Sel et Poivre

Was walking around looking for a calm spot to enjoy my afternoon and Sel et Poivre caught my attention. Quaint and beautifully decorated French bistro. Sat by the bar since it's right in between the front seating of the restaurant and the back, doors were open and there was still that feeling of sitting outdoors and brought me back to Paris. Bartender was very knowledgeable, kind and friendly. Very professional staff and food looked amazing. I had eaten before coming in but cant wait to get back and try it out.

Authentic French food at fair prices. The menu has special dishes that worth to try them. The wine selection is excellent.

Good service. Top location 📍. French 🇫🇷 cuisine. Rissoto rise was tasty. Chicken 🍗 also is a great deal. The mild wine 🍇 makes the difference for us because is rare in Manhattan during the cold winters.

Went full on French tonight, Paté, Escargots, Veal Rognons (Kidneys...), Pot au Feu and Crêpes au Chocolat! If you are looking for authentic French Food , delicacies that you won't find everywhere else, then Sel et Poivre is where you will find what you seek!

Great food at reasonable prices, especially for Manhattan. They’ve been around since 1989 so they are doing many things right. Feels like a true bistro with classic French fare. We dined here twice in a four day visit and will return!

Hard, cold chunk of butter served with slightly warmed bread. Soup du jour had been sitting in the bowl for a while and probably went through the microwave. The ring visible in the bowl was right after they served it, before I tried it. This was at 1pm on a Sunday, lunch/brunch time.

Disclaimer: we visited on Christmas day, just walking around until we found something that was open. Not happy at all, and the food was mediocre at best. Christmas lunch special was priced little less than 50$ which would be ok if the food was at least ok... The sweet red pepper bisque was ok, although watered down. Turkey with stuffing and mashed sweet potato I practically didn't eat. Few green beans and carrots and that was it. Even turkey wasn't so great. Not to mention we waited 45 min after starter - only to notice that few people coming after us got the food before us. But absolute shock was with the dessert - apple tart. I had to take a picture of this as this was just horrible - I wondered how are they calling this a dessert :( all in all, we paid 150$ for 2 people and left wondering for what?!?

Excellent value for casual French food in the UES. We had the prix fixe brunch which included a bloody mary, mimosa or screwdriver as well as a brunch entree for just under $20 total. The croque monsieur was totally serviceable for this price.

Sel et Poivre (Salt and Pepper) is a French Brasserie on the Upper East Side serving traditional French Cuisine. The restaurant's ambience is cozy and romantic. The dark wood flooring, dark wood tables and chairs, white tablecloth settings, and dim lighting all contribute to this . On the menu you will find French classics such as Thin Cut Steak Frites, Duck á l'orange, rotating Daily Specials, and the ability to build your own price fixed menu at $42.95. Given that we dined in on a Tuesday night, I opted for the daily special which was the Coq Au Vin. My aunt opted Fresh Tomato, Mozzarella, Basil Salad with shallot vinaigrette while my mom went with the Grilled Chicken Breast Salad with lettuce, pecans, boiled egg, chickpeas, dried cranberries, and bacon tossed in a mustard vinaigrette. Both my mom and aunt were happy with their salad orders. They weren't starving like I was and felt like their saladas were more than enough for them. I remember both my mom and aunt were very impressed by the mozzarella salad. My Coq Au Vin was absolutely delightful! The wine sauce did not overpower the chicken and perfectly complemented the mashed potatoes, broccoli, mushrooms and carrots that came with the dish. Overall, it was hearty and delicious! Finding a good Coq Au Vin back home in Miami requires some effort so ordering this was a pleasant treat for me. The service we received the entire night was very warm and welcoming! So, why 4 stars instead of 5? Well, this restaurant's Yelp page was (and still is) promoting a 10% off for checking in on Yelp. Our server checked with the Manager on how to apply the discount. However, when the Manager came over, they were dismissive of the discount and mentioned that they weren't sure why this "offer" was even listed in a bit of a confused and offended tone. It's one thing to apologize if an offer is outdated and not being used anymore-- that happens frequently. But, to act dismissive and completely clueless about this Yelp check-in offer while it's still listed on the page as of this review is a bit confusing and off putting to me. The Manager was almost insulted that this was even brought up! Ah well. 10% off isn't a huge deal and mistakes happen, but please work with Yelp to correct this inaccuracy. The way this was approached left our Tuesday evening dinner on a sour note. There are so many other better ways to say "no"/not honor this offer that could've been said. Regardless, we enjoyed our meal at Sel et Poivre and would come back to try other offerings on the menu.

I love love love this place I'm super upset they are closing their doors! Best French food in the neighborhood that's not super expensive JG or Daniel! Me and my partner would come here at least 1 a week, we especially loved when everyone would go to the Hamptons during the summers and we would have a place to Sit and chat without a wait. Sel et Poivre will be an upper East Side staple. Good luck too all the staff and owners!

Excellent food & service optimum the Soucy a la Orange Very Good the Fegato also is delicias

Perfect welcome, accommodating, generous hospitality from the get-go. Highly recommend.

A restaurant I had ignored for many years and upon looking at the menu, I said hooray an old-fashioned French restaurant that has duck and other wonderful things and I made an appointment for myself my wife and friends. What a total disaster, the Calfs liver, my wife had was terrible and sent it back for kidneys hard-tsteless, the duck orange was tasteless.as was the skate fish. the service was practically nonexistent. I sure I'm lucky. I haven't been back to the place in years. I advise you avoid at all, of costs

Excellent homey neighborhood restaurant. Service is attentive and the food is excellent

Does not honor reservations. In the same hour, this happened to us, a party of two, and a party of 8. Our party of 2 made reservations on OpenTable 3 hours beforehand, and we weren't even on their list when we got their. After we were seated, a party of 8 arrived, said they had reservations, and the Maître d' said they did not. They had to wait outside in the cold for 30 minutes. After we were seated, the bus boy offered us water, but 20 minutes later still no water.

I tried Sel Et Poivre for brunch - $25.95 prix fixe for an excellent lunch. Service was good; food was very good. Wine at $15 per glass was on the high side but a good size pour. The servers and manager have a European charm which is seldom seen in Manhattan these days. Overall I was impressed; worth a try if you are in the area.

A lovely little French brasserie that's been here for decades. The food, wines, and service have always been and still are exceptional. This place has been one of my favorites for years. It's cuisine is consistently excellent and it's one of the few places I know to find fois grois, one of my favorites. I just love this place!

This is a sweet French Bistro we like going to but we also like to order in the food. Love the celeriac salad and the tarte flambee, and the duck a l'orange. Great profiteroles. You also can order directly from them which is nice.

We visited based on our experience with Nadine's, near us in Westchester, as Pamela and Christian own both establishments. Was great to see Freddy, who helped out in the first month at Nadine's. This spot offers a couple of sidewalk tables and a warm interior, and is as close to a French bistro as you can get outside of France. Our crab cake and escargot appetizers were terrific, and I went for the veal kidneys as a main - a dish you don't see on any menu nowadays. Perfect with a nice round Merlot based Bordeaux. Service was exemplary and we will see them again closer to home! Bon appetite!

I was in the mood for just a quaint plac, for a late brunch. Their spinach and goat cheese omelette with the side salad was delicious. Very cozy atmospher.

Mediocre 'French' restaurant. Ordered the Salad Nicoise and my son ordered the Chicken Salad. Although they announced beforehand that the tuna would be from a can the rest of the salad also tasted unremarkable and not that fresh. Likewise - the Chicken in the chicken salad tasted rubbery and previously frozen.

Love this little spot for unfussy, simple a French brasserie food. Wine list is small but tight. Veal kidneys are a must.

Authentic French food. Great service! The way dining should be. The venison with cranberries was superb.

Lunched here yesterday and have now made a plan to come back monthly! Perfect service and exquisite food. Highly recommended.

It's French, it's classic bistro, it's tasty, it's full of wonderful staff, it's run by friendly owners every night, it's comfortable, it's New York, it's everything you might be looking for. What more can I say? Bon appetite

In Paris I would go to Plac d'Voge for Pot au feu. Had it here - im back in gay Paris. Want authentic in NYC? In terms of food and ambience? This is the place- and on Thursday night don't miss the Pot au Feu

$$$$. Food was exceptional. Had Duck a la Very nice ambience. Good service. Extensive wine list. I deathly recommend it

Excellent service and food was delicious! Cozy atmosphere too! Love the indoor yet outdoor bistro tables! Merci:)

This family run French eatery serves comfortable French cuisine. I had a simple lunch, appetizers and drink. They serve escargot on 6-hole platter as at most places. The difference is that they put two small ones in a hole or a single regular one in a hole. They recommend that you eat with the bread on the table. The house Chardonnay is also not bad. The place has a mixed lunch crowd. It is a good place for weekday lunch especially if you have limited time.

Increasingly difficult to give Sel et Poivre business - and it falls 100% on Christian, the owner. 1) The quality of the ingredients has greatly deteriorated. Any protein you order is of poor quality - chicken, salmon, trout, steak, lamb - nothing is of even average quality. It's simply bad. And it's glaringly obvious. 2) The man complains long and loud about EVERYTHING related to paying employees, paying taxes, paying contractors, regulations related to running a restaurant... It's clear he treats his employees badly and skimps on quality at the expense of his customers. It's easy to imagine him telling the kitchen staff to re-serve food or serve dated ingredients for the reduced price Lunch Special menu. Christian's cheap and selfish soul is a cancer that has finally spread its way through every aspect of the restaurant. One note: I received an abusive reply to my review from the owner Christian because I referred to his constant complaining, boorish behavior and personal responsibility for the deteriorating quality of food as a "cancer" that has spread throughout the restaurant over the last few years to the detriment of his customers. Apparently - like everyone else on the planet, including myself - he knows someone who has or had cancer. Christ, I lost my father and brother to cancer. For the record and with respect, in addition to describing a biological condition of abnormal cell growth Webster's dictionary also defines "cancer" as, "a practice or phenomenon perceived to be evil or destructive and hard to contain or eradicate." Yup.

Great neighborhood French restaurant. Reliably French, very good and reasonably priced. Been there for decades, sure sign of a good place.

Service ambiance and food quality all exceeded our expectations. We will be back. ****

My go to place in the neighborhood near Hunter that offers great quality food, amazing service, & nice ambiance. Would highly recommend all their dishes and especially food of their burger and steak frites. Their prix fixe is a great deal. Cannot be beat!

Great lunch/brunch price fixe menu. Classic steak and eggs with a bloody Mary and dessert for $25 is a good deal around these parts. Service was a bit harried but good for a busy brunch rush.

Delicious moist duck à l'orange. Great, friendly service. Cozy place. Enjoyed an early Sunday dinner.

A cute spot located in UES close to Central Park. Has a homey family vibe. Overall was not too impressed with the food, I got the pasta which was very okay and my date got the omelet which didn't look particularly appetizing. Service was slow despite not too many customers and there were some flies while we were eating. Perhaps it was an off day for the restaurant but I feel like there are better places in the area

Very disappointed at this restaurant!!! After a day at the zoo with my husband and 2 kids. We wanted to have dinner at this restaurant. It was around 5pm and the place was empty except for a couple sitting by the window. As we go in the a waiter or manager asks us for vaccine prove even though it still wasn't a requirement yet. And ask us if "my kids are going to cry" I was in shock. I said excuse me they are kids I can't help it or predict it if all of the sudden they begin to cry. He said because they can't have kids crying in the restaurant. We would have to leave. I told him they should put a sign in the entrance no crying kids allowed!!! Never in my 32 years living in this city I have encounter something like this. We ended up in an Italian restaurant named Piccolo highly recommended food it's delicious and staff is amazing. Very packed and they accommodated my family.

Sel et Poivre is an "old school" French midtown eastside restaurant in Manhattan. Prix Fixe $36.95 includes 3 courses. Coffee is $4.50 extra but they give you unlimited refills. Food is good, service good, decor good. Nothing spectacular here but if you want solid traditional French food that won't break the bank, it's a good bet.

If you want really solid French fare at a bargain in a charming setting with always friendly service, Sel et Poivre is the place to go. The salmon with haricorts vert in beurre blanc is the star of the menu. I've been eating this dish for seven years now and it never disappoints. Brunch, lunch, and dinner prix fixe terrific. They will do a spinach Benedict for brunch if you don't do Canadian bacon/ham. The bread comes out warm, so the butter melts. There's a reason S et P has survived 30 years: the food is great and you always feel at home in this neighborhood gem.

We went there after a concert at Temple Emanuel, at around 8: 30 PM, and we were the youngest people there by at least 10 years (we are in our late sixites). But I mean this as a compliment. The place makes you feel at home, the French home cooking is fine, and you are encouraged to linger over you wine and dessert. Don't expect haute cuisine, just the standards executed well. This is your typical Upper East Side neighborhood place that attracts a lot of regulars. Prices are fair considering the neighborhood.

This a pretty cute, old fashioned French bistro on the upper east side with friendly, attentive service and a good selection of French and Italian foods - mostly French. The wine list, however could use a little work. I came here randomly with my friend Ingrid S. to grab a bite to eat after getting our hair done. We were both pretty ravenous since hours had gone by since lunch and we wanted something quick and easy. Since by this point it was like 9:30pm on a Tuesday night and we were referring to our night as a "girl date" we decided to cap it with a romantic dinner, lol. Yeah, we're weird...and AWESOME. We found this place through foursquare and totally used the Scoutmob special available on foursquare to get 50% off our check (with a max of $20 - we definitely went over the number that would've been 50% off, but whatevs - it was totally worth it :D). We ordered an entrée, a side and an appetizer to split and each ordered a glass of wine...along with the complimentary bread basket and butter that served upon being seated. The entree we selected was their Fettuccine with chicken in a creamy pepper sauce. Essentially it was Alfredo sauce...a cheesy, light sauce that wasn't too dense or too rich. I liked the consistency but wish it would have been a little less bland...a pinch of salt and a hampering of leftover pesto/basil infused garlic butter definitely went a long way in flavoring this dish...because we're creative and awesome, this happened and we have no regrets. The chicken in the dish was also okay, juicy in some parts, dry in others and not seasoned enough...perhaps a touch of lemon and white wine sauce would have made the chicken go from a A- to an A+. As a side we went with French fries as per Ingrid's request. They were pretty good. Cooks kept the potato skin on (which I'm a total fan of) and they were crunchy with a fantastic fried to potato ratio. Not too salty, good stuff. The highlight for me was definitely their garlic butter and herbed escargot. It's been a few years since one of these tasty delicacies has touched my tounge...last place in fact was Les Halles in Chelsea. They were divine here and (perhaps because it's been awhile) they were even MORE divine here! Perfectly cooked and marinated in a fantastic garlic, butter, herb blend - these poor, cooked land snails didn't know what hit them! They were served in a tray containing an order of 9 and not in their shells which makes me happy since they're easier to consume sans shell. My only gripe is that they were super, SUPER smaller than Les Halles. Tastier, but smaller...thus making it a tough call to really decide on a winner. Also, fun fact of the day: Escargot is estimated to contain 15% protein, 2.4% fat and about 80% water - who0t!! As for the wines, Ingrid said her Coute de Rhone (one of my favorite reds actually) was ooooookay. My Pinot Grigio was utter crap and seriously tasted funky. No bueno. Service was impeccable and after having looked through Yelp photos, their Skate fish dish looks faaaaaaaantastic!! I would totally return here to try it and get more tasty French noms. OUI!!!

We had just finished a two hour long hair appointment and Steph P. was starving and I was . . . well, I was drunk off of a half bottle of wine and this showed up as being both near the F train and had a 50% off deal on Foursquare/Scoutmob and 10% on Yelp! It's actually really kind of cute inside and romantic with candle-lit small round tables. We both agreed it was the best non non date we had been on in months. MONTHS. What is with people these days? Right? Okay, maybe it wasn't completely romantical. . . . the Yankees were playing above the bar area. This is the first time I've ever caved and tried escargot. She wanted it and I had no actual cravings for anything specific so I went with the flow. The verdict? Freaking amazing. I'm converted. I love snails. Maybe it was because it was nestled into little disks of butter and pesto sauce. But whatever. It tasted like a mushroom to me and she thinks it tastes like fish. So it is now a fishy mushroom. Not squishy at all! I will totally eat them again and again and again. We also ordered a side of frites that kind of seemed too much by the end and split an entrée of their creamy pepper fettuccini that wasn't too heavy on the cream or too heavy on any pepper. It was alright. The pasta could have been a little bit more al-dente and it definitely wasn't home-made. There were a few chunks of chicken in it. Some parts were cooked right and some were dry and just taste-less. But it was adequate and even better after we drunkenly decided to toss the leftover escargot sauce into it. How's that for decadence. Wine? I love wine. The white Pinot was pretty bad. Swill. The Chote du Rhone was tasty and mellow. All in all I'd come back if I lived near here. But I don't. It was worth it because of the deal and the snails.

Some dish were a hit, some were a miss. We were a group of 7. They started us with warm bread that was really good. For apps we had the tomato, mozzarela, basil salad ( delicious although the vinaigrette was on the sour side), the french onion soup was very good but too salty, the foie gras was also good but very sweet, the escargot was not the best, it was mushy and a little watered down. The crab cake was good (the mesclun was particalurly good), the fish with artichoke was good, the duck a l orange was good but the steak was just ok (quite deceiving), the chicken was also good. For dessert both the chocolate crepe and lava cake were good. This is the type of restaurant who is ok but where u wouldnt go back to unless u were in the area.

Went here on advice of a colleague and the food was phenomenal !! Highly recommend any of their seafood specialties. The white bass was incredibly tasty and light and their sandwiches are served with warm bread. If they are serving lentil soup - get it! also highly advise trying to get a window seat table.... refreshing!

Had a very nice brunch here. Staff is very friendly and the menu prices were very reasonable in the current market environment. Food was good, not blow away but not bad.

I had the pork chop. It was cooked perfectly and came with a tasty sauce, potatoes, and veggies. My dinner companions thought their dishes were delicious as well (venison and trout). For dessert the profiteroles were good and enough for two people to share. The service was okay. I'd go back.

I live in LA, where restaurants tend toward the modern, the trendy, the... well, uncomfortable. It's a far-cry from the kind of place you expect to find in New York, especially on the UES. The kind of place like Sel et Poivre! Super-charming French restaurant and bar that will make you feel like you're in a classic New York short story, or maybe want to write one -- full of great characters (there was a cowboy at the bar the night I went, plus no shortage of neighborhood regulars), expertly prepared dishes and mood-lit mahogany. Go on a date, go with your relatives, hell, go by yourself -- there's so much to absorb on an ambience and menu level that you'll want to return a few times. Highly recommended!

I've been eating at Set et Poivre for over 20 years and there is always a warm and cozy atmosphere

A hard, cold chunk of butter served with slightly warmed bread. Soup du jour had been sitting in the bowl for a while and probably went through the microwave. The ring visible in the bowl was right after they served it, before I tried it. This was at 1pm on a Sunday, lunch/brunch time.

Great that my favorite NYC French restaurant has survived the pandemic and is still going strong!! Great food, wine, menu, service.........

On a lazy summer afternoon this was a great place to have lunch. The staff was solicitous and helpful - I have an allergy to onions, really it's more a curse since there are onions everywhere- but they were able to guide us and make accommodations The endive salad with green apples and Roquefort cheese was light but tasty, the escargot delicious but the fresh trout almandine was the star! For sure we'll come back!!

The service is always outstanding and the choices of country French menu selections are always just right and the mussels so tasty. It is a very dependable, neighbor place that I've never been disappointed in.

I had a delicious chicken pesto sandwich. Great portion with a wonderful combination between the pesto and the honey!

Tonight had prefixed dinner and was very good. It was busy but service was extremely slow. We didn't say anything to the waiter but the table next to us was very upset and complained. I had to call over the waiter each time we needed something like ordering. Paid not attention and seemed overwhelmed.

Excellent service, excellent food! The salmon and the lava cake are my go to! One of the people in my party spilled chocolate sauce from the lava cake on her white shirt and our waiter was there immediately and scrubbed out the stain for her with club soda. We felt our waiter really went above and beyond in all regards to make sure we had a great experience!

The restaurant has been in business here for decades. Owners Christian and Pamela are a husband and wife duo who take turns managing the place each night. They've been a team here for about 8 years, and for decades prior the restaurant was run by Panela's mother. This year Christian and Pamela are celebrating their 25th anniversary so be ready for some special menus coming this spring/summer season. The atmosphere is very local and homey. Walls are adorned with old black & white photos of family travels. There's a classic, clean French bistro feel to the place, and the 65-person seating capability is intimate without being stuffy or crowded. So hows the service? Amazing. Waiters here aren't just people toiling away at their job. These are men with long careers. The newest employee other than the bar staff has been there for 7 years, and veteran waiters have loyalty in the 25-30 year range. The chef has been there for that long, and the staff still manages to keep the menu interesting and new while always retaining the classics that some people have been coming back to eat for years. Impressive, and that speaks volumes about the management and quality of the joint. Christian himself is a stand-up guy. A class act. He's funny, talkative, approachable, kind, warm, inviting, and a great host. Within moments of talking with him you feel as if you've known him all your life. Located on Lex at 64th, the customers range from shoppers, to business people, to tourists. But their bread and butter are the locals, some of whom come in several times per week for specific dishes that they've been enjoying for generations. One family has been dining here for 4 generations. Even the landlord eats there, who has had the building property in his family since it was a cow grazing pasture in the 1600s. I'm serious. Okay so on to the good stuff. Here's what we had: First was a celery root remoulade with red beets. There was a distinctly Mediterranean flavor in this dish, likely because of the cumin spicing. I enjoyed it. It was a cool, refreshing way to open up the taste buds. Next we had wild striped bass with artichoke hearts, fennel and black olive lemon oil. The fish was perfectly cooked with its crisp skin still intact. This was also very Mediterranean in its flavor profile. Light and fresh. And I must say that the artichoke was one of the best preparations I've ever had outside of mom's home cooking. Steak was next. An aged sirloin to be exact. It was juicy and flavorful, had a nicely seasoned crust, and was cooked to a perfect medium rare. The beef was served with two sauces: roquefort and poivre. I only took a pic of one because they looked and tasted similar to me, though one was clearly more peppery. Both were drinkable, however. They went especially well with the cone of crispy and savory fries that came with the steak. Delicious. Next was a bit of offal! Veal kidneys with an amazing mustard sauce, boiled potatoes and spinach. Kidneys aren't for everyone. This was my first time eating kidney. It was a bit mealy and chewy in parts, but the flavor was delicate and nice. The sauce did a great job of bringing out the game flavors without letting them overpower you. I ate every bite! For dessert we had classic French creme brulee, and chocolate lava cake. They were both very nicely executed, well-balanced, and not overly sweet. The cake came with some fresh whipped cream and vanilla ice cream, and the brulee had a nice consistency and with great caramelized sugar on top. Last, I should also note that the wine selection here is great. Having broadened the scope from French and California wines to include great stuff from New Zealand and South America, Christian and Pamela have modernized their wine ... review cut for length

Nice place Cozy and romantic Good French good And not to bad on the price Would go back Delicious onion soup