Venue Image

Hours

Lunch: Mon.-Fri. Noon-2:30PM Dinner: Mon.-Thu. 5:30PM-11PM
Fri.-Sat. 5:30PM-11:30PM

Nearest Subway Station

50th St Station
50th St & Broadway
1, 9

Cross Street

Sixth and Seventh Avenues

Pricing

Very High ($$$$)

City's Best

Le Bernardin   

155 W 51st St
New York, NY 10019
212-489-1515
www.le-bernardin.com/

Rating: 3 out of 5  (12 Ratings)   Read Reviews (12)    Rate and Write a Review

"Four star simplicity" is the subtitle of the Le Bernardin cookbook, written by owner Maguy Le Coze and chef Eric Ripert. This is the essence of Le Bernardin, a legendary Midtown seafood restaurant. Salmon is "barely cooked" and served with polenta and chanterelles; skate is poached with lemon butter; codfish is simply pan-roasted and served with sides. Chalk up the four-star prices to the unswerving commitment to freshness. One early review of Le Bernardin reported that chefs were instructed to discard any fresh-shucked scallops that didn't recoil from a glancing knife score. Fresh oysters, caviar, fluke, geoduck and tuna are also available on the raw menu. The dining room is subdued: The periwinkle-blue walls studded with heroic paintings of fishermen are offset by the gracefully burnished rafters and translucent windows. Though it's tough to escape Le Bernardin's clutches for less than $100 a head, it's the kind of dining experience that every New York diner should have at least once in a lifetime. --Adam Mazmanian

User Ratings and Reviews Rate and Write a Review

12 Ratings and Reviews

Order by: Oldest | Newest
RWITLIN
Review rating 4 out of 5
By RWITLIN on 06/11/2008
Mitchblm
Review rating 5 out of 5
Amazing Dining Experience
By Mitchblm on 05/18/2008
This is an exceptional restaurant. The food was excellent the service was outstanding. We were absolutely NOT rushed. It was such a woonderful dining experience!
user image
Review rating 4 out of 5
Valintines Day
By wreckd2 on 02/20/2007
Had a great dinner, the seafood and service was excellent as always.
user image
Review rating 2 out of 5
Emperor's new clothes.
By gifustar on 01/17/2007
We, a group of four, re(visited) this repeatedly over praised restaurant and soon regretted our choice of restaurant for the evening. While 3 of 4 appetizers were quite good (and one very uninspired), the main courses, all 4 of them were plainly mediocre. The service was the worst we have experienced in a long time! In no other "high end" restaurant have we EVER experienced such inefficient and indifferent - and at times arrogant and rude service. (Not in casual restaurants either, for a very long time). In expensive restaurants we expect to get good service, period. On a positive note: The sommelier was very professional and (of course) really knew his wines. He was the only one on the floor that stood up to the (supposedly) high standards of this restaurant. He recommended a couple of absolutely glorious wines to us. But not even he can get us to come back. It is a total mystery to us why this restaurant gets such good (food) ratings -or overall ratings. But many people who frequent McDonalds give that place good raitings, too....