Le Train Bleu

I was a little concerned after reading all of the unfavorable reviews of this place, but was still intrigued about the idea of a train car inside Bloomingdale’s so we decided to enjoy a Sunday brunch/​lunch here. They accept Open Table reservations so I’d recommend making one — it was fairly empty when we visited but I’ve been by there before with lines down the stairs.
You enter on the 6^th floor behind the housewares and then head up the stairs, following the signs for the «dining car.» You’ll then pass the small waiting area and enter into the dining car, with tables on each side of the room. One side is windows and the others is mirror. The ceiling to the dining car is beautiful! They even have a water closet reminiscent to what you might find on an old fashioned train car. There’s also a train sound that comes over the speakers from time to time.
I did note some of the concerns others have shared — we enjoyed our waitress very much but there seemed to be some general issues in the restaurant (i.e., not having the ingredients for the specials and telling that to people after they already ordered, my meal arrived missing cheese – one of its main ingredients, staff didn’t seem to know the menu super well).
Anyhow, we still had a great time and would recommend to others for the experience. Get the burger or the Caesar salad (we heard every waitress recommend this and the burgers in our party were a hit!). On the weekends brunch items come with coffee and a mimosa or Bloody Mary for $ 28 (you can also get the items a la carte). Expensive yes but not outrageous for the area.

This was the worst meal I’ve had in a while, and it was expensive to boot. The train car décor is a nice novelty, so by all means go poke your head in and snap a picture, but then you should walk right out and find somewhere else to eat. I should have known a pork belly croque monsieur was a terrible idea, but there weren’t many options on the limited menu. First of all, this was a kind of pathetic panini press sandwich, and there was no melted crusted cheese on the outside. Second, the pork belly and bland melted cheese on the inside were a terrible combination, and big pieces of undigestible pork fat were sitting between the bread. The «salmon tartar» on avocado toast bore no discernible relation to that name – what arrived was a goupy, creamy concoction where the salmon was totally hidden and overwhelmed. Each of these dishes cost between 15 and 20 dollars. The French Onion soup had a decent broth, but it came with a gigantic «croûton” – more like a crostini, and, no melted cheese on top.

The idea of this restaurant is great.
In reality is was hugely disappointing.
I had the duck, which consisted of two legs with no joke 2 small mouthfuls of meat on each and about a tablespoon of cous cous. My husband had the chicken which was also mostly bone. Main’s averaged at $ 40-​$ 45 which I have no problem paying for if it tasted remotely good. Both meals were bland and boring.
The waitress was crass & had zero hospitality skills and made us uncomfortable, shouting at other staff and oddly more or less ignored our table, which was strange because the place was almost empty.
Wish it was what I had hoped when I heard about a secret vintage train theme restaurant above the iconic Bloomingdales.

The Maitre D told us that everything on the menu is available for the $ 28 special «Brunch» including one Mimosa or Bloody Mary, one dish and coffee.
I ordered the Croque Madam with Champignons & Gruyère cheese & a poached egg. The sides were Pommes Frites and salad.
The fries were luke warm & tasteless. Instead of champignons & sauce as described on the menu, the stale bread had a few pitiful portabella slices with non-​detectable gruyère cheese and no sauce at all. The only okay part of this dish was the handful of lettuce on the side and the egg.
The elderly, very New York, waitress commented why I hadn’t eaten my meal and I told her that it was not good at all. To her credit she offered me a free desert, but I declined.
My friend asked for coffee after her meal, confirming that it is included in the Brunch Special
and the same elderly waitress was brisk in her response that coffee is not included, that we ordered items that were NOT included in the Brunch Special. We forwent coffee all together and asked for a split check, which they do not offer. She charged us full price for the Mimosa & Bloody Mary as well as for the meal, totaling way more than $ 28. By that time she made us feel so uncomfortable that we just wanted to pay and get out of there. She took my credit card only to come back quickly telling us (not asking us, but telling us!) to add gratuity to the charge. We were a bit confused and said that we’ll add it once we sign the charge slip, but their register system does not offer this option, you have to write it in BEFORE they charge your card. So this waitress hovered over us, looking how much tip we wrote in and again we felt pressured and uncomfortable. This place was the biggest disappointment on our trip to NYC.

For a French restaurant, their «pommes frites» were undercooked and flavorless. Their concept of a vegetarian croque madam with portobello instead of ham is interesting, but the over abundance of mornay sauce (also flavorless) leaves the bread soggy and there was no discernible gruyère cheese. The coffee was decent but not enough of a reason to return. A waste of $ 30.00.

I went back yesterday thinking that anyone can have a bad day and maybe the food will be good this time. I was wrong. I ordered an omelet and it was awful. An omelet is about the eggs but these were overcooked with no real taste other than something like burnt butter. The asparagus were so tiny and so few I hardly noticed them. Fingerling potatoes were the accompaniment and they were hard and cold. The table next to me did not care for their meals either although I do not know what they ate. I saw waffles pass by that «looked» good but so far the two meals I have had here were worse than what I might make at home and no one will accuse me of being a cook.
Just awful. Don’t waste your money. Go upstairs to Forty Carrots instead.

Stumbled upon this little gem the other day and loved the experience. The food itself leaves a bit to be desired but I’ll be back for another throwback experience. Cool spot to bring visitors.

I have been here for brunch twice. The first time I want was in February of 2014. If I had written this review then, it would have been five stars. I had french toast and my boyfriend had a waffle. Both were to die for. They came with fruit and bacon. A full, huge plate that made the price seem reasonable.
We returned to New York July 2015 and were eager to go back to Le Train Bleu. It was still beautiful and the staff were all friendly and attentive. I ordered a different kind of french toast. This time, it was only the french toast. Nothing else on the plate. It was disappointing and not quite worth the cost of the food.
I will probably go back the next time I’m in the city because of how much I love the décor and I will be hoping that the value of the food is closer to the price range.
Over all, I still like this place. It’s quiet and beautiful. Hopefully things will return to the way they were the first time I had brunch here.

There’s a restaurant hidden in Bloomingdale’s (on the sixth floor, to be exact) and it RESEMBLES AN OLD-​FASHIONED TRAIN CAR!
There’s even an overhead compartment for your purse! Is it just me or is this place adorable? I’m a little shocked that I’ve lived in New York for as long as I have without knowing about it.
To be quite honest, the food was just okay. But honestly, the fact that it wasn’t terrible is the reason that I’d want to come back here. Does that make sense? The really great part about the whole place is, obviously, the surroundings. I was also struck by how quiet it was — in a good way. It’s kind of nice to know that this little tucked away spot is still a bit of a secret in this city. Definitely the kind of restaurant I’d want to take my parents to if they came to visit me. The next time you’re near Bloomingdale’s, you should definitely check it out.

This place was a must-​go spot, given its express train type of decoration inside. The minute you step into the restaurant, it was like stepping into an ancient train with old lamps sitting on the table with utensils and glasses. The food itself was mediocre, and speed was kind of to the slow end. But if your intention is some sort of relaxation instead of enjoying a full course of meal, this place was just perfect! (Especially for girls like me and my friend, we were taking tons of pictures)
No need to make reservation earlier in the morning. However it only serves brunch/​lunch, there is no dinner option. Another thing is that they let you write gratuity down and charge you together with the meal, rather than do it at the end of your bill, no comments on that.

A fun and delectable dining experience in a replica dining car reminiscent of the French Calais-​Mediterranee Express.

This place is different in that it’s set up as if you’re on a nice train, ready to venture off to somewhere exciting!
However, our waitress really wasn’t excited at all-​she was mostly grumpy until the end, when she repeatedly reminded us that you had to write down the gratuity you wanted charged to your credit card (you can’t just add it in after they swipe your cc, which was strange).
FYI, you have to pay an extra $ 8 to split a meal. I had their chicken caesar salad which was nothing special, as well as a side of their fries with garlic. They also give you a couple of bread pieces to start off with. The food was fine and the portions were large, but it was just all pretty pricey. But you are at Bloomingdale’s…

This s a much pricier place I am
Surprised how it has only 2 dollar signs.
Hidden gem in Bloomingdales.
Will definitely go back!
Loved the food too.

What a perfectly wonderful hidden gem in NYC. I knew about Le Train Bleu in Paris, but didn’t find out about the NYC location until more recently. In comparison to it’s Parisian counterpart, this Le Train Bleu is all about the charm. Tucked away on the top floor of Bloomingdale’s is this semi-​fancy restaurant that’s fashioned after an old train car.
The menu offers a nice variety of classic American and French themed food items. Typically I feel like these types of places are more about the experience and less about the fantastic food, so I decided to just order the most talked about item on the menu, The Le Train Bleu Burger, and was not at all disappointed. It was delicious and served with a generous serving of fries, a pickle and some coleslaw. My lunch date took the healthier route and ordered the Salade Nicoise, which was great if you are looking for something light and delicious.
I loved my experience here for the most part. We were lucky to not have to wait for a table and it wasn’t packed when we got there on a Saturday afternoon so we could relax and actually have a conversation without feeling rushed. I’m not sure if it’s always like that, but I decided that maybe it is considering its location. We even had trouble finding it when we got there and had to ask for directions. (Hint: 6^th floor all the way in the back corner of the kitchen wares section…)
My one gripe was that the service was a bit off. Our waitress was nice, but service as a whole was slow and not the most helpful. For example, we asked about drinks because they were not listed on the menu, but were only told about non-​alcoholic options. I just assumed that they didn’t serve alcohol, but it would have been nice to have been able to have a glass of wine. If you inquire they’ll tell you what they’ve got I guess.
I definitely would come back here and next time would love to come for Breakfast/​Brunch. The menu is a little pricey for the type of food they serve, but again, it’s all about the experience and that makes it worth it.
Add this one to the bucket list!

How have I lived in NYC for 30 years and I never knew this restaurant existed? It is so cool. The food is from another era. It is classic standard traditional french bistro food. It isn’t the best or the worst just average.
But the reason to eat here isn’t the food but to eat in a train at the top of Bloomingdales. It is just so incredible.

Le Train Bleu has a super cute ambiance — it’s in a train car within Bloomingdale’s. It was a great place to get brunch with a friend. The service is nice, and the food is pretty good. It’s nothing spectacular… I ordered the salmon eggs benedict and the hollandaise was a bit too buttery for my liking. For a Saturday brunch, the place also wasn’t crowded.

Pros: No wait for brunch on a Saturday, lots of empty tables (which, in NYC, actually, puts up a red flag). Charming ambiance, quiet.
Cons: The quality and quantity of meal for the high price. It reminds me of a hotel restaurant, very pricey and not a lot to show for it. My eggs Benedict, one egg was poached runny and the other hard. The English muffin was a croûton. No side items or accompanying dishes. Which is normal for an upscale dining however the main dish was so lackluster. Waitress was not busy but somehow hard to get her attention. With so many other incredible brunch options around, I would never choose this place again.

Bad experience bc of inefficiency and staff, but Great food! Sad to see such a great spot with great potential managed this way
This place is note worthy, a fun experience, must try place for the nostalgic and fun experience of eating inside a train, and also since that train is inside Bloomingdales. French casual food, Bloomingdales quality, inside a train… but sad to say, non-​Bloomingdales service. We spent two good hours here and except the 15 – 20 mins eating… it was all spent on… waiting
1. Waiting to be seated… waiting waiting and more waiting and no order of proper priority
The place had many empty seats, in fact maybe 30% occupied, yet there were a lot of tables with dirty dishes/​cups sitting every where. They told us to wait, so we waited… then after about 20 mins of standing around with vacant tables available, they sat people who came after us (they had no reservation) as the «waiter» looked at us (no apology made) and knew there were people waiting and lined up. Nevermind the annoyance, that’s just #1 no in restaurant business if you want patrons respect.
2. Food was GReAT! burger, fries are a must, and brunch menu was really good. No complaints in food quality.
3. Then came game of «where is the wait staff». We did whole lot of raising hands, standing up to see if we see the wait staff for the check. Waiting waiting and more waiting. We got so tired of waiting we got up and walked over to the front of the restaurant to get someone/anyone’s attention. We asked for the check, more waiting, then by the time we got our bill, we searched for every dollar bill so that we don’t have to pay CC… who knew how much longer that would take… we came late brunch time and didn’t leave until close to dinner time… approx 2+ hours. Waitress apologized for the wait, but we really wanted to just leave by then.
Bloomingdales should consider having more training or something for this restaurant staff… or hire more people in here.

This was by far my favorite dining experience in Manhattan. Upon reaching the top of the stairs on level 6 of Bloomies, you are immediately transported into a romantic bygone era.
We were lucky enough to arrive early on a weekday sans-​reservation and have the entire dining room to ourselves. Every detail from the velvet chairs, to the brass lamps, wood trim, and the luggage racks is decadent. Our server was just so lovely (a taller, Irish woman with red hair) and made some great recommendations. She made the whole morning even better.
Since brunch is only served on weekends, I opted for the quiche and my bf opted for the bleu burger. Before the meal, they bring complimentary French and walnut raisin rolls. The quiche was beyond words, which rarely happens for me. Fluffy, melty, rich but light and immensely flavorful with a golden brown crust. The bf really enjoyed the burger and said it was one of the better ones he’s had.
Prices are up there, but completely worth the atmosphere, food and impeccable service. I want to come back for the brunch!

What a cool place! I recently found out about Le Train when I was heading out to brunch with my friend Ralf. We couldn’t get into the place we planned on, so we looked on Unilocal!to find a substitute and read about this place tucked away in Bloomingdale’s that was built inside an old train car. So, we weaved our way through Bloomy’s and low and behold there it was– and it really was in an old train– stuck on top of the building! You should check it out just b/​c of how cool it is– and there’s a great view as well.
As for the service and food, these are great, too. Virginia (the sweet old lady waitress) is AMAZING… and I suspect she’s worked there for 30 years or more! She suggested I go with the burger, which I did. It was tasty and tender and served up w/​some delicious fries! Oh, and be sure to ask her to make one of her special Bloody Marys! That lady makes a stiff one! Yum!!!