There are some quibbles here, of course, but mostly it is about how great it is
of course
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“i can't WAIT to go back and try a different tasting menu.”In 360 reviews
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“tuna w/ foie gras first course: refreshing, light & fresh.”In 157 reviews
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“Both the red snapper and black bass were cooked to perfection.”In 124 reviews
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Recommended Reviews
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- Jackie N.
- Bellaire, TX
- 92 friends
- 44 reviews
DID NOT DISAPPOINT!
This restaurant is meek and understated when compared to others of its caliber; for example, Per Se, 11MP, Daniel. But, I imagine that what it looks like today is what its looked like for quite some time now.
We had the Chefs tasting and it was amazing. My favourites were the King Fish w Caviar, Langoustine w Truffle, Poached Halibut. and the Japanese Clam. Flavours were incredibly delicate, yet distinguished. The meal was substantial, but light. We definitely left full, but not grossly full.
Service was impeccable in a very old-fashioned way. You definitely felt as if the staff was at your service. And they were very knowledgeable.
I'd definitely come back, once I make it through my list. :) -
- Arti N.
- Seattle, WA
- 3 friends
- 29 reviews
Oh Le Bern... what can I say? Excellent dining experience with hubby on date night last Tuesday during our visit to NYC.
I see some reviewers had a less than steller experience with the service, but we experienced nothing but true hospitality, from my very first reservation phone call to our last moment before exiting the restaurant. We were truly happy to be there, and I think our obvious pleasure was infectious, as we had wonderful conversations with many of the staff, some of whom come from all over the world to study under the legendary Eric Ripert.
Hubby and I both sprang for the 8-course chef's tasting menu. It ended up being 10 courses with the additional amuse bouches and final mignardises plates thrown in. Each dish was more impressive than the previous and the portion sizes were more generous than I anticipated though upon leaving the restaurant I wasn't uncomfortably full.
Menu line-up included: Tairagai (very refreshing), King Fish-Caviar (prob my fav dish of the night by a very slim margin...), Langoustine (another fav!), Crab, Halibut, White Tuna-Kobe Beef (hubby's fav was the beef, and I must say as much as we love seafood, the turf was extra delicious after all the courses of surf!), and then the two dessert courses-- pistachio (ice cream, YUM!!!!) and chesnut (double YUM!)
Being from Seattle, we definitely know good seafood (IMHO some of the best in the world, there is just something about cold water seafood!), and Le Bern did justice. And having lived in Paris, I am definitely familiar with French classical cooking methods. Le Bern definitely carries those traditions and marries it well with a modernity and inventiveness that ups the ante.
Oh, and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olson were seated at the table next to us about 30 minutes before the end of our meal.. :) Hey, I'm from Seattle~ give me a celebrity sighting (or two!)
Definitely set the stage for an extremely memorable meal and well deserving of being #13 on BA 2013 "Most Important Restaurants in America". -
Want a place that dazzles your sight and all gustatory senses? Want impeccable old fashioned service? A great wine list and staff who don't sneer at your wine budget but helpfully choose progressive wines to complement your meal? Le Bernardin is where its at. I have eaten here a few times and cannot believe that I have somehow omitted to write a review and the truly amazing consistency of this place.
Each plate is a bejeweled work of art, yet somehow tastily approachable. A recent visit had us starting with Geoduck and Scallops+Uni appetizer. The geoduck is really more textural to me than anything else (having eaten them freshly harvested) and in this place they are transformatively wonderful with a touch of the sweet acidity of the lemon confit and the herbacious delight of a broth. The scallops and uni combination is equally wonderful with the sweetness of the scallops and creamy sweetness of the uni balanced by the bit of granny smith forming a wonderful meld of flavors in your mouth. The main courses of the pan seared monkfish was a perfect combination of the dense sweet monkfish with the earthy mushroom puree and a wonderfully complex yet simple sauce with armagnac. The salmon was equally good and this where you can tell the classiness of the place : the willingly took the salmon down to a temperature that most places would sneer at..because my dining companion wanted the salmon more medium. They did not try to steer her away to something else, but provided outstanding service and a fish that was perfectly cooked and gently cossetted in a miso broth with fragrant mushrooms.
This is not a cheap place, but it is a fantastic place worth every penny. The pre fixe is a bargain! Save and go eat here.....it is one of the places to eat in before you die! -
Just had a fantastic prixe fixe lunch here last week.
We started with a bottle of Meursault. It was a very clean wine with good acidity and was a perfect compliment to Le Bernardin's exquisitely fresh seafood.
The 'Slivers of Fluke; Wasabi-Nori Crisp, Soy-Black Pepper Vinaigrette' I had to start blew my mind; the fluke was so light and fresh that it was like eating something completely new to me; the warm slivers of 'almost raw' fluke were like flakes of the most delicately prepared fish i've had. The taste and preparation of the fish was so clean and the so light that I could not even imagine it as being a dead ocean creature with bones. It was so neatly and thinly sliced; almost translucent. The presentation was gorgeous as well; really elegant garnishes, with sheets of wasabi nori served in a little metal rack on the side.
For my main course I had the 'Barely Cooked Wild Salmon; Sweet and Sour Hon Shimeji Mushrooms and Lotus Root, Maitake Broth'. It was light in preparation, though a larger portion than I expected, with two pieces of identically sliced and garnished salmon on the plate. I could only finish one, but it was delicious! Almost raw on the top but at a point where it still flaked. The very bottom was just lightly cooked. The lotus roots were extremely thinly sliced, crunchy, and beautiful to look at, beneath the maitake broth that our server so carefully poured out of a silver container. This was truly a harmonious dish.
It could have been the several glasses of wine I consumed before dessert, but i didn't find any of them to be super memorable. I enjoyed my cranberry dessert though: "Lightly Poached Cranberries, Spiced Squash, Maple Mousse, Cranberry Sorbet". This dish was exactly what I was in the mood for. Playful and not overly sweet, and the cranberries exploded in my mouth with just the perfect amount of tartness.
My dad was with me for lunch, and ordered the dark chocolate parfait desert per recommendation of our waitress. (Candied Marcona Almonds, Dulce de Leche, Milk Sorbet). I tried a bite or two and it was good. The chopped candied marcona almonds were not overly sweet and covered the ball of chocolate mousse. I'm really not a huge fan of creamy consistencies in dessert and really prefer 85% pure dark chocolate but my dad obviously enjoyed it and cleaned his plate! We also got to try some of my aunt's Coffee dessert: Caramel Crémeux, Mascarpone Mousse, Coffee Ice Cream. This was my least favorite, but Tiramisu was never really my thing, to be fair.
Given that this is a seafood restaurant and that i'm damn hard to please when it comes to dessert (I generally just don't like flour or cream and opt for super dark chocolate), I can't really include that in my rating. Everything else was as good as it could have been, and was certainly worth it's michelin stars! I can't wait to come back for a tasting menu....definitely on my list for birthday plans! -
Food: 5/5
Service: 4/5
Cleanliness: 5/5
Decor & Style: 5/5
The 4 course dinner Prix-Fixe menu was excellent. It was my first 3 star Michelin restaurant and it lived up to it's hype, almost perfect!
Compared to Bouley's (1 star), we felt we were a little rushed. At Bouley's, we dined for over 3 hours as they patiently gave us extra time as needed. Here, we felt rushed. I believe we were here for only about an hour and 45 minutes. However, everything else was still exquisite therefore I still stand by my 5 star review.
Favorites:
Tuna: Described as: "Layers of Thinly Pounded Yellowfin Tuna, Foie Gras and Toasted Baguette, Chives and Extra Virgin Olive Oil"
Salmon: "Slivers of Scottish Salmon; Baby Radish "Salad", Tomatillo-Mezcal Nage"
Himachi: "Flash Marinated Hamachi; Sea Beans and Daikon, Black Garlic-Ponzu Sauce"
Scallops: "Barely Cooked Scallop; Brown Butter Dashi"
If you're a seafood fanatic and willing to splurge on a Michelin Restaurant, this is the place to go! -
WONDERFUL!!
I held an event in one of their private rooms and the service was AMAZING. The staff was attentive friendly and knowledgable. The space was clean and beautifully set up. They helped me with all of the logistics of my event and made sure I was completely happy.
THE FOOD. Seriously...THE FOOD. My colleague and I sat next to each other during the lunch; we kept looking at each other making "my goodness this is good" faces during each course. They served an after meal dessert that was "little 1/2 inch squares of delish sunshine" with sprinkles of sugar on top. I told myself: "Self, only one." Then: "Ok, Self...one more so what you can taste the deliciousness that can only be BUTTER in it." Then, I forced myself to stop....I mean. I was getting a little addiction thing starting... :) Anywho, It was amazing. Our clients were raving about everything from the wines and food to the space...And oh yeah they were interested in my company's services...almost forgot why I was there in the first place.
GO...it is worth every cent. -
- Tim T.
- JAMAICA, NY
- 10 friends
- 5 reviews
Was it expensive, yes. Was I satisfied, no. My wife loved this place. It made her happy so there for I was happy but I failed to understand what the point of this expense was.
I needed to try new places whenever I can. This was on the list because so many people love it. I am simpler man. I believe in simpler pleasures and this place is for the more sophisticated group. The kind of people who know how to spell and do other things that so many of us do not understand. -
- Rivka E.
- London, UK
- 49 friends
- 13 reviews
Food was exquisitely balanced and savory - small, very filling portions. We had a little bit of everything and it was delightful as well as reasonably priced. The wine selection was equally well-done, with a little something to go with every dish on the menu. We will certainly be back.
However, while the service was quite attentive, my sole complaint is regarding some of the confusion on the part of the staff. It was incredibly unclear who the captain for our table was and therefore certain requests went unfulfilled and specific notes unheeded. Noted for next time. -
- Ashley H.
- New York, NY
- 7 friends
- 20 reviews
All the amazingness that you would expect. Exquisite and delicious food in a serene setting.
If you get the tasting menu with wine pairing, be prepared for a culinary adventure that could last around four hours. -
Hands down, the best Octopus dish I've ever tried was served at Le Bernadin this past weekend. Of the "First Course - Barely Touched" category, it's absolutely capable of causing you to shed tears of joy -- it was that exquisite, from the tender charred portions to the zesty green olive emulsion.
This all within a peaceful dining area with low-level lighting, plus extremely attentive service, was truly the change of pace I was looking for in a mini-vaca. No rushing necessary whatsoever -- questions were answered fully by several staff members, and our lunch continued on for nearly two hours.
Another dish I selected, with questions answered in order to determine the dish, belonged to the "Main Course - Lightly Cooked" list: Black Bass. What enticed me toward this what not so much the fish alone, but the ceviche style squash that was to be consumed in tandem. A lover of Peruvian foods already, that conceptually satisfied me. While it requires the squash to make it or break it, it still was very good. Does not quite compare to the Octopus, of course!
Preparing to attend Le Bernadin itself was quite an adventure. I'm an out-of-towner, so my date and I made a reservation for lunch here well in advance, also with our associated travel plans. I'm certain anybody attending knows they must wear proper attire, so it was our dressiest day of the trip, for which we packed accordingly.
We did get to try and share one thing that was not on the "regular" menu, too, at the request of my date: the Langoustine, a large prawn dish served with truffle and chanterelle. It was only on the Chef's Tasting menu, not the lunch menu, although it may have been on the dinner list. Regardless, it was no problem to obtain this item.
If cost and distance were not issues, I would hope to come here once a month. They serve superb seafood -- without question, the best octopus in North America. So much more left to try! -
- Ileen F.
- Manhattan, NY
- 0 friends
- 2 reviews
Very good food , it all it matters .. -
What can I say it is a Michelin Three Star restaurant. You have to book in advance and they hold a credit card number with a charge for no shows as expected with a tight schedule and a wait list.
Went with several friends who are also in to good food and we went with the tasting menu, how can you not? I don't recall all the dishes on the tasting menu, and I am sure it change anyway. But the tasting menu I think lets the chef highlight what makes the restaurant well know. It was an odd dichotomy of people in the dining room. There were those like us that are into food but not necessarily eating at three star places every day and the upper crust rich where this was just another night out for a nice dinner.
The food was excellent. The dishes were high quality and had fresh ingredients that were impeccably created and plated. I was impressed and this was one of the better meals I have had.
The service was also excellent with efficient and courteous staff. They were able to answer all of our questions about the meal quickly and without problems. They were not condescending at all; which you can see at some high end restaurants.
The prices are high, but expectedly so. While I can recommend going here on a frequent basis due to the prices it is an experience that should be enjoyed if you are into food. -
- Ashley F.
- New Port Richey, FL
- 13 friends
- 17 reviews
Where to begin? Can i give it more stars? Le Bernardin has been on my foodie bucket list since I first learned about Eric Ripert years ago, and I'm not even a big seafood fan. And it certainly lived up to expectations! We were looking for a more casual lunch so we ate in the Lounge. I was expecting a bit of a wait since you can't make reservations for the Lounge but was pleasantly surprised when we were seated right away.
I ordered the City Harvest tasting menu, which is a great deal at $45 for 3 courses and includes a donation to City Harvest. My friend ordered a few dishes off of the regular Lounge menu. In order of my favorites:
Stripped Bass - By far the best dish of my lunch! It wasn't fishy-tasting at all, it was light and refreshing. Absolutely devine! I would go back just for that dish!
Peruvian Sea Scallop Ceviche - A close 2nd for sure! The scallops were so tender. The dish had a little heat to it which I loved. Definitely glad I talked my friend into ordering, selfish I know.
Skate - This was the first time I've ever had skate, and at first I was a bit thrown off by the texture but after a few bites I vould really appreciate the dish. It was a nice size cut for sure and came with a light grapefruit/citrus sauce that was just absorbed by the skate.
Black Forest - Was sold on it at the beer sorbet. To best enjoy it make sure you get a bit of all the flavors on your spoon.
Chocolate Popcorn - My only complaint was the serving size. I wanted more.
Salmon Rillet - This dish was my least favorite not because it wasn't good; the dish was good. However, unlike the other dishes it lacked the same "wow" factor.
I also tried the LB Champagne and Brooklyn Bee. The LB was delicious but pricey at $25 a glass. The black pepper agave syrup gave it a little something extra. The Brooklyn Bee is a better value at $18 a glass, and it comes in a bigger glass (which is always a good thing for cocktails). The absinthe in it makes it a stronger drink and definitely not like anything I've had before.
The service was superb as well. We were the last ones in the Lounge towards the end of lunch service which was really nice, it was like we had our own server.
Overall it was well worth every penny, and there were a lot. I can't wait to go back and try the other menus, especially the dinner tasting menu! -
- Heathcliff D.
- Oakland, CA
- 1 friend
- 20 reviews
Stop it. Just stop it. 3 Michelin stars? Just for that, the restaurant gets 3 Yelp stars...this is ridiculous...What do you mean, THE FOOD. Seriously...THE FOOD...why don't you learn how to write proper English before you start venturing with giving people advice on food. This isn't the Psychic network. Let's also stop dropping a rating because of service. Some of the best restaurants in the world slap the food in front of you but is unrivaled in preparation, quality, and taste.
So here's the main problem: if the food at LB is so good, why do you have to put a sauce over it? That's one of the first shortcuts you take when you are first learning how to cook (let's cover up the disaster with soy sauce, or ketchup, or better yet, soy sauce and ketchup!). The food tends to hide behind the sauce and if I'm going to spend over $500 on a dinner, don't throw your sauce and make it the focus. The focus should be on the prime element itself, whether it is duck, prawns, sea bass, etc. The focus shouldn't be the sauce. On top of that, if you are going to have a sauce, it should complement the fish, not take over.
Two reviews in a row...both overrated and over-priced. This is a good lesson to remember. Just because Michelin says its good, doesn't mean it is. Besides, isn't their primary business manufacturing...tires? -
Le Bernardin is fantastic. The best NYC restaurants pale in comparison next to it, so why did I only give it 4 stars? Value. Let me explain...
First, while judging my Le Bernardin experience I can only compare it against restaurants of a similar caliber. For me, this means comparing against Per Se and Eleven Madison Park. The food at all three are fantastic, the three best meals I have ever had. Presentation and quality are top notch. This review is only about value.
Per Se costs $295 for the tasting menu. For that $295 you get 9+ courses, a wait staff seemingly assigned directly to you, a table for two that is about 8 feet in diameter, central park views, doggy bags with extra goodies, and of course fantastic food.
Eleven Madison costs $225 for the tasting menu. In total there are about 16 courses including take home bags for breakfast, granola in glass mason jars and other goodies. No spectacular views here, and the density of the table placement is what you would expect out of a NY restaurant. Like Per Se and Le Bernardin, the food is fantastically presented and out of this world.
Le Bernardin is $150 for a 7 course tasting menu, or $195 for an 8 course tasting menu. While the food quality and presentation is equal to the above two, the price per course is much higher. The little extras that Per Se and Eleven Madison throws in were not found here. No little goodie bag to take home for example. There were 4 little chocolates presented at the end of the meal where Per Se presented a tray of dozens. There is no fantastic view like Per Se, and the uniqueness of the menu did not meet Eleven Madison, so why was is it so much more expensive per plate?
So, overall Le Bernardin is a 5 star restaurant with 3.5 star value. It is definitely worth trying, and if you have never been to Per Se or Eleven Madison you may see nothing wrong with the value as I have. -
Best pure seafood in New York.
There are very few restaurants in this echelon. Per Se, Jean Georges. Maybe Daniel. And only Eleven Madison Park stands on higher ground.
Transcendent seems like a really pretentious word to use to describe food, but it fits here. I've eaten salmon hundreds of times, but it's NEVER tasted like this. The same with the langoustine, the turbot, the crab. Bite after bite after bite, I realized that I didn't even realize seafood could taste so good.
And true to the restaurant's motto, the fish really is the star of the plate. The flavor of the fish is never drowned out by the accompaniments, only elevated. The sauces are also worth mentioning; Even alone, their flavor profiles are remarkably deep.
Great wine pairings throughout the meal, too. The staff here understands the menu and can pair wine based on your personal taste and your upcoming course, not just one or the other. Impressive.
I'd recommend one of the two tasting menus. If you're going to drop this much coin, don't go halfway. -
- Bennie S.
- Brooklyn, NY
- 14 friends
- 95 reviews
Everything about Le Bernardin lived up to my expectations. The food and drinks, the staff, the ambiance.
We did not do the tasting menu this time (maybe next time). The dishes on the pre fixe sounded much better. Also, I generally never finish the entire tasting, which is such a waste for me (though good for my guest). The drinks are fantastic, if overpriced, but you expect it going in.
My meal was perfectly prepared. The lobster, which was supposed to be "lightly cooked," was exactly that. It wasn't chewy, and the lemongrass sauce it came with was great. You're able to taste the lobster and the lemongrass without one overpowering the other. The crab was in a delicious seaweed-shiitake soup. Again, the soup was not overwhelming so you're able to taste the different flavors of the king crab and the soup.
My favorite was the surf and turf, which is raw sea urchin and crisped bacon on top of bone marrow. Really, what's not to love!? It was amazing. By amazing, I mean, I dream about it. The only thing that would make it even better is if they somehow incorporated foie gras and caviar. But even without, it was, hands down, the best dish of the night.
The atmosphere was nice - not very loud, not overly quiet. It's hard to be intimate because the seating is so far apart. While not great to get cuddly (though who wants to see that while they're eating??), it's great for conversations and does not call for shouting at each other. The staff, was nice and friendly, though there are some who are more pretentious than others. Maybe I'm projecting, but it seemed that some of the staff treated me as if I've never eaten at an upscale restaurant. In any case, it wasn't bad enough that I'd remove a Yelp star here. -
- Anthony N.
- Playa del Rey, CA
- Elite ’13
- 2954 friends
- 2053 reviews
***Le Bernardin is not really my type of restaurant, but they do produce excellent seafood***
Le Bernardin is not my type of restaurant. It is definitely contemporary, but it also primarily focuses on traditional French cuisine. In many ways, it reminds me of restaurants like Gary Danko and Joel Robuchon--restaurants that update classic French dishes in subtle ways but not veering too far from the original. For me, I have found these restaurants a little boring as well as too heavy. Le Bernardin, however, does use non-traditional ingredients and preparations in both their savory and dessert courses and the food is also surprisingly light.
Le Bernardin is a seafood restaurant and I like how their tasting menu features only seafood; Le Bernardin might not be as creative or ambitious as the seafood focused Providence in LA; still, Le Bernardin delivers great flavors and perfectly cooked seafood.
There were three standout dishes. The langoustine with chive creme fraiche, chanterelles, balsamic, and truffles was great. The langoustine was perfectly cooked; it was very moist and soft with a fresh, sweet flavor. The truffle really came across well.
The poached halibut was also very good. I typically do not like halibut because it is bland and often dry, but the halibut here was incredible--very moist, easy to flake and a delicate flavor. The garnishes were great--a creamy and rich potato and fennel purée as well as crisp fennel and juicy cherry tomatoes to balance the dish. The red miso citrus sauce provided a nice vibrant flavor.
The king crab was also very good--soft, moist and sweet. I really enjoyed the garnishes--a peekytoe crab and onion mixture as well as an intense but also very thin lobster, pepper and tomato sauce.
Several of their other offerings were very good. Their scallop sashimi was very fresh and moist and pairing it with a soy and grape vinaigrette as well as cucumber and avocado was very Manresa-esque though Manresa has access to the great and bountiful produce of Northern California (which NY restaurants lack and it really shows in the flavor of their vegetables and fruits).
They capture the unique texture of Dover sole and their preparation showcases Indian flavors like tamarind and free flowing basmati rice. The dish was good though I enjoyed a few of their other dishes more.
The only savory course I did not like was their salmon. It was an interesting preparation with one side smoked and the other side cooked. The problem was the cooked side was flavorless and dry. I have never been a fan of sauce gribiche and it did not really elevate this dish. I did like the thin leek broth with trout roe that burst with juiciness.
For desserts, Le Bernardin was pretty much like most good fine dining restaurants--satisfyingly sweet dishes but lacking creativity or ambition. There are probably only a handful of restaurants in the country producing really creative and truly enjoyable desserts (Providence and Beast come to mind). Most are satisfied to crank out easily prepared desserts like pot de creme, panna cotta or the way too often found chocolate ganache. Finding an actual pastry item in a dessert is becoming truly rare and something baked to order even more rare.
Although Le Bernardin is not one of these special restaurants, it did showcase strawberries and chocolate very well. The first dessert was a very good white chocolate cremeux with good strawberries, strawberry espuma, vanilla ice cream, and sable breton crumble--everything came together very well.
Their chocolate ganache was very high quality and I liked the popcorn elements on the plate with the exception of the popcorn ice cream--very faint if any popcorn flavor. Their chocolate mille feuille featured a good chocolate ice cream and crispy chocolate wafers, but overall it was nothing exceptional.
The meal ended with black currant financier; these actually delivered a classic light cake with an intense flavor--I wish something like this, which reminded me of great homemade desserts, was more present in their dessert menu.
Service was very good--very pleasant and attentive. I really liked one of the secondary servers who had a good sense of humor and delivered the food presentations in fun and enjoyable ways. Despite the many courses, the food came out at a very even pace.
The dining room is nice--very contemporary with a lot of energy at lunch (very power lunch feel).
Le Bernardin is a very good restaurant that I really respect even if I prefer restaurants with more ambitious, creative approaches towards food. Le Bernardin really knows how to handle seafood so if you are a seafood fan and live in NY, I would say that this high-end restaurant is a must visit for a special dinner.
I am not sure what the parking situation is.
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