Brasserie Cognac East: French Cuisine & Cocktails in NYC

The ambiance and environment here is beautiful and the service is friendly! I wouldn't say the food is anything to write home about. There is a good variety and likely something for everyone, but nothing that is a MUST try. The crowd inside tends to skew older but it's a social crowd. I'll be back for the ambiance, but if I had to rate the food, I'd rate it a 3 out of 5!

Great service! The food was delicious but espresso drinks were ok. Lovely setting and very much a brasserie vibe.

Wife and I were looking for a quaint French bistro (specifically not fine dining) and this place was perfect. Reminded us of Paris. Waiter was French as well! We each had wine with our meals which was perfectly paired. We had the rigatoni with vodka sauce and roasted chicken. Both were really really good.

First time experience, excellent service, very good food and fairly priced for nyc .Wilson our waiter was very cordial and did excellent follow up .Never felt rushed . Will be my new go to spot when I am in the area .

A very tasty omelette and quiche brunch included a delightful Bordeaux wine and great weather for outdoor seating. Service was good and the pommes frites with Dijon were yummy . Will try for dinner next time.

Can't say enough about the food, the service and the ambiance of Brasserie Congac. Late lunch/early dinner with 3 friends. Service impeccable, food delicious and we were given the grace to sit and chat as long as we pleased. I will be back again for sure!

Made last minute reservations and we were lucky as it's a tiny place & it was packed. The couple we were with thought their food was absolutely delicious ~ the quiche as fresh as can be ~ our food was delicious too.

Cognac is a cozy French Brasserie located in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. We visited this spot several times over the course of our week long trip to visit extended family in the area. Like most restaurant in this part of the Upper East Side, it caters to a more local crowd. Dining here is straight forward: no flash, just good food and good service in a dimly lit, classic white tablecloth French Brasserie setting. The restaurant plays some classic French tunes in the background, but the music is never loud enough to overpower your conversation with whoever you're dining with. Everything here is solid: from the warm, complementary toasted bread with butter, to the Tomato Soup (my aunt's favorite), the Cognac Wagyu Burger, and even their Tuna Poke (their version of a poke bowl which was a very nice surprise! I believe it's only available for lunch). The Cognac Wagyu Burger ($21) is a tender Wagyu beef patty topped with caramelized onions, French Emmental cheese, and avocado, making each bite absolutely flavor packed. Served with crunchy, hand cut fries, this is a brasserie classic you can't go wrong with ordering! The Tuna Poke ($25) was a large poke bowl containing Japanese sushi grade A tuna, white rice, avocado, wantons, mango, scallions & pozu yuzu vinaigrette. Everything in this bowl was so fresh! The pozu yuzu vinaigrette gave the poke bowl an extra kick of flavor without being a heavy sauce that completely overpowers the tuna and other ingredients. For dessert, the Creme Brûlée ($14) and assortment of French Macarons ($17) are all delicious. Any of these desserts, along with an order of espresso, are all must haves to cap off the tranquil French inspired dining experience you were looking for in the hustle and bustle of the big city.

Totally enjoyed this impromptu lunch at this restaurant. We started with the tuna tartare which was exceptionally delicious. The fish was fresh and layered on top of an avocado mixture. The ponzu sauce was perfect and provided the right acidity to the dish. The octopus salad was good but I didn't care for the white beans in the salad. The octopus was cooked perfectly. Our service was very good. I do think the pricing is a little high but you are paying for location as well which is just off Madison Ave. definitely a restaurant worth trying.