Café Paulette — Restaurant in New York

I can’t really rate the food as I didn’t eat my last time there. Service was fine, but it's not a place to spend a leisurely time if you aren't of a certain persuasion. Even with my friend ordering food and my ordering a beverage to catch up on this crazy hot day, it was implied that we had to vacate our seating. Prior to our being told that "we need the table," an elderly regular and her care assistant came in. She asked to sit in her regular spot - where my friend & I were in a booth. The waitress tried to tell her (and she could clearly see) that the booth was occupied. Of course, this didn’t matter, but nonetheless, she continued to make it known that the booth was where she wanted to be seated, her attendant shaking her head in dismay the whole time. We didn’t leave. Were we to get up and find a new table just because she had arrived? GOH. She and her attendant ended up taking a table in the back of the establishment, of which there were several. Being respectful to elders is important, but the insistence with which she wanted to sit at HER spot wreaked of entitlement which seemed to be backed by the establishment, so much so that on the heels of our plates being cleared and the check being paid - was when we were told the table was needed. There was no line at the door of the cafe; no one had to be turned away and given a time to come back for a free table. EVERYONE ALREADY IN THE CAFE WAS SEATED. Needless to say, my friend and I are Black; the elderly lady is not. Do with that information what you will.

It leaves one to wonder if the racial tables were turned in this situation, would the same scenario have unfolded? Ponder that while my friend and I take our dollars someplace other than...

Was looking for a cool, spot with a cozy outdoor dinning scene in brooklyn and Cafe Paulette provided that in spades. The hostess greeted us warmly and informed us that a table outside should be ready soon in the area we wanted. it was packed at this french bistro yet the hostess found time to continously update us on our table status. They even offered us a glass of wine while we waited patiently. Other employees greeted us in passing as well observing us waiting calmly.

Once our table was ready we were immediately seated. The vibe was quite reminiscent of being at a restaurant in Paris. Apparently this location attracts a lot of french speaking people which was nice to see. The ambiance of the outdoor seating area was very cute with seating arrangements seemingly following CDC guidelines around covid safe protocols. The area was partially enclosed in with a partial translucent roof to shield patrons from rain. it was adequately adorned with barnyard hanging string lights to give that French riviera vibe.

The menu was adequately populated with choices written in french with english descriptions. I love when i go to a restaurant and the menu is one page with a few choices. Usually means each item is uniquely prepared and probably tastes fantastic. Cafe Paulette did not disappoint. We ordered the oysters to start. Nicoice salad was devine. For dinner we got the salmon and the clams with fries. Everything came out in adequate time and tasted fantastic.

They dont rush you out like some restaurants do now and they checked on us often through out each course.

Cant wait to come...

OK, so the food is fine - typical faux-French bistro fare. Prices are OK. But there are two issues, one annoying and the other the reason I wouldn't go back. The first issue is the booths: they're badly constructed, so when the person at the next table over leans forward or backward, you get shoved around a bit (and vice versa). I've come across this from time to time (rarely, though) and it always surprises me - cheap diners have gotten it right for decades, so you'd think a moderately-priced new build would have spent the time and money to do the same. For these prices, I expect better. The second issue is the larger one. After a nice dinner with friends - somewhere between an hour and a half and two hours - and a lot of food and wine, the water glasses stopped getting refilled and then, a few minutes later, we were asked to leave. "We need the table." Really no excuse for this (there was one party waiting for a table). I've been eating out in NYC for 30 years and it's only happened three times (and one of those was at a diner during a lunch rush, which is understandable), which tells me that even restaurateurs know...