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The food was delicious! We asked to course out our meal in
The food was delicious! We asked to course out our meal in a few different courses because we wanted to try a lot of the menu but unfortunately their tables for two have very little room for sharing. The hostess situation was a bit confusing. We have our reservation name outside and was told to go inside. When we walked inside the place was packed. Bar was full. Random couples standing behind the seats at the bar either waiting for a seat at the bar or a table? We wouldn't know. It was a little chaotic, no one came up to us for 5 min after the hostess told us to walk in. Servers and food runners and busters were racing back and forth causing everyone standing waiting there, look like we were playing a game of frogger. We were finally escorted to our seats where we ordered a bottle of wine and looked over their menu. It's has a lot of my favorites. Escargot, steak tartar. Short ribs, and a few fish options. Every dish we ordered was delicious. It was my boyfriends birthday so I surprised him and told our sever so when our dessert arrived it was a little bit of a show. He loved the sugar cage around the profiteroles. Lovely ending to our night. Would definitely go back.
You at least have to go once to Raoul's. The fries will bring you back again, as well as the quirkiness.....but brunch was just fine. Not certain we'd run back soon, but it's a well deserved staple in the Soho dining scene, and we enjoyed ourselves and the food.
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I came here with some friends for a fancy brunch this past
I came here with some friends for a fancy brunch this past weekend and if you're interested in ever coming to this restaurant, brunch is the way to go. The main reason for this is their famous burger; while they serve only 12 of them during dinner (and only at the bar), they do not have such limit for brunch! Recommend getting a reservation as it was busy the entire time, though you might be able to walk in at 11am. For the burger itself, it was everything it is hyped up to be. It has a black pepper crust (similar to the steak), cheese, greens, and a tasty dipping sauce you are meant to dunk the burger in (as instructed by our waiter) along with the thin fries. Is it worth $30? Probably not, but still very enjoyable. We also got the crab beignets as an appetizer, which were good but insanely small for the $24 price tag. Like I could probably fit all 6 in my mouth at the same time if I wanted to. Definitely pass on those. Service is great, but I'd say that is expected at a place like this. All in all, Raoul's is a nice place for a fancy brunch and you will have a nice time as long as you are comfortable with the elevated price tag.
4/5 by
S S. on 04/04/2022
..You at least have to go once to Raoul's. The fries will bring you back again, as well as the quirkiness.....but brunch was just fine. Not certain we'd run back soon, but it's a well deserved staple in the Soho dining scene, and we enjoyed ourselves and the food.
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I haven't had a steak in over 3 years, but it was well
I haven't had a steak in over 3 years, but it was well worth the wait for Raoul's steak frites. Absolutely INCREDIBLE! I still think and talk about it. It was perfectly medium rare and tender, and the fries allow you to enjoy every last bit of the indulgent gravy. We also shared the friseé salad (close second place - highly recommend), ham and truffle beignets, seared foie gras, and creme brûlée. I don't consider myself a fan of French food, but this place changed my mind. Raoul's is a historic institution with a lauded reputation for a reason. Such a fun vibe as well that draws an eclectic crowd ranging from businessmen enjoying dinner after work to young couples and friends sharing a special night out. I need to come back for the burger, which is apparently only served in limited quantities every day at brunch or at the bar.
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Good burgers and good steak.
Order amaretto sour. Both times the bartender said he just ran out of Amaretto 2 days ago. . So I ordered Whiskey Sour...absolutely haaaarible. Next drink I tried, was just as bad. Other than that, it's a nice time. But u can't be waiting in line in the cold, and then when u finally get in and order a drink, the drinks are awful. They need to step their game up in the bar department.
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One of my favorite haunts in NYC.
I've been going there for more years than I can remember. Everything is done well. Professional and personal service. The kitchen consistently executes at a very high level. The atmosphere is NYC. A little loud, a little crowded, and a lot of fun.
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Olde New York; fun, hopping, wonderful food.
Small, intimate, dripping with atmosphere, simply wonderful food and service. We were looking for an olde New York type of place, none over the run with tourists normal lineials. Raoul’s s checks all the boxes. It’s simply a fun casual, non-pretentious place. Everything prepared very carefully, with great attention, never simply slapped on the plate.
If you want to be hip in the village, have a truly great meal and a wonderful atmosphere, this is for you.
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This place has been in my top 5 list for NYC for over 15
This place has been in my top 5 list for NYC for over 15 years and I'm just now getting around to a review. Better late than never right? The steak au poivre is legendary, their service is perfection, cocktails properly made, and their oysters delicious. I always can't wait to go back.
5/5Vibe: 4.5/5Service: 5/5Summary: this is definitely a sceney place with decent, but not amazing food, especially for the prices. But the vibes were admittedly very good.Oysters (5/5): these were great oysters. Very fresh, no sea taste. Don't hesitate to order these.Steak au poivre (3.5/5): I am a passionate lover of these kinds of Parisian cafe steaks that use a lean cut (typically strip or filet) crusted with peppercorns and doused with a buttery green peppercorn cognac sauce. I order this 4 out of 5 times whenever I got to a French restaurant. So I have fairly high expectations when I order this and especially so when this costs ~$52. According to Resy, Raoul is particularly known for this dish. I'd say it was good, but not worth the price and missed my expectations/standards. The cognac sauce was a tad under-salted/under-flavored and the steak was a bit dry. This is also only 8-10oz of meat, so not a heaping portion by any means, especially for the price. The fries it came with were done well.Pork schnitzel (3.5/5): there's only so much you can do with schnitzel. Schnitzel is honestly a pretty bland-tasting dish overall but it satisfies an itch for fried food. A higher-end rendition typically uses a more tender meat like veal, and adds some acidity to the flavor profile with lemon juice. The Japanese use katsu sauce with tonktasu pork/chicken that adds a vinegary acidity to the taste profile. Raoul's pork schnitzel barely makes the grade; not bad, but not stellar. The 'acid' component was this frise salad with a lemony dressing, and it had an egg on it because we were there for brunch. The schnitzel itself was a bit dry and not very tender.Vibe and service: the restaurant was very lively and the decor had a lot of personality. It was a good time to just sit at the restaurant. Our waiter was a very friendly and authentic guy.I mean I kind of feel silly for giving a food critic type of review for a place that's in the same competitive category as Balthazar. But there are probably some of you out there who are curious about this place for whether the food is good so hope this is helpful for you.
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The schnitzel was amazing, as was the black peppercorn
The schnitzel was amazing, as was the black peppercorn burger. The restaurant itself is a classic west village spot with a lot of history and charm. The restaurant can get very loud but the food is worth it. Highly recommend the streak au poivre or black peppercorn burger
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Ambiance, Food wine cocktails were superb.
The burger was delicious highly recommend. The appetizers we tried them all! No complaints.
This is a must! French bistro in the village with a history dating back to the 70’s. I was there for brunch and Angus gave us 5 star ⭐️ service & hospitality. All while managing tue entire bar & mixing cocktails.
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Who says New Yorkers are mean? This is definitely a locals
Who says New Yorkers are mean? This is definitely a locals place and everybody was so friendly. We chatted with a couple at the bar who was from NYC and they bought us drinks. Through the course of our conversation, they told us about Raoul's famous burger. They only sell 12 a night and once they're gone, there are no more the rest of the night. So sad. How can you only make 12 of the most scrumptious, mouth watering burgers you'll ever get the privilege of tasting? Well, we weren't able to get a burger the first night, so we came back the next day to secure a spot at the bar. This time we got lucky. We ended up getting the last two burgers! All this talk and I haven't even gotten to how delicious this burger was. The buttery challah bun is from a local bakery and the patty is a peppercorn crusted brisket blend patties topped with St Andre cheese, Cognac and cream-laden Au Poivre sauce and watercress. To make the burger even better, it's paired with duck fat fries. I would rank this burger in my top 5 all-time. Good luck trying to land your hands on this rare burger.
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1st time back in NYC in almost 2 years, and the first time
1/5 by
A R. on 02/20/2022
1st time back in NYC in almost 2 years, and the first time with my husband. We had a special weekend planned with my best friends who still live in the city and chose from the plethora of amazing options; Raoul's for dinner on Saturday night. I made the reservation for 4 ppl at 9:45pm. My husband and I arrived and checked in with Chris, who I immediately recognized as the Maitre D whom I introduced to my husband and we chatted with him for a couple minutes when we checked in for our reservation (made on Resy) and told him how excited we were to be back and having dinner at one of my favorite old haunts. Chris was perfectly polite and asked us to grab a drink at the bar and that he would come get us when our table was ready (which is perfectly normal and expected, especially on a Saturday night). Our friends arrived and the important point to note is that we were all marked as "CHECKED-IN" for our dinner reservation. That said, it was a busy Saturday night, all the tables were filled and since we reserved a table indoors, I figured we may have a bit of a wait. No biggie, we get it, we're patient. Well, 3-4 rounds of drinks in, and having seen Chris walk right past us several times I finally (trying not to be too pushy) asked him when our table would be ready. Without a second thought or hint of remorse, he just said blankly "kitchens closed, no table. We texted you" (which since I have an Italian #, I didn't receive and had told them as much when I called to confirm the reservation earlier that day). At this point, we were several drinks in on an empty stomach and really NEEDED DINNER. And it would have been one thing, if Chris had offered a sincere apology and offered to at least take care of a round of drinks off our tab, but no. He just said "I'd offer to buy you another round but I guess you just want to eat something". My husband who's the sweetest most patient man in the world, was rightfully upset (as we all were) and just couldn't believe what was happening. Instead of taking responsibility, Chris blamed us then told us that the hostess came looking for us several times and "couldn't find us". Just wanting to get out of there and find somewhere to eat ASAP, I politely asked if Chris could recommend anywhere with an open kitchen. He told us "try Blue Ribbon around the corner." We paid the $300 bar tab, and quickly made our way over to Blue Ribbon. No tables available. We then hopped in a cab and went towards Tao (called them, also just closed their kitchen), desperately I asked the driver to take us to L'Express (another French place that's fine and known for being open 24hr/7). ALSO CLOSED. We were entirely out of ANY POSSIBLE FOOD OPTIONS. Even room service at the Standard (hotel we were staying at) was closed. What I don't get is how pompous and dismissive Chris was. Clearly Chris feels he's untouchable and is completely checked out of his job. It's absolutely the worst experience we could have had. I also got a real vibe of male privilege from him and it's just inexcusable what happened and that he didn't lift a finger to make it right. Any maitre D worth their salt, would have comped our drinks and tried to use their clout to call and get us a table somewhere else. His treatment of us really makes me feel that we were being discriminated against, being an Asian/Italian mixed group. I know there's been a lot of hate crimes in the city and I just can't think of any other reason they "couldn't locate us at the bar". Give me a break. The bar is tiny. 4 people in a group are literally impossible to miss, unless you're purposely trying to miss them. Terrible ending to our otherwise great weekend in New York.
I’ll start off by saying, having lived in New York for almost 10 yrs, I frequented Raoul’s many a time for drinks at the bar/dinner and had always had a great experience. At the beginning of the pandemic, I moved to Italy and when we came to Raoul’s last night, it was my first time back in NYC in almost 2 years, and the first time with my husband. We had a special weekend planned with my best friends who still live in the city and chose from the plethora of amazing options; Raoul’s for dinner on Saturday night. I made the reservation for 4 ppl at 9:45pm. My husband and I arrived and checked in with Chris, who I immediately recognized as the Maitre D whom I introduced to my husband and we chatted with him for a couple minutes when we checked in for our reservation (made on Resy) and told him how excited we were to be back and having dinner at one of my favorite old haunts. Chris was perfectly polite and asked us to grab a drink at the bar and that he would come get us when our table was ready (which is perfectly normal and expected, especially on a Saturday night). Our friends arrived and the important point to note is that we were all marked as “CHECKED-IN” for our dinner reservation. That said, it was a busy Saturday night, all the tables were filled and since we reserved a table indoors, I figured we may have a bit of a wait. No biggie, we get it, we’re patient. We’ll, 3-4 rounds of drinks in, and having seen Chris walk right past us several times I finally (trying not to be too pushy) asked him when our table would be ready. Without a second thought or hint of remorse, he just said blankly “kitchens closed, no table. We texted you” (which since I have an Italian #, I didn’t receive and had told them as much when I called to confirm the reservation earlier that day). Anyway, I hadn’t realized how late it was because we were having such fun catching up together at the bar but at this point it must have been 11:30pm. It had never even occurred to me to look at the time, I trusted that someone would get our very obvious party of 4 who literally had not left our perch at the corner of the bar since the moment we arrived. We were devastated, STARVING and had several drinks on an empty stomach and really NEEDED DINNER. And it would have been one thing, if Chris had offered a sincere apology and offered to at least take care of a round of drinks off our tab, but no. He just said “I’d offer to buy you another round but I guess you just want to eat something”. My husband who’s the sweetest most patient man in the world, was rightfully upset (as we all were) and just couldn’t believe what was happening. Instead of taking responsibility, Chris blamed us then told us that the hostess came looking for us several times and “couldn’t find us”. Just wanting to get out of there and find somewhere to eat ASAP, I politely asked if Chris could recommend anywhere with an open kitchen. He told us “try Blue Ribbon around the corner.” We paid the $300 bar tab, and quickly made our way over to Blue Ribbon. No tables available. We then hopped in a cab and went towards Tao (called them, also just closed their kitchen), desperately I asked the driver to take us to L’Express (another French place that’s fine and known for being open 24hr/7). ALSO CLOSED. We were entirely out of ANY POSSIBLE FOOD OPTIONS. Even room service at the Standard (hotel we were staying at) was closed. So yes, you guessed it. We canned to my girlfriends place in the UWS and ordered burgers and chicken tenders (crappy fast food) from the only place still open. Oh, and in the midst of all this, my girlfriend stopped her phone and cracked the screen (result of drinking on an empty stomach!). What I don’t get is how pompous and dismissive Chris was. THE LEAST THING HE SHOULD HAVE DONE IS COMPED OUR BAR TAB. Clearly this guy feels he’s untouchable and is completely checked out of his job. It’s absolutely the worst experience we could have had. I also got a real vibe of male privilege from him and it’s just inexcusable what happened and that he didn’t lift a finger to make it right. Any maitre D worth their salt, would have comped our drinks and tried to use their clout to call and get us a table somewhere else. His treatment of us really makes me feel that we were being discriminated against, being an Asian/Italian mixed group. I know there’s been a lot of hate crimes in the city and I just can’t think of any other reason they “couldn’t locate us at the bar”. Give me a break. The bar is tiny. 4 people in a group are literally impossible to miss. Terrible ending to our otherwise great weekend in New York.
5/5 by
JJK13 on 02/12/2022
Raoul’s continues to prosper and offer a culinary delightful experience. Chris the MaitreD’ is wonderful, the service attentive, friendly and professional (increasing fly uncommon in this post-COVID era) and the food delicious as always.
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Been going here since I was a kid in the late 80s.
Always great. Prices a little absurd now and crowd a bit more annoying than ever before but when lights are dim, great staff and good enough food can't be beat.
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Drinks and food are good .
. but the worst treatment ever. After drinks and food we were kicked of the places without notice and reason. The management, Michael accused me to had too many drinks, and I had to leave the place after he made me paid $200 for the dinner. I believe something is wrong I that management.. very disappointing
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Big thanks to Karine for helping me during the holidays
Big thanks to Karine for helping me during the holidays deliver a gift card to my family. We all love this restaurant!
I love this restaurant. I also want to give a shout out to Karine, who helped me deliver a gift card to family during the holidays.
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As always Raoul's lives up to its reputation.
We had another lovely evening dining outside. The food was delicious, the staff was attentive and the wine was flowing.We all had the Steak Au Poivre along with the crispy brussel sprouts and roasted carrots. We ended our meal with the beautiful spun sugar cage and bread pudding for my friend's birthday.I'm sure I gained five pounds just on the butter alone but so worth it!Highly recommend making reservations.
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Wow...just wow. This place hits the holy trifecta of
5/5 by
SJ P. on 12/19/2021
Wow...just wow. This place hits the holy trifecta of service, food and atmosphere. The nicest staff, the most incredible food and an intimate, dark little hideaway space that feels like you've been transported into the most authentic and exclusive New York experience - definite speakeasy vibes happening. The staff is literally busting a move to Sylvester while serving your steak hot and cooked to perfection in French butter. What more does anyone need? Tens across the board!
We have celebrated MANY occasions at Raouls over Many years… never disappointed! Consistent excellent service, great food & much fun… thanks for all the memories!