Brasserie Les Halles was New York City's most celebrated French brasserie — the Park Avenue South restaurant where Anthony Bourdain worked as executive chef in the late 1990s before writing his landmark memoir Kitchen Confidential. Known for its tableside steak tartare, pommes frites, and no-nonsense Parisian cooking, Les Halles became a pilgrimage site for food lovers around the world. The restaurant permanently closed in 2017.
Signature items
The classic — pommes frites were legendary
Featured in his cookbook
Classic French onion soup
Prepared tableside
Prices from the restaurant's final menus, circa 2015–2016. For historical reference only.
| Dish | Category | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Gratinée Les Halles | Soup | $10.00 |
| Escargots | Appetizer | $8.75 |
| Foie Gras Poëlé aux Pommes | Appetizer | $18.00 |
| Steak Frites | Grillade | $23.00 |
| Steak au Poivre, Frites | Grillade | $29.00 |
| Onglet à l'Échalote | Grillade | $19.50 |
| Côte de Boeuf (for two) | Grillade | $58.00 |
| Cassoulet Toulousain | Specialties | $22.50 |
| Moules Marinières | Seafood | $16.00 |
| Crème Brûlée | Dessert | $7.25 |
Historical price comparison of French brasserie dining in New York City during Les Halles' final years.
| Category | Les Halles | Balthazar NYC | Pastis NYC | Raoul's NYC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| French onion soup | $10.00 | ~$14 | ~$13 | ~$12 |
| Steak frites | $23.00 | ~$34 | ~$30 | ~$29 |
| Escargots | $8.75 | ~$18 | ~$16 | ~$15 |
| Crème brûlée | $7.25 | ~$12 | ~$11 | ~$10 |
| Mussels marinières | $16.00 | ~$22 | ~$20 | ~$19 |
Brasserie Les Halles opened in 1990 at 411 Park Avenue South in Manhattan, founded by chefs José de Meirelles, Philippe Lajaunie, and Jean-Michel Diot. Named after the historic central wholesale marketplace in Paris, the restaurant brought the spirit of a true Parisian brasserie to New York — tiled floors, zinc bar, leather banquettes, and an open butcher shop specializing in French cuts of meat. From its earliest days it attracted downtown professionals, French expats, and serious food lovers seeking honest, unpretentious cooking.
The restaurant's fame reached global proportions when Anthony Bourdain joined as executive chef in the late 1990s. His 2000 memoir Kitchen Confidential drew on his years at Les Halles and made the restaurant a literary landmark as much as a culinary one. Bourdain went on to write Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook, which codified the restaurant's approach to classic brasserie dishes — steak tartare prepared tableside, cassoulet Toulousain, pommes frites fried in beef tallow, and the towering côte de boeuf for two. At its peak the brand operated locations in Manhattan, Washington D.C., Miami, and Tokyo.
The Park Avenue South location closed in March 2016, and the Financial District outpost followed in 2017 when the parent company filed for bankruptcy. After Bourdain's death in 2018, the shuttered Park Avenue location briefly became an impromptu street memorial. In 2022 a new restaurant, La Brasserie, opened in the former space and kept several of Bourdain's signature dishes on its menu as tribute. Les Halles remains one of the most storied addresses in New York restaurant history — a place that shaped how a generation understood both French cooking and the culture of professional kitchens.
While Les Halles has permanently closed, you can recreate its classic dishes at home with Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook, or visit La Brasserie, which now occupies the former Park Avenue South space.
Learn more about Les HallesNo. Brasserie Les Halles permanently closed in 2017 after nearly 27 years in operation. The Park Avenue South location closed in March 2016, and the Downtown (John Street) location followed in 2017 when the parent company filed for bankruptcy. A new restaurant called La Brasserie has since opened in the former Park Avenue South space.
Les Halles was famous for its classic French brasserie cooking — especially its steak frites, steak au poivre, and tableside steak tartare. The restaurant was also celebrated for its pommes frites, which were reportedly fried in beef tallow. Its in-house butcher shop, which sold French cuts of meat, was a distinctive feature rarely seen in American restaurants.
Anthony Bourdain worked at Brasserie Les Halles as executive chef in the late 1990s. His experiences there formed much of the basis for his landmark 2000 memoir Kitchen Confidential, which became a global bestseller and launched his career as a television personality. Bourdain remained affiliated with the restaurant as a kind of roving ambassador even after becoming a full-time TV host, and he published Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook in 2004.
The most beloved dishes were steak frites ($23), steak au poivre ($29), tableside steak tartare, escargots in garlic butter ($8.75), Gratinée Les Halles (French onion soup, $10), cassoulet Toulousain ($22.50), and crème brûlée ($7.25). The pommes frites were considered among the best in New York City.
Les Halles was moderately priced for New York City fine dining — more affordable than many comparable restaurants. Appetizers ranged from $7.75 to $18, main courses from $15.50 to $29.50 (or $58 for the côte de boeuf for two), and desserts were $7.25–$8.50. A full dinner for two with wine typically cost $80–$130. The restaurant prided itself on accessible brasserie pricing rather than white-tablecloth exclusivity.
The original and flagship location was at 411 Park Avenue South (between 28th and 29th Streets) in the NoMad neighborhood of Manhattan. A second location operated at 15 John Street in the Financial District (Downtown Manhattan). At its peak the brand also had locations in Washington D.C., Miami, and Tokyo, all of which have since closed.
No. Consistent with its brasserie identity, Les Halles was deliberately casual and welcoming. Bourdain wrote approvingly of restaurants that didn't make guests feel judged, and Les Halles reflected that philosophy — it was frequented equally by power lunchers in suits and downtown regulars in jeans.
La Brasserie opened in the former Les Halles space at 411 Park Avenue South in 2022. The new restaurant deliberately honors the Les Halles legacy by keeping several of Anthony Bourdain's signature dishes on the menu, including steak frites and French onion soup, as a tribute to the space's history.
Yes. Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook, published in 2004, remains in print and available at major booksellers. It covers the restaurant's full brasserie repertoire with detailed recipes for classics like steak frites, steak tartare, cassoulet, moules marinières, and crème brûlée — the best way to recreate Les Halles cooking at home.