Singapore Cafe

Singapore cafe, china town, NYC

by sam1972

very disappointed. service level has gone down tremendously. They even pushed hard for 15% tip for just 2 people. Never will visit again.

• Pros: none.
• Cons: food is ok. service is aweful. they'll force you for 15% tip

okay service, but food is not that good.

by citiprince

i was expecting a lot before i tried their food. I ordered a haniseen chicken and it's totally not what it supposed to look and taste like. although it tasted okay, it's far from what it's supposed to taste. not to mention i paid $1.50 for each bowl of rice. i mean... shouldn't my orders come with rice??

• Pros: friendly owner
• Cons: food is not that good

Terrible Food, Ridiculous Service!

by alexjl

At first, our server was excellent. He listened, served us tea as soon as we sat down (which we didn't order, but were charged for anyway), and gave us all one minute of his time chatting to us! If it were not for his colleague, Mr. Grumpy!

Mr. Grumpy, a moniker I've designed for this waiter, is such because as soon as our server served us the second serving of chicken as previously mentioned, Mr. Grumpy made a snide, insulting remark in Chinese directed at us, not thinking that we would understand what he said as both my friend and I had American accents, I presume.

Again, this would not have bothered me, but while we waited for the check, I decided to take a trip to the restroom. Allow me to explain here briefly the layout of the restaurant. The bathrooms are located in the basement, so one would need to descend down a very narrow flight of stairs in order to use their facilities.

When I was about to head down those stairs, I noticed Mr. Grumpy walking out of the door in the basement. He paused, looked up at me, and I smiled and gestured for him to come up first. He caught my eye, but looked away, and without even having the courtesy of returning the gesture, or letting the customer go first, he instead decided to walk up the stairs at a snails pace. I assumed this was on purpose, as he glanced up at me (waiting for him at the top of the stairs) about three times, and quickly glanced away. Now if you had any doubts about how slow he was, three times, punctuated by very long intervals, should give you a good idea.

After he reached the top of the stairs, he glared at me before walking away.

I sat down, and suddenly, he quickly flocked to the table with a smile. "Check?" he asked.

Mr. Grumpy hovered over us as I looked over the check (which was written in Chinese), and only briefly left our side when it became obvious that I was more interested in conversing with my friend. We got up and left, sans tip.

Below is a transcript of what happened:

Mr Grumpy dashes right out the restaurant after we depart. Quite a feat, considering he was standing at the opposite end of the restaurant when we left.

M.G: Excuse me!

Me: Yes?

M.G: Would you like to leave a tip?

Me: No thanks.

M.G: Come on, don't be like that.

I begin walking away.

M.G (Yelling): That's not very nice. Don't come back here again!

A tip is a courtesy. But to be embarrassed outside a restaurant in front of my friend & complete strangers for simply not leaving a tip?

• Pros: Very Little Food Poisoning
• Cons: Customer Service (they mock customers and then DEMAND tips?)

Great food, prices, and service!

by bsngo23

Great menu, reasonable prices. Great for someone looking for something different from the usual chinese food in Chinatown. Watch out- lots of the dishes are pretty spicy. Recommend getting roti canai or satay for appetizer, char kway teow or laksa as entrees. and chendol or shaved ice for desert! Staff is very friendly as well. We asked some general questions about Chinatown and they were nice.

Excellent service, decor and food in Chinatown

by goldbug

In Chinatown it is often expected to get gruff service at a venue lacking decor, but Singapore Cafe is neither of these. The staff is attentive and super friendly. The food is delicious and worth every penny. Try their curry beef and Chinese spinach (hollow vegetables) for a fantastic treat. Their desserts are awesome as well from their rice pudding to ABC ice in a bowl.