La Bonne Soupe

03/18/09

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

by Jen78

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

12/27/07

Great Prices, Very Good Food, Cramped Space, and Good Service

by zler

I went there for the second time just a little while ago and it was an excellent and enjoyable surprise. The first time I went, I ordered the steak frites and it was pretty good, but the second time I ordered something a little more french, the croque monsieur, and it was excellent. It was basically a ham and cheese sandwich, but with an upscale twist. I normally hate swiss cheese but it was so good that I ate the whole thing. I would recommend getting a more interesting dish, not something boring like the steak. The decor was very french but simple, in a good way. Our waiter was a little snobby, but most of the other waiters seemed very nice. The service was average, but we were seated very quickly, even thought the restaurant was very crowded. The seating was pretty cramped but it didn't really bother me, in fact it was a refreshing difference to the isolation of most other restaurants. The prices were incredible for a restaurant in that area and the food was better than the more expensive french restaurants I've been to in that area.

• Pros: Very Good Food, Great Prices, Nice decor
• Cons: a bit cramped

12/17/07

One of My New Favorite Places

by rajivk111

I came here just taking a friend from out of town to dinner. I haven't had much french food in the past so I don't have much to compare it to. I felt that the ambiance was completely without pretense, the staff was friendly, the waitress we had was incredibly cute and had a sexxy french accent. The chicken I had was one of the most tender I've ever had and the wine was pretty good. We were served quickly and politely. Its not the fanciest place and I wouldn't reccomend it for a particularly romantic date, although I do not think it is a terrible place for one. I will definitely be back.

• Pros: Comfortable Ambiance, Friendly Staff, Great Food.
• Cons: None, accept that it may not be the most romantic place.