Great place for brunch or dinner. Solid , simple menu and good music. I highly recommend you try the salmon dinner w/ a side of spinach & creme brulee for dessert.
Cherise L.
I came here with some friends to celebrate a friends birthday. They were having a 90's hip hop and rnb brunch and day party. First issue, we got there 2:45pm for our 3pm reservation and was told our reservation was not there. Something about not taking reservations that day but will seat us in 20 minutes. Mind you, we made the reservation online. We showed the "manager" our reservation and he said he will start removing ppl from their tables. It's now 3:30pm. We're still standing in the front, next to the cold door. Some nice man noticed our aggravation and bought us shots( thank you random man). It's now 4:00pm. I go find the manager again and ask him what's going on with the table. He tells us another 20 mins. So of course now I'm pissed because now we have been waiting over an hour. He then proceeds to tell me that he isn't the manager and is just filling in for someone so we can just leave if we don't want to wait another 20 mins. So that was my que to go! As I grab my jacket to leave I was stopped by the host of the brunch and he said he will find us a table. Within 3 minutes this man found us a table. Come to find out there was seating upstairs!!! A full bar we could have been waiting at instead of blocking the very small and cold front door area. Now to the seating. We were legit squeezed into a corner. We didn't like it but at this point we're like whatever because now we're starving. So the waitress( not an employee of the restaurant but was still very good) takes our order. The food comes. It was a joke. Nobody enjoyed their food. The Steak was supposed to be medium and came well done. Two of us ordered white meat and both of us got dark meat with our chicken and waffles( oh and it was only chicken and a waffle on the plate. No whipped cream, confectionary sugar... NOTHING) I run a food blog and was excited to post pictures of our food when it arrived and promote this business. It wasn't even picture worthy. Long story short, I will not be returning.
Neecy1215
Had a reservation for 3p., 6 guests. We arrived 10-15min early. Host told us there was no reservation. I then pulled up my reservation on my phone and showed her. Host had an attitude with me and my guests. She told us it would be a 20min wait. We waited patiently for ONE HOUR. I asked for the manager. The manager then told us we had to wait another 25min. I began to become frustrated because we were on a tight schedule and had to be at a show after brunch at a certain time. The DJ saw our frustration because we were standing near him while waiting and HE took it upon himself to find us an area in the upstairs level to sit and eat. It wasn't the best, but we appreciated his effort. Music was great but I honestly wouldn't recommend this place due to the host and the management team. Lack of organization.
LynnB
Do not eat here. They never got our order right and there were only our table of two and another table of three. In the end when they brougt us a check with food that we did not receive or order I told the waiter/manger/bartender what we were willing to pay and he accepted it. On the way out I told a couple who just sat next to us to leave.
lynn b.
This place is a disgrace to the service profession. There was only one other table of three other than our table of two and the orders were never right after sending the food back. Then they charged us for food we didnt order. It was so bad I told them what I was willing to pay for the meal and the waiter/manager/bartender accepted it knowing how bad they messed up.On the way out we told a couple who they seated nect to us not to waste their money eating there.Never going back.
Bill Harris
This place is always filled with charming people who talk politics and share local laughs. Food is really good, seasoned nicely and fresh. John and Genesis are wonderful professional bartenders who make you your pleasure and treats you with much courtesy.
Cynthia Brown
Nice atmosphere
Maria B.
The gumbo is spicy and delicious! Alex is the best waiter with excellent recommendations for wine and menu. The atmosphere is meant for eating. Not noisy not crowded like the one next door "red rooster". This place is a the real deal. Good food!
This restaurant is located next to Red Rooster. Dingy looking, and really needs to be spruced up. I booked a reservation on Open Table but they ignored me when I told them and said that their computer wasn't working. Toilets had no soap for you to wash your hands and wait staff, although pleasant seemed not to understand whatever was asked of them. Food was fine.
Stacks G.
They changed the whole menu and the name. Service is terrible, the waiter who took our order didn't listen to anything we asked for and my friend's order was wrong. We waited forever for drinks because he never put the order in. I ordered the nachos and while they tasted ok, they were mostly just beans. The calamari was bland and the cornbread looked like it was microwaved.
Mon Dieu. If you're looking for good French food, don't go here. If you want some good people watching, then maybe this is your joint. First, there's the bartender who looks like he's starring in a remake of Shaq's classic Kazaam. Then, there's the bus boys/runners who must be deaf because our food sat in the service window for 8 minutes while they stood two feet away before someone brought it over. Oh, not to mention the very demanding woman at the table next to us who instructed us to watch her 2 year old while she went outside to look for her friends after berating the waiter for putting ice in her water. It was an interesting brunch that's for sure. In terms of food - mussels smelled like they were gone off, the Croque Monsieur was not good, and the Caesar Salad was meh. Our waiter Ali was nice, but seemed ran off his feet (again, bus boys/runners were not helpful).
Linora C.
During a recent visit to NY, a good friend of mine suggested that we meet here for a late lunch. It's a quaint location, but nicely decorated.I had the steak frites and boy it was better than some others I've had in the past. The steak was a nice size, cooked how I liked (medium) and they provided a generous amount of sauce over the steak. The fries were piping hot and they gave a good amount.I did order desert, which I usually don't order. However, I couldn't resist a warm blueberry tart with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It's was just the right amount and I surely ate majority of it.If you are looking for a nice spot to go to in Harlem, this is a great spot. And it's fairly reasonable for the wallet.
Dara S.
Terrible service! The waiter we got seemed like he was missing a few screws. A friend and I went to Chez Lucienne for lunch & looked at the menu before sitting down. After looking at the menus with the hostess right there, we said we wanted to be seated. The hostess told us that the kitchen would not open until 4:30... it was 4:19PM, what does it matter?So we sat down and both ordered a vegan curry dish. After he took our orders and menus, he came back about 15 mins later to tell us that they were out of that dish. My friend is vegan so she immediately ordered the only other vegan dish on the menu. I needed more time to look a little deeper. For some reason, when she handed him back the menu, he gave it back to her. She told him she didn't need it but he just put it back on the table... kind of weird.I don't eat red meat so I ordered a salmon burger. The waiter's English wasn't that good, so I made sure to point directly to it on the menu and say it clearly "Salmon burger" with the tartar sauce on the side.When I got mu burger, the tartar sauce was on the side as I asked (good job). It looked like a regular patty, but I've eaten turkey burgers, veggie burgers and chicken burgers and usually they visually replicate a regular burger pretty well. I ate the burger and couldn't really recognize the taste (I've never had a salmon burger before).Halfway through I realize it may be beef! It sounds silly, but I haven't eaten beef in sooo long that I wasn't able to recognize the taste. I asked the waiter if this was a salmon burger and he said no, it's beef. I said, "I ordered a salmon burger" he said "you ordered beef" "I said, "2nd one on the menu is what I pointed to. It's salmon." He said, "no, it's beef"I wasn't even going to bother fighting for it because I had eaten about half the burger (although it wasn't that big), and I predicted that the server wouldn't be able to handle such a request, let alone the management. So I just ate the rest of the fries...When he asked if we wanted to look at the dessert menu my friend and I simultaneously and immediately said "No thank you! Just the check please." When I walked out I looked at the menu and saw that Salmon burger was indeed listed where I said it was. I mean, if I asked for the tartar sauce to be on the side... why would that be a beef burger??? It doesn't even come with tartar sauce!I felt a lot better when I ran into a friend of mine on the way home who has been living in Harlem for over 50 years. She said that she too had eaten at Chez Lucienne that day and would never be going back. She said it used to be a lovely place, but the management and service now is just terrible. It was good to know that this wasn't an isolated experience.
Elaine M.
Chez Lucienne does a great happy hour of a $16 burger-beer pairing. My friends and I were already tipsy from Cantina across the street, so we decided to grab dinner and one more drink there. The burger was yummy, but I wish there was a little more meat and that it was more flat but also wider (so we could bite in easier). The meat was also more medium though I asked for medium rare, but that's okay because the burger was still tasty. The fries were phenomenal and super crispy.
Catherine C.
I really enjoy this place. Great food, chill vibe, nice people. I've been with a few different friends who all also enjoyed it. Often there's some great live jazz music.
Great place for brunch or dinner. Solid , simple menu and good music. I highly recommend you try the salmon dinner w/ a side of spinach & creme brulee for dessert.
I came here with some friends to celebrate a friends birthday. They were having a 90's hip hop and rnb brunch and day party. First issue, we got there 2:45pm for our 3pm reservation and was told our reservation was not there. Something about not taking reservations that day but will seat us in 20 minutes. Mind you, we made the reservation online. We showed the "manager" our reservation and he said he will start removing ppl from their tables. It's now 3:30pm. We're still standing in the front, next to the cold door. Some nice man noticed our aggravation and bought us shots( thank you random man). It's now 4:00pm. I go find the manager again and ask him what's going on with the table. He tells us another 20 mins. So of course now I'm pissed because now we have been waiting over an hour. He then proceeds to tell me that he isn't the manager and is just filling in for someone so we can just leave if we don't want to wait another 20 mins. So that was my que to go! As I grab my jacket to leave I was stopped by the host of the brunch and he said he will find us a table. Within 3 minutes this man found us a table. Come to find out there was seating upstairs!!! A full bar we could have been waiting at instead of blocking the very small and cold front door area. Now to the seating. We were legit squeezed into a corner. We didn't like it but at this point we're like whatever because now we're starving. So the waitress( not an employee of the restaurant but was still very good) takes our order. The food comes. It was a joke. Nobody enjoyed their food. The Steak was supposed to be medium and came well done. Two of us ordered white meat and both of us got dark meat with our chicken and waffles( oh and it was only chicken and a waffle on the plate. No whipped cream, confectionary sugar... NOTHING) I run a food blog and was excited to post pictures of our food when it arrived and promote this business. It wasn't even picture worthy. Long story short, I will not be returning.
Had a reservation for 3p., 6 guests. We arrived 10-15min early. Host told us there was no reservation. I then pulled up my reservation on my phone and showed her. Host had an attitude with me and my guests. She told us it would be a 20min wait. We waited patiently for ONE HOUR. I asked for the manager. The manager then told us we had to wait another 25min. I began to become frustrated because we were on a tight schedule and had to be at a show after brunch at a certain time. The DJ saw our frustration because we were standing near him while waiting and HE took it upon himself to find us an area in the upstairs level to sit and eat. It wasn't the best, but we appreciated his effort. Music was great but I honestly wouldn't recommend this place due to the host and the management team. Lack of organization.
Do not eat here. They never got our order right and there were only our table of two and another table of three. In the end when they brougt us a check with food that we did not receive or order I told the waiter/manger/bartender what we were willing to pay and he accepted it. On the way out I told a couple who just sat next to us to leave.
This place is a disgrace to the service profession. There was only one other table of three other than our table of two and the orders were never right after sending the food back. Then they charged us for food we didnt order. It was so bad I told them what I was willing to pay for the meal and the waiter/manager/bartender accepted it knowing how bad they messed up.On the way out we told a couple who they seated nect to us not to waste their money eating there.Never going back.
This place is always filled with charming people who talk politics and share local laughs. Food is really good, seasoned nicely and fresh. John and Genesis are wonderful professional bartenders who make you your pleasure and treats you with much courtesy.
Nice atmosphere
The gumbo is spicy and delicious! Alex is the best waiter with excellent recommendations for wine and menu. The atmosphere is meant for eating. Not noisy not crowded like the one next door "red rooster". This place is a the real deal. Good food!
This restaurant is located next to Red Rooster. Dingy looking, and really needs to be spruced up. I booked a reservation on Open Table but they ignored me when I told them and said that their computer wasn't working. Toilets had no soap for you to wash your hands and wait staff, although pleasant seemed not to understand whatever was asked of them. Food was fine.
They changed the whole menu and the name. Service is terrible, the waiter who took our order didn't listen to anything we asked for and my friend's order was wrong. We waited forever for drinks because he never put the order in. I ordered the nachos and while they tasted ok, they were mostly just beans. The calamari was bland and the cornbread looked like it was microwaved.
Restaurantji Recommends
Mon Dieu. If you're looking for good French food, don't go here. If you want some good people watching, then maybe this is your joint. First, there's the bartender who looks like he's starring in a remake of Shaq's classic Kazaam. Then, there's the bus boys/runners who must be deaf because our food sat in the service window for 8 minutes while they stood two feet away before someone brought it over. Oh, not to mention the very demanding woman at the table next to us who instructed us to watch her 2 year old while she went outside to look for her friends after berating the waiter for putting ice in her water. It was an interesting brunch that's for sure. In terms of food - mussels smelled like they were gone off, the Croque Monsieur was not good, and the Caesar Salad was meh. Our waiter Ali was nice, but seemed ran off his feet (again, bus boys/runners were not helpful).
During a recent visit to NY, a good friend of mine suggested that we meet here for a late lunch. It's a quaint location, but nicely decorated.I had the steak frites and boy it was better than some others I've had in the past. The steak was a nice size, cooked how I liked (medium) and they provided a generous amount of sauce over the steak. The fries were piping hot and they gave a good amount.I did order desert, which I usually don't order. However, I couldn't resist a warm blueberry tart with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It's was just the right amount and I surely ate majority of it.If you are looking for a nice spot to go to in Harlem, this is a great spot. And it's fairly reasonable for the wallet.
Terrible service! The waiter we got seemed like he was missing a few screws. A friend and I went to Chez Lucienne for lunch & looked at the menu before sitting down. After looking at the menus with the hostess right there, we said we wanted to be seated. The hostess told us that the kitchen would not open until 4:30... it was 4:19PM, what does it matter?So we sat down and both ordered a vegan curry dish. After he took our orders and menus, he came back about 15 mins later to tell us that they were out of that dish. My friend is vegan so she immediately ordered the only other vegan dish on the menu. I needed more time to look a little deeper. For some reason, when she handed him back the menu, he gave it back to her. She told him she didn't need it but he just put it back on the table... kind of weird.I don't eat red meat so I ordered a salmon burger. The waiter's English wasn't that good, so I made sure to point directly to it on the menu and say it clearly "Salmon burger" with the tartar sauce on the side.When I got mu burger, the tartar sauce was on the side as I asked (good job). It looked like a regular patty, but I've eaten turkey burgers, veggie burgers and chicken burgers and usually they visually replicate a regular burger pretty well. I ate the burger and couldn't really recognize the taste (I've never had a salmon burger before).Halfway through I realize it may be beef! It sounds silly, but I haven't eaten beef in sooo long that I wasn't able to recognize the taste. I asked the waiter if this was a salmon burger and he said no, it's beef. I said, "I ordered a salmon burger" he said "you ordered beef" "I said, "2nd one on the menu is what I pointed to. It's salmon." He said, "no, it's beef"I wasn't even going to bother fighting for it because I had eaten about half the burger (although it wasn't that big), and I predicted that the server wouldn't be able to handle such a request, let alone the management. So I just ate the rest of the fries...When he asked if we wanted to look at the dessert menu my friend and I simultaneously and immediately said "No thank you! Just the check please." When I walked out I looked at the menu and saw that Salmon burger was indeed listed where I said it was. I mean, if I asked for the tartar sauce to be on the side... why would that be a beef burger??? It doesn't even come with tartar sauce!I felt a lot better when I ran into a friend of mine on the way home who has been living in Harlem for over 50 years. She said that she too had eaten at Chez Lucienne that day and would never be going back. She said it used to be a lovely place, but the management and service now is just terrible. It was good to know that this wasn't an isolated experience.
Chez Lucienne does a great happy hour of a $16 burger-beer pairing. My friends and I were already tipsy from Cantina across the street, so we decided to grab dinner and one more drink there. The burger was yummy, but I wish there was a little more meat and that it was more flat but also wider (so we could bite in easier). The meat was also more medium though I asked for medium rare, but that's okay because the burger was still tasty. The fries were phenomenal and super crispy.
I really enjoy this place. Great food, chill vibe, nice people. I've been with a few different friends who all also enjoyed it. Often there's some great live jazz music.