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- Neighborhoods:
- Chelsea, Midtown
- Categories:
- Restaurants
- Cuisine:
- New American, Traditional American
- Price:
- $$
- Restaurant Special Features:
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- General Info:
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At a Glance
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100% ambiance
“The decor is nice and you can eat there late.”
100% dessert
“It has fantastic mac and cheese, great desserts, and the drinks aren't too bad either.”
91% drinks
“The prices were a little high, but other than the bill at the end of dinner and drinks, I really enjoyed the atmopsphere and the food.”
86% food quality
“the burgers are great.”
87% menu variety
“The breakfast menu is really good as well.”
100% overall
“great place for brunch - if you are not in a rush!”
50% return potential
“Normally if I don't like a place I don't complain I just don't go back but this was the worst dining experience I have ever had.”
75% service
“in the end, it was way too expensive, the service was awful, and the wait staff cares much more about how they look in their uniform than serving their tables.”
83% value
“The place is always busy and very up with great service and cheap exceptional food.”
55% wait time
“male friends and I went back on Saturday and waited 30 minutes in the cold misty rain and were finally told by the "bouncer" at the door that we would not be allowed in because we had no women with us.”
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Tips for Cafeteria
May 13, 2012
Middle School Cafeteria with a Side of Bullies. This used to be one of the must go places I suggest to out of town friends for great food and chic but unpretentious ambiance. Apparently, none of those qualities is valuable to its owners. Beware coming here after hours as the restaurant devolves into a sorry impersonation of a private club. Bouncers and not-prada-but-nada managers sashay like Anna Wintour "filtering" who goes first and who stays out for an hour or so. When asked why, they rudely claim "no seats" are available" or that they "take people with reservations first", both of which are obvious lies as they let some girls walk in off the street. As if that weren't bad enough, they tell girls who ask how long the wait is to "show them what they're wearing" and twirl around so the in-house thugs can decide whether they cut the line or not. I have been--and still sometimes go--to list-only, exclusive clubs. But Cafeteria? Give me a break! Neither the smug door staff nor its supposed "management"--ill-fittingly wrapped in their Costco suits--could ever elevate Cafeteria's status to a "private club." It is the epitome of putting Duane Reade lipstick on a Chelsea pig. And while I understand people line up to get into "exclusive hot spots," it's simply pathetic of them to believe that people will do so at 2 in the morning for a piece of fried macaroni and cheese. Yes, i would have stayed an hour or even longer if the restaurant had a long line (like it used to). That would be fair. But to be constantly belittled while you wait and snubbed by staff not qualified enough to even run prison cafeteria is more than a bit unappetizing. The food simply isn't that good. Because in a proper dining place where the menu and service are truly amazing, there would be no need for these gimmicks. It is such a shame that a wonderful place that was known for its wholesome, heartwarming fare has now been turned into "the ultimate late night middle school cafeteria run by bullies."
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Heart
April 01, 2011
YES THEY ARE RACIST & DISCRIMINATORY!!!!.
I had a few friends (couple) that were there a few days ago and because of their casual attire (due to bad weather) the Host (JAMES) said "They were only seating reservations" which was a blatant lie! The Host never allowed them to wait for a table kept insisting that they were only seating reservations and that they should come back tomorrow. My friends walked down the block and waited 10 minutes then called them back pretending to be a party of 3 and THE SAME HOST told them over the phone they can be seated in 25 min.
The place practices some really unethical seating polices. And the HOST(JAMES) who was blatantly homosexual had the nerve to discriminate against others!!
THIS IS APPALLING!! THEY WILL NEVER GET MY MONEY....AND I WILL LET MY OVER 300 FACE BOOKS FRIENDS KNOW HOW THEY TREAT PEOPLE !
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Heart
March 08, 2011
CAFETERIA IS RACIST!!!!. MY FRIENDS AND I TRIED TO DINE HERE AND WERE TOLD WE COULD NOT GO IN THIS HAD NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE SO WE ASKED, "WHY?". WE WERE TOLD BY THE MAN AT THE DOOR THAT HE DIDNT HAVE TO TELL US WHY AND TO LEAVE THE FRONT OF THER ESTABLISHMENT. THERE WERE 4 OF US ALL ETHNIC WOMAN. HE THEN PROCEEDED TO LET ASIAN AND CAUCASIAN PEOPLE IN AND WAS VERY RUDE TO US AGAIN. THEN, 2 AFRICAN AMERICAN MEN APPROACHED THE ESTABLISHMENT AND WERE TREATED THE SAME WAY. ANOTHER GROUP OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MEN SHOWED UP (ONE OF WHICH WAS AN NFL PLAYER) AND THE RUDE DOOR MAN TOLD THEM (OBVIOUSLY NOT RECOGNIZING THE PRO ATHLETE) THAT THEIR "ATTIRE WAS INAPPROPRIATE" WHEN WE COULD CLEARLY SEE THROUGH THE WINDOW THAT SOME CAUCASIAN MEN WERE DINING IN THE SAME TYPE OF URBAN ATTIRE. THEN TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE WE CALLED WHILE STANDING THERE TO MAKE RESERVATIONS AND WERE TOLD THAT THEY WERE "FULL TO CAPACITY", MEANWHILE WE COULD SEE THE 4 EMPTY TABLES THROUGH THE WINDOW SMH. THIS ESTABLISHMENT LEAVES ME NO CHOICE BUT TO BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE RACIST. I HATE TO SAY IT BUT RACISM IS OBVIOUSLY STILL AFFECTING LIVES IN 2011.
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Heart
October 18, 2010
Trendy american bistro in the heart of Chelsea.
I LOVE this place. The servers wear all black and white with skinny suspenders. Everyone who works there looks young, and possibly a bit snobby, but if you actually get to know them, they all super fun and insteresting characters.
The place offers a hip and cool ambiance and a great all american menu. The hanger steak cobb salad is AMAZING as well as the Mac and Cheese appetizer, and the sliders. I know some reviewers say that waiting in line is a pain, but it's definitely worth the wait. AND there's a DJ that spins in the lounge downstairs every night starting at 8pm. Really good for small groups of friends who want to catch up and actually hear each other's conversations while still being in a crowded bar scene.
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Heart
October 06, 2010
Best Mac & Cheese everrrr.
All I can speak for is the Mac & Cheese- it is indeed, orgasmic. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. I haven't tried much else here- besides the fried calamari salad, which was also delightful. Despite being super loud (hey, that's fine with me- it's a fun environment)...I tend to go here when a Mac & Cheese craving hits.
I haven't had a bad experience with a server here yet..but the review about the waiter who forged a tip- that's horrible!!!
YUMMO!
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Heart
September 10, 2010
Waiter gave himself a $100 tip for poor service.
Our waiter (named Walker) was completely unprofessional, cavalier and knew nothing about the food or drinks at the restaurant. He sat at the table, a little too close to my date and was completely rude to my gay guy friend.
We didn't tip due to the treatment he gave and after we left he ran out of the restaurant screaming at us. We later discovered that he forged $100 in tips to our checks. I heard he is still employed despite our complaints to management.
I've always had good experiences before but I will never step foot in there again after this experience.
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Heart
September 06, 2010
Liked the food, the vibe, and the location......
We initially passed this up, though after making a few calls for recommendations, ended up back here.
Seated promptly. Cocktails were good; waiter friendly and helpful with suggestions, and best of all we (party of 4) all thought our entrees were delicious, as well as appetizers.
My only comment might be that while the bathrooms are dated (budget must have run out before they could remodel those), they don't HAVE to smell bad. Had we been to restrooms first, mightn't have stayed.
A little paint touch-up, and a lot more cleaning there, and you're set. Otherwise, perfect, and we'd go back!
Yum! Thanks!
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Heart
August 31, 2010
Just Awful.
Can’t say much about the food since the service was so slow and inept I ended up just telling them not to bother and leaving to go someplace else.
How a place with such bad service manages to stay in business is beyond me.
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Heart
May 31, 2010
Eh.. The food was Ok, I had a salad while my friend had a burger. The Staff was not rude, but a little inattentive, and the place was so crowded, the woman at the table next to me and I kept bumping elbows. It was packed for a tuesday night, which I assumed would mean that it's great, but I was simply unimpressed. THe food took a long time, and the staff was brief. Having worked in a restaurant myself and I must say that that behavior would never fly. I just don't really understand the hype.
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Heart
April 14, 2010
Wanna Be Barney's Shopper. Sounds like the manager of this place is a real ass. SO funny! and sad too! Poor guy.
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Heart
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