(212) 633-0348

117 W 10th St
New York, NY 10011 40.7349 -73.9995

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Neighborhoods: West Village, Downtown

CAFEASEAN.COM

Hours:

Monday 1:00 PM - 10:30 PM

Tuesday 1:00 PM - 10:30 PM

Wednesday 1:00 PM - 10:30 PM

Thursday 1:00 PM - 10:30 PM

Friday 1:00 PM - 10:30 PM

Saturday 1:00 PM - 10:30 PM

Sunday 1:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Price:

$$$

Last updated 1.13.12

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

Cash, Check

Restaurant Special Features:

Local Favorite, Romantic Dining, Quiet, Outdoor Dining

Cuisine:

Pan-Asian & Pacific Rim, Japanese, Asian

What People Are Saying About Cafe Asean

Featured Review

Kathleen Squires

Contributor

The Scene – Its artsy-craftsy, bay-windowed atmosphere may feel transplanted from San Francisco, but the clientele are full-fledged New Yorkers in-the-know seeking out stimulating, sophisticated and inexpensive Southeast Asian fare. – – The Food – Nobody likes a show-off, but the cuisine coming out of this modest kitchen should be more touted. Fresh, clear flavors pervade the menu, especially in starters like plump steamed shrimp and chive dumplings with a lively ginger-lime soy dipping sauce and coconut-kissed carrots, peas, onions and zucchini stuffed in the tofu…

Editor's Tips

Know Before You Go:
Jefferson, a few doors down, is chef Simpson Wong's second restaurant. The food and decor are more upscale, and there's a full bar.
Where to Sit:
The covered back garden offers an all-weather refuge, and is a welcoming escape from the cramped dining room.
ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. GREAT food, GREAT prices , GREAT atmosphere!
  2. i've had the best conversations at this restaurant, the decor is adorable, the staff is attentive and you rarely have to wait for be seated.
  3. friend told us about this little gem in Greenwich Village, Having lived in Paris for many years, it reminded me of a bistro in the Left Bank, everything is first rate, the amazing FOOD, the friendly, casual and easy going service, the ambience and of co
  4. Decent food, good ambience
  5. West Village setting which means cool paper lamps hanging from walls, cozy small tables, it even has a great outdoor area in the back (great for summer).
  6. The service is attentive and friendly; the decor is warm and inviting; and the small open air dinning in the backyard is a gem during summer.
  7. Quick service, food cooked with interesting spices and flavors, comfortable and cozy space.
  8. On the plus side, the appetizers are way above average and the ambiance is great in either dining area.
  9. They have a nice outside seating area in the back, although I wish their chairs were more comfortable.
  10. The ambience was wondering - great old tables and chairs, good low lighting, cozy.
  11. Went there last month with some friends for holidays party, Foods was great and generous portion, Gotta try the Fillet of Snapper ,cozy embian, good crowd, friendly waiter and good service.
  12. Great food, great ambience
  13. It's a cute and cozy restaurant, the perfect environment for a date!
dessert
0.0% positive
  1. We had a full dinner: appetizer, entree, dessert and wine.
drinks
66.66999816894531% positive
  1. The Vietnamese Iced coffee at the end was nice.
  2. We had a full dinner: appetizer, entree, dessert and wine.
  3. Good uber flavorful food, relatively cheap prices for what you get, and a decent selection of wine.
food quality
92.65000343322754% positive
  1. The Sotong calamari had a great dipping sauce and was light and crispy.
  2. everything sounded tasty, so we asked one of the waiters if he could recommend something.
  3. Decent food, good ambience
  4. Nice place, quaint, outdoor patio available, food very tasty yet moderately priced
  5. Great food--good prices
  6. I've eaten here multiple times now and the food is fantastic.
  7. Salmon Goreng entree was crispy with a great pineapple curry sauce.
  8. The Mee Goreng is also fabulous flavors of stir fried noodles with tofu, spices, veggies and shrimp.
  9. Cafe Asean is a wonderful, eclectic Asian restaurant with character and great food.
  10. We ordered the shrimp and chive dumplings to start, which were good and a little spicy.
  11. The food is excellent and very reasonably priced, the service is always polite and astute and it's never been busy, so you can get seated promptly.
  12. The food is okay sometimes but it can be very variable, there are much better places, with more solid food quality, and staff that is much more pleasant than at Cafe Asean.
  13. food was nice.
  14. went there with some people and we particularly liked the shrimp dumplings, the salmon spring rolls, the fried mushroom dumplings, and the calamari.
  15. The food was excellent and our waiter was so cool.
  16. Good uber flavorful food, relatively cheap prices for what you get, and a decent selection of wine.
  17. GREAT food, GREAT prices , GREAT atmosphere!
  18. What good is three bites of excellent food when you have to leave the restaurant and head to McDonald's to fill yourself up.
  19. It was very obvious that the ingredients were fresh and the dishes well prepared.
  20. waiters/waitresses. the food was great but service terrible.
  21. It was a fantastic meal.
  22. The shrimp-scallion dumplings with the gingery soy dipping sauce are deliciously addicting and I'm not even a big fan of shrimp.
  23. good food, friendly service.
  24. Try the Mee Goreng, my absolute favorite dish in the whole entire world!
  25. For what it is, i thought it a little pricey but i get the feeling i had one of their few bad dishes.
  26. Great service, great food
  27. Eat a couple of slices of pizza before you go here, order an appetizer and an entree.
  28. We had the Calamari with a mango sauce that had a light almost tempura-like breading with the most amazing sweet/spicy sauce.
  29. Kari Kapitan (Chicken with coconut curry) was tender with a tasty sauce.
  30. would recommend the Indian noodles with peanut sauce, it's like a spicy Indian style pad-thai.
  31. We sat near the gas heated lamps in the enclosed back patio and settled into a great meal.
  32. Great food, good price, hole in the wall warmth
  33. Great food, great ambience
  34. Quick service, food cooked with interesting spices and flavors, comfortable and cozy space.
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. after an extensive explanation of everything we pointed at we decided on the cari kapitan and a bee hun.
  2. There's also a great lunch menu until 5 PM where the slightly smaller portions but still plenty and are only about $7 - that's a deal.
  3. Good uber flavorful food, relatively cheap prices for what you get, and a decent selection of wine.
  4. great menu/good price
overall
100.0% positive
  1. great place for 2 couples to go to talk and relax.
  2. i've had the best conversations at this restaurant, the decor is adorable, the staff is attentive and you rarely have to wait for be seated.
  3. Yeah, this is a great place.
  4. We had great time and definately good place to get together with friends.
  5. It's a great place for just two people or a small group.
return potential
0.0% positive
  1. After such a bad experience, never wanting to return again, the waiter actually wanted his ONE CENT.
service
73.00000190734863% positive
  1. The bill came and we tipped a generous 20% despite the horrible behavior, rude manner and slow service.
  2. The waitstaff were attentive but not overly so.
  3. good food, friendly service.
  4. The service is attentive and friendly; the decor is warm and inviting; and the small open air dinning in the backyard is a gem during summer.
  5. the service was slow and terrible.
  6. friend told us about this little gem in Greenwich Village, Having lived in Paris for many years, it reminded me of a bistro in the Left Bank, everything is first rate, the amazing FOOD, the friendly, casual and easy going service, the ambience and of co
  7. Quick service, food cooked with interesting spices and flavors, comfortable and cozy space.
  8. however in the 5+ years I've been dining here the consistent rotation of snotty divaboy waiter's that are perfectly happy to obviously ignore you well.
  9. Services is good, and the staff is nice and REAL.
  10. i've had the best conversations at this restaurant, the decor is adorable, the staff is attentive and you rarely have to wait for be seated.
  11. Great service, great food
  12. not sticky waiters or dumb amateurs, but just good cool people like you working there.
  13. Waiter: horrible and rude, asked for more tip!
  14. Went there last month with some friends for holidays party, Foods was great and generous portion, Gotta try the Fillet of Snapper ,cozy embian, good crowd, friendly waiter and good service.
  15. The staff there were rather unpleasant despite an effort on the customer's part to be pleasant.
  16. The food was excellent and our waiter was so cool.
  17. After such a bad experience, never wanting to return again, the waiter actually wanted his ONE CENT.
  18. waiters/waitresses. the food was great but service terrible.
  19. The food is okay sometimes but it can be very variable, there are much better places, with more solid food quality, and staff that is much more pleasant than at Cafe Asean.
  20. The food is excellent and very reasonably priced, the service is always polite and astute and it's never been busy, so you can get seated promptly.
  21. It's a great place for just two people or a small group.
  22. went there with some people and we particularly liked the shrimp dumplings, the salmon spring rolls, the fried mushroom dumplings, and the calamari.
  23. horrible service
  24. guess you have to come out your pocket and head to 'Jefferson's' for decent service.
  25. everything sounded tasty, so we asked one of the waiters if he could recommend something.
value
83.33000183105469% positive
  1. Good uber flavorful food, relatively cheap prices for what you get, and a decent selection of wine.
  2. great menu/good price
  3. Went there last month with some friends for holidays party, Foods was great and generous portion, Gotta try the Fillet of Snapper ,cozy embian, good crowd, friendly waiter and good service.
  4. For what it is, i thought it a little pricey but i get the feeling i had one of their few bad dishes.
  5. tiny room filled with antiqued tables, tons of candles, and huge paper lanterns.
  6. friend told us about this little gem in Greenwich Village, Having lived in Paris for many years, it reminded me of a bistro in the Left Bank, everything is first rate, the amazing FOOD, the friendly, casual and easy going service, the ambience and of co
  7. GREAT food, GREAT prices , GREAT atmosphere!
  8. The bill came and we tipped a generous 20% despite the horrible behavior, rude manner and slow service.
  9. There's also a great lunch menu until 5 PM where the slightly smaller portions but still plenty and are only about $7 - that's a deal.
  10. Great food--good prices
  11. Great food, good price, hole in the wall warmth
  12. Fantastic Food and Reasonable price.
wait time
0.0% positive
  1. The bill came and we tipped a generous 20% despite the horrible behavior, rude manner and slow service.
  2. the service was slow and terrible.
1 Star Rating: Poor

08/11/10

Lovely... if you like burnt food and mice on your feet

by smithydubs at Citysearch

After a reccomendation (both personal and from a travel book) it was with excitement and interest that we visited cafe asean.

How wrong we were

Though the monkefish was delicious, the clay hot pot turned up completely burnt, so much so that a little less than half the food could not be scraped off the side of the bowl.

To add to this there were several dirty looking black mice running around the outside area of the restaurant (where we were sitting). These little fellers were scurrying around our feet grabbing dropped food and making the whole experience thouroughly unenjoyable.

At the end of the meal we complained about the burnt food and the mice. We were told this was how the dish was cooked and that it was difficult to control the mice as the terrace was outdoors. two very weak excuses in our book.

After pressing the issue the manager was called over. He offered us the bill with the clay hot pot removed (burnt problem dealt with) and the suggestion that we should move inside (his terrible attempt at dealing with the mouse problem).

We accepted the reduction in price and were please just to leave the place

In summary: A lovely setting a full of promise, but major improvements to cleanliness, attitude and attention to detail are needed.

4 Star Rating: Recommended

10/18/08

Really Good Paella, Cute Date Spot

by nychica5 at Citysearch

My friend and I came here on a Friday night at 8pm and were seated without a wait. The restaurant is small, but not cramped. It's a cute and cozy restaurant, the perfect environment for a date! We ordered the shrimp and chive dumplings to start, which were good and a little spicy. For entrees, I ordered the Paella, which takes 20min but they inform you of the wait when you order, and my friend ordered the lemongrass chicken. My paella was amazing, it came out piping out and was perfectly seasoned. The waitstaff were attentive but not overly so. The only things I didn't like about the place were my friend's lemongrass chicken (kind of bland) and the chair (super uncomfortable).

  • Pros: Paella, Ambience
  • Cons: Chairs, small menu
4 Star Rating: Recommended

09/10/08

Great Asian Tapas!

by gaiamcraft at Citysearch

I really like this little place. They have a nice outside seating area in the back, although I wish their chairs were more comfortable. The appetizers are what it really is all about. I went there with some people and we particularly liked the shrimp dumplings, the salmon spring rolls, the fried mushroom dumplings, and the calamari. You cannot beat the prices either.

  • Pros: Tapas, Price
2 Star Rating: Below Average

05/01/07

VERY disappointed

by bornandraisedherenyc at Citysearch

Cafe Asean disappointed me. The staff there were rather unpleasant despite an effort on the customer's part to be pleasant. The food is okay sometimes but it can be very variable, there are much better places, with more solid food quality, and staff that is much more pleasant than at Cafe Asean. I will not go back, I was very unhappy, particularly the attitude.

  • Pros: Good location
  • Cons: Unpleasant staff
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

03/17/07

Best Asian food in the area

by rbraimon at Citysearch

Picture it. St. Patricks Day, 2007. We scurried past the drunken debauchery spilling out from neighboring bars and pubs, and came upon a cute Pan-asian restaurant off a side street in the village. It was a blustery cold evening and Cafe Asean's windows were foggy and inviting. We sat near the gas heated lamps in the enclosed back patio and settled into a great meal. The Sotong calamari had a great dipping sauce and was light and crispy. Kari Kapitan (Chicken with coconut curry) was tender with a tasty sauce. Gaeng Kheow (Green Curry with shrimp and vegetables) was mildly spicy in a good way and very fresh. Salmon Goreng entree was crispy with a great pineapple curry sauce. It was later in the evening and the birthday party crowds were dispersing. Our service came from a rarest-of-rare breed of New Yorker - an optomistic and authenticaly nice waiter who actually enjoys his job. Post dinner chat was charming and refreshing. We left full, happy and eager to come back and try a few more dishes.

  • Pros: Friendly, Great Food, Inexpensive, Comfortable and no attitude

The Details on Cafe Asean

Place Categories:

  • great food
  • friendly going service
  • love little place
  • great cheap prices
  • nice staff
  • slow service
  • rude waiter
  • loved everything
  • wonderful asian restaurant
  • more comfortable chairs
  • great ambience
  • fantastic meal
  • great old tables
  • comfortable space
  • cool people
  • great pineapple curry sauce
  • fresh ingredients
  • favorite dish
  • really nice decor
  • refreshing post dinner chat
  • good start
  • great portion
  • fabulous flavors
  • particularly liked shrimp dumplings
  • great menugood price
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