Les Enfants Terribles

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37 Canal St (at at Ludlow St.)
New York, NY 10002

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(212) 777-7518
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Les Enfants Terribles - New York, NY
Les Enfants Terribles - New York, NY
Les Enfants Terribles - New York, NY
Les Enfants Terribles - New York, NY
Reviews
( 18 )
( 17 )
( 8 )
( 14 )
( 21 )

Best

The sad thing about these reviews is that most of the time people only leave comments for a bad experience or negative feelings. After curiously searching on NY Mag to see what pe...

Worst

Though the food is decent and the decor is nice, I was beyond appalled at how we were treated by the staff at this restaurant. We had a 7:30 reservation, and by 9pm they dropped t...

Terribly, Rude Service! 2/23/2005

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
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African enclave on the quiet end of Canal St. 2/15/2005

What a welcome surprise to find this very different restaurant in the heart of Chinatown. My guest had the impossible to pronounce steak - we both thought it passed as a good steak. I had fish. Dish was small but delicious. The casssava fries were just incredible. We ordered them twice. Not the place to go if you are looking for a great alcohol mixed drink but they did have their own house special drinks if you've tried them all and are in search of something new. Service was excellent and the atmosphere quite comfortable. Pros: Wooden Interior, African ornaments, Cassava Fries Cons: Drinks w/ no bite, Canal St East more
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African enclave on the quiet end of Canal St. 2/15/2005

What a welcome surprise to find this very different restaurant in the heart of Chinatown. My guest had the impossible to pronounce steak - we both thought it passed as a good steak. I had fish. Dish was small but delicious. The casssava fries were just incredible. We ordered them twice. Not the place to go if you are looking for a great alcohol mixed drink but they did have their own house special drinks if you've tried them all and are in search of something new. Service was excellent and the atmosphere quite comfortable. Pros: Wooden Interior, African ornaments, Cassava Fries Cons: Drinks w/ no bite, Canal St East more
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fantastic 1/15/2005

we ordered four drinks, 2 appetizers, 2 entrees and dessert -- all of which were interesting and delicious. best of all, it was a great value. we highly recommend. Pros: great food, great drinks, good value more
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fantastic 1/15/2005

we ordered four drinks, 2 appetizers, 2 entrees and dessert -- all of which were interesting and delicious. best of all, it was a great value. we highly recommend. Pros: great food, great drinks, good value more
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Intimate dining 11/17/2004

The restaurant is in a quiet part of the Lower East Side. It is a very small restaurant, too. Getting into your seat and out can be challenging--very intimate dining--with other guests. However, the unique dishes such as the duck and escagot pie are worth the trip. more
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If you want fast food, go to Taco Bell 7/9/2004

There is a reason why the wait is what it is...the food is delicious and the atmosphere is adorable. I love the fact that its small and cozy. The music helps too. Where else can you go and listen to Fela Kuti one minute and The Star Wars Cantina song the next? That steak is so spectacular. You, know, the one with the name that no one can pronounce. When you ask for medium rare, it always comes out medium rare...not rare, not medium, but medium rare. And those fries.... Good times kids. Pros: , Delicious food Cons: , cute staff more
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If you want fast food, go to Taco Bell 7/9/2004

There is a reason why the wait is what it is...the food is delicious and the atmosphere is adorable. I love the fact that its small and cozy. The music helps too. Where else can you go and listen to Fela Kuti one minute and The Star Wars Cantina song the next? That steak is so spectacular. You, know, the one with the name that no one can pronounce. When you ask for medium rare, it always comes out medium rare...not rare, not medium, but medium rare. And those fries.... Good times kids. Pros: , Delicious food Cons: , cute staff more
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In dire need of improvement! 6/15/2004

What's the point fo making reservations for this place? We arrived on time and were made to wait next to an overburdened bar area full of drunken frat boys that should have been cut off hours before. After an hour waiting and what seemed like a ""what do we care"" attitude from the staff, we left and went to eat elsewhere. Lousy service! Pros: Has potential Cons: , Loud, Poor service more
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In dire need of improvement! 6/15/2004

What's the point fo making reservations for this place? We arrived on time and were made to wait next to an overburdened bar area full of drunken frat boys that should have been cut off hours before. After an hour waiting and what seemed like a "what do we care" attitude from the staff, we left and went to eat elsewhere. Lousy service! Pros: Has potential Cons: , Loud, Poor service more
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LONG wait and poor service 2/27/2004

We waited almost an hour to be seated for our 8:30 reservation even though we were told it would be only 20 minutes when we walked in. Given that there is basically no room whatsoever to sit or stand near the bar, it was one of the most uncomfortable hours of my life. Once we did get seated, we asked for bread and water 3 or 4 times before someone finally brought them over. While the food was actually good, it was not worth the uncomfortable wait and substandard service. Cons: , service more
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LONG wait and poor service 2/27/2004

We waited almost an hour to be seated for our 8:30 reservation even though we were told it would be only 20 minutes when we walked in. Given that there is basically no room whatsoever to sit or stand near the bar, it was one of the most uncomfortable hours of my life. Once we did get seated, we asked for bread and water 3 or 4 times before someone finally brought them over. While the food was actually good, it was not worth the uncomfortable wait and substandard service. Cons: , service more
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Not Worth The Wait 2/22/2004

My four friends and I waited almost two hours after our 8:00 pm reservation and finally walked out without eating. The rude and unaccomodating hostess (who we later learned was the manager) repeatedly promised us "the next table" but never offered to buy us a drink while we waited. The drinks we eventually purchased ourselves (the barstaff was incredibly inattentive) were puny and overpriced. To top it off, when we finally left, they would not give us our coats unless we paid a coat-check fee. And many other parties left that night without getting seated despite having reservations. It was a terrible experience. Cons: , Poorly managed more
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Not Worth The Wait 2/22/2004

My four friends and I waited almost two hours after our 8:00 pm reservation and finally walked out without eating. The rude and unaccomodating hostess (who we later learned was the manager) repeatedly promised us ""the next table"" but never offered to buy us a drink while we waited. The drinks we eventually purchased ourselves (the barstaff was incredibly inattentive) were puny and overpriced. To top it off, when we finally left, they would not give us our coats unless we paid a coat-check fee. And many other parties left that night without getting seated despite having reservations. It was a terrible experience. Cons: , Poorly managed more
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Knowing NY Culture 2/19/2004

I have been to many ""new and eclectic"" places in NY and I have to admit this is in line with places like Esperanto, BAO, Casimire and Paladar (etc.) If you like an energetic atmosphere in addition to a possitive crowd and funky-gormet (meaning traditional meats/bases with innovative spices) then this is the place. The fact that it out of the way only adds to it's personality and mystique. Believe me - if you're a new yorker, you will enjoy the tight, crowded, friendly and crazy space. Something to remember. Pros: food, MUSIC, people Cons: , cash only or Amex more
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Knowing NY Culture 2/19/2004

I have been to many "new and eclectic" places in NY and I have to admit this is in line with places like Esperanto, BAO, Casimire and Paladar (etc.) If you like an energetic atmosphere in addition to a possitive crowd and funky-gormet (meaning traditional meats/bases with innovative spices) then this is the place. The fact that it out of the way only adds to it's personality and mystique. Believe me - if you're a new yorker, you will enjoy the tight, crowded, friendly and crazy space. Something to remember. Pros: food, MUSIC, people Cons: , cash only or Amex more
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Not worth the claustrophobia 2/17/2004

I made a reservation at Les Enfants Terribles but had to wait for 20 minutes after the reservation time, only to be crammed into a tiny table between two other tiny tables. My date, next to the wall, fared well, but I was continually elbowed by the patrons at the bar, which was only a few feet away. Our waitress' visits to our table were few and far between. The food was excellent, but it wasn't worth the lack of intimacy and uncomfortably close quarters. Pros: Great food, Eclectic, Good value Cons: , Understaffed, Long wait time more
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Not worth the claustrophobia 2/17/2004

I made a reservation at Les Enfants Terribles but had to wait for 20 minutes after the reservation time, only to be crammed into a tiny table between two other tiny tables. My date, next to the wall, fared well, but I was continually elbowed by the patrons at the bar, which was only a few feet away. Our waitress' visits to our table were few and far between. The food was excellent, but it wasn't worth the lack of intimacy and uncomfortably close quarters. Pros: Great food, Eclectic, Good value Cons: , Understaffed, Long wait time more
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Good ambience, mediocre food & bad svc 2/13/2004

I'm amazed at how positive these reviews are. We had made reservations for a friend's birthday dinner, but as they seated us, the hostess told us we could only have our table for 40 minutes. ""What?"" we asked. She couldn't be serious. Well, throughout our mediocre meal, the same hostess came back to glare at us and make us feel uncomfortable about conversing. When she came to ask if we wanted anything else and we told her ""just the check"" (by that point, we'd decided to get dessert elsewhere), she grabbed the plates off the table and left BEFORE WE WERE EVEN FINISHED! The ambience is cool, and the cocktails might be worth coming by, but head somewhere else for dinner. It's just not worth the 'tude. Pros: cool ambience Cons: , witch of a hostess, underwhelming cuisine more
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Good ambience, mediocre food & bad svc 2/12/2004

I'm amazed at how positive these reviews are. We had made reservations for a friend's birthday dinner, but as they seated us, the hostess told us we could only have our table for 40 minutes. "What?" we asked. She couldn't be serious. Well, throughout our mediocre meal, the same hostess came back to glare at us and make us feel uncomfortable about conversing. When she came to ask if we wanted anything else and we told her "just the check" (by that point, we'd decided to get dessert elsewhere), she grabbed the plates off the table and left BEFORE WE WERE EVEN FINISHED! The ambience is cool, and the cocktails might be worth coming by, but head somewhere else for dinner. It's just not worth the 'tude. Pros: cool ambience Cons: , witch of a hostess, underwhelming cuisine more
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Menu for Les Enfants Terribles


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Editorial

  • The Scene
    This worldly little bistro, filled with palm fronds, primitive masks and sand-colored leather banquettes, is an oasis of cool in an otherwise culture-deprived block, where the...

  • 10/8/2004 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Hours: Mon-Sat 9am-4pm, 5:30pm-12am Sun 9am-4pm, 5:30pm-11pm
  • Payments: American Express
  • Neighborhoods: Downtown, Chinatown
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