Le Figaro Cafe
Category: Restaurants [Edit]
Neighborhood: Manhattan/Greenwich Village186 Bleecker St
(between Mac Dougal St & Sullivan St)
New York, NY 10012 (212) 677-1100
- Nearest Transit:
W 4th St (A, C, E, B, D, F, V)
Houston St (1)
9th Street (PATH)
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
25 Reviews for Le Figaro Cafe
omg definitely agree that this was a tourist trap... and me living here for 2 years now fell into it! i was tired and it looked crowded and nice outdoor seating so why not...
so we sat down... and server was just bad from the beginning. didn't know what i was asking, gave me ranch sauce instead of tarter sauce, gave us incomplete utensil sets,
the beef stew was good... but my tuna sandwich was dry and missing tarter sauce! the sweet potato fries were the best part of the meal as they were fried perfectly.
otherwise wow not coming back here...
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so i've been writing a lot of positive reviews and i purposely sought out Figaro to write one to show I don't love every place I go. This place is actually on the same block as me and all i can say is TOURIST TRAP. it disgusts me in its treatment of foreigners as well. I twice saw waiters tell the guests that they had mandatory 20% tipping. The food is so-so nothing special at high prices. the drinks aren't even well made if you decide to come enjoy brunch. the only redeeming aspect of it is that they have outdoor seating on the sidewalk so you can people watch. but then all you're really watching is other tourists.
UPDATE: as of June 2, this place is officially shut down.
Not bad, but not really good either. We stumbled on Le Figaro because it was down the street from my friend's apartment, and after taking the red eye from CA, we were ready for some food, and this was the first restaurant we encountered...looking back, I wish we went to the place across the street, it looked really cute.
Anyway, food is meh, service was meh, the ambiance was meh...really exciting meal, right? I was kind of mad because they put onions in a wrap when the description of the entree didn't mention onions at all.
Le Figaro did remind me of a bistro I went to in Paris though...
I really should know by now not to try new places in the Village without looking at Yelp first. I would have saved myself some heartache.
My friends and I were in search of brunch food on a Sunday and, as one remarked, you can't swing a dead cat on Bleecker Street without hitting a brunch place. So that's where we went. Le Figaro had what seemed to be decent prices and as soon as we even dared to pause at the menu outside a guy burst from the door encouraging us to come in for the lovely brunch. I've been a New Yorker for quite some time, yet I have still not learned to avoid any place where the proprietor has to hustle people in from the street.
The ambiance is okay, the space not too crowded, but dear Hera in heaven, the service and the food are crap. Though our waitress was happy to show up a few minutes after we sat down, when she took our order she disappeared for quite some time. 30 minutes from when we got our drinks to getting some actual food. And my poor friend, who had only ordered sweet potato fries and coffee, had to wait 25 minutes to get some milk to go with the coffee and 30 minutes to hear that they were out of the fries. Two of us ordered the Eggs Benedict and were presented with eggs over easy on English muffins drowning in hollandaise sauce. And tepid "home fries" which were, actually, just diced potatoes. For those of you that don't know the difference, I feel deep sorrow and regret.
Anyway, our food wasn't that great, it took too long to arrive, and we paid $15 for the pleasure. Our waitress wasn't great either, and we all left unsatisfied. Avoid Le Figaro if you can. I'm sure Lunch and Dinner aren't much better.
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As a tourist to New York I though this place was great - picturesque of the Bohemian life that awaits me in the Big Apple.
As a New Yorker this a bullshit tourist trap with overpriced unexeciting options full of obnoxious Tourists.
Overall the place is nice and a great place to dump tourist
The food wasn't bad - I had the burger and fries - the bun had a million sesame seeds and wasn't completely fresh - the staff was friendly, but we were the only people in there for lunch and got stared at the whole time
the 3rd star was for the bartender hooking us up
the belly dancers seem interesting
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I used to go to Le Figaro quite often when I was in college. One time I took my roommate here for his birthday so he could see the bellydancers. Most of the time, however, my fellow art students and I would just sit near the tall front windows for hours and have "deep", "intellectual" conversations. Sometimes we'd order dessert, sometimes we'd get a light snack such as quiche. Most of the time we just ordered coffee or tea. A favorite of mine was the cafe figaro itself, which has a delightful cinnamon flavor. It didn't really matter what we ordered, though, because we were there for the ambiance and the feeling that we were channeling countless other New York artists before us who had used Greenwich Village as their muse.
When I moved out of New York I missed Le Figaro quite a bit, and didn't return there until after I'd been gone for five years. They had changed the decor a bit: it wasn't as cozy. The cafe figaro was still on the menu but it didn't seem to taste as good. Having spent most of those five years as a waitress (I said art school, remember?) I was suddenly ubercritical of the mediocre service. On my next visit to New York after THAT I didn't even bother to stop by Le Figaro. And actually, it's kind of nice to simply remember it for what it used to mean to me instead of trying to get it to mean the same thing again.
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HELP WANTED
Creature of habit seeks creative stimulation out of his comfort zone but often settles for the familiar. Loves Eggs Benedict served in bed. Slackers need not apply.
I always seem to end up here when I'm in the Village, and I'm not sure why. Perhaps it's the inviting outdoor seating on a warm summer evening ...or the inevitable people watching from my little table for two ...or the belly dancing show on Sunday nights. I don't know, but here I am again, a creature of habit.
This time I came for Sunday brunch. And yes, for the $8.50 Eggs Benedict, which were perfectly decent though not served in bed (see my picture in the gallery). They came with a side salad of no consequence and the cafe's trademark Idaho french fries...even though I would have preferred home fries or better yet, hashed browns. A very peachy Bellini helped me drown my disappointment, but I have to tell you the meal overall was just a few miles north of mediocre.
A window seat allowed me to view the passersby. What became noticeable is how it's really just the tourists who are attracted to Le Figaro...certainly not the locals...unless they are the sluggo regulars at the bar screaming about the Yankees versus the Mets. I believe they too are creatures of habit and proof positive that consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds. Unfortunately, I believe that makes me a pea brain.
FOOD - 3 stars....north of mediocre, left of avoidable and a freeway exit away from indigestion
AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...an old-style place...stellar people-watching in the heart of the Village
SERVICE - 3 stars...passable
TOTAL - 3 stars...take a load off and stop for coffee or a belly dance...but a satisfying meal is best had elsewhere
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Been here numerous times. But we never come here for the food, we come for the coffee and a table outside. There we sit for 3 hours, minimum, and just people watch. Oh and gossip as well. But if you do need to eat, the cheeseburger wasn't too bad. They did have burgers, didn't they? There aren't any other Figaro Cafes around?
the main point: people watching at le figaro cafe gets two thumbs up.
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after waiting a long time (without getting even menus or water) my friend and i sauntered across the street to figaros. we were seated promptly and our waiter was super nice. the tiramisu was delish and the wine that the server recommended went perfectly.
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It's been a while since I've been to this cafe, but I remember the last time I was there, I had a burger and fries. Stopped in to get outta the cold one winter as I accompanied my then-boyfriend on his rounds to all the music stores in the Village. The burger and fries were my bribe to stop complaining about the cold. The food was decent, but I thought the prices were a little outrageous for what you get. Sure, I understand that the prices are about even with many of the other surrounding cafes and restaurants, but my burger wasn't THAT great. I'd get one about 10 times better from my local Johnny Rockets for 1/2 the price.
Good coffee though....and fun atmosphere. I just wouldn't go there again for a full out meal. Desert is ok. =)
The main entrees have never been terrific at Figaro. Instead, treat this as your after dinner place, a place to sit back with some coffee and dessert and people watch (whether they are people walking outside or those inside). This place is all about being on a Village corner.
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This place caught my friend's attention and I after watching A Clockwork Orange from the chelsea pier. We wanted a good place to sit and relax a bit, and while this place offered that, the service was poor. The food was nothing special, very mediocre but if you enjoy people watching then this place may be for you.
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This was a great place to hang out late--especially after escaping the crowded confines of the Dove. The calamari was greasy and not so good, but the service was attentive without ever rushing us. So we were able to sit by the windows and watch all the craziness that is the Village on a weekend night (in fact we actually had some of the craziness come inside and try and draw us out into it!).
I'd definitely come back here for a few drinks to wind down the evening--this place is huge and roomy, which again, is a great break from the packed in bars nearby.
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Its a prime location wasted on a very mediocre establishment. For some reason I remember this being a much better place about 5 or 10 years ago. The past few times the service has been terrible, almost as if its a hastle for them to deal with you. The food is mediocre and a bit more expensive than other area diners. Plus, I'm not a big fan of the diner type place trying to be a night club/bar type place with the entertainment. Make up your mind and go with it.
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Hands down, some of the worst service I've ever experienced. It was rather bad when I was first there several months ago, but the food was good, so I decided to give it another try. A mistake, to be sure: We sat there for nearly half an hour without even our drink order being taken. Even after the host checked in with us and established that no one had come, we waited. Dissatisfaction ran high among the tables around us as well. Finally, the wait staff paid some attention to us -- when we got up to leave. Other customers, by the by, cheered as we explained why we were leaving. It's a shame, because the food here is indeed good -- I just wish luck to whoever tries to get it.
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This used to be a pretty good place to grab a late-night dinner or drinks, especially if the weather was nice enough to sit outside.
Now, however, the dirty, sticky menus showcase basic diner fare--but unlike diner food, the fries and burgers aren't even decent. The last time I went there, my mozzarella and tomato salad was okay, despite the tomatoes being orangey and sad-looking, but the banana daiquiri I had, for some reason, ordered was really odd-tasting, and I didn't drink it. There are three other restaurants on the corner of Bleecker and MacDougal--you'd do better to patronize any ot those instead.
Oh, and the service sucks, too.
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Easily one of the best spots for people watching. I have a fond memory of this place, sitting with 3 friends on a sidewalk table under the overhang, watching the rain splatter on a grey New York with its colorful people.
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Bleecker & MacDougal is a tiresomely touristic venue, tho there may be good places there. People-watching is limited to pierced, leather-clad kids (ho hum), nabe regulars, and tourists.
Surely there's a more interesting place in Manhattan?
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This place kind of weirds me out and I don't know why. At the same time, it is inviting and cozy but gives a creepy isolated vibe that makes you feel like maybe you will be trapped in there forever, like a living girl inside a doll house. UM---- kind of crappy food, attentive service from my space cadet yet friendly waitress.
This was my spot freshman year of college, but looking back I can't figure out why. Overpriced mediocre food, dessert and coffee, and service that's good only once a month or so, just doesn't cut it for me anymore. But we did built a lot of happy memories here, and it's conveniently located for people who hang out in the area, it's open late, and the seating works for groups of any size. Believe me, though--there are tons of better eats all within a 3-block radius.
after i ran away from caffe del mare (see my review i wrote on that poop palace for the reason why one should run away) screaming for someone to feed me - i found myself across the street at this fine location. at this point of my morning - i was just dying to eat anything and had a very short amount of time. i ordered the eggs benedict and a bloody mary. the bloody was passable - not the best - not the worst - but packed a punch so it made me happy. the eggs benedict - nothing to write home to mom about but pretty average and edible nonetheless. i was concerned that they were unable to do any substitutions for egg whites or french fries - god help you if you want to go just a little on the healthier side. in all - it was average and not very memorable. the staff was at least present and seemed to care on serving you. doubt i'll ever go back - definitely wouldn't recommend it - but in a pinch - i guess it'll do.
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A Greenwich Village landmark, known for its fine menu of American staples, homemade pastries, and an excellent selection of coffees. Grab a table outside to watch the passing parade, although in this era of anything goes, few of the passersby are as startling a sight as you saw in the Sixties. There's a full bar, and eclectic entertainment ranging from karaoke nights to belly dancing.
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i love a good club sandwich and tend to get them if they're on the menu. this one, unfortunately was not one of the best i tend to prefer the three-piece-of-bread kind to this style. the service was mediocre to say the least.
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OK place to sit at a table outside and watch the world go by while having a cup of coffee. But other than that, the service is crap and the food is mediocre at best.
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