La Bonne Soupe

12/11/09

Great place close to Radio City

by Gloria M at Citysearch

We went by tour bus to Radio City and only had a short time to eat. Our reservations were for 6:15 and the show was at 8. The bus was very late and when I called the restaurant at 6:45, they said come on over, you will make it. The staff was great and got us served quickly so we made the show. The food was great too. I would love to go back and have a more leisurely dinner.

• Pros: Great food and Service

12/05/09

GREAT

by Nick Kelly at Citysearch

good food; good atmosphere; good prices; service could improve; reminded me of Paris!

• Pros: All Food on the Menu
• Cons: When busy -- service poor --run out of french bread too quic

03/18/09

Don't get "Les Bonnes Soupes"!!!

by Jen78 at Citysearch

So, I had this place recommended to me by a business lady I was talking to on the plane. I love French food and asked if she knew any good places...

Since the place is named the "good soup," I figured, I should order soup. I think that's primarily where I went wrong. Their minestrone soup was fine but lackluster. French food is usually creative and tasty not just okay.

That would have been okay, but this is what I was offended by. So, they offer this deal:

Les Bonnes Soupes $17.25

Each Of Our Soups Is Served With Bread, Salad, Dessert And A Beverage (Glass Of House Wine, Beer, Soda Or Coffee)

A bowl of soup is 6 or 7 dollars, so I figured I would be getting a decent side salad and some yummy fresh bread for the extra $10. Oh, no. I got a bowl of green leaf lettuce with dressing on it. Not a single other vegetable in it. That's lettuce not a salad! And then the bread was anything but tasty it was a crusty cold piece of baguette. It would have been much smarter to order a bowl of soup and one of their dinner salads. I think they serve the baguettes if you order a bowl of soup anyway.

I do have to say that their salad dressing was very tasty and the chocolate mousse I had for dessert was good as well.

I'm wondering given the reviews if their other food is more interesting. I wouldn't go back for the soup but maybe their salads or other entrees are good?

I'm in agreement about the wait staff. Not friendly or attentive. They weren't rude to us, just did nothing and weren't personable.

• Pros: Cute little place
• Cons: Rip off soup package

12/27/08

Decent food and prices. Extremely rude when busy!

by jewels41 at Citysearch

I've visited several times in the past, with positive experiences. Recently, however, I visited for a weekend dinner during the holiday season and it was busy. The dinner was good, desserts, ok, as usual. But the service!

When I asked for a table the manager barked that I needed a reservation, when it hasn't been a problem in the past. The maitre'd told us 40 minutes, barked that it couldn't be any sooner, and when we came on time, had given our table away. She was distracted and I had to wait to even ask how long the wait would be! Our waitress was unfriendly, and barely stopped by. Our busboy didn't refill our water. Perhaps one bad night, but the restaurant clearly needs more staff to handle higher volumes. I won't be there anytime soon after such poor service.

• Pros: Decent food and prices. Location, location, location.
• Cons: Service

11/16/08

Average French food, rude service, good prices

by YBY at Citysearch

My wife and I stumbled on this restaurant by pure chance. We ventured in with no hesitation after reading a few reviews online. First, we were placed in a table by the corridor, all the traffic from the kitchen to the main serving area went by us. As if this was not enough, the busboy was ordering my wife to change her chair position to give his staff more room when they walk by. Note than my wife is barely 85lbs lol

We ordered the steak haches. The sauces were good, French fries perfect but the steak themselves were below standard. Simply you get what you pay for. The Caesar salads were basic with super market dressing.

Finally, being in a French restaurant we wanted to taste their desserts: Creme caramel & mousse au chocolat. My humble advise, save your money. I'd rather by a flan from the supermarket than eat that creme caramel. The mousse au chocolat was average, no comparison with a genuine French mousse au chocolat.

• Pros: Prices, Menu selection
• Cons: Tables too narrow, Not authentic French cuisine, RUDE Service

09/24/08

The Best French Soupe..

by jfisher76 at Citysearch

The french Soupe A L'oignon is amazing!

The Steak Pomme Frites is another fave!

The best thing about this place is the atmosphere. The wait staff is super friendly and always remember what you want. You can tell there is a lot of regulars at this place.

The lunches are really good too. It's within walking distance of our office, so we get over there a few times a month. Ciao Bella Gelatos and Sorbets is great also!! I would highly recommend to all friends

06/12/08

great french onion soup, nice atmosphere

by hempist at Citysearch

We went for lunch during the week and enjoyed the food and the ambience. We ordered the french onion soup which was really, really good. My mouth is watering right now just thinking about it! It had the right amount of onions and very good quality cheese with just a little bit of a sourness to it, delicious!! The bread was good too. The tabes are very close together, the people next to us ordered salads and they looked really good and the portions were big. The service was fine, we were seated promptly at an empty table and right away a waitress brought silverware, salt and pepper, and bread. I liked the dark, cozy feel of the restaurant too.

• Pros: FRENCH ONION SOUP
• Cons: the tables are really close together

06/12/08

Awful food, worse service

by mrnycdiner at Citysearch

My wife and I went for lunch recently and except for the decor we have nothing positive to say about this place. When you enter the space it really is lovely and you feel like you are in France. Unfortunately, the service is even worse than you come to expect in France. The hostess was not very friendly. The waiter didn't show up at the table until we asked for him 10 minutes later (keep in mind this was for lunch during the work week). He took our order and when we were served he mixed up our orders. He never returned until we asked for the check - not to ask if the food was alright and not to refill our water glasses. The linens left lint all over our clothes. On to the food.... I ordered a crepe and my wife ordered the croque monsieur. We both agreed that the food was not very fresh and not very good. My dish was way too salty - almost inedible - normally I would complain but it was apparent that no one working there cared. Keep in mind that it was just lunch during work hours so we weren't expecting a great meal - just a little quality time together and a decent meal - truly a big disappointment. Next time we will meet at Au Bon Pain!!!!

• Pros: Decor
• Cons: Food, service

06/04/08

Excellent down to earth french food and atmosphere!

by warriormuffin at Citysearch

We had dinner there last night previous to a concert at the Radio City Music Hall, and were extremely pleased with not only the food, but the atmosphere of the restaurant as well. I had just been to France last August, and am of French decent, and can honestly tell you that this is the real deal. The food was fresh, filling, simple and an incredible deal. The $16.75 bonne soup prix fixe is a STEAL at the price. The house wine was good, and the chocolate mousse at the end was very satisfying. We did not experience any of the poor service that other members talked about, but as I said, this is a true French bistro and when it gets busy, you might have to wait a bit. So if it happens, deal with it, maybe go a little earlier because it's totally worth it! We will definitely be returning.

• Pros: Food, Atmosphere, Value

04/01/08

Great place for lunch

by GRGeep at Citysearch

We arrived for lunch at 11:30am and were seated promptly before the lunch crowd drifted in. The menu is full of wonderful French fare and the service is fast and attentive. Very convenient to MoMA and other Midtown events. My crepe was really yummy!

• Pros: Great French fare, fast service, great value, Midtown location