Le District: A New French-Inspired Marketplace in New York

A French-inspired marketplace and eatery located in Battery Park, sounds like a dream for this gourmand girl.

The 30,000 square feet space is divided into four districts: café, market, garden, and restaurant districts. The café offers the indulgence of classic pastries, ice cream, crêpes and waffles. The market tempts you with savoury delights from the boulangerie, fromagerie, chacuterie, rotisserie, boucherie, and poissonnerie.

There is also a lovely array of fresh cut flowers for you to add to your shopping basket to complement the gourmet treats. For prepared food, don’t forget to check out the garden district because it offers a coffee kiosk, and a rotating selection of daily specials such as Boeuf Bourguignon, Gratin Dauphinois, fresh produce, and a salad bar.

For those pressed for time (or if you just want to meet up with friends for a drink), Le District offers a concierge service where you can drop off your shopping list or select from recipes for meal ideas.

Finally, and most importantly for me on my visit, Le District features a restaurant called the Beaubourg Brasserie. Big buzz: They recently debuted an outdoor space for Le Bar, which is perfect for the summer because it’s adjacent to the Hudson and offers wonderful seating for catching a light breeze off the river. Select light snacks are available.

We arrived just in time for happy hour (4-6pm) where they feature a special $1 menu for daily oysters. That Friday we were treated to the Kumamoto oysters all of which were fresh and briny– a perfect complement to a bottle of rosé from Provence. Since the outdoor space recently opened, the service was a little spotty but management did a wonderful job to ensure that we had a lovely experience. I’m already looking forward to many more trips to the Le Bar before the fall chill sets in— thankfully it’s only July!

Le District at Brookfield Place, 225 Liberty Street, New York, NY 10281. Tel (Le District): 212-981-8588 Tel (Beaubourg): 212-981-8589. Website: www.ledistrict.com

Valerie O’Halloran is the France Today Ambassador for New York