L'Express

Review summary

1. C

   Céline

   New York City

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Perfect family lunch in an authentic French bistro atmosphere. Pork chop is juicy, the Croque Madame is perfectly seasoned, and Tarte tatin and Creme Brûlée perfectly served. Kind and warm staff. Highly recommended ! We will come back.
   

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2. T

   Tracey

   VIP

   New York City

   64 reviews

   3.0

   64 reviews

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 3

   Pretty solid neighborhood bistro…good food but noisy
   

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3. R

   Ron

   New York City

   4 reviews

   3.0

   4 reviews

   Dined on February 16, 2025

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 4

   We frequently go the same owner's Marseille after theater and have enjoyed L'Express in the past as well. Food was excellent, service professional, noise loud but manageable (happy people, not a club-style soundtrack). The only issue was that our martinis were $16 on the menu but $19 on the bill. The waiter told us that this was because a martini ordered "up" was a larger pour and therefore more expensive. That is not an unreasonable explanation. What is unreasonable is that it wasn't disclosed up front, on the menu. The waiter claimed that many bars have the same policy, and for all I know he's correct. Nevertheless, it would be easy enough to put on the menu that cocktails ordered up have a $3 supplement. If I saw that on the menu, I would have made an informed decision, and if it was on the menu but I didn't look, that's on me. I want to be clear that this was handled very professionally and would in no way keep us from coming back - which we hope to do soon.
   

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4. E

   Erik

   New York City

   2 reviews

   4.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on February 15, 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   Valentines Day for most restaurants is a chaotic experience so I’m going to give them a pass. They wanted to seat us at a tiny table and I’m 6”2 and 215 lbs. I did wait a little and got a decent table. The service was slow but we like to take our time so it wasn’t an issue. The special, chilled seafood salad with cucumber, cumin and crème fraiche was very special. The onion soup and pistachio terrine were as tasty as ever. My steak could have been warmer but the frites were nice and crispy. My partners duck a l’orange was nice but now what he expected. The flourless chocolate cake was as good as ever but served way before my partners almond tart. However the waitress was very accommodating and I did get a free glass of wine for the wait. The prices have gone up ALOT! I think $40 for a duck breast and steak frites is Al little steep for a casual French bistro, but again, that is the cost of dining in NYC.
   

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   L'ExpressResponded 5 days ago

   Hi Erik. Thank you for taking the time to leave us this thorough review. I'm sorry to hear that your experience wasn't 100% amazing. We were fully booked for much of Valentine's Day dinner, so we didn't have much flexibility on moving reservations to different tables, so I apologize that the original table did not suit you. I also want to apologize for the wait time between desserts! This is certainly not how we like that to happen. It's good to hear that the food was to your liking for the most part, though. I'll be forwarding these concerns to the rest of the team. We hope you'll join us again for a less chaotic night out in the near future. Thor Oren - General Manager
   

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5. E

   Erik

   New York City

   34 reviews

   4.0

   34 reviews

   Dined on February 12, 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   Consistently great quality French food in a bustling environment. Wait staff is attentive and professional.
   

   L'ExpressResponded on February 14, 2025

   Thank you, Erik! We appreciate the feedback always. I look forward to seeing you again soon. Ruben Coach - Manager
   

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6. M

   Mary

   New York City

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on February 4, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Coming many years and always have had good food and service.
   

   L'ExpressResponded on February 14, 2025

   Hi Mary, thank you so much for your feedback. See you soon! Ruben Coach - Manager
   

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7. D

   David

   New Mexico

   5 reviews

   5.0

   5 reviews

   Dined on January 29, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Classic bistro fare well prepared and reasonably priced. The house-made terrine and Frisée aux Lardons were delicious as was the house red Cote du Rhone.
   

   L'ExpressResponded on February 14, 2025

   David, Thank you for the feedback! Hope to see you soon - Frisee will be waiting. Ruben Coach - manager
   

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8. R

   Richard

   VIP

   New York City

   18 reviews

   5.0

   18 reviews

   Dined on January 25, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Fun dining experience. Lively ambience. Good food.
   

   L'ExpressResponded on February 14, 2025

   Hey Richard, Thank you so much for the feedback! See you soon okay. Ruben Coach - Manager
   

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9. L

   L. C.

   VIP

   New York City

   33 reviews

   4.0

   33 reviews

   Dined on January 21, 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 3

   I took advantage of Restaurant Week to return to L'Express, a familiar, friendly and reliable hangout a half block from my office. I've been going there since it opened thirty years ago, almost coinciding with my firm's first 10-year lease. It's no long a 24/7 dive. Covid took care of that. But what has not changed is the familial warm standard that it has remained in the neighborhood: a place where you can go for an excellent burger, an omelette, a nice piece of fish almost anytime of the day or night.
   

   L'ExpressResponded on February 14, 2025

   L. C Hi! Thank you greatly for taking the time to give us some feedback. We are now open more late nights again, 2 am Sunday - Thursday and 4 am Friday- Saturday. Stop by anytime. Ruben Coach - Manager
   

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10. I

    Itay

    Orange County

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 19, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 4

    Service is not attentive at all, had to ask for water and bread refill numerous times, as well as the table was not cleared until we asked even when it was obvious that plates are empty and garbage. Even though everyone was pleasant in communication it looks like there's a lack of personal. Concerning the food, it felt like the butter and cooking oil were not fresh enough as it reflects in specific taste and aftertaste on food. Nevertheless atmosphere was pleasant and welcoming. Hope those defects will be fixed soon.
    

    L'ExpressResponded on February 14, 2025

    Hey Itay, I'm very sorry to hear about this. Thank you greatly for the feedback. Please contact me if you have a moment. I would love to hear more about your meal. We love any opportunity to improve ourselves and look out for our guests. Ruben Coach - Manager
    

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