Reviews of Le Grainne Cafe (Restaurant)

Gary Allen Vollink

This place is out of my way in every direction. Yet, I find myself coming back about once per month. This is one of this places whee I've never had a bad experience. French cuisine styled to American taste, they have crepes, omelettes, quiche, salads and ratatouille. Ask about the evening specials, almost always worth considering.

Jeanne Heijnen

Good food, nice atmosphere and friendly personell

Leslyn Daligadu

Food is great, but the ventilation is nonexistent and the bathroom was dirty.

Darren Baker

Note that this is a French cafe, even though Google mistakenly lists it as Italian. The food quality is solid, though not exceptional, and I'd say the same thing about the service. The thing I like best is the fact that I feel like I get a lot for my money here: the portions are good and it's easy to follow up your meal with an inexpensive and tasty crepe if the entree doesn't fill you up.

Joe B

They advertise that they close at midnight, but don't go at 11pm for coffee, because you'll be out of luck. Cupcake shop across the street is most accommodating, though.

Marco Trafecante-Lamboy

Decor is somewhat old, not fresh, but food is great! Okay serving sizes, not huge, but delicious. Food is a pretty good five stars but ambiance is a little lacking. Friendly staff.

Neil O'Donnell

Great food and service. If you pay by credit card, they add a 4% service charge.

joanne sinovoi

Depends on what you order. The crepe was ok

Liz Savery

The food is fairly good here; interesting flavors, a nice selection of crepes and desserts. The wine is just OK. It wasn't as clean as I would have liked, which always makes me squirm a little in a restaurant. (Table was sticky, silverware needed a rubdown.) That's fine, though -- I can wipe my table off if I need to. What's not cool is slapping a 4 percent surcharge on credit cards and not telling us until we got the bill. When we pointed out that we should have been told, the server motioned vaguely toward a (very small) sign on the cash register. We won't be back.

Martha Leduc

Cute place, food is good, not as good as it used to be. Staff training is in order. Love that they are French but it's important to at least understand English. We waited 35 minutes for our part of our order that the waitress had not put into the kitchen because she didn't understand us and didn't speak English. There was no apology, we just kept waiting until the order finally appeared just as the third person in our party was all done with her lunch.

Mary Dailey

Lovely spot

Ryan Warrender

Solid brunch and coffee.

NK Kallen

Not bad but definitely not great either. A viable option if all other places are booked out for lunch

Lisa J

Service varies so much, but usually excellent. Rem to check the daily specials. Their soups are often very unique and always good. My favorites are the mussels, SO good, and the omelettes always fluffy fresh and filling. Good coffee. Great corner, too for a true Chelsea vibe and view. Often see Ethan Hawke here. It's so chill and such great aromas always. Not crazy about the one teeny tiny bathroom but it's typical for nyc.

Sandip Mehra

Very few vegetarian options. 4% extra charges if you pay using credit card.. Who else does that in NYC? Didn't get the balance cash on the table, I would added tip, but just it getting the cash back and trying to be slimly by keeping a few extra bucks is so NOT COOL..reading a few more reviews, I see that they have a practice of doing this... The are habitual slimy disturbs me even more seems more like a a strategy to not get balance back to customers to get a few more dollars on the tip. Now assuming that none of us are stingy would you still like a place that tries to fleese you? For these reasons I don't recommend the place to anyone..

Debra Wilcox

Cute little French inspired cafe - great little lunch spot. Croque Monsieur was great, but I was too full to partake in the crepe menu. Next time!

Kanushree Jain

Le Grainne Cafe is definitely a very cute and cozy spot in Chelsea. They have a great selection of food items whether you love chicken, seafood, or are a vegetarian. As a vegetarian, I come here especially for their Ratatouille crepes! Not sure if they took help from Disney's rat, but the recipe is delicious to the point that sometimes I eat two orders!!!

De-Andrea Blaylock-Johnson

Good food and service

Chris Stratton

Extremely disappointed they pass through a 4% charge on the bill to use a credit card even though card charges aren't even 4%. This is a terrible precedent all around.

Chris Coulthrust

Pretty good, the portions are a bit small

Jennie Lai

Delightful French bistro in Chelsea. Friendly and fast service even during busy brunch times. The crepes are delish and so is the Americano. It's a great neighborhood restaurant to visit for lunch and dinner too.

Nawaf Droubi

Good food, good environment, nice staff. Cozy and a reliable place to have quality food

s red

I have been coming here since I moved to NY in 1995, although then it was known by a different name. Always dependable brunch, however ate here last night for dinner and it was horrible. I had a simple frisee salad. The egg poached was almost raw. It was poached in vinegar water which is standard but several tablespoons of the water ended up on my salad making it a soggy slimy mess. I did not complain because I was with a client so ate what I could and still don't feel well. Three salads, one soup, a burger and three glasses of wine came to over $100.

Maddie Steele

Get the french toast!

PJ Carlino

Spectacular nicoise salad for lunch. Friendly wait staff , quit calm environment. I'll be back again soon!

Mattia Ruta

This place has a nice outdoor dining area. I only ordered a crêpe because I didn't have much time to get food. The crêpe was great; I liked it. The waiter was very friendly, and the menu was half in French, which was a nice touch. My only complaint is that the service was pretty slow. It took a while for the waiter to take our orders, and to refill our waters. After the meal, he took so long to bring the bill, that we had to step inside to pay it. Although this doesn't phase me, it's not good practice. Overall, it's a nice little place.

Clyde Gaffigan

I feel so lucky to have stumbled upon this gem while exploring the neighborhood. The entire staff was welcoming and allowed me to take my time and enjoy my meal and companions. The food was delicious and affordable. I also enjoyed a couple (three) glasses of wine with lunch.

Jens Astrup

I've dropped by here on multiple occasions and have never had to wait very long, despite the fact that's always very busy - maybe I'm just lucky, but it's certainly worth noting. The staff here is extremely friendly (and sometimes very attractive). I'm not too big a fan of the brunch menu, but the lunch/dinner options are wonderful and I've been delighted each time. It's also a great place to bring a book and read while having lunch - I'd recommend choosing one of the window/booth tables. The decor is also very interesting, feels very bucolic inside. You can tell a lot of attention was paid to making sure the atmosphere felt just right!

Jeeyoung Choi

Great neighborhood French spot. Great for Sunday brunch or a chill evening sitting outdoors with mussels and wine.

Sergio A. Bedoya

Mussels and pasta are the hit of this place , landmark building of New York , very relax for dates or family brunches. Casual although service it’s fast and precise, be sure to bring hard cash , discount is made by paying upfront in cash :)

Hamish McCullough

Best french restaurant in chelsea. charming as f.

Keith Price

Amazing Quiche

Muscle Roast

I had a horrible experience at this cafe today. I ordered 2 ice coffees, and was told after the drinks were made, that it's cash only. When I told the manager, he got upset and showed me a little sign that was half covered with a flower that says cash only. When I refused to pay the $10 card minimum, he got upset and gave me a really rude attitude. He also did not care that I said I was going to write a review or speak to upper management. This is truly horrible customer service, and I would not in a million years want someone like that working at my establishment. The manager was an middle aged guy with an english or Irish accent, that doesn't know the first thing about customer service. I would not recommend this place to anyone.

Ian Zlatkin

One of my favorite eateries in Chelsea. Has a great menu including GLUTEN FREE crepes that are delicious amongst other classic French fare especially there cafe lattes. The one draw back is the poor ventilation so you often come out smelling like oil. But I highly recommend this place. Bon appetit!!

Kevin Christopher

Great neighborhood spot. Atmosphere always feels warm. Food is in point.

Rome Odom

Delicious place for brunch. Indoor and outdoor seating. Lovely decor.

Guillermo Santillana

Warm, charming and cozy atmosphere with a friendly wait staff. Hear great things about the French Onion Soup and a quick scan around proved that out, as many patrons seem to be enjoying it. Had the poulet aux legumes and it was delicious. Service was a bit slow(waited 1 hour for meal) but was told this was fluke. Though the restaurant was crowded it was never loud.

Monali Mahedia

Amazing experience dining here. We were craving for savory crepes, ended up ordering risotto and ratatouille crepe and loved it. Desserts were equally good , we ordered chocolate cake and chestnut crepe. Servers are super polite and sweet. It is on my go to place list....

Seth Gronkowski

Crepes on crepes. Delicious since 2003

Akeru Sakakibara

They charged for water without asking and it was rediculously expensive($4.5 for small bottle). Unfriendly staff, dirty space with sloppy table. NOT worth going

Matthew Dornquast

Amazing food, authentic French cuisine. Try the Maison Oueuf!

Andrew Der

Quality dishes at affordable prices. One of my favorite places for French food. Your clothes may smell afterward because of the open kitchen, but it's worth it.

Courtney Kim

cozy and comfortable cafe. Mocha was too much; I couldn't finish it.

Pam Johnson

We had the most awesome experience great food, service and friendly staff!!

Bravo Joe

Service-good. Food mediocre. $18 burger overcooked. But worst: the ventilation. That grill smell filled the air. And clothes smell like I was the line cook! even after being out in the fresh air an hour afterwards.

Xiaomin Z

Except that space is very limited, we had a good brunch there. Coffee was good, I ordered poulet ratatouille, it was delicious. Given the amount of food, price is reasonable as well.

Cheryl Davis

Great quality food and great service!

Sheridan Kates

Love this little french bistro for its simple, delicious food and chilled ambiance. They have a great supply of magazines if you just want to come here to chill by yourself too. And if they're doing the lobster roll special, I highly recommend you go for it :)

Samantha Hinkle

Amazing place! Great food, quiet, and there is always seating

Bob Bowie

Loved the food: œufs maison was perfect. It was a "forced choice" for me, as the last to order; soooo many delicious dishes on the menu. Service without parallel. Accommodating, gracious. Recommended by Ellen's B&B.

Michael G

Had Mother’s Day brunch here last week and everything was great. Feels like it has had the same decor for decades but it still works. We were served by Felipe who was terrific. Previous visit we were served by Eileen who was also really nice and efficient. We live locally so will be back for sure.

Ian Arcuri

Simple, well done country fare in a rustic, small, location with a kitchen the size of my closest. Excellent, fresh ingredients delivered perfectly

Thomas Nesbit

Small and dirty

Simon Adler Jacobs

Such a beautiful little spot in Chelsea. I grabbed a late breakfast here and I’m not sure if it was the rainy weather, or the food, or the beautiful tricycle with flowers in the basket parked out front, or simply the company I had...but my experience was one to remember. Such a romantic French cafe and the food was undoubtedly French in every way. The French toast was fantastic, the citrus on the plate really adds to the dish. We also split a Croque Madame which was equally as delicious. Highly recommended!

Mike Tery

Great breakfast crepes, also an excellent French toast!

Betsy Morgan

The crepes are delicious and the chocolate mousse is the best you’ll ever eat.

Nicholas DeSalvo

Awesome French café. Surprisingly reasonable prices for the area, and the service is good. Can get a little crowded at times, but they manage well.

Janet Frazer

Great meal!

Christopher Montalvo

This cafe is excellent. Their croissant was delicious with the consistency. The food tasted authentically parisian. And their profiteroles was da bomb. Perfect for a cute casual date night.

Robert Lewis

I really enjoyed dining here for lunch. The coffee was excellent, and the chicken and ratatouille crepe perfectly prepared. Though the server accidentally brought a regular croissant instead of a chocolate one with my coffee, I'd still say it was a success overall.

Gail Wilkins

This has been a go-to for us for years. But now, the imperfect charm is worn to gross and dirty. Every dish we ordered lacked something (except the high price). Service was not very good and the inadequate ventilation drove us outdoors twice and left smelling like burned oil. The good days have passed and it it time to move on.

David Shane

The food at Le Grainne is simple and reliable. It's great for lunch, but it's worth going for a light dinner as well. I personally like the merguez sausage sandwich or anything with ratatouille.

Olivier Manhattan

It's nice to have a drink on the small terrace, 9th Ave bring relatively quiet. Friendly service, can be slow sometimes though. Food is simple and good.

Susan Levey

Pleasant, casual cafe with lots of choices. Good wine list, great omelettes, and specials. My party of 6 enjoyed their choices, and since we dined at an early hour, were able to converse easily. Attentive service too.

Mark Williams

Really good french breakfast spot. The cafe au lait is so large it requires two hands. Lots of great food options.

Brittany Dasher

Everything was phenomenal! Amazing service will definitely go there AGAIN!

Marvin Carley

Tonight my friend from San Antonio and I from East Haven, CT went to La Grainne, this fantastic French restaurant based on a recommendation from a friend who used to live in NYC and one who still lives here. When we walked in we were greeted with a smile and shown to our table. The two waiters, Isaac and Robin, helped us understand the menu and helped us make decisions about what to order. Cudos to the chef and to our waiters. My friend’s chicken and ratatouille and my crepes were delicious. Do not miss this charming and wonderful restaurant. Have your wine and allow them to make your food from scratch. It will be worth your while. Guys, I will be back! Thanks for everything! Marvin

Laura Edelstein

My go to place in Chelsea. The food is always terrific and is presented beautifully. Salads,crepes, omelettes,chicken, drinks, seafood...and Le Grainne Cafe has the best coffee in Chelsea.

AmberGris Consulting

french toast with a fruit cocktail - yummy! it's cozy there and you have to sometimes wait. the staff are really friendly and go out of their way to make you comfortable

Mike Degen

My fave. Always.

Wendy T

Service was great!!! Staff were super friendly. We stopped by for a quick snack after a night show and we ordered the mussels. Usually the don't give that much but this place actually fills the pot to the top! I was amazed how generous they are!! It definitely was filling and felt more like an entree. Sharable with 2-3 people! Will definitely come back~

Carlos Villavieja

Service is very very slow but food is good and healthy. We had a creepe, and a couple of nice sandwiches. The escargot are bad, too oily and the flavor is lost.

Lisa Glachman

Crepes and Salad good ! Nice service, cozy neighborhood gem- french cuisine.

Erik Black

Sweet Crepes dude.

Tetsu Phil Mukai

I love this place. I have already been twice, and the food has been really amazing. They have some really interesting and refreshing seasonal deserts. Highly recommend it!

Gayana Grigoryan

Excellent food and great service. Had a delicious sandwich

Regan McKendry

One of my favorite brunch places. Delicious crepes, great coffee, and an intimate atmosphere.

Michael Mansfield

Undoubtedly my most favorite restaurant in New York.

Dennis Grishin

Rissoto, crepes, beet gazpacho (special), and good wine. What more do you need? Really cute spot. Don’t let the cafe name make you think it’s just a coffee shop or pastry shop. This place has a good selection! Will for sure be back.

Igor Foox

Pretty good food and decent prices. Nothing mind boggling here, but reasonable bank for the buck. Pretty nice atmosphere as well. Good, quick service. Been here twice on a couple of recent trips.

Daniel Hanold

Used to be one of my favorite neighborhood places, but both the food and service haven’t picked up in recent years.

Sol Briks

Friendly and tasty.. reasonable for NYC.. coming back.

Eric Borlaug

Really nice and authentic French cafe. Great ambience and service. Crepes and pastries are excellent, as is the coffee. I was a bit disappointed in the croque madame.

Carlos Valenzuela P.

Amazing food

Céleste M Sotelo-Ramirez

Loved it. Very reminiscent not being in a local, neighborhood cafe. We had two different crepe sales and they were delicious. Would love to have more time and return for dinner.

Juan Zuluaga

Nice french cafe with excellent food and ambiance!

Michael Gorman

Great small down to earth cafe

Mona Cook

This is a small, cute Chelsea French bistro. The restaurant looks as if it were plucked out of Paris. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. The staff is exceedingly cordial and professional.I was here pre-theater this time for dinner. We were immediately served wonderful french bread and creamy butter. My dining companion and I both started with a nice glass of red wine and delicious escargots in garlic butter. For my entree I had the filet of sole in parchment, white wine, capers, carrots all nicely seasoned. It was served with crisp green beans and mashed potatoes. My companion ordered the roast chicken, also served with green beans and mashed potatoes.

Patricia Parenti

Excellent crepes. Great service. Cute casual place. Loved the double cup of coffee.

Rimma Shiptsova

GreAt food and service and a.c. does not blow right at you

ray cortez

One of the best burgers I've ever had! It's like a flavor smack!

Miosotis Maria Gutierrez

Excellent place to visit in Manhattan. The food is good, nice view of the city and you can sit outside

Gary Cruz

Best crepes in new york

Benjamin Cranston

Fine french cafe

Christine Alemany

Went here with a friend because our first choice had an hour wait. Had a glass of wine, escargot and a mushroom crepe. The wine was not so good, and the food was fine. Everything was ok, nothing to go out of your way to experience.

Steven Oshry

There are mixed reviews of this place but we really liked it. We were there on a busy Saturday for brunch and the service and food were both excellent. Highly recommend!

judith sokoloff

Great food, friendly service

Simone R.

Great food, fast and plesant service.

Henry Flory

wonderful place, very nice atmosphere and vibe, music is loud, but it's not annoying. the escargot were excellent, the wine was good, and the valrhona and banana crepe was delicious! actually felt like a french bistro, which i don't say about many places. i will definitely go back there!

Gabby Shpirer

Great crepe. French music and French atmosphere. My son took the fresh fruit crepe with ice cream bomb in it. He loved it. I could only sit aside and pay at the end..

Jonathan Bressler

Amazing food, service, and atmosphere.

Raz

This cafe is a creperie in disguise. If you like skinny pancakes served in a European setting with European style, look no further. The place feels like a Parisian cafe to a point, but it won't disappoint those looking for a sweet treat as well as those in search for a more savory affair. From the outdoor seating to the indoor ambiance the place is inviting, casual and warm. The service is friendly and the food tasty and wonderfully presented.

Philip Bradford

Tin ceiling sort of French Bistro with laid back vibe. Wine choices OK, menu is a bit static, never seems to change much. Bring friends. Good but limited outdoor seating during the ever expanding warmer months.

John Sansevere

I love this cafe it is my favorite place to go when I visit the city. The crepes are aaaaa-mazing! A must go!

Jane Kim

Love this local spot. Great consistent food. Their onion soup is one of my favorites. Service is amazing as you can linger or get a quick meal. Great wines too.

Gino M.

The oeuf maison (poached egg with goat cheese, hash browns and spinach or ratatouille) is one of my favorite breakfasts in town. Service is just "ok" but the location is stunning (in a farmhouse from the 1830s) with tables outside in warmer months.

배진희

Great mood& food!!

Leo timmons

Very good gluten free crepes

Christine Mawha

Food was absolutely delicious, wine and beer selections excellent, place was cozy and clean. Nice atmosphere. I had a great time. Only negative thing I could say is that it took a bit long for the food to come, and everyone got theirs at different times over a period of 8 to 10 minutes

Mabel Kane

Once a favorite place because of quality of food and service, so sorry to leave this review. Stopped in today when the place was nearly empty. A cup of take-away onion soup, $13--really? $5 for a small coffee, woah! But what was more annoying is that after leaving a hefty tip for the soup, I paid for the coffee and while waiting for a bit less than $1 back was asked, "Do you want your change?" And the reaction was non too pleasant when I replied, "yes." Then to hit the street and find no spoon for the hearty soup and upon returning to learn, "We're out of spoons." Please.

Jesse Moore Perrin

Excellent French fare is served here, with a quaint atmosphere! My fiance and I have been here a handful of times and the menu has never been disappointing.

G Merritt

I used to like this place especially for brunch, but something has seriously changed. 100% of the staff have turned over, the service has gone terrible, and the food is nothing like it used to be. 3 bad experiences in a row now. I won't be going back. Too bad.

Cheryl

I love this place for breakfast. I had the French Toast with bacon, coffee and home fries. Warm, charming and cozy atmosphere with a friendly wait staff what more could a person wish for. Great Staff!!!! Great Food!!

William Hamel

Awesome menu. Great for breakfast and brunch. You can wait a long time for your food sometimes.

Jen Brinley

This used to be one of our favorite restaurants in Manhattan, but the past two times we've eaten there have been very disappointing. Either an order has been wrong and/or the food not good.

joyce romano

Lucky to find this charming French Bistro today. Delish, fresh, ample, lovely food. We plan to return next trip into nyc.

Jessica

This is probably a borderline 3 stars. The place itself is dainty and very French like, obviously. But I'm starting to think maybe I'm really just not a fan of French food or this place was just meh. However, big props to the big menu. The service here was so slow, we didn't even get the menu until like 5 minutes later. And the food took even longer- like 20 minutes. The check was the only thing that came quick. Croque Legumes ($15) 3/5- Just a odd looking toast of bread with cheese, egg, tomato, and a zucchini that was not even mentioned in the description. Surprised me for sure. And an ok salad on the side with some sour dressing. Really overpriced for this mediocre plate. Fruits Frais ($10)- 2/5 My boyfriend ordered this and I'm afraid he'll have diabetes after this dish. Strawberry sauce on top of fruits? Maybe chocolate would be better. It was too sweet and I only had a small bite. I can't even imagine finishing the entire thing.

Santiago MacLean

Great moules here! My partner and I come here for brunch and service is great as well as their food. Highly recommend their Orange Hot Chocolate!

Warren Hoffman

Good food, quick service

Mark Yacoub

4% credit card fee on any amount. No wifi. Decent crepe (banana and Nutella)

Corrie Davidson

While not the best lobster roll I ever had, pound for pound it might be the best deal. For the stiff price of 18 bucks, I think there were 18 lobsters in the round sandwich (not a traditional roll.) I also missed a salty crunch to complement it - fries or chips would have been great but the beets it came with while odd were good. The home fries we're soggy and tasted like a camp fire. The chocolate mousse was divine, especially when paired with a slice of strawberry or sliver of candied orange rind. With a menu I can't wait to work my way through (crepes both sweet and savory and gourmet sandwiches in edition to classic French entrees), a cozy bistro feel inside and 3 sidewalk tables out, I see repeat visits to this neighborhood spot in my future. Oh, and they will let you eat outside with your dog if you put it outside the little "enclosed patio wall." For those in need of wheelchair access, it's very small and tight, but they have a sign in the window that says to ask for assistance (I imagine they put a ramp out to accommodate the step up and inside.)

David Lyon

This is one of my favorite Chelsea restaurants in the center of the the chic Landmarked District. Located in one of oldest buildings in Chelsea, you’l feel like you’ve been transported to quaint cafe in Paris complete with sidewalk seating. My insider tip is to try the Oeuff Maison with spinach!

Anne Marie

Nice and relaxing but still with a big city feel! Great place to sit and read a book with breakfast and coffee. The french toast is wonderful. Did seem a tad expensive, but I suppose the prices were pretty normal for NYC. Would go back!

Peter Pavlovic

Food wasn't bad - nice hot shepherd's pie on a cold day with a glass or two of red wine. Service was prompt and courteous.

Steve Foster

love this place, go here every trip we make to nyc

daniel lettrich

FINE FRENCH FARE

Dana Hoffer

A go to. Completely satisfied 99.5% of the time. Owner is often around. Staff is professional and engaging. Happy to come and come again.

Nate Perry-Thistle

Classic French fare.