Indochine
Vietnamese restaurant · NoHo
430 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10003
Highlights
French-Vietnamese fare amid exotic decor, popular for celeb sightings
French-Vietnamese fare amid exotic decor, popular for celeb sightings
"Yes, Indochine still exists. And it’s still a good time. Established in 1984, the Noho restaurant isn’t the blazing hot celebrity magnet it used to be, but the plump green booths and leaf-print walls are as charming as ever. Start with the Asian kale salad, then try some spicy shrimp or soft shell crab." - bryan kim
"Indochine wasn’t supposed to make it this far. The Noho restaurant should have flamed out after it opened in 1984 and attracted an unsustainable stable of star power. Warhol, Jagger, that sort of crowd. The place briefly closed in 1992, but after it was sold by Brian McNally—brother of Keith and co-founder of The Odeon—the party picked right back up. It's still kicking, but the restaurant's relevance has faded over the last few decades, and there's no mystery why. The hottest food nowadays is regional and specific, or at least tells a story. Agreeable as it is, Indochine’s Asian Kale Salad doesn’t have much to say. photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte Pause Unmute But it was never about the food. Even if celebrity sightings are scarcer now, Indochine still makes for a quintessentially Noho night out. Nostalgia plays a role, and so do the signature leaf-print walls, plump green booths, and ostentatious floral arrangements that belong in the foyer of a reclusive billionaire. There’s also something very New York about a server who can't be bothered to express any interest. It worked for Luger. Why not here? Dining is the only issue, and it’s nothing egregious. The signature spring rolls are entirely generic, and the fried rock shrimp could use some desalinization, but it’s not like you’re here because Bourdain sent you. You come to down martinis that taste like lemonade, make a few polite comments about a plate of shaking beef, and side-eye a crowd before you gawk at your check. A few decades removed, Indochine still excels at ’80s excess. Food Rundown Asian Kale Salad It’s identical to a pile of lawn clippings, but this salad should always be the first thing on your table. With its crispy shallots and standard-issue ginger-miso dressing, it’s charmingly generic and pleasant to pick at. photo credit: Kate Previte Grilled Baby Back Ribs A little dry, sure, but the ribs are still worth exploring. There’s a lot of coriander-crusted meat on these bones, and it slides right off. photo credit: Kate Previte Amok Cambodgien An essential order, if only because it’s a tenured staple of Indochine’s menu. The steaming sole comes wrapped in banana leaf, with a coconut milk sauce that tests the limits of how sweet and salty a piece of fish can be. photo credit: Kate Previte Sticky Rice You could easily make a meal out of the Asian kale salad and this side of sticky rice, and it would be a very decent one. The slivers of Vietnamese sausage really make the dish. photo credit: Kate Previte Shaking Beef Simple, satisfying. When in doubt, order this diced steak in a soy-forward marinade. photo credit: Kate Previte" - Bryan Kim
"A downtown spot epitomizing glamour, edge, and fun, perfect for being seen and socializing." - Edward Barsamian
"A 1990s Manhattan restaurant that helped place Vietnamese-influenced haute cuisine into the social spotlight by reimagining dishes with French-influenced presentation and white-tablecloth service; period coverage noted dishes like “Vietnamese ravioli” and coconut Napoleon, which, the paper wrote, placed them “in the social spotlight” where they attracted what the Times deemed “a fashionable clientele.”" - Nat Belkov
"Opened in 1984 on gritty Lafayette Street, Indochine began when Brian McNally—guided by his then‑wife Anne’s concept modeled on Paris’s Au Coin des Gourmets—introduced a stylish French‑Vietnamese boîte whose banana‑leafed walls and runway‑ready crowd quickly made it a magnet for the art-and-celebrity set (Madonna, Andy Warhol, Jean‑Michel Basquiat, Mick Jagger and more). Although it was padlocked by the taxman in 1992, three staffers—busboy Huy Chi Le, manager Michael Callahan, and maître d’ Jean‑Marc Houmard—pooled their savings, renegotiated the lease (Le took over the kitchen, Callahan operations, Houmard front‑of‑house) and kept it alive; Houmard remains the face of the restaurant today. Several original dishes endure—Vietnamese ravioli, spring rolls, and fish steamed in banana leaf—while entrees that once cost $8–$12.75 now run $29–$55. I see it as a scene‑y Downtown institution that helped transfer cool to the neighborhood, encouraged a flamboyant and diverse front‑of‑house, spawned spin‑offs like BondSt, Acme, and the Nines, and continues to draw A‑listers (recently Pedro Almodóvar, Tilda Swinton, Victoria Beckham) because, as Houmard says, “the beauty of Indochine is that it’s not that different from 40 years ago.”" - Kathleen Squires
