Reviews & Ratings for Union Square Cafe

10/24/11

If You like Live Music and Entertaining Show after Dinner...

by Vanessanicole at Citysearch

After a yummy dinner at Union Square Cafe, a great place to go is The Griffin to Michael Fredo's Wednesday night party. They have a great show and an open bar from 8-9:30. Free admission too. Michael Fredo with The Benny Reid Ensemble is a great Jazz/ Ratpack show. 50 Gansevoort @ Greenwich

07/11/11

I know a place...

by Cara Lawton at Citysearch

I have been here a couple of times and I have to say, I really like this place. It’s definitely a quaint spot around Union Square, but then again ITS UNION SQUARE. The last time I was here I tried the Sugar Snap Pea Salad w/Guanciale. The sweet, crisp peas blended in vinaigrette and sprinkled with shavings of regianno and Roman Bacon made for an amazing combo of unique flavor dancing about on my taste buds. If you have never tried Roman Bacon you need to put that on the list of things to do before you die! (J.K.) But seriously, this was a great dish. I washed down this delectable entree with a red wine. The staff here was very friendly and hospitable, coming to my table every so often to make sure that I was finding everything okay. My overall impression of the cafe is that this is a nice place to have lunch with a few friends or even a cute lunch date.

05/26/11

union sq cafe

by crash4335 at Citysearch

On a lazy Sunday when all my friends were busy and I was tired of sitting in my apartment, I wandered into Union Square Café for some brunch. I had a book and a glass of wine, and I was armed for being a solo diner in New York City. For the record, I am a terrible decision maker. Committing to so much as which pair of panties to wear in the morning is a difficult task for me, so you can imagine what going out for a meal is like for me, especially without the assistance of another human being to help me narrow down my options. Thank God I stopped eating meat; otherwise it would take me eight years to choose my food. On this particular day I was torn between trying their tuna tartare and the butternut squash ravioli in a brown butter sage sauce with dried cranberries. Since I work in a restaurant with a slammin’ tuna tartare, I am usually disappointed when I order this dish anywhere else. If I were smart I would just give up, but alas, I continue to set myself up for a masochistic pursuit of the world’s perfect raw tuna. The bartender was extremely helpful in aiding my psychotic inability to make a decision. He told me he would surprise me. This was wonderful. As a server, I absolutely hate doing that for people. I once had a man ask me to order his entire meal. THE WHOLE THING. Why go out to dinner if you’re going to put all the pressure on your server? It doesn’t make sense. Anyway, a very good friend of mine from college works at USC, and the kind man behind the bar sent me both of my choices. I was overwhelmed with deliciousness, but I maintain that I should really stop ordering tuna tartare out. The ravioli was a perfect blend of all of its ingredients, no one item overpowered the others, like a chorus working together to create the perfect stage picture. Though the ambiance seemed a bit stuffy, the food was heavenly, and made me incredibly happy I fought my fear of solo dining and ventured out into the world alone.

10/24/10

Ecstasy

by vagabonds at Citysearch

Been here twice in the past year and both times the food was beyond outstanding and the staff friendly, helpful, courteous and knowledgable. In fact, I had gnocci that literally melted in my mouth. All four of us were swooning like Meg Ryan in "When Harry Met Sally." We were embarrassing ourselves but the food was that good.

If it's your first time here, be sure to walk a few feet to Union Square Park and chat with the artists displaying their wares. It's an interesting experience and we always end up buying something.

If you're driving, there is a parking garage right across the street from the restaurant.

Can't wait to go back and believe me, I've eaten in restaurants all over the world.

01/20/10

Classy and delicious

by alclevel at Citysearch

My husband and I came here for a special occasion, but were awkwardly seated side-by-side, facing another table. It was pretty awkward....we felt like we were at the sweetheart table of our wedding but we didn't know any of the guests! The outstanding fare completely made up for it though, and we didn't notice the strange seating while we were enjoying our meals. Everything tasted elegant and fresh. We had delicious salads, an amazing pasta, and fish and chicken. We finished off with some fantastic desserts. The service was great, the staff very knowledgeable about the menu and wine. Just make your reservations at least a few weeks ahead of time because it can be tricky to get in during certain times of the year.

• Pros: Food, service, dessert
• Cons: awkward seating arrangements

10/07/09

Unreal

by panteleimon at Citysearch

I felt i was in a third world country except for the prices, i paid $250 dinner for two of 70 minutes..

The food was bland and average, ingredients were missing in some of the dishes, the service was so slow but the check came so fast.. i was overcharged and the manager didnt even apologize, complete indifference at the door. I am a New Yorker and i hardly ever complain but this was a shock, the absolute worst.

• Pros: none
• Cons: food service management ambiance

Perennially popular downtown eatery.

by Josh Ozersky at Citysearch

Every year it's either number one or number two in the Zagat popularity rankings, and amazingly, Union Square Cafe has continually maintained its quality and unwavering loyalty from its tourist-heavy audience. Under chef Carmen Quagliata the food has taken more of an Italianate turn than it had under former chef Michael Romano. The long bar is filled with solo snackers who come in for a glass of wine and the USC burger, but the tables are generally all spoken for a month in advance. And why not? The food is elevated and progressive without ever seeming weird or threatening: Think lamb chops with potato gruyere gratin and wilted insalata tricolore, or house-made fettuccine with wild nettles, prosciutto and chanterelles. As at all Danny Meyer restaurants, the service is proverbially hospitable, which is yet another reason for this juggernaut's success.

03/02/09

Best Restaurant in Manhattan

by pw321 at Citysearch

My girlfriend arrived 20 minutes early for our 7:30 reservation on a busy Saturday night. Despite being early we were immediately seated. The server was excellent, he overhead us talking about the duck confit and came over to tell us more about it. My girlfriend has been to Italy, been to most of the best Italian restaurants around, and said that her ravioli she got as the first course was the best pasta she ever had. The food was amazing, the price is excellent for a top tier restaurant, and the service was impeccable. I cannot wait to go back. This is a must visit.

• Pros: Excellent service, excellent food, excellent everything, more relaxed
• Cons: None.

01/26/09

Redemption after 10years of contempt

by PCH1031 at Citysearch

I finally gave them another go after 10 years of staying away after my initial visit. There was a long BLONDE hair in my salad & when I tried to return it, the waitress implied that it was probably my hair that fell in after she served the dish?.ahem, I am ASIAN, enough said! Then we got charged for not 1, but 2 salads..talk about audacity. Any other restaurant in the country would?ve given me the salad free of charge. I left making the vow to never return again. & was disgusted year after year when they made the top of Zagats list. Fast forward10yrs to Restaurant Week in early ?09. I went with my Mom to celebrate the Lunar New year. The food was tasty, service brisk yet polite. & the ultimate redeeming moment was when the pastry chef decorated our dessert plates with a beautiful illustration of a dragon & an ox, to signify the Chinese horoscopes & in observance of the Year of the Ox which started today. We were so delighted with the personal attention that we asked to meet her, what a sweetheart! People & good service are what make the restaurant business succeed?don?t forget that.

• Pros: Convenience, decor, amazing pastry chef
• Cons: Reservations require planning ahead

07/21/08

Bad Management wrecked USC

by rachelz3 at Citysearch

What a difference 4 months makes! I wrote in July that USC was "near perfect" and "welcoming". Two hostesses discouraged my Nov 1 booking. This time I stopped in personally two days in advance to go over the seating arrangements for my son's stroller. We've been to USC with the stroller twice before (including July)- no problem. Jesse, a male host, apologized for the rude reception we received at the door. Just as I began to forget the trouble during the meal, Assistant Manager Jill came up behind me, put her hands on my back and told me that I would have to move the stroller to accommodate a male diner at another table. I tried to sort it out with Jill- she turned her back on me. I stood up to confront her. The male diner interceded to say that he has a child and he was quite happy with the stroller as it was. Jill's bizarre behavior explains the dismal performance of the blond hostesses. Our meal was wrecked, we cut it short, paid the bill, thanked the kind gentleman diner and left. Go elsewhere, USC is in trouble now.

• Pros: good food, a few great servers
• Cons: Bad Management wrecks everything