've been coming to Tartine for years and it only seems to get tastier and each time I think, "Sweet Chocolate Jesus- that was the best tasting food they served us yet ! "

I don't know what everyone is talking about, they have PLENTY of legroom. it's a LARGE restaurant on the corner!! Bring the whole clan! The staff is lightning quick and professional about our orders.

I asked the girls and they've all worked there for years. I think the bad reviews must be people from competing restaurants in the neighborhood. How could anyone be untrained and rude when I see them hugging and kissing all the regular customers every time I have a meal there?! Lordy, some people in NY nuzzle on teats! and it saddens me to always have to share the dining room with such dreadful pretentious babies- but such is the price to live in such a wonderful city and eat such wonderful cheap food. Here's a thought - If you sausage fluffers are so stuffy and rich, WHY YA EATIN AT SUCH A CHEAP RESTAURANT JERKY PANTS?

  • Pros: No corking Fee! And the smiles are free too!
  • Cons: There is nothing wrong with Tartine it is PERFECT
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

11/18/08

don't believe the others Tartine is wonderful

by scammell

I'm sorry to hear that the other reviewer was so disappointed. Tartine was my friend's favorite restaurant in New York and since she introduced me to it, I might argue it's mine as well. They serve delicious new French (?) fare, that in the many times I've been there, whatever I've gotten, it's all been good.The place is really, really small [read: (if you're like me) "cozy"; (whereas if you're note) read: "cramped"). I've always found the service to be fine: nothing memorable either good or bad. The real key here is that the place is BYO, meaning the cost of dinner stays low. With entrees from the mid/high teens to low twenties you can eat a really great meal (and I honestly do think their food is wonderful) and drink a bottle of wine (no corkage, so far as I remember) for around $30-something. I can't recommend it enough. With all the places to try in the city, I'll be going there for my 5th (or so) time tomorrow night.

The Details on Tartine

Place Categories:

  • great bistro food
  • rude service
  • favorite byob restaurant
  • order coffee
  • delectable desserts
  • romantic tartine
  • memorable nothing
  • really great meal
  • bad experience
  • attentive wait staff
  • rude waiter
  • mediocre food
  • great brunch
  • beautiful cozy restaurant
  • enjoy spicy chicken
  • thoroughly impressed fellow dinner
  • great quiet location
  • amazing croissants
  • great apple pancakes
  • delicious house salad
  • memorable neighborhood
  • quite good curry mussels
  • great little place
  • gross eggs benedict
  • rude trained staff

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