Barbes

. . . Went for lunch and was slow but the food was good and a varied menu. And generous portions. Doesn't look like much from the outside but well decorated inside . . . lot of tables and could get noisy with a lot of people in there. Again a good place but not a great place in New York but in that area was a reasonable choice.

After walking past Barbes for many years on my way to the Gingerman, I finally made it in for dinner with my girl. I must say the food (especially the eggplant appetizer and the couscous) was delicious, however the service left my scratching my head. Our waitress was not very attentive and the entire staff appeared to be more interested in flirting with each other rather than taking care of customers. Very odd. Yet, I am willing to give Barbes another shot because I really did enjoy the food. Plus, my girl thought their "Perfect Margherita" was the best she's ever had.

Just because a restaurant gets a bad review doesn't automatically mean the reviewer is a shill. We live in the neighborhood an area which, unfortunately, has very few restaurants. We eagerly look forward to finding good ones. Our experience was exactly as described in the review. Perhaps we came on a bad night but because of the noise, we're not going back. The restaurant was full & the people and staff (probably because it was the only way they could be heard) were extremely loud. The restaurant is very pretty and looked charming so we had looked forward to a pleasant evening it wasn't. Oh, and by the way it's overpriced.

The review below must be a shill from a competitor. I eat there with clients 2-3 times a week and it's never noisy. If anything, I would call it tranquil! The food, service and atmosphere is most pleasant and as a foodie, I really do know what i'm talking about. My business dinners (Barbes is my lunch spot) are usually Daniel, Jean Jeorges or Del Frisco and my personal go to for birthdays and anniversary is the River Cafe. Just go....you'll agree with me.

I can't even recall the food thanks to a noise level that exceeds that of most construction sites. My friends and I frequently eat out . We look for restaurants where we can enjoy good food and talk. If that's what you're looking for, forget about Barbes. We went there because it's small & pretty and because we like to patronize our neighborhood restaurants. My voice still hasn't recovered from trying to be heard by the person sitting 2 feet away. The relative "quiet" of Madison Ave. was a pleasure after the earsplitting noise of this place. We will never return.

We discovered Barbes about a year ago. We'd been wandering around the neighborhood and just stumbled on it when looking for a dinner spot. Wow! What a find. From the first time we were there, they made us feel at home. The host is accommodating, gracious, and more than willing to help with any special needs you might have. The food rivals the service. Tons of amazing choices. All flavorful, well prepared, and well presented. We had the brochette of chicken as a shared appetizer this evening and it was served with a nice salad and plenty of lovely veggie garnishes. Totally awesome. The entrees we've had have also all been first rate. I can't say whether it's authentic food, but it's sure delicious, well served, and in an amazing atmosphere. We have returned often and will continue to do so. Thumbs up!

Had dinner here last night with 3 friends. Everything was great. We had duck confit and tomato montrachet for appetizers and both were incredibly tasty and beautifully plated. For entrees we had the pastilla, couscous royale, couscous with chicken and shrimp with couscous. Everything again was delicious. The couscous was so tasty and the almonds, raisins and chick peas were a nice touch to this dish. Unfortunately we had no room for dessert. The only negative is that the place itself is rather small so the tables are basically on top of one another. But if you can live with that, the food is great.