Citroën — Restaurant in New York

For the most part, we enjoyed our Sunday brunch at Citroën. The hostess/servers were very friendly and accommodating. Our food was well made. We arrived on the tail-end of brunch so it was not very busy, therefore, food was served promptly. I am a creature of habit and I have omelettes and pancakes (or french toast) religiously for brunch every Sunday at various restaurants around the City. Citroën's omelette and home fries rank high for me... although the pancakes were just ok.

We love trying new places and this was our first time at Citroën. I do have one small issue about our experience at Citroën. I'll give the full story for texture. I ordered one of the cocktails off of the menu and the lemon taste dominated the drink. I asked our server if it could be sweeter. At first, he just shrugged and said, that's the way the drink is and he's not sure if anything could be done about it--maybe add some sugar? That didn't sound right, so I asked him if he could actually ask the bartender to see if anything could be done to make it sweeter while preserving the integrity of the drink. It was a polite exchange but surprising to me that there had to be a back and forth before the server agreed to have the bartender fix the drink. During the exchange, the server mentioned that the bartender was the owner. In a matter of minutes, the bartender tweaked my drink and it was quite good.

So, I got up to go to the restroom minutes later, locked eyes with the bartender/owner and gave a thank you nod. The owner was looking right at me... but did not say a word or acknowledge me. As I mentioned, the place was practically empty. She knew I was the one who ordered the drink. The owner also passed by our table at least twice... and there was never a check-in, smile or kind greeting. I say this with the understanding that not every owner has to do this... and certainly not for every customer every time. The context of the situation seemed to call for it though--so the lack of it was felt.

My partner and I choose to enjoy brunch every Sunday... specifically for the experience. Part of that experience is feeling welcome at the places we choose to go. We are always friendly and conversational and we tip above 20% -- or we keep it at at least 20% if we don't feel we have received great service. The restaurant had about 12 people in it. It was not super busy or crowded at this time. The owner's detachment was felt and it made us wonder if she appreciated our patronage.

As we were leaving the restaurant, the owner stood at the end of the bar flanked by 2 other staff members and a third a few feet away. ALL 3 staff members wished us a good day and, once again, the owner looked our way but said nothing. Perhaps her mind was elsewhere or maybe she was offended by my request to sweeten the drink?

I do commend the staff and the food, hence the 4 stars... but for us... we also require true warmth, friendliness, hospitality, and kindness across the board--especially from the owner, if the opportunity to do so arises.

After the experience, I came to google to leave a review. I have read several of the other reviews, as well as the owners response to her customers. I now see that I was not off the mark in my perception of the vibe I was getting.

I do hope that the stress and reverberation of the pandemic dissipates soon. I do realize that stress can cause people to be less pleasant than normal. Maybe that's...

I must have walked by this place hundreds of times...was always intrigued, and finally stopped by for a solo dinner.

Food: Ordered one of their shrubs/sodas and a burger. Easily one of the best burgers I've had in the hood. Cooked perfectly. Presented well. Fries were fresh (I hate soggy fries). Came with a little side of homemade pickles. Everything was great. Lots of other French classics on the menu, but figure I'd keep it simple and wasn't disappointed.

Service: It was a slow night....like 3-4 people in the entire place, but the staff was chill and always around if you needed anything. Attentive but not overbearing.

Atmosphere: When everything is starting to feel the same and going for a certain look no matter where you are in the world, Citroen is a breath of fresh air. It's a unique spot...and that's pretty cool! They really put some effort into the decor, and you can tell it's true to the owners and feels authentic. I ate next to a skeleton at the bar! It's fun...it's not pretentious, and when you have to plan 4 weeks in advance to get a decent rez at most of the popular spots in Greenpoint, this still feels like a neighborhood spot where you can grab a burger and beer ($5 happy hour) on your way home from work and catch up with a friend or just read at the bar while you have a cocktail. These places are a dying breed and should be supported.

The one thing I'll say is that it was very slow, which can affect the vibe, but whatever, it was a Tuesday night. It always looks full when I'm walking by on the weekends. Highly recommended...especially if you're local...

Edit: thank you for proving me right Dawn. You responded aggressively to my review as predicted in the same way you responded aggressively last night. Not sure what your legal action will be but don’t threaten me. I will also file a police report. Good luck working in customer service, you’re unhinged.

My one star review is because of the terrible way I was treated by the owner. I told another patron I found their clothing offensive. The owner comes up to the table, tells me I was inappropriate, I say this person’s clothing is inappropriate (it was antisemitic). The owner tells us to leave, when we don’t immediately leave she starts screaming, saying we’re trespassing, that she’s going to call the cops. We tell her to go ahead and call the cops She calls us crazy and body checks me. Her poor waitstaff came up (our server was very nice), apologized and quietly asked us to leave, so we did. The owner is volatile and aggressive and supports antisemitism. I’m sure she’ll respond to this aggressively based on her response to other...