Restaurant in New York City, United States
Book it for occasions that need a serious room.
Le B is Chef Angie Mar's classic French dining room in Greenwich Village, earning a Michelin Plate (2024) with serious sauce work and a room built for celebration. At $$$$ pricing, it delivers for special occasions and diners who want richness-forward French cuisine with formal service. The bar, which serves an exclusive 45-day aged burger, is the best route if you want a shorter or last-minute visit.
Le B is the right choice for a special occasion dinner in New York City if you want classic French technique delivered in a room that feels genuinely celebratory rather than austere. Chef Angie Mar's Greenwich Village dining room at 283 W 12th St earns its Michelin Plate (2024) through serious sauce work and a menu that rewards guests who order broadly. At $$$$ pricing, you are committing to a full evening, and the room, the service, and the food all justify that commitment, provided you are in the right group. First-time visitors should note the Google rating sits at 3.4 across 155 reviews, which is lower than the category average for Michelin-recognised restaurants in New York. That gap is worth taking seriously: Le B is not a unanimous crowd-pleaser. It is a strong pick for diners who know what they want from classic French, but a riskier choice for groups with mixed expectations.
Book Le B for a birthday dinner, an anniversary, or a date where the room needs to do some of the work. The sapphire-hued interior, velvet banquettes, and white-tableclothed tables in a jacketed-service setting create the kind of backdrop that signals occasion from the moment you walk in. This is not a casual drop-in. It is a restaurant that asks for a commitment of time, budget, and appetite, and rewards guests who arrive ready to engage with the menu. Parties of two will get the most out of the intimate scale. Larger groups can make it work, but the format is leading suited to focused conversation over multiple courses.
The menu at Le B is anchored in classic French technique with a clear personal signature. The terrine of pork and duck, dressed with pistachio and kumquat confit, is cited as a reliable opener, and it illustrates the kitchen's approach: refined preparations, considered garnishes, and flavours built around contrast rather than novelty. From there, the menu moves through lobster blanquette, poached foie gras, and pig's trotter, all of which reflect a kitchen that is comfortable with richness and is not trying to lighten or modernise the tradition for the sake of it. The sauce work is where the kitchen shows its hand most clearly: a Madeira-spiked pork jus for the chou farcie with rabbit, a Sauternes and tarragon cream for the seafood wellington. These are not decorative touches. They are the reason to order multiple courses.
Tasting menus are available for guests who want the kitchen to make the decisions. If you prefer to choose your own path through the menu, the à la carte format gives you enough latitude to build a meal that reflects your priorities. Neither format is obviously superior: the tasting menu offers coherence, while à la carte lets you spend more time on the courses that matter most to you.
The bar program deserves a separate mention because it operates as its own distinct experience. Exclusively at the bar, the kitchen serves a 45-day aged burger, which makes Le B one of the few $$$$ French restaurants in the city where you can eat at the bar and get something that is not a stripped-down version of the dining room menu. The bar is the leading entry point if you are curious about Le B but not ready to commit to a full dinner spend. It is also a strong option if you want a shorter evening or are eating solo. For a full overview of where Le B sits among the city's leading drinking destinations, see our full New York City bars guide.
Booking at Le B is hard. Plan at least three to four weeks ahead for weekend reservations, and do not assume weeknight availability is substantially easier for a room of this profile. The 3.4 Google rating suggests the restaurant is not perpetually oversubscribed in the way that some of its $$$$ peers are, but that does not mean walk-ins are realistic. If you want specific dates, book early. The bar seats are your leading chance at a same-week visit without a reservation. Friday and Saturday evenings will be the most competitive; mid-week is more achievable if your schedule is flexible.
Among New York City's $$$$ French restaurants, Le B occupies a specific lane: personal, richness-forward, and theatrically decorated in a way that Le Bernardin is not. Le Bernardin is the stronger choice if seafood and classical precision are your priorities, and its three Michelin stars put it in a different tier of recognition. Per Se delivers a more regimented tasting menu experience with stronger institutional credibility, but it is also a harder room to love for guests who find that format cold. Le B is warmer and more personal in its ambiance, even if it does not carry the same critical consensus.
Eleven Madison Park is the better pick if you want a plant-based tasting menu at the same price tier, and Atomix is the more technically precise tasting-menu experience if Korean-French fusion is of interest. Masa sits in its own category entirely. For classic French technique with serious sauce work in a room designed around celebration, Le B competes directly. The 3.4 Google rating indicates uneven execution on some visits, so Le B is a higher-variance choice than Le Bernardin or Per Se at the same price point.
For similar classic French experiences outside New York, Le Veau d'Or is a useful city comparison, while internationally, Waterside Inn in Bray and Cheval Blanc by Peter Knogl in Basel show what the tradition looks like at its most decorated. Domestically, The French Laundry in Napa and Alinea in Chicago represent the top tier of American tasting-menu ambition, with stronger critical consensus than Le B currently holds. For the full picture of New York City dining, including hotels and experiences nearby, see our New York City hotels guide and experiences guide.
For classic French at the same price tier, Le Bernardin is the safer choice with stronger critical backing. Per Se is better if you want a structured tasting menu format. Eleven Madison Park is the pick if plant-based cuisine is a factor. Atomix is worth considering if you want tasting-menu precision with a Korean influence. Le B is the right call specifically if the room and the richness of the food are your priorities.
Dress formally. The room has white tablecloths, jacketed staff, and a $$$$ price point in Greenwich Village — this is not a place where smart casual reads well. A suit or dress is appropriate. Le B signals occasion dining from the decor outward, and guests who arrive underdressed will feel it.
Start with the terrine of pork and duck with pistachio and kumquat confit. For mains, the chou farcie with rabbit in Madeira-spiked pork jus and the seafood wellington with Sauternes and tarragon cream are the dishes that leading show the kitchen's sauce work. If you are at the bar, the 45-day aged burger is served exclusively there and is worth ordering if you want a single-course visit.
At $$$$ pricing, Le B is worth it if classic French richness in a formally dressed room is what you are after. The Michelin Plate recognition confirms technical competence, but the 3.4 Google rating (155 reviews) indicates the experience is not consistent enough to be a guaranteed win at this price. If you want a higher-confidence $$$$ French meal in New York, Le Bernardin delivers more predictably. Le B rewards guests who know the format; it is a riskier spend for diners who are new to this price tier.
The menu is heavily meat and seafood-forward, with foie gras, pork trotter, lobster, and rabbit all featured. Guests with significant dietary restrictions should contact the restaurant directly before booking, as the classic French format leaves limited room for substitution without restructuring the meal. Contact details are not publicly listed in our data, so check the reservation platform you use to book.
Yes, this is one of Le B's clearest strengths. The sapphire-hued room, velvet banquettes, and jacketed service are designed around celebratory dining. It is a strong choice for anniversaries, birthdays, or any dinner where the room needs to signal that the evening matters. Parties of two will find it most effective; larger groups can work but the intimate scale is built around smaller gatherings.
The tasting menu makes sense if you want the kitchen to sequence the meal for you and you plan to spend time at the table. The à la carte option is worth considering if you have specific dishes in mind, particularly if the terrine, the rabbit chou farcie, and one of the richer mains are your targets. The tasting menu does not offer obviously better value at this price tier; it offers coherence, which is a different thing.
Yes, and it is a genuinely useful option. The bar serves the 45-day aged burger exclusively, which makes it one of the few $$$$ French restaurants in New York where bar dining is not a compromise. If you want to experience Le B without committing to a full multi-course dinner, or if you are visiting solo or on short notice, the bar is the right entry point. It is also the easier seat to secure last-minute.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Le B | Classic French | $$$$ | Chef Angie Mar presents a celebration of haute French cuisine married with her Chinese heritage in this luxurious Greenwich Village location. The intimate and opulent space glimmers in sapphire hues and velvet banquettes, while white tablecloths and jacketed staff set the tone for a celebratory night out or an intimate date. Le B is her passionate celebration of classic French cuisine. The gorgeous terrine of pork and duck, draped in pistachio and garnished with kumquat confit is always a fine start. From there, choose your own decadent adventure of lobster "blanquette," poached foie gras or pig's trotter. Rich sauce work, like Madeira-spike pork jus for the chou farcie with rabbit or Sauternes and tarragon cream to dress the seafood wellington, is a distinctive touch. Additionally, tasting menus are offered; and exclusively at the bar the chef's 45-day aged burger is served.; Michelin Plate (2024) | Hard | — |
| Le Bernardin | French, Seafood | $$$$ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Atomix | Modern Korean, Korean | $$$$ | Michelin 2 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Eleven Madison Park | French, Vegan | $$$$ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Masa | Sushi, Japanese | $$$$ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Per Se | French, Contemporary | $$$$ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
A quick look at how Le B measures up.
For classic French at the same price tier, Le Bernardin is the benchmark for seafood-focused precision, while Per Se delivers a more formal tasting-menu experience. If you want something looser in format at $$$$ spend, Atomix offers Korean fine dining with comparable kitchen ambition. Le B sits in its own lane — richness-forward, theatrically decorated, and more personal in feel than any of those rooms.
The venue data describes jacketed staff and white tablecloths, which signals a room that expects guests to dress accordingly. Business formal or cocktail attire is the safe call — this is not a place to test how dressed-down you can get away with. At $$$$ pricing and with a celebratory positioning, showing up underdressed will feel out of place.
The terrine of pork and duck with pistachio and kumquat confit is explicitly highlighted as a reliable starting point. From there, the lobster blanquette, poached foie gras, and pig's trotter represent the kitchen's richness-forward identity. The sauce work is a house signature — the Madeira-spiked pork jus and Sauternes-tarragon cream are worth factoring into your ordering decisions.
At $$$$ pricing, Le B is worth it if the occasion justifies the room and you're aligned with rich, sauce-driven French cooking. The Michelin Plate recognition (2024) confirms a baseline of technical credibility, but this is not the choice if you want austerity or restraint on the plate. For pure technique-per-dollar, Le Bernardin is a stronger case; Le B earns its price through atmosphere and personality as much as the food.
No dietary restriction information is documented for Le B. Given the menu's heavy reliance on pork, foie gras, lobster, and rich sauce work, this kitchen leans into animal proteins and classical French preparations. check the venue's official channels before booking if restrictions are a factor — this is not a menu that naturally accommodates plant-based or low-fat requirements.
Yes — the room is built for it. Sapphire hues, velvet banquettes, white tablecloths, and jacketed staff create a setting where a birthday or anniversary dinner will feel considered rather than accidental. The format rewards guests who want the evening to have some theatre to it. Book at least three to four weeks out for weekends.
The tasting menu is available if you want the kitchen to sequence the meal, but the à la carte format at Le B is strong enough to justify skipping it. The menu's structure around individual dishes — terrine, blanquette, foie gras, wellington — means you can build a meaningful meal without committing to the full tasting format. If control over pacing and portion matters to you, à la carte is the practical choice here.
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