Lyon Bouchon Moderne

This is the epitome of a crappy restaurant. Eastern European sour puss waitress that spilt water on me with out apologizing or bringing a napkin. The food had that TV dinner sheen…

I came here with the wife for a special occasion. We mentioned it in the reservation and when we showed up, they had read their notes because they not only sat us a very good corner booth, but also brought us complimentary glasses of champagne. Our waiter was excellent and took very good care of us.
The décor of the place is French brasserie-​styled done with very high quality furniture and finish. I would like to have a room in my apartment look like their dining room. It was very cozy and a place that makes you want to linger over your food or coffee and enjoy your time spent at Lyon.
We had the steak tartare and the steak au poivre. The steak tartare was excellent and the steak au poivre was cooked perfectly — and the au poivre sauce was very well done, too (not a heavy sauce).
We had an excellent time and I highly recommend Lyon.

missing one star for weak service (timing, aloofness.)
BUT… most importantly…
As the Fry King, I must say their fries taste and feel better than the highly raved about Balthazar fries. If you have to choose btwn the two fries that cost an arm and a leg, go with LYON.

A short review based on one dish.
Lyon Bouchon Moderne has a great décor. A lot of attention to details have been put to create a real atmosphere Lyonnaise. From the wooden tables, to the red and white checkered napkins. They have typical Butcher meat metal plaques.
The menu is interesting but not close to what could be find in Lyon. Not much tripes, andouilles on the menu. Nevertheless the food tastes good
We tried
Salmon
Nicely seared on all sides and not overcooked on a bed of greens. It was a good and simple dish.
The terrine on the table next to ours looked pretty tasty
I enjoyed the bathroom Bandes dessinees wallpaper. (French graphic novel)

My friend and I came here for restaurant week so for $ 30 we got a good deal (appetizer, main course and desert). However, the service was lacking– the waiters seemed to be in a rush to clear our plates when we were still working on our food (my pet peeve). We ordered a bottle of wine, so we were taking our to finish, but the waiter kept coming to our table to ask if we were done. It was extremely aggravating and felt a little rude.
I ordered the duck wings/​orange & red chillies glaze which was delicious and then the Moules Frites. I finished off with the Pudding (bread pudding, raisins, vanilla sauce and rhum) which was scrumptious.
The verdict: The food was very satisfactory, but I’m giving this place 2 instead of 3 stars because the waiters were in such a mad rush to get us out of the restaurant!

My friends and I stopped by Lyon for a quick drink while the rain subsided. We ended up staying for a few hours and watching the Olympics with a fabulous man couple we met. We shared some muscles and strong cocktails served up by a gorgeous, blonde bartender — she even charged me iphone for me. I loved the atmosphere, being there was like looking at the world through rose colored glasses. Also, the restrooms were awesome. I can’t really remember what I liked about them but I know I liked them.
We did rack up a bit of a tab so be warned, it’s not cheap.

This was a hard one for me. We did come here for the French Independence Day prix fixe… which I know isn’t always the best time to visit a place for the first time. But the food was pretty good. I was impressed by the quality of the dishes. My fellow, half French friends also said that he enjoyed the more authentic dishes though, he mentioned, they have mos def put a more modern spin on most of their food. Personally I felt they also charge a little more than they have to but maybe that’s because all their produce is organic or some BS.
Overall, I would recommend this place if you want to enjoy some decent French food at a lower fee then Le Bernardin.

I do not know if this is because this was the night before the Incident, although little behest to me, or because this place simply was middle of the road in my opinion. There was nothing wrong with it, but nothing really blew my mind. It may have been that the ambiance was a little bit off or that there were not enough people in the restaurant for me to feel that I was truly blown away.
We had escargot, moules frites, steak tartare, and the sides including mac and cheese and sprouts. Yes we totally overordered.
The best part is we also had these clouds of dessert that were my favorite part of the meal.
The fries were amazing, and the whole meal overall was good and solid bistro food, with the old world feel of France I love, but it lacked luster that night, as it was more than half empty so I just could not be a fan of the place.
Maybe if I went back with Nell and Todd, tried again. Hmm.
For now, if you have less of a douche bag than George to try the place with, on a lovely night when you can people watch as the night Chris and Nell went they saw SJP, then maybe, as the food was solid bistro and the wine was delish. I am split down the middle, hence the 3!

The food is heavy and very French, which, in my opinion is great. It’s a decadent and satisfying choice. The service though is mediocre and the owner can be, in that very authentically French way, very direct but that is all part of the experience.

What was supposed to be a well anticipated dining experience, as per Sam Sifton’s NYTimes Scoop recommendation, to help re-​live my culinary experience in Lyon, France turned into a night of utter mediocrity. I guess my first thought after seeing the tacky restaurant sign should have been an indication of how my dining experience would turn out there, with my first though as «oh geez».
The only highlight of the evening was spotting Victor Garber leaving the restaurant a few feet away from me after I arrived for my 9pm reservation on a Friday night. He left with friendly departing words with the Lyon staff. My friend and I were told that our table was not ready and we didn’t get seated until 9:25pm. Although we were seated before the couple of guys at the table next to us, somehow, the waitress did not take our orders until 9:40pm and by that time, not only had those guys ordered, they were already given bread for the table. By the time we got our bread, those guys already got their appetizers… oh geez.
Aside from the seating grievances, the food was mediocre at best. My friend ordered the burger, which was average and served with as my friend quoted, «not so good fries». I ordered the salade de lyonnaise and quenelle be brochet. The salad was overly dressed especially with vinegar and I did not get a hint of mustard in the dressing. The quenelle de brochet was good but became overwhelming after a while — I tried to vary my bites between the salad and quenelle in order to compensate for this but the vinegary dressing ended up killing my appetite… oh geez.
So, all in all, this should have been a 3 star rating, but it was docked down to 2 stars because of the seating issue.

The décor in Lyon is interesting in a confusing way (or maybe confusing in an interesting way). It is somewhat picnic-​ish, yet somehow upscale.
Service was great — the staff was not pushy but was also not oblivious. They seated us within 5 minutes of arriving. I wasn’t a huge fan of where we sat as it was in the middle of traffic and one of the waitresses continually hit my chair with her foot as she walked by. Ey yo, be careful! Fuggedaboudit.
One of my friends had the Sazerac which was delicious and the other had some kind of yummy wine. The bread was soft with a crunchy crust and the butter was surprisingly spreadable.
We all ordered burgers with different kinds of cheese (the options are Fontina, Cheddar, and Swiss). I ordered mine with Fontina, which I had never had before, but had always seen on the Food Network. The burger was juicy and salty… the caramelized onions added a sweetness that went well with the creaminess of the Fontina, and the potato bun was nice and soft. I ate until I was in pain, so that’s a pretty good sign (?) and the fries were pretty standard.
I knocked off a star because of our table being in such a cramped space… and because there was a hair in my fries. These things happen I guess. I’d imagine both are signs of a busy restaurant, so that’s almost a plus.
TL, DR: GO GET THAT BURGER!

Lucked out to get a table on Christmas day without a reservation but they really ruined the experience with the request at the end to clear the table so others could take the table.
We’re from Philly, in town for the day, but that’s just bad business. Especially after we spent $ 180 on a meal, for which they included a 22% tip.
The food — okay. We’ve been to some great French restaurants and this was average. The service from our waitress was very good. Great wine choice.
There are a LOT of good restaurants in NYC and this is not one we’d go back to based on that experience.
My two cents, but if you’re looking for French in Chelsea, move on. There are better places nearby that appreciate your business.

OH. MY. GOD. LOVE the food here! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! I never order chicken at a restaurant, but I couldn’t pass up stuffed rotisserie chicken with chicken apple sausage, and am so glad I didn’t — it was incredible! Went for a birthday dinner in a group of 8 and everyone ordered something different and all of it was awesome!
If coming on the weekends make a reservation, you’ll need one to avoid having to sit in the front bar area which is very cramped.
If coming to celebrate something special let your server know, they’ll bring out dessert with a candle which is always a nice treat!

Lyon is a very solid, mid-​week neighborhood sort of restaurant with outstanding food and decent ambience.
We enjoyed their house burger (though my wife’s burger was cooked incorrectly and had to be changed) and the overall vibe.
I don’t know if anything on the menu blew us away — and I was underwhelmed by the somewhat aloof and absentee service (it’s a French restaurant after all) and by the wines by the glass — but the overall experience was above average and we’d probably go back, perhaps to sit at the bar area or have drinks and eat as well.

We went to this place on a whim because we were in the neighborhood and I forgot to check Unilocal.I wish I hadn’t.
This place gets 3 stars because the service was quite good. My coffee was never empty, water never empty, etc. The waitress, food runner, and host were attentive and checked in on us. It was incredibly sweet and impressive for any restaurant.
The décor is absolutely stunning. While the food is lackluster, the restaurant owners really took considerable efforts in making a beautiful restaurant. Incredible woodwork, incredible benches, very much à la française.
My dad and I both ordered steak and eggs, while his girlfriend ordered the waldorf salad. The portions were enormous which made up for the fact that the prices were quite steep, especially for brunch. While my steak was cooked perfectly, and the gravy the fries were in was quite tasty, the eggs were overcooked, chewy, and quite literally stuck to the steak. I couldn’t cut them easily — even with a steak knife. Anyone who knows anything about making sunnyside eggs knows that they should be firm yet somewhat soft, and the yoke should be runny and not hardened whatsoever. The entire dish could have used more flavor and I wish they had seasoned the steak better. The salad looked better, but since my dad’s girlfriend neglected to comment on it, I assumed she’d had better too.
I’ll pass next time. For better French food in the area, go to Paris Commune or French Roast.

Horrible experience. Mediocre food. A recent dinner here turned up a restaurant that, from what I can tell, doesn’t really care.
When I made the reservation, I noted that it was for a special occasion. Apparently, they chose to do nothing with that knowledge. The server never inquired as to what the occasion was, didn’t go out of her way (at all) to make us feel welcome, and — it seemed to me, anyway — couldn’t shake an attitude of pure, unadulterated ambivalence.
Despite the perfunctory attitude of the server, things started off OK; cocktails were good, wine selection very nice.
First courses were all right. The Salade St. Tropez (heirloom tomatoes, aged goat cheese, mint, and lemon dressing) was very nice, despite that it was, really, swimming in the dressing. I think the presentation could be as effective with half the amount.
Then someone in the kitchen spilled the salt. A lot of it. The two of us who ordered steak frites received it with the fries coated — literally — in salt. We asked to have unsalted fries instead — the staff took away Person A’s steak, but let the Person B keep theirs. Person B received a side of unsalted fries almost immediately, but Person A’s plate didn’t return for about another 3 minutes with his unsalted fries. No explanation, just a perfunctory apology about the fries. A peculiar happening.
Oh wait, there’s more. The poulet that I had was roasted very nicely, but the herb stuffing and garlic jus may as well just have been a pile of salt. There were some other flavors in there, but the saltiness of the dish really just ruined it all.
The skate was only mildly salty and got a thumbs up, as did the artichoke ravioli.
Then came dessert. In waves. The chocolate mousses arrived first. Then, a couple minutes later, I received my warm apple tart, and another of us his dessert, at which point we received an explanation that the bread pudding (ordered by the person who had not yet received his dessert) was not yet ready. Then why did they bother to deliver the others?
A couple minutes after that, we received an unordered ice cream sundae. About a minute after that our server stopped by to tell us they brought that as a dessert for us to have/​share because the bread pudding wasn’t yet ready. Huh? A «substitute/​starter» dessert? We took the sundae and canceled the bread pudding.
About 10 minutes later (not an exaggeration), the bread pudding arrived. We explained to the server that we’d canceled it, and she insisted that we take it anyway. Insisted.
The ice cream sundae was the only thing that was comped.
I will say two positive things before I close:
1. The room is quaint and gorgeous. It’s really rather lovely.
2. The backwaiting staff was very attentive and my water glass was never empty. It’s too bad our server lacked any sort of personality or warmth.

Summer days in my hometown of St. Louis, Missouri are notoriously synonymous with sweat, stickiness and stifling heat. On Sundays, my friend Chris would invite us over to his University City apartment to stake out shade on the street-​facing stoop and drink A-B’s finest. We’d start early, slowly sipping on our ice cold ones while listening to De La Soul, The Roots And St. Louis’ own Nelly. And about 7 – 8 hours later, his neighborhood famous ribs would finally be ready. With their sauce comprised of roasted then painstakingly peeled red peppers, apples and god knows what else, I thought to myself… this kid has a gift. And he surely doesn’t belong here.
He said it so we didn’t have to. Soon our Budweiser-​fueled BBQs came to a close and we sent our Chris off to the place where he could actually realize all of his dreams: New York City. It didn’t take long for Chris to find a prominent spot among gourmands and chefs alike; when he wasn’t cooking food, he was talking about food. He trained under French phenom Daniel Boulud at DB Bistro Moderne then jetted off to London to work at Gordon Ramsey’s Connaught before returning to NYC where he set up residency at BLT Prime. An executive chef title was earned and five years went by. Many chefs in that position would say they had fulfilled their aspirations. But Chris Leahy? He was still hungry.
Enter Lyon Bouchon Moderne. Bistro? I’ve been to many. Brasseries, too. Boulangeries for my baguettes slathered with a bit of brie but a bouchon? Teach me.
Good thing I know just the teacher. I walked into Lyon on a bustling Sunday following a weekend of Royal Wedding festivities and quickly made friends with a solid Dark and Stormy before being reunited with my dear friend. He explained the premise behind a bouchon and I learned that it’s not only a type of eatery belonging to the city of Lyon, but the featured cuisine is also Lyonnaise. Forget everything you think you know about French food (all those dishes hailing from the glitzy capital) and re-​focus regionally: At a true bouchon, you’ll find tripe, sausages, fish, duck and pork. A heartier, more rustic approach to cooking is taken though Chris refines and reinvents by lightening up the traditionally heavy fare.
If you want an honest experience, you have to trust your chef. Menus? Take them away. Chris asked my party if there was anything we absolutely wouldn’t eat. Though I can be somewhat picky, I granted him free reign… when in Lyon, go it laissez-​faire. Any lingering inhibitions can be easily quelled with a generous glass of French red, no?
What happened next could only be described as a flurry of fantastic flavor combinations that took me to Lyon though I was positively levitating on a West Village corner — truffled Brooklyn wieners, veal tongue salad with haricots verts, the spoil-​me-​senseless escargot, sweetbreads, and gnocchi dish, the delicate and beautifully-​plated skate wing with Israeli couscous. It all culminated in a savory finish of roasted chicken with herb stuffing. For dessert? Profiteroles, of course.
I mentioned the bouchon is not only a style of restaurant but also a region-​specific cuisine. Turns out, gastronomes are also calling it a movement. You keep driving, Chef Leahy, and I’ll keep following.

The service at Lyon’s is kind of slack and rude.
Lyon’s chartchuterie appetizer left much to be desired, and we continuously had to ask for more bread. The drinks weren’t anything special either.
Greenwich Treehouse is just down the street. Go there.

We decided to stop in right after Lyon opened because it is literally a block away from our apartment. We were seated immediately in the bar area, but it got crowded FAST and we were definitely asked to reconfigure our seating throughout the course of our stay to accomodate the crowd.
I asked for a champagne cocktail and had to explain what it was to the waitress. She was very nice, but did not speak English fluently, so I eventually had to walk over to the bartender and explain the ingredients myself.
We received our appetizers promptly, but after over an hour, we still had not received our meals. The waitress apologized repeatedly but between the noise level and the mob that was fast growing at the bar, we decided to take our food to go. When we got home, we noticed that they’d only given us one of the three things we had ordered. We were NOT happy campers. I might consider going back at some point because a lot of other reviews have been positive, and it was right after the restaurant opened. However, if I do go back, it will be very VERY cautionary.

Lyon is the French city that everyone forgets about. It’s overshadowed by the glitz of Paris and the rustic allure of Provence and the Cote d’Azur. In reality, Lyon is France’s second largest city and a true epicenter for food.
The bouchon is Lyon’s version of the brasserie or bistro. It’s a warm, simple place, usually run by a family, that serves up unpretentious woodsy food, serves wine out of pots, and treats diners to friendly service with red-​white checkered napkins to boot.
Lyon Bouchon Moderne, which just got a positive review in the NYTimes and is bound to enjoy a ballooning in popularity, captures the spirit of the Lyon bouchon. They get everything right, from the food to the minor details. The food is classic Lyonnais food, with quenelles, blood sausages, dried meats, salad lyonnaise, and other regional delicacies, while the restaurant itself is extremely cozy, with authentic French antiques, bistro-​seating, vintage mirrors, and what-​appears-​to-​be an imported French waitstaff.
Onto the food:
Charcuterie — There’s something magic about being served food on a cutting board. Heaps of dried meats, sausages, terrines and pates. It sounds bourgeois, but in everyday life in Lyon, the notion of a charcuterie platter is commonplace.
Salade Lyonnaise — The salade lyonnaise was extremely well executed. Bitter greens (although where’s the frisee?) tossed with a tangy mustard-​base vinaigrette, topped with crisp bacon lardons and a runny warm poached egg. I was seriously in heaven and wanted to lick the plate after having sampled the salade lyonnaise. My wife had to talk me out of it. Be sure to order it.
Duck Rilletes on Toast — Imagine slow cooked duck, thickened with fat, and strewn across crispy baguette. Sounds like something I’d want to eat all winter long.
Skate — Lyon’s version of skate, which is a poor man’s fish, is superlative. I would go back and order plates of it. Crispy skate, arranged in a half circle to show off the arc like shape of its body, served with a delicious concoction of butternut squash, fried sage leaves and lemon-​caper butter. Highly recommend.
Ravioli Maison — Pumpkin ravioli with chestnuts and sage was rich and decadent as it sounds. Perhaps it was a bit too decadent for my tastes, but I am glad that we tried it.
Pain Perdu — France’s version of bread budding was done better at Lyon than I have ever tasted in France. Egg soaked bread, infused with butter, white raisins and fresh vanilla, with a crispy exterior and a warm gooey interior. Extremely memorable.
I know the NYTimes criticized Lyon for not having yet found its identity but I think they are missing the point. The bouchon shouldn’t be a place of culinary exploration — it should be an inexpensive place to get a sausage with a glass of Cotes du Rhone wine.
Don’t come here looking for a scene. Nah, it’s too small for that. Also don’t come looking for «moderne» renditions of Lyonnais food. I would actually make a case to rename the restaurant Lyon Bouchon «Classique». For Lyon’s identity is wrapped up in its authenticity. And authenticity alone sets it apart from other places.