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Saint Germain
Rating Details »
- Nearest Transit:
-
86th St (R)
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Brunch
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
16 reviews for Saint Germain
Hmm, French cuisine in Bay Ridge? Yes, I was incredulous too. Much to my surprise, Saint Germain is a wonderful choice. I wanted to try it for a while, and this place seemed a mystery to me as they have no website and I had to go off of Yelp reviews to decide whether I really wanted to go. Lo and behold, most of the reviews here were about their brunch, but we went for dinner.
When I walked in on a recent Thursday night, the waiter was literally standing there twiddling his thumbs. This put me ill-at-ease, since I figured that couldn't be a good reflection on the quality of this place as all of Bay Ridge's other tried-and-true favorites would always be crowded at a time like this. Anyway, we went ahead and ordered, and didn't regret it.
The menu consists of a moderately wide selection of what I like to call "homestyle" French dishes. That is, old favorites like steak frites, duck breast, chicken in mushroom sauce, etc. I started with their goat cheese and mesculin salad, and had the duck breast as my main dish, which was very good and served with an unusual berry compote which was a nice accompaniment, but did overwhelm the duck a bit. Others I was with had escargot (which was very good), and many good things were also said about the French onion soup.
They even have an impressive selection of pastries to choose from for dessert, and those were great too. My only bone to pick with this restaurant is its somewhat unimpressive wine menu. First of all, they were out of Côtes du Rhône which I found appalling as that is the most basic and elementary of all French wines to have with dinner, and their other selections were on the weak side, but at least well-priced.
Most interesting of all, however, was that by the time we left, the place was packed and it became clear that it's a well-liked establishment in the neighborhood. If you're in the Bay Ridge area and want something beside your usual Italian fare, this makes an excellent choice.
I was invited here by a friend who lived in Brooklyn. She swears by this as this is her favorite brunch place. The line was a bit long, so definitely make reservations!
We ordered the pre-fix brunch menu:
1) Eggs Copenhagen - smoked salmon and hollandaise sauce
2) Eggs Florentine - sauteed spinach and hollandaise sauce
Also ordered a fruit tart, and another dessert that was from their dessert showcase.
Their lemonade is also really good!
The pre-fix menu was about $20 per person, if I remember correctly.
I really wanted to give it 3 stars because the service was questionable and the prix-fix brunch (entree, dessert, hot drink, cold drink) at 16.95 I consider expensive. But i will give it 4 stars because in the end, this is about the food and the food was goooood. And I get to yelp about the service.
There's the well known service industry phrase, "the customer is always right" ... and in this case i happen be the customer... and i can tell mushroom from ham even when it is surrounded by egg, so really, don't make me call you back more than once to tell you that what i was served was not what i ordered. Thank you very much.
In the end, the resolution was satisfactory and we stuffed ourselves on:
1. Eggs Benedict - hollandaise sauce was very light and creamy
2. Asparagus and swiss quiche
3. A bowl of mussels in shallot butter sauce
4. A mango mousse pastry
5. and walked out with a tin of their bread pudding.
I would definitely love to try more of their desserts. The bread pudding was ok. The top was a bit dry and I would have enjoyed it more if there was more to enjoy.
Definitely go with the lemonade, the OJ was tropicana.
Been here a dozen and a half times or so, so I guess that makes me a pretty big fan. Hands down, one of the top couple restaurants in Bay Ridge. Sunday brunch is their busy time, so prepare to relax, have good conversation and not worry about their slow and spotty service. It doesn't really seem to matter if they have 0 wait staff (and the food is being run out by the kitchen staff), or if they have 3. It always seems to be a bit disorganized in the FOH. However, the atmosphere is very pleasant, very French, and perfectly comfortable.
The food has gotten a bit more expensive over the years, but it is still fairly priced (you get 1 entree, 1 desert, coffee, and lemonade or juice for $18). I'm pretty much an eggs benedict whore, and they serve about the best in the city (served on wonderfully fresh and soft challah bread with an excellent hollandaise sauce and a side of roasted potatoes of course). Their deserts are quite good and they have an extensive variety of them. Coffee is very good. Lemonade is Lorina which I like. Very busy on Sunday brunch. All other times I have been, it has not been busy. However, the food is always very good. I will continue to come back over and over again. And I can't say that about many places.
I used to bring out-of-town guests here for brunch all the time. The price is amazing and includes your entree, dessert and 2 drinks. Very reasonable. As everyone else has said, the food is amazing. I'm a fan of the eggs benedict and the croque moisseur. My fiance, who is a Very Picky Eater, even enjoyed his meal here.
The dessert case makes choosing one so difficult as they all look gorgeous. I will say though, that most of the desserts look better than they taste. I tend to stick to anything with almonds or the tarts because the cakes tend to be dry.
The service here is excellent and the decor and mood here is very chill.
My brother and I took our parents here for an anniversary brunch and it was fantastic. I had the Eggs Saint Germain (eggs, carmelized onions, spinach, and ham), my mom had the Goat Cheese Omlet (eggs, carmelized onions, spinach, bacon, and goat cheese) and my brother had the Eggs Copenhagen. We then each had a desert and took a bread pudding to go. Every single thing we tried was great especially the Eggs Copenhagen. The deserts were all outstanding as well.
The total rounded out to about $28/per person including tip, a drink each, and a desert each. The service here was exactly what I would expect from a European style brunch, laid back. I can see New Yorkers easily mistaking this for poor service.
This is one of the best brunches I have had in a long time and will definitely be making back there soon.
Have been here only for the brunch but I must say that I really love the place. The Pre-fixe menu is great, my boyfriend has tried the egg ham and hollandaise sauce which i have sampled and enjoyed. I had the french toast, very filling, and so sweet. The desserts are so cute and also very tasty. I usually have to take mine to go. I also like the lemonade. It's like a sparkling lemonade drink, so classy! It is also at a reasonable price.
The ambiance is very relaxing. French all around from the music to the writing on the wall. I think even some of the waitresses spoke French.
I will continue to go back in the future. Maybe next time for dinner.
II have been here at least 6 times. It has a relaxed atmosphere, friendly (albeit sparse, yet effective) staff, appropriate music (no Z100 here) and the food is wonderful and authentic. Dessert is included with the AWESOME Pre-Fixe brunch. I was unable to finish my meal, so I just took it to go.
Also this is a very romantic place to go...
I went here with my boyfriend for brunch last weekend and it was delicious! I had th mushroom and fresh mozzarella crepe and he had the spinach goat cheese smoked bacon and caramelized onion omelet and both were amazing (we shared). We went later on, around 3 pm and it was buzzing but not too busy. The coffee and desserts were excellent too.
I have come here a few times for brunch and lunch. I love the decor (French posters on the walls add to the cozy atmosphere) and the food is great. I've had their spinach quiche, their mushroom quiche, a mushroom and mozzarella crepe, and have tried their eggs Copenhagen and eggs Florentine. Very delicious. While I never have room for dessert, I always try my best to make room just for their chocolate mousse dome. The service is friendly, and I would come here more often if I could afford it.
I can only remark on the brunch, and can say that it is reasonably priced with a decent amount of choices. Go for the price fixe, and the french toast. Its totally overkill, but at the end of your meal you do get to choose from a treat in the glass case in the front. The second time here, and both times the service seems to be short-handed. It's a small place, but be prepared to wait for your food and beverages.
My wife and I went here for brunch and dinner. This place is really good. The first time there was one waitress but she definitely held her own until back up arrived. The second time we went for dinner. My wife had the lobster ravioli and I had the coq au vin both of which I highly recommend for anyone into French country style cuisine. The prices are not bad at all. Enjoy!
*one complaint is they have a glass paned door that slams everytime someone comes in
Came here for brunch on Sunday as a party of 7, including my 2yo son. We ordered six different dishes from the brunch menu and no one complained or praised the food so I'm only basing it on my samplings. I had the Copahagen which is poached eggs on top of salmon on top of bread. Nothing really stands out but the eggs were poached really well. Biggest gripe was the grease in the home fries. My son loved it though. He actually sat still and ate it himself. The missus had the croquette monsieur which was ok.
As for desert, they were a little better than the food but again, nothing that stands out. The tiramisu had no coffee flavor whatsoever and the creme brulee was brulee too long ago and became soggy. The highlight was definitely the fruit tart ($2 extra). The crust was crispy/crumbly yet moist and the sugar in the custard and fruit was just right.
I've eaten here many times. I've tried out other places during restaurant week, but find that this is my neighborhood favorite. Great food at a great price point in a casual atmosphere. Warm almond croissants when they open on weekends, eggs benedict at brunch, and steak and frites for dinner. I love the french onion soup, the mushroom croissant appetizer, seafood crepe, mussels, and so on. Dessert also never disappoints from the chocolate dome to the creme brulee or napolean.
I came here once for brunch, they had one of those price fixe deals as well as a la carte. The french toast was pretty good and I was pleasantly surprised they it included dessert. The pastry was small but delicous. I found that the service here was rather slow when I was here. For some reason the owner was doubling as the waiter, and the service was horribly slow. Maybe since they he's hired someone to help him.
I'm new to the Bay Ridge area and wanted to find a good place for brunch. I had passed by this restaurant and thought it seemed charming inside and I liked the cozy French theme. They have a great brunch special. For $16.95 you get a cold drink (orange juice or lemonade) a hot drink (coffee or tea) an entree and a dessert which you get to choose from their glass display case. There was about 10 to 15 entrees to choose from including omelettes, eggs benedict, crepes, and french toast. I had the spinich and goat cheese crepe which came like a flat crepe with the ingredients on top of it, not folded over like it usually is, and had a side salad with it. I thought the crepe was really greasy and the flavors weren't anything special. My friend had the St. Germain omelette which came wtih home fries and was very good. I had a chocolate dome with mousse inside and my friend had the creme brulee for dessert and both were delicious. Our waitress was good and friendly. I gave it four stars since I didn't love my entree but every else was good so I would go back again since many of the other entrees I saw coming out of the kitchen looked so good and I want to give those a try.
