Lucien — Restaurant in New York

The loss of the original Lucien spirit is one of the greatest misfortunes the East Village has faced in recent years. For so many years this restaurant was a gathering spot, feeling like the living room of Avenue A. It was a rare constant in a city that changes way too quickly. I came here nearly everyday and would be greeted by friendly familiar faces who knew my name, would ask about my life and most of all, they knew the unspoken value of true hospitality. This place is now unrecognizeable. There’s an endless turnover in staff, most of who seem to arrive with no experience in hospitality, hired instead for the way they look rather than any real passion for working, who don’t know or care about who has been loyal to this place for years. The people who worked here used to be cool.. They worked Lucien during the night, but would spend their days making art, acting etc.. The old Lucien felt like stepping into a real community.. now it just feels transactional and like the staff prioritizes how many tables they can turn over/ how many tips they can make in a night instead of the experience of dining. The last night I came in I overheard the owner Zack telling a host to not say goodbye to him unless it was at the very end of the night. that moment encapsulated what has been lost, a connection between the staff and the management, the humanity and the feeling that Lucien was about connection rather than control. The last night I came in will be my last. I had to wait an hour for a table on tuesday because two new hosts sat three walk-ins before me since the other member of my party hadn’t arrived. Once the other person did arrive, they said they were sorry, but isnce we were 15 minutes late they wouldn’t be able to seat us for a while. I was there on time. It wasn’t always like this though.. There was a time, not even that long ago, where the staff genuinely cared about making the experience work, about hospitality as an art form, not a numbers game. The erosion of the community is what makes me the most sad. For years the hosts and servers would make me feel welcomed, remembered and seen, but lately not a single one of the new hosts has asked my name or acknowledged how often I come in, despite my being there nearly every week.

Unless there a change in management philosophy, the last night I visited will be my last. Lucien wasn’t just a restaurant, it was a commnity, and the east village is...

Lucien was around back when I lived in LES back in the late 90's-00's, but never dined there. Almost 20 years later, my best friend wants to go and so we did. We picked a Wednesday night at 10pm- cause it's NYC and we can do that. The hostess was sweet and quickly accommodating. As we waited for our table, we ordered the French 75- deliciously made, but the bartender was corny with his feigned white boy "What's uuup?". Chloe and Oscar were our servers, and both were friendly, kind, and quick to take our orders and gave us the time we needed to enjoy our several French 75's and appetizers before ordering the entrees. We ordered the Moroccan grilled shrimp, arugula/fennel/parm salad, and crab cake- each one of them scrumptious. Our entrees: Eggplant napoleon & steak and fries- also delicious. Food and drinks are pricey. Chloe and Oscar gave us complimentary espressos and dessert at the end of the meal. Really, really the coolest people who work there. Disco playlist was bomb. Here is my problem: The insufferable hipster patrons. There was a large birthday party with very loud & rude guests (about 20 or so people who took up the entire front of the dining room save for three sm tables). They were allowed to come in and out about every 5 minutes, allowing the cold night winds to follow behind them; one woman squeezed herself into the long booth next to us and when she didn't fit, she made herself at home at our small table for two, pushing me over. The table over to the right of us ordered several small plates, and one of them was eaten by the guests of that birthday party. Huh? What? This is not the fault of management- but a gentle word with that group would have made us all feel better. All in all, I had fun- making fun of the crazy bunch of people, great drinks, delicious food....

The atmosphere is so NYC chic and right off the street. There's the sidewalk, you open the door and you are in the seating area. Tight quarters but not uncomfortable. Some might classify the space as loud or noisy but I say energetic. Come as you are. You can dress up or dress down. Nobody cares. The staff is attentive in part because the place is small.

The menu has range so whatever you want to eat is likely there. I strongly recommend making reservations for prime time but they do stay open late so if you want to chance walking in you could find a table. You could also call beforehand. There is a bar but it might accommodate 6-7 people. In other words it's crowded.

The food was very good and the portions were fair. It's French so it is a little "foo foo shee shee" or fancy, kind of. Translation? If you are hungry order an appetizer and you should be fine.

It is Manhattan so parking might be a challenge but there's metered parking on the street and a garage is never that far away. The location makes it that once you leave there's plenty of the NYC vibe to take in whether you are a native or just visiting, walking, driving or using mass transit. It's definitely worth checking. Going solo is fine but with a date it won't be cheap but they'll enjoy the experience and...