Les Enfants Terribles

The waiting staff was gracious and very hospitable at this establishment. My lamb was described as tastegasmic, but the steaks were a little over cooked. The frites are delish. Recommended, but large groups will be cramped in this tiny establishment. Good for romantic date. Pros: The lamb, the staff Cons: the cramped quarters more

The waiting staff was gracious and very hospitable at this establishment. My lamb was described as tastegasmic, but the steaks were a little over cooked. The frites are delish. Recommended, but large groups will be cramped in this tiny establishment. Good for romantic date. Pros: The lamb, the staff Cons: the cramped quarters more

I'm surprised by the bad reviews, both the food and the service were great. Sure the waiters were a bit rushed and the orders had to be repeated loudly to be heard through the cocophony of voices, but afterall, this is a fun bistro in Chinatown, not a haute French restaurant where everything is whispered. But there was nothing rude about the service nor was there any snobby attitude (which is often present in other 'hipster' bistros like Le Souk and Casimir). Pros: great food, fun atmosphere Cons: can be noisy and very crowded more

I'm surprised by the bad reviews, both the food and the service were great. Sure the waiters were a bit rushed and the orders had to be repeated loudly to be heard through the cocophony of voices, but afterall, this is a fun bistro in Chinatown, not a haute French restaurant where everything is whispered. But there was nothing rude about the service nor was there any snobby attitude (which is often present in other 'hipster' bistros like Le Souk and Casimir). The food was surprisingly delicious. Popular trendy places rarely place emphasis on the food, hoping the ambience and status will do the job. This one is clearly different. Everything was superb (especially for the prices). Standout appetizer- escargot in a fragrant pastry- was incredibly savoury. Steak tartare was done just right, with the right amount of salt and spice. The entrees were equally as good (except the steak which was good but not exceptional). Scallops on a sweet bed of corn were really delicious. So were the medium-rare duck medallions. My favorite was the leg of lamb- an amazing and subtle mix of buttery french cooking with more balanced, slightly bitter african spices. And the wine list? It can use some improvement, however , there are some pretty good wines there. I was disappointed by the cheaper Rioja, but the Cote de Nuis was very good. Pros: great food, fun atmosphere Cons: can be noisy and very crowded more

The bartender there on a slow rainy Saturday night was a miserable S.O.B. After waiting forever for 2 glasses of corked wine and 2 beers, I had to wait another 5 minutes to get said bartenders attention to get a different wine. What was a simple matter of opening a new bottle and pouring replacements became the perfect opportunity for the bartender to scold the stupid American for ordering the wrong wine or whatever he was muttering under his breath and then, UGH! these too were also undrinkable. Finished the beers and went next door for a MUCH better time that was free of attitude and silly hipster music. It seems that this place thrives on living up to the stereotype of the French as arrogant, condescending, American-hating snobs. If you enjoy paying to be ignored and insulted you'd be hard-pressed to find a place that does it better than this hipper-than-thou hell hole. more

The bartender there on a slow rainy Saturday night was a miserable S.O.B. After waiting forever for 2 glasses of corked wine and 2 beers, I had to wait another 5 minutes to get said bartenders attention to get a different wine. What was a simple matter of opening a new bottle and pouring replacements became the perfect opportunity for the bartender to scold the stupid American for ordering the wrong wine or whatever he was muttering under his breath and then, UGH! these too were also undrinkable. Finished the beers and went next door for a MUCH better time that was free of attitude and silly hipster music. It seems that this place thrives on living up to the stereotype of the French as arrogant, condescending, American-hating snobs. If you enjoy paying to be ignored and insulted you'd be hard-pressed to find a place that does it better than this hipper-than-thou hell hole. more

unfortunately, a very disappointing experience. as in "seinfeld", "they know how to take a reservation, but do not know how to hold a reservation". not only they don't honor your reservation they tell you that they don't care if you leave because they are so busy anyway. there are many restaurants in the city, no need to go to a place that doesn't value its patrons. oh, by the way, the food is mediocre at best. overall, not for people with discriminating tastes. however, for people looking for the "anti-french" attitude, fits the bill:) Pros: none Cons: many more

unfortunately, a very disappointing experience. Cons: many more

I went there last night for Valentine's Day and had the best time ever!! They had a great prix fixe menu which included half a bottle of Veuve Cliquot. The music was great and we ended up staying there dancing until 3 a.m. Just wonderful. The bartender was so much fun and the crowd is easy and fun and you can make a million one night best friends.The service can be a little slow, but it's warm and friendly. And they end the night with free shots of something strong and great. The food is delicious and it's just wonderful. The organic syrah is great. I just love the place, I've never had a bad time. It is small, very small, but that just adds to the charm. Pros: affordable, creative menu, good cocktails, ambience, great bartender more

I went there last night for Valentine's Day and had the best time ever!! They had a great prix fixe menu which included half a bottle of Veuve Cliquot. The music was great and we ended up staying there dancing until 3 a.m. Just wonderful. The bartender was so much fun and the crowd is easy and fun and you can make a million one night best friends.The service can be a little slow, but it's warm and friendly. And they end the night with free shots of something strong and great. The food is delicious and it's just wonderful. The organic syrah is great. I just love the place, I've never had a bad time. It is small, very small, but that just adds to the charm. Pros: affordable, creative menu, good cocktails, ambience, great bartender more

A truly unique place. It's a cozy almost cramped space, where, once settled in, you're treated to a delicious selection of french/african dishes and well-picked wine or cocktails. The djs play a fine selection of international dance music and the waiters are friendly and never pushy. A lovely spot for a late night drink too, especially when they open the large windows facing the street. Pros: food, service, music Cons: a bit cramped more

A truly unique place. It's a cozy almost cramped space, where, once settled in, you're treated to a delicious selection of french/african dishes and well-picked wine or cocktails. The djs play a fine selection of international dance music and the waiters are friendly and never pushy. A lovely spot for a late night drink too, especially when they open the large windows facing the street. Pros: food, service, music Cons: a bit cramped more

ok, so everyone says that the wait is atrocious, the place is tiny etc etc. but i think that is precisely its small quaintness that makes it charming. the music is FANTASTIC... perfect dinner music... even if you have to wait for a spot at the bar to wait for your table, the music and design of the space create an ambiance that is simultaneously chic and comfortable - something extraordinarily difficult to find in this city. i agree that the lack of waiting space is irritating and should be changed, but it is a tiny price to pay for such a wonderful experience. p.s. the wine list is fab (although extraordinarily short) - all affordable and surprisingly delicious Pros: MUSIC, decor, food Cons: no real waiting area more

ok, so everyone says that the wait is atrocious, the place is tiny etc etc. but i think that is precisely its small quaintness that makes it charming. the music is FANTASTIC... perfect dinner music... even if you have to wait for a spot at the bar to wait for your table, the music and design of the space create an ambiance that is simultaneously chic and comfortable - something extraordinarily difficult to find in this city. i agree that the lack of waiting space is irritating and should be changed, but it is a tiny price to pay for such a wonderful experience. p.s. the wine list is fab (although extraordinarily short) - all affordable and surprisingly delicious Pros: MUSIC, decor, food Cons: no real waiting area more

There are so many wonderful restaurants in NY that no one should bother with this place! We made a reservation and waited 30 minutes to be seated and the staff was really rude to us! After being seated, we waited for almost an hour to have something to eat and were really disappointed by the quality of the food! Finally, if you don't want to waste a nice evening, definitely don't go there and don't foraget that in NY you have a huge choice of nice places...! Cons: Very rude, bad service, very slow service more

There are so many wonderful restaurants in NY that no one should bother with this place! We made a reservation and waited 30 minutes to be seated and the staff was really rude to us! After being seated, we waited for almost an hour to have something to eat and were really disappointed by the quality of the food! Finally, if you don't want to waste a nice evening, definitely don't go there and don't foraget that in NY you have a huge choice of nice places...! Cons: Very rude, bad service, very slow service more

The first thing you need to know is the portions are incredibly small and pricey. The atmosphere was great, including the music. The entree, Casbah Lamb, was dissapointing and bland. The carmalized vegetables tasted and looked like canned carrots. The ivory coast spiced sauce lacked complexity and was boring like Chef Boyardee in the can. Overall, I was very disappointed and resented the money I payed for the Terrible food. more

I went in on Sunday night alone and a recent transplant to the neighborhood. the waitress was great and the food was wonderful! It is going to be my Sunday dinner spot for sure. Thank you so much for making me feel welcome in the hood. Pros: nice ambience, excellent gazpacho, out doors Cons: so far not a thing more

I went in on Sunday night alone and a recent transplant to the neighborhood. the waitress was great and the food was wonderful! It is going to be my Sunday dinner spot for sure. Thank you so much for making me feel welcome in the hood. Pros: nice ambience, excellent gazpacho, out doors Cons: so far not a thing more

Although we had a 9:30 reservation, when my boyfriend and I arrived promptly on time, we were told there was just ""a bit of a wait."" After an hour of waiting at an overcrowded bar with our coats in our hands and no room to move, I approached the host (who never bothered to give us an update throughout our wait) to ask him how much longer, He was incredibly rude and dismissed me with his hand and walked away from me while I was trying to talk to him! After paying a fortune for our drinks, we left without eating. No matter how good the food is, it can't be worth waiting in a tiny closet of a restaurant on the lower East Side and being treated like trash by the host. Cons: rude host, long wait, overcrowded more