Resto Leon

When I lived in NYC, this was my absolute favorite spot for dinner. Whether it was a romantic evening with the hus or a merry evening with friends, Resto Leon was the perfect fit.
So let’s not mince words: their Steak Frittes is the best. Or maybe their Stak au Poivre is… It’s hard for me to decide. Do me a favor and order either of them with a bottle of Bordeaux (all bottles are extremely reasonable, as are all menu items — seriously), and maybe the escargots to start. You can thank me later.
The cherry on top? Stephanie. She’s probably the most gracious, friendly and beautiful server I have ever had, and she makes you feel at home. The French accent doesn’t hurt, either.
Summer is the perfect time to go, because they open the gorgeous louvered glass doors that make up the front and you can dine alfresco. They also mix a mean cocktail (hint: get the caipirinha) so you could literally spend all afternoon and evening here. If you really wanna go there, top your night off with a glass of Absinthe…

After long half and hour of searching for an outdoor seating in East Village, my boyfriend and I found this little jem. $ 5 beers and $ 5 well drinks during week day happy hour (after 5PM) is good for me! I will come back here again and again for this deal! Very friendly staff and awesome fries.

Had a nice bite to eat… steak frites… after seeing Silence! The Musical. They were out of many things on a Sunday night post-​St. Paddy’s Day. Service was fine. Glass of wine seemed overpriced for what it was.
No complaints, but no need to visit again.

Definitely a fan of this casual french restaurant. Good for a date or for just hanging out with friends. Probably not great for a large group.

Cute, casual French themed restaurant. I’m not sure if I can judge the food as we both ordered burgers (one regular and one lamb). I wasn’t a fan of the huge amount of goat cheese on my lambburger. However, I would probably return if I was in the neighborhood and looking for a quiet, quick dinner.
Service was excellent, and in fact, when our waitress noticed I had not had more than a few sips of my cocktail, she took off the charge from our bill. Very kind of her!

A cute french bistro with outdoor seating that has a bartender that concocts any drink to your liking.
We ordered the escargot, steak frites and mussels.
The escargot seemed slightly chewy and disappointingly bland.
The mussels are fresh, plumpy and plentiful. This, in my opinion, has to be a staple dish done correctly in any french bistro.
Unfortunately, like the escargot the steak and frites left little to be desired.
I like my steak to be uncut prior to being served for the purpose that all the juice do not seeped out and puddle around the precut meat. The frites itself were fresh, crispy and also very plentiful. Whether we dipped them in the aioli, ketchup, sauce from the mussels we ordered or just by themselves… they were dangerously good. But… any type of potato fried properly is very addicting.
I’d probably take the extra 10 mins and walk over casimir and do half orders on 2 different entrees. *
*Note previous review on casimir for details.

For my first New York dinner, it definitely hit the spot. Be forewarned: cash or AmEx only.
They have a list of fun cocktails that my girlfriends and I enjoyed. We went early, around 6, so it wasn’t crowded at all and the waitress was there when we needed her, and gone when we didn’t. I ordered the spicy lamb burger and it was freakin delicious… served on an english muffin with goat cheese, with fries and a special aioli on the side. The fries were traditional but that was perfect because the aioli wore the pants in that relationship.
I don’t really know any other restaurants in the area so that I would be able to make a comparison, but I would revisit this place no problem.

I stumbled upon this place waiting to get a table at motorino next door. I had a drink here with my roommate and we fell in love with the décor and the staff immediately. It has become our go to place to grab a drink. I have gone numerous times on a weekend afternoon with a book and sat there for hours reading at their sidewalk seating. 12^th Street has some great people watching. Their staff is so personable and welcoming… I wish I knew their names, but they ALWAYS take care of us. The menu is not huge, but everything is tasty… especially for desserts. I look forward to hanging out there in the winter with a good book.
One downside: they only take AMEX and cash.

Hmm. I would consider Resto Leon a middle-​of-​the-​road restaurant. I think there are much better French restaurants at the same price range, but if a friend suggested we go to Resto Leon, I wouldn’t automatically turn it down. The atmosphere is cozy & fun and I find the staff friendly. However, I found my hanger steak to be so tough and chewy. The escargot didn’t seem to taste right either… overcooked perhaps? I did enjoy the onion soup.

Not the old Resto Leon you may think you’re going to.
I went on ²⁄₂₀ expecting to get maybe some mussels, or a burger, or steak. But despite maintaining the same name and décor, the menu has changed entirely.
They seem to be going for more of a bar atmosphere, with small plates instead of dinner. I’ve read the restaurant is going through management changes, but it’s unclear what’s going on exactly. In the meantime, the menu is limited, and when I went some of the items were unavailable as well.
I don’t want to give them an overly hard time while they’re under transition, but I felt a little duped after walking in expecting the old Resto Leon.
I want the mussels back, and the fantastic fries. This was a charming neighborhood staple, and I’m sorry that it has to go.

Pretty cool spot. It had this artsy and very french kind of set up and I thought the waitress was really cool…
We were seated right away and I was treated just fine. I ordered the hanger steak which was pretty good.
All in all it was just okay… Nothing that would make me want to go back.

No fuss good french food. Came here with a few friends on a Sunday night sufficiently hungover and had good meal @ a reasonable price with entertaining service.
Prix Fixe — 25 $
great corn shrimp chowderish soup — ⁵⁄₅
petit mignon & frites — ³⁄₅
dessert — ⁴⁄₅
This place is charming in décor and servic, the food — solid french for the East Village. Recommended!

I really wanted to like this place. The atmosphere is great, the staff is cool and I could stare at the bartender all day. However, the food is just not up to par. There are much better french places in NYC. (My personal favorite is 26 Seats).
I started with a gold rush cocktail (which is apple juice, vodka, and some other liquor) and it was not very good. I then had a dirty martini that was delicious. Later in my meal I had a glass of Bordeaux that was okay, nothing fantastic. They have a very limited wine-​by-​the-​glass selection.
My friend and I each ordered escargot. It was very overcooked and not enough buttery goodness to dip the bread. I then had the duck breast entrée and it was good, but nothing out of this world. I’ve had much, much better. The duck breast came with a blue cheese stuffed potato pancake that was awful. I love blue cheese, LOVE it, but this dish just did not work. They need to use a different kind of cheese.
My friend ordered the sea scallops over risotto for her entrée. The sea scallops were good, but the risotto was so so bland. I can make much better risotto.
Maybe I’d come back for a drink at the bar and split an appetizer. However, I wouldn’t spend the $$ on a full blown meal.
Pretty annoying that they only accept cash or Amex.

Spent some time at the bar while waiting to be seated at the place next door. Had great convo about traveling and France with the bartender. I had the Leon special cocktail which was awesome. Had I known better, we would’ve stayed to eat there instead of going after the bad pizza at Motorino next door.

Resto Leon’s was our pre-​game stopover (in the form of a pitcher of Sangria) while we bore out the wait at Motorino, but even before Unilocaling about it, my boyfriend and I knew this place was a gem. How could we conclude that based on the tiny dining room and packed bar crowd? The smell. It smelled of pork fat and butter — it was aromatic and heady, and in the bliss of drinking glasses upon glasses of sangria, it was heavenly. Even if the sangria didn’t do it (which it did), I could have stood there forever happily catching whiffs of… fat… from the kitchen.
The only strange thing I noticed was that they ONLY take Amex! Wait, really? I never understood the 0.1% of restaurants who only take amex. Do they have a financial incentive? I thought Amex charged more… oh well, at least I’ve been warned. I’m not really the type to carry around wads of cash (likely because I’m only a year out of college so I have none.) so I’d like to be warned if only so I don’t get caught in a pickle! Though I only tried the sangria and smelled random things from the kitchen, I got a good vibe, and my vibes are usually right! Will be back with a review hopefully in the near future…

A friend and I visited Resto Leon last night on a whim. Generally, I’d never suggest going to a French restaurant; but, this place was a really nice change of pace from the places I typically go.
Both my friend and I ended up getting the prix fix (available Sunday — Thursday until 7 p.m.) for $ 25 per person and I gotta concur with the server who recommended it – it was a great deal. I ordered the escargot and moules marinere while my friend went with the beet salad and hangar steak. My friend’s steak was tender, tasty and cooked a perfect medium. The escargot was fresh and I ended up sopping up the remaining sauce with bread. The mussels were also a great dish. It was a huge, fresh portion in a fantastic sauce – also great for dipping. While I’m not a huge fan of beet salad, my friend loved hers. Afterward, we learned that the prix fix came with a dessert. Our server recommended that we eat one and take one home. Great call. There was no way we were going to get a second dessert down.
I think going early was a great call not only because we ended up saving some cash, but because the place really wasn’t crowded. Aside from one or two other tables and a few at the bar, no one else was there. As a result, we got great service and never felt rushed to leave. I should say one other thing about the service – the staff was incredibly gracious and while casual, very attentive.
All in all, it’s definitely a solid choice for the East Village.

Pretty ordinary French bistro. I don’t recall what I had to start, but my girlfriend had a pea soup. She couldn’t finish it, but I have to say it was very good. For my main course I had the hanger steak. I liked that they give a mixed greens salad instead of just fries with the dish. The steak was ok, nothing amazing but ok. Portion could’ve been bigger, but otherwise it was a nice dish. The service was a little slow in regards to the food, but quick otherwise. The atmosphere was nice and romantic, dark with candles and a dim light behind the booth being the main sources of light. My girlfriend thought that Resto Leon was kind of meh, but personally I thought it was a decent meal.

Trying to escape the horrid winter rain, I literally ran inside Leon. The place was tiny but full, but with the smile of the cute bartender, we decided to bear the 30 minute wait.
Basically all we want is a couple drinks and some dessert. So as we were sat, I looked through the menu and noticed all these basic French cuisine that is true to its roots. Nothing of those pretentious, self-​claimed upscale, fancy schmancy bullcrap. Also, it is all within the sensible price. (Seriously, I always wonder why French food is so expensive when it’s all butter butter butter?) One of my friend was hungry so we ordered some food to eat and it tastes great! And all our other desserts were spot-​on as well.
As for the place, it’s a bit tiny. Chairs and tables were all mushed together. I had to suck in my stuffed and bulging beer belly to fit between the chairs. Thank goodness everyone else was friendly. At least nobody seemed to mind when my butt grazed a couple of shoulders. Tee-​hee!

Brick ceiling. I have never seen that before.
Really nice, uncrowded, intimate space. Cool perforated benches.
Very interesting food. Amazing french fries with some sort of barley-​infused secret sauce.
The chocolate explosion dessert thing was amazing. And the wine wasn’t half bad.
Best part about the place was the super-​friendly, funny waiter.
Will definitely go back.

What a great find! :)
THE SHORT — — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - -
* Quaint French bistro on a quiet street (sans hustle & bustle of typical nyc surroundings)? CHECK
* Food is flavorful and well-​prepared (thought out and balanced dishes)? CHECK
* Ample wine & spirits to choose from? CHECK
* Pumping GREAT music? CHECK
* Attentive (yet laid back) and completely chill wait staff? CHECK++++
THE LONG — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — -
My friend and I were trapped at a nearby café with horrendous service (to preserve its integrity, café will remain anonymous– for now). So out we went for our escape and found ourselves hungry and in the mood for French. Literally around the corner was Resto Leon to our rescue!
Food and ambiance++ Small space, but cozy & intimate. Atmosphere is very European– you’d swear you were no longer in NYC and have been transported to a corner bistro in Paris. We didn’t sample the appetizers since we were starving and both had the Duck with potatoes au gratin and sliced poached pear. Duck was tender, well-​seasoned, and seared to crispness. Potatoes and poached pear along with the pomegranate sauce were a good complement. The flavors that danced at my tongue were further enhanced by the bottle of red we shared. Good food, wine, and conversation=one happy diner :)
Service++ I cannot say enough for the service. Our waitress was very attentive. The rest of the staff had a great vibe about them, full of energy and were enjoying the evening as much as we were (this is what really differentiates Leon from all the other NYC bistros and what garners the elusive 5^th star ;)). To top it off, bartender was conversant, friendly, and even gave us champagne on the house :)
THE VERDICT — — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - -
I think I’ve found the perfect little neighborhood bistro I’ve been searching for :)
WELL…ALMOST PERFECT! (MUST READ)
I think it cruel to end this entry w/​out one important disclaimer. Resto Leon is CASH OR AMEX-​ONLY. For many of us who can’t see this disclaimer (since you will most likely be dining by candlelight ;)), save yourself the trip to the ATM around the corner and come prepared! Your patience & date will thank you for it ;)
Bonus: check them out on MySpace —