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Antique Cafe
Categories: Restaurants Sandwiches Restaurants American (New) Sandwiches, American (New) [Edit]
55 W 26th St(between Broadway & Madison Ave)
New York, NY 10010
Neighborhood: Flatiron
(212) 213-5723
- Nearest Transit:
-
28 St (N, R)
23 St (F, M)
28 St (1, 2)
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
54 reviews for Antique Cafe
Review Highlights
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"Great outdoor seating area with heaters too." In 7 reviews -
"I've had omelettes but I prefer the eggs benedict." In 3 reviews -
"...strong coffee and eggs with home fries and toast and some..." In 3 reviews
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54 reviews in English
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Review from Clarissa A.
Bronx, NY
10/21/2011
This place would have received a higher rating if it wasn't for the service provided on the phone and when we entered the restaurant.
Me and my boyfriend had a voucher for this place and as the voucher stated, we called up a couple of times to make reservations. The first time, a rude service person answered the phone and said "I am too busy to take your reservation, can you call back later?" The second time we called, the person claimed that "2 people don't require reservations. Just come in."
So that's what we did. The host saw us, immediately said, "Are you the voucher people?" (he obviously KNEW we had called--I'll get to why that's important soon) and seated us in one of the most CRAMPED areas despite the fact that there were about five other tables available.
When we asked for a better table, he acted all surprised and said, "Oh you should've reserved a table!" even though I am sure he knew we had tried--in fact, it may have been him answering the phone. I told him we had tried but had been told to come in without one. Upon which he finally did give us a better table, so kudos for finally breaking down, but, don't EVER try to outwit a couple with a coupon (we're already smart enough to have one for your overpriced food).
However, I will admit that the atmosphere/decor of the place was pretty good and the food was decent which is why I give it an extra star since the other reviews seemed to degrade the food a lot (apparently it's not great for seafood)
-Angus Burger = nicely done, bacon was crispy
-Fried calamari = too rubbery and chewy but my bf enjoyed it
-Steak = small, but decent
-Fries = as another reviewer noted, seemed to mimic Mcodnalds fries
under the pretentious title of pommes frites.
-CHEESECAKE -- NEVER GOT TO TRY IT, BECAUSE THEY RAN OUT! They didn't have the chocolate cakes that we saw on their online menu, either, so don't go expecting any of those!
Won't be coming again, we've got loads of other places to check out that allow us to make reservations. -
Review from BRIAN R.
Manhattan, NY
1/24/2012
I was HOPING I could give 1/8 of a star, and really no stars at all.
REASON: Well this place went belly-up-it is gone-the space is stripped to the walls!
The chalk board is the ONLY thing still up, and their sign outside the restaurant!
If you are thinking about adding a restaurant, this space is available-phone number is elegantly displayed in the window,
SO: IN CONCLUSION (I had to write MORE or they won't accept the post as a complete and worthy review): If you want to LOSE weight, and LOOK great, eat at the Antique Cafe-right now the entire Menu is ZERO calories!
Hoping a great new, and friendlier restaurant comes in, and soon. -
Review from Lily T.
I hate to write a bad review but the food was terrible here.
I got a deal from online for 3 course dinner for two and a carafe of wine
The place is very cute actually. and they have outdoor seating. But the minute you walk in, you smell the bad, old, fried oil smell. I think their vent system doesn't work very well and you can even smell it seating outside
For appetizer, we got the fried calamari and the crab cakes. The fried calamari was so hard, tough to chew on and dry and the flavor was so bland. The crab cakes was TERRIBLE. tasted like it had too much bread inside, no crab meat and very bland. The worst crab cake I ever had
For entrees, we had the grilled mahi mahi, linguine with mushroom and olives. The mahi mahi was really not fresh and hard and bland. The linguine was overcooked, the flavor just ok
The dessert was not good either. Apple tart was too sweet and not rich enough, and the carrot cake was just ok
Overall, very disappointed with the meal here. The service was ok but the food was just terrible..and I am very shock how much they charge for the food here, $14 to 19 dollars for a terrible tasting entree? I think not -
Review from Peter P.
Lowell, MA
7/16/2011
We came here upon recommendation of a friend. Yes, it was a nice atmosphere like the kind you see in french novellas - but underneath the illusion is an overpriced, shoddily run shack.
We had just gotten off the Mega Bus nearby, and we were STARVING...but apparently not starving enough to pay the prices that they suggested for basic foods even my dad could make (he can't make very many things). So to be courteous, since we had already been seated and made conversation with the waiter (and because I had already used their bathroom) - we ordered two beers (one of which tasted skunked/expired).
We won't be coming back here anytime soon. I think I'd rather cook eggs off scorching hot New York sidewalks than to swing by twice. -
Review from Sally G.
New York, NY
10/29/2011
Why did the previous owners sell this lovely cafe to these terrible people who served me the most ASTONISHINGLY BAD meal I have ever had?
The "mahi mahi" was either dried and reconstituted or frozen that they thought they could grill and make appear edible. It wasn't: it was a greyish, square, flat mass that was shoe-leather tough.
The mashed potatoes were made from the boxed kind. Really, for $21 I was served boxed mashed potatoes? Disgusting!
DO NOT EAT HERE!!!!!!!!!! -
Review from Eve P.
4/30/2011
Went for brunch here today with a friend from out of town. After 20 minutes, we still had no coffee or water - and there was only one other customer there. The lone server finally told us that the chef "called in sick" but that someone was cooking our orders. After another long wait, we finally got mediocre plates of food - including one cold omelet that we sent back (they did microwave it).
Based on this experience and the other reviews, sounds like the owners of this place just aren't managing well, especially with having no back up plan for a chef and with constantly being understaffed. It's sort of a cute place, though, so could have potential. -
Review from Monica-Tezla V.
Brooklyn, NY
12/14/2011 1 Check-in Here
Bad food slowwwww service
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Review from Kiku C.
Manhattan, NY
5/5/2011
Had a reservation for dinner one night, we showed up on time, but it seemed there was one person working and he was overwhelmed to say the least! We ended up going elsewhere after sitting for about 30 minutes at a dirty table without so much as a menu offered.
We decided to try again, for brunch one day. Not crowded but the same guy. Food was ok but the service was lame. We weren't in a rush and decided it was an "experience" and we'd never go back again - and we're totally relaxed about these moments, but this was just too much for us! -
Review from Nisha S.
Jersey City, NJ
1/31/2011 1 photo
The ambiance gets you excited when you walk in and almost serves as a distraction of what's to come ahead. It has a cozy Parisian cafe feel to it. It was also fairly crowded with small two seat-er tables.
This place has so much potential, but it just didn't do it for me. My review is based on one visit for breakfast items only. It could be better for lunch.
I was really disappointed, as my mom doesn't come to the city often, and she didn't enjoy it either. How difficult is it to serve eggs, toast, and hash browns? Its not like there is some serious seasoning required.
My mom doesn't eat eggs, so the menu seemed limited for her. I didn't like how side items were not listed on the menu, so it was difficult to explain to the waiter that she would have the salad, toast, and hash browns. So we just told him, she'll have the egg platter plate without the eggs, and she was still charged the full platter price.
The website lists a fruit salad included with breakfast plates , but its served with a basic salad. Prices are not updated on-line either.
Pricing is fairly high for breakfast items and the portions are small. I think I ran out of potatoes after three bites of eggs.
Charging over $3 per cup, and the coffee was terrible. I mean this place is called "Antique Cafe"? It was so bad, I had like two sips and couldn't take it anymore. Service was pleasant, but they looked understaffed for the busy Saturday. -
Review from Erica N.
ASTORIA, NY
9/29/2011
I bought a deal to this place from Mama 411 in February because it's close to my work and included Take-Out & Delivery. Next thing I know I started seeing it on all the different deal websites...uh-oh not a good sign...
The deal was about to expire so I called to ask what time they closed for dinner to see if my bf and I could make it. The guy on the phone told me I couldn't use my deal for dinner. Excuse me? My deal didn't say that. I think they've made so many deals, they don't even know what they are. It was my bf's birthday and he gave me a bad attitude, so I decided this place was bad news and we didn't go.
Tonight I tried to call for delivery (my deal explicitly states it includes take-out and delivery) and the guy tells me he can't do delivery and was incredibly rude about it. Not wanting to lose my $20 (deal was $20 for $50) I called back and asked to do take-out. I ordered but was told there was no steak or any of the desserts except cheesecake and carrot cake. Finally ordered something else and was told it would take 20 min. I gave them 30mins before I went and still had to stand around and wait for another 10 min.
So to sum up: Service: Bad. Rude. Unhelpful.
Food:
-Calamari $9: Inedible. Stale. Dry. Probably old and tossed into the microwave. The WORST I've ever had.
-Angus Burger $12 Edible at best. The bun was mushy store bought fare, similar to the ones you get at Burger King. Fries were like stale McDonalds fries.
-Spinach Ravioli $17 Edible is the best I can say about the food here. It was obviously not fresh. How can you possibly charge $17 for ravioli that I could've gotten out of a can or frozen food section?
-Carrot Cake $7: Frosting wasn't even cream cheese. Meh.
-Cheesecake $7: A tiny little round one that was a bit dry and obviously bought from somewhere else.
Do these people even know how to do anything other than heat up food? I'm fairly certain there is no cooking or baking going on here. Let Gordon Ramsay have at it on Kitchen Nightmares!
It can't be long before this place closes... -
Review from K O.
Manhattan, NY
9/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
Super slow service. My order didn't arrive for more than 1 hour and they tried to make all excuses. I won't come back there again.
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Review from Kalita N.
San Jose, CA
5/3/2011
I went here for dinner with my girlfriend. She got a good deal online for a dinner for two entrees, a glass and a half of wine, two appetizers and 2 desserts. Although there was no ice cream to make my apple tart an ala mode. Overall, everything was good. I guess it was a slow Friday because the waiter took hella years trying to tend to us. There wasn't even a lot of folks around. Which is why I gave this plane an A-ok.
Would I come here again? Probably not lol. -
Review from Angelica K.
East Elmhurst, NY
8/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
i can't understand how this place was packed for lunch on a wednesday. i bought a groupon now because i work right across the street.
first off, the service is VERY slow. they were pretty full and i have an hour long lunch break and my lunch there took approximately an hour.
i ordered a cheeseburger & fries. the burger was obviously a pre frozen patty. not too appetizing or special. on the small side.
the bread was some kind of roll. i usually expect a breakfast sandwich on one of these, not a burger.
the lettuce wasn't bad but the tomato & onion had a look and texture indicating it had been sitting in the fridge for a while.
my french fries were a dark brown. they were probably re fried from a previous time. not very appetizing, mc donalds are better and that's saying something.
overall the entire meal was dry, bland and not even warm.
disappointing because the atmosphere is very cute. -
Review from Ju L.
9/2/2010
I hate being with dining companions you like at a restaurant you don't like. Just embarrassing...
At first Antique Cafe seems like it could be THE lunch spot. Decor inside is charming, mildly French. The outdoor seating is in this big corridor between buildings on 27th/26th St (ironically with no shade from oppressive sunlight during lunchtime hours).
But the food is pricey, and not GOOD. My quiche was lukewarm, dry, no flavor. My friend's soup that came "with a grilled cheese sandwich" came with the sandwich as cracker-sized garnish, and the french fries awkwardly in a ceramic soupbowl.
As far as I know none of it poisoned us, but it's Chelsea! You can easily get legitimately awesome food at this price by walking another block!
No air conditioning, so no one was sitting inside. There was a plastic bag being batted around by the breeze outside-- romantic, no? -
Review from Denise L.
Stamford, CT
1/29/2011 2 Check-ins Here
I've eaten here many times. The food is great. My favorite dish is the Chicken Club sandwich which comes with pommes frites.
The service needs some work. One waiter during lunch is not a good thing. I recommend getting a table early so you won't have to wait long to place your order. -
Review from Miriam W.
10/29/2008
It's 42 degrees and raining in New York at the moment. Thankfully, Antique Cafe is warm inside and had my favorite tropical green tea on offer to fend off the cold.
Along with my tea I ordered a side of roasted Brussels sprouts and cauliflower. The combo cost me just shy of nine dollars. It should be said, however, that the roasted veggies came in an abundant portion.
If only they hadn't been quite so dry. . . -
Review from M. C.
Chicago, IL
9/12/2006
Worst service I've ever had in my life. Seriously, and I am a very generous reviewer.
Also, my pancakes were supposed to come with seasonal berries. Yeah, canned peaches, yuck. Nothing was cheap. The tables are too close together. The service sucked, but I already said that.
I would NEVER go back and really regretted the first time considering it was my friend's birthday brunch and was supposed to be special. -
Review from J L.
Lower East Side, Manhattan, NY
6/23/2011
I wish I could give negative stars here to provide a more accurate description of my experience here but alas, I cannot.
I took my best friend here for her birthday dinner and I used a voucher I had bought off of TravelZoo. The deal was $45 for a half carafe of wine, 2 appetizers, 2 entrees and 2 desserts - sounded like a good deal, no?
We were seated promptly, then again, there was no one else there. We were offered water and wine (which was the best part of the meal) and our orders were taken soon after. However, the server mentioned they were out of half (yes half) of the appetizers - essentially everything except chips, cheese and salad. We ordered the guac & chips and the cheese plate, which took FOREVER to come out. The guac was fine but the cheeses were not the selection we were told they would be when we ordered (most likely because they were out of those as well).
They were only out of one entree (though they were out of the sides like rice and mashed potato) and we both ordered the mahi mahi. This also took forever to arrive and when it did, it was luke warm, gray in color and chewy! My friend and I were servers for many years and hate sending food back but we had no choice - it was absolutely inedible. The server was reluctant to give us another "meal" and offered us burgers, which we accepted only because they were pre-made and we thought 'how badly could they screw that up?" The burgers were fine but we had to request ketchup, mayo, S&P for the table as none was offered.
Then finally on to dessert. The server approached us and opened with this: "Have I told you yet what we're out of?" Turns out they were out of half of the desserts as well. When we inquired as to why they seemed to be out of everything, his reply was a nonchalant "Oh, lunch was busy." We got the choc. mousse and cheesecake, both of which were less than appetizing.
I've lived in NYC for 6 years and this is the worst dining experience I have had, bar none. -
Review from Max S.
2/2/2009
This place is pricey but.........
It's a nice getaway to an imaginary small European village cafe. The menu has a nice variety to it. A+ for preparation and presentation, and what puts the icing on the cake for me is the fact that they serve Orangina :-) My favorite...
Their sandwiches are well put together and the hot dishes, like the glazed chicken, are pretty tasty.
This place is especially nice when it gets warm outside - there is a nice patio. -
Review from Rachel D.
Los Angeles, CA
10/12/2007
As a student, I should be spending all my time learning. but I got a part time job to better support my passion for cocktails and meals that are out of my price range. so on Fridays I work on West 26th Street, and I have a standing lunch date with a friend who works in the same neighborhood.
Antique Cafe is our go-to place for lunch dates. They have a range of tasty options arrayed on the counter, so you select and your food is on your table in moments. Today's choice: marinated chicken with asparagus & mozzerella, side of radicchio-tomato-feta salad. It was very tasty and healthy (as healthy as I care to be, anyway). The decor is adorable, especially the outdoor seating. and you can drink beer at lunch, if you're so inclined.
it's pretty expensive though, which cost it a star. the abovementioned chicken & salad was $15. -
Review from Eric P.
New York, NY
8/22/2007
This is a cute alternative to the lines at Shake Shack in Madison Square Park -- although expect to pay about $5-$10 more. I had the Chef's Salad for lunch today, and it was very filling and pretty presentation! The only problem, like i said, is that it's a little more expensive than what I'd prefer.
Great outdoor seating area with heaters too!! -
Review from Erin L.
Astoria, NY
4/30/2009
I was having breakfast with my mom before heading to Brunch with my friends (don't you dare judge me). And we were coming from 32nd and 7th and didn't want to spend a ton of money or go too far out of the way. And thus, Antique Cafe was suggested.
it was perfect for a quiet breakfast with the mother. It was pretty empty at 9:30am (I forget that other people AREN'T unemployed...I think that means they're employed? I can't remember tho...it's been so long...) and that was pretty perfect for us. We had delicious and quite strong coffee and eggs with home fries and toast and some really tasty jam. Unfortunately, I at first thought the jam was ketchup for the home fries and I stuck one of my potatoes in there...oops. The waitstaff was very nice (and cute) and it was a really reasonably priced meal. I would definitely go back if I get stuck in that part of town again for breakfast. -
Review from Brad M.
Woodside, NY
2/27/2009
$11 for an English muffin with egg, cheese and bacon plus iced coffee. It took almost 15 minutes to make the sandwich and there were 3 guys in the kitchen that I could see with no other customers.
The sandwich and coffee were good but the service sucked and the price is unforgivable. I was kicking myself for even trying the place but, what the hell, you only live once. And, coincidentally, I'll only dine there once. -
Review from Deb R.
Manhattan, NY
9/3/2011
Boo! Bad. My friend had purchased a discount coupon maybe from http://restaurant.com and wanted to treat me to a nice dinner. Not so nice. It was a pretty night, 6:30pm so we sat outside hoping we would be looking at interesting people going by etc. but that accompanying public area is really more of a hangout for homeless people or folks who look like they're on meth. It's weird. The food was bad. We both ordered salmon and when it arrived it wasn't hot and we both took our first bite, looked at each other and said " tastes really fishy." That's not a good thing for salmon to taste fishy. It's scary. There was only one waiter working who was nice enough but overwhelmed. The food was EXTREMELY overpriced. It was not good. Really, choose any other place.
-
Review from Thom K.
Sherman Oaks, CA
1/21/2009
Great lunch fare, on the verge of gourmet foods. Lovely euro-style cafe setting, though a bit short on inside seating in the colder months. Plenty of outdoor seating for when it's warmer out though.
Definitely nicer surroundings than their other location just a couple of blocks away on 27th, which is much better suited to a very nice coffee stop with food.
Also, they just opened up a location *inside* 44 W. 28th St, up on the 8th Floor. -
Review from David Y.
Manhattan, NY
7/26/2011
It is a shame I have to give this place two stars because it is a nice looking restaurant in a good location (hence why it got even two stars instead of one). There is just so much potential here and I feel like the owners thought "hey we will focus on making the place look nice and hopefully that will make up for the very subpar food and bad service." My fiance and I came here for dinner and we ordered the fried calamari with thai chili sauce, seared chicken, and the fish and chips. Ok to start, the calamari was tough and tasted like it was made from frozen and badly freezer burned at that. Plus the supposed Thai chili sauce was actually marinara sauce and tasted like it came out of a jar. But the most startling surprise came when my fiance got her fish and chips. Now when you order fish and chips in a nice restaurant, you expect to get nice thick cod or halibut fillets in a nice beer batter or something like that with fresh made fries. Well when this came out to our table, I actually told the waiter I think he brought us the wrong dish. I mean it was like 8 thin (about the width of a woman's ring finger) fish sticks that tasted awful. I mean I've had frozen fish sticks from a supermarket that tasted way better. The fries looked like they were made from frozen and also tasted freezer burned. I can honestly say it was disgusting and it was not cheap. My seared chicken was just plain sauteed chicken breast and very tasteless, but tasteless at this point was far more preferable to the "taste" of the nasty fish sticks and chips.
Like I said, this is a shame because the place is not a dump and has a lot of potential. They really need to bring in some real cooks and waiters who are more interested in serving their tables than hanging out in the corner hoping some famous movie director will discover them. -
Review from Rachel W.
New York, NY
8/13/2011
I have to admit, I am so disappointed with the Antique Cafe. I used to go to the Antique Cafe on 27th St across from FIT - now that was a WONDERFUL place. The people who worked there were really nice, the food tasted home-cooked, it was a perfect place to go with someone to lunch or to read a book, the prices were fair... it was awesome.
Then for some mysterious reason, that bustling, always-busy, awesome spot CLOSED while its relative a few blocks over remained open. So, with some sadness, I trundled over to the other one to continue my Antique Cafe dining experience.
Well... the 26th St Antique Cafe couldn't be more different. The food is all right but it is REALLY pricey - and they don't do the kind of selection they used to do at the old one. Every time I come here I get sticker shock again - it's embarrassing what they charge for a salad. I haven't had the poor experience with wait staff that other reviewers complain about, but typically when I go I am the only one (or one of the only customers there). I don't know how they stay in business. -
Review from Lucy L.
10/29/2008
I've been this place several time. I would say it's a very cozy/warm/cute little cafe. definitely different from our daily starbucks type
First time I couldn't locate the place because it's actually in FIT campus. you kind of have to walk towards end of the street to find it
I know they have dessert too. I have not tried those yet. Can't really comment on those. -
Review from Jay N.
5/29/2009
A very charming and tucked-away place, but that's where the attraction ends.
Incredibly over-prices, tiny limited menu and never, EVER having everything they state on the menu. Case in point: I live across the street and have popped-in for the last year asking if they have their pineapple upside down cake, a favorite of mine my mother used to make. Well, it's always on the menu but NEVER available. EVER. The manager and main waiter are friendly but the English is very limited.
It's too bad the owners don't pay more attention to satisfying their customers, working on their prices and actually focusing on their menu. Otherwise, this would be a gem of a place. -
Review from Rebecca A.
New York, NY
8/1/2009
I love Antique Cafe. I go there for lunch alot because i work in the area. I had delicious sandwiches both times - one was chicken and pesto and the other was steak. All I can say is YUM all around. And all sandwiches come with salad with great balsamic dressing...yum again!
Another huge perk for me is they make some of the best coffee in the area and make it the traditional way if you get drinks (IE put espresso over the milk). Ive had a really good latte and iced coffee there.
To top it off, all the seating there is comfy. In the front they have little couches but if you want to sit further back they have these awesome Jetson age (ok they remind me of the jetsons) white ovalish swivel chairs with red cushions!
So to sum up 1. Good food
2. Good coffee
3. Comfy place to sit in with a good vibe.
4. Nice staff -
Review from Karin G.
9/12/2009 1 Check-in Here
This cute little place was my go to for cheese and wine in the hood. There are other places to visit now, but it still has a great little vibe.
Now, the service is very very slow. Although a stand out is the taller guy waiter who is super nice.
Most of the menu seems a bit overpriced, while the cheese plate is a relative bargain.
I did have one rather unpleasant experience here when I DID order a main chicken dish. It came out completely raw in the center! It was quickly fixed, and a glass of wine comped(probably should have comped the chicken!) but it was shocking at the time! Ah, well, kitchens screw up and its still a good spot in the hood -
Review from Ayelet B.
Danville, CA
11/27/2009
I came here for a meeting with a colleague and absolutely loved it. I wish I had a great place like this in my hood. We were meeting for coffee and it was really good. I did admire the food selection, especially the grilled asparagus and salmon. The service was good and the folks sitting next to us were inhaling their meatloaf and salad.
My colleague noticed that the bottom of her coffee cup was leaking and I went to get some napkins. When I asked for a replacement cup, they never offered her a refill, which I found strange. I am just glad the "leak" didn't ruin her Mac :-) -
Review from Rick L.
Manhattan, NY
6/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
Got the travelzoo deal which included half a carafe of wine, 2 starters, 2 entrees, 2 desserts for 2 ppl. First of all a lot of items were missing from the menu. They didn't have the mussels, crab cakes or guacamole for starters. Didn't have a few entrees. And they only had one kind of red wine. The scallops were overcooked, the seafood arriabata was just some tomato sauce with frozen shrimp. Don't come here!
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Review from Tina C.
New York, NY
9/14/2009
Great place to have a tasty lunch. You can order paninis/sandwiches or make a plate from the food displayed behind the glass. I love it when you can see the food you're about to eat.
Every meal comes with salad. Menu usually includes cinnamon butternut squash, cranberry turkey, eggplant parmigiana, garlic salmon, quiche, and more. They also have a good selection of simple sweets (cookies, cupcakes...). -
Review from robin b.
New York, NY
9/7/2011
Antique Cafe is a few blocks away from our apartment and we had been loyal customer for years before the original owner passed away. My husband and I have loved the chocolate chip cookies. They were fantastic! We hadn't been there for some time and last weekend we thought we would bring some upstate to our house in the country. They had no taste and were so bad we through them out. They weren't worth the calories. This is a disgrace to the original owner. The place has definitely gone downhill!
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Review from Elisa K.
Brooklyn, NY
4/14/2011 1 photo
Great food. Nice atmosphere (though a little too country, could be more stylish). Good latte, awesome iced chai latte. Understaffed on a weekday at lunch, but sole server did surprisingly well.
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Review from Will D.
Brooklyn, NY
7/15/2011
I should preface this by mentioning that I am signing up on Yelp purely to post this review of Antique Cafe. I consider myself something of a foodie, but I never felt it was necessary to write food reviews since there had always been a plethora of other people taking care of that. In this case however, I found Yelp to be insufficient and so, here I go.
Title: My Worst Experience with "Fine Dining" Ever
I went to dinner with my girlfriend and the food was laughably bad. I mean this literally; when the "steak frites" arrived, we actually laughed out loud at how terrible it was. The name "steak frites," when coupled with a pricetag of $23 suggests a rather gourmet venture with a choice cut of meat cooked to your preferred temperature (we wanted medium rare) with a side of delicious freshly-fried, hand-cut potatoes. Antique Cafe's steak consisted of a tough little brick of Salisbury steak cooked (microwaved?) to an incredibly consistent gray color with generic brown sauce on it. The fries were even worse. They were obviously the remains of two different kinds of commercially packaged fries that get pre-fried, then frozen, then re-fried. These would be an embarrassing attempt at fries even at Wendy's. As bad as this was, it only serves as an anecdote for the horrendously poor quality of the food.
Let's back up and start from the beginning. One night, whilst drunk, I bought a coupon for $39 at the Antique Cafe that was good for 2 appetizers, two entrees, two desserts, and 1/2 carafe of wine. Listed as a $100 value and as it had some positive reviews, I thought it was a good deal. Boy was I wrong!
We sat outside on the "patio," which was really just one of those commercial strips of pavement between two tall buildings. Everything started out fine - our waiter brought us some tasty red wine and water and menus in a reasonable, if not short, amount of time. The waiter announced that the crabcakes, steamed mussels, the veal, and the scallops weren't available. We were there for dinner at 7:30 at an empty restaurant, WTF? For starters we ordered the fried calamari with Thai curry sauce ($9) and chips with guacamole ($10). The Thai curry sauce turned out to be very ordinary marinara sauce that tasted store-bought and the calamari themselves were hands down the worst I have ever had. I have to assume that they just dropped frozen or freeze-dried, pre-fried, pre-packaged calamari into the deep frier (I found a piece of calamari mixed in with the "frites" in the next course). They were dry, flavorless, and generally awful. I tried eating a few and then put the plate on the adjoining empty table and tried my girlfriend's chips and guac, which had a gross off taste. By this point we're both pretty skeptical about the place, but then the waiter came over and asked why I didn't like the calamari. When I explained, he seemed confused that the marinara sauce wasn't spicy - as if that would have made it somehow "Thai." To his credit, he offered me another appetizer, so I asked for the cheese plate ($10). Since we had previously ordered our entrees, the cheese plate came midway through the main course. It consisted of ~25 slices of Kraft jalapeno Monterrey Jack, a small lump of bland creamy goat cheese, a couple sliced strawberries, a bunch of seedy grapes, and several thin slices of stale, bland, fake French sourdough baguette. Every one of the appetizers was huge, but unfortunately, vast quantity cannot overcome staggeringly poor quality.
I got the seafood arrabiata ($24), which was by far the best dish of the night. That being said, the seafood therein (shrimp and calamari), were obviously of the frozen precooked variety and were extremely unappealing. I will say that the fettuccine was cooked perfectly and the canned marinara sauce was spicy enough that I ate it all, minus all the seafood. I already mentioned the steak frites, which was abysmal - the arugula with balsamic was the best part of that dish... and I don't like arugula.
Next came dessert, for which our waiter told us they had, wait for it... NOTHING that was listed on the menu. Sooo, my girlfriend got a mediocre microwaved brownie and I got a raspberry square that tasted artificial. Each came with a scoop of bad ice cream.
We had been looking forward to a nice 3 course meal and instead, we each commented that the dinner had been the single worst restaurant experience ever. The asshole who wrote the menu has to be the biggest bullshit artist in New York.
Worst. Dinner. Ever.
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Review from Kenia S.
Bronx, NY
8/3/2011
The worst service and food I've had in years!!! The fried calamary was over fried/burnt un-edible. The Shrimp Ceasar salad came with old gummy shrimp. The steak pomme frites was discusting. There was only one server/host/cashier/busboy. He was the worse ever! I couldn't believe he brought all three courses on one shot to my table... I was horrified! I couldn't make it out of there any faster. DON'T GO THERE!!!
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Review from Billy A.
8/5/2006
Such a delightful corner of New York! This brightly lit spot has indoor and outdoor seating, one of the most reasonably priced breakfast menus in the city, and a liberal leash policy for man's best friend. Unfortunately, feverish construction up and down Sixth Ave. has made the rest of the block a bit dusty and loud, but Antique Cafe is a perfect urban oasis.
Listed in: Ladies' Mile Lunch Hour
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Review from Murtada E.
New York, NY
5/9/2009
Nothing to write home about sums it up. Nothing special about the food, edible. The service could be improved. The portions are small. I'd say avoid unless on a busy day where you'd have to wait any place else. Wait for a long time any place else.
