QUATORZE — Restaurant in New York

QUATORZE RESTAURANT on 82 & First Ave is a ZERO! In this day and age of Covid, Omicron, Masking and people wanting to be vigilant about staying safe, we were humiliated, treated so poorly and WERE BASICALLY TOLD to “take it or leave it”. We left and SHALL NEVER RETURN!! From the second we arrived at the restaurant the maître d’ Diego was fairly rude and stated that he would only accept the vaccination card and would not accept a picture of the card (as most other restaurants have done). Than he guided us to a table for 2 in the corner, which was only about a foot apart from the next table and cramped! Both my date and I were not comfortable “sitting in the corner” so close to other diners and we requested a table in the center of the restaurant which was set for 4 (of which there were three or four vacant tables at 7:30 at night). We were then seated at a table for two in the middle of the restaurant. Abby the waitress was lovely and we ordered Pellegrino and wine. As we looked around Lo & behold we see two diners at two different tables of four, and one couple came in and Diego kindly removed two of the table settings, allowing the two diners to sit very comfortably at a table for four. I was pretty incensed; my companion was pretty upset..:and I called over Diego and asked “how come two couples are sitting at tables of four, and we were not “allowed” to?!” He was very brusque with me and said I’d have to speak to the owner… so I said I wanted to speak to him. Then Alex, the owner, sashayed over and told me how rude I had been to his Maitre’ D, and that the table we were at was it!! He would not move us! I told him that perhaps he had never heard of “customer service” and that in this day and age of Covid, people didn’t want to be sitting on top of each other or be cramped, and that I didn’t understand why some guests were seated at tables of 4 (when they were only 2), and why was he being so rude to customers frequenting his restaurant when most restaurants would Love to have customers! He told me that I had insulted DIEGO (I asked him to elucidate and he gave a harumphhhh) and said that was the best he could do and basically to take it or leave it. I told my companion that I wanted to leave and then I said to the owner that he had better not mess with me because I’m going to write a scathing review about his restaurant and his (lack of customer) service and the entire disgusting way he talked to us! We left! He was arrogant, rude intransigent, and both he and Diego deserve this scathing review and we shall never, ever ever return or recommend Quatorze on 82nd and 1st Ave., New York. Thankfully we went to a lovely Bistro two blocks away and the food and service was outstanding! Shall be writing a positive review about that completely...

Bienvenue to Paris! There’s clearly a reason this place has celebrated 40 years. If you're on the Upper East Side and looking for a French bistro that checks all the boxes, Quatorze is the place to be. From the moment you walk in, it feels like a cozy Parisian getaway, and the team here makes every visit feel special. Alex, one of the managers, is always on top of things, ensuring everything runs smoothly with a warm and welcoming vibe. He’s definitely a big part of what makes this place feel so personal and inviting. Adam, the chef, always has something up his sleeve but keep the flavors true to a French bistro.

Now, let’s talk about the food—the steak frites here are out of this world. Perfectly cooked, juicy, and tender, with the crispiest, most addictive fries in Manhattan. No exaggeration, they might be the best fries you’ll ever have! The tarte de pomme is the perfect dessert to finish off your meal—it’s light, delicious, and just the right balance of sweet and tart. Maybe a Roquefort and a Sauternes to really round out the experience. But the day they make a crème brûlée I will be ordering dessert with every meal.

The staff here makes all the difference. Carlos is always there with a smile, ready to lend a hand if you need anything. Justin is another standout—this guy can carry more drinks than I thought possible, and he does it all with a huge smile and effortless style.

And of course, Gabe and Fernando, the bartenders, are a gem. It’s the perfect spot for great food, amazing wine, and a team that makes every visit memorable. It makes you feel like you’ve taken the quickest flight to...

Same old boring over priced menu for decades, even their rotation "specials" are worn so you would think that they would get it right after all that time but as numerous reviews state they continue to botch it far too often. As far as the atmosphere, WAY too cramped of a space even for a bistro. The original Quatorze was a broom closet, this is a pantry at best. And the original owner is a rude, elitist, bitter old boy which in turn has trickled down to the staff over years and this informs the general negative culture of the place. If you draw a lucky night and this approach doesnt fully fall on you then great, but if it does well, my humble suggestion is to just sidestep the potential for abuse. Now after reading all the other negative reviews and godawful responses/excuses I'm going to bet the response from the owner to this review will be flippant at best and that is to be expected but do yourself a favor before taking a chance on this place or even my review...READ THE (lowest) REVIEWS. There is certainly enough content there to go by even from long standing patrons.

** NOTE from what I've gleaned from the snippy responses by the owner to customer criticisms the response that will follow will tell you all you need to know as it will most likely illustrate much of what I outlined above and will also support all the other numerous negative...