Lucien

The place is seriously the best value in town. The scallops, the salads, the steak au poivre and the atmosphere are amazing. They have great bread. The only negatives are the soups, which aren't great, and the service, which is often vapid little east village twits...

Go here often for a quick steak dinner mainly because of the unique, delicious pepper sauce and the conv. (for me) location. Service can be iffy for the high prices, but tstaff are usually friendly. Steaks sometimes very small, no salad but a good helping of fries. Catch them on a good day and its great place to eat solo or with a friend. Just wish they would be consistant about it.

I am French (lived in France for 20 years) and bistro food is usually my favorite. So I was excited to see that Lucien had a lot of dishes I liked on their menu. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed with the food. Although the place is charming and the staff is courteous, the food is very average and not authentic. The Squab (Pigeon) was dry and had no flavor and the Cassoulet was tasteless. I have eaten a lot of Cassoulets in France before and the dish at Lucien was not done right at all. They drowned the dish with so much tomatoes that I could not taste the meat and beans. We lost our appetite midway through the meal and skipped dessert. I will not come back again. I would not recommend this place if you are looking for good authentic French food.

Went here for the first time 2 nights ago, food was above average. For starters we had Moroccan Shrimp which was simply PHENOMENAL, Dinner I had the Filet, it was very good although a lil over cooked which i didnt really care for. Desert was Very good as well (Creme Brule). All in all was a good experience although be wary of the room...there is VERY little.

I don't know what all the bad reviews are about. This is my all time favorite restaurant in new york, and I always recommend it to all my friends, and it's become a fast favorite of everyone. I've been going for years and the food is amazing and the atmosphere is absolutely delightful! The only bad thing I can possibly say is that there's a wait because the place is small and everyone knows it's fabulous... so arrive early and enjoy!

The steak here is Awesome! Best steak in the city. The server wouldn't tell me where they get it, but that's fine with me, i'll keep coming back. It's seriously the freshest, smoothest cut of meat i've ever had in the city -- and i've eaten at some of the best. Congrats, lucien, keep up the good work!

Did the chef quit? I am sad to say that Lucien has turned a corner in recent days. We had come to regard it as an extension of our home kitchen, and though always loud, price-y and cramped, the food was the star and simply wonderful. However, since our last visit in April, the quallity is just not what it was. We went last night, and the poulet roti, formerly a succulent well-seasoned half of chicken, was cooked in sections then re-assembled into a dry group of pieces not worthy of a formerly fine French restaurant. The wine list, the ambience and the funky service remain, but what is the point of paying such high prices for what is quickly coming to resemble a Disney fantasy on French food rather than the real thing? Drop $200 at your peril.