(212) 777-1447

41 Saint Marks Pl (2nd Avenue and 1st Avenue)
New York, NY 10003 40.728527 -73.987518

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Neighborhoods: East Village, Downtown

Hours:

Sun-Thurs 9am-1am

Fri-Sat 9am-2am

Price:

$$

Last updated 5.19.10

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

Visa, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Breakfast, Late Night Dining, Brunch, Outdoor Dining, Lunch Spot, Carry Out, Cheap Eats

General Info:

Open 24 Hours

Cuisine:

Traditional American

Dress Code:

Casual

What People Are Saying About Cafe Orlin

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

In Short – There's always an interesting crowd at this neighborhood cafe: people on dates, solo diners with newspapers, a knitting-club meeting taking a coffee break. The eclectic lunch and dinner menus feature salads, Middle Eastern-style vegetarian platters, pastas and a variety of chicken and seafood entrees. The organic-egg omelettes in 10 varieties--feta and spinach, portobello and shallot or salmon--make this a weekend brunch destination.

ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. “Cafe Orlin is THE most comfortable restaruant I can say that I have been to.”
  2. “The atmosphere of this place is great.”
  3. “perfect ambience”
  4. “It's laid back casual atmosphere is nice.”
  5. “liked the atmosphere but they need some help on service.”
  6. “The food is great, the service is wonderful and i love the ambiance and the hustle and bustle of a well- oiled machine.”
  7. “love the cozy atmosphere and in the warm-weather a prime place to people watch sipping away at your cappucino or OJ.”
  8. “Diverse menu, great value, fun neighborhood!”
  9. “The ambience is typical of the neighborhood, crowded tables and can be quite noisy at times but overall, it's a great place for a casual date or when you don't have the courage to try a new place and just want good, decent fare without the high price tag.”
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. “My BF and I had been coming to Cafe Orlin many times for coffee and dessert either alone or even with big groups.”
  2. “I've been going to Orlin for some years, mostly for some of their staple offerings: delicious hummus, their spicy tomato soup, and their to-die-for warm chocolate cake.”
  3. “For dessert, we always get the tiramisu, which is always delicious and not too sweet like other places make it.”
  4. “Their prices are reasonable, and you should NEVER leave without taking a look at the desert menu.”
drinks
100.0% positive
  1. “They have tasty food, great coffee and tea-based beverages and an eclectic NY Atmosphere.”
  2. “My BF and I had been coming to Cafe Orlin many times for coffee and dessert either alone or even with big groups.”
food quality
96.59000396728516% positive
  1. “Not only do I feel quite at home, relaxed, and happy whenever I go there; their food is GREAT!”
  2. “The food here is great, especially given how inexpensive it is.”
  3. “have eaten here at least 100 times and never had a bad or even so-so meal.”
  4. “They have tasty food, great coffee and tea-based beverages and an eclectic NY Atmosphere.”
  5. “The food was so great.”
  6. “For dessert, we always get the tiramisu, which is always delicious and not too sweet like other places make it.”
  7. “We were seated promptly, food was fresh and delicious.”
  8. “Always consistent - the most perfect poached eggs, excellent service, and extremely affordable.”
  9. “good food good place”
  10. “Great organic chicken with mashed potatoes.”
  11. “We got a great pitcher of red sangria and delicious hummus/falafel plate.”
  12. “The food is consistently good and there is enough variety to satisfy carnivores AND pesky vegetarians alike:-) My favorite is the hanger steak - done to med-rare perfection!”
  13. “The brunch was delicious (the specials are definitely worth the money).”
  14. “The food is tasty, not complicated, but well executed and with good pricing in mind.”
  15. “On my most recent visit with two companions to this wonderful little restaurant on St. Marks Place, each of us chose a different dish.”
  16. “greatly enjoyed my meal here.”
  17. “oh yeah and the food is good too.”
  18. “The menu consists of simple, flavorful dishes, no nothing too fancy and nothing heavy.”
  19. “The millet pancakes come with fresh beet salad, which was delicious.”
  20. “Great hummus, lots of places to sit, good food”
  21. “recommend the gaspacho soup, it is out of this world!”
  22. “The food is great, the service is wonderful and i love the ambiance and the hustle and bustle of a well- oiled machine.”
  23. “Good food, fresh and nicely presented.”
  24. “The food is tasty.”
  25. “had a great chicken sandwich here, and I don't even really order chicken sandwiches.”
  26. “This place is excellent, the menu is small but they have amazing food at a reasonable price.”
  27. “Prices were affordable, service was good, and I was amazed at the flavor of the food.”
  28. “Great fresh food”
  29. “Go when you want to relax over well-prepared, fresh food and have good conversations with friends.”
  30. “The food is excellent!”
  31. “All three dishes were excellent.”
  32. “eat here at least once a month, the food is absolutely great.”
  33. “the food is great and the prices are very reasonable.”
  34. “place in NYC where you can eat nice food , in a nice environment , where they have a smoking section.”
  35. “Can anything taste better than fresh organic eggs?”
  36. “relaxed, great food”
  37. “My walnut crusted salmon was melt in your mouth delicious and my friend's falaffel and hummus were equally good.”
  38. “It's casual, not too hipster and the hummus and eggs are absolutely my favorite.”
  39. “Great food!”
  40. “pumpkin pancakes, the best eggs benedict selection!”
  41. “The food is good for both vegetarians and meateaters with a varity of options.”
  42. “The food is like your mother would cook , but with a wonderful twist.”
  43. “the food is delicious.”
  44. “I've been going to Orlin for some years, mostly for some of their staple offerings: delicious hummus, their spicy tomato soup, and their to-die-for warm chocolate cake.”
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. “This place is excellent, the menu is small but they have amazing food at a reasonable price.”
  2. “The food is consistently good and there is enough variety to satisfy carnivores AND pesky vegetarians alike:-) My favorite is the hanger steak - done to med-rare perfection!”
  3. “Their prices are reasonable, and you should NEVER leave without taking a look at the desert menu.”
  4. “The chef is often on site, and pays wonderful attention to creative, and yet homey menus.”
  5. “Diverse menu, great value, fun neighborhood!”
  6. “The food is good for both vegetarians and meateaters with a varity of options.”
  7. “The menu consists of simple, flavorful dishes, no nothing too fancy and nothing heavy.”
  8. “pumpkin pancakes, the best eggs benedict selection!”
overall
100.0% positive
  1. “hands down the best brunch place in the lower east side.”
  2. “This is my favorite restaurant!”
  3. “Its a great place to meet a friend, sit for a long time over a great breakfast or brunch”
  4. “The ambience is typical of the neighborhood, crowded tables and can be quite noisy at times but overall, it's a great place for a casual date or when you don't have the courage to try a new place and just want good, decent fare without the high price tag.”
  5. “this is a great place to dine with friends or even by yourself.”
  6. “good food good place”
  7. “Their outdoor seating is also great when it's a nice night out, but far enough away from all the touristy traffic around St. Mark's place.”
  8. “Its not a scene, its a great neighborhood place where friends (and even family) can gather together for good times.”
service
77.5% positive
  1. “Always consistent - the most perfect poached eggs, excellent service, and extremely affordable.”
  2. “The food is great, the service is wonderful and i love the ambiance and the hustle and bustle of a well- oiled machine.”
  3. “The service was very fast.”
  4. “but the service is horrible.”
  5. “We told her we made a mistake and would give more but since she asked, the service was terrible.”
  6. “Their staff is wonderful.”
  7. “We were seated promptly and the people are so friendly.”
  8. “The wait staff are WAY too funky to care about good service.”
  9. “The service was horrible.”
  10. “The servers are always pritty nice and prompt.”
  11. “I've found the host staff very accomodating, and the service pleasant and efficient.”
  12. “great service!”
  13. “liked the atmosphere but they need some help on service.”
  14. “Prices were affordable, service was good, and I was amazed at the flavor of the food.”
  15. “Sometimes you get some type of arrogant hipster for a waiter, and the service is awful.”
  16. “love the cozy atmosphere and in the warm-weather a prime place to people watch sipping away at your cappucino or OJ.”
  17. “The servers are very underdressed and a little bit strange, but give decent service.”
  18. “don't know about the reviewer below who maintains his service was poor; the wait staff has been quite helpful whenever I'm there.”
  19. “perfect place for a friendly/first date, late night group dining or sidewalk seating.”
  20. “On other days, you get the good waiters, who are very nice and will bring everything out promptly.”
value
100.0% positive
  1. “This place is excellent, the menu is small but they have amazing food at a reasonable price.”
  2. “The food is tasty, not complicated, but well executed and with good pricing in mind.”
  3. “best breakfast for the right price”
  4. “The food here is great, especially given how inexpensive it is.”
  5. “The ambience is typical of the neighborhood, crowded tables and can be quite noisy at times but overall, it's a great place for a casual date or when you don't have the courage to try a new place and just want good, decent fare without the high price tag.”
  6. “Diverse menu, great value, fun neighborhood!”
  7. “The brunch was delicious (the specials are definitely worth the money).”
  8. “GREAT FOOD at a GOOD DEAL and SIZEABLE portions!”
  9. “Their prices are reasonable, and you should NEVER leave without taking a look at the desert menu.”
  10. “Prices were affordable, service was good, and I was amazed at the flavor of the food.”
  11. “the food is great and the prices are very reasonable.”
  12. “Always consistent - the most perfect poached eggs, excellent service, and extremely affordable.”
wait time
100.0% positive
  1. “Its a great place to meet a friend, sit for a long time over a great breakfast or brunch”
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

10/29/09

There should be more places like this

by slinki at Citysearch

The food here is great, especially given how inexpensive it is. I have eaten here at least 100 times and never had a bad or even so-so meal. What's more, they never stop creating new dishes, though this ambition is executed with moderation and total lack of pretentiousness. The atmosphere/overall crowd is mellow, mixed and youthfully alive, regardless of actual age (which runs the gamut.) The music also rocks.

  • Pros: food, service, atmosphere, price, hours
  • Cons: noise level at peak times; that it's no longer open 24-hours
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

07/25/09

GREAT FOOD at a GOOD DEAL and SIZEABLE portions!

by parkieslope at Citysearch

My BF and I had been coming to Cafe Orlin many times for coffee and dessert either alone or even with big groups. Last night was the first time we tried it for dinner and we were really impressed. The menu is VERY reasonably priced with a variety of appetizers, salads,and entrees.

We got the hanger steak and the chicken schnizel. When the food came out, we were really surprised at the portions. There was a lot. On top of that, it was delicious. For dessert, we always get the tiramisu, which is always delicious and not too sweet like other places make it.

The atmosphere of this place is great. It is big inside, but somehow manages to feel really intimate. Their outdoor seating is also great when it's a nice night out, but far enough away from all the touristy traffic around St. Mark's place.

  • Pros: good food, big portions, atmosphere, open 24h
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

05/11/09

Great fresh food

by lg11 at Citysearch

Good food, fresh and nicely presented. Great organic chicken with mashed potatoes. Highest quality ingredients are used. One of my favorite restaurants.

  • Pros: Service Varies
4 Star Rating: Recommended

12/03/08

Try It

by IanDan at Citysearch

I have eaten here many times over the last years, and every time I do I think "Why don' t I come here more often?" the food is delicious. The chef is often on site, and pays wonderful attention to creative, and yet homey menus. The food is like your mother would cook , but with a wonderful twist. I have always found the staff to be courteous and professional. I really like this restaurant. For this kind of a restaurant, it is a treat. Try it.

4 Star Rating: Recommended

10/21/08

Great Food, Service Varies

by midnitmarauder at Citysearch

I eat here at least once a month, the food is absolutely great. Whether you go for brunch or dinner, there is nothing on the menu that is lacking in quality. I had the best bruschetta there the other week, and the falafel and hummus are my favorites. Make sure to try the fried goat cheese salad too, it's top notch. The menu consists of simple, flavorful dishes, no nothing too fancy and nothing heavy. I'm taking one start away for service. Sometimes you get some type of arrogant hipster for a waiter, and the service is awful. If you get one of these waiters, expect them to look bored as can be and they'll make you feel like they're doing you a favor by serving you. On other days, you get the good waiters, who are very nice and will bring everything out promptly...so, the service depends on who you get!

  • Pros: Amazing food, nice outdoor section, mild prices
  • Cons: Some (not all) of the waiters are just plain rude

The Details on Cafe Orlin

Place Categories:

  • great good food
  • good service
  • great place
  • best brunch
  • reasonable prices
  • favorite hummus
  • great cozy atmosphere
  • favorite organic eggs
  • even so-so meal
  • not even really order chicken sandwich
  • great fun neighborhood
  • always delicious tiramisu
  • quite helpful wait staff
  • very nice good waiters
  • delicious fresh beet salad
  • great breakfast
  • well-prepared fresh food
  • prompt servers
  • flavorful dishes
  • professional sooooooo
  • most comfortable restaruant
  • perfect poached eggs
  • bad nothing
  • nice casual atmosphere
  • favorite little restaurant