DB Bistro Moderne

The food was perfectly fine but nothing to make me want to go back. I think they are aiming to mimic a European bistro and having grown up in Europe, I like this approach. However, to pull it off, you have to have good ingredients cooked well. They only hit «fine» on both of these measures. For example, I had the Provencal chicken was reasonably tasty and a little overcooked, although thankfully not to the point of dryness. My wife had a steak dish which again was fine, but neither interesting or delicious enough to make her ant it again.

This restaurant ruined our anniversary. Called days before to stress 7pm show. Arrived around 5:05pm on the night — they confirmed again our 7pm show. Main courses arrived on our table at 6:30pm, and one of them was undercooked and came back at 6:40pm. Needless to say it ruined dinner as we were nervous from 6:15pm until we left at 6:45pm, rushing dinner completely. I was shocked that they couldn’t manage timing when this place even has a pre theatre dinner menu.

Disappointed in the DB brand– painfully slow service with subpar food — a simple market salad was doused in salt– masking the freshness and natural taste of the ingredients. The signature DB burger was tasteless and cold. The steak frites was done well and Nicely seasoned on the other hand. All in all, better restaurants with better quality and more exciting choices are too be found in NYC.

Best burger in town!
Great quality and texture of meat, cooked to perfection. Paired with a refreshing summer cocktail.

On a scale of 1 to 10, the Cod Brandade is a 15!!!
Thank you for the most remarkable pre-​theatre dinner!

My husband and I walked into DB Bistro at 5pm on a Saturday after taking a peek at the menu outside. My husband is familiar with David Boulud and was excited to finally be able to dine at one of his restaurants. I expected to be turned away because we were dressed casually in jeans, t-​shirts, and sneakers and even explained my reservations to the hosting staff, but they welcomed us in. Because we didn’t have a reservation, we weren’t able to be seated at a normal table, but there was an eight seat hi-​top table in the bar that we were told had the same menu and service as the normal tables, so we were quickly seated there.
The service was impeccable – not too overbearing, but not distant either. We were treated to a lovely bread service and a special breadstick plate, which had two small breadsticks served with a basil aoli and an olive teppenade – the basil aoli was out of this world!
My husband ordered the Singapore Sling, which was well prepared. It wasn’t to my taste, but he enjoyed it greatly. At $ 17, I would say it was overpriced, but a) this is new York and b) we were celebrating his birthday and we didn’t get any appetizers so I let it slide.
My husband ordered the skirt steak, which was incredible. It was well seasoned or marinated (I’m not sure which) and was one of the most tender steaks I’ve ever had. My husband and I agree that it outshines the twice-​as-​expensive steaks at our local, high class steakhouse. I would definitely order it the next time we go, if it’s still on the menu. It was outstanding. When we were originally seated, our waiter informed us that we could order anything off the prix-​fixe menu a la carte, so I ordered the Curried Carrot Risotto. Again, the chef knocked it out of the park with this surprising entrée. I was a little hesitant to order it, as I was worried that the curry would be spicy (I don’t do well with spicy foods), but there was no spice whatsoever, just a mild yellow curry flavor. The risotto was creamy and cooked to perfection, topped with shreds of chicken confit and chickpeas. The portion was generous and since I have a small stomach, I wasn’t able to finish the dish, so the remainder was packed up – I had intended to eat it on the train back to New Jersey, but it was gone long before we left the city.
As a final treat, the host staff arranged to surprise my husband with a complimentary birthday dessert – I had mentioned we were celebrating his birthday when we originally arrived at the restaurant, thinking nothing of it, but they decided we were going to celebrate with dessert too! My husband was brought a decadent chocolate torte with olive oil marscapone and olive oil powder (yes, powder!). The flavors blended together perfectly. The torte was rich, but not overly so – between the two of us, we were able to finish the dessert without feeling overly stuffed or weighed down by the chocolate.
Our total came to $ 88 before tip, which is INCREDIBLY reasonable for an upscale restaurant in New York City, in my opinion. I made sure to thank the staff repeatedly for making our night. My husband and I are still talking about our experience a week later and are eagerly awaiting our next trip to NYC so we can return.

One of the best. Love the service: Shout out to Jorge and Oscar! It’s elegant yet quick and gets me to my theatre on time every time.
Love the food. The burger is fine but after having it once, I’d never get it again. The fish specials are always amazing and the Alsatian specialties they sometimes have are divine.
Love the wine selection. They are always so good about recommendations. If I’m getting BTG or a bottle they are on top of pairing a wine that will go great with the food I’ve ordered.
The ambiance is hectic pre-​theatre but it’s New York and that’s going to happen everywhere. Come ON ppl.
All in all I can’t say enough good stuff about DB. It’s why I’ve been coming for 5 years consistently.

First the good… or rather not so bad:
The ambiance, if you sit in the back, is nice and relaxed, although a couple of the overhead lights were out.
They offer a good wine list, with a nice range of options.
Service was decidedly lackluster, and I’m being overly generous… much like the level of salt in every dish we tried. For example, I’m used to my waiter switching out the white napkin for a dark one when I’m wearing dark pants. Not here! Most importantly, our waiter went missing for much of the dining experience – to the point that one of the other waiters came over a couple of times to ask if she could help us.
Okay, now on to the less than spectacular:
This place, despite repeated assurances when I called ahead multiple times to check, is most definitely not vegan-friendly…at all! First, there was not a single item on the menu that was vegan! Then, both the waiter and maître d’ seemed completely flummoxed by the concept. I’m guessing a similarly clueless discussion went on behind the scenes before the three-​course meal emerged (after an extensive delay), consisting of a couple of salads and three scoops of sorbet. With a month’s notice and a reminder two days and one day in advance, surely we can come up with something a little more creative and interesting than… salty salad for $ 160! What is this? The 1980’s???
This was a total fail, especially given their assurances BEFORE I ever made the reservation!
If you’re in the market for oversalted loup de mer or a fat-​laden burger garnished with lettered wooden dowels, and care little about service, then this might be your spot. Otherwise, I would take my tastebuds elsewhere. Leave the salt shaker behind when you do.

Good dining experience after Broadway show, short walk from the theater.
The DB burger did not disssapoint.

I am not sure how may times I have eaten at db Bistro Moderne, but it is probably approximately ten times. During those visits, the cooking has always been consistently strong. Dishes were always tasty. Our party of six had no complaints and all liked their dishes (fish, meat, poultry). Nice complementary sweets at the end of the meal. Good service and nicely appointed room.

We really like db Bistro for late night dinner after the theatre. It’s a short walk from Broadway, and an 11pm reservation is no problem.
The interior is stylish and well lit, and quite late in the evening, although I’m sure it can get loud earlier.
Service is friendly and efficient, and the menu offers a limited but interesting range of choices. The burger is famous, but because it is stuffed with short ribs and topped with foie gras, it is very rich, and should only be attempted if you are very hungry.
On this visit we started with some seared shishito peppers, these were smaller than usual and nicely seared, served with a soy dipping sauce.
My peekytoe crab appetizer was pretty, but didn’t have a lot of flavor. However the sunchoke soup was rich and full of flavor.
Amish chicken is tender and succulent, and served with an interesting pickled cabbage slaw that complements it well.
An nice variety of wines are available in 5 or 8 ounce servings.

My boss brought me here on my birthday for lunch. I had the Salmon and Coconut & Green Tea Gâteau. Loved the dessert. It’s on the pricier side for lunch but food and service was great.

Loved it! We had lunch for restaurant week and it was absolutely delicious. Wonderful flavors — complex, unique, forward thinking, and creative. So many «mmmm’s» and «wow! I wasn’t expecting that!» The staff were wonderful and the ambiance was perfect for a NYC lunch at an upscale restaurant. Highly recommend.

Having dined at Daniel Boulud’s flagship restaurant «Daniel,» I had high hopes for this restaurant. Sadly, it was mostly a disappointment. A friend and I attended DB Bistro for the restaurant week menu. Judging from the other tables, most customers had the same idea.
The first thing I noticed was the restaurant week menu was different from what was listed on the website. Some appetizers and the desserts were the same, but the main courses were completely changed.
I was about a half hour early for my reservation, and decided to take a seat at the bar/​lounge area in the entrance of the restaurant. My beverage order was taken quickly, but it took 20 minutes for the drink to be brought to my table. By the time I received my drink, my friend had arrived and my table was ready. It would have been nice to have my drink shortly after it was ordered, as the bar area was not busy, and customers who sat directly at the bar, yet arrived after my order had been taken, were given their drinks first.
Once we were seated, one of the first things I noticed was a lack of music. There was simply nothing to be heard other than the loud chatter of the patrons, and the footsteps of the wait staff throughout the cramped dining space.
Our server was very attentive, and was possibly the highlight of the evening. I wish I could say the same about the food.
Amuse-​bouche: Cracker with goat cheese spread. It was fine. Nothing much to say. Simply fine.
Appetizer: House Made Terrine. Underwhelming to say the least. Tasted like a cold slice of lunchables meat, with a bell pepper coulis hastily spread across the plate. a frisee separated the two slices on the plate, which combined were smaller than a post-​it note.
Main: Roasted Pork Loin with Bok Choy. The pork was incredibly well cooked and tender, the onion soubise was acceptable, albeit a bit salty. The Bok Choy was the best part of the course, and was perhaps the finest I’ve had. This was a hit, but resembled more of an above average home-​cooked meal than one from a Daniel Boulud restaurant.
Dessert: My friend got the grapefruit pavlova, which was delicious based on the one taste I had. I wish i ordered this, instead of the dark chocolate gâteau. There was simply no texture to this dessert. Coffee mousse which had surely been sitting on the now soggy «biscuit» for some time. This exemplified the feel of the entire meal. Judging from the courses coming out to other tables, I would say the kitchen had been preparing and plating a lot of these meals ahead of time; the restaurant week menu being the kid brother to the ala cart. The whole service had the feel of a mediocre wedding reception, where each diner was presented with an uninspired version of what they believed to be ordering.
We also received an assortment of petit fours after dessert. I was excited to see a macaroon, as they are my favorite French pastry. With disappointment, the macaroon fell apart before I could eat it. The filling was not settled, and must have melted as the top half of the meringue slipped off the second i picked it up. It was also extremely chewy, and lacked flavor. My friend had the other two – some vanilla cake and citrus gummy-​like cube. She said it was «fine» and «very citrusy.» The final one was a chocolate candy filled with caramel, which was quite good.
From beginning to end, this was just a lackluster experience from a DB restaurant. I was awe struck at the difference between the 2 michelin star flagship, and this midtown mediocrity. I will not be returning anytime soon.

Restaurant Week deal, had the potato soup, which was excellent. Maybe could’ve used some chives or some garnish, but that’s a tiny nit to pick. My friend had the $ 10 supplement of pâté, which was… very different. A lot meatier, not very spreadable. Very good, but unexpected. My skatewing was nice, as was my friend’s pork shoulder, but i was disappointed in the cheese plate i got for dessert. The two cheeses were very bland and nothing special. There wasn’t enough bread (2 small baguette pieces) to accompany the cheese, jam, chutney and honey that came. It looked nice, but get something with some flavor to it. My friend’s parfait looked great and she said it was exemplary.

A local recommended DB before a show. Had reservations at 5:30 just to be sure I would not miss my 8:00 show. No worries as the staff is extremely accommodating, asking the time of the show and planning our dining experience accordingly. However, by 6:30 the place was packed so it was very nice to have an hour when it was «slow». Had the price fix dinner. The beef short ribs are phenomenal! !. Tasty w/​o an ounce of fat showing. My wife upcharged her dinner for the burger (extra $ 14). That was also excellent. The wine is on the pricey side (but it is NYC) but the wine specials with the price fix dinner was a good value. Its my new favorite pre theater dinner place.

The burger is very good but very fatty. It’s hard to finish it not just because it’s big but also because of all the fat. Drinks are overpriced. Service was ok but the waiter had no manners. I would expect a more attentive waiter for that kind of restaurant

We haven’t dined here for a long time. Since we planned to shop near by, we decided to have a lunch here. We tried the Restaurant week lunch course. I ordered Terrine, Pork and Pavlova. My husband ordered Duck Patte, Monk fish and Chocolate mousse. Duck Patte was good, although it cost $ 10 more. My pork and husband’s monk fish was ok, but a bit
salty for our preferrence. Pavlova was much sweeter than I expected. Waiter’s service was quite nice & pleasant. I don’t like the receptionist’s aloof attitude, though.

To start, the service is exceptional. Water glass never went unfilled, servers were very aware and attentive to every need from the start of the meal to the end of the meal.
Amuse bouche– Parmesan Crisp with whipped goat cheese. Delicious but teeny tiny.
Appetizer– Mushroom Crostini– Slightly under seasoned and 3 small crostini. Not sure what kind of mushrooms were used but the dish was interesting. Typical small bistro portion.
Entrees– Braised Lamb Pappardelle was tender, creamy and delicious. Salmon and Diver Sea Scallops were cooked perfectly. Both dishes were slightly under seasoned however we have come to the conclusion that all French bistro fare is under seasoned from Paris to New York. So, perhaps not a critique of DB but of all French bistro fare. Scallops were not quite as hot as I would have liked but were delicious none the less.
We did not order dessert as we planned on having dessert after our theater show. Coffee however was delicious and we were pleasantly surprised with complimentary petite fours (cherry gelees, vanilla caneles, yuzu chocolates, and pistacio macarons).
All in all, a very good meal in a beautiful setting with impeccable service.

Modern and sleek hotel restaurant in midtown, falling short on trying to be a classy restaurant. The salmon was slightly under seasoned, not sure what the cabbage/​lettuce under the salmon was about, however, the brussels sprouts were really nice. I didn’t have the DB burger, but those that did were a bit underwhelmed for $ 35. And it was huge, I dont’ know how you’re expected to eat it without you shoving it in your mouth.
eh…that’s all I will say.

We came here to try the Original DB Burger (sirloin burger filled with braised short ribs and foie gras). My boyfriend thought the burger was good but I thought there was too much going on/​too many items that didn’t necessarily work well together. I feel that the most appealing part of the DB burger is the impressive amount of substance between the buns. I was not impressed by the actual taste of the burger.
The other dishes were underwhelming. The escargot dish was very dry and the textures in the pâté en croute made me feel a little queasy. Our meal at DB Bistro was not terrible, but I don’t think I will be coming back.

I should first point out that I came here for a business lunch, which placed some restrictions on what I ordered — normally, I would have gone with the much-​raved about burger, but to avoid looking like a greasy-​faced mess while discussing business a partner… we both ended up for the 2-​course lunch (Menu de Marche‘). We both had the arugula salad (with apple chips and crutons), which I thought was alright, but was dressed with a bit too much oil and didn’t have enough dressing (brown butter vinaigrette).
For the second course, I had the Flank steak with spätzle and carrots. The steak was nicely cooked — no complaints there, but thought the spätzle made the dish a bit too heavy or should have at least had more carrots. Someone else had the Tilefish, which looked great and came with a nice chickpea and cucumber salad.
While the food seemed a bit underwhelming, the service was fantastic and the staff was very attentive and helpful. That said, I’ll reserve some judgment of the DB Bistro until I come back for the famed burger.

This is a new restaurant I decided to go out of the blue last minute. On a good note, they accepted reservations last minute. The service is not bad, and food came fairly quickly. We ordered quite a bit of food, and enjoyed the burger and roasted duck meat the most. The escargot and halibut was not that remarkable, in fact the halibut was fairly salty. I would not recommend going there for drinks if you are you into sweet cocktails.

Went here for our first year wedding anniversary. The staff was attentive and courteous. The food was amazing. My husband had the DB original burger and I had the Coq Au Vin. Both was cooked to perfection. Highly recommend going here for celebratory occasions without breaking the piggybank. Bravo Daniel Boulud!

Second visit. Surprising a name chef like Daniel Boulud would be associated with this place, really pretty mediocre fare, excepting the desserts which were really quite good.
This experience got off with a rousing thud by way of very condescending attitude by front of house. Had 5:00 reservation so we could make a 7:00 curtain, arrived promptly at 5:02 to a entry area full of unseated patrons because staff was still effing around with the table candles, asked when we’d be seated, got a snotty answer from a dark haired hostess — ugh, nice start!
As for meal it was just ok, pâté (without crostini) nondescript, coq au vin pretty good, Amish chicken bone dry and underseasoned. Service slow, as to be expected when all those folks who were awaiting the table candle lighting all got seated at once.
Too many other good choices in the area — doubt we’ll be back!

This place was really conveniently close to our office and a favourite place to entertain clients /​visiting dignitaries. Also had quite a few team celebrations, and you can also order from here on Caviar! Needless to say I’ve engaged with them more times than I can count.
DB Bistro, started by the same famous Daniel as the eponymous Daniel on the Upper East Side, serves a more casual /​modern variant of «New America”/French cuisine. Although it carries traditional dishes such as foie gras, patés, steak and such, it presents them with bolder and more innovative flavours — and in a good way.
One of my favourites though has got to be the DB Bistro burger — it’s a massive piece of work, with a freshly-​ground burger stuffed with foie gras that is just oozing with juicy deliciousness. I’ve rarely seen a burger taken to this level before and it’s something that my colleagues enjoy a lot as well.
Also great wine by the glass/​carafe here, very good value and quality. They make a pretty nice Old Fashioned as well.

So my friend and I went for restaurant week and we we’re blown away! If you are looking for a fantastic French dining experience in NYC with a modern twist, look no further.
For an appetizer I had the foie gras. It was perfection! Simply melted in my mouth! My friend had the charcuterie and it was a very delicate balance of meat and spread. For the main course I had a tilefish entrée and my friend had the pork. Both were phenomenal. And for dessert I went with a blueberry pavlova and my friend had the cheese plate. Did I mention what great service we had as well? I didn’t catch my server’s name, but we wanted for nothing.
If you’re wondering if you should try, just do it. You won’t regret the choice!

Posh restaurant with a sophisticated ambiance
Outstanding service and friendly staff
The artichoke dip was fantastic creamy and pack full of flavor
The coq au vin was fantastic tender meat delicious juices
Lastly the fraiche was light, aerial in a sense
Really delicious

The burgers are really something to admire here, but honestly for the price the ones we had were not that memorable. The bottom bun was kind of soggy. The atmosphere is swanky and classy and I love the booths as seating — it makes for a comfier team lunch. The drinks are super expensive. I think our sodas were $ 5 each with NO refills. We were not impressed really by any of our meals, but thank god luckily our boss was paying :-)

There’s this rule of life. Whenever you see a hamburger on a menu that costs more than twenty dollars, you must get it.
The rationale is that if a place has the audacity to charge that much for a subpar hamburger, people would literally revolt. And since all truly great hamburgers are worthy of culinary consideration over other menu items… it becomes a can’t miss rule.
The burger here costs $ 35.
The rule holds true. :)

All about business — good service, good food, good setting for a strong power-​lunch type spot near Bryant Park. Had the famed db burger — personally I’d rather one with foie gras only, the short ribs really takes away from it, and the whole thing altogether is just too difficult to eat gracefully (this is about business remember!).
3 stars in my book, fyi, is not a bad thing — it means what it says «A-​OK» — which means it did the trick and I could come back, though it’s not on the top of my list.

We came in in a party of three. The place is beautiful and chill. Waiters are really nice and friendly.
I ordered seasonal soup as appetizer-​beautiful display and tastes not bad. The main course I had was beef bourguignon-​too salty… Dislike… Dessert is great-​looks good and tastes creative!
I might come back for dessert because this place is close to my office and my home.

A éviter si vous êtes français sauf si vous voulez payer une fortune pour ce que vous trouvez pour 10x moins cher en France (50 euros le verre de Riesling, vraiment?). Bref, la nourriture y est vraiment très bonne, le lieu est très chic et agréable, le service est irréprochable, il n’y a rien à dire… mais pas de là à payer autant. sauf si on est américain bien sûr!

Nous sommes venus pour l’anniversaire de mon époux car nous étions en manqué de cuisine française et, lyonnais que nous sommes, nous nous sommes rendus au Bistro Moderne. Nous n’avons (presque) pas été déçus! Toute la finesse de la gastronomie avec des goûts et des saveurs français, le tout parsemé d’une touché américaine. Mention spéciale pour le paté en croûte aux figues et au foie gras et pour les desserts qui sont aussi beaux que bons. Deux petits regrets cependant: le pain, en dehors du bretzel, était trop sec et les petits pains individuels n’étaient pas très bons. Quel dommage de servir ce pain alors qu’il y a un Kayser a deux rues et le second regret réside dans les mignardises finales, j’ai trouvé un peu mesquin au vu de l’addition ($ 280 a 3 avec cocktail, entrée, plat et dessert) de né pas avoir mis trois mignardises de chaque sorte mais seulement 2. Résultat j’ai du partager une petite madeleine au cacao avec ma belle-​mère
Attendez-​vous quand même a sortir votre porte-​monnaie a la fin.