Fanelli Cafe

12/18/09

Poor Service, Inedible Food

by Nativeater at Citysearch

I have been here a few times, for overpriced, small glasses of wine, in the crowded, underheated interior, and some decent lunches. They don't cook a Croque Monsieur properly, and the fries are hit and miss. But after my last visit, I will never go back. After waiting close to an hour during the workday for a salmon sandwich, it was uncooked--raw in the middle, not safe to eat. And this was not the first time that I had been there and someone at the table was served undercooked meat (in that case, a beyond rare burger). The waitress was barely apologetic, though they did take it off my check. Even the fries were inedible--overcooked. I just wasted an hour of my life--don't waste your time or money.

• Cons: Didn't get to eat

01/11/09

Employees are rude and thieves

by steven4 at Citysearch

Went here late at night on 1/13/09 and sat in back room by the kitchen. It was cold and snowing that night and I took off my gloves and put them on the table where they remained throughout my meal. I left without taking them and didn't realize they were gone until I started down the street. When I went back to my table less than 5 minutes later my gloves were gone...and out table hadn't even been cleared yet. When I inquired with the waitress and hostess they were incredibly rude to me.

I am convinced one of the employees took my gloves as there was nobody else in this back room as it was after 1 am. I asked the waitress to ask the kitchen staff if they'd seen the gloves and she reluctantly went back there for about a nano-second to "ask around". She and the hostess were annoyingly rude to me when I asked to speak to the manager as somebody had to have the gloves. They said there was no manager and I could call tomorrow (keep in mind the gloves were on this table only 5 minutes ago and it was snowing outside).

Pay your employees better wages so they don't take your customer's belongings.

THE FOOD WAS JUST OKAY.

• Pros: Open late at night
• Cons: Rude staff

11/30/08

HIstorical Village Bar with Good Food and Service

by 2VillageGirls at Citysearch

Well folks, here we have a real New York legend. Fanelli's has been around since SOHO was inhabited by artists -- not the ultra-rich or the kitsch. To go to Fanelli's is to go expecting an experience as well as good, decent food. Do not go with an attitude or looking for haute cuisine.

Firstly, the staff is replete with a good, solid sense of neighborhood and customer service. The matire'd is excellent and even in the throes of a large crowd, she is in control and treats everyone equally. She is a pleasure to deal with.

The food is good. As the previous reviewer mentioned, the sandwiches, salads, brunch menu, hamburgers, basic pasta and deserts are well made and can stand up to any menu that another, higher-priced restaurant can offer.

First of all, the 2VillageGirls love their vodka so we focussed on the drinks first. We had vodka, seltzer with a splash of cranberry juice. Perfectly mixed drink. We then shared the pumpkin raviolli in alfredo sauce and a vegetarian dish of squash filled with cheese and vegetables. I found that the pumpkin was robust and nicely seasoned. It stood up to the sauce. There was too much alfredo sauce, however, but it was good and you could taste the various ingredients which was a a very nice touch to the pumpkin in the ravioli. The squash dish was great. Nicely cooked and flavored.

The deserts were also quite good: chocolate moose, although a bit cold at first, was substantial and sensuous. We also had a fruit tart that was fresh and very good. Both were served with whipped cream.

This is another one of those local places where you want to establish a relationship with the history by going on off-hours. It gets very crowded (for its size) on the weekends. All-in-all, a great experience and a great meal.