Paris Commune

From reading the other reviews I must have hit this place on particularly good days.
The food has always been quite good, not haute mind but I wasn’t really expecting it to be, with substantial portions.
I’ve also always had wonderful service. In fact at one brunch when our waiter got saddled with a large group, the hostess jumped right in to pick up the little things like water/​coffee/​wine refills for all of his customers while still doing her own job.
I’m sure I will throw caution to the wind in the future because, I don’t anywhere else to go for Lobster Benedict.

I can describe my experience in Paris Commune in one word: disaster. I met a group of friends at the restaurant one evening, and was excited when I first walked in. The ambiance was pleasant, the bartender was very nice, and the wines-​by-​the-​glass selection was decent. Once we sat down at our table, though, things went down hill.
First, the waiter seemed to be a little overwhelmed, and as a result, was a little annoyed with the process involved in having 12 people order. However, I won’t even judge the experience on that, because I’d feel the same had I been in his shoes. I will, though, judge the experience on the food: it’s easier to list what we did like vs what we didn’t like.
Everyone seemed to like their salads — I had the Paris Commune salad, with frisee, roquefort, bacon, and a walnut-​crusted hard boiled egg, which was delicious. The baked brie and onion tart were also big hits.
Now on to the bad: I had the chicken soup, but wasn’t very flavorful. My dining companions had either the chicken, steak frites, and mussels, and none of them enjoyed their choices. They said the chicken was bland, the steak extremely tough, and the mussels on the verge of rotten. I didn’t try the mussels, but they definitely smelled off when they came to the table, and the two women who did order them sent them back after tasting them.
Once the mussels were sent back, the waiter asked if they wanted something else. One of the women decided she would forgo the option, after feeling generally dissatisfied with the place. She walked downstairs to use the bathroom afterward and mentioned to the manager that the mussels didn’t taste good and that she thought it was a bad idea to serve them to other guests. I wasn’t there, but apparently he was not happy with her comment and said that he had tried them, and they were fine. Fair enough. However, when she walked away, she overheard him call her a «stupid b*tch» to another waiter, which is just unacceptable.
Of course, she was very upset and walked out of the restaurant after telling our waiter what had happened. The waiter was very apologetic (concerned, I’m sure, that he wouldn’t get a tip at all), but he still left the two orders of mussels on the check! After much waiting, he removed the orders and was visibly annoyed with our table altogether.
Fortunately, we never have to go back to this restaurant, but the waiter and manager will surely continue to feel the wrath of customers who receive sub-​par food and crappy service. Do yourself a favor and avoid this place.

Of all the mediocre-​to-​bad restaurants in NY, I have been here the most since it’s across the street for my apartment. When friends happen to be eating here, they think to call me & because I’m a good sport, I usually head downstairs to meet them.
All of the food is elementary & often not very good, as if it was made by a group of people with varying talents at an intro to french cooking class. Plus they seem to run out of 50% of the menu every night.
Prices are good for the neighborhood & service is usually friendly, if not very odd. Have had multiple experiences where like 5 waiters/​hosts/​other staff serve me things over the course of the meal & don’t communicate with one another. C’est la vie!

Brunch is great!
They have a downstairs private room.

We stumbled in here after a show at the Barrow street theater, and were very pleased with food and ambiance. The food was great and the scene was laid back, huge servings too. Really fun place to eat, and looking forward to going back sometime.

We had a reservation New Years Eve. We were sat at a table in the main dining room, then told we had to move to a table near the bar. Off to a bad start.
Appetizers took over 20 mins. Good, but small portions. Entrée took another 20 mins. My Filet Mignon was room temperature, came back ok. My friend ordered Salmon, not sushi. It was very raw. Came back ok. He had to flag someone down for a fork.
We asked to enjoy the last two glasses of our bottle of wine before the desserts came. They came in 4 mins.
Overall the food was pretty good here, just terrible service from the kitchen.
The food took SO long I asked the waitress for perhaps a small apéritif.
She just brought the $ 220. check. That took her 1 min.

Awful Service! Awful Everything! Went to brunch on New Years Eve at 2pm — Hugo was our server. We didn’t recieve the onion soup starter and waited 30 minutes for our meal. We ended up cancelling the soup when we received our incorrectly ordered omlettes and still were charged for it at the end! When we were asked how the food tasted, we said it was good except for the service and the response was «we didn’t expect it to be busy». (there were less than 10 tables!!!)
1 star for the good (but delayed) mimosas.

like a sweet and shy gal, this place needs some spice and swing.
eh:
— service was lackluster with a clear newbie left to fend on his own.
— where the heck is everyone? the wine bar seems to be more popular than dining in.
fabulous:
— pictures of ultra chic femme fatales
you know we’re all in fashion because my two dinner mates (male) both ordered salads. the signature fennel salad and the country salad. passive aggressive peer pressure changed my mind from a juicy steak to still a caloric french onion soup.
this of course convinces our minds that dessert is ok to have and we savour the crème brûlée.
overall, the cozy and charming ambiance could use a boost in service.

Live nearby and always walk by so when debating where to go for brunch between here, spotted per usual, le gitane, yerba buena, we decided to check out the menu (and drinks for me).they had a fairly extensive menu of bloodies (albeit not many that i’d actually order).so we came here.
My friend got eggs of some sort, which shed thought were good, and i got a bloody with ketel and extra spicy… bloodies weren’t great but not poor (average by NY standards), and the service wasn’t great, although i will give it to our waitress that she REPEATEDLY tried to refill our coffees (well, fill mine as i didnt ever order any).
Fairly priced, cute, definitely emptied out quite a bit while we were there. Will be trying to come back at nighttime (last i came in at night i was way too wasted to enjoy the ambiance or stay in the same location for long), and will update review then… all in all, cute place, but nothing spectacular for brunch, would def check out for dinner.

Dropped in for Sunday Brunch, classic menu plus I swear someone ordered the Duck Confit sandwich that looked pretty tasty; although I do not see it on the on-​line menu…
Great price, open space and good food.
Tip/​Star diminution kicked in when the wait staff was unable to deliver the check in a timely manner…
For Unilocalers interested in expanding their minds…

Dear Paris Commune,
You have a gorgeously located large restaurant in the heart of the West Village. The only thing you need to change to do booming business is to serve DECENT FOOD.
Went here with a large group for brunch. All six dishes we ordered were average. Drinks were ok. Service was fine. Basically the entire experience was BLAH because we were so disappointed in our food.
Please do better.
Sincerely,
NC

Brunch Sunday no drinks included yet every other restaurant does and the Sunday burger special w/​all you can drink beer that is posted here on Unilocal… yeah that NEVER happens!
Me: truffle scrambled eggs where fine you get a lot of them
Friend: the famously reviewed eggs benedict = eggs & hollandaise sauce were ICE COLD, sent back and returned COLD not warm or hot COLD! Muffin was so tough it couldn’t even be cut.
The waitstaff were up there entertaining the bartender I had to wave my arms like a crazy person to get them to come over of which pissed them off. The one waitress wore a shirt so short that her stomach hung out… I don’t want to see that CHANGE!
When we got the bill we said bring back w/​change they never came back… clearly the did not deserve a tip… place SUCKED so much we ended up eating elsewhere!

Came here for brunch, it was below average.
We started with one waiter had a second waiter do the middle and the original bring the check and the second collect the tip — are you confused yet?
The service was awful. The two waiters bickered amongst one another the entire meal and it carried over to the service. The fries were cold and soggy and the salad was just average. I had two eggs over easy with toast and again, not that good.
Wouldn’t rec this place to anyone. off of my bookmarks it goes!

Meh.
Food’s only so so. And the service can be horrendously slow (particularly during brunch). Which is confusing, as it’s really never that packed…
IMHO — the only thing of note is the meatloaf. Now I know meatloaf is just a bunch of meat smashed together into a cubic form topped with a ketchup-​like sauce. But… there’s something about it that just signals that comfy, rainy Sunday morning, pj-​wearing part of my brain and makes me smile. Mmmmm meatloaf…

My friend Brian took us here for dinner the other night and it was SO good!!! I was really craving the mussels with french fries, but I’m kinda bummed that I didn’t get one of their popular dishes instead. The mussels were great though. My favorite part of the meal was definitely the baked brie. SO good!!!
The atmosphere of this place was wonderful. Very jazzy and romantic, but warm and inviting too. The service was terrific! We had two very adorable waiters, because one was in training. They were attentive and very friendly. Oh, and the drinks are great too!
I’m going to have to go back ASAP to try their brunch.

Since they moved to this location, it was my first time to dine here. They moved to this location when Bleecker Street became a hip street (Marc Jacobs, Ralph Laurent, Cynthia Rowely… and so on). My friend arranged this dinner. She came with her son (5).
I got here a bit before 7pm. It was very cold Wednesday night. My friend and her cute son came later and when she get comfortable sitting our table, she said «I didn’t know there are many senior citizens in the village.» There were about six tables were occupied and most of them were senior citizen coming in early for $ 25 early bird special set menu (6 – 7:30pm). We were received and served well although we had a very young one with us.
My friend and her son chose:
* Creamy Asparagus from special of the night — was blend and not very appetizing. Even cream is very watery.
* Hamburger with crispy bacon, lettuce and tomato — she asked for medium but came well done and it has not taste. The bun was sesame buns that was interesting but I didn’t like the sesame buns and burger together.
* Crème brûlée — it was the best of the night but nothing to go back for.
I knew their food is not to expect much by reading Unilocal reviews. I only ordered their famous Poulet Frites.
* Poulet Frites — The chicken was okay and definitely needs a slice of lemon that was on the side to balance out its grease. The white meat was over cooked but the dark meat was good. The french fries need one second frying to give real French fries. It was stale. The salad on the side had a good dressing. I enjoyed.
It was good that I came here that I know that I don’t need to come back again.

Dearest, the note began. We are so excited about meeting your future mother-​in-​law this Friday night. Would you please make sure that the place you choose in the West Village is extremely quiet and also not too expensive. Also, I do not want to put my elbows on wood. Please make sure there are white tablecloths. Thank you, Mama
P. S. No Italian
Quiet on a FRIDAY night?
West Village, not pricy?
Good food, not Italian?
White effin’ table cloths?
Was I ever f*&#ed.
Enter Paris Commune.

We had a wonderful family dinner here on our last trip to NY. Hub’s brother and our sister-​in-​law had their newborn baby to consider, so we came in early. And boy does it pay to be early! They have a wonderful 3-​course prix fixe menu available for just $ 25 when you come in before 7:30 — after that it’s still a very reasonable $ 30. At this early hour, getting a table was not a problem at all.
I began with the walnut crusted brie. For me, this was definitely the standout of meal! The wedge of brie was stuffed with a caramelized onions and is served with an apricot compote on the side. It is a decadently large portion, perfect for sharing, and completely luscious. The baked goat cheese also looked delicious.
I had salmon on a bed of beet risotto as my entrée. This course was not as out of this world as the brie, but definitely solid. I capped it all off the rich and creamy pot du chocolate. This was also a generous portion, and Hubs and I easily shared one serving between the two of us.
The ambiance is comfortably chic. Red accents are everywhere, picking up the red of their Rooster icon. Murals of burlesque dancers using the rooster’s plumage to humorously double as their costumes deck the walls. The effect is elegant without being stuffy. This would be a great date spot.
Overall, the food was really good — probably not the best meal you’ll ever have, but very solid. Combine that with the lovely ambiance and the recession-​friendly promotions, and you have once fabulous value.

There’s so much promise to this place. Kitschy art on the walls, classy interior décor, and solid food. Somehow, it just doesn’t blow my skirt up, though.
Part of it was the delay in drinks arriving. It looked like there was a single bartender who was pretty swamped. Odd, considering how plentiful the seating was when we arrived late on a Monday evening. Even a glass of wine took five to ten minutes to arrive.
Similarly, the food was enjoyable, but nothing wow-​worthy. I went with the $ 30 prix fixed deal (which was actually quite a steal, considering most entrees by themselves run well into $ 20+ here).
The baked goat cheese on greens was probably the most enjoyable part of my meal. Dig the light dressing on it. My salmon entrée was cooked to perfection, but was a little salty for my tastes. In contrast, the bed of tomato rice my fish came on was surprisingly bland. Dessert was a star. The pot du chocolat was surprisingly not as heavy and fudgey as it initially appeared. I’d come back for this alone.
With regular prices that are anything but affordable, I expected a little something more than what we experienced. Decent food, polite service, though slow… and pleasant ambiance. I’d return. I just wouldn’t go out of my way to make a recommendation for this joint with other options around.

I wanted so much from Paris Commune. It was yet another one of my solo pre-​Writers Group meals. An hour and a half alone, savoring the atmosphere, a drink and some food. This was my first disappointment. I had dreams of becoming a regular here.
First the good. My waiter and the staff were GREAT. Attentive and sweet. As a matter of fact, he tried to turn me to the $ 12.95 Thursday special Poulet Frites — but oh no, I wouldn’t listen to him. This is why they get three stars, a bargain dinner that might have been great — if only I had listened.
The atmosphere is French Café. Nice, quiet enough, but ambient — the kind of atmosphere that after a generous glass of Bordeaux can make you feel worldly.
Now for the bad…
The food. I ordered from the $ 25.00 prix-​fixe:
Starter: Stuffed Brie encrusted with walnut. (I think that it was encrusted a few days ago, and warmed up for my meal — and for the life of me, I couldn’t find the caramelized onions) The apricot fruit compote was good though, and it was served with a side of fresh undressed mixed greens. It could have been amazing — if only the brie had been freshly made.
Main: (In their defense, I chose poorly) Salmon topped with a mango corn salsa (since when is mango corn salsa French? I scraped it off my overcooked salmon). with Moroccan couscous risotto (oh, it was couscous RISOTTO — that is why it tasted like well flavored glue — hint, keep your couscous fluffy) and summer vegetables (these were pedestrian zucchini, summer squash and carrots — the best part of the meal, aside from the service).
Dessert: sigh dessert. It makes me sad. Apple Tart. It was a cold disc of undercooked puff pastry with an apple quartered and placed in my high school’s version of apple glaze. I wanted to cry. How can you screw up an apple tart?
Whoever cooked my meal has never been to France. (or if they have, it was a package tour with contiki and they only ate at the golden arches)
Dinner & Wine — $ 38.00 + tip
I went to my Writers Group, and realized that I’ll never be a great writer. The Great American Novel is not in me. And just like I’ll never be a great writer, Paris Commune is left to being a mediocre meal in a great neighborhood, with really nice waitstaff, and a generous pour for their red wine. Next time, I’ll try their Wine Bar, and see if it is any better. (after all, it is hard to screw up a glass of wine)

This was the perfect place to catch up with an old friend with delicious food and nice atmosphere. When we approached the restaurant, it was completely packed with people waiting in front. But we asked for a wait time anyway. When he said, «10 minues», I just assumed it would be 20 – 30 because of the crowd ahead of us. Ten minutes later, we were seated… and hungry!
I loved the holiday atmosphere over the weekend. Coming in from the cold, the whole restaurant was toasty warm and perfect. The Christmas tree was a great touch that gave it a home-​like feeling. I love the bright lighting and comfortable seating, especially during Brunch on a cold day.
I had the omelette with goat cheese and spinach. It was perfect. The english muffin was warm and buttery and the cheese in the omelette was deeelicious! I wasn’t crazy about the homemade potato chips, they were alright.
The best part about brunch (aside from the magnificent company) was those bloody marys… spicy and strong. A perfect compliment to the food. Bellini’s were good, but no different than a bellini at any other restaurant.
I will most definitely be back!