French Cafe Gourmand

Great little spot in the Financial District. Wonderful sandwiches, quiches, desserts, coffee, you name it! The café is reasonably priced with high quality ingredients; my colleagues and I come by to pick up lunch at least once or twice per week. There is limited seating though, but it provides a warm and cozy atmosphere.

Some amazing croissants and pain au chocolat! Reminded me of Paris! Definitely recommend all the bakery stuff.

Beautiful vegan soup. Quiches look amazing. Good value and great for coffee. Warm and cosy.

So much yes. Yes to the wine cork decorations. Yes to the French accents of the employees. Yes to finally coming in for a bite after passing by this place so many times.
I got a combo — half rustic sandwich and a mushroom soup. My sis got a farmer sandwich. Both sandwiches were really good and I would recommend. The soup was kinda bland, but adding pepper definitely helped. I could taste the mushroom and it definitely wasn’t from a can.
Though you order at the counter and usually get the food and seat yourself, the cashier was super nice and brought it out to us (since it wasn’t busy). It did take a while for the sandwiches to be made, but my sister and I had time and the place is cute, so it was all good.

A perfect place for a cozy Sunday afternoon. Very friendly and polite staff. Everything is authentic French, a tiny hole in the wall that transforms you to another place. Very warm and welcoming vibe. My favorite is the ham and cheese croissant and freshly squeezed orange juice. Highly recommend!

Beware of the chocolate almond croissants. On a couple of occasions I got an almond croissant because the shapes are all the same. Even the owner gave me the wrong one last time I was there. Plus, the price keeps creeping upon this item. Right now it’s over $ 4!

Goat cheese & spinach quiche. AMAZING. Fresh and delicious coffee. Perfect morning pit stop!

My sister always walks by this place on her way to work and when I came to visit, she suggested we try it out. It was an amazing find on her part. The café is pretty tiny with a few seats. There is a menu outside and inside. The decorations inside were set up for the holidays and they were quite unique with several pieces made entirely of wine corks.
I got the farmer sandwich and my sister got the soup and ½ sandwich combo. My farmer sandwich was really good. We ordered at the counter and the nice lady told us to sit and she’d bring it out to us. It was warm and toasty and you could taste each ingredient. I’m usually not a fan of sun dried tomatoes, but this worked really well with all the other ingredients.
My sister got the mushroom soup and the rustic. She was debating between 2 sandwiches, but the nice lady instantly recommended the rustic. It was so delicious. Even though the mushroom soup was on the bland side, a little salt and pepper fixed that.
Overall, this is one of the cutest cafes I have been to and it is great to grab a quick lunch if you work in the area. The sandwiches are delicious and artfully crafted. You just have to be a little patient.

Great quick stop for the late breakfast I had (at noon). Food was fresh, tasty and well priced. I had a bagel with cream cheese and a parfait, all what I would expect for decent quality. Café Au lait was one of the best I have had anywhere. I would choose this place over any chain-​type place any day

This is a terrific neighborhood spot with really great croissants. Also, if you are looking for a nice quiet place to actually sit down and enjoy your coffee and breakfast before starting your crazy day, this is it. We’re always rushing about to get somewhere, but when I walk into this café it reminds me to slow down and enjoy the little things like tasting your coffee instead of slurping it down as you walk down the street.

After a gym session, came here for a quick bite to eat. I ordered a salmon and goat cheese quiche, which was pretty yummy and my boyfriend ordered the turkey bacon, egg, and cheese on a croissant, which was decent as well. I think their prices are a bit high for what we get but it’s a cute Parisian looking café and good for a quick pitstop.

I went to this café while staying at the Residence Inn in New York City, and was blown away! I ordered the Le Frenchy sandwich and it was absolutely delicious, and authentic French! The owner, Fredric was there to greet me as I entered, and actually took my order, and made it right in front of me! I felt like I was actually sitting in a café in Nice enjoying my food and coffee. If ever you find yourself in the area of Maiden Lane, in downtown Manhattan, do yourself a favor and visit, it will be worth it, believe me.

We stopped here for a quick brunch on a Sunday. It’s good for grab-​and-​go, but not particularly filling. The «iced coffee» was watery and clearly just ice dumped in hot coffee. I ordered an omelette with Swiss and turkey bacon, and received a plastic container with two strips of turkey bacon over an omelette in a rather unappealing fashion. It was good, but not really ideal. My boyfriend got the farmer’s sandwich which was tasty but skimped on the chicken. I’d probably pop back in and try the hot coffee as others have been saying, but I’d go elsewhere for my iced coffee. I also did like the «Parisian vibe» although the place is quite small.

When I worked out of the one of the WTC buildings, I would come here on the daily. Their bagel with bacon, egg, and cheese is solid and their espresso beverages do not disappoint! Also, try out their quiche! It’s REALLY GOOD.
If you’re in the Fi-​Di area and need to find a place for coffee, breakfast, or lunch — make sure to the check this place out.

Serivce is typical of a small local café but the food is outstanding. Highly recommend the quiches and the café frappé.

Their two dollar coffee is better than your four dollar coffee.
Truly unique flavor, a Parisian vibe, and Parisian workers to match that vibe… How could you not stop by?

Maybe I’m taking out my frustration on them. I’m not sure. But still, my experience was bad and I want to share it.
The food here is nice, although it is very overpriced. The coffee is not very good, considering there’s a lot of superior competition in the area. But it’s their packaging that disappointed me. They don’t really carry normal bags. Everything is handed to you in slippery doggy bags. I ordered a sandwich and a soup one day, and struggled to keep two bags in my hands. As soon as I got to my office, it dropped and spilled all over the floor. Turns out the soup was in a very flimsy carton cup too. All of my food got ruined, and, as I mentioned, it cost me a hefty penny.
If you wish to get takeout, keep in mind that they just throw their pastry straight into the paper bag, so it gets soggy and leaks through the bag all over your clothes, just like the soup.
I think it takes just a little care and forethought to fix this and I don’t really understand why they don’t do it, and that’s why I’m done coming back here.

This place made my DAY! I got a tasty omelet with delicious drip coffee (it really was good).
I really wanted the quiche, but for some reason I need bacon, eggs, veggies, and cheese (they MADE it to perfection).
I also decided to snag one of the chocolate chip muffins.
I love this place. The owner is a delight and usually works in the evenings. He really is the ideal owner, that MOST places should have.
PLEASE come check this place out.

I’ve been passing this place on the way to work every morning, so one day I finally decided to try it out.
It somewhat reminded me of the cafes in Paris, in terms of the cozy size and overall feel.
I ordered a croissant sandwich with ham and cheese, as well as a coffee. The coffee was perfect. The croissant was delicious, but Dear Lord was it greasy! Also, it seems they microwaved it before serving it, which is a no-​no in my opinion.
I might come back to try some of their other breakfast items one day.

Very cute small french place. There’s a few table and chairs to eat there but it is mostly a take to go for lunch. I had the farmers sandwich which was good but small for being $ 8. My coworkers had a salad which they said was very fresh but was also small.
I’d come back here for coffee and croissant maybe but not for lunch.