Babeth’s Feast

Love this place! Its easy, it’s fast and it’s good. Great for delivery.

I have now gone in there at least half a dozen times, have sampled the daily offering each time and purchased a few items on sale. My negative review is the place is always empty because the staff is so mean and nasty. If you ask a question they snap at you or don’t even know the answer. Will not last long no UES foodie is going to shop here…

This was my first experience. The food is really good but somewhat expensive. If it was not for the horrible attitude of the staff at the store, I would give this a four star. For example, I asked the person behind the counter, how I should warm up the soup. He said the instructions are on the box. What an attitude. Then this guy walks in to sample their biscuits. He asks are these biscuits? the same guy answers «that is what it says on the sign». What arrogance. Wont go back again. This is not Paris. This is NYC. Your attitude makes the difference. You have way too much competition.

I found Babeth’s Feast thanks to a great deal through livingsocial, and I am more than content.
The benefits:
First, even without the coupon, the food amount is incredible; and the opportunity cost savings in being able to have complex, sumptuous dishes without spending restaurant prices, or utilizing valuable time on everyday meal prep makes Babeth’s Feast stand out as a time and money saver.
I’m the sort of guy who buys groceries, and a good quarter of it would rot because I just wasn’t craving it in time; ditto for plated/​blue chef. The frozen option gives you ample time to consume it. The funny thing though? The food was so good, that for the first time, the ridiculous amount of food I purchased was consumed within 2 weeks… A record.
The food:
The food quality, and taste are stellar. I don’t know why the ratings aren’t averaged to 4-​point-​something. Everything I had was simple to prepare, impressive to plate, and a meal I thoroughly enjoyed. The meatballs (giant), had a thick tomato sauce, and I put that on little ciabatta rolls. The beef bourguignon, celary root and potato mash were a great hearty meal with rich red-​wine and buttery texture. The thai chicken sticks were peanut-​savory. Heating up the Chicken Curry, and it smells delicious.
The price:
With the living social deal, this place is more than competitive; however, $ 24 for the beef bourguignon, and $ 10 for the creamy celery/​mashed potatos, and $ 10 chocolate lava cakes puts the price point in direct competition with ordering out for 2 people. Here is the deal if you want to try it though; for people not at the start of their careers, it would totally be worth it:

I’m torn between giving Babeth’s Feast three or four stars.
First, the food is good. Maybe very good, especially for frozen food. The ingredients are, for the most part, things I would put in the dish if I were cooking from scratch.
However, the cost is very high: $ 8.99 for a 12 ounce package that they insist, based on USDA guidelines, is two servings. It’s not. You know it, I know it and Babeth should certainly know it.
I consider Babeth’s competition to be prepared meals (frozen and refrigerated) from Trader Joe’s, which cost ½ as much. Is Babeth’s better than TJ’s? I think so. Is it twice as good and worth twice the price? No, it is not.
Note: I purchased my food with a $ 50.00 Living Social coupon that I got for $ 22, more than 50% off. So at that price, it is definitely worth it, but not at full price.
So Babeth gets four stars because, not accounting for price, the food is four star good for frozen food. I don’t live in the neighborhood, so absent another 50% or more off coupon, I doubt I will be back. If I lived nearby, I’d probably stop in occasionally when I was too tired to cook and too lazy to care I was overpaying.
Update on August 24, 2015: I put it down to three stars. The previous dishes I tried (poulet a la provencale, lemon chicken with artichokes and coc au vin) were all tasty and properly spiced. But I just tried the chicken cutlets parmigiana, and it was pretty bad. It was way, way too over-​salted, almost as if the chicken cutlets had been brined.

There is a need for fresh ingredient conscious frozen food in my busy life. I have relied heavily on Trader Joe’s, Amy’s, Healthy Choice and Tyson frozen options to get me through certain periods in my life. The offerings at Feast are much more delicate and a bit luxurious. I have tried most of the hors d oeuvres and a couple desserts. The dauphine potatoes, fig and goat cheese crackers, and quiches are my favorites. The fried artichoke with cheese was my least favorite. I also found that I needed to spray cooking oil on the potatoes, spanakopita, and fried artichoke to achieve the golden crisp.
The service is polite but cool as expected from a French inspired company that specializes in frozen cuisine. They offer afternoon tastings for the skeptical or hungry.

The food is good, but the reason I give them only two stars is because they are overly expensive and the portions are small. Bought the chicken Marsala and it suggests to be for four people. When I cooked it and ate it with my husband it was just enough for the two of us. At least be transparent with the amount of food you can get. I basically calculated that the $ 45 we spend on two meals from this place were the same as going to a restaurant where I don’t have to cook and clean the dishes.

Ok, so the prices are exorbitant but I found the food quite good. I guess it’s still cheaper than dining out, isn’t it? Maybe I’ll make another visit once I get my tax return in May. Cha-​Ching!

I came in with a $ 50 for $ 100 Gilt City deal. My fiancé and I picked a nice range of items from prepared French dishes to frozen veggies so the $ 100 went further than expected. I really wanted to love Babeth’s Feast because sometimes I want something in between a Trader Joe’s frozen meal and spending the time to cook myself. Sadly the prepared foods just weren’t that good — the chicken in the stew I got was so bland I couldn’t eat it.
I will say the staff was very friendly and I will probably be back for more frozen heirloom veggies — those saved me time on nights I cooked my own protein. But for the price, their prepared meals just aren’t that good.

It’s as if this was created by a non-​cook. Oddly designed layout geared predominantly to French people who know how to shop in frozen food markets. But the food is just not good. We purchased frozen croissants, pains au chocolats and cinnabons /​escargots. The croissants and pains au chocolat were microscopic, didn’t rise, and cooked badly. The escargots were very doughy and had no taste. Very sad take on a great idea.

LOVE the food! i consider myself a good cook with high standards, I don’t always have nearly the amount of time I need to cook a full dinner. The chicken curry, veal blanquette, crepes … Everything I have tried so far has been really good. The side dishes are a quick supplement to a main course you are cooking yourself, truly a great idea — BRAVO!

I like Babeth’s Feast. Their foods are frozen, and ready to heat and serve Their soups are great. I really like the Mushroom soup (veloute), The Sweet Potato Ecrasse, the Parisian Carrots, along with the veal stew and their mac and cheese. I love how they often have samples available. The folks working there are ver friendly and always greet me. They are very helpful and know a lot about the products they sell. The spanakopita is also very tasty, along with their pasta sauces and raviolis. Great taste for a quick and easy dinner in NYC at home being a new parent!

Ah Babeth’s Feast. A fun play on the inspiring food film Babette’s Feast, am I right?
There’s a market for this type of store. I’m just not sure if it’s for the vast majority of people.
I mean, it’s great having my freezer stocked with gourmet food such as braised lamb shanks, chocolate soufflé, and beef bourguignon. Like, can you say FANCY?
But as much as I enjoy this luxury, it’s definitely not sustainable. Because you know, money.
I went with a coupon that gave me $ 25 off $ 50. The place is looks like the giant freezer section of a regular store, very white and clean. Foods are grouped in meal categories, such as appetizers, entrees, desserts, etc. They even have a kitchen in th back that gives out samples. The staff is quite friendly. For spending $ 50, I got a free freezer tote to carry my foods home! That was a nice touch.
Everything is quite expensive and your money won’t go very far here. I suppose it’s an alternative to eating out at a restaurant. I’ve only had the beef bourguignon so far, but it was pretty good. That portion, which I ate over noodles, lasted me two meals and then some.
I wouldn’t go here without a coupon. This is probably for people with lots of money and little time.

First, as Thom C. mentioned below, the promo Babeth is running is flat out misleading. The staff admitted so. Anyway, I thought I would give it a try since the idea of gourmet and tasty frozen food was too hard to resist, except that it wasn’t tasty at all.
Imagine stale frozen crab cakes, and now you know exactly what Babeth’s risotto crab cakes taste like. I threw ²⁄₃ them away because I just couldn’t stop gagging.
Now, imagine delicious, flaky tarts with chicken marsala and mushroom stuffed inside. Babeth’s Feast’s chicken marsala mushroom tarts are nothing like what you just imagined. The tarts should’ve been called freezer burnt mushroom flavored doughy bread with bits of chicken. The pea and fennel veloute soup didn’t fair very well either.
For the price you pay (about $ 12 – 15 per pack of food), the place needs huge improvement, and I honestly don’t think this place will last that long. The store looked dead and lifeless when I walked in and now I understand why. I would rather take my money to whole foods or trader joes, if I ever gather my courage again to try another frozen entrée.
At least, the yellow pepper quinotto and cheese quinotto were delicious. Wait, these weren’t even by Babeth (Babeth has a few 3^rd party frozen items to purchase in store).

The promo they’re running is misleading. They sent a postcard, $ 25 off with a $ 25 spending minimum. Seemed too good to be true, turns out it was! The cashier told me it’s actually $ 50 minimum, even though the postcard says $ 25 minimum and she acknowledged it was misleading. After standing there and reasoning for 15 mins, they said they are keeping the $ 50 minimum and I can come back if I like… never will be back, don’t run a promo if you can’t word it right. #justsaying

Too costly. It will not last.

Why would anyone who lives or works in Manhattan with access to every food imaginable ever want to purchase frozen food??? Babeth’s Feast is why!!! This high end frozen food boutique is a gem. The environment is inviting, the attractive and elegant staff welcoming, knowledgable and helpful. I tried a variety of items including
blanquette de veau (creamy veal stew), tomato cheddar crumble, mini crab cakes, croissants and a lemon tart. My first impression in the store was that it was too pricey (it was «frozen food» after all). After tasting all my purchases I realized how much better Babeth’s Feast frozen products are in comparison to «fresh» prepared takeout items from high end specialty gourmet food stores. In my opinion Babeth’s Feast is a really good value. The food is fantastic, restaurant quality, easy to prepare — so fresh, stock up your freezer and you have quality high end food available ²⁴⁄₇ — better than any takeout/​delivery. Very sorry I did not purchase more as I don’t live or work in the neighborhood but… the staff told me they deliver (though their recommendations added so much to the experience)

It will do alright in the area where takeout doesn’t sound as appealing, but who keeps a Manhattan freezer that stocked?
I had really high hopes for BF, but do not trust a frozen foods store with a very average gelato selection that they foolishly place at the front.
Huledet bday deal = macarons free with purchase

So delicious and easy to make! I got the chicken provencal and mashed carrots. It was such an easy dinner to make and really impressed my boyfriend. Thanks for making me look good!

After reading about Babeth’s Feast in the NYTimes, my partner and I stopped by the store and were greeted by a professional, educated and well dressed staff. It was actually refreshing, especially for a grocer. We were excited by the great selection all-​natural prepared frozen entrees, which reminded of the Piccard grocer in Paris— only the branding here at Babeth’s was so much better. After sampling multiple items and engaging the staff, we purchased about 10 different entrees, from the kale & leek quiches to the spinach crumble. So far, I’ve tried the quiche and it was fantastic– as a foodie, I appreciate the combination of seasoning and ingredients– about 20 minutes in the oven and the crust warm & flakey.