Le Train Bleu
“Since brunch is only served on weekends, I opted for the quiche and my bf opted for the bleu burger.”
“There's a restaurant hidden in Bloomingdale's (on the sixth floor, to be exact) and it RESEMBLES AN OLD-FASHIONED TRAIN CAR!”
“There was one mistake with my friends' orders but I made sure they corrected and got them the Smoked Salmon on baguette instead on bagels.”
Le Train Bleu
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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This place was a must-go spot, given its express train type of decoration inside. The minute you step into the restaurant, it was like stepping into an ancient train with old lamps sitting on the table with utensils and glasses. The food itself was mediocre, and speed was kind of to the slow end. But if your intention is some sort of relaxation instead of enjoying a full course of meal, this place was just perfect! (Especially for girls like me and my friend, we were taking tons of pictures)
No need to make reservation earlier in the morning. However it only serves brunch/lunch, there is no dinner option. Another thing is that they let you write gratuity down and charge you together with the meal, rather than do it at the end of your bill, no comments on that.
We were invited to a 6 course tasting menu with wine pairings at Le Train Bleu called The Winter Table. The menu looked good and the hubby and I were free so we decided to go. Truth be told, we never noticed that there was a semi-fancy restaurant within Bloomingdale's and we were intrigued.
We were greeted at the door by an exceptionally friendly hostess and was shown to our seats at a communal table. I need to be upfront here, I don't like communal tables. Especially after a long day at work, the last thing I want to do is make conversation with strangers.
The wine was okay, the food was better. We had:
-Spaghetti Squash – very good
– Black and White Chestnut Tortellini – delicious
– Wood Grilled Lobster – good but the lobster was small
– Venison Loin with Polenta – delicious and I don't especially like polenta and this was really good.
– Myer Lemon Panna Cotta – Very good but we were so full, it was hard to finish.
This was a really nice experience. They had a women playing the violin during the entire meal.
I didn't love the wines but I am super picky. I don't think I would do another tasting menu dinner as I don't like communal eating and I didn't enjoy the discussion about each of the wines we were drinking before the food was served.
I would come back to Le Train Bleu if I am looking for a nice meal while shopping at Bloomies.
What a perfectly wonderful hidden gem in NYC. I knew about Le Train Bleu in Paris, but didn't find out about the NYC location until more recently. In comparison to it's Parisian counterpart, this Le Train Bleu is all about the charm. Tucked away on the top floor of Bloomingdale's is this semi-fancy restaurant that's fashioned after an old train car.
The menu offers a nice variety of classic American and French themed food items. Typically I feel like these types of places are more about the experience and less about the fantastic food, so I decided to just order the most talked about item on the menu, The Le Train Bleu Burger, and was not at all disappointed. It was delicious and served with a generous serving of fries, a pickle and some coleslaw. My lunch date took the healthier route and ordered the Salade Nicoise, which was great if you are looking for something light and delicious.
I loved my experience here for the most part. We were lucky to not have to wait for a table and it wasn't packed when we got there on a Saturday afternoon so we could relax and actually have a conversation without feeling rushed . I'm not sure if it's always like that, but I decided that maybe it is considering its location. We even had trouble finding it when we got there and had to ask for directions. (Hint: 6th floor all the way in the back corner of the kitchen wares section… )
My one gripe was that the service was a bit off. Our waitress was nice, but service as a whole was slow and not the most helpful. For example, we asked about drinks because they were not listed on the menu, but were only told about non-alcoholic options. I just assumed that they didn't serve alcohol, but it would have been nice to have been able to have a glass of wine. If you inquire they'll tell you what they've got I guess.
I definitely would come back here and next time would love to come for Breakfast/Brunch. The menu is a little pricey for the type of food they serve, but again, it's all about the experience and that makes it worth it.
Add this one to the bucket list!
Love this place!
It's tucked away upstairs hidden from the rest of the store. The atmosphere was perfect and being in a dining car made me feel like I was in Europe.
The food was great as well, and the service was rather quick.
Overall, a hidden gem worth going to !
This was the worst meal I've had in a while, and it was expensive to boot. The train car decor is a nice novelty, so by all means go poke your head in and snap a picture, but then you should walk right out and find somewhere else to eat. I should have known a pork belly croque monsieur was a terrible idea, but there weren't many options on the limited menu. First of all, this was a kind of pathetic panini press sandwich, and there was no melted crusted cheese on the outside. Second, the pork belly and bland melted cheese on the inside were a terrible combination, and big pieces of undigestible pork fat were sitting between the bread. The "salmon tartar" on avocado toast bore no discernible relation to that name–what arrived was a goupy, creamy concoction where the salmon was totally hidden and overwhelmed. Each of these dishes cost between 15 and 20 dollars. The French Onion soup had a decent broth, but it came with a gigantic "crouton"–more like a crostini, and, no melted cheese on top.
I was a little concerned after reading all of the unfavorable reviews of this place, but was still intrigued about the idea of a train car inside Bloomingdale's so we decided to enjoy a Sunday brunch/lunch here. They accept Open Table reservations so I'd recommend making one—it was fairly empty when we visited but I've been by there before with lines down the stairs.
You enter on the 6th floor behind the housewares and then head up the stairs, following the signs for the "dining car." You'll then pass the small waiting area and enter into the dining car, with tables on each side of the room. One side is windows and the others is mirror. The ceiling to the dining car is beautiful! They even have a water closet reminiscent to what you might find on an old fashioned train car. There's also a train sound that comes over the speakers from time to time.
I did note some of the concerns others have shared—we enjoyed our waitress very much but there seemed to be some general issues in the restaurant (i.e., not having the ingredients for the specials and telling that to people after they already ordered, my meal arrived missing cheese–one of its main ingredients, staff didn't seem to know the menu super well).
Anyhow, we still had a great time and would recommend to others for the experience. Get the burger or the Caesar salad (we heard every waitress recommend this and the burgers in our party were a hit!). On the weekends brunch items come with coffee and a mimosa or Bloody Mary for $28 (you can also get the items a la carte). Expensive yes but not outrageous for the area.
This place is different in that it's set up as if you're on a nice train, ready to venture off to somewhere exciting!
However, our waitress really wasn't excited at all-she was mostly grumpy until the end, when she repeatedly reminded us that you had to write down the gratuity you wanted charged to your credit card (you can't just add it in after they swipe your cc, which was strange).
FYI, you have to pay an extra $8 to split a meal. I had their chicken caesar salad which was nothing special, as well as a side of their fries with garlic. They also give you a couple of bread pieces to start off with. The food was fine and the portions were large, but it was just all pretty pricey. But you are at Bloomingdale's…
Le Train Bleu has a super cute ambiance – it's in a train car within Bloomingdale's. It was a great place to get brunch with a friend. The service is nice, and the food is pretty good. It's nothing spectacular…I ordered the salmon eggs benedict and the hollandaise was a bit too buttery for my liking. For a Saturday brunch, the place also wasn't crowded.