Bar Frites — Restaurant in Town of North Hempstead

Nothing in life is perfect but by God I almost gave ‘em the ol’ five star treatment. After taking the chance and stumbling into “Bar Frites,” I was immediately seated on a Saturday afternoon, a brunch rush nonetheless and they found a seat for the ol’ raccoon. In the middle of the hustle and bustle of the restaurant I was seated by what turned out to be a bread cutting station. Never in these years of food reviewing have I been seated by a bread cutting station. The fear of a loaf of bread falling, bouncing and knocking me unconscious quickly subsided as I was greeted by the server, dressed in jeans and a white top (the wait staff attire) ready to take my order. I spared no expense in realizing my dream of a Saturday brunch spectacular. The ol’ raccoon ordered: buttermilk pancakes, a vanilla waffle, a salmon spread, avocado toast, truffle frites, an orange juice (freshly squeezed like the hippie I never claimed to be,) a Diet Coke (always bleed red, never blue,) and an apple tart for a brunch dessert. My order was brought to me, fully completed, between 10-15 minutes. Within the first bite of the buttermilk pancake, accompanied by a blue berry preserve, I was immediately pummeled by the deliciousness of what a brunch is supposed to embody. The salty and smokey flavors of the salmon combined with the cream cheese spread transported me back to my battles against the mighty narwhal in the cold Arctic waters. The vanilla waffle proved my indecisiveness between waffles and pancakes was simply a matter of question, “How hungry can a man actually be?” The creamy, flavorful avocado toast was a textural and flavorful break for my palate which was then greeted by the truffle frites. Take note restaurants and cafes refusing to peel and cut your potatoes rather settling on frying frozen cut spuds, you will always be outdone and over looked by those who take time to craft the perfect fry— er frite. My brunch adventure met its end by fate of an apple tart. The sweet apple slices placed upon a flaky pastry, accompanied by a delicious scoop of what I believed to be caramel flavored ice cream signaled to me what must be done. After stumbling back to the review vehicle I quickly folded into a heap, my body could only take so much flavor and proportional generosity before succumbing to...

After coming here for years and leaving a 5 star review pre-Covid I decided to come and re edit my review. Decor is beautiful but dated as some of the booths are showing their age ( lots of rips) and the music is played loudly. I don’t know if it’s by design to encourage quick eating but it’s definitely hard to hear the staff or others even across the table. To the food: still one of the best escargots I’ve ever had, addicting pomm frites and great sandwiches. Bread is included upon request and they have daily specials that taste wonderful. With it being warmer weather and the doors open for outdoor seating however they have a serious fly problem. While it was only 70 degrees today I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt that they came in from outside and not wandering around other places. The real issue this location has is with the service staff as others have pointed out. Years ago we had a staff member tell us as college students “ don’t worry about the price we can work it out” when the bill was presented . Mind you at no point was price mentioned as an issue. So horrified and insulted was my friend that I had to calm my friend down from a screaming match with the waiter who showed no remorse or understanding… safe to say we paid in cash, left a 10% tip and personally requested never to have that server again… haven’t seen him in years… fast forward to today … my table doesn’t order drinks but does order apps and dinner. The water server showed better manners and were more attentive. Our server tonight was borderline antagonistic , patronizing towards our ladies, and treated us with contempt for not ordering drinks or dessert. Maybe he was tired and was ready to go home? I know we’ve all been there before. Hopefully next time I go that isn’t an issue and I can update my review again...

While the atmosphere is casual, ambient and the restaurant is always populated with people, the food and service are mediocre. Often the servers are either rude, obnoxious, or just desert the table and don't show up until they are called. The water is hardly ever refilled. The food lacks the justification for being priced high - it's not that special at all. The burgers are often dry when asked for medium-rare, french fries too dry too. If service and food are improved, this place could be excellent and fun. I continue to come here because I like sitting outdoors in good weather and I like the atmosphere. But I learned not to expect good service or great tasting food. Update 7/13/18: Lowering my rating from 3 to 2. I'd consider 3 to be average. Well, they are kinda worse. Seriously, what's wrong with their waiters? They are so damn rude. Had dinner with a group of girlfriends on a weekday. The waiter was so damn rude. I wasn't the only one to think so, my friends thought the same. Seriously, Bar Frites, do some "secret shopper" investigation and see for yourself that the waiters think they are the gods. You guys are not supposed to treat customers like this. I'll give you one last chance and should I experience the same, will never step a foot here again. You must improve! For the $$$$, the food is not great either. Fish is overcooked (Branzini), hamburgers are overdone (even when asked medium or rare, the fish tacos are so so....not very flavorful, the only thing going for them is french fries and salads....Worth the...