- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Rest-au-Rant
Rating Details »
Categories: Wine Bars, Tapas Bars, French
Neighborhood: Long Island City30-01 35th Ave
Long Island City, NY 11106
(718) 729-9009
Happy Hour !
Join us Monday - Friday from 4 pm - 7 pm!
Specials include $3 drafts and 1/2 price house wines!
- Nearest Transit:
-
36th Ave (N, W)
- Hours:
Mon-Thu. 4:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Fri-Sat. 4:00 p.m. - 4:00 a.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, Late Night, Dessert
- Music:
- Live
- Best Nights:
- Thu, Fri, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
20 reviews for Rest-au-Rant
This business is a Yelp Sponsor
5/10/2009
1 photo
11/4/2009
10/1/2009
6/7/2009
9/24/2009
9/10/2009
4/21/2009
3/22/2009
12/11/2008
7/6/2008
11/11/2008
8/2/2009
2/25/2008
4/25/2009
10/5/2008
9/2/2008
9/1/2008
9/6/2008
9/24/2008
3/21/2008
One of the Business' Favorite Reviews What's This?
Wow! I will definitely return to this place. It's a hidden gem! The music was great, the bartender was friendly, the crowd was definitely a good mix, The atmosphere was warm & inviting, and the MOJITO was DELICIOUS! I can't wait to return with friends!
how many times in 6 years have i blown right by this little gem? finally went, and was rewarded w/ warm atmosphere, really good food, tasty wine and a welcoming host.
we just shared plates, which went wonderfully w/ the wine, well-recommended by the knowledgeable barkeep/partner. no rush, my companion and i were able to sit and enjoy ourselves.
we needed sustenance and beers, and this place delivered! the cheese plate was huge, the bartender was really cool.
the other patron was a little odd and more than a little creepily friendly, but he did not detract from the goodness of the other stuff. will def'ly go back if'n i'm in the LIC again.
around the corner from my house. this place has really grown on me.
good wines, easy-going vibe, and tasty platters.
Nestled away in an obscure section of Long Island City is the quaint and lovely wine and cheese bar, Rèst Âü Ránt. My boyfriend and I have patronized Rèst Âü Ránt on several occasions and have always enjoyed ourselves. The atmosphere and music (esp. the live music on Thursday evenings) have always been wonderful. The food is delicious: cheese/meat platters, Panini's, salads, pie ala mode. And they're gay-friendly, in a polite way. Meaning, they don't need to fly an obnoxious flag outside their front door. This is Long Island City after all, not Chelsea.
We were also taken with how hospitable and knowledgeable the bartender was. He seems to have honed his craft, which demonstrates he can be accommodating when warranted and also respect the privacy of his clientele. He is a much welcomed breath of fresh air from the Serbian bartender who worked over the summer.
Our only draw back was how my partner and I always seemed to be bitten by mosquito's, a minor seasonal detail. It will in no way keep us from patronizing this neighborhood gem in the future.
Been meaning to check this place out since moving to the neighborhood recently, and my girlfriend and I finally went the other night... We had an amazing time. Great wine selection. Great beer selection. They have a really good international selection of beers, so you'll enjoy that if you're a beer lover, like me. We enjoyed the rustic, open air, candle lit atmosphere... and there was a nice selection of ambient, ethereal, atmospheric music playing on the sound system.
The bartender, Dave, made us feel right at home and couldn't have been friendlier... After telling him that we were new in town, he was so nice about introducing us to some other folks who were seated at the bar, and, after a short while, we felt like we were regulars! We ended up making some new neighborhood friends.
We didn't try any of the food because we'd already eaten, but we definitely will next time. Everything we saw being brought out to other tables looked delicious!
We will definitely be back to Rest-au-Rant!!!
Rest-au-Rant is a hidden euro-cute wine bar in a relatively untraveled stretch of lower Astoria. The interior is dark and wine cellar-ish, but it has plenty of windows and mood lighting where the end result is a cozy feel.
If you come here, make sure to order a cheese plate! They have large and small plates, but a small was more than enough for myself and three other people (and we like to eat). As for the service, our waiter was very friendly and he gave thoughtful answers to our menu questions.
The only reason this place doesn't get five stars is because their wines are on the more expensive side. Not to sound cheap, but one of the reasons I go out in the neighborhood is so I can avoid Manhattan prices!
Am I biased because Rest-au-rant is a 30 second walk from my apt, thus allowing me to "go out" without actually taking more than two dozen steps? Probably. Still, I do adore this strange little cafe/bar.
I wouldn't really suggest rest-au-rant as a dinner destination. They've got a menu that's filled with interesting sounding options, but the portions are sometimes on the small side and the things I've ordered there have varied from great (dips, desserts) to so-so (salads, sandwiches.) I'd suggest going for drinks and ordering food as a compliment.
As for the drinking options: They actually have beer on TAP! Good beer, no less! Oddly, this can be rare in Astoria. However, I usually drink wine when I'm there, because it's the perfect compliment to their YUMMY cheese plates and dips, which I just can't seem to get enough of.
Rest-au-rant is the perfect neighborhood bar when youre craving a laid back, low-key kinda vibe. I also like to wander in on a Saturday afternoon, when the sun is streaming through the windows and the place is all but empty. Their granola and yogurt is a delish mid-afternoon snack. My only complaint --- no drip coffee! I'm forced to order a cafe au lait, which is awesome but I suck it down in two seconds. I want to be able to linger over multiple cups of dark, american coffee.
Rest-au-rant is A-Ok by me!
If you gauge Rest-au-Rant on it's scene, then you'll be thrilled. But if you're in search of a menu that holds its own, you should probably keep walking, and walking, then probably get on a train, and walk some more.
Maybe my expectations were too high after so many folks have raved about the vibe of R-a-R. Frankly, I thought it felt like walking into an old Rax Restaurant (w/ a twist of kraut). If I lived within a few blocks, I'd probably stop by for a snack and a drink, otherwise, I don't think it's worth a regular trek. If you're looking for vibe, Winegasm and Crescent & Vine both would be an improvement.
However, vibe aside, R-a-R gets my approval for surviving off the beaten path.
Dark and small space. Saturday night was packed but we still got a table because people are constantly going in and out. Friends told us to just order wine and cheese. Very laid back crowd, no pretentiousness here.
I realized that I lost my jacket but it was impossible to get a hold of their phone number.
Atmosphere - 4
Rest-Au-Rant is quickly becoming a Lower Astoria Neighborhood hot spot. You find it filled on Friday and Saturday, and sometimes during the week. Things don't really get going on the weekends until about 9/10pm, but they go late and the people inside are usually on the friendly side. You definitely won't find your bridge and tunnel folk in this quaint wine/beer & cheese bar, although some drunken Eastern Europeans may stumble in en masse.
The crowd is usually very mixed, from early to mid 20s all the way up to the 50s. It is easy to walk in, sit down and get right into a conversation with a complete stranger, with whom you might find yourself enjoying a bottle of wine with.
Another plus is that the owner of the bar is very friendly, along with the small staff that helps on the weekend.
Drink - 5
Price - $$
The variety of beer on tap, as well as the fully stocked bar, and not to mention the wine list, really makes this one of the better places to simply just get a drink that you will enjoy.
The Wessbier on tap is great, and at $5 a pop, you're in the company of some cheaper beers in the neighborhood outside of the Irish Pubs. This is not the place for $2 PBRs.
The Wine list is great for the neighborhood, the only other place that I have seen with comparable wines is Locale, but Locale is way over priced for what it is, including the wine list, so that makes this the place to get a bottle of wine and share with some friends.
I have seen some good cocktails being made, but haven't tried one yet due to the variety of beer & wine.
Food - 4.5
Price - $$
Very Euro-centric menu, with cheese plates, pate, charcuterie plates, salads and panini. My favorite out of the bunch is the salami with pepperoni panini, mind you this is not american pepperoni, this is sharp and spicy green peppers which are called pepperonis in europe and are absolutely delicious, try them on a pizza sometime.
Rating - 5 (would have been a 4.5)
It took me a minute to decide if this place deserves 4 stars or 5. I had originally wanted to give it 4.5 stars, but since we can't I ended up having to go with 5 stars based on the fact that I literally live right across the street from it and that the owner is awesome! This sure beats what used to be there.
Rest-au-rant - I caught a glimpse of it and thought the name was clever so we busted a U-turn and walked inside on a rainy day. The inside had a cute rustic feel to it, wood ceiling panels, wood benches and tables and good music (great french songs). Came here on a Friday around 6pm with the intents of having dinner, not much food on the menu so it definitely is for light meals only (salads, Panini's, dessert), the waiter wasn't too accommodating or friendly for that matter. He must've had a bad day, so didn't fault him for the shitty service we received. Ordered cheese platter #2 which was pretty large portion for a "small" but what skeeved me out was the dirty, heavily stained and overused wooden cutting board that it was presented on. I mean really, I understand you're going with the rustic wooden theme you have going on with the whole rest-au-rant but I would've much rather you put it on a clean plate. Cheese platter, 2 beers later $30.00 check we made a U-turn back home, hungry as hell.
This wine and beer bar recently opened up sometime in the late fall. Rest-au-rant, formerly a Serbian cafe known as Cafe Blue Light, was revamped into this snug, dreamy night spot. It's part lounge-y, part wine bar, and jazzy low-light ambiance. It's got the usual after hours makeup: wood decor, square tables and leather seating. There's tea lights and drippy, dreamy music.
From the reviews I've written here, many folks can gather that I'm a wine and cocktails kind of gal. However, Rest-au-rant has some out of this world beer cocktails and well priced ($5). I know there's a few of you who think Stephanie V. would never utter the words "like," "taste," and "beer" in the same sentence. Going back to my roots, the bar also offers wines and beers from all over. Want to try a South African wine and then a New Zealand beer? You betcha.
I know what you're thinking; it's called "Rest-au-rant," and you're thinking, where's the food? Fear not, babies, there's a nice spread, sandwich and tapas menu. It all looks very delicious (from what I've seen), but I've yet to sample the carte du jour. Also, my babies, as of March 1st, Rest-au-rant will be serving a lunch and brunch menu. I predict many night caps and lazy Sunday brunches in the near future.
Great beer selection, non-pretentious atmosphere, nice wooden bar with stools and tables to sit at and chat. The mixed drinks are interesting (good selection of martinis, margaritas and nice white sangria) and they have plenty of wine. It's kinda quiet in there, I've been there a few times and each time we were the only people in the bar... so I wonder if this place will tank soon? I sure hope not!
I just wish they had a patio so we could bring our dog!
This place is around the corner from my apartment. I'm not gonna lie. If you're trying to get in my pants and I take you here, you're doing something right. Love it.
A hidden gem! I went here for an early dinner recently. The waitress was sweet and attentive. Salads were delicious and hearty. Beer was plentiful. I will definitely go back here and check it out again for dinner and / or drinks later in the evening. A great little spot to grab a meal or a quick drink.
You know when you pass a place and you think to yourself, "Wow! I may have just found the next coolest undiscovered joint ever!" This proved to be true in only one part of the equation. I'd cycled past Rest-au-Rant about a week ago and, after a nice dinner at Philoxenia, suggested to my friends that we drop by there for a nightcap. While the place is adorable and the wine list impressive f(or Astoria), we were seriously underwhelmed by the ice-cold bartender and the pricey, two-sip pours. I was also shocked to find that there were only four other people in the entire place, and they were obviously friends with the staff. While I might give this place a second chance, it would only be because of its location. If you have to go out of your way for Rest-au-Rant, I'd advise skipping it altogether.
Love the wine here... It's my personal nicer version of Cheers! The bartender is attentive and knowledgeable. I wish I had found it earlier... windows wide open and inviting...
We happened upon Rest-au-rant on a warm late summer's night and were thrilled to find this chilled and tastefully rustic lounge in a pretty non-descript part of Astoria. So, firstly props to Rest-au-rant for taking a chance in its location. Its ambiance, Hotel Costes-style music, great cheese/meat platters and excellent beers and wines (as well as liquor) could place it very comfortably in Chelsea or TriBeCa. Warm, rustic woodtones with open windows and high ceilings with exposed beams remind me of Colombia. The bar itself is in the corner, leaving plenty of room for seating and there is no rushed or loud tone here. A great place for a couple or small group. I have only sampled the beer selection, which is small but well chosen with some IPAs, malts and ambers. My girlfriend always has a martini and finds them delicious. We always have the cheese platters which come with an assortment of cheeses, olives and a delicious salsa. So, be sure to check this place out. We have sampled some of the other local places such as Mundo and CafeBar and find this to be our fave.
A nice spot, tucked away just north of the 31st st. above-ground rail...could be overlooked easily but worth a pop in. It's a pleasant atmosphere, good wine list, good beers, u-shaped wood bar. The only thing about the U is if you're on one side it's awfully tricky to talk to someone on the other side past the beer taps. A friendly small group of neighborhood regulars seems to frequent the place (this was on a Tues, so...); people know each other, and want to or will talk to newbies like me. A great local spot!
