Raoul's

Casual French bistro open and thriving for 40 years in the heart of SoHo.

Fun Fact: Part of Raoul's charm lies in its back story: In the 1970s, two brothers from Alsace, France, scraped together enough francs to buy a speakeasy. Consistently good food has kept derrières in the chairs for decades.

Know Before You Go: One word: Reservations. Without them, you run the risk of being stuck on the outside, looking at all the fun, pretty people within.

Great steak au poivre. The menu is written up en francais on a small blackboard on the table although they also have an English language menu. Classic selection of bistro fare with a nice winelist. I had crab raviolis and rabbit rillettes. A fun place to dine with friends.

There are no show-stopping visuals or grand displays at Nagomi; simplicity is the key here. Natural wood chairs and tables softly illuminated by intimate lighting and a small sushi bar in the rear of the restaurant don't detract from the…

The "‘it' factor" endures at this "classic", circa-1975 SoHo bistro that stays "true to itself" and its arty admirers with "surprisingly serious" French fare served in a "sexy" setting that includes a "magical" garden accessed through the kitchen; though it can be "noisy and crowded", few rue its "popularity" or high price.

One of the first trendy spots in SoHo, this arty French restaurant has yet to lose its touch, either in the kitchen or with the atmosphere. Expect a chic bar scene—especially late at night—filled with polished PYTs, amazing photos on every piece of available wall space, and a lovely back room that you reach through the kitchen. The winding stairs to the upstairs dining room are narrow and a bit...

Sometimes the most unpretentious concept becomes the biggest scene, and such is the case with this simple bistro, which recently celebrated 25 years in business and is as popular today as the day it opened. One of the first hip spots in SoHo, Raoul's continues to draw the local artist and leggy model set, and Uptowners eager to hang with them. The décor is classic New York storefront: a long...

Two brothers journeyed from France to Soho. Serge stood outside importuning passersby to enter and taste. The rest is New York bistro history.