Revelie Luncheonette

It's hard to find a place to cry in Manhattan anymore. You could do it in public, but someone might come up to you and offer you a slice of dollar pizza in support, and you might not want that right now. You could do it at a diner, but your indifferently cooked, $15 eggs might make you cry even more. And yes, it might be nice to cry into a bowl of artisanal pasta, but with reservation culture rampant in this city, how are you supposed to know exactly when to book a table?

At Revelie Luncheonette, you can cry, if you need to. But even if you have no desire to weep, you should know about this French-accented diner, where you can walk in any time, in any mood, and feel like you've stumbled upon a sanctuary. In this alternate universe in the heart of Soho, many paths cross, and anything goes. And most importantly, we’ve never had a problem getting a little table or booth, or at least a chrome diner stool at the counter. 

photo credit: Kate Previte

photo credit: Kate Previte

photo credit: Kate Previte

Directly across the street from iconic French restaurant Raoul’s, Revelie is from the same team, but feels like a well-kept secret. Couples who’ve been going to Raoul’s since the 1970s but couldn’t get a table there tonight rub shoulders with Y2K enthusiasts, who wear wraparound sunglasses indoors while eating cheeseburgers and drinking egg creams. There’s a tiny table out front where you half-expect someone to be sipping an espresso and smoking a long, skinny cigarette—but there’s also an old-fashioned soda fountain with house-made sodas, and episodes of Baywatch or The Joy of Painting play on a TV. 

photo credit: Kate Previte

photo credit: Kate Previte

A chalkboard menu has the day’s handwritten specials, and though there’s no escargot, you’ll see things like roasted scallops or shellfish fricassee. There’s also a perfectly cooked hanger steak, a satisfying all-day omelet, and good wine by the glass and bottle. Revelie is open all day, everyday, so the next time or you need breakfast before work, or brunch before shopping, or simply a refuge from the burden of your own existence, you can just saunter in.

If you end up here after encountering a three-hour wait for your dream dinner, sure, it might not be the elaborate evening you’d imagined. But, it might also turn into one of those New York nights that’s even better than anything you could have planned.

Food Rundown

Iceberg Wedge

A very crowd-pleasing wedge. When you get to the bottom there’s not much dressing, but this is an issue we have with most wedge salads, not just this one.

photo credit: Kate Previte

Hanger Steak

Raoul’s serves a famed steak au poivre ($58), so it’s unsurprising that this $34 cut is expertly cooked. There are crispy potatoes soaked with steak juice and soft caramelized shallots, and it feels like you could be eating it at a steakhouse, except you’re eating it at a luncheonette, and that’s kind of cooler.

photo credit: Kate Previte

Green Chile Cheeseburger

We have nothing bad to say about this burger. It’s not a smashburger but it’s not too thick either; it’s got hatch chilis, cheese, tomato, finely shredded lettuce, and a few pickles on the side. We’d get it again.

photo credit: Kate Previte

Omelette All Day

Most diners have omelets, sure, but there’s something about the name of this one that’s charmingly reassuring. It provides a certain sense of security: you can swing by anytime and get the Omelette All Day, filled with a hefty amount of ham, and served with a handful of tart, crisp lettuces.

Crinkle Cut Fries

They’re hot, they’re salty, and they don’t come with the burger, so you should order at least one side of them, if not two. And if you dip fries in mayo, be aware—the mayo here is homemade (we expected as much from a relative of Raoul’s) and it is excellent. The sweet potato fries are pretty good too.

photo credit: Kate Previte

The Specials Board

How French. On one visit to Revelie, we paired our crinkle cut fries with a particularly delicate softshell crab from the specials board, and concluded that even if the crab isn’t available, your meal at Revelie isn’t complete without the daily special.

photo credit: Kate Previte

Ice Cream Sundae

Once you eat an ice cream sundae here, you might make a tradition of drinking a glass of wine and then having a sundae at the chrome stool in the window. It’s old-fashioned, sweet ice cream, served in a tall glass with whipped cream that overflows in a way that feels positively gluttonous.

Egg Cream

A quick egg cream primer: There’s no egg, but there is milk, soda water, and syrup. If you like egg creams, or this sounds good to you, you’re going to like this. If not, stick to the sundae or a shake.