Frenchette Reviews

This place has blown up since their favorable New York Times review so the fact that I got next day reservations was pure luck. With all the hype, I was afraid that they wouldn't live up to it. Well worry not, this place is legit. We ordered the duck frites, gnocchi, goulash, veal tongue and mackerel, and brouillade. My favorites are the veal tongue and goulash. But everything was quite amazing. My least favorite was the gnocchi. I just felt like it was missing something; maybe cream? Our server was very nice but slightly absent minded. He asked me if I preferred tap or bottled seltzer and I said bottled seltzer. He came back with a pitcher of tap. Not a deal breaker just a bit of a shortcoming. I'll definitely be coming back either way. This place was worth the hype in my opinion.

The food was still about as excellent as the last time I'd made it back — this time for brunch, with a lovely fat pancake, excellent bread, carrots as good as I'd remembered, tartare, etc. Cocktails were also better than ever. The service was a little scattered sometimes. It could take a long time to get someone's attention in a way that I'm not used to — for example, ordering a bottle of wine at a point in the meal when I could still enjoy it with my food. When another team member checked in on us and our empty cocktails, I asked for whichever Sébastien Riffault bottle might have the most interesting profile for our food, given that Riffault leaves most of his grapes on the vine late for botrytis. Some nice man whose attention I'd been previously unable to get for about 20 minutes then came over to fuss about how none were botrytis affected, so I just chose one I knew to be 50% botrytized so that I wouldn't prolong the distance between me and the wine any further. i doubt he intended to be obtuse but the conversation could have gone differently about 25 minutes before that. People working with tables were otherwise very pleasant and generally knowledgable and we never felt rushed. Host who sat us was extremely kind and welcoming.

Came here with a friend whilst visiting the city. Brilliant spot for a long lunch with an extensive (although a tad pricey) wine list. The food is wonderfully prepared with fresh ingredients - would recommend the chicken (if your with someone else... both get it one with fries one with salad as it’s all v generous!) Would certainly recommend or visit again when I come back to NYC!

It’s difficult to get a reservation ( not sure why, most likely hype). We came in & were able to get seated within 20 minutes. The cocktails are great. I primarily wanted to have dinner at frenchette because Turbot is my favorite fish and it’s rare that you see it on the menu. Unfortunately they were out of it on a not that busy Saturday evening at 8:00 ( prime time). I’m very limited with my food options as I don’t eat meat & only eat white, mild fish. They substituted Dorade. It was much too dry & flavorless unless you douse it in the chino hurt I said they served on the side. The beet salad was eh as well. Pc of large cooked beet with a few shaved radishes. Nothing memorable at all. I feel they have a great marketing company promoting the restaurant because the food is no big deal whatsoever. It’s not bad, but I wouldn’t be craving to go back, like some restaurants we normally go to, which are not hyped up.

The interior of this restaurant looks beautiful. The furniture contains many rounded corners resembling an interior of the twenties. The music adds only noise to busy ambiance and is in fact very unnecessary. We order an appetizer and a main course. The Tomato, Cucumber and Water-melon salad is fresh but the grated cheese over it is unnecessary. All ingredients in this restaurant are organic. The Veal-Tongue sliced in very thin slices combined with Mackerel is a lovely combination. The slightly salty Mackerel seasoning the veal is a clever invention. The Vinaigrette is creamy but misses the acidity that this dish needs. Capers? The slightly bitter salad-leaves are a bit too coarse for this dish and are not manageable with one fork. A side dish of bread is very good but the lovely salted butter that comes with it is too tiny. The Pasta as a main coarse is very disappointing and even slightly under-cooked. With so many excellent Italian places in Manhattan this is a complete miss. If you would like to feature a Pasta on the Menu it should better be outstanding. As a lover of Moroccan-dishes I order a Tajine with Artichokes. If this is an excellent Tajine it would certainly make me come back to this restaurant. The Tajine is served in Morocco and Algeria, an explosion of Earthy-flavors (and colors) that everyone should try. The vegetables are stacked in the Tajine according to their cooking-time. This begins with slightly coloring diced onions in the pan with a generous splash of Olive-oil. The vegetables that need the longest cooking-time (also meat, or Poultry) are then placed in the pan. A mix of minced-spices, such as Cumin, Ginger, Turmeric/Saffron, Paprika Powder, Cinnamon are diluted in a cup of hot water and then added to the pan, you cann add a splash of vegetable-stock or Chicken-stock if available - and the dish simmers away. For a sweet note you can add dried fruits such as: Figs, Raisins or Dades. The Artichokes hearts (pre-cooked) can be added the very last minute as they don’t need to be cooked but only re-heated. The slow-simmering produces a lovely sauce, the Tajine is traditionally eaten with bread. Unfortunately the Tajine is far from what it should be. Some vegetables have too much bite with others (the Artichokes) are really over-cooked. The seasoning is very poor. It even looks like this dish has not been prepared in the Tajine it arrives in as there is no residue of sauce. The vegetables have been pushed to one side in the pan and on the other side there is plenty of unseasoned Couscous. The combination is a big disappointment. The excellent Organic Red wine ‘Mosse’ 2014 is delicious if you like a chilled Red wine. This won’t be a restaurant for me to re-visit anytime soon not until the Menu has been seriously been improved.

Went at recommendation of art dealer friend in Tribeca after visiting contemporary art galleries. Noise level high, service was bad, food overpriced & mediocre & wine selection really bad-spent $100 on a white Burg that was probably a $20 retail value wine that I would never buy, at the suggestion of our lazy waiter-so disappointed, expected much higher quality. I don’t mind spending $$ on great food & fine wine but I hate spending $$ on restaurants that masquerade as good when the reality is otherwise.

We had three Appetizers all of which were great -- the mussels were the best followed by the escargots Brouillade,and then the beignets, in that order Main dishes generally were very much underwhelming. My friend had the Pastilla de Legumes which was plain and nondescript I had the duck frites which was a grave disappointment --My duck breast which I made two days ago at home was far superior to the nondescript breast they served, and I am a relatively good but by no means excellent cook. The accompanying frites were also dry —McDonald’s frites may be a bit better, though I speak from a two-decade memory here. Dessert of Paris - Brest was delicious The Wine list was just terrible --heavy on light red wines, from Bourgogne! This enamorment of Burgundy, or what the Americans call with misplaced pride Pinot noir was off-putting to say the least. I chose one of the less light red wine bottles since everything else was actually undrinkable, as far as I am concerned They opened the bottle and decanted it inside before bringing it to us on our side-walk table and claimed to have already tasted and approved it! How rude! It was fine which is why I accepted it —but I registered my protest The wine bottle was frigid cold — far too cold to pretend that they only chilled it a bit because of hot weather Service was generally good and friendly If I were to ever go another time, which I doubt, I will limit myself to appetizers and dessert with cocktails --the poverty of the wine list was pitiful I cannot believe the New York bourgeoisie is so tolerant that it thinks the duck and frites at Frenchette are acceptable!

Great food always. Don’t miss the fresh cold briny oysters coupled with warm homemade sausage. What a pairing. That and French fries! Impeccable service. The Rosé piscine- a must try cocktail. Also- new addition- noise cancelling ceiling tiles make it so much more pleasant for conversation. Love this place.

We came for dinner to celebrate my daughter’s birthday. Food was great - leeks vinaigrette, Spanish potato torte with trout roe, scallops , haddock , roast duck and French fries ( which all the girls chose and loved ) . We had asked for a birthday cake and they made a beautiful cake with yellow sponge and chocolate layers and was both beautiful and delicious. What really blew me away was the tremendous service despite our large table size of nine people . It was probably the best birthday dinner we have ever had .

The food was fantastic. I have a gluten intolerance so the staff was very attentive to my dietary needs. We went for the natural wine selection and asked the sommelier Lauren to pair with our food. She did a FANTASTIC job and the meal and the service from the remainder of the staff was amazing. Trust the sommelier, they know what they are doing.

Not as good as the groups other restaurants. Service started off rocky but they made up for it. Food was OK, nothing wrong with it but just not great.

We only ate at the bar but it was delicious. The cocktails were also seriously good and backed up with friendly service. My only issue would be it is very noisy and they need to get some sort of insulation to help sort this. Other than that really good and I would go back.

What a great French bistro! I love the exterior of the building, we are from Australia and first-time visitors to New York. The interior I found to be quaint and delightful. There was a lot of people when we went on this occasion and it was noisy but I like that. The service was pretty good given they were so busy, there is a great wine list and some of the wines are organic. From my experience of eating French food this is more northern French, really delicious would definitely go again if I lived in New York. I also love the bar area. I think you would have to make a booking, we did prior to leaving Australia we made lots of bookings prior to leaving Australia because we wanted to be able to get into lots of different places I’m glad we did particularly for Frenchette it’s fabulous.

Shocking. Arrived for our 8.30 booking at 8.25. No table by 8.45 and told it could be 15-20 minutes at least. Very poor for such a highly rated restaurant. Avoid.

This restaurant had all the trappings of what I adored about the recent-history pinnacle of NYC dining and nightlife: it sits at the lonely end of an important street in Tribeca, has lots of wood, antique brass, low lighting, bustling crowd. It was meant to be one of my go-to places. Upon entering the room, I immediately noticed something a bit peculiar. NYC came into its own with oddballs, whackos and eccentrics. So naturally I would expect a bit of that flavor when walking into what was billed as one of the hottest venues in NYC. But everyone here looked the same-ish. I mean there were a couple of personas, but otherwise it was pure homogeny. By and large, all white. here were the suits, which I guess is the new norm in Tribeca (funny, that's what we always thought of the UES). There were the fashion girls, with their high-waisted Levi's cum capri pants and fake chunky Triple S shoes. Then there were the gay boys with their beards, pattern shirts and billowy pants. Were there 3 people or 300?? Funny thing about hipsters and their venues - they seemingly go to Great Lengths to differentiate themselves, but in the end they all wear the same uniform. Anyway, about the restaurant... At first the room struck me as classic McNally. If you don't know of Keith McNally, pause here and do a google search in the next tab. The off-white, almost yellow walls, the brass fixtures, the heavy wood bar, the oddly masked fluorescent lighting that give off that lovely orange/ yellow glow. It felt right, but then I noticed that the walls had silhouettes of flowers, which struck me is extremely non-bistro like. Somebody told them floral was having a moment. They just had to do it. In the true hipster spirit, the food always seem to go a little too far with its shallow effort to differentiate itself. We started with a Greek salad that just couldn't help but pop out a few watermelons that just didn't seem to go with cucumbers, tomatoes and feta (all 3 of which were spot on). Salad was a solid 3 of 5, if a bit too salty. Unfortunately, that may have been the highlight of the meal. After that, my fiancee moved on to the fluke ceviche, which inexplicably had the consistency of oatmeal. Despite the fact that she only choked down maybe a third of it, the dish managed to deal her a nasty case of food poisoning later that night. Glad I skipped that one! I had the turbot, which was well-cooked and actually quite tasty, but all the accoutrements, including the squid, ultimately ruined it for me. Again, do we need to TRY that hard?? We opted for the charred carrots on the side, and those were just lovely. But honestly how hard is it to do carrots right? Most restaurants that struggle with food at least get the wine right, but not this one. Oh man, that wine list! Inscrutable is the word that comes to mind. People, again, you just don't have to TRY that hard. Sulfites might be the devil, but I'll never be ashamed to enjoy a lovely Margaux. The biodynamic wines all seem a little one-dimensional and finish with an uncanny resemblance to welch's grape juice. I guess somebody likes that style, but I sure don't. At least the bottle was only $100. With such a mediocre performance on mains and wine, we decided to skip the dessert and left 2/3 of a bottle of the welch's on the table. I won't be back. The staff all seem to have that freshly Indica-baked demeaner. Like they don't really hear anything you say - I almost wanted to tell them everything 3 or 4 times just to make sure. But in the end they always seem to come through, if a minute or two late. I wouldn't necessarily call him the most professional in the world, but they were an acceptable sort of delayed-competent, and generally nice enough. The final major downside is the acoustics. I couldn't hear a thing, save the overwhelming roar of a crowd. With all that hard wood and metal and brass, it's a sound box. They definitely need some dampening materials. Maybe some carpet? But please, guys, don't try so hard. Just some carpet is fine. This one isn't going down in the history books. I guess with all the buzz, you should give it the old college try. But just don't expect what you saw out of McNally in the hay day!

The food was classic French, but there was no particular pizzaz to it. A Spanish torte was tasty, the foie de beau was fine, the chicken was juicy, the schnitzel copious. But winning a James Beard award should count for something special besides a baguette soaked with chicken fat. Nothing special here except you can't hear anyone at your table. The din is awful. So if you're looking for that nice meal with someone you don't want to talk to -- and that baguette sounds good to you-- , this is your place. Just bring a lot of money.

Visited this restaurant recently, the overall experience was amazing👍. The food was an unforgetable experience starting with appetizers, main course and desserts! Everything that we tried was just superb, real french cuisine. Even though the place was loud, it is worth future visits!!

They do lots of great stuff and lots of not so great stuff - Service at the bar is uneven - great cocktails and a solid wine list - love the creativity and daring of many dishes but the implementation is lacking all too often

We had a family reunion and were adding people until the last moment. They could not have been more accommodating. The food, wine and atmosphere all are wonderful...Worth a visit and worth going back to..

While we were there I just kept saying "this is amazing, the best I have ever had." I have tried to describe each of my favorite appetizers but realize the textures and flavors were so much more than my writing can do justice for. The Tortilla with Trout Roe just kept us staring at each other, questioning how could anything taste so wonderful. That's when the Escargot in a light creamy, juicy sauce landed on the table. I know, how can a sauce be juicy? It was, and is making me relive the excitement as I write this. Don't miss these two delicacies if you can go there. The Black Sea Bass had crunchy skin on one side and white,soft flakes on the other. I consider myself well versed in preparing fish, but this creation humbled me into complete awe. If you like fish you must try this. A thick veal chop that was crispy on the edges and juicy in the middle was covered in many mushrooms. This also was a ten and if you like meat like I do, you can't have a better veal chop. Our waitress was delightful and when she said she loves the pear with cognac I just put my faith in her and not to sound too over the top, but once I tasted it I knew I would never forget this. It was just amazing and topped off the best meal ever. I can't wait to go back, which will be as soon as possible.

Some lunch choices are the same as dinner, some different. Salads, pâté, carrots- yes carrots! All spectacular. Don’t miss what looks like a garnish. For example- the pretty shredded something on the side is not just decoration. Seasoned to perfection and compliment to the dish! Pistachio dessert can be eaten by one or shared by 6- if you have more you want to try. Hesitated to write- as I want to be able to get in myself!!

Excellent versions of Steak Frites, Duck and other bistro classics. Great New York people watching in a beautiful setting. Detracting from the experience is the noise level; we were seated in the back room and Frenchette is one of the loudest restaurants I have ever been in. Even the servers have to shout everything two or three times.

The space is a cozy delight, has a buzzy atmosphere, and the food was nice too. We had the blowfish tails, gnocchi, fluke crudo, the duck frites, and the lamb. The gnocchi and fluke were good enough to guarantee a return visit from me! I'd skip the blowfish tails. The lamb and duck were nice too. Looking forward to a return to try more from the menu.

It was my only second visit, One of the first restaurant reservations since the Covid pandemic hit the industry. This one was a great way to reconcile with the importance of sharing a table with a friend. everything worked beautifully, the room is cozy but stylish. The food was delicious, the wine exceptional, and the service understated yet seamlessly efficient. In the end the all experience was worth not the so irrelevant bill. Congratulations

Went with wife and kids. Had three steak tartare and the chicken. Food was actually ok except the fries…BUT service was extremely arrogant and really not sure why… Invoice was usd 260 which is surely not value for money!!!

No doubt the food was very good with ris de veau, canard and le boeuf as standouts. Desserts were lovely to see but only average for our taste. You need reservations for this new star on lower broadway. I suggest an earlier evening as it really gets loud after 7 pm

My experience was not good!!! I highly recommended this place and besides that it is very expensive the place does not inspire anything to eat at ease. The decor is old and has nothing spectacular. I know France and French restaurants and this doesn't seem like any French style. The service is also bad has more than 25 people working there and the reality is that it is not possible that they do not attend and give a good service. The food was not spectacular!!! Hopefully they make changes because it has a very good location and the place can give for more

I’m back in the city after moving away two years ago, and old friends brought me here. This isn’t the funky Tribeca of my wild youth! I hear they want to name this block “Little Paris.” Brunch was bistro fare, for me an excellent roast chicken and creamy puréed potatoes. Oysters and radishes and crusty bread. Doesn’t get better.

We were looking forward to Frenchette as it is always hard to get into. We had a late reservation and we were seated right away. The hostess said that Zoe would be our server. Zoe did greet us and reviewed items on the menu that were no longer available that night. We joked with her that the items no longer available were the ones we wanted.. Shortly after another server who never introduced herself approached the table and and asked if she could get us a drink and also did we have any questions on the menu. We ordered a few cocktails and then we asked for a white wine that would be similar to a chardonnay. She explained that the wines were different there as they are mostly organic. We told her specifically we did not want a sweet wine. She then went and spoke to someone on the management team. Not sure if it was a sommelier, but if so, why didn't he come to our table? After a while she brought the wine. We tasted it and none of us liked it. It was sweet! She brought that back and we tried another wine which we kept. Also I had to pour my own wine. The food was outstanding with the exception of my wife;s Bavette. Very tough. Zoe ended up coming back and she did a good job. For all the hype this place gets the service should be spot on.

Went here, while in town, based off of a recommendation. Honestly, the food was fantastic. I especially loved the Gniocchi Parisenne. Sadly, at the end of our main course, our server sort of... abandoned us? Everything seemed okay, up until that point, and for once, we were looking forward to dessert. It was 15-25 minutes before we had to flag someone down and, at that point, the moment had passed. Normally, this would all be minor, to me, but at this price point, I wish the service was a bit better.

Excellent French cuisine with superior and attentive servers. Food is excellent. You should try their chicken, steak and scallops 🤗 Pricey but worth it 👍🍾🥂 You need to reserve in advance, well worth the wait 🙂

The food here is really good, combining classing French dishes with some inventive ideas. Service is friendly. Reservations are somewhat hard to come by for dinner but certainly possible. We've been a few times now and will definitely go back.

Ate here the other evening with friends. Bar is very small, so might be best not to arrive too early for your reservation (or too late and need to wait). Dining room is small but very well appointed. Beautiful decor and design. Menu is small but ample enough. Food is very good. We had 3 "Amuse Bouche", 2 appetizers and shared 2 large entrees for three people. Everything was terrific, with the "clear winner" being the Duck Frites. Wine list is very impressive, but not the way you generally think of it. It ticks all the boxes of a fine dining NY wine list, but the sleeper here is that the majority of the list (65%?) are grower-producer wines. This means that unless you are a major wine geek you might need a little sommelier assistance. But what it also means it that a magnum of Domaine Mosse Vin de France Les Bonnes Blanches for $150! So the value is amazing. Highly recommend!

An absolutely perfect afternoon at a lovely place. Had a delicious meal & so beautiful drinks. Gnocchi was an absolute delight yo have.

The food is very good, our server was extremely pleasant and helpful with the menu and we always enjoy the warmth of leather booths. We split the Heirloom Tomatoes as an appetizer--with wonderful fresh herbs on top. We went with the chicken, the 1/2 Lobster and the Rainbow Trout---all three of us were quite pleased with our choices. The nice flower arrangements and the brightness of the room were the perfect setting for an upbeat atmosphere. Check out my photos for more details.

First time - lunch time. Fine Bloody Mary for her, Pilsner for me. She had an excellent salad while ordered the exceptional boule with an extra pad of butter. Her entree was a decent roasted chicken. Mine was a cheese omelette. Sounds better in French. Both came with fries - perhaps the best I ever had. Attractive setting and attentive service but the sound level borders on disturbing.

Beautiful new French restaurant, minimalist art deco decor with an American twist, very elegant, very attractive place. The cocktails are delicious, food is superb, the wine selection a riot of French natural beauties. Let the grand sommelier guide you, no way you will know any wines on the list, but they are a lot of great finds. Bistro food brought to the pinnacle of quality and execution. I am a fan already, can't wait to be back, the summer will bring some outdoor tables, vive la French food.

Frenchette is a fabulous find. Tucked on a quiet TriBeCa street you’ll find a buzzing hideaway with the most delicious fare. Whether a spontaneous cocktail with a friend, or a coveted reservation for dinner, Frenchette does not disappoint. Simple and elegant, each dish is a treat. Get a bunch of things to share. The prices are fair and the experience just lovely. Eat, drink, repeat! Thank you for this welcome addition to the ‘hood.

I have wanted to visit this restaurant after hearing about for a long time….. I took my husband and son for brunch on a Saturday .. Sevice was very nice, food was very expensive and fine.. I loved my mashed potatoes chicken was tender but one piece was mostly bone… Rose was very tart.

Nice job former Minetta Tavern chefs and staff!!! what a wonderful meal and environment. We have been going to Minetta since the beginning and Frenchette felt a lot like Minetta when it first opened. The staff is young, energetic and happy! And we are ever so complimented that you remembered us. That speaks to the quality of the staff that you have attracted to join the Frenchette family. We ADORED the sardines and the pate campagne was one of the best we have had - to rival Le Comptoire in Paris ...truly! The turn appetizer should be a "MUST" for every guest - just "delish!!" We can't wait to come back soon. HUGE thanks to Cam, Laura and Francis for yet another wonderful experience.

A colleague of mine and I had a nice but expensive evening at Frenchette. The menu was a step above what you'd see at bistros like the Odeon or Balthazar, both in creativity and price. Everything that we ordered was good: from the small bites clams casino and trout beignets, to white asparagus and squid ink pasta, and the duck and lobster mains, and dessert. The bottle of obscure French wine that we picked for the fun of it turned out to be a bit of fun. But nothing stood out to me - I think there is better value at many similar places.

A Homey, but Elegant Spot for Great Food and Distinctive Service is listed by James Beard as a top new destination in NYC. ThisThisThis

Frenchette doesn’t disappoint. Dinner at the bar is a social and fun way to enjoy the sensational food at this local gem.

At first glance, Frenchette has the vibe of a typical french bistro. However once you look at the menu, you realize they don't have steak frites and croc monsieur. The food is more sophisticated and might not be to everybody's palate. To enjoy Frenchette you must have a desire for adventure, exploration and open to eating brain, and tongue. I had made reservations 2 weeks in advance and we were promptly seated. Our waiter was friendly, suggested several options, including gluten free alternatives. We shared appetizers and main entrees because we wanted to sample a wide array of food. Portions were small. We ordered the rabbit terrine, beet, and veal tongue We liked it, but I reiterate, it's not for everybody. I then shared the lobster with my son. It was delicious but way overpriced. I think Frenchette is a nice cozy restaurant for a night out to try new things. I don't think you need reservations. You can walk in and sit at the bar or the front part of the restaurant. It's the same menu. I give it my GoldnAdvice seal of approval.

Sunday 12/16 - we snagged a reservation to celebrate the holidays with some family - we were thrilled. When you walk in, the place is beautiful and enchanting and you think - so this is it - it's going to be a wonderful evening. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth and our expectations. The wait staff is untrained, uncaring and unattentavie. When asked if an ingredient in a steak dish was anchovy butter, the waitress had no clue, first said no, i insisted to my husband that my rudimentary french, says it is and I didn't have to google it. She came back after inquiring and said yes its anchovy butter - REALLY - this is how you train your staff.? Then we ordered a bottle of wine. Their wine is all natural, which is fine, but they were out of the bottles we wanted., okay we settled on one and the waitress arrives back with an opened bottle ready to pour without showing me the bottle or confirming its what I ordered. When we questioned this odd practice - after going back to someone to ask for a response, she said 'we open and taste every bottle to make sure its okay" To which I replied - so does every good restaurant in new york and in the world - but first it's probably better to show the guest the bottle, confirm its the ordered bottle - open it and then have whomever is the Somm, taste it. now if that were my only issue, I would say its odd, but hey the food is worth it. But I can't say that because its not and because without a doubt only one of two things are true to account for their great reviews - either they have every food critic's picture up on the wall, or they pay for these reviews because the food is not well prepared, not well seasoned and frankly boring. We started with an assortment of things - the boquerone, the mortadella, the carbonara, the boudin nois, the terrine. The best thing was without a doubt the boquerone - but it's nothing more than a beautful anchovy seasoned and on toast. The mortadella was ordinary, the carbonara run of the mill, the boudin noir tasteles and the terrine was okay. The chicken for two - dry dry dry - the vegetable and couscous tangine was underseasoned and under cooked. If you are going to put slices of squash with the rind in a dish it needs to be softer - or actually edible. Not one person ever asked if we needed anything or if we were enjoying our meal. Getting a water glass refilled was a new olympic sport - and it wasn't because they lacked for staff - So my suggestion is to pass this one by and move on to a good restaurant because this one is not.

I had dinner with my wife here earlier this month on a weekend layover. The restaurant had only been open 2 weeks, but you couldn't tell since service and food were flawless. I know that most of the staff and the owners are all Balthazar veterans, so this isn't a surprise. The room is lovely, with lots of dark woods and brass, and the lighting is just right (soft, but not super trendy Edison bulbs that are everywhere). The backbar is a true work of art, too. At 9pm on a Saturday night, the place was packed full, and the noise level was elevated but very positive vibe throughout. We sat on a banquette in the front bar area, and enjoyed our long dinner together. Multiple small plates and then our entrees, plus a little dessert (cuz why not?). I can definitely recommend the mortadella and sausage & lentils on the appetizer list, and the bavette steak & frites was on point, as were my veal sweetbreads. I look forward to visiting again on my next NYC trip, it's truly a welcome addition to lower Manhattan!

I’ve had hundreds of amazing French meals. This did not stand out. And the prices are exorbitant. When on earth did $26 become a reasonable price for an appetizer. The wines were subpar and expensive. Disappointing.

Our second visit here - last time was dinner with friends and this time a weekend brunch . The restaurant is lovely with great ambience . Our waitress was very friendly and gave good advice on the food . We started with the leek vinaigrette with truffles which was really delicious . My wife had the omelet with sorrel and Parmesan which was very light though the French fries gave it some heft . I had the roast chicken which was soooo good - breast and leg were fantastic and served over a slice of baguette which soaked up the extra juices . French fries with a little pot of mayonnaise were amazing . We shared a strawberry Charlotte for desert . We had three glasses of food wine and the bill was very reasonable ( by NYC standards ) . Would highly recommend and can’t wait to go back .

The decor was smart and a nice welcoming atmosphere. Natural wines by the glass were good. The eggs brouillade were heavenly! Carbonara was good. The lobster with the curry fondue was delicious. Disappointed with the duck, it was dry and it could have used more of the potatoes and mushrooms. The pistachio Paris-Brest was outrageously incredible! You must have it!

to flee. mediocre quality, boring and very very expensive. what we eat in this restaurant has nothing French apart from the name...apart from the Paris-Brest crême mousline pistach which caught my attention everything else is 0..don't be fooled.

Food is fine. Been twice for dinner. Literally just left after second visit. Passive arrogance. Totally overrated. Food is good. Nothing over the moon, or memorable about the experience whatsoever. The staff takes themselves way too seriously and the Maitre D, Spanky needs an attitude adjustment Painfully loud acoustics in the dining room. Passive aggressive pretension with a side of solid food. That’s about it. Took friends who are big foodies for one of their 50th birthdays. Big disappointment. Not an inexpensive endeavor. Atleast we are close enough friends to just laugh it off. Definitely not making a third visit.

One of the Noisiest restaurants I have ever been at. Can't just be New Yorkers could it? Can be a tough booking, but Resy makes it easier. Pricey though with $22 cocktails while main courses in the $40 and Appetizer/Desserts in the high $20's. Expect for $100/person including one beverage. Food good, especially the Duck and Liver Pate and Foie Gras. Rated by James Beard as Best New Restaurant in America/NYC. SO going to be busy for a while...Good luck and enjoy.

So glad we managed to stop by for a late 3pm lunch. We were happy to sit at the bar as the restaurant was still busy, but the excellent maitre'd quickly found us a very comfortable banquette seat. Great atmosphere. Delicious oysters, soup and steak - perfectly executed french bistro fare . Enjoyed several wines by the glass. I would definitely go back and highly recommend.

The ambience is great, service very good but their food can be significantly improved. They only have natural wine so if you like good wines, watch out. I asked for the tartare and taste was flat. Portions are too small. Overpriced for what you get.

i have to say the adage "no matter where you go there you are" applies to the cranky reviews some people have given. my experience....arrived with no reservation around 6:30 (place was packed already) and was told a wait time of 20 minutes which was actually only ten. they keep tables open for walk-ins so don't be discouraged about getting a reservation. the hosts where super friendly and no attitude, completely unlike at a McNally place. there are 3 rooms, we where in the front bar area as that's probably reserved for the walk-ins. the acoustics where pretty loud do to the room/ceiling design but we managed to have a conversation. i think it's quieter in the interior rooms though, and also we were here to eat so not that bothered really. we ordered a variety of things. standouts....blowfish tails, tongue with mackerel, sweetbreads (big pieces so you really got the flavor) celtuce au gratin, quail. actually that was everything we ordered, it was all great. and plenty of butter with bread, how much does one need, seriously. our server was fun and informative, actually all the staff was friendly and created a casual and fun atmosphere. it's clear that the chefs/owners want to create a positive experience for customers that is opposite from that of their previous employer. this is the type of place you can just come to have a great meal without too much fuss. there is a lot of hype right now but i think the chefs want to create a true neighborhood bistro vibe that will be long lived. from what i saw they will succeed in the long run

Touted as the best French food in Tribeca, and we agree. Excellent menu, fantastic fresh flavors. We will definitely be back

Frenchette is a fine , elegantly designed restaurant. The service is attentive. The problem is that the food is ordinary while the prices are extraordinarily high. I visited with three friends. We all enjoyed the decor and were very disappointed by the food. We are all good cooks and have made more imaginative, well spiced, delicious food at home. We were disappointed. We expected an excellent culinary experience which we did not get. The only dish that was extraordinary was the chocolate desert.

This is a popular place but mostly because the place is too small. One of those places like a Totto Ramen where the food is amazing but you have to wait forever for a table because of limited seating. What to do if they’re on a budget? Solos like myself can only eat at the bar and while the bar is more than fine for me, their bar is very small and they try to pack as many ppl as possible at the bar so the seating is not even elbow to elbow but literally elbow over elbow. I felt cramped and was so scrunched up, I got a stomach cramp. Of course since it’s NYC, ppl are usually rude and will try to take up your space - in a word, not comfortable at the bar and had to take away a star for that. I can’t even enjoy the amazing food because of the tight seating. If you’re coming in with someone or a group, I highly recommend table reservations in advance or don’t come at all. Food-wise, it’s a amazing. The highest compliment that I can give it is that it reminded me of my visit to Paris when I ate the best tasting food of my life. The tongue appetizer is perfection. The lamb is not the best lamp chops but it’s a different style. I prefer the Wyoming style of making them. Service is also impeccable. I eat alone so I won’t be coming back until they expand. I don’t like the crowded ambiance at the bar and even at 9pm, it’s quite crowded. I might try 10pm again since they close at 11pm. Most ppl get the duck so I might come back late to try it.

I loved the food and service at Frenchette. The menu is very original, the produce fresh and well prepared. Our watercress soup was excellent, as was our chicory salad. Scrambled eggs with tiny snails...delicious, stewed rabbit with noodles....wonderful Service was professional, warm and attentive. Room was buzzy and fun. Noise level was a problem.....I could not hear my friends unless we shouted at each other across the table. For this reason, I will not be able to return, since I dine out to be with friends but if I have to shout at them for two hours and not hear what they say, it is not worth it. What a pity.

The food was delicious. The bartender Carlos was delightful. The service was as expected. We were seated in the “heated chalet”. The outdoor area might as well be a tent. It is cold, wet and disruptive with loud doors that are left open anytime a server walks in. It felt like we were sitting in an outdoor closet. For a $500 meal for three people with only a few cocktails, we expected much more of an experience. Do not reserve the outdoor space. Period. Perhaps we would have enjoyed the experience had we not been eating in a cheap, wooden cabin.

Had a nice dinner here our first night in NYC, great vibe and helpful fun staff. Sommelier was very helpful. Given the popularity we expected more from the food, We had the pate, duck and chicken which were all fine but did not blow us away.

The Art Deco decor is very tasteful, welcome and cloakroom staff were so friendly, very refreshing for New York. Food was good, service was good, very “health” conscious, no Diet Coke because of aspartame, but ok. Can’t figure out why, but it just didn’t wow me... It was ok

We were so delighted to get a table on a busy night. Immediately impressed by the pretty dining room. Staff pleasant. Food just doesn’t live up to expectations created by the atmosphere. Duck frite, a specialty, would not hold up to average Parisian bistro fare.” Gnocchi”,using croissant, rather than potatoe base, is gimmicky, and would fail to impress knowing clientele. Would hope there would be an awakening here, to create food worthy of the laudable, chic space.

In trendy Tribeca on a street that has often hosted fine restaurants, Frenchette seeks to continue that tradition, and it starts so well. The space is absolutely beautiful, the appointments classy and elegant, the front-of-the-house folk are pleasant, welcoming and lovely, and the bar area where one waits for seating is comfy and inviting. As one enters the dining room the second thing that impresses is the beauty of the room: the first is the level of the noise! At varying points during our evening there it was actually painful to not only older ears, but to 20- and 30-somethings as well. I suppose that can be counted as a measure of success - empty places are quiet, after all - but it appears that management encourages such a “buzz”: there were no apparent sound-dampening measures taken, one or two too many tables, and an undercurrent of music being piped into a room already requiring tablemates to raise their voices to be heard 3 feet away. So, OK, it’s loud, but how’s the rest? Well, the Wine List was way overpriced and limited, and they didn’t have all of the wines they listed, so we took their suggestion for a similar vintage of another producer. Not so much similar, as it turned out. And, apparently their “policy” is to not open the bottle at table, but to uncork it and taste it elsewhere and then bring it to the customer - a first for all of us dining there. And if the vintage is not what you had chosen....... And we know it had been oopened just for us because...... The menu was not expansive but there was a well-described, sumptuous-sounding selection for pretty much every palate, but of the 12 dishes we all ordered at our meal, 2 were excellent, one was substandard and the rest were nothing to write home - or here - about. Service was slow and inattentive: bread had to be requested, waterglass refills were a 3-ask task, we had 2 different servers who only took the orders and other people delivering food from the kitchen with no idea who ordered what, and nobody seeming to care whether we got what we wanted, liked what we got or needed anything else. On leaving we were finally asked by the manager how we liked our visit and we told the truth, outlining all of our abovementioned disappointments in a non-confrontational manner, which this person accepted with grace, kindness, understanding and feedback. (It was then that we learned about the wine corkage “policy”.) However, what was missing was any effort to make amends: not an offer of a glass or wine, or to take the cheapest or worst item off the Bill, or even an invitation to return to give them another opportunity to make good. Nothing but a “we’re so sorry you didn’y enjoy” and to all a good night! Everybody has a bad day once in a while, and this might have been theirs, but the letdowns on so many levels make it unlikely that we will ever return to see if they can rise to another occasion. Not at these prices! A shame.

This is a great new restaurant. It is best to come early and sit in the front section if you want quiet since it gets terribly noisy in the back area, as the evening wears on. The appetizers are seasonal. The tender petit pois with gem lettuce and artichokes was very good. The buckwheat bread had a crunchy crust that was to die for. There was good variety in the main courses . We each had a wonderfully prepared quail, cooked medium rare, with a delicious beet and strawberry sauce. The only weak point was the heavy, blueberry buckwheat pancake that supported the quail. We had one of their better wines and he chilled it as we wanted it. The pave dessert was excellent --especially ideal if you replace the cream fraiche with vanilla ice cream to cut some of the richness. All in all, this is a new lower west side restaurant to add to our list.

This place is on a bunch of NYC restaurant lists as the #1 place to be, reservations are nearly impossible to get, blablabla. I don't understand it. It's fine - the service is lovely, the bread and butter are to die for, and then the food is.....well, it's fine. We ordered the duck everyone is drooling over and it was....fine. Definitely not worth the money or the worry about getting in when there are such delicious gems all over downtown. The most memorable part of the meal was watching guests trip and nearly fall over the small step leading into the dining room, so my duck came with a side of nearly constant concerned gasping. The ambiance and decor are pretty, the server was very nice, but what was supposed to be some fabulous meal for the ages left us with little more than a pleasant shrug.

My SO hates noise, and this place is noisy, but said if we lived in NYC he would frequently come here for a cocktail/glass of wine, and the gnocchi for dinner. This is someone who is perfectly fine with Subway almost everyday of the week. The wine list, though natural, is great, and their sommelier helped us choose a wonderful bottle. I can not rave enough about the food, everything we had was great. I specially recommend the eggs with escargot, as that was my favorite dish of the night. I look forward to coming back next time I am in NYC, and hopefully this time will be able to book a table in the dining room (as we were in the walk in section).

The wine list was tricky, and the service wasn’t great and yet it is very noisy, but wow the food and place was fun. We enjoyed the sardines, turbot, goulash, and the gnocchi. You should go if you can get in.

The food here bounces around from great to good , but the vibe is really cool in a well designed elegant bistro , little bit of attitude but worth a visit !

I was not overly impressed by their pork schnitzel not by the dessert menu. For some reason the food did no agree with me.

We happened to be walking by in the midst of a shower and looked up and recognized the name…so we went in and they were able to accommodate us for lunch. So very glad that we stopped! Food was excellent as was the service. We shared a mixed red lettuce salad which was exceptional; duck confit and chicken followed….and Ile flottante was melt in your mouth delicious….nice selection of wines by the glass as well. We are so glad it was raining! Otherwise we never would have noticed….

Went for lunch and was surprised that for a trendy restaurant the wait, without reservation was not bad at all, we were just installed at the bar when they came to fetch us for our table. The atmosphere is very chic. Great lighting and decor. We were sitting with a full view of the kitchen which looked immaculate and very moderne, like the kitchen at a very designed modern hotel. The staff was super friendly, and very helpful with eating suggestions.

Having read all the reviews on TA before we went to Frenchette, I was a little worried about the noise factor and food, food and wine as some people didn't like any of those things. Six of us were seated in the dining room in a roomy, elegant corner banquette at 6 pm. The noise level is a bit difficult for everyone to be included in a conversation but, honestly, how often do six dining together want to talk about the same subject? We swapped seats between courses and it worked great. The natural wines were really fantastic and I have to admit that I drank more than I normally do. I had no evidence of that fuzzy head thing I get after the meal and felt fantastic the next day! I've now been on the internet researching where to get natural wines as I'm sold on them. We had many items on the menu between the six of us: pate, snails, chicory salad, and another appetizer I'm now drawing a blank on. All were amazing! I had leg of lamb and it was perfect, right down to the petite potato dauphinois. Several people had duck frites and monkfish and another had cod. The lamb and cod were the best, in our combined opinion. We shared the fabulous dessert made with puff pastry and pistachio cream- made for sharing as the menu said. That was exquisite!! We all loved Frenchette and we dine in the city often in the newcomer restaurants, as well as the established ones so I think we're good guinea pigs. One note of caution: we ordered without abandon as this was our family Christmas outing. With the tip, the total was $750. This included drinks, followed by 3 bottles of wine, coffee and all of the food mentioned above. I was personally against tipping the usual 15%, especially on the wine portion but I was over ruled by the older brother. I would not give in so easily next time!

Very French with that twist of new fresh pizazz. It’s a special dining experience and the service is exceptional. We enjoyed the oysters and the sausages are served in the middle of the serving platter, very tasty. The frites are salty but, in a good way.

You want perfectly executed food with a legit wine list and cocktails, this is the jam. So many places strive for what this place achieves. Ask Jorge to order the wines for you!

Frenchette has the most amazing Duck and Fries you could possibly wish for. I almost had two! If you read my reviews you will know that I always favor a good Duck dish. This one perfectly prepared Rose Style with Crispy Outside and Fries that were just amazing. The combination was divine. Our ever so capable server Laura was perfect in her timing and recommendations including for desert. (We were even given a tutorial on how to use the especially sharp knife for the Duck) Select the home made fruit sorbets and you won't go wrong. The home made chocolate ice cream also a total winner. If you like good food, unpretentious people and exceptional service, do give this neighborhood prize winner a try. You won't regret it.

This is one of the finest restaurants I've been to bar none. We over ordered to sample multiple selections on the menu from appetizers to desserts. I have to say that each and every selection was my favorite- when does that ever happen? I won't disclose the wonder that is Frenchette;) only to say you MUST EXPERIENCE it for yourself.

Quality is going downshockingly, while prices going up massively.. only fools still eat there - too bad.

Having been here before for lunch we decided we wanted to come for dinner when next in NYC. We enjoyed a plate of mixed seafood (calamari, anchovies and lemon with aioli on the side) with our drinks and proceeded to chat with the hostess about some of the dishes on the menu. A bit more calamari would be preferred. The Somalier recommended a lovely red Burgundy for dinner. My partner ordered the fish soup - excellent and I ordered the green salad. I had the duck frite and my partner had the chicken. Both were very good. Desserts consisted of ice cream and the raspberry dish which left a bit to be desired. Should have stuck with Ile flotante. All in all a nice evening.

We heard about this spot all the way down in Texas, I was afraid there was too much buzz and there would be a let down. Quite the contrary. To begin with, the build out is stunning. A beautiful upscale French bistro - cozy but not loud nor cramped. I would stop by the bar before hand if you’re going to dinner. Classic. The service was stellar - extremely attentive without being over bearing. Our server Julie gave us some tips without being pushy. If you’re drinking wine just ask for help, I’ve been a retail wine buyer and now a wholesale wine rep for over 18 years and I had trouble getting a bead on this list - it is mostly by producer, not region. Julie suggested the perfect red wine for lunch. The food was outstanding - fresh, high quality, well prepared. The creme of radish soup was sublime (especially when paired with a Bugey Blanc by the glass). There is also a Prix Fixe menu but you can order a la carte off that FYI. All in all, this is the kind of experience I’m looking for when I go to NYC. Something I can’t get at home. Expensive? I’ve paid just as much for a lot less in this city. Now that’s when I get pissed off about pricing. “Price is what you pay, value is what you get.” - Warren Buffet.

First time here with 3 business colleagues. Started at the bar with excellent attention and great cocktails. Sat outside (sidewalk) and enjoyed the beautiful weather and people watching. Service was a bit slower but still ok "post covid". Food was quite good. The steak frites and duck frites both great. Sides were good but seemed pricey! We go back.

We cancelled our Balthazar reservation, excited to try this new much-raved-about restaurant, which also happened to be near where we were staying. It was difficult to find a booking for earlier than 10.30pm; however, there were some free tables when we arrived at 9pm, feeling lucky to have secured this earlier time on the 4th of July. Apart from the decision to place some of the light fittings at crooked angles, making me feel as if I was in an expressionist painting or Kafka short story, the room is pleasant enough - amber and intimate. Noisy and buzzing. The eel beignets, Spanish tortilla with trout roe and razor clams were all delicious! However, the much acclaimed duck frites and steak poivre were ordinary. Nothing to write home about. We are not recommending to our foodie friends, who live in the neighbourhood.

There is no doubt the good is excellent and the service superb. However, the noise level is beyond extraordinary to the extreme. It seems, from observing the restaurant, people end up screaming at their table to be heard by their dinner partner(s). The wine list is also quite a challenge. Having lived and traveled extensively in France the four or five whites by the glass were unknown so we tasted two they recommended. We could not drink them due to their “harshness” quoting our server. The only option was to choose a bottle-with prices that started at $85, $90. Three quarters of the dinners were young in their thirties. Unless the owners address the acoustics that will be their only clients. Sad for the rest of us.

Great evening. Popped in with little hope of snaring some seats at the bar...Cam sat us in no time. Had the best seats, bartendars were great both with drinks, wine suggestions and food service. The food was all really delicious, special love for the razor clam casino and the rabbit dish. Frenchette is one of those rare finds, every detail is so well attended. Thanks Cam!

Terrific Saturday Night Dinner. Good starters included simple green salad with beautifully flavored dressing, sardines, amazing fish soup. Bavete (steak with peppercorns and frites was a fine, stek au poivre, with some of the best frites out there. perfectly crisp and tasting like real potatoes and not just the frying oil. Quail was also a treat. Ile flottant quite airy, and chocolate torte not quite there; but an interesting try. Very interesting wine cellar featuring organic small vineyards and french "garage wines". A Loire gamay/pinot noir had great fruit and softer finish but can definitely benefit from decanting as did a remarkable and honestly a little strange D'olivier blend of Chardonnay and pinot - which again needed more air as it improved after fifteen minutes or so. All and all a wonderful restaurant new to the New York scene albeit a tad pricey.

Went to Frenchette for dinner and was pleasantly surprised by the innovative cuisine , unique wines, and attentive service. The room was very cozy and added to the enjoyment of the evening. Would definitely recommend.

Frenchette is a restaurant we discovered on one of our previous trips to NYC and it has become a “must” for us every time we visit. Last night was no exception. Wonderful service, great food and fantastic ambience! We will return.

Highly recommended. Pricey with limited food sections, but it works. Decor has a cozy and charming feel. I met up with friends at the bar for a drink and few apps. Food was as expected. Bar area had a good vibe. And time I was there was a Friday at around 4pm. Would highly recommend it.

We had brunch here and enjoined the meal. The service was attentive although slow for NY, which was done for us. The resturant is not as crowed or noisy as most places. The food was excellent. The pastries were delicious. The pancake was amazing and the omelette was very good. Usual prices for nyc.

This was by far the toughest reservation to secure for my recent NYC trip. Frenchette uses the Resy reservation system, and over the course of several days I learned how to play their wicked game. Even less than a minute after reservations open for a certain date, the only times offered are 5:30 or 10:00-10:30. I never saw any times in between on Resy--they are a myth or a sham. Perhaps they are only available by telephone. The restaurant apparently saves tables for walk-ins as well. I chose the 5:30 slot, when the restaurant opens. I heard about Frenchette on Grub Street, and has since been well-reviewed by the NY Times as well. It's run by 2 chefs who both worked at several Keith McNally restaurants, including Balthazar. Both of course offer elevated French bistro cuisine. The decor at Frenchette is similar to Balthazar (and Augustine and the now defunct Pastis)--again French bistro--but more restrained, less like a movie set. There is a front bar with windows to the street and a rear dining room. The restrooms are downstairs; I almost tripped going down. The menu selection seems to change often, although there seem to be several constant items. I had 2 "signature" hors d'oeuvres: the soupe de poisson and the brouillade. The fish soup was more like a tomato soup with added depth of flavour from the fish stock; a baguette slice topped with saffron aioli was served atop. Brouillade is a time-consuming dish to make--soft scrambled eggs that must be constantly stirred for about 15 minutes--these were delish, topped with escargot redolent with garlic butter. My main course was also a signature dish, the duck frites. The duck was a perfectly cooked breast with crispy skin and minimal subcutaneous fat. The fries were also perfect, served with a bearnaise sauce (although if you ask for ketchup, they bring you a small bottle like those served with a hotel room service order). I had a "garniture" of celtuce gratin, a type of lettuce that is more stem than leaves. It was yummy, made additionally savory with marrow. For dessert, the recommended tarte tatin wasn't on the menu, although the pistachio Paris-Brest was. I opted instead for a summery pavlova (I had 3 over the course of this trip), this one with strawberries. Service was casual and friendly; I actually thought my server/order taker was a busperson. The wait for certain dishes may be lengthy due to preparation time. Overall a delicious meal. I don't mind eating early, in fact I prefer it. But if you want a later dining time, I would try walking in around 9 pm.

Maybe ( just MAYBE ) we picked the wrong night to dine at Frenchette but it was not exactly what we expected. Everything looked good in the beginning ( friendly welcome, nice booth table ) and the cocktails were delicious ( they even have Vichy Catalan, one of my favorite sparkling water ever ) but unfortunately everything went downhill from there. After we were served our drinks We were informed that a couple of appetizers and two entrees ( cod and Bavette ) were not available anymore. Unfortunately those were the only options I was thinking about. Norhing else on the menu ( and I mean NOTHING ) was something I would eat ( YES I am a picky eater ). Long story short my dinner was two appetizers ( grilled sardines and pasta with bottarga ) both ok but definitely not exceptional. And the dessert ( pistachio Paris Brest ) was just ok too. Service was “ weird “, half way through our dinner our waitress decided to “ abandon “ us and asked another waiter to help us instead. In the end a night to remember but not for the right reasons. I am afraid that once is enough. PS bring earplugs !

On the positive side, the restaurant is very pretty and the food was excellent. The restaurant is very loud. Also, the service was incredibly slow. I kept wondering if it was because I am from New York and I’m used to everything being so fast, but despite the amount of servers in the restaurant, they hardly ever stopped by our table. It was a nice experience, but for the price, I think there are better options.

I only have good things to say about Frenchette, from the food to the service to the decor. We had the duck frites, steak, sardines, fish soup, and apple tart, which were all excellent. Wines were also reasonably priced. This is like French cuisine with a slightly adventurous twist, and they manage to pull it off.

A very good restaurant with a very creative menu ,very interesting, but not quite sure if it deserves the incredible hype, would return though

The staff were nice and friendly and professional. Food: mea. My Rognons de Veau featured bacon (why, no indication on menu). Wine by the glass expensive and ordinary. Version of kir royale was boring. Altogether $320 = €280 was too much.

I first came across this restaurant in a New Yorker review, when it was new, and I simply had to go. It was a great dinner in a corner of the bar, with good food and interesting discussions with some team members from Vogue. On this occasion, I arrived from London with a friend hours before this dinner and the experience was, sadly, really not the same. Harassed by text messages to reconfirm, then to remind us that we had half an hour to get there, and then telling us that we would lose the table after fifteen minutes if we were late, we arrived on time, two out of a party of three. Yes, a Saturday night should be busy, but this was chaos. We were told to stand in a particular place by the bar, and that was that for the next half hour. We were on time. Having been up for twenty hours and travelled from London, we were keen to get seated and eat. No such luck. Because one from our party was running late, we could not be seated. Even when we said that we would just get on without him, we still could not be seated. And this despite plenty of empty spaces, the logic being to fit as many people in as possible, without any gaps. To add to the pain, a constant, ever changing parade of staff interacted with us throughout the evening, with no one individual claiming ownership for the situation, and telling us to move from one place to another. Keep in mind that this was peak time Saturday dinner, it is difficult to understand how two gentlemen (presumably senior staff plus sales person) were allowed to occupy a space big enough for four to have a Vermouth tasting. They eventually left, and we got the table. One dish (a good steak frites) and a bottle of red wine so cold that it will have been stored in simply arctic temperatures, came to a pretty astronomical sum. This would perhaps be acceptable if everything else had been enjoyable, but it wasn’t. I counted at least seven people working just our table, with a constant stream of others surging backwards and forwards with seemingly no particular purpose. So stressful. Would I come again? Probably not, despite this being close to my favourite hotel around the corner.

We came as it has been considered one of the best up-and-coming restaurants. Calf head (appetiser): meat melts in the mouth Steak tartare and fries (main): classic with no frills, slightly more fries than needed and less steak tartare Pork crackling (main): succulent meat, crispy crackling Pistache (dessert): came recommended and it was pretty decent and not too sweet In summary, techinically excellent, good quality French food. However, it far supersedes the cost back at home in Melbourne, Australia (about 1.25-1.5x the cost, ignoring exchange rate, including tax and a standard tip) despite equivalence in quality. Taking into account the relatively higher cost of some of the middle to high-cost restaurants in NYC that we have been to, I would say that it is still just a bit more pricier than it should be Service is attentive and friendly. We came at a fairly busy time, atmosphere was somewhat lively. Restrooms were OK.

I’m usually only moved to review if a place is materially above- or below-expectations. Am very happy to say Frenchette is the former. The food itself was all excellent - spinach garganelli, pate de fois with prunes in Armagnac, veal sweetbreads with Jerusalem artichoke, duck frites, pistachio Paris-Brest. The key thing here was a relaxed atmosphere and helpful unobtrusive service, in a charming room. We have been to many highly-regarded, classic and starred restos in NYC, and some have been a great experience - but all have been really impersonal, which feels like a hallmark of NYC dining - thankfully not Frenchette. This is a French-leaning restaurant that feels like it could actually be at home in a European city. The welcome was genuinely warm, and (although this seems like such a small thing) - I was pleased (and relieved) to a) not have someone tell us that their ‘small plates ‘concept’ means splitting 2 from here/ 3 from there/ 1 or 2 from somewhere else, and having to inelegantly scoop a minuscule portion from each onto my own plate - and after being upsold at every other meal, that b) when I asked if we needed sides was advised ‘no, that’s a healthy portion, no extras needed’ Add to that some interesting natural wines, and (on our visit) a superb playlist, and this is an absolute winner. I hope to explore the full wine list, cocktails and the various amuses next time! Frenchette is the size and atmosphere to work equally well as a high-quality neighbourhood joint, to entertain, or for an intimate or celebration meal. Frenchette will be my 1st pick for our next trip to NYC, and, unless much changes, each subsequent trip to NYC.

If you are over 50 years old don't go here for noise is deafening and not matter what some of the reviews say the food dishes are only to be rated as adequate. Expenses for the chic experience with service either absent or intrusive.Four of us for dinner as foodies all agreed that it would not be a place to return to.

A beautiful room albeit a little noisy. Tables very close together but food, wine and service were superb! i'll be back

This was my second time dining at Frenchette. Both times I sat at the bar and the food was good. The wine on the other hand is a different story. I cannot figure out how a French Restaurant can serve such Terrible wine. I have been to France many time and probably 5 times in the last year alone and even the least expensive wine has been great. I get that Frenchette is promoting biodynamic wine, but what they have chosen is terrible. Every wine by the glass was sour. They must have had to work very hard indeed to find so many terrible French wines.

Lively spot, terrific food. Went during restaurant week and thoroughly enjoyed it. Noisy - but that is to be expected. Excellent service.

Frenchette is on a lot of peoples lists as a MUST and after two separate dinner experiences I can say the services is terrible, the food is good (not fantastic) and the prices are astronomical. The vibe is good. Make of this as you wish...ill come back for a 3rd time, but the service really must improve.

We arrived early for dinner in TriBeCa, so we stopped at Frenchette, a great looking cafe with an interesting interior. Very stylish, lots of wood evoking the 1930’s. The place was busy, but when we said we wanted to stop for a drink, they found a table for us. The wine list is short, about three selections in red, white and sparking. Two selections under Rose, as I recall. All the wines are natural. We ordered two glasses of white wine, which was $18/glass. The wine was cold and quite tasty. Our server was very attentive. The total bill, after tax and tip, was $46. A bit steep, but it is a lively place. There was a high energy level. Everyone was having a good time.

After reading all of the glowing reviews, we were looking forward to dinner at Frenchette but had a very disappointing experience. Where to start? The service is slow, disorganised, and catty, i.e., much of the staff is impressed with themselves for working in a trendy restaurant, but this should preclude gossiping about the customers they're serving, which they do. Then the room is insanely noisy and underlit, and the prices here are absolutely insane. Decent food and a great wine list couldn't save the evening, however, and I'd never ever go back.

This is a fabulous restaurant. Service is professional and relaxed. Food is top flight. Setting delightful. My only criticism is that the wine list is not user friendly. I go out a lot in NYC to comparable restaurants, and I found the Frenchette wine list to be more challenging than any I can recall (maybe "pretentious" would be a more apt description). When I asked questions, though, the server was helpful and knowledgable. I'd just prefer a more straightforward wine list so I could skip my probably silly inquiries......

I had tried unsuccessfully to book a group of 12 earlier in week. Thankfully, I did manage to get a table for 2 on my last night in New York. My friend and I started with cocktails: Negroni and Harry's Sour. Both great. Our waitress was helpful with both food and wine. We shared the roast chicken and mash for 2 ppl along with a lettuce, pea and broad bean salad. Oh my! It was superb. We were very full but after a little rest we decided to share the creme caramel. I topped the delicious meal off with a great Machiato. I loved the decor and the background music. Wish I could get the playlist. I would definitely dine here again if I had the opportunity.

Not sure how this restaurant won the Beard award. Went for dinner last night. Very rude server and inconsistent service. Chef was inflexible about side substitutions. This is not a restaurant for patrons with gluten and dairy allergies. Some food items were solid (Kampachi and the King Salmon) but overall the quality of the experience was nowhere near the reputation and the cost. Its unfortunate as its 2 blocks from our apartment

Very average and pricey. First, it was so noisy that none of us could hear what anyone was saying. The host did tell us that they are trying to correct us, but the noise level ruined our evening. I had a smoked trout appetizer which was essentially four potato croquettes with smoke trout spray on them. I also had the duck frites. It was poorly presented and the duck was very tough and fatty. The fries were ordinary fast food fries. I also had the charred carrots for $14 which were good but overpriced for four baby carrots. My friends had the oxtail and the black sea bass which I tasted and was good. But, by no means, did it blow me away.

I am a person who never writes reviews but felt like I had to let people looking for an amazing meal especially at these prices know. We had been waiting to dine at Frenchette and were really excited about our dinner. We heard so many great things about the food and maybe it was a bad night, but the food was really lacking. None of the dishes were at all memorable. We have eaten at great restaurants (our favorites are French) in NYC, Paris, etc. and have eaten amazing food. The best part of the meal was the butter that came with the $11 loaf of bread. Additionally, our server was very abrupt and not very helpful explaining the menu which added to the unsatisfactory experience.

As the name suggested it's a French bistro type of restaurant located in Tribeca. The place is dimly lit, the tables and settings unassuming. There is a bar on the right as you enter. With reservation we were seated quickly and offered cocktails or wine to start off. Some of us had wine and were quite pleased with the selection. The dinner menu was quite adequate completed with amuse-gueules, hors d'oeuvres and entrees as you would expect in a respectable bistro in France. The quality of the food is good if not outstanding. We had fried anchovies and razor clams as amuse-gueules, betteraves (a concoction of beets, lentils, goat cheese, pistachio and chermoula) as hors d'oeuvre. The entrees consisted of duck frites, paleron grille (essentially steak with French fries), and poulet roti (roasted chicken) for 2. I most appreciated the French fries which came with the duck and steak. It was the real thing: crispy crunchy and salted just right. None of us were disappointed on the overall. Dessert was "Paris-Brest a la Pistache" to share. Despite the fancy name it's a small pistachio cake stuffed with pistachio flavored cream cheese. Three out of four at the table rated the cake excellent. The lone dissenter rated it passable. The service was impeccable, the food arrived within reasonable wait time, the noise level was fair since at dinner time the restaurant was 80-90% occupied. Pricing is what you would expect at a decent restaurant in Tribeca. We paid $322 for 4 and left 18% tips. Yes, I would come back at the next occasion in Tribeca.

Sorry, it looked promising, the cake was freezing cold and they refused to warm it. The excuse that "they don't have a micro" is petty. Why not just warm in an oven?

Delicious Friday evening meal. Restaurant is beautiful; wait staff friendly and very helpful with the menu. Highly recommend the swordfish and glazed carrots.

Saturday night dinner. With all the hype, perhaps I was expecting more. The bar seemed nice. Lively, if thats what you want. Wine list was a little limited if you favor Provence or Bordeaux, But plenty of Loire and Burgundy. Service was a little detached. Not rude, but uninterested. Maybe the waitress was tired, but it was only 9.30 PM Sampled a couple of appetizers. Eggs with Escargot was different, but average. The Trout Beignets were good. For the main course,I had the duck and my wife the bass. Both average, but didn't quite stand out. I guess the selling point was 'an unusual take on French food' and 'Natural wines'...unfortunately didn't hit the spot with me.

Excellent service in a beautiful space; everything was delicious and the wine list was fantastic. Was very happy with the bottle of rose we ordered and the ham is to die for.

A very busy restaurant. Inside the restaurant is, in my opinion, rather plain. We were there on a Sunday evening and every table was occupied. Service: Lots of staff who provided excellent service. Food: While we all enjoyed our dinners, the consensus was the meals were just average. Nothing was bad but the food was not memorable. Large wine list but I don't think they had a sommelier, if they did our server did not send over. Cost: For 4 persons with drinks, wine and one dessert $400 + tip Summary: Although I found the service good, the food and presentation was average.

Came here for the duck frites but sadly they weren't offering it on the menu. Opted for steak and the roasted chicken. Both were excellent. Started with salad, which was actually much better than expected- I usually avoid salads when I go out because I want to treat myself to things I can't make at home! Bread was good, but didn't come sliced, so it was pretty chewy to rip apart by hand, and the butter wasn't warm or spreadable. Came back a few days later to get the duck frites, and they lived up to my expectation! I'd only want to go back for that, but it's unpredictable especially given that online reservations (for prime times) book up in advance.

This restaurant was the biggest disappointment ever. We visited NY and wanted to taste local places not touristic. Based on great reviews, we chose Frenchette. The minute we set down, we realized it was so loud that you can’t even hear yourself. The soundproofing does not exist at this place. It was obnoxiously loud! Next disappointment was food. We had some appetizers which were not impressive besides soft shell crab. We also ordered duck, steak and escargot. All dishes were significantly undercooked and pretty small to share. The only tasty food was French fries which I believe shouldn't even be on a $50 meal. This place was total waste of money! We left hungry with a headache and $300 bill....

One of the best meals we had in New York. The service and ambience were great. Love their duck with fries, lobster, and best of the night...ParisBrest:)

The decor, service, and cuisine sum up to 5-stars without pretense. Dining here is a treat. The service was excellent, and conveyed sincerity about our dining experience. Here are the details from our dinner for 3: Derain, Aligote, bottle, 75 Anchois frits, 9 Veal tongue mackerel, 18 Brouillade, 24: scrambled eggs with escargot and mushrooms, excellent Duck frites, 38 Cote de porc, 36 Cardoons, 14 G Escoda Rosat, glass, 18 Joy Kull mix, glass, 16 TOTAL 248 TIP The all Natural Wine list can seem pricier than comparable restaurants.

This is a small, intimate bistro with great food and not always easy to get a reservation. The bar is small, as is the restaurant side. But, the food was creative and delicious, particularly the roast chicken sitting on a sliced baguette. Amazing taste. Staff were accommodating and informative. So, if you can get a table, by all means go. There's a reason it generates so much buzz.

As other reviewers have mentioned this place is extremely noisy which is such a shame for what otherwise would be a good restaurant. We were a party of two and at times were struggling to maintain a conversation due to the noise. Unfortunately this aspect overshadowed the other parts of our experience.

WOW - I cannot believe how amazing this restaurant is. Everything from the service, ambiance, and of course the FOOD. The price points are fare for what you order, especially when you take into account the flavor, presentation and quality. I highly recommend this to visitors and locals alike! WELL DONE!

Obviously, Frenchette had good and bad days judging by the reviews. The night we went I was frankly underwhelmed. The outside façade was clean and appealing, the inside was a bit bare bone. More what I would expect from an inexpensive diner, which Frenchette is not. We arrived early on Friday, so the noise wasn’t bad as mentioned although our server advised us to stay in the bar area if noise bothered us. Do not assume it was quiet, but it wasn’t at the ear bleeding decibels previous reviews mentioned. The highlight of our meal was Paige, our server. She managed to be informative, friendly, and efficient. She guided us through appropriate wines for our meal, too. We started with a rabbit pate on toast points with a prune accent. Intriguing combination that was good, but not excellent. Husband and daughter ordered lamb, which was a decent portion and enjoyed it. I ordered calf liver, which sometimes can be the mark of an inattentive chef because most overcook it. The garnishes for the liver worked. The liver itself was too salty and swam in butter, but it was tender. Our sides included marrow and charred carrots. These were very uninspired sides to put it mildly. The marrow, which we have enjoyed at several different restaurants was a slimy onion-flavored strip here that floated on butter, which we bore no resemblance to previous marrow we had had. The carrots didn’t fare much better. At this point, I noticed we had no bread, which my daughter pointed out we had to order and pay an extra eight dollars for. Despite traveling around the world, I have never been to restaurant that didn’t have a house bread. Some might charge for specialty breads, but never plain bread itself. We moved on to dessert, which I had high hopes for since who messes up dessert? The dessert name was in French, but I am convinced it said hard, dried-up brownie with a tiny scoop of flavorless ice cream with a cut-up fig. The fig was the best part. My husband had poached peach and my daughter had Cornmeal Baba, which had to be much butter than what I had. The saving grace of the meal for me was the lavender mint tea. I wasn’t offered any honey, lemon, or milk with it. When I asked, I was given a small container crammed with sugar packets. That gave it a real diner vibe. A simple meal is about hundred dollars per person. Don’t expect personal space because the people are crammed into the place.

Frenchette lives up to the hype - grainy scrambled eggs and all. From the wine to the divinely prepared small plates ( those razor clams!), Frenchette is my new favorite venue in the city. It is nearly impossible to get a reservation at a decent hour, but the bar routinely opens up after 9:30 making it the destination for a late night drink/meal. Perfection!

This was the best meal we had in the city in the 4 days we were there. The half chicken with the puréed potatoes is absolutely amazing. I was hesitant to order thinking maybe I should order something that I couldn’t have at home but I’m glad I ordered the chicken. It melted in my mouth and the potatoes were the best my husband and I have ever had! My husband got the skate wing and really enjoyed it as well. We also had some nice cocktails and wine! We’d definitely dine here again!

Great food. Good service. But the noise level is deafening. Took a friend there for dinner and we had to yell at each other thru the whole meal. Very trendy and full of young glamorous people but whole experience ruined by unceasing crowd noise

If I believed that Frenchette was the future of restaurants in New York, I would resign myself to a lifetime of dining at home. The reviews faithfully note that the place is noisy, but none of them said it was an impenetrable wall of sound. This seems to be by design, since there is not a sound-absorbing surface in the restaurant, and while the ceiling is not notably low, it has nowhere to go. So much for discussing the food or wines. And try to discuss them we did. The food was good as bistro fare, but the wines were something else. The wine list is wholly given over to the natural wine movement, which sounds wonderful but ends up like drinking political correctness. Tried three whites (the wine specialists were notably patient and kind with us) and ended up with the one which was least bizarre. We were dining with friends who have professional-level wine palates, so this was more than just a dull longing for oaky chardonnay. The reds were an equal loss: left most of the bottle untasted. Service was just OK.

Came for Lunch/Brunch for a family members birthday. Was hesitant at first as I usually find French cuisine a bit much, but so glad I made it as the food was delicious. I enjoyed the gnocchi and the baked egg dish, and the wine selection was on point. They make a very nice souffle too. Nice place to celebrate a special occasion.

Finally made it to this great little spot in Tribeca. Coming in 3 weeks after being in Paris, I naturally had to compare the experience to the real-deal French Bistros and the restaurant stood up admirably. Great ambiance (incredible soundtrack drove the energy) and fantastic food. Had the Chicken Roti with a salad and the Logical Conclusion IPA (mais oui). Although I was alone, seemed like a perfect spot for a lunch or dinner date.

The food was mediocre, nothing special. I had gnocchi--decent but with deli ham cut up in it. Should have been something more interesting, like lardons. Dessert was a pistachio creme in a pastry shell--quite tasty. Service was good and very friendly. Prices were high.