Bistro Citron

Basic French food, nothing creative/​special but it’s good when you just want a simple French meal done right.

I’ve been here before but this visit was so disappointing. The service was terrible. We had to wait for a waiter just to take our drink order for 10 minutes and he finally came after we begged a bus boy to find the waiter. He brought one of the drinks and maybe 5 minutes later the other two. We ordered appetizers and main course at the same time as drinks since we were concerned the waiter wouldn’t come back (the bus boy who delivered one roll each also disappeared so we couldn’t get a «refill). Drink refills took 15 minutes and two reminders before they showed up., The caesar salad was great as were the fries but the mussels were tiny with little taste. If you can’t get good mussels why serve them? Too bad because now I won’t come back

The food was good but basically double the price that it should have been, given the portion sizes and what I was getting. A tiny salad with roasted beets and chevre was $ 14; a cup (not bowl) of french onion soup was $ 10. The food was definitely well made and the service was great. I have nothing but absolute praise for the quality of the food and for the service. But for these prices I would go elsewhere.

Wonderful and extremely friendly staff! Very accommodating and the food was delicious! Thank you for a wonderful experience! We will be back in the near future!

Bistro Shitron. Steak au Clorox — no thanks. How about Rubber Boot avec frites? No, me either. Lovely waitress. All in $ 150 — for just a main course for 2 with wine ($ 58). Won’t return, shame to lose a local place.

The UWS is not a place for gourmet, Michelin-​starred, fine dining; rather, it’s a true ‘hood and its restaurants veer toward the comfort, homey, family-​style vibe. Bistro Citron is a good example, as I can see it being the perfect place for an exhausted pair of new parents to have a much sought-​after romantic date night/​night off – delicious French food at slightly below average Manhattan prices (compared to places a few neighborhoods south), all in a cozy, intimate, dimly lit setting.
Since we weren’t very hungry, we ended up splitting a salad and entrée. The Salade de Betteraves was fantastic – fresh, healthy and perfectly roasted. The Trout Amandine was tender, with very fragrant sauce. The drinks were also stellar – I’d recommend the French Martini over the Peartini if you had to choose.

Friendly service and great mimosas. Never had the chance to taste the food here as my order was messed up 3 times and I had to give up.
I’m vegetarian, ordered spinach and cheese crêpe but I was served ham & bacon the 1^st time, then a spinach omelette and then chicken crêpe. Not sure why my order wouldn’t go through in the kitchen.

Expensive, I guess but not outrageous for NY. And oh my, the food! Our party had sole, scallops, pork paillard, roast chicken, swordfish, rack of lamb, ravioli du jour, and grilled octopus. Don’t miss the Floating Island dessert.
Our servers were Very attentive and present throughout and the host was genuinely gracious.

Top notch service. The bar tender made the perfect mojito, not to sweet our to much sour. We had the duck and the lamb (today’s special). Both were exquisite. The duck was flavorful and the vegetables perfectly cooked. For the lamb medium rare, our was juicy and feel of the bone. Definitely a lucky find.

This bistro is charming and has the feel of a Parisian eatery. The food was quite nice – my brother and I each had the steak sandwich. He had fries (I mean, frites) and I had a double order of salad. The baguettes are lovely… not quite what you’d get in Europe, but perfectly respectable.
The service was very good. They refilled my water glass 4 times during lunch and chuckled politely at our lame jokes. (So, not terribly Parisian, actually, but welcome in NYC).

This is the worst restaurant I have ever been to in my whole life. The prices are outrageous, the service was horrible, and the food was just plain bad. They charge $ 3.00 for a refill of a soda as well. Too many choices on the upper west side to choose this dump.

On the first sunny Saturday in Manhattan, after a warm walk in Central Park we were giving into our hunger pains and were lured to Bistro Citron by an empty table on their quaint semi shaded patio.
We arrived during an off hour, not quite breakfast, lunch or brunch in my opinion but were treated to their brunch menu. We started with oysters with the classic horseradish presentation, a refreshing way to start the meal. We also enjoyed a bottle of sparkling Rose, overpriced in my opinion, however it paired perfectly with our afternoon.
For our mains we ordered the Frisée Salad ($ 11.00) with a poached egg, bacon lardons, dressed with a mustard vinaigrette and a large order of the Mussels with chorizo ($ 20.00) to share.
The salad was good (average), the bacon lardons were too hard for me and had me concerned at times that I might chip a tooth, thankfully I walked away with all my teeth intact. The Mussels were tasty even though I think their version of chorizo was sweet Italian sausage, was hard to find, and offered little to no heat whatsoever. I would like to note my disappointment in the serving size of the Mussels we received for $ 20.00, being so close to the ocean with Mussels readily available I find it odd that we may have received 20 Mussels for $ 20.00. There is a place in Denver, CO (a landlocked state) that offers Mussels and Fries for $ 12.95 where I get a minimum of 60 Mussels to an order and they use real chorizo.
Service was just meh, our server had no personality at all and was only there when he absolutely had to be. Bistron Citron is a place you default to because you’re hungry and need to satisfy grumbling stomachs, not a food destination.

I would recommend this place.
Going for a Saturday brunch, the ambiance is great (more people and families with kids started coming in a little later which made it a little louder but still great for conversation). Our server tried her best to accommodate our questions regarding, «what’s good» but could tell that she almost wasn’t used to them (?). Very authentic French bistro. Glasses always full and servers attentive and helpful.
The crêpe Fromage Et Jambon (with cheese, fresh herbs and ham) is amazing! One of the cheeses in it has a great texture and consistency that tastes wonderful in your mouth. The Brioche French Toast with raspberry coulis was good: the bread was fluffy and soft. The Gâteau au Chocolat Chaud (warm chocolate cake, hazelnut gelato, and candied pistachio) was a great way to end the meal with the pistachio and gelato complementing the cake really well.

We stopped by for Brunch last Sunday after church service around 1pm and waited for about 15 minutes before we were seated at one of their beautiful large booths, a rarity in NYC that comfortably seated our party of 5.
As we came during their brunch hour, our only options were from the brunch menu. That part seems obvious enough but I mention it here now because at the moment, it had completely slipped my mind and so I was a little disappointed at my limited options. How limited you ask? Well consider this.
Most of their brunch items are priced at about $ 21 and comes with a choice of Mimosa, Bloody Mary, or Orange Juice and Bacon, sausage, and home-​style potatoes. Being a non-​alcohol drinker, and non-​meat eater, right off the bat I’m stuck with orange juice and home-​style potatoes.
And that’s just the sides, the actual dish, for the most part all include some type of meat. I gave up and just ordered a beet salad, which was very good but a tad bit small. My companions all seemed to enjoy their meals though and their portions sizes were generous.
Based on the food (and my pickiness), I’d give it a 3 stars but the service will bump it up to 4. Our waiter was so nice and accommodating, that’s what really made the meal stand out for me. Everyone made sure our glasses were never empty and our server was really sweet and attentive.
He made us feel like we were welcome to stay as long as we wanted even though there were people waiting for a table. It’s been a long time since anyone made me feel so well taken care of, I left thinking the service certainly overshadowed my lackluster meal and made it a pleasant experience.
Now only if they had more vegetarian options. I’d be a fan for life. *hint hint*
P. S. They offer croissants with butter and jam instead of rolls at the beginning of your meal. How perfectly charming!

Best Burger on the West Side, period. I can’t live without these during marathon training!
Half a pound of goodness with a light brioche roll. It comes with blue cheese and fries if you like, but I just have the greens.
Mussels Frites are also lovely.
We like it for Sunday dinner or dinner with the folks.

Somewhat overpriced French bistro UWS. The bread is rustic, which is nice and it comes with sweet butter and quite good pâté’. The wine selection is limited, but very, very good. The food is a bit heavy handed but tasty. Please note:
Crab Salad — $ 16. Small salad but priced right.
Nicoise Salad — $ 16. Medium sized salad with lots of the usual goodies.
Moules Frites — $ 25. The butter-​wine-​garlic mussels are very, very tasty but they were the smallest mussels I have ever seen in my entire life. I mean, you get this great big pot of shells and buttery, garlicky broth, and those shells, trust me, have mussels in them about the size of a green pea. I am not exaggerating. I asked for a lot of bread to dip in the broth and that made the meal more filling. The fries weren’t anything special.
Salmon w/​Green Lentils — $ 27. Expertly grilled salmon on a bed of green lentils mixed with Israeli couscous, and a mustard cream sauce. A nicely balanced meal that was really the highlight of the evening. The sauce was quite rich, however.
Now, would I go back? Probably not. New York is full of French bistros that are better.

So delish! 5 stars, hands down. I am quite surprised that some people had a bad experience at Bistro Citron. I found it to be a very nice place. I ordered the Salade Citron and Sale Meuniere — the food was yummy. Service here is impressive too. The staff is friendly and professional.
You won’t be disappointed!
Found Bistro Citron with the help of Unilocal,and I would return at any time!

A friend and I were starving, so decided to just a pick a random place for lunch. Ended up coming here since it was convenient.
Ordered off their lunch menu,
I got the soup of the day (I love soups), which was a potato and leek soup. Every time I kept slurping it, tastes like the soup from a chicken ramen noodles. That’s basically the way I describe this soup. I don’t know that’s a good thing, bad thing, or whatever thing.
For my entrée, I got the Gratin De Macaroni– Elbow Pasta served with ham, green peas in a light cream sauce. This was okay dish. Basically a mac & cheese dish. Needs a bit more taste and flavor to the dish. Piping hot though. Careful don’t touch the plate.
Every time my friend and I were looking around, the staff plus the owner immediately assumed we needed something. Nice to know they are on their «A» game with service.
A nice, simple, and cozy restaurant.

We came for brunch. The hanger steak sandwich was great, as well as the French onion soup. The soup is better than most other restaurants and I would definitely order it next time.
The service was friendly and attentive.
I would definitely come back.

I have an attachment to this place because the circumstances under which my first visit occurred. I took a chance and flew to New York from California to meet someone I was exchanging messages with for a year and this was the restaurant he took me to on our first date. Long story short, he turned out to be the love of my life! I recall the food being absolutely wonderful the first time. My significant other decided to take me here tonight to celebrate my birthday. What a nice surprise!
The service here is wonderful. From the host to the servers, they are all friendly and attentive, yet never overbearing.
The restaurant itself is cozy and spacious enough. We were seated in the back right corner and were by ourselves, so it was perfect.
Their complimentary pâté and butter with the warm bread was a great little starter. We ordered the Escargots to start. I like how they were served without the shell, but felt it lacked a little bit of seasoning to make it perfect! I enjoyed the croûton bits that came with the appetizer. My beau had the Paella du Pays Basque — Saffron rice, shrimp, clams, chicken, chorizo, peppers, mussels and green peas and I ordered the Magret de Canard au Cassis — Pan seared duck breast, duck leg and wild mushroom crêpe, raspberry cassis sauce, asparagus. The Paella was a bit disappointing, but the duck breast was delicious! I just wished the skin had been seared a little longer to make it more crispy because the sauce had softened it a bit.
We will definitely be back to try other things. Be sure to check their menu to see what the daily special is! I hear the duck on Thursday is pretty popular!

Pas mal. Des efforts pour paraître français. Si vous demandez du pain vous aurez des croissants…
Sinon bonne cuisson des aliments. Le demi poulet était parfait.