Reviews & Ratings for Blue Ribbon Bakery & Cafe

05/14/12

the chef made us clean the floor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by aletiza

I recently visited this place for lunch, with a friend visiting from Brazil and her 2 year old son. We arrived in between shifts, lunch and dinner. After the waitress took our order, she left and did not even mention her shift was over. No one was there to take care of our table. The waitress had suggested the kids menu for options for my friend's son. We took her advice and ordered fries and chicken nuggets for her son, but the size of the dish was so big, that the order size was even bigger than what it would be for an adult dish. We ordered three dishes in total and the food was so mediocre we could not even finish it. Her son started feeling nauseated and stopped eating. He drank a cup of juice and his stomach got upset and so he let it out, no more than a cup of juice, on the floor. He started crying and my friend took him to the downstairs bathroom so he could get cleaned up. Meanwhile, someone finally came to our table and I explained the baby was not feeling so good, and I apologized for the, seriously, tiny mess. He left and did not say anything. The chef comes from downstairs and they talk for a minute. The chef comes over and asks "what happened?" and I say: "He was not feeling so good". He says: "Well, I can see that!", in the most condescending way. He then leaves. My friend comes back and her son is calmed down. The chef comes back with a red bucket and rags and says: "Here is some sanitizer and you can clean the floor with this". He made my friend clean the floor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have never seen anything like that in NYC!!!!!!!!!! Or anywhere else, for that matter. Completely UNACCEPTABLE!!!!!!! I have lived in this city for over 12 years, and have been to many restaurants, here and all over the world, and I was never treated with such disrespect. Please do not go to this place, the food is mediocre, extremely overpriced, service is non-existant and you risk experiencing a very humiliating episode. I will spread this review and I am telling this event to as many NYers I know, so to prevent this from happening again. This is a horrible restaurant experience and people need to know about this so something can be done.

06/01/10

Fantastic!!

by tzsilversmith

I come here at least once a week, so I think I owe a review. Both the food and the ambiance keep me coming back. Blue Ribbon looks, smells and tastes great with awesome service. I've never felt rushed even though it can get kind of busy. The chocolate bread pudding is one of the best things I've ever eaten... highly recommend!!

• Pros: Great food, great service
• Cons: Can be expensive,

05/24/10

Only passable

by NYCreviewerToo

We finally went to Blue Ribbon Bakery. I had read so much hype about this place over the years. Maybe the Bromberg brothers are getting stretched too thin with their growing food empire? But whatever is going on, the place was a huge disappointment. The food was lackluster at best. The grilled catfish was overspiced and had weird thready things in it. The lamb was overdone and there wasn't much of it. But the worst was the service. Talk about a real bummer. Our waiter treated us like a big inconvenience despite our early dining hour and that the place was nearly empty when we sat down. I don't know, maybe we weren't hip or cool enough? Who knows, who cares. There were plenty of tourists filling the place by the time we left. So be forewarned. And remember that there are so many other places to try in NYC. Don't waste your money here unless you like grudging service provided by a self-absorbed waiter in a small, noisy space!

• Pros: Fun space
• Cons: Crummy service, lack luster food

02/07/10

Best Brunch in the City

by Austy

This is a really fun cozy place in the Village. The breads are fantastic but the blue ribbon food is what keeps bringing me back. The french toast may be the best thing I ever ate.

• Pros: great varied menu

02/27/09

Consistently great

by mar933

I've never left this place disappointed. Yesterday, as usual we had an extremely pleasant evening -- good service and excellent food. Their menu selections are exquisite. Duck confit yesterday was great. I love their combinations -- how flavors complement each other. Excellent atmosphere and decor. Looking forward to going back.

• Pros: Excellent food, choices, combinations, wine list, service
• Cons: Expensive. Occasionally loud diners

02/07/09

The Best Fried chicken and bread pudding

by epicurian0003

I love Blue Ribbon Bakery in the winter. The downstairs dining area is juxtaposed to the wood burning ovens of their bakery and the wine cellar gives it an old world charm. I highly recommend the fried chicken, the batter is light and the chicken is juicy. The chocolate bread pudding is a perfect ending to a decadent meal or the ice cream sundae which is equally naughty.

• Pros: Great Service and ambiance
• Cons: can be expensive

07/02/08

busy because it's damn good...

by mabstb

good restaurants in nyc are always busy. so is the case with blue ribbon bakery. formerly a bodega, it was converted to a bakery which, in addition to making bread, began to serve small plates. the last step of its conversion occurred circa 2003 when the retail component left in favor of a bar. serving several classics, including the BR fried chicken, one of the best parts about the place is its small plates. everything from pickled veggies and olives, to steak tartare and marrow, to caviar and smoked trout. i recommend the small plates for the tables in lieu of the full "meals". try 12 things instead of 2. you wont regret it. ask for the bacon bread - they dont bring it with the regular bread basket...but you want it.

• Pros: corner location, bread, menu, blue ribbon wine bar across the street
• Cons: nousy and busy, not intimate, not veyr kid friendly

05/10/08

Enjoyable

by MartinH

What a high quality New York restaurant should be -- casual atmosphere, attentive but not obsequious service, lively but not posturing atmosphere, and excellent food. I say food rather than cuisine because the dishes are straightforward and lack pretension. This is the most thoroughly enjoyable dining experience in New York, surprising perhaps because of the omnipresence of the Blue Ribbon brand. Nothing on the menu has ever disappointed -- worth explicit mention is the fried chicken, french onion soup, and french toast. And of course the fresh baked bread, which arrives warm from baking rather than reheating. Although you can't go wrong with any of the bread options, the bacon/grilled onion and sesame deserve mention.

• Pros: Excellent food, extensive menu, attentive service, charming space
• Cons: None, really

03/05/08

Lack of menu

by luvefode

The food was mediocre with a small selection on the menu. The host had us wait even though we arrived prior to other patrons. Worst of all was our waiter. He had no idea what was on the menu and wa helped by fellow staffer. Definitely find another place for brunch.

• Pros: Bread
• Cons: Menu and Staff

03/02/08

bad waiter

by mayoman

Had something to eat there last night and in twenty years of eating out in New York I never experienced such bad service. The waiter that we got was in such a bad mood, he never introduce himself, just tossed the plates down in front of us. He never told us about any specials and to finish it off he dropped a fork on my wifes lap not once but twice without saying anything just a look as if to say oh well. I couldn't get out of there fast enought. My wife did convince me that maybe he was having a bad night so I might go back because the food was good even the cheeses which again the tall waiter with the beard just tossed on the table and walked away without any word about them.

• Pros: good food
• Cons: overpriced for the service