Les Halles

So, I went to this place for the first time last night. I thought it would be a tight, snobby french place, but everyone was in costume. Having fun. A fine, young betty boop brought me the best french food I have had in years. Had a blast. Believe it or not try the Mac and Cheese. I will be going back again.

Used to be a good place, but now the service is subpar, the food mediocre, and too loud to talk. Also - some of the tables in the bar area are so close to the bar stools, that your head is right next to guess what? Nice selection of wine, but had a waitress drop a bottle of wine at our feet, and then were treated poorly by the M'D about getting a decent alternate table since our feet were wet and swimming in a pool of wine.

I'm a steak and potatoes type of person and this place rocks! Try the Les Halles famous classic for only 16.50! Dessert was sooooo good. Waiter did forget about us a little but you just have to be good at getting their attention. Over all A+ its a nice semi-quiet place just how i like it

The food is solid French bistro fare, but it takes forever for someone to take your order, about 2 hours later they bring out the food, and you can pretty much walk out of there without paying, because they keep forgetting to bring you the check even if you ask multiple times. Very nice bistro ambiance, but tables are packed together like sardines.

We went for moules frites, a favorite dish of ours since experiencing the best versions of this dish in Brussels last fall. The moules were very plump and juicy - cooked to perfection. The sauce/broth seriously lacked flavor though. I had Moules Portuguese with tomato, garlic, sausage and other seasonings becuase it was highly recommended by other Menupage reviews. My wife had the Billi-Bi with saffron and cream. We thought it could be because we both had weakened taste buds due to congestion, but agreed that we could taste the butter on the bread and our appetizers well enough. Next time, we'll stick to the traditional method - mariniere. Our appetizers, pate de campagne and the French onion soup were top notch. The soup was nice and sweet from the onions and not salty at all, which is my complaint with most onion soups. The pate was just the way it should be. Oh, and the waitstaff was impeccable -- polite, cordial and attentive, even when it became very busy.

I have been to this Bistro several times recently with different friends & at different times. I don't know what the other reviewers are going on about. I've always had great service. No wait for a table if I've not booked. Wine served on time. Food always excellent. My friends have enjoyed the experience each time & some have gone back since. It does get noisy but not as noisy as the Park Ave. South branch. It's one of my favourite places in New York City to eat.

Les Halles used to be without question (in my mind) the best place to catch lunch or a decent dinner downtown. The service began deteriorating several months back, without effecting food quality, but recently the food quality has also been affected. I would eat here at least once a week when I first moved downtown, but now I completely avoid it. My only hope is they can get their act together and bring back the Les Halles I remember.