(212) 772-2600

20 E 76th St (Madison Avenue and 5th Avenue)
New York, NY 10021 40.7744 -73.9643

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Neighborhoods: Upper East Side, Midtown

DANIELNYC.COM

Hours:

Tue-Thu 12pm-2:30pm

5:45pm-10:30pm

Fri 12pm-2:30pm

5:45pm-11pm

Sat 11:30am-2:30pm

5:30pm-11pm

Sun 11:30am-2:30pm

Price:

$$$$

Last updated 7.20.11

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, Diners Club, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Local Favorite, Special Occasion Dining, Outdoor Dining, Notable Chef, People Watching, Business Dining, Online Reservations, Notable Wine List

Cuisine:

French, Seafood

Other Locations:

Editor's Tips

What People Are Saying About Cafe Boulud

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

In Short – Cafe Boulud couldn't be less like Daniel in terms of decor. One is a globally ambitious temple of gastronomy, and looks every bit the part; while this one is sleek and minimal, a quiet and austere East Side space. The food, however, is a different story: Wunderkind chef Gavin Kaysen has a shocking mastery of all the old virtuoso French techniques (witness his Brandt Farms beef duo "pomme de terre au four") as well as a willingness to go out on a limb (his penne with lamb merguez meatballs.) Boulud is as famous among cooks as a mentor, and Kaysen one of his greatest…

Editor's Tips

Know Before You Go:
There are a few tables in front of the restaurant, but they feel a little too close to the street for comfort.
The Extras:
If you're feeling flush, the best way to experience the food is via the tasting menu. Running nine courses and at least two hours, it's a real adventure.
Where to Sit:
Try to get a table at the opposite end of the room from the bar. Waiting diners can make some tables slightly cramped.
ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. “Inspired by Chef Boulud's fame as a chef, went there on a Saturday evening for a romantic dinner.”
  2. “However, our table was next to the walk way leading into the kitchen, so there were people walking by the entire time, which somewhat ruined the romantic atmosphere and beautiful decor as we noticed when we first walked in.”
  3. “The atmosphere was warm & inviting & would be fine for children.”
  4. “would highly recommend this restaurant, it is also fun to people watch being on the UES and all!”
  5. “The atmosphere is elegant but not stifling.”
  6. “The beautiful decor is the frst bright spot of Cafe Boulud.”
  7. “For a relatively casual atmosphere, I found the restaurant week menu quite good.”
dessert
55.56000232696533% positive
  1. “The food is what really makes this restaurant, I had duck that was so juicy and full of flavor, and an absolutely delicious dessert.”
  2. “Dessert to top off our fantastic meal--a chocolate cake to die for!”
  3. “We didn't order dessert and left as quick as we could.”
drinks
88.88999938964844% positive
  1. “Also great $40 wine!”
  2. “It was hot and we were sitting outside so I wanted a cool bottle of white wine.”
  3. “Our group of 7 was treated wonderfully- perfect service, delicious food and the best wine.”
  4. “The wine was wonderful but that didn't make up for the poor , almost condescending attitudes and average food.”
  5. “The service was attentive and yet not intrusive, we got good advice on the wine (although I did get my purse knocked off the chair by the waiting staff a couple of times).”
  6. “The service is great, the drinks from the bar are well made and the food is straight from heaven.”
food quality
90.17000198364258% positive
  1. “Dessert to top off our fantastic meal--a chocolate cake to die for!”
  2. “The food was great, the service was nice and we loved the coziness of the place.”
  3. “However the waitress who served our table kept to push us to order more dish but we declined because we did not need more food.”
  4. “Fantastic, real pleasure, great menu, its not stuffy yet the food is a delight.”
  5. “We also loved the bread that make in the house.”
  6. “Puzzling that the Upper East Side, home of so many well heeled connoisseurs,should be so devoid of great restaurants with serious food.”
  7. “Until you try Cafe Boulud, you can only imagine how incredible the food can taste.”
  8. “Our group of 7 was treated wonderfully- perfect service, delicious food and the best wine.”
  9. “Best food, relaxed, not stuffy”
  10. “Usually these are the places that you either love or hate - great food, over priced, rude service, nice space, etc.”
  11. “unique dish.”
  12. “The food, on the other hand, was not as great as I thought it would be.”
  13. “Portions were small but the salmon had a very rich tasting sauce.”
  14. “The food was perfect.”
  15. “do not recommend this restaurant, if you wish to try Chef Bouluds great food, skip this place and go to his other two.”
  16. “The scallops were spectacular, mushroom soup divine”
  17. “My wife and I spent 4 wonderful nights in NYC and while there we always indulge in the best cuisine the town has to offer.”
  18. “The food is what really makes this restaurant, I had duck that was so juicy and full of flavor, and an absolutely delicious dessert.”
  19. “Too pretentious to discern the primary ingredients, great halibut completely overpowered by middle-eastern spices, overcooked Atlantic sole, tuna tartar (very nicely done) next to what was grandly termed fava bean salad but was really a sequence of five (”
  20. “The food is fabulous & the.”
  21. “The service and food were perfect.”
  22. “The food was okay, but nothing like ?”
  23. “The food was great and the service excellent.”
  24. “My friend really enjoyed the chilled carrot soup, I had the beet salad which was delicious.”
  25. “We very much enjoyed our meal @ this restaurant.”
  26. “We did not order only one dish to share and even I explained her that I am not starved, it was unnecessary, though.”
  27. “think Cafe Boulud is the best venue to experience the cuisine of Daniel Boulud.”
  28. “The food was amazing.”
  29. “would go back just for that yummy bread.”
  30. “The food in general was good, tasty, but nothing extraordinary.”
  31. “The service is great, the drinks from the bar are well made and the food is straight from heaven.”
  32. “The food here is always excellent.”
  33. “Although this restaurant is not top of most published lists for fine dining, it has the best combination of food, setting and price for what it offers.”
  34. “Just got back from a restaurant wk lunch and had a fabulous meal.”
  35. “WIne selections that the waiter suggested went perfect with our top-notch meal.”
  36. “Courteous, funny, gracious, attentive, and when we sent back the foul fish, they could not have bent over backwards more to see that we were happy.”
  37. “The wine was wonderful but that didn't make up for the poor , almost condescending attitudes and average food.”
  38. “Excellent food and good service.”
  39. “However, on a recent visit to NYC, I went ahead and tried Cafe Boulud, and was surprised with their outstanding food and service.”
menu variety
80.0% positive
  1. “You have to eat full menu to feel okay.”
  2. “As you might expect, the menu is terrific (though certainly not cheap) at Mr. Boulud's popular "downscale" concept restaurant.”
  3. “For a relatively casual atmosphere, I found the restaurant week menu quite good.”
  4. “WIne selections that the waiter suggested went perfect with our top-notch meal.”
  5. “Fantastic, real pleasure, great menu, its not stuffy yet the food is a delight.”
overall
87.5% positive
  1. “do not recommend this restaurant, if you wish to try Chef Bouluds great food, skip this place and go to his other two.”
  2. “Cafe Boulud was definitely the best restaurant out of the four we dined at for dinner.”
  3. “The kicker might have been the price, but for a splurge this is a great place.”
  4. “The food was great, the service was nice and we loved the coziness of the place.”
return potential
100.0% positive
  1. “also tried my friends scallops which was really good, I would go back just for that.”
  2. “My overall experience in this place was great, and I will definitely be back.”
  3. “would go back just for that yummy bread.”
service
87.25000381469727% positive
  1. “The couple next to us was momentarily unhappy with their service and the waiters fell all over themselves to make it up to them.”
  2. “The service was attentive and yet not intrusive, we got good advice on the wine (although I did get my purse knocked off the chair by the waiting staff a couple of times).”
  3. “Food was fine but was average, nothing special but only special thing was the rude waitress being never match to very expensive place.”
  4. “The service was bad, however.”
  5. “Attentive, warm, sophisticated service.”
  6. “Went there for a friend's birthday--the service was fantastic, very attentive waiter, and the staff was pleasant.”
  7. “The food was great, the service was nice and we loved the coziness of the place.”
  8. “bad service, incompetant staff”
  9. “The food was great and the service excellent.”
  10. “THE SERVICE was impeccable and very very attentive!”
  11. “Fantastic service, friendly and attentive staff”
  12. “WIne selections that the waiter suggested went perfect with our top-notch meal.”
  13. “The upside was that the staff was Fabulous!”
  14. “would highly recommend this restaurant, it is also fun to people watch being on the UES and all!”
  15. “The service was so good we felt like royalty yet in no way was it intrusive.”
  16. “The restaurant was less than impressive and the staff not very considerate.”
  17. “Presentation was lovely and service professional, if occasionally a trifle rushed (it was understandably very busy) -- but they never let their hectic pace affect us adversely.”
  18. “Courteous, funny, gracious, attentive, and when we sent back the foul fish, they could not have bent over backwards more to see that we were happy.”
  19. “However, on a recent visit to NYC, I went ahead and tried Cafe Boulud, and was surprised with their outstanding food and service.”
  20. “The service is great, the drinks from the bar are well made and the food is straight from heaven.”
  21. “Our group of 7 was treated wonderfully- perfect service, delicious food and the best wine.”
  22. “Excellent food and good service.”
  23. “The staff is well-trained and kind.”
  24. “The service was amazing, like watching a well choreographed dance.”
  25. “am a bit surprised on reading the review below mine because the staff were very friendly and not rude or snobbish at all!”
  26. “Our servers were polite and nice.”
  27. “The waiters were attentive but we felt hurried.”
  28. “We have a pretty positive attitude so we still had a wonderful time and I think the staff were overly helpful since we were not snotty about it, but for $500, it was totally not worth it.”
  29. “However, our table was next to the walk way leading into the kitchen, so there were people walking by the entire time, which somewhat ruined the romantic atmosphere and beautiful decor as we noticed when we first walked in.”
  30. “The service was polite and formal.”
  31. “The surroundings are nice and the staff is professional.”
  32. “Usually these are the places that you either love or hate - great food, over priced, rude service, nice space, etc.”
  33. “However the waitress who served our table kept to push us to order more dish but we declined because we did not need more food.”
  34. “The service and food were perfect.”
value
70.83000183105469% positive
  1. “Food was fine but was average, nothing special but only special thing was the rude waitress being never match to very expensive place.”
  2. “Although this restaurant is not top of most published lists for fine dining, it has the best combination of food, setting and price for what it offers.”
  3. “We have a pretty positive attitude so we still had a wonderful time and I think the staff were overly helpful since we were not snotty about it, but for $500, it was totally not worth it.”
  4. “The kicker might have been the price, but for a splurge this is a great place.”
  5. “Usually these are the places that you either love or hate - great food, over priced, rude service, nice space, etc.”
  6. “This place is like a white on white painting in the Museum of Modern Art - just stupid and a great way for Daniel to separate money from the rich and naive.”
  7. “As you might expect, the menu is terrific (though certainly not cheap) at Mr. Boulud's popular "downscale" concept restaurant.”
  8. “There are too many other wonderful four star restaurants in Manhattan to waste your time and money on this one.”
wait time
0.0% positive
  1. “We didn't order dessert and left as quick as we could.”
2 Star Rating: Below Average

07/23/11

Excellent Service - where's the food?

by TonyArdmore

The service at Cafe Boulud is almost perfect, If you want to get into details, there are flaws, In the current heat wave, we asked only for ice tea. But, with the refills they did not include new lemon slices. - Pickey - yes. But for a place that has more service staff than you can imagine - something of a question,

The food - what there was - really quite good. But here is the point. We dined during restaurant week and had the 25$ menu for three courses Very respectable.

But the portions were miniscule. I had the flounder. Yes, it was very good, But, the piece of fish was about two inches square.

My daughter had the Fusilli ( which weren't fusilli) and there were about four fork fulls. - How much does pasta cost? Is there anything cheaper?

Oddly, the most complete course was the dessert. Very satisfying,

Next to us a mother and son were dining a la carte.

The boy had the beef. A few tiny pieces at something like $40.!!!!

Cafe Boulud is very Manhattan. It lives on what the NY elite think they should be getting and how they should be treated, Include with them the tourists who timidly resign themselves to the invented machinations of NY chefs. \

For the $25 restaurant week, this place was fine - even enjoyable. But - beyond that, you will be creating your own illusion and paying quite well for your fantasy.

4 Star Rating: Recommended

06/02/10

Boulud on Behind the Burner

by lovingfood15

Behind the Burner. com has a great video about the chef at Cafe' Boulud

4 Star Rating: Recommended

02/01/10

Sample Daniel Boulud's Genius on a Budget

by jimandinla

As you might expect, the menu is terrific (though certainly not cheap) at Mr. Boulud's popular "downscale" concept restaurant. More surprising is the ability of the kitchen to deliver the goods with consistent reliability despite the pressures of its often full house. Equally impressive is the graciousness and attentiveness of the front of house staff -- though decidedly a "hot spot" there is little "attitude" here.

  • Pros: Great menu and execution
  • Cons: Can be very busy and noisy
1 Star Rating: Poor

01/22/09

Hope you're not hungry!

by bagsamoney

If you are in a rush and not hungry then this is the place for you! I had lunch here and ordered ravioli as the main course. What I was served was ONE ravioli, total. Seriously! Oh and if you are looking to fill up on their dessert, think again! I ordered the chocolate cake and I use the word "cake" loosely. What I was served was mmmmmmm imagine a chocolate mini muffin and then imagine it cut in half. That was the size of it. Oh I almost forgot, I also got a tablespoon of ice cream. The waiters were attentive but we felt hurried. So if you plan on coming here to eat then you better plan to grab a bite after your time here because you're going to be hungry. In conclusion: If you think you might enjoy eating a 3 course meal here in 6 bites then this is the place for you.

  • Pros: attentive waiters
  • Cons: portions are so small that they are insulting!
4 Star Rating: Recommended

10/21/08

Everything was amazing

by lesterslls

Everything was amazing. I was taken here with my friends for a birthday dinner and we each had different dishes and couldn't stop raving. The kicker might have been the price, but for a splurge this is a great place.

  • Pros: food,ambiance

The Details on Cafe Boulud

Place Categories:

  • perfect sophisticated service
  • great food
  • best restaurant
  • overly helpful staff
  • great overall experience
  • fine atmosphere
  • favorite place
  • much enjoyed meal
  • bad service
  • great wine
  • quite good restaurant week menu
  • amazing everything
  • nice screaming children
  • fantastic evening
  • bent courteous
  • loved bread
  • not as great average food
  • really good friends scallops
  • unique more dish
  • full duck
  • absolutely delicious dessert
  • fantastic waiter
  • polite servers
  • beautiful decor
  • excellent simple salads
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