Bistro Chat Noir

Very quaint location, the food presentation is nice, but they overcook the duck and their lamb is underseasoned. The tables are small and we had an exceptionally rude waiter who dropped the food on the table and knocked the glasses. Not the worst quality of food, but the service and the preparation of the entrees were lacking. It was not a good place to have a birthday dinner.

Yes it is pricey but a chicken salad that I will for sure return to have once again. A very NYC UES experience. Service was a bit slow. But both of us loved our meals.

Excellent lunch spot in the UES if you’re out and about shopping the boutiques on Madison. My friend had the beet salad, and I had the prix fixe. It included a choice of beet salad or soup, choice of pan seared salmon on lentils or rigatoni pasta with a puttanesca type sauce, and a floating island (ouefs a la neige) for dessert all at a bargain $ 35! The soup of the day was a chilled purée of broccoli with chili oil that was refreshing, flavorful, and not too filling. The pan seared salmon was crispy on the outside and perfectly medium rare, as I’d requested, on the inside, and the lentils had a satisfyingly balanced flavor with a slight citrusy tang that kept them from being too dull and filling on a warm summer day. The floating island was a perfect light yet immensely satisfying dessert to cap off the lunch.
Service was very efficient but unobtrusive. My glass was filled without my having to ask for it, and the pace of the courses flowed evenly despite the busy lunch hour.

Our first stop during our vacation and it did not disappoint. We brought our dog with us and sat outside. They were so kind to bring a bowl of water out for our dog as well. Our waiter was amazing and the food was delicious. We had the Buffalo Mozarella/​Salmon/​Avocado starter and the Beet Salad and Tuna Tartare. If we are ever back in NYC, Chat Noir is on our list.

We made reservations for dinner for a Friday night and had originally requested outdoor seating but it had turned out to be colder than we thought so we asked the hostess to sit us inside. She was warm and friendly and led us to our table without a problem. The place was nice and perfect for a date. We were really hungry so when our waiter came, we told him we were ready to order and no, we didn’t want to drink. I don’t know which was the real insult to him because he suddenly changed to what I can just describe to a dismissive attitude. I didn’t really pay much attention or cared until we finished our meals, the plates were cleared and we were just waiting for him to come check in with us.
I had the branzino which was really delicious and the portion was more than enough for me that I couldn’t finish it. My date had the braised short ribs and he agreed that the food was excellent. We were both full and decided we were ready to take a nice walk back to the apartment.
Our waiter was attending the table next to us so my date asked him for the check when he was done which he didn’t even acknowledge with a reply. We were even wondering if he had heard but he did. The check was dropped in our table soon after without another word. He was given a 20% tip because, well, there wasn’t a justification of why he treated us the way he did and we didn’t want to give him one.
Unfortunately, as much as we liked the food, this will be the first and last time we will come to this restaurant.

I have been wanting to check this place out for a long time so I went with a friend when we were in the area. We sat outside since the weather was nice. The staff greeted us right away and were very pleasant throughout our stay. The menu looked great and the food was very good. I do feel that it is quite expensive though.

Wonderful quaint spot in UES. Highly recommend the black cat burger. Also recommend their lobster ravioli and soufflé. The staff is very friendly.

Four of us had a delightful Saturday lunch at Le Chat Noir. The gracious hostess greeted us and led us to a comfortable table where we were able to enjoy our conversation without having to shout or overhear others, as is customary in many restaurants.
Our waiter was charming, helpful and professional. The food was of excellent quality and well prepared. Overall, it was a wonderful way to feel as though we were in a chic Parisian bistro.

I felt in a real french bistro with the most amazing french food I’ve had in NYC. A cozy place to have a nice dinner. Service was very good, friendly staff and make all special requests I asked for.
Can’t wait to go back!

We chose Chat Noir for brunch because it advertised itself as dog friendly. They gave us a great table on the patio. Our Australian Shepherd was very comfortable with a bowl of water in a book by the door. Service was excellent and several members of the wait staff came by to check on us regularly. Omelets and salmon were delicious and attractively displayed. Be warned it’s a little on the expensive side, but all-​in-​all a great place for brunch especially with a dog.

Had the most amazing rack of lamb here. Probably the best that I have had.
Celebrating my mothers birthday. At the end of the dinner they brought out some amazing profiteroles.

Absolutely delicious, but very expensive.
I really enjoyed my meal at Bistro Chat Noir. Every bite of food I had was incredible. The salmon tartare was insane. The red snapper and short rib entrees were super delicious – the accompanying sauces were perfect. The chocolate soufflé was divine. The truffle mac and cheese was probably our least favorite dish (that says a lot considering it was devoured quickly).
The service was also great. Perfect timing in between courses.
Was not very impressed with the wine menu, especially its prices. You can find some of those bottles for $ 10−15 – charging $ 60+ for those is quite a lot. The cocktails we had were good, but not $ 17 good.
Overall, I would return on a special occasion because the food was awesome. But considering the price (easily $ 100−125pp), probably not for a while.

I went back to Bistro Chat Noir last night and I couldn’t have been more pleased with the reception and sincere apology.
As someone in the Public Relations Industry, I was «very impressed».
It makes me extremely happy to be able to say this situation was a clear misunderstanding between the restaurant and Unilocal reservation system.
I have always LOVED Bistro Chat Noir and will continue to think of it as one of my favorite local gems. Charming restaurant, warm and inviting staff, DELICIOUS Martini’s and SCRUMPTIOUS Food.
Very good wine list and that mouthwatering chocolate soufflé is most definitely worth the wait!
Heavenly Experience

My husband took me here for our anniversary. The steak tartare and coq at vin were delicious. The service was fine and the inside was pretty, albeit unoriginal and stale looking (the menu was also unoriginal). The most blatant issue with this restaurant is that it is super overpriced. Classic French bistro food on tables with white paper on them should not cost 40 $ per main dish! We live on the UWS and have been to several restaurants of comparable quality and at a far more reasonable and appropriate price point.

A mixed review. Charming space, good service.
Unfortunately we were there to dine. My wife’s coq au vin had a chicken leg, a few pearl onions and a dab of mashed potatoes for$ 36. The steak was about 6 oz. for my son. I ordered the cauliflower with my entrée as I had read on Unilocal that it was excellent. Not! Stouffers frozen is much better.
$ 280 later we were looking for a snack.
Where was our prosecco?

Since one pays Upper East Side prices, one would expect superior service and excellent food. Regrettably the first was average and the second mediocre. The chicken and veak paté was bland and the buffalo mozzarella could have come from any ordinary cow. The drinks were delivered late, the Macon-​Uchizy not chilled enough. I am giving the place three stars because it was only a light supper, and I am hoping that other dishes on the menu might be more enjoyable, and because the décor was quite pleasant.

Free glass of proseco with check-​in here! That was a nice surprise!
My in future laws, my fiancé, and I went to the bistro and were immediately taken in by how adorable it is. It just felt so cute and when you sat down, you felt like you weren’t in the city anymore. The tables aren’t too close, the restaurant wasn’t too loud, the front of house staff were funny and took their time chatting and laughing with you.
We had several different apps. The Chat Noir Salad which had grilled artichokes, arugula, baby spinach and was topped with parmesan. The truffle French Fries, the cauliflower gratin, and the mac and cheese with truffle and lobster. Yes… mac and cheese with TRUFFLE AND LOBSTER. Nobody ever says no to truffle and lobster combo right??? The apps were delicious. Especially the mac and cheese and the cauliflower gratin. We were ready to order more of the cauliflower gratin until we found out that my fiancé’s dish, the branzino came with a side of it. Thank goodness!!!
Davey had the Branzino with Cauliflower Gratin, pesto, grilled asparagus and toasted pignoli nuts. It was really nicely done, like we said, the cauliflower gratin was to die for, so we all ate it right off his plate, the asparagus was nicely done and paired nicely with the branzino.
I had the Curry Lobster Salad with Mango, Cucumber, hearts of palm, red quinoa, walnuts, dried cranberries, citrus vinaigrette. I was trying to be healthy for a change, and this salad was definitely healthy. I was surprised by how full it made me feel and I literally could not finish it because it was so hearty with the quinoa. The curry flavor was actually delicious, but I felt it could have used much more lobster and mango!
The rents shared the Rigatoni. This was the best dish of the night, I felt. The flavors were spot on and the sauce was delicious on the pasta. I’m not quite sure what they did to it, but we just couldn’t stop eating it!
Unilocal folks are absolutely right about the Chocolate Soufflé too. Always tell them ahead of time… because you will want it, you will love it, and you will wish you ordered two.
I really enjoyed this little place. It was reasonably priced for the sweet little moment away from the city that it provided.

White tablecloth, amazing flowers, professional waiters, overpriced menu. It is the place your pretentious aunt loves and people like me avoid. The experience was certainly pleasant for a group of eight for a brunch, as we could actually carry a conversation. So when I say the general stuffiness was bad, it does have its perks.
Overall when a chopped salad is priced at $ 25, you are going to have a certain type of person eating: it is the well-​to-​do Upper East Sider.
Not my speed, but my 65 year old pretentious (but I love her) aunt loved it.

This is not a brunch place. This comes up under brunch on Unilocal but that’s a mistake. That being said we came here for brunch and instead had lunch. They are Very Italian and very French and very sweet. It seems quite a locals spot too. Very Godfathery in a way but nice. The frittata was awesome and the champagne cocktail was nice.
It’s a very small intimate place with that movie restaurant feel. You see places like this is a lot of movies. This actually feels like a local NY lunch dinner spot. A little off the tourist track. Give it a try.
Check in to get the free drink too.

Overall a pleasant experience. The service was fine and attentive, and the food was good. We had the truffle mac and cheese, which was pretty good, and the mahi mahi entrée, which we liked a lot — the pesto was good and went well with the tomato and endive salad.
It’s a cute, cozy little place.