Cafeteria

Middle School Cafeteria with a Side of Bullies – This used to be one of the must go places I suggest to out of town friends for great food and chic but unpretentious ambiance. Apparently, none of those qualities is valuable to its owners. Beware coming here after hours as the restaurant devolves into a sorry impersonation of a private club. Bouncers and not-prada-but-nada managers sashay like Anna Wintour "filtering" who goes first and who stays out for an hour or so. When asked why, they rudely claim "no seats" are available" or that they "take people with reservations first", both of which are obvious lies as they let some girls walk in off the street. As if that weren't bad enough, they tell girls who ask how long the wait is to "show them what they're wearing" and twirl around so the in-house thugs can decide whether they cut the line or not. I have been--and still sometimes go--to list-only, exclusive clubs. But Cafeteria? Give me a break! Neither the smug door staff nor its supposed "management"--ill-fittingly wrapped in their Costco suits--could ever elevate Cafeteria's status to a "private club." It is the epitome of putting Duane Reade lipstick on a Chelsea pig. And while I understand people line up to get into "exclusive hot spots," it's simply pathetic of them to believe that people will do so at 2 in the morning for a piece of fried macaroni and cheese. Yes, i would have stayed an hour or even longer if the restaurant had a long line (like it used to). That would be fair. But to be constantly belittled while you wait and snubbed by staff not qualified enough to even run prison cafeteria is more than a bit unappetizing. The food simply isn't that good. Because in a proper dining place where the menu and service are truly amazing, there would be no need for these gimmicks. It is such a shame that a wonderful place that was known for its wholesome, heartwarming fare has now been turned into "the ultimate late night middle school cafeteria run by bullies."

YES THEY ARE RACIST & DISCRIMINATORY!!!! – I had a few friends (couple) that were there a few days ago and because of their casual attire (due to bad weather) the Host (JAMES) said "They were only seating reservations" which was a blatant lie! The Host never allowed them to wait for a table kept insisting that they were only seating reservations and that they should come back tomorrow. My friends walked down the block and waited 10 minutes then called them back pretending to be a party of 3 and THE SAME HOST told them over the phone they can be seated in 25 min.

The place practices some really unethical seating polices. And the HOST(JAMES) who was blatantly homosexual had the nerve to discriminate against others!!

THIS IS APPALLING!! THEY WILL NEVER GET MY MONEY....AND I WILL LET MY OVER 300 FACE BOOKS FRIENDS KNOW HOW THEY TREAT PEOPLE !

CAFETERIA IS RACIST!!!! – MY FRIENDS AND I TRIED TO DINE HERE AND WERE TOLD WE COULD NOT GO IN THIS HAD NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE SO WE ASKED, "WHY?". WE WERE TOLD BY THE MAN AT THE DOOR THAT HE DIDNT HAVE TO TELL US WHY AND TO LEAVE THE FRONT OF THER ESTABLISHMENT. THERE WERE 4 OF US ALL ETHNIC WOMAN. HE THEN PROCEEDED TO LET ASIAN AND CAUCASIAN PEOPLE IN AND WAS VERY RUDE TO US AGAIN. THEN, 2 AFRICAN AMERICAN MEN APPROACHED THE ESTABLISHMENT AND WERE TREATED THE SAME WAY. ANOTHER GROUP OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MEN SHOWED UP (ONE OF WHICH WAS AN NFL PLAYER) AND THE RUDE DOOR MAN TOLD THEM (OBVIOUSLY NOT RECOGNIZING THE PRO ATHLETE) THAT THEIR "ATTIRE WAS INAPPROPRIATE" WHEN WE COULD CLEARLY SEE THROUGH THE WINDOW THAT SOME CAUCASIAN MEN WERE DINING IN THE SAME TYPE OF URBAN ATTIRE. THEN TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE WE CALLED WHILE STANDING THERE TO MAKE RESERVATIONS AND WERE TOLD THAT THEY WERE "FULL TO CAPACITY", MEANWHILE WE COULD SEE THE 4 EMPTY TABLES THROUGH THE WINDOW SMH. THIS ESTABLISHMENT LEAVES ME NO CHOICE BUT TO BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE RACIST. I HATE TO SAY IT BUT RACISM IS OBVIOUSLY STILL AFFECTING LIVES IN 2011.

Trendy american bistro in the heart of Chelsea – I LOVE this place. The servers wear all black and white with skinny suspenders. Everyone who works there looks young, and possibly a bit snobby, but if you actually get to know them, they all super fun and insteresting characters.

The place offers a hip and cool ambiance and a great all american menu. The hanger steak cobb salad is AMAZING as well as the Mac and Cheese appetizer, and the sliders. I know some reviewers say that waiting in line is a pain, but it's definitely worth the wait. AND there's a DJ that spins in the lounge downstairs every night starting at 8pm. Really good for small groups of friends who want to catch up and actually hear each other's conversations while still being in a crowded bar scene.

Best Mac & Cheese everrrr – All I can speak for is the Mac & Cheese- it is indeed, orgasmic. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. I haven't tried much else here- besides the fried calamari salad, which was also delightful. Despite being super loud (hey, that's fine with me- it's a fun environment)...I tend to go here when a Mac & Cheese craving hits.

I haven't had a bad experience with a server here yet..but the review about the waiter who forged a tip- that's horrible!!!

YUMMO!

Waiter gave himself a $100 tip for poor service – Our waiter (named Walker) was completely unprofessional, cavalier and knew nothing about the food or drinks at the restaurant. He sat at the table, a little too close to my date and was completely rude to my gay guy friend.

We didn't tip due to the treatment he gave and after we left he ran out of the restaurant screaming at us. We later discovered that he forged $100 in tips to our checks. I heard he is still employed despite our complaints to management.

I've always had good experiences before but I will never step foot in there again after this experience.

Liked the food, the vibe, and the location..... – We initially passed this up, though after making a few calls for recommendations, ended up back here.

Seated promptly. Cocktails were good; waiter friendly and helpful with suggestions, and best of all we (party of 4) all thought our entrees were delicious, as well as appetizers.

My only comment might be that while the bathrooms are dated (budget must have run out before they could remodel those), they don't HAVE to smell bad. Had we been to restrooms first, mightn't have stayed.

A little paint touch-up, and a lot more cleaning there, and you're set. Otherwise, perfect, and we'd go back!

Yum! Thanks!

Just Awful – Can’t say much about the food since the service was so slow and inept I ended up just telling them not to bother and leaving to go someplace else.

How a place with such bad service manages to stay in business is beyond me.

Eh. – The food was Ok, I had a salad while my friend had a burger. The Staff was not rude, but a little inattentive, and the place was so crowded, the woman at the table next to me and I kept bumping elbows. It was packed for a tuesday night, which I assumed would mean that it's great, but I was simply unimpressed. THe food took a long time, and the staff was brief. Having worked in a restaurant myself and I must say that that behavior would never fly. I just don't really understand the hype.

Wanna Be Barney's Shopper – Sounds like the manager of this place is a real ass. SO funny! and sad too! Poor guy.

Reservations dont matter (for some) – I had to give the place a rating to post trust me one star is too generous. Went here for a friends birthday. We had a 7:30 reservation on a Saturday night. When the party arrived and was able to be seated they take us downstairs. They wanted to sit us at the Thanksgiving kiddie table. We would have been better off eating out of our laps. When we ask to be seated at a different table there we were refused because of a reservation. Shuffled back upstairs to wait once again. They told us 20-30 minutes for a different table its already after our reservation time. There was a table for 7 right were we were standing. We asked if its for us and it too was reserved too. Now its around 8pm and still no table. Neither of the other people for the reserved tables were there yet. At this point we refuse to give them our money and walk out. Never going back there. Obviously our reservation did not count but the other ones did.

Absolutely the worst! – It was my birthday dinner and I made a reservation for 10 people at 7:30pm. We were walked to the table and realized they've seated us at a lounge table for 10; it was really low and not appropriate seatings for dinner at all. They shouldn't haven taken our reservation then. The host told me to wait for 20-30 minutes for another table to open, but we were waiting next to a table that was available already. They refused to seat us and said another party has already reserved it. I also had a reservation! At that point, I did not want to give them my money at all. So we walked out and ate some place else. Bad customer service so stay away!!

trendy eatery – the burgers are great. so is the spin dip

Great spot for Lunch! – I've lived in Chelsea for quite a while now and am ashamed to say it's taken me over a year to check out this spot. I guess I just wasn't expecting too much from what looked like not much more than a trendy diner.

I finally went in last week and I can't believe I've been missing out!

I was greeted by a very friendly (and ADORABLE) guy at the door. There was a 10-15 minute wait for a table, but I think that he could sense that I was in a hurry and suggested that I sit at the bar.

The bartender was very friendly and helped me to decide what to order. I chose the tomato soup (awesome) and the fried chicken sandwich (ok, so maybe my eyes were bigger than my stomach... the portions were SO big!)

I washed everything down with a blackberry and cardamon margarita which was pretty much heaven in tequila form.

The food was delicious, the drinks were delicious, and everyone was super friendly. I have a feeling this is going to become one of my Chelsea haunts...

Beyond Comfort Food – This has always been my go-to brunch spot, especially when its nice out and the garage doors are open and the outdoor seating is set up. Worth the wait, it isn’t longer of a wait then any other great brunch spot in Manhattan.

Went in for dinner, which was out of character for me... so happy I switched it up because it was so fun & delicious. We had the Cocktail Ribs w/ Peach tamarind BBQ sauce & crispy onions (unbelievable), Crispy Polenta, Veggie Burger w/ Hummus, Meatloaf & Deep Fried Oreos w/ mint chip ice cream & choc shake shot (yes, we are compulsive orderers, and proud of it :)

Everything was a classic with a refined twist that I really appreciated and it made all the difference in flavor. I also never had an Aloe Vera Cocktail until Cafeteria which I was very excited about. Music was fun, the tables are close but we were best friends with our neighbors by the end of the meal.

I knew that they could nail every champagne cocktail for brunch & turn out the best pancakes in town, but I am usually stuck in my ways. Glad that I can add Cafeteria to my dinner favs too.

Better in theory – The kitchen is weak. The servers are neurotic cads. While the people watching was once fun, these days you'll see 10 urbane poseurs for every 1 interesting urbanite. Avoid!

Unbelievably bad attitudes! – I had lunch with a friend at Cafeteria today and was stunned at the attitude of the waiter we had. But, even worse was the attitude of, what I believe, was the manager of the restaurant.

The waiter was not awful, but definitely treated us as if we were far beneath him. But, I was able to let that go and left him my usual good tip (25%). It's not easy being a waiter, so I wrote it off to his possibly having had a long day.

Then, as we were leaving, I stopped the manager of the restaurant to ask him about a good looking pair of boots he had on. He looked me up and down like I was a leper. He then barely responded with a sneer that the boots came from Barney's. The attitude was beyond belief?!? He didn't thank me for the compliment or ask me to come again... nothing. I was really shocked.

I am a long time resident of Chelsea, have a good job, eat in restaurants often and ALWAYS treat people in the kind manner to which I would expect to be treated. There was absolutely no reason why I should have received this kind of attitude.

I will never eat at Cafeteria again. I have eaten in far better restaurants over the years and have always been treated with kindness and respect in those places. I am appalled that the staff of Cafeteria somehow thinks they are better than their patrons?

My suggestion... go to"Vynl" around the corner on 15th and 8th Avenue or "Merchants" right across the street from Cafeteria on 17th and 7th Avenue (west side of street). Both have better food and MUCH more pleasant waitstaff!

Bouncers at a restaurant? – I couldn't believe it was the same restaurant I attended in the daytime.the host or should I say bouncers had a line around the corner and they continuously allowed their friends to just walk right in.I couldn't believe it was the same place I visited on mothers day with my family that I raved about! Ill never visit it again!!!!

sucks when your sober!!! – 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!!!!

Terrible food even worse service – 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.

Great Macaroni&Cheese – 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.

Definitely Not as Horrible as I thought – 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.

Best Comfort Food in Town – 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!

AMAZING FOOD! – 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!

Food served with an ATTITUDE!!! – 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.

Awesome Food & Even Better Drinks – 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?!

downhill and gross – 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.

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

Awesome late night fun!!! – This place kicks a**! Went here this weekend after a night out dancing. Had to wait a bit online to get inside but once we got in we were seated right away. My friends and I were pretty loaded so we were dying for some good drunk food! I got the mac and cheese (awesome!) and a burger. Exactly what I needed! Our waiter was sooo cute and fun, we had a blast! I also had a mojito with raspberries, perfect finish to the night!! THEN, in the middle of our dinner, Beyonce Single Ladies came on and the drag queens sitting next to us got up and did the whole dance in the middle of the restaurant. SO FUN!

Health Hazard and Bad Attitude to Boot – I've eaten at Cafeteria before and looked past the 'tude because sometimes, you might get a nice waiter to help your mac & cheese go down smooth. This past experience, however, has ensured that I will never return and will make it my mission to post on every site I can about this. There was a person's clipped fingernail in my drink that came up my straw and went into my mouth - imagine all the nasty places nails scratch! Cafeteria did not comp the meal (just apps & drinks). They wanted to give me a free dessert. Well, I was absolutely queazy and disgusted so no appetite for more of your food! This was so gross and they did not care AT ALL. The manager's response after we asked to see him (he did not come out on his own): "That was weird, huh?! " He behaved like he didn't believe that it happened. That kind of disregard need not be rewarded.

Amazing Cocktail Menu – I have been a big fan of this establishment for quite some time and it does not disappoint. The ambiance is hip and urban chic. You must go late night where any number of big named celebs can be seen. My personal favorites are the chicken and waffles in addition to the Smoked Gouda / Bacon Mac & Cheese. To drink I would recommend the signature cafeteria Cosmo.

STILL HOT!! – I have been going to Cafeteria since it opened it doors, and though it?s gone through some hiccups and hurdles, it still remains to be the best place in NYC for Mac & Cheese & those scrumptious cocktails. The menu has consistently changed with the seasons, and always for the better! FINALLY, they have chef that can put out some incredible food with flavors.

Although the staff can be a bit vexing, I'll still keep going! Got to keep in mind you?re in CHELSEA, and in Chelsea you get a lot of attitude no matter what restaurant you?re at...

Fun, Delicious, Easy going – I enjoyed this place and I love that it is a 24 hour place. The staff was nice and the food was very tasty. The prices are pretty reasonable for Chelsea. Cute crowd.

Come for the view !. – Lucky to get a seat looking out to 7th ave. but the real view was inside, lots of beautyful peoples eating beautiful ommlettes on a beautyful afternoon. Say hello to the newest regular.

Great food and great service – Ok, admittedly the hosts are a LITTLE rude but I can understand. When you're taking phone reservations, seating people, and taking table numbers, there isn't much room for being over-the-top polite, but the host was nice enough. I didn't have a complete party (there were 3 of us), and the place was really crowded, but when my friends did arrive, we were seated like literally a minute later. Our waitress was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. She was attentive, suggested great desserts, and was generally extremely efficient. My only hiccup was that I ordered a Passion Fruit mojito and got a Raspberry Mojito instead. It was still really yummy, but the order could've been confused at the bar. I would've sent it back if I didn't swallow the whole thing right then and there.

Be prepared to go with deep pockets because the drinks and food can get a bit pricey (but totally worth it). Recommendations: meatloaf entree, chicken and waffles, angus beef sliders, and mac n' cheese spring rolls (take full advantage of the gouda dipping sauce). Also be prepared to wait, or make a reservation (after 6pm) if you want to try and be seated quickly. Bar service is great, as is the wait staff, and the food exceeds expectations. Order the Red Velvet Cake if you like it sweet!

Taking RUDE to a new level – Like many restaurants, it is Cafeteria's lunch policy to wait for the entire party to arrive before seating. However since the restaurant was NEARLY ENTIRELY empty I asked the hostess if she could make an exception and seat me. She rudely told me "no", barely making eye contact. I said, "but the rest of the party will be here within 2 mins" and she rudely replied "then why should it matter?" and walked away.Once half of my 4 person party arrived I asked again to be seated since I saw that the 4 person table also seats 2 people so figured it would make sense that we would be allowed to be seated in this nearly empty resraurant-she had also just seated a man who was waiting for his companion to arrive(an incomplete party) RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME so I felt she was testing how much I would stand for..so,let me be honest and say I was polite when asking but also prepared myself for a rude response so was not my usual jovial self. Her response was UNBELIEVABLE..looked at me, ROLLED HER EYES & walked away..DIDN'T EVEN RESPOND!At this point I was not going to be giving this place any of my money so I walked out & the wonderful hostess was outside seating someone so I took the opportunity to say, "This was the rudest service I have ever experienced"..and her response? "I DON'T REPEAT MYSELF" That line will be repeated for years when I tell tales of classic awful restaurant treatment.I am really still in awe of the experience and I would advise against anyone dining there. I can't say anything for the food but I as a born and raised NYCer..I have a gut feeling you can find something better or just as good right around the corner without the INCREDIBLY RUDE attitude.

I sincerely hope this woman is reprimanded by her manager & that this attitude is not an example of all the restaurants mentality.But, since you're meeting the hostess at the door that is the first impression you'll get & hopefully the last because you'll remember my advice & turn around & walk right out the door

AMAZING FROZEN BERRY MOJITOS! – Great place! I went for brunch last weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it. My breakfast sandwich was delicious and the frozen mojitos were amazing! Highly recommended!

Seriously??!! – Less Attitude, better service or food please!! Isnt that what i'm paying for..."the experience"....NYC is full of choices...& ya'll r goin down......

Great late night meal, comfort food, needs a legit doorman – A 24 hour eatery located in the nucleus of the nightlife district, is ideal for any party-goer with a hunger for a late night meal. Being a frequent of many 24 hour establishments, Cafeteria has it's pro's and cons. The food is great, and consistent, you can always expect quality no matter what time you come. The service could be better but the staff is pretty on point, sometimes it takes longer than usual for your food or drinks to arrive and you can feel rushed at times. Late at night Cafeteria attracts every element you can imagine and at 4 am on a Saturday night it's a madhouse. The security staff can't handle the amount of people trying to get in so it tends to be frustrating if you're a regular when you have groups of guys dressed casually outside looking ready to start a fight if anyone gets through the doors before them. When a restaurant becomes this popular it's necessary to enforce dress code and take reservations. All con's aside it's a great place to go if you go at the right time. But if it's 4 am on a friday or saturday you're better off going somewhere else.

used to like it - not anymore – Two friends and I had dinner at Cafeteria last night after work (Tuesday). We got there at 6:30, and from the moment we sat down, there was a sense that we were being rushed. We weren't ready to order the first time the waiter came, so he just stood near our table, waiting for us to decide. When the bill came, we let it sit on the table for a while, since we were just chatting and weren't ready to leave yet. The waiter came and asked if he could take it. We told him not yet. Then we figured out the bill and paid it, but continued to sit and talk for a little while after we had paid. We had been there for about 2 hours total.

Suddenly, a guy who was maybe the manager or host comes over to our table, squats down at the edge and asks us if we can move to the lounge downstairs, because there were a lot of people waiting for tables. We had been almost ready to leave anyway, so my friend asked if we could just have ten more minutes to finish up and gather our stuff. He wouldn't give us that much! He said we would have to move to the lounge now if we wanted to stay. My friend said, "You're kicking us out right now? That's a little embarrassing." He fake politely and snottily replied "No, I'm not kicking you out, I would never be that rude. I'm just asking you to move to the lounge so other people can have this table." So we got our coats and left out the side door that was right next to our table. As the door slowly closed by itself, one of the waiters literally came and pushed it closed after us, like they couldn't wait for us to be out of there. It was one of the rudest things we ever experienced. We were literally KICKED OUT of the place. I don't think a leisurely 2-hour dinner on a Tuesday night should be too much to ask if you're a paying customer. If you're looking for a long, relaxing meal, don't come here! I will concede that the food is good, but feeling rushed the whole time leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

Best Cocktails & Atmosphere in Town – Time and Time again I have returned to Cafeteria due to value for money, attentive staff (and goodlooking), great food that doesnt overfill you so you can make the most of the AMAZING cocktails. No Pear Martini in Manhatten holds a candle to this one. The staff are always willing to help, the 80's music is always a source of conversation and laughter of days gone. We had a recent 40th birthday and my friend was in a wheelchair. They assisted him downstairs (he can still walk) and gave us what we needed to make him comfortable. The table was a little tight for 9 of us but we managed. Our waiter downstairs (Jay!) was fab. Manager Ryan was excellent. Thank you to everyone for making it a special occasion for my out-of-town friends. Oh - any chance you can extend the bar area????

Very rude bartenders, but great food. – I went on a friday night the food was great but the service was not so good. Very rude hostess and bartender. The drinks were ok the mac and cheese is to die for the best in nyc so far. I think that people should at least try Cafeteria at least once.

DO NOT GO! if you don't want to deal with rude hostess. – I have been thinking this place is nothing special. It used to be a nice place to see beautiful people. The hostess was ridiculously rude. After waiting for 50 min, I saw a lot of people who just came in and had seats. I asked the hostess the reason why we(party of 2) couldn't get a table. she started yelling at me and asked me if I wanted to see a manager even though I never asked. I thought she should have rememberd she was in a service business. This place is not a cool place anymore. If you are a bloomberg user, you can check more reviews.

24-hour breakfast that cannot be beat! – Oh man, this was amazing! I went for a late breakfast with an old friend, and I could not have been more pleased. I ordered the farmer's frittata, and it was absolutely delicious. The help was pleasant, quick, and very friendly. Overall, I had a great experience. I would definitely recommend it!

Very busy but great tastying food – After reading the latest reviews I was very surprised. I went for the first time a few days ago with some friends from out of town. Our waitress was very respectful and did not treat us different because we were people of color. The food was amazing. I ordered the steak sandwich which was a little sloppy to eat but had such great taste to it. I will definitely go back soon and can't wait to try some of the other comfort foods.

Avoid the Place – I visited the Cafeteria on 3 occassions during the past week. The first time 2 friends and I dined was ok. Service was average, food was actually very good and the ambiance was nice. This was a Thurs night. We went back later that evening with 2 girls and the same applied. Service was a little worse but food was still pretty good. 4 male friends and I went back on Saturday and waited 30 minutes in the cold misty rain and were finally told by the "bouncer" at the door that we would not be allowed in because we had no women with us. He stated he didn't make the rules, he just enforced them and he didn't want us to wait any longer. A black couple approached the door and was denied entrance and 2 minutes later a white couple approached and gained entrance. I respect an establishment's right to deny entrance to anyone based on a character flaw, but I don't respect gender or racial discrimination; especially in a city as diverse as New York. My friends and I are all professional young men and business owners and we were treated like NY bums. I will never visit this place or recommend it to anyone. The experience cast a shadow over our visit to NY. This place is not representative of the rest of the city. I have visited several restaurants across the city on my travels including, TAO, Buddha Bar, Buddakhan, etc and have never had a bad experience like this. Opt for a friendly diner with friendly service like the one we found after we were denied entrance.

Mediocre food, Bad Service – This is my first post on this site, which should tell everyone how underwhelmed we were with this place. A few of us get together about twice a year just to keep in touch and this place ruined our outing. We will surely never come back here again. The food at this place is comfort food, no denying it. But it is definitely overpriced for what it is such as Caesar salad and red velvet cupcakes. The service was also lacking. Our appetizer plates were taken away as well with the sauces that came with the mac and cheese spring rolls and the calamari. Then the waitress just stopped showing up. Yes we were there for a total of 3 hours but we got appetizers, entrees and desert with coffee. We shouldn't have felt that we were forgotten about. But the worst came after we finished and payed the bill. There were 5 of us so we just doubled the tax and added a few dollars and left it at that. As we were saying good bye outside the restaurant a different waiter came out and asked us what was wrong with our service and said that it was customary to tip 20% on the post tax bill. Since about half of our bill was a bar tab, that's ridiculous. Apparently our waitress didn't think that we tipped enough and was too proud to ask us for more money. Feeling incredibly uneasy we gave a few more dollars bringing the tip to over $40. That totally ruined our night and was incredibly rude. We are NEVER going back again!

Its like coming home - If your home had consisitantly good food, service, and beautiful people – I have been coming to the Cafeteria for the last 7 years and will continue coming back for the next 7. THe food is exactly what you want...GOOD!!..... Whatever you order you can not go wrong. The tomato basil soup is ridiculously delicious and so is the mac-n-cheese.... During the summer the doors are all open and it feels wonderful. During the winter the food warms your belly. The music playing is always perfect. The drinks are great and the staff is good. The patrons are also good looking which is always a plus. Single, Couple, Group, whatever it works, and did i mention open 24 hours.........I love this place.....

only in new york do people get pretentious about "mac & cheese" – My friends told me to meet them at cafeteria a week ago, late night, and so I met up with them-- had never been actually, so we staked our claim to a table by the door and the place was packed. PACKED. I thought-- WOW-- this place must be good-- it's 1 am and they are PACKED. Well, the tomato soup was good. As far as tomato soup goes-- better than straight out of a can, definitely as good as that boxed tomato soup I can get at whole foods for 4 bucks, WAY better than Ketsup and hot water. But I have no idea what the fuss is about-- it's mac and cheese. Seriously-- it's mac and cheeeese. It's good, but what's the celebration about?

INCONSISTENT & Loud! – The last 4 visits (kept giving it a 2nd chance) were AWFUL. One night the menu wasn't updated so I asked for a desert that wasn't even available. One morning the french toast was soggy & smothered so it tasted like moosh. The decaf cofee wasn't fresh (cold and hours old.) Another morning they didn't serve me butter with my toast so it took over 15 minutes for them to fetch me some. I took my out of town guests on a Saturday afternoon and it took over 1/2 hour for us to be served our lunch (soup and sandwiches). TERRIBLE. Its too bad.I just moved back to the neighborhood and hoped this would be my local for breakfast and lunch.