Cafeteria

11/05/09

sucks when your sober!!!

by SkinnyFatGirl at Citysearch

Went there late night one night and it wasn't horrible and it wasn't great....

Went there again the next week for dinner with friends. Not sure which was worse, the service or the food. It took the waitress 15 minutes to notice 6 us in a nearly empty restaurant. Even though it seemed to be slow, they still couldn't get the food out in a reasonable time. One friend actually got his meal after the rest of us had already finished eating!! I complained to the manager, who offered no apology and actually asked me "was it really that bad." What a loser! This place is the worst!!!!

• Pros: NONE
• Cons: Too many!

10/20/09

Terrible food even worse service

by arizona95 at Citysearch

I have never been compelled to write a bad review about a restaurant. 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. First the waiter/busboy never brought the bread - I didn't say anything because the person I was with was watching their carbs so I let it go. I should have asked for the bread as it probably would have been the best thing I would have eaten at Cafeteria. I had the salmon, which was nothing to write home about. Next the busboy overloaded his tray, which resulted in his dropping of a couple of full glasses of water all over my friend's back but these things happen so we didn't complain. As an apology the waiter brought over a piece of the driest, most unappetizing piece of red velvet cake I have ever had the displeasure of trying - it was truly horrible so one bite was more than enough. The final straw? I ordered an after-dinner drink on the rocks and they charged me a dollar for the ice in my drink. I finally had to say something to the waiter - had to let him know how outrageous I felt it was that they could forget the bread (even remove our bread plates without bread service) and then have the gall to charge me a dollar for ice. Suffice it to say they did not remove the charge from our check. I mean a dollar is not going to break the bank but really in this economy is this how this restaurant is treating its customers? Having worked in the hospitality industry in Manhattan for over 8 years I was simply shocked. I will NEVER go back. Please note that in order to submit a review I had to give Cafeteria a rating of 1 star - for this dining experience it deserved no stars.

• Pros: NONE
• Cons: Service, loud, food

07/06/09

Great Macaroni&Cheese

by Masum1 at Citysearch

I had dinner here the other evening with one of my friends. The food was amazing, especially the mac and Cheese, and so was the cocktails. 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.

• Pros: Good Food, Service, Atmosphere
• Cons: Overpriced

06/07/09

Definitely Not as Horrible as I thought

by jnt1103 at Citysearch

Wait was not bad, especially considering requesting an outdoor seat in gorgeous weather. Been there twice now, wait staff (just like the food) is sometimes good and sometimes not so good. First time, great waiter so polite and nice. second time, very pretentious and acted like he was doing me big favor by serving me. first had the mac n cheese sampler, all 3 version were phenomenal! couldn't get enough of it. chicken and waffles was good, i couldn't really get the combination quite right on my taste bud, i think. cuz the chicken was great and waffle was great but together was a little odd, but maybe just me? then had fish and chips. chips was good, fish was positively awful unfortunately. mushy batter was barely cooked, couldn't pick a full piece of fish as it was sticking to the paper it was on. I would give it 3.5stars if i could.

• Pros: AWESOME Mac n Cheese
• Cons: inconsistent food and staff

04/22/09

Best Comfort Food in Town

by foodgirlnyc at Citysearch

Love the food here at any hour. Cocktails are great too! Always a great vibe and yummy food. Staff is cute, friendly and helpful. And love sitting outside in the spring - what a great cafe!

• Pros: great food at any hour
• Cons: can't think of a one..

04/14/09

AMAZING FOOD!

by 3FoodLover3 at Citysearch

This menu must have been updated! they mac-n-cheese spring rolls are TO DIE FOR! the Spinach dip is OUT OF CONTROL and my salad was so tasty and fresh! I remember it being average back in the day but last night the new menu BLEW MY MIND! My friends and I had a GREAT meal and GREAT service! THIS PLACE makes ELMO seem like a drive thru!

• Pros: DELICIOUS APPYs
• Cons: Kind of small

04/11/09

Food served with an ATTITUDE!!!

by atav at Citysearch

I have been a patron of this establishment since it has opened, but I must ask myself why. At first it was fabulous; the service, the people the drinks the atmosphere, it was all great. Now it has gone to a horrible place. The wait staff is nasty unless you are really hot and spend your time flirting with them. They automatically charge you a gratuity that you cannot get out of even if the service is horrible after a certain hour (so be careful that means the waiters don't have to be nice). And to top it all off, the management is just ridiculous.

What is sad about this is that this is coming from a person who has spent quite a good sum of money at this place and is known by the staff. I would recommend going to a different place in the area. Somewhere that is more respectful of their patrons.

• Pros: Great mac and cheese dish
• Cons: Served with MAJOR ATTITUDE

04/03/09

Awesome Food & Even Better Drinks

by RoseI at Citysearch

My girl friends and I are all very indecisive and always have trouble picking out which restaurant is more fabulous and fun for our Saturday night girls dinners. Even though we all have very good taste, we all have very different taste... at the end of the day we always agree on Cafeteria for their awesome food (Salmon w butternut squash or peanut butter cheesecake w oreo crust) and even better cocktails (wild berry mojito)!!!! And without fail, we always get a gorgeous waiter... What else could I ask for?!

• Pros: Best Cocktail Menu Around & Very Attractive Staff
• Cons: Every Day Can't Be Blue Plate Saturday: Braised Short Ribs!

03/31/09

downhill and gross

by allmyopinionsinoneplace at Citysearch

dinner on monday night was just awful. used to come here all the time for years and havent been in probably 2 full years b/c i live far away now. I happened to be in the neighborhood and decided to go there for dinner because i "knew" it would be good. Staff is still unattentive and the place is still filthy and in disrepair but that never mattered because the drinks were strong, the food was great, and the clientele was beautiful (or at least tried to be). The mac n cheese was cold so we sent it back only to get another brand new one, just luke warm. let it go. My sandwhich was bland and gross. Stringy fatty meat and just totally didnt deliver on what the menu promised. Not sure if its still run by the same people but they need help.

• Pros: used to be great
• Cons: not anymore

12/02/08

GREAT Food, FIERCE Drinks and HOT Celebs!!!!

by nolita22 at Citysearch

LOVE Cafeteria! Love the food, the drinks, the ambiance and all those celebs! SO WHAT if it takes a minute to get a table?! They are BUSY, girl. This is NYC 24/7 ? LIVE. I read in this mo In Style mag that Jessica Romijn is addicted to their Buffalo Chicken sandwich, I get it Jess! Saw Tommy Lee having champagne brunch there on Black Friday and caught both Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson over Halloween weekend!! I say if it?s good enough for them ? its good enough for me. New York City at its finest = great comfort food, fierce drinks and hot celebs. If you go there regularly, you are guaranteed to see someone famous, or feel like a star! And if no one shows up the night you go star hunting, you can always drown yourself in Cafeteria Cosmos and Mac and Cheese!!!

• Pros: Cafeteria Cosmos & Celebrity Sightings
• Cons: They need to open more of them!