Le Bernardin, New York

Reviewer: Foodnut.com Le Bernardin 155 W 51st St New York, NY 10019 212-554-1515 Le Bernardin Website

Why did we dine here? – Eating Cheaply at NYC’s #1 Restaurant. We did the same at Eleven Madison Park. Le Bernardin is a famous 3 Michelin star restaurant in New York City. Ranked #17 in 2017 on the Top 50 in the world list. It has been on the top of our must visit list for a while. Star chef Eric Ripert has been featured on Anthony Bourdain’s show several times. He seems to really know how to cook.

Want to save money and not make reservations? With no reservations, we dined in the lounge as did many other people. You can order from the short lounge menu or order one of the tasting menus. Make sure you peruse the lounge menu before you go.

The tasting menus start at over $200, which is a pretty typical for a 3* restaurant. You do not get the full experience but it comes close. Also you do not have to wear a jacket and tie. Service lags only a little in the lounge area.  Our last visit was in Summer 2025

Insider Tip – Lounge requires no reservations.

Cuisine – French
Location – New York City Midtown West
Opened – 2005

Service – Le Bernardin had very good service in the lounge. It might be slightly less good as the main dining room, but by not much. The waiters know their stuff but they do not patrol this area as much.
Verdict – Le Bernardin serves up top notch food. A must visit for foodies in New York City. Eat at the lounge to save money.

Is this restaurant worth a 5 minute drive? Yes. 30 minute? Yes. 1 Hour? Yes.

Le Bernardin Signature Dishes – Tuna and Foie, Salmon Rillette

Le Bernardin’s Menu has a short menu along with full dessert menu in the Lounge. You can also order the tasting menu in the Lounge

Website Le Bernardin Menu

Food Review

Hibiscus Ginger Non-Alcoholic Cocktail ($16) and Garden Cooler ($16) were both great on such a hot Summer day.

Lunch Prix Fixe ($135.for 3 courses) – You can also select off the Vegetarian menu

Complimentary Canapes help make this 3 course lunch more like 4 course.  3 Nicely done small bites

Poached Lobster; Glazed Salsifis, White Balsamic-Tarragon “Béarnaise” had an amazing sized portion of tender lobster. Very well done. Having some bread helped balance things out. 9.5/10

Warm Artichoke; Petite Mâche Salad, Black Truffle Vinaigrette is a beautiful dish with thinly sliced artichoke with a sauce poured tableside. Vegetarian must. 10/10

Sautéed Rack of Lamb; Stuffed Baby Romaine, Sauce Périgord has cooked medium rare and pre-cut into nice thin slices. It also includes one bone in slice. 10/10

Wild Mushroom Tagliatelle; Black Truffle Sauce with gluten free pasta hit the spot. Very rich flavor and pasta cooked al dente. 9.5/10

Harry’s Berries Strawberries, Tahitian Vanilla Chantilly was a beautiful dessert that tasted even better. 10/10

Sorbet: Mango, Thai Basil, Strawberry, Wild Blueberry was perfect for hot NYC summer days. 10/10

2017 Le Bernardin Review

Le Bernardin Food Picks:
Mojito ($19) was full of chopped ice and came very strong. Expensive but you get a potent cocktail. I’m sure they take other drinks as seriously.

Awesome bread selection, although they buy it from a bakery and don’t bake..!

Oysters East Coast and West Coast Varieties ($5.00/ea) were very fresh. Came with mignonette, cocktail sauce, and lemon.

“Le Bernardin” Salmon Rillette with Toast ($24) is a signature dish and must get. Fish is definitely the thing to order here. Actually this comes with a big portion of the creamy but like salmon mix, we had to ask for more toast.

Asian Tuna Tartare; Belgian Endive ($24) had high quality tuna all diced up. High quality, more complex than just a mound of ahi tuna, and lots of fun.

Sea Food Causa ($26) Lobster, Crab, Shrimp; Ajiamarillo Pepper, Avocado, Lime ($26) is a Peruvian dish. Very strong broth with a kick and big chunks of lobster.

Lobster Cappuccino; Celeriac Soup, Lobster Foam, Perigord Truffle ($17) was a small delicate soup. Robust lobster flavor with a truffle slice floating on stop.

Apricot Dessert ($22) Apricot Confit, Macerated Raspberries, Almond Cake was recommended by the waiter. It came to us looking like a real apricot. Nice salty almonds! Rich, creamy, and fruity, this dessert was great.

Sorbet ($22) Selection of Four: Blackberry-Lime, White Peach-Verbena, Citrus-Coconut, Clementine are all home made and tasted great. Really liked the coconut and BlackBerry-Lime

OK: (Order if you like this dish)
None

Pans: (We would not reorder these dishes)
None

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