Robin Des Bois

hipster heaven.

This was the heart and soul of Smith Street for so long. From a quirky junk store to serving coffee and sly drinks ; It Jest Grew. It was cheap and fun and you would always see peole you knew. Not to mention the beautiful waitresses, Where did Bernard find them? (France ?)
Then a chef starts to cook there and the food becomes good. That was wierd , ambiance was one thing but good food. This was a funky, sexy bistro not a restaurant.
There is also a wierd vibe on that block with the Paddy Pub and the 'club' next door.
It may have outlasted it's heyday or it's time to revert back to a hip-hop barbershop. Or it's time for Bernard to re-invent the French Francihise.

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one of the few restaurants in the neighb that has a great vibe. Food is forgettable but completely inoffensive. Great place for summer garden drinking.

B.o.D sums it up nicely.

reminds me of the bar tabac feel, just not as good. i do like going every once in a while though as the backyard garden is nice and in the winter they usually have a good fire going - even if i stand out in my non-vintage garb.

food is ok, nothing special.

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This is my go-to neighborhood spot. The atmosphere is great--especially the backyard in the summer--and the food is consistently good, if not particularly memorable. I've eaten several dozen meals there and the only really bad one was a gristly steak au poivre. The mustard crusted salmon is terrific, as is the roast chicken, and the salad nicoise is a nice stand-by option. The prices went up recently, but it's still a relative bargain for the neighborhood. I like Bar Tabac, but I vastly prefer Robin. It's also a really good place for group events.

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BoCoCa has no real hipsters. It's anathema to them, like Park Slope.

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My husband and I walked in there for brunch on a wintry Sunday to give the place a try. We were told to wait at the bar because they were booked. Half the tables (not kidding) were empty. After 20 minutes, we left and went to Bar Tabac, never to return. First impressions do make a difference...

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Walk by the place in morning and on too many days spilled wet garbage on curb and gutter because they refuse to it properly. And sidewalk looks disgusting from years of grease and they are too lazy to give good regular cleaning. I wouldn't even venture inside.

Haven't been in about 2.5 years (so I don;t know if its gone downhill or succumbed to hipsterization), but I used to go to Robin De Bois on a regular basis.

Unique vibe, good food, large portions + friendly staff made it a tops on Smith St. Some meals were a 'miss', but the menu changed so often that you knew they were always trying to improve. After a few visits they get to know you, and they look out for the regulars (free drinks, special orders, etc). A true neighborhood find.

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Been for brunch, been for dinner a few times, and it's been quite good each time. The decor is sweet and the waitstaff was quite nice and attentive, no 'tude detected. I wouldn't call it cheap, but it's not too expensive. Thumbs up all around.

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One of the friendliest places on Smith Street. Solid french comfort food and an unbeatable vibe. I think what I like most about it is how little the staff has turned over in the 5 years I've been going there. One of the few places that really feels like a "neighborhood" joint.

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I like it a lot, used to be our favorite date place. Food is reliably good, staff pleasant, prices reasonable. The garden is great, and the decor is always interesting. My favorite thing is the duck confit with prunes and toast - although for some reason they seem to run out of the prunes at times.

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The decor at this place is great, but I've never understood how it hasn't been shut down for health violations. The floors and tables always seem borderline filthy. Plus, I sat outside once (and only once), and two huge rats ran past our table and up the brick wall of the adjoining building. Gross.

The food, however, has always been generally decent, but the wait-staff basically couldn't care less if you've been helped or need anything, but expect a tip (they berated a friend of mine for leaving 10% once after getting basically no service).

Worth going to once to check out the inside, but go for brunch to make it cheaper.

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We ate there about a year ago and the food and the service were both great. On the not so great side were the 4 cockroaches we saw running up the wall next to our table. I've worked in restaurants and might have been able to deal with 1, but 4 over the course of an hour was a bit much. I walk by it every day but have had no desire to return.

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One of my favorite restaurants on Smith hands down. There are so many meals you can order. The steak au poive is a great value at $16.50 (cheaper than a pizza at Savoia), the roasted chicken with mashed is great, the porkchop on the bone is excellent as well, the tuna nicscois (sp?) is quality and the charcheutterie (sp?) is also a good value for what they give you. You can also get a decent wine for $24.

I will admit it is not gonna blow you away but it is quality food for a legit price and the atmosphere is great, especially the back yard in summer.

I am also a fan of that pretty little number who waits the tables with the tattoo on her arm. Mmmmmmmmmmhhhhhmmmmmmm I will order that!

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Decent food and bistro vibe. Might be a bit to much of a grungy thrift-store look for some.

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an oldie but a goodie

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