First of all the good - tasty rice pudding in general!
Now our experience from this weekend - We booked this restaurant for a group event and, while we accept our part in the situation, we feel it's important to share our experience.
Unfortunately, a number of our guests had to back out last minute due to COVID-related issues. We understand the importance of cancellation policies and don’t expect businesses to absorb the full cost of late changes, but we did reach out shortly after to explain the situation and request a partial credit or some form of compromise. Unlike other restaurants we've dealt with, there was not a courtesy message 24 hours prior to the event; something that might have helped us finalize numbers or communicate changes earlier.
We acknowledge we made a mistake in timing our updates, and we take responsibility for that. However, the restaurant showed zero flexibility or willingness to work with us in good faith, and refused a partial credit. The cancellation fee was enforced in full ($600), with no consideration of the circumstances or prior communication.
Xander Burnette
Food and service was great! Get the halibut trust me. If I absolutely had to nitpick Noise level was loud. But not too bad!!
Morton Wetherington
Bar tenders were very professional and the drinks were made to perfection!
Janet Fu
Really authentic French bistro experience. Excellent food and not a huge menu. Small tables and small portions but everything tasted great. We did not enjoy the service staff. Hostess was delightful and pleasant but the server was not. She was unhelpful when asked for recommendations and basically just repeated the menu which we could read. When we tried to order an additional dish, she said “they don’t do add-ons” which was not explained to us at any point prior. She brought down the mood of what would have otherwise been a good experience.
Paul C
Fantastic French food and drinks in NYC. We loved it and will definitely be back when we are next in NYC.
Midori Grabowski
I had a lovely lunch here on a Saturday afternoon. I walked in by myself and was able to snag a table right away. The lunch menu is rather limited in a good way. They stick to what I would consider to be Parisian lunch classics. I ordered the croque monsieur and let me tell you….it truly rivals any of them I had in Paris. I would argue it was better. The bread was perfectly buttery and flaky and the proportions of all the ingredients were so well-balanced. My server took good care of me and made sure my drinks were always full. As far as the interior, I appreciate how spaced out the tables are. They didn’t try to just cram as many spots as they could into the restaurant. The owner was the one seating customers. I always note that. Libertine is one of the best lunch spots I’ve been to in a while. I will have to come back for dinner sometime.
Jeremy Footer
French Bistro with decent food. Friendly wait staff. The pate was tasty. However many of dishes are quite overpriced, even for NYC. The $68 duck breast (single small duck breast) is an absolute rip off. It came to our table luke warm with a bland sauce. The side dish it came with was nice. I won’t be returning.
Babak Andishmand
I am not sure if she is still there, but for years this place was run by a senior lady who had taken over the restaurant from her parents, whose picture was proudly featured on the menu.
The menu still looks excellent, offering fair prices and outstanding quality, all just a short walk from the riverside. It is well worth a visit.
BCope
Delicious cocktails. May return to try dinner one day.
As a former New Yorker who now visits occasionally, I make it a point to seek out great food experiences while I’m here - usually by asking locals for their fave neighborhood spots. I had a lucky late night chance meeting with Bruno and Phillip from Libertine, who promised me I would not be disappointed - and they made good on the promise.
I came in late my last night in town and was warmly greeted by Bruno from behind the bar who provided a preview of coming attractions with a splash of champagne and oeufs mayonnaise. Saucisse purée with a glass of red French wine was supreme comfort food for a cold night. Finished with chocolate mousse with chartreuse-infused crème fraîche and a dessert wine that I hadn’t thought I needed but in retrospect absolutely did.
Better-than-some in price and better-than-most in experience and value for memorable, classic French food, a great bar, and a warm welcome.
Jonny Barrett
Chalkboard menus bereft of adjectives add to the experience as they enable waiters to have a real discussion about food with the people at the table. Their service team relishes this & takes full advantage - it works.
Libertines cooking is great. The classics are as well executed and flavour forward as you could hope. The wine list is creative and interesting, the room itself well arranged and quite beautiful - unlike in French bistros, there’s actually room to breathe.
Don’t skip bread and butter, in fact go further and actually visit butter mountain in the kitchen.
Highlights were the scallop & the near famous duck. The steak tartare had all the balance you’d want with great textures - the chocolate mousse was a chartreuse infused outrageous decadence. Personally I’d skip the much celebrated eggs mayo, unless you have a particular connection to that combo.
Our server, (I think his name was nick) deserves special praise - great care and attention, very generous in spirit - a wonderful host.
Will return. An easy 5 stars.
Fraser Trujillo
My partner and I went for Valentine’s Day. Our server Cliff was incredibly professional and friendly as well as made sure we had the best night possible. Our bartender Andrew made some amazing cocktails and even had a chance to come and speak to us about some of the after dinner drinks. Not only was the food amazing, but I would be happy to get dinner here again and recommend to anyone who may be on the fence about Libertine. They have a very charming staff here and I feel they stand out amongst the standard NYC dinner crowd. 5 stars all around
Troy Burchett
Beautiful spot in the West Village. Legit food and wine. Service is very pro.
Sydney Smith
Cute vibe, okay service, not great food. We sent back an entire uneaten entree and still had to pay $38 for it. Then they kicked us out at 7:30pm when our reservation was at 6:15pm. The owner seemed to kind of care when I told him the news. Overall left us feeling pretty shitty.
First of all the good - tasty rice pudding in general!
Now our experience from this weekend - We booked this restaurant for a group event and, while we accept our part in the situation, we feel it's important to share our experience.
Unfortunately, a number of our guests had to back out last minute due to COVID-related issues. We understand the importance of cancellation policies and don’t expect businesses to absorb the full cost of late changes, but we did reach out shortly after to explain the situation and request a partial credit or some form of compromise. Unlike other restaurants we've dealt with, there was not a courtesy message 24 hours prior to the event; something that might have helped us finalize numbers or communicate changes earlier.
We acknowledge we made a mistake in timing our updates, and we take responsibility for that. However, the restaurant showed zero flexibility or willingness to work with us in good faith, and refused a partial credit. The cancellation fee was enforced in full ($600), with no consideration of the circumstances or prior communication.
Food and service was great! Get the halibut trust me. If I absolutely had to nitpick Noise level was loud. But not too bad!!
Bar tenders were very professional and the drinks were made to perfection!
Really authentic French bistro experience. Excellent food and not a huge menu. Small tables and small portions but everything tasted great. We did not enjoy the service staff. Hostess was delightful and pleasant but the server was not. She was unhelpful when asked for recommendations and basically just repeated the menu which we could read. When we tried to order an additional dish, she said “they don’t do add-ons” which was not explained to us at any point prior. She brought down the mood of what would have otherwise been a good experience.
Fantastic French food and drinks in NYC. We loved it and will definitely be back when we are next in NYC.
I had a lovely lunch here on a Saturday afternoon. I walked in by myself and was able to snag a table right away. The lunch menu is rather limited in a good way. They stick to what I would consider to be Parisian lunch classics.
I ordered the croque monsieur and let me tell you….it truly rivals any of them I had in Paris. I would argue it was better. The bread was perfectly buttery and flaky and the proportions of all the ingredients were so well-balanced.
My server took good care of me and made sure my drinks were always full.
As far as the interior, I appreciate how spaced out the tables are. They didn’t try to just cram as many spots as they could into the restaurant.
The owner was the one seating customers. I always note that.
Libertine is one of the best lunch spots I’ve been to in a while. I will have to come back for dinner sometime.
French Bistro with decent food. Friendly wait staff. The pate was tasty. However many of dishes are quite overpriced, even for NYC. The $68 duck breast (single small duck breast) is an absolute rip off. It came to our table luke warm with a bland sauce. The side dish it came with was nice. I won’t be returning.
I am not sure if she is still there, but for years this place was run by a senior lady who had taken over the restaurant from her parents, whose picture was proudly featured on the menu.
The menu still looks excellent, offering fair prices and outstanding quality, all just a short walk from the riverside. It is well worth a visit.
Delicious cocktails. May return to try dinner one day.
Chill, tasty, and easy meal to have
Restaurantji Recommends
As a former New Yorker who now visits occasionally, I make it a point to seek out great food experiences while I’m here - usually by asking locals for their fave neighborhood spots. I had a lucky late night chance meeting with Bruno and Phillip from Libertine, who promised me I would not be disappointed - and they made good on the promise.
I came in late my last night in town and was warmly greeted by Bruno from behind the bar who provided a preview of coming attractions with a splash of champagne and oeufs mayonnaise. Saucisse purée with a glass of red French wine was supreme comfort food for a cold night. Finished with chocolate mousse with chartreuse-infused crème fraîche and a dessert wine that I hadn’t thought I needed but in retrospect absolutely did.
Better-than-some in price and better-than-most in experience and value for memorable, classic French food, a great bar, and a warm welcome.
Chalkboard menus bereft of adjectives add to the experience as they enable waiters to have a real discussion about food with the people at the table. Their service team relishes this & takes full advantage - it works.
Libertines cooking is great. The classics are as well executed and flavour forward as you could hope. The wine list is creative and interesting, the room itself well arranged and quite beautiful - unlike in French bistros, there’s actually room to breathe.
Don’t skip bread and butter, in fact go further and actually visit butter mountain in the kitchen.
Highlights were the scallop & the near famous duck. The steak tartare had all the balance you’d want with great textures - the chocolate mousse was a chartreuse infused outrageous decadence. Personally I’d skip the much celebrated eggs mayo, unless you have a particular connection to that combo.
Our server, (I think his name was nick) deserves special praise - great care and attention, very generous in spirit - a wonderful host.
Will return. An easy 5 stars.
My partner and I went for Valentine’s Day. Our server Cliff was incredibly professional and friendly as well as made sure we had the best night possible. Our bartender Andrew made some amazing cocktails and even had a chance to come and speak to us about some of the after dinner drinks. Not only was the food amazing, but I would be happy to get dinner here again and recommend to anyone who may be on the fence about Libertine. They have a very charming staff here and I feel they stand out amongst the standard NYC dinner crowd. 5 stars all around
Beautiful spot in the West Village. Legit food and wine. Service is very pro.
Cute vibe, okay service, not great food. We sent back an entire uneaten entree and still had to pay $38 for it. Then they kicked us out at 7:30pm when our reservation was at 6:15pm. The owner seemed to kind of care when I told him the news. Overall left us feeling pretty shitty.
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