Petite Crevette

Fried oysters and salmon carpaccio! The fish was fresh and loved the simplicity with olive oil and lemon. The owner was super friendly and helpful. We didn’t know it was BYOB and they have a wine shop conveniently located around the corner. Cash only. Would definitely come back if in the neighborhood.

I love this place. It’s small and intimate, byob, delicious seafood and reasonably priced. I have tried most entrees and have never been disappointed. The staff is always friendly and interesting too!

Petite Crevette is cute, cozy, and eclectic with all the random trinkets placed all around the dining area. When you walk in, the open kitchen and fresh fish on display is immediately to your right. We were led into the 2^nd room through the corridor since the first was full. The service was wonderful, the staff was friendly and attentive. The food was delicious, flavorful, and most importantly, very fresh, and with a $ 5 corkage fee, what could not be more perfect? Here’s what we ordered:
— Cioppino: A big bowl of seafood is the key to my heart and stomach. The cioppino came as a perfect steaming aromatic bowl and filled to the brim with half lobster, mussels, shrimp, and scallops. Everything, really, EVERYTHING was cooked perfectly. The lobster was buttery, the scallops still had a spring to them, and the shrimp was just so so that they weren’t tough but still cooked. The broth was delicious and went great with the bread or by the spoonful. Lightly squeeze a lemon and it’ll add a level of brightness to the entire dish!
— Thai curry with sea bass: My boyfriend ordered this one and it came with so much fish that it had to be more than just one filet. The curry was just spiced just enough to lend some heat but without overpowering the subtle sweetness of the sea bass. The fish was also cooked perfectly. The fish fell apart in flakes and was not the least bit tough or overcooked. It was garnished with string beans and some potato on the bottom to add some bulk for a well rounded dish. He loved it and so did I!
Petite Crevette is a little bit of a walk from the F/​G train on Carrol St but since the weather wasn’t cold for a December evening and we were lucky to not have a long wait, I’d say the distance wasn’t bad at all. Date night perfect.

This is long overdue… went here a few times for friends’ birthdays and couldn’t be happier. Everything from the service to the food has been nothing short of excellent. We’ve coined this our birthday restaurant because they never disappoint. I’m sure we’ll be back here again soon!

Five of us had a wonderful dinner last night at Petite Crevette. Excellent chowders (seafood or corn/​crab) and nice fried oysters as starters. We each ordered a whole fish — branzino, dorado, sea bass. All were beautifully prepared, but the dorado ended up being our favorite.
The place is tiny, but we didn’t feel the least bit cramped. Servers were great, and I loved the BYOB policy.
I am taking off a whole star, however, for one reason only — While their mashed potatoes are amazing, and come on every plate, you literally aren’t served more than 2 Tablespoons of them. We jokingly had a tabletop competition as to which one of us got the smallest dollop! I know this sounds like a petty thing, but when the rest of the meal is absolutely top-​notch, it detracts from the experience when something is that mockable.

Hands down, best Seafood Chowder I have ever had. It is not traditional in the sense that it has tomatoes and some veggies in it, but it is AWESOME! We sit in the front because it is less crowded (and usually cooler). It is B.Y.O. ($ 5 corkage fee)! Their crab chowder is really good, as well as their scallops (with banging mashed potatoes) and cioppino (which lived up to its other reviews on here). I would recommend this place! Oh, and it’s cash only with an ATM down the block.
Sadly, Waitress is rude and very unpleasant.

Terrific and funky seafood place in a non-​location. You may have trouble finding it since the door isn’t on Union Street. Oh, make sure you bring cash. And since they don’t have a liquor license you’ll have to head over to Union or bring your own wine/​beer or what-​have-​you. I have to admit being put off by the $ 5 corkage fee. I mean, if you bring your own you aren’t exactly substituting for the restaurant’s list, so why the fee?
Did I mention? Don’t forget cash – this is a cash-​only establishment.

We dined for dinner at Petite Crevette. There is a lovely space in the inside with plenty of seating. We ordered the red snapper and the salmon. The seafood dishes were amazing and very fresh. The vegetables were simple but delicious and well seasoned. We also enjoyed that it was a byob with a $ 5 corking fee.

Yay! I LOVED this place!
Came here on a Tuesday evening in the summer. The place is small and intimate, perfect date spot! BYOB which is awesome, and there’s no corkage fee. Appeared to be only one waitress handling the place but she does a great job. Food comes out fast but I never felt rushed.
My dinner was DELICIOUS! Had the seared scallops and mashed potatoes. Portion sizes were good, the food was very fairly priced, and everything was we ate was delicious! I didn’t love the seafood bisque I had to start, but that’s mainly because I’m not a huge fan of veggies and the soup was overloaded with them.

I cannot say enough good things about this place
So adorably decorated. Amazing food. Inexpensive and service was probably some of the best I’ve had. I will definitely be returning.

My girlfriend and I SO enjoyed our evening here. We had mussels and salmon, both fresh and delicious. The mustard crusted salmon was cooked perfectly and not overpowered by mustard seed, the fish spoke on its own and it spoke so well. I would recommend this cozy little spot for a date or to impress some out-​of-​city folk with some BK culture. Yes, it packs a lot of personality, deal with it!

The current waitress needs a vacation or a sabbatical. When we asked questions about the menu, instead of being helpful and informative, she was judgmental and made faces resembling an ugly puss. I felt judged and ridiculed instead of learning more about the choices available on the menu.

Petite Crevette is a cozy little French Bistrol on the far side of Carroll Gardens. They specialize in French seafood. We came on a rainy day and walked into a dark atmosphere little candle lit shop with the kitchen outside and seating inside. There was a young French man at a table reading his novel excitedly waiting for his date.
You get the feel that the restaurant was an attempt at bringing the French way of relaxing and taking a break and reading a book and talking about art an philosophy to past the time.
That is to way Petite Crevette succeeds in giving me the taste of French Cuisine as well as the context in which the food should be enjoyed.
We ordered a Branzino and Cioppino and waited dipping out bread into a home made olive oil infusion with red bell peppers. We watched the young man with what I could only imagine to be deep blue eyes chat about philosophy with the young blond american girl who met up with him. We observed the old family in the back celebrating another milestone in life, maybe a graduation? maybe an engagement for the young members?
What bliss it was to step out of the rainy night and indoors and have great food and genuinely watch people not be busy and taking life in one syllable at a time.

Petite Crevette is a small, adorable, tucked-​away-​next-​to-​the-​highway French seafood restaurant in Carroll Gardens.
Its BYOB. Yes!
Cash only.
Romantic cozy spot. Looks like someone’s living room turned to a restaurant.
The night we dined, the owner was our waiter.
My husband ordered the branzino, which was cooked so the flesh was tender, flakey, well seasoned. The buttery potatoes that arrived with the branzino were addictive and creamy. He didn’t want to share.
My cioppino was rich medley of tomatoes, wine and briny seafood juices. The half lobster was so satisfying.
We left extremely happy and our stomachs were content.
I can’t wait to return to try more of their menu.

For my 100^th review it only seem fitting to tip my hat to Neil and his phenomenal restaurant, Petite Crevette. I swear I wrote this review on Unilocal 6 years ago but it seems to have vanished into thin air (or maybe it is just my memory going), so here we go again… I think:
In a city where it is surprisingly difficult to get a straight forward fresh piece of properly cooked fish (that isn’t drowned in sauces and other trendy distractions) Petite Crevette is a welcome oasis. Tucked in the tiniest space you could imagine (in a tiny old flower shop) and practically overhanging the BQE, going to Petite used to feel like you had journeyed to the end of the earth (back when the Carroll Gardens West /​Columbia Waterfront district just had a few restaurants and PokPok and Brooklyn Bridge Park didn’t exist). Personally I love the atmosphere with is mismatched (slightly uncomfortable and sardined together) furniture, old strange remnants of the flowerhop that used to be there, and the creepiest nude figurine watching you while you eat.
While surely you have heard the stories about Neil being difficult and throwing lobsters at people, I think he is awesome. Just like the restaurant, he has true character you won’t forget. I love how he is not there to impress you with service or kiss your ass, but rather he just wants to serve whatever he thinks he can get as the best fish each day. You don’t go here for Daniel level services (although I have to say the staff is always great). You also don’t go here in a rush or asking for substitutions. Petite has a small menu that hasn’t changed one bit in the 12 years I have been going here. Keep in mind this place just has one stove with 4 burners and Neil cooks it at his own pace and your food will come when your food comes. Luckily if you are hungry they have awesome fresh bread and a olive oil dipping sauce that it incredibly addictive to tide you over.
One thing that has changed over the years is that we rarely see Neil doing the cooking these days (maybe it is just when we come or maybe it is just that he has to juggle both the restaurant and bar next door). I do have to say that we used to feel things were always over salted but that hasn’t been an issue for years.
If we get appetizers, we typically split an order of mussels which is very filling (especially after you drown their awesome bread in the sauce). If I am feeling gluttonous I go for the corn and crab chowder which is excellent or sometimes the tuna tartare.
While they always push the Cioppino, it is the one dish we have never thought was amazing. Instead we often go for the mustard crusted salmon, which may sound boring but is insanely good and always cooked to perfection (I must have had 100 times). It is an absolute bargain at $ 20 (it used to only be $ 15). The tuna burger and salmon burgers are both phenomenal as well (which come with fries cooked to perfection), although the price of the tuna burger recently shot up from $ 14 to $ 21 making it too hard for me to pick over the salmon (Neil explained the price hike is due to the current demand for tuna). Occasionally we mix things up with whatever the fresh fish of the day is… and when he says it is fresh, it really is fresh off the boat. Typically this is a whole fish, so expect to do some work picking out the meat.
Of course one of the best things about Petite is that it is BYOB (with reasonable $ 5 corkage fee that if you go there enough they may just waive). I don’t know of any other place where you can get this quality of food and bring your own wine. While, yes it is annoying that it is cash only, the pricing is so reasonable that you won’t care (plus, this is the only place where I think the owner is so fair with the pricing that he shouldn’t get screwed with credit card fees). By the way, the BYOB factor makes this one of the best places to treat friends to. Nothing like not having to pay restaurant pricing for booze.
Petite is definitely one of my favorite restaurants anywhere and seriously one of the reason we left Manhattan over a decade ago. It’s not for everyone, which is part of the reason we love it so much.

One word… WOW!
I almost hate to write a review for a place so amazing… Because I would like to keep it to ourselves.
HOWEVER, the food was phenomenal, we fancy ordering many things just to try… Hands down the BEST mussels we have ever had, and the fish we ordered was cooked to perfection.
But the real reason to go back was the waitress Ulli. we have never encountered a more inviting, lovely individual.
As first-​timers, we will definitely be back.

A hidden gem! First of all a byob YAYYY! Mr. Fish (the owner) is very welcoming. The hospitality was unbelievable! Anything you ask for is there whether they carry it or not. My friend and I asked for hot sauce, they did not carry hot sauce but after leaving and returning hot sauce appeared! The food is delicious! Cooked to perfection, garnished to the taste. The owner brought over a chocolate cake w insurance that we would love it and he was no where far from the truth!
This is a place you cannot miss. It is an amazing cozy home away from home! Fresh seafood, cool ambiance, amazing service! What more could you ask for! Without a doubt I will be back! ! ! !

The fish — so good. We tried both the sea bass and salmon, and both were cooked and flavored so well. AND THE BREAD. It was SO FLUFFY. I feel like it was some of the best free bread I’ve had at a restaurant.
In terms of seating, though, I would say this place is more cramped than cozy… it’s a small restaurant, and all the tables feel very squeezed in together. You can hear every conversation going on around you. Still a cute place, though, and the waiters were very friendly.
Also, I’m guessing the BYOB is a very big allure of this restaurant. Practically every table had at least a bottle of wine except for ours.

More like a 3.5. It’s a very neighborhood place. The place seems very French from the food to the staff. The place is tight and somewhat odd looking but that adds to charm of the restaurant. The food is not fancy, just really nice food made with care and attention to detail.
The food:
Roast Cod with Capers– it was good but it wasn’t really an exciting dish. The flavors worked, but the fish was a tad over and somewhat chewy. The mash was ok, didn’t really have a homemade feel, though.
Fresh Fried Oysters– the flavors of the oyster were fresh and tasty, I only wish the oysters were a tad crispier. The side salad was a nice palate cleanser.
Bouillabaisse– my friend order this and it looked amazing. I only tried the broth and it was pretty fanfuckingtastic.

It’s tiny. It gets so hot (they have but just a lonely fan to circulate air). But it’s completely delicious through and through. Honest, clean cooking with fresh seafood is all you really need.
Service gets a bit spotty when the restaurant is bursting with patrons (which it often is), but the waiters are always so friendly and warm, and the food is worth the wait (and sometimes it can be quite a wait).
The best, best, best thing is the complimentary bread, speckled with sesame seeds, and ridiculously soft in the center, dipped in the amazing oil sauce concoction with tomatoes and copious, addictive amounts of garlic. We plowed through five loaves. Just could not get enough of it.
We tried nearly half the menu:
+ The corn and crab chowder is almost dessert, but in a fantastic way, so sweet with fresh corn throughout but refreshing and lovely.
+ The mussels are on the very small side but still tender, the broth perfect (to eat even more bread).
+ The cioppino had plenty of seafood, the lobster expertly cooked — succulent and tender and beautiful (and the broth was perfect for MORE BREAD. WE’RE FIENDSSSS).
+ The soft shell crab special is a high recommend — giant crabs thinly battered and completely fried — crunchy exterior, juicy interior, if only they gave more tartar sauce which everyone was scraping off the plate with every bit of crab carcass they could grab.
+ Fried oysters were the plumpest things you have ever popped in your mouth.
+ The Thai curry with bass was a random menu choice, but one we were all glad we got — the curry is definitely French-​inspired, lighter, with just a tiny tinge of spice, but the light flavors complimented the delicate fish (and MORE BREAD). The curry is not served with rice, but instead served with a layer of mashed potatoes at the bottom, which if you were lucky to spoon up, was delicious with spicy bit of ginger.
+ The whole fish (branzino) — simply pan fried and dressed in light oil and capers — the freshness of the fish pervaded every bite.
It’s BYOB with a small $ 5 corkage. Definitely bring a bottle or two. You’ll want to stay awhile. (FOR MORE BREADDDD) Haha. I’m a monster.