Bistro Citron

From the website:
Bistro Citron is now closed.
Thank you for years of patronage, Bistro Citron is closed. Please visit our sister location La P’tite Framboise in Port Washington for great traditional French cuisine!
Thank you for years of patronage, Bistro Citron is closed. Please visit our sister location La P’tite Framboise in Port Washington for great traditional French cuisine!
Coming soon to the location formerly housing Bistro Citron: Salumeria Pomodoro Italian Restaurant!

We went to the restaurant on Friday evening hoping to enjoy Bouillabaisse which is supposedly served on Fridays evenings. We called ahead and were assured that it was on the special daily menu.
When we go to the restaurant, we were told that they had discontinued the traditional daily French specials several weeks earlier. We chose other items from the menu which were OK but we had been looking forward to Bouillabaisse. The ambience and service are OK. We sat outside but the view of the lake is nothing spectacular. The deck area is very small and needs to be updated.
I would not return to this restaurant. There are many other choices on LI and I don’t appreciated being lied to when making reservations.

I had been to Citron before and liked it very much. I have to say I was a bit disappointed last night. I had friends from out of town and wanted to show them a good time. I don’t know if management changed, but there were mistakes on top of the other. It started when i got a vodka instead of whiskey. Then my friends medium well cheese burger was rare. Upon sending it back she received it back without the cheese. We sent it back again, and they took forever to bring it, leaving her with nothing while the rest of us ate. By the time her food came we were done. We ordered coffee and the server was not back yet to take our dessert order. The manager came to take our order and we decided on Crêpe Suzettes, we were deciding if we should get something else, when the manager grabbed the menus and abruptly said «ok crepes suzettes» and left. Clearly he didn’t do it to be purposely rude, but he was in a hurry, and thus he sounded rude. We watched a table of ladies arguing with him about their bill, and another table got the wrong check. THe manager kept rolling his eye, huffing, hurrying. It was not that busy to warrant his exasperation. My friends later thanked me for their night out, and the text they sent me started with «despite all the hiccups at the restaurant…». That’s a shame.

Love the pâté at this incredible French restaurant in the heart of historic Roslyn on old northern blvd. The mussels are my favorite. The servings are big and the view of the lake is beautiful. Highly recommended on nights when there is live music as well :-)

Overpriced, sub-​par food
I live in Roslyn and have been going here on and off for quite a few years with family for events. Every time I go I find myself fairly disappointed with the entire dining experience. Recently I went and was so dumbfounded by poor accommodations (no gluten free no sugar free) and poor management that I’ve resolved never to go again. There was an issue with the food, that when I spoke to management, I was received with a very sarcastic response. On top of this, when I received my food it wasn’t particularly good at all! Very average for an inflated price! To be fair the dinner accommodations are far better than those at brunch. At any rate, if you’re really looking for good authentic French food on the north shore go to chez Noël in Port Washington. Also very good is sage bistro in Bellmore, on the south shore.

My husband and I have dined here a few times because we think their Bouillabaisse is the best of any place we know. We have also tried their mussels and their steak frites. All very good.
As for the ambience, the restaurant is located in a very pretty, quiet area of Roslyn, on old northern boulevard (but parking can be a problem on weekends). The restaurant’s atmosphere is very pleasant, with high ceilings that give it an airy, open feel, plus tall glass windows at the back of the dining room, which offer views of a pretty lake.
The service has always been pleasant, although at times when it is busy you might have to wait for someone to come check on your table. But all in all, the experience has generally been a good one. I would also say this place is not for frequent, casual dining, as it can seem a bit pricey if you come with your partner for a full dinner (i.e., appetizers, wine, entrée & dessert for two can be +$ 160.00 if you give the typical 25% tip for good service *which we find they usually deserve*), but their food is very good, still as good as it was the first time we were there and the atmosphere is very pleasant, so we plan to visit again in the near future, because we find that we always enjoy our time here.

We used to come very often years ago. Came back for Sunday Brunch and the food and service is great as always.

Used to live around the block from this bistro and was one of my favorite places to go. The Muscles are awesome, make sure you save some bread to dip when your done with the muscles. Other food was always great and at times they had live music, which was great. I’ve heard the brunch is great, but we never went.

I went in for brunch on my very first visit to Bistro Citron. The food was decent but plentiful for brunch, so I decided to give it another shot and go for dinner. What a mistake! I took my family there for my cousin’s birthday, and while the food was meh, the service was horrible. Our waitress was not only inattentive, but had outwardly ignored us on multiple occasions.
The first red flag should have been when we complained about the house sangria. (First off, it was our fault for ordering sangria at a French restaurant…) I had arrived early and had a glass of sangria at the bar. The bartender made it well and had put only a splash of soda it it before giving me my class. So, when we sat down, we decided to order a pitcher. Our pitcher was very watered down and we notified our waitress about this issue. Her response was «what do you want me to do?». Why in the world should we, the patrons, give you a plan of action? You, being the waitress, should immediately offer to change it for us or something… Unreal! Then, the night proceeded with our food being brought out by the bus and etc. She literally came over ONCE after we got our entrees, about 20 minutes after our plates were set on the table, to ask if our food was o.kay. What’s the point of asking 20 minutes into my meal? She might as well waited until the end of dinner.
Now, I’m no small tipper. I was raised by a restaurant man and learned to leave at least 18−23% tips, but that also means that I should get service that’s worth that kind of tip. We had a party of 6, which forced us to give her a 20% tip. It upset me because for sure, that was not a 20% tip kind of service. Even my boyfriend, who is always the last person to complain about anything, couldn’t keep his mouth shut. Upon our leaving, he went up to the manager to just let him know how unhappy we were about our waitress tonight, and his whole demeanor was more like «O.kay, thanks for letting me know, now get the hell out». At the very least, I expected a stream of apologies, followed by «Please give us another try next time». Nothing!
I’ve had better service (and food) in Paris, and Parisians are known to be rude.
We should have known that Bistro Citron was a poor bet once we opened the menu. What kind of french restaurant serves Paella and Sangria? Needless to say, I will not be returning!

Not a fan. Had the steak au poivre ($ 34) which was so peppery it was barely edible. First glass of wine I ordered had lip stick stains all over it. The advertisements mentioned that as part of Oktoberfest there menu would consist of a selection of German appetizers & entrees but they only had one entrée on the menu. When I asked why they still advertise that they have all of the German selections I got a blank stare. Also checked my credit card statement and realized that I was mistakenly charged an additional $ 10 after comparing it to my copy of the bill. Overall not a great experience for me. Thanks!

i went to lunch with a friend. we got there before noon, when they open for lunch. they graciously seated us, brought us water, coffee and bread. took our order a few minutes early. we had the price fix lunch. the salad was great, the dressing, with a hint of citrus was perfect. we then shared the spagetti carbonara & the grilled chicken. both were excellent, good size portions, not to much or to little and tasted great. dessert was equally yummy, i had the proliferates, my friend had the cheese cake. the waitress was so personable, smiling and assisting us as needed. my friend has a medical problem and drops things… the staff was great with clean up and replacing the silverware when she dropped them.
we will definitely go back for lunch, and she wants to take her husband there for dinner!

Nice French bistro with friendly service and good food. My girlfriends and I came here on a Sunday evening for dinner and I was quite surprised how crowded it was for a cold Sunday night. I can see why though. The space is very French and spacious yet warm and cozy. We ordered a number of items to share and it was all quite good. That gave us warm bread, butter and liver spread to start and it was delicious. We are all fans of liver when it is done right and we ate this all up. For appetizers, we shared the tuna tartare and the moules marinieres and both were lovely. The tuna was seasoned perfectly with an asian flavor and the sauce for the moules was delicious! I wish I could just eat it with a spoon like a soup it was that good. For our entrees, we shared the gratin de homard and the NY strip steak. The gratin was delicious. We were expecting a lobster mac and cheese dish, but it wasn’t that. For me it was better actually. Not overly cheesy and more like a creamy tomato lobster macaroni dish that was executed and seasoned perfectly. I would definitely recommend this. The steak and fries were great as well and cooked as per our request. The roquefort sauce I got on the side was good, but a bit too thick so I would probably pass on this next time. Finally for dessert we shared the crème brûlée and it was a nice end to our delicious meal. I highly recommend if you are in the area for a very good French meal.

PARISIAN STYLE DINING AT ITS BEST
This charming french restaurant is beautifully decorated and appointed, and has consistently served fine french food. At the invitation of Steve Sohmer, the new GM of the Bistro, we visted the restaurant and were absolutely delighted with the new energy and excitement at Bistro Citron… The personality of this fine restaurant has changed dramatically. Citron is Warm, gracious and welcoming a direct reflection Steve’s personality
The dining room at Bistro Citron is stunning and elegant with tiled floors, beautiful lighting, and a magnificent stained glass ceiling. The exciting gourmet french food prepared by executive chef Alex Petard is authentic and exquisite.
We began our meal with a selection of small plate appetizers:
–A zesty and delicious Salade de Caesar
–Coeurs d’artichauts– crispy artichokes, parsley, capers, with a yogurt sauce
–Demi portion of beautifully prepared moules chorizo– mussels with spanish chorizo and pepper tomato.
An Amazing French Onion Soup (soup a l’oignon) with a thick layer of gruyère cheese gratin atop the bowl.
We then moved on to two outstanding Entrees:
A perfectly prepared and plated Steak Au Poivre– Pepper seared NY Strip Steak, french beans, potato gratin, peppercorn. Steak made to order with a pepper sauce that provided a delicious kick.
Carre D’Agneau– Roasted rack of lamb, carrots, purple potato, cipollini oinon, picholine olives, dry cherries, almonds, in a pomegrante sauce. Rare, and seared to perfection.
We also had a side dish of Pomme Frites– A fabulous portion of delicious thin sliced french fries, crispy and lightly salted
It was now time to sample an assortment of house made desserts
caramelized apples, dry cranberry’s, oatmeal crumble, and vanilla gelato
A chocolate lovers assortment of chocolate pastry
Bistro Citron has retained it elegance and fine french food, while adding a charming and welcoming warmth. It all made for a delightful and romantic evening at a beautiful venue
Kudos to new GM Steve Sohmer, and Executive Chef Alex Petard
Bistro Citron 1362 Old Northern Boulevard, Roslyn, New York. 11 576 tel: 516−403−4400

Paulette W
Twenty of us dined at Bistro Citron for lunch on Saturday afternoon. The food was delicious and prepared according to our wishes since there were several gluten-​free diners. Portions were most generous in size. Wait staff was most attentive and no one felt rushed. I highly recommend the Bistro as a go to place with a lovely setting on the pond.

Had dinner here for my sisters birthday. Truly a great experience. The food was delicious and the staff was helpful and attentive. Will definitely be back.

Tres magnificent. This is a charming, bistro. Whether you decide on lunch or dinner you will fall in love with the atmosphere and surroundings which happen to be situated overlooking a pond. The mussels which are enough for two but happen to be so delicious you might not want to share, are served in a copper pot fragranced with your choice of a saffron sauce, chorizo tomatoe and white wine, anise cream or tomatoe, garlic and basil sauce, the choice is yours. The trout reminds me of when my father would bring home his fresh catch from fishing and we would eat it, simply great. The desserts are quite delectable. The lemon tart I favor most. The waiters are attentive but don’t crowd you. A must if you like French food.

Three of us went to Bistro Citron for brunch on Sunday afternoon. The prices were very reasonable ($ 19) and the portions were large. I had pancakes and my friends had a hamburger and the salmon omelette, and everthing was delicious. The wait staff was reasonably attentive and they allowed us to linger over our food, so there’s a definite Parisianne vibe to the place. I highly recommend this place for those who happen to find themselves in Nassau County.

Authentic French restaurant in a nice little village.

I frequent many North Shore restaurants and frequently order salmon over greens. They could not comply and served me a pint sized salmon skin side up? on a bed of oily spinach. Their price is of the highest in the area for salmon and by far the smallest. I won’t be returning anytime soon.
I received this note — great customer service HUH !!!
Hi Rhonda, Alexandra L. sent you a message on Unilocal:
Subject: Bistro Citron
«We don’t serve half pounds of salmon for lunch. It’s called a „lunch sized portion.“ If the spinach was oily, you should have sent it back. Can’t wait to never see you there again!»

Went last Saturday night. Great restaurant.
Good drinks and really reminded me of eating in Paris.
The nice, the marble table tops, the great service and the delicious food.
Made for a really enjoyable dining experience.