The Room
Raoul's opened on Prince Street in 1975, when Guy and Serge Raoul left Alsace for SoHo. Fifty years later it remains one of the most architecturally consistent French bistros in America — the burgundy banquettes are the burgundy banquettes, the marble bar is the marble bar, the spiral staircase to the second-floor dining room hasn't moved. The sons of the original founders run the room today; the kitchen still runs the menu the original Raoul brothers wrote.
The dining room seats 110 across the main floor and the second-floor mezzanine. The bar (12 seats) is walk-in only and the source of the limited-quantity burger that regulars know to order. The booking window is two to four weeks for weekend evenings.
The Food
The kitchen runs French-bistro classics — steak au poivre with cognac-cream sauce, artichokes with the house dressing, salade frisée aux lardons, escargots de Bourgogne — alongside daily specials. The bar burger sells out every night and is one of New York's most-cited cult orders.
Wine programme is French-classical with serious Bordeaux and Loire benches. Cocktails are New York-classical with a stiff Manhattan and a properly cold Sazerac.
Best Occasion Fit
First Date: Raoul's is the SoHo first-date for the diner who wants the night to register as legacy-French-cool. The bar burger is the late-night order; the dining room is the upgrade.
Birthday: Birthdays at Raoul's are loud-and-warm — a candle, a small dessert, the spiral-staircase second-floor table for the family group.
Team Dinner: The mezzanine private dining room seats up to 28 and runs a set bistro menu.