Bistro Cassis Restaurant

Dropped in for dinner with friends after a movie. We were seated promptly and asked if we wanted to order sparkling or flat water. We all requested NYC tap to the waiter’s dismay. He then asked is we wanted drinks, waited for the drink order from one of us and then disappeared. Came back dropped water and the glass of wine off and disappeared again for several mins. Came back and took our food and the rest of the drink orders.
Food was mediocre. Dishes were either over or under salted and portions were on the small side. Dishes were between $ 15 and $ 30 which was on the high end for the quality of food prepared.
Service was very impersonal and we felt somewhat rushed to leave. Overall a very meh experience.

So very, very impressed with this charming and cozy french bistro.
Went here for a Friday date night with my husband and ordered the following:
1. Thon tartare (tuna tartar)
2. Husband ordered the special – sea bass with eggplant and marinara sauce
3. Cassis salad
4. Crème brûlée (husband wanted another it was so delicious)
All dishes were timed perfectly and superb quality.
Bön appétit!

First time to try this UWS French bistro and unfortunately it was not a pleasant experience. The service while friendly, was unprofessional and did not know the food on the menu. The Caesar salad was good but the chicken was significantly overcooked and dry. No one on the staff or management cared enough to ask about of meals even though we sent our food back half eaten. The menu was also overpriced even for NYC.

Fantastic example of fine French food in the city! Give it a try the service and atmosphere are superb!

Out with the family, we were looking for a place to grab a nice dinner. Since it was a marathon Sunday, everything in the area was packed — except this place. This should’ve been our clue… We were warmly greeted and seated inside. The table set up was lovely, but it took some time to guess that napkins were wrapped in menus… We ordered a crab salad, a couple of lardon salads, lobster ravioli, French onion soup, a couple of burgers and a grilled chicken sandwich. The best tasting items were the bread that arrived accompanied by butter and chicken liver pâté and French fries. We waited for our food for over 40 minutes. It’s OK if it takes that long to make, but… The onion soup when it arrived was like warm and cheese resembled a thick rubber, burgers and fries were barely warm — both are indications that they were sitting out for quite some time. Drinks were also a let down: Manhattans that we ordered lacked alcohol and were quite syrupy. Lardons had so much vinegar that were too acidy to eat. If it were not for the egg on top, I would’ve been left w/​out dinner.
All and all a complete disappointment for an exorbitant price. Two stars for food, four stars for hospitality and service.

As my daughter remarked, seeing a more mature crowd is good because older folks are not impressed by bells and whistles. the good was excellent — and pâté with warm French bread at no extra charge! Service was perfect and now I know a great pre-​Lincoln Center spot.

Starting with the warm crusty bread served with a ramekin of amazing chicken liver moose as well as butter
Service was attentive and food very good.
Nice bistro experience

A solid four star experience. Good food, excellent service.
Stopped in for a fast, light dinner before a show at the Beacon.
I let the waiter know we needed to be out quickly, and he timed the meal perfectly.
First to arrive: excellent warm baguettes with ramekins of butter and chicken liver pâté.
We shared the appetizer tart, which was more like a quiche than the tarte flambee I thought it might be. Still delicious, with a small well dressed salad (nice vinaigrette) on the side.
For a main course, I had the coq au vin. The chicken was slightly under-​seasoned, but the deep flavor of the mushroom and bacon sauce made up for it. The tagliatelle underneath did not seem to be fresh pasta, though. My wife enjoyed her crisp buttery sole meuniere, which was accompanied by potatoes.
The well-​trained staff know not to bus a plate while the other diner is still eating. Kudos to them.
Wines by the glass, a Cote du Rhone and Riesling were in good order.
I would return. The qualite-​prix ratio is there.

Lovely Café, great brunch, no disappointments here. Great staff they even brought us an extra table.

Had a light dinner outside. The salada cassis (salad with beats) was delicious. We also split a cod dish with orange sauce and leak purée that was mouth watering. First time here even though I lived in the neighborhood for years. We will be back again when I come back to visit the old ‘hood.

I loved this restaurant! I had Steak Au Poivre which was cooked just right with a delicious sauce. The Haricots Verts were also cooked perfectly and delicious. My friend had Moules a l’Anise and the Lump Crabmeat Salad which which I tasted and also loved. I am looking forward to going back because the menu had so many dishes that I’d like to try. The service was also very good although we were early so it wasn’t busy.

Amazing french old school bistrot. Fast and quality service. Amazing food, I’ve tried all of their dishes and still can’t choose the best one!!!

On a rainy Saturday morning with family after a stroll in Central Park, I was looking for a place to have lunch. We walked along Columbus Avenue and perused many different menus. The group decided on French, so we ventured in. The manager greeted us and quickly arranged for a table of 6 which is a feat in this rather small venue. Service was impeccable; we had a French waitress. Two of us had Steak Tartare. Others had more conventional fare. Everything was delicious. After a long meal part of us stayed at the bar while the rest explored the city. Despite the restaurant closing for the afternoon, we were allowed to stay and finish our drinks. Now that’s customer service!

Pros: No flash, old school, solid neighborhood French restuarant. Crusty bread, expertly prepared food and old school favorites. Attentive service. A hidden find.
Cons: If you’re looking for ambience and to impress a first date, not the place to come. This is the place to come for great, authentic food at a neighborhood favorite.

My friend and I came here for dinner on Friday night. We were sat right away and greeted with fresh warm bread. The entire experience was amazing. We started off with the white wine mussels, not fishy at all. A bowl of the french onion soup, to die for! I had the Sole and my friend had the Duck. Both were out of the world. The white wine sauce that was served with the Sole was great, I wish I could have took some home lol. We also got dessert, the apple tart and the warm chocolate molten cake — both served with ice cream. The service and food was unbelievable that I would come back in a second! Restaurant is a little tiny, bar only has a few seats. I would definitely try to make reservations prior.

You can tell that I don’t give five star reviews very often but this place definitely deserves them for many reasons. I don’t quite get the reviewers who gave this place a low rating because the food service and the whole experience was excellent.
I even told the manager and the chef that their roast chicken for two was probably one of the best roast chicken I’ve ever had. Their French onion soup was perfect and NOT salty which I’m usually afraid of. I’ve tried many other dishes that my friends ordered and they were all great.
The service was spot on and especially if you can get a seat at the bar!
I will be coming back for sure and sending people here.

We went here for dinner date night as it was French Restaurant Week. We opted to sit at the high table chairs that looks out into the street as it was such a pretty day. Good for people watching!
Their prixe fix menu had good offerings so we chose the beet salad and mussels for appetizer, salmon and steak for entrée, and the chocolate soufflé and crepes for dessert.
It took a while before we got appetizers but we had good bread and pâté to munch on while waiting. Butter? Who wants that when you’ve got this delicious, creamy, rich pâté you can spread all over the bread and be able to put some more on top?
Beet salad with goat cheese was very good, as was the mussels (we ordered the white wine instead of the tomato base).
Then comes out the entrees and we weren’t very wowed as both entrees were a bit too salty for our tastes. As I’ve heard from someone in culinary — chefs easily hide their sins with salt. The steak came with very crisp french fries with ketchup on the side — that was what probably saved the steak. The salmon came with quinoa mixed with some type of green bean seed and halved baby tomatoes — one word: eh.
The worthwhile part of the meal (besides the pâté) was the desserts. Chocolate soufflé was not too rich but just the right amount of thickness and sweetness — you can taste a bit of chocolate bitterness. …and the crepes with a scoop of vanilla on ice cream drizzled with some kind of apple/​cinnamon tarty sugary glaze goodness — nothing was on the plate when I finished. Pairing both desserts together in one bite was the best combo ever!
Maybe I’ll come back just for desserts. :)

Food is fine, service is very slow, and wine by the glass is expensive. When I asked if they had wines by the glass, the waiter asked if I wanted red or white and then offered two options for white. I was surprised that the house white options were $ 14/​glass.
The highlights are outdoor seating and some bizarre people-​watching. Go to Tallulah instead when these aren’t your primary goals.

The lack of bistros in the UWS puts Cassis high on the totem pole given its convenient location, quality food and service, and ambiance befitting of an upper west side establishment for a classier, sophisticated customer base.
Solid french fare in its variety of meat dishes, french onion soup, mussels, and a quality burger makes Cassis an excellent dinner destination on a nightly basis. The food never disappoints and the restaurant comfortably packed without feeling congested. Excellent for groups, ideal for parties of two, and suitable for all occasions.

What a great find! We had totally different plans for dinner, but saw something about French onion soup on the Food Network and suddenly were looking up «French onion soup» on Unilocal in the neighborhood where we were staying (UWS). Bistro Cassis was first on the list with the best rating, and after checking out a couple reviews and the menu, we knew this was it.
The dining room is really adorable, with exposed brick on one wall, and very warm lighting and colors throughout the small dining room. I loved how the menus were folded around the napkins, very clever and convenient.
First off, the bread was clearly French baguettes, still piping hot and incredibly crusty. It was served with butter (cold and not super spreadable) and pâté. The pâté was a great surprise as a free accompaniment to bread. It’s usually offered as a starter on many french menus and not usually given away. I really appreciated this thoughtfulness and wish more French restaurants would do the same! Yum!
The French onion soup was completely satisfying. It definitely hit the spot and had the right amount of onion-​to-​bread-​to-​cheese ratio and a flavorful broth. Additionally we tried the crab salad and the tuna nicoise salad. Both were good, although the lettuce was cut into very large pieces and needed to be cut further at the table to be easy to consume (and no, it wasn’t in the style of a wedge salad which requires cutting). Not a huge deal, but it lost a bit of the ease of just chomping away at a salad.
Overall, I was very happy with this discovery. It’s a great bistro in the neighborhood and I’d happily return again!