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Home > Restaurants > Canaille Bistro Francais

Canaille Bistro Francais

78 Fifth Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11217
nr. Prospect Pl.   See Map | Subway Directions Hopstop Popup
718-789-8899 Send to Phone

  • Price Range: $$

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  • Reader Rating:

    7.0 out of 10

      |  

    6 Reviews | Write a Review

  • Cuisine: French
Photo by Patrick Siggins

Official Website

canaillebistro.com

Hours

Tue-Sat, 6pm-11pm; Sun, 11am-3pm and 6pm-11pm; Mon, closed

Nearby Subway Stops

B, Q at Seventh Ave.

Prices

$16-$18

Payment Methods

American Express, MasterCard, Visa

Special Features

  • Brunch - Weekend
  • Notable Wine List
  • Romantic
  • Take-Out
  • Reservations Not Required

Alcohol

  • Full Bar

Reservations

Not Accepted

Profile

On a bistro-dense stretch of Fifth Avenue, Canaille keeps a cozy house with ten tables; a short, careful menu showcasing fresh, seasonal offerings; and a carefully curated wine list. Co-owner and Paris native Philippe de Crespi spent twenty years as a sommelier and fine-wine broker; the racks at Canaille are occupied by bottles from organic farmers operating small wineries in the south of France, many using biodynamic methods. On the gastronomical side, entrées feature Greenmarket ingredients and time-tested favorites, like a generous bowl of garlicky mussels with thin-cut, newsprint-wrapped frites, and a fresh, colorful salad of local organic chiogga, formanova, and golden beets dressed with sherry vinaigrette. The bistro’s candlelit confines are sober and simple, with dark-wood wainscoting, a white tin ceiling, and butcher-paper-draped tables.

Plus du Vin

No tea or coffee is served—the better to whet your thirst for wine, including a $1,250 bottle of Chateau Leoville las Cases 1986, rated 100 points by wine expert Robert Parker.

Recommended Dishes

Organic beet salad, $9; moules frites, $16

7.0 "Recommended"
Average Reader Rating
on a Scale of 10
Write Your Own Review
66% Would you go back?
66% Would you take a date?
16% Would you take kids?
66% Would you go on business?
66% Would you go on a special occasion?
Food: 7.3
Service: 7.0
Décor: 6.3
Value: 7.0

Excellent, cozy neighborhood bistro

rmw102176 from 11217 | Posted on 10/11/09

Overall Rating: 9 (Highly Recommended)
Food: 9
Service: 9
Décor: 9
Value: 10

What's with those bad reviews? $18 for Steak Frites is overpriced? Where do you people eat? Oh yeah, at Epcot Center. Anywho, Canaille is a cozy, simple, authentic bistro with the usual but excellently executed fare. The owner has always been incredibly gregarious and friendly when we've eaten there and very helpful and passionate about his great wine list. And it's one of the few bistros I've been to in NYC where I can get potd de creme! Yum. Yes, you can walk the 7!! blocks to al di la or the 11 blocks to Blue Ribbon (do you actually live in the Slope?), but you'll do just as well at Canaille.

Happy Surprise

Martino from 11215 | Posted on 6/9/09

Overall Rating: 10 (Highly Recommended)
Food: 10
Service: 10
Décor: 8
Value: 10

This was a good surprise. After several bad experiences at overhyped Park Slope 5th Ave restaurants down the block, I took a chance on a place that was new to me and brought my parents here for a birthday dinner. "Canaille" really came through. The food was great, the service was friendly and helpful, and we had a wonderful time. My dad is still carrying on about the short ribs and the owner's excellent wine recommendations. This is a real find, and moderately priced to boot. I see that they're serving Sunday brunch these days, and I can't wait to go back to try it out.

Read All 6 Reviews >>

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