La Lunchonette

Hated this place. The only think I can save is the atmosphere but the food was shameful expensive for such mediocre quality and literally thrown to us on the table by someone who behaved like an hysterical owner. I ordered a rucola salad and it didn’t look and taste any better than a bunch of green leaves just taken out from a pre washed pack of greens. Nothing else was on it. 10 $.
The same greens were on another dish next to a tiny tiny goat cheese cake and on another dish next to two overcooked scallops. Great way to fill the plates. All thrown on the table with attitude.
Maybe we got there in a very unfortunate evening but I won’t give it a second try for sure.

Sorry to hear the building is being sold. Delicious, no fads, no frills French cooking. Hadn’t had a good chicken in mustard sauce since Provence closed in Soho. Gratin potatoes, yum. Decent wines by the glass, if a little steep. Prices otherwise entirely reasonable. Faded, throwback décor, but perfect.

We were really surprised with the quality of the food. There is just too much competition today for a restaurant like this not to be top notch. It is like the owners hadn’t eaten out at another french restaurant or their food in a very long time. The beet salad was ok, at least the beets were but then they were placed on a bed of poorly chopped up lettuce, the kind you of mixed greens you get in a bag. The watercress vichyssoise was just bland, I am not a salt lover, but I doubt there was even a drop in the soup. I think the main course of steak au poivre was the biggest disappointment, there was just no care put into the sauce, it was probably made days ahead and just slopped on top. The high point was the calfs liver which was quite good. However, another low point was the same exact side on both plates. Steak au poivre almost always comes with fries, this example didn’t.
As I said above, I would seriously give the advice to the owners and staff to take some time and visit some of the other French restaurants with in a mile. Also, if you are going to have a sloppy chef who bangs the fry pan onto the garbage can to clean it out, then puts it back on the stove and continues cooking with it, you probably don’t want to have an open kitchen for all to see.

Wonderful charming Bistro close to the Joyce, Highline, and market. The escargot and trout almandine were fantastic! The owner and staff were extremely friendly and they never rushed us (I felt like I was in Paris).
I wish I had enough money to buy the building and let them stay :-(

You better hurry up and get here and try this fantastic restaurant they are being forced to close in December they have the best cassoulet when it gets a bit cold very good food. We will miss you being here.

I’ve been going here for maybe 15 years and I really dig this place. I generally have the skate and artichoke in the summer, beef bourguignon and artichoke in fall and winter.
Service can be a little uneven but really only when it’s crowded.

Amazing food and great hosts. It’s a family run establishment open since 1988 and you can tell that everyone here has probably been coming here for years.
I’ll be coming back for sure.

we came, as a special birthday treat, for a decent french bistro, near the Hi-​Line, and early. we ordered 2 salads, and 2 entrees. The waiter forgot one salad, which he eventually brought over, in due time, and totally forget the 2^nd main course, then claimed we never ordered it! the place is understaffed, but that is no excuse. At least he took the 2 drinks off the tab, but I would never go back.

I heard this place may close soon. That’s unfortunate as i feel like a great spot. This restaurant has been in place for many years and the Meat Packing district has been losing a lot of these cozy restaurants over the years.
Food — 5 — don’t recall exactly what we took but all was tasty. Fish was great.
Atmosphere — 5 — very french feel, great music, décor is nice.
Service — 4.5 — very nice. A little on a slow side, which is great when you are not in a rush. We were served by the owner/​manager and he was very helpful and courteous.
Value/​Price — reasonably priced for the area. The food was definitely good. Are there better places in the area? Probably. However, the combination of service, décor, and food make this place a must try.

Brunch was a waste of time, money and calories.

The Lunchonette is truly unassuming. One might say that the décor is exhausted (I enjoyed its quirkiness), but the kitchen isn’t. Sweetbreads in a vinaigrette was new to me. They were lightly poached in a delicate sauce. Delicious. Our table had the cassoulet, the boeuf B., chanterelles and tarte tatin. Everything was wonderful at exceptionally reasonable prices. Go!

What an enjoyable brunch! Classic French bistro done right is hard to beat. Incredible French toast — crispy outside, light as a cloud inside, with a side of yummy bacon. Potato gratin best I’ve had.

Love this restaurant. Been coming here for Christmas Eve family dinner for years and just had the pleasure of coming back this week. Lovely service from the blonde server and as always, amazing food. Always love the soups, ALL the salads (the dressing!), the scallops and the skate as well as the reasonably priced wine bottles. Can’t leave out the crazy delicious chocolate covered, wine poached pear dessert! Very special place. Hope it never leaves.

I’m here today for brunch. 1) extensive menu 2) bring a French dictionary 3) omelettes are so tasty 4) staff (the waiter is the owners son) is super friendly.
Never super packed and no tourist in sight. a gem

The good — location, atmosphere, size, ambience, Annie the waitress
The bad — The female owner
Went with a rather large party. we are all in our late 30’s/early 40’s and, while we weren’t quiet, we certainly weren’t super loud either. Right before our entrees came out, the harried wife of the owner very impatiently ordered us to keep our voices down. It really killed our mood for a bit. If we were being overly loud, I don’t think it’s wrong to ask the question, but the ay she put it, it was like being scolded by your mother and no one wants to be scolded by your mother. Besides, I didn’t think we were out of control at all. Another thing to consider is that we were 14 people patronizing their restaurant, with a bill totaling over $ 1200…you’d think we could get a little more courtesy for that reason alone. So I asked our waitress (Annie) to keep the mean woman away from us for the rest of the night. Next thing we knew, her husband — the other co-​owner– came over to or table and apologized for his wife’s behavior. So that’s that. Overall, a good experience and the food was excellent.
I would recommend that a front-​of-​house reevaluation is in order and that they let a professional wait staff do their jobs without a micro-​mananging owner interfering.

If you want to dine somewhere free of trendiness, gimmicks and hype, with delicious French food, a comfortable environment, a welcoming and friendly staff this is it.
The frisee salad and soups are amazing. So full of flavor! My friends had the caussolet and they loved it.
From reading all the other reviews, this a tested, tried and true kind of a place.

There is really something to be said for coming back to a restaurant 28 or 29 years later and finding the food still holds up.
Back in the 1980s, when the East Village was wild and wooly, and the Lower East Side seriously dicey, Jean-​Francois had this restaurant n the heart of Loisaida. A true pioneer. He’d advertise in East Village Eye, and we staff would eat there a lot. His French food was true, unfussy, and always satisfying.
Fast forward 28 or 29 years. I’m no longer a kid writing for the Eye. I don’t even live in Manhattan anymore. But I had a really wonderful meal last night at the «new» location on the west side. I had the lamb rack, and it was plentiful and delicious, with summer new potatoes. Partner had the beef bourguignon and it was even better than I remembered. It’s a shame I don’t eat pork anymore, because the cassoulet tempted mightily.
Very pleasant, quirky service, very mixed clientele, prices quite reasonable, good cote du rhone for under 35, and years of memories to boot. What could be bad?

slightly inconspicuous, more modest french restaurant in the meatpacking district (where you find some of the flashiest, most expensive restaurants in all of new york). very traditional, humble atmosphere. overall, it’s a quiet, friendly vibe with decent service and good food (although in my opinion very overpriced).
TIPS
— you can’t not get an entrée, but try to figure out which ones give you the most food — it was really annoying to pay $ 30/​dish for a plate of food that could pass off as tapas
— specials on the menu end up being rather flavorful
— the quality of the food isn’t for its lavish/​fancy nature but rather for its homecooked, homegrown, flavorful appeal — a very authentic french vibe
— service is average, and borderline offensive — one of the waitresses (the androgynous one) literally told us we couldn’t have any bread because they were saving it — uhh… if you want to be authentic french then you’d have an unlimited supply — embarrassing for this place

I love this place. Back in the Day, before the Meatpacking District became a playground for the ultra-​rich, it was the ONLY place resembling a restaurant that far West in that area.
The menu is old-​school French and very well prepared. The selection of wines by the glass is fantastic as well. If you go, go whole hog and get an appetizer as well as an entrée. This is one of the few places that I’ve seen real-​deal calves’ liver and sweetbreads on a menu in recent years outside of places like Le Bernadian.
Great friendly help, fantastic food, hiddenish spot. Go.

Great neighborhood spot. They make a great martini. The service is friendly and the food is really good. Nothing fancy, just good traditional French food. Highly recommend the skate wing. If you are lucky enough to be there when cassoulet is on the specials make sure to get it — a home run.