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Cafe Katja
Category: Restaurants German German [Edit]
79 Orchard St(between Broome St & Grand St)
New York, NY 10002
Neighborhood: Lower East Side
(212) 219-9545
- Nearest Transit:
-
Delancey St (F)
Essex St (J, M, Z)
Grand St (B, D)
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 5 pm - 11 pm
Fri-Sat 5 pm - 12 am
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Intimate
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
198 reviews for Cafe Katja
Review Highlights
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"Cafe Katja serves fantastic Austrian food." In 22 reviews -
"Had the sausage sampler for 2, it was great." In 13 reviews -
"Then we split cheese spatzle and it was SO good." In 7 reviews
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198 reviews in English
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Review from Dena A.
ASTORIA, NY
4/26/2012
What can I say other than WOW!
I'm writing this now since the evening is still fresh in my head and I don't want to miss any detail!!
We were wooed off our feet from the moment we walked in to tiny little Katja!
One of my most pleasant culinary experiences since stepping foot into this vast metropolitan city two and a half years ago...
oh where do I start so much to say such a whirlwind of good times and good food from last night... awwww memories and to think it was less then 24 hours of sheer spatzle,liptauer,goulash,landjager Austrian heaven! I need a moment please......
Ok lets continue shall we, sorry it started to get hot in here...
We walked in last night around 7ish and it was pretty busy in the tiny little cafe and we were met by one of the part owners ( which we didn't realize at the time) who was super nice and we told him we were waiting for our other two friends to get there so he let us know we may or may not have a table. Luckily as a table of four were leaving the other ladies showed up and we were seated.
From the get go the owner was super pleasant he literally came by the table and gave us recommendations on everything!!! Was probably one of the most attentive people I have ever experience but soooo not in a over burdening way, just the right amount! I am just going to list everything we ordered then we shall discuss please note the disclaimer that you are about to see a hella lot of food... just saying...
2 pretzels w/ spreads
red cabbage/ligonberry/apple/walnut salad
marinated herring/cucumber-potato salad/mustard sour cream
liptauer/radishes/herbs
Katja's "Ruben" pork belly/cabbage/cheese/pickles/mustard sauce
emmentaler sausage/savoy cabbage/quark dumplings
beef goulash/spatzle
I'm getting teary eyed (of joy of course) just typing this!!!
Where do I start where do I start, let me just say I do not eat pork and most of the items on the menu do have pork however the owner came by and personally stood there and went through all the items that did not have pork which was such a nice touch...
The food I can sit here and go one by one but in all honesty all night long this is all that came out of all four ladies mouths " OMG that is so good" "wow that is huge" "wow complete and total satisfaction" "that was amazing" "can there be round two" whoah I just had a deja vu moment unrelated to food... I need another moment....
ok much better... as we sat there with our new found bellies and buttons nearly popping... the owner came by again and asked about dessert.. three of us shook our head in unison while the one unnamed female decided to flirt it up and I personally think it was the alcohol talking at this point.. anyway she mentioned that it was our dear friends birthday on Friday and she was visiting us from Florida the owner said ok and walked away...
we honestly forgot about dessert because we were reminiscing of old days
( Think Pete Rock and CL Smooth They Reminisce) out of no where the owner shows up with not one but two desserts in hand and a candle singing happy birthday which the whole cafe chimed in! Awesomeness! He brought a crepe that had sour cherry compote and curd cheese and then this pastry that was stuffed with hazelnut cream topped with powdered sugar and chocolate sauce it starts with the letter P and that's all i remember... But seriously drooling....
Everything came out to 131 which was really good considering the sheer amount of alcohol and food we ordered.... we walked out or more like rolled out and stood in our after glow savoring the last hour and a half of epicness!
If you haven't gone you need to go... now.. move it move it move it! -
Review from Heather P.
Manhattan, NY
3/26/2012
Really, what can I say that hasn't already been said? This place is just darling. It was teensy tiny, but the atmosphere was so cozy that it left me feeling warm and tingly all night--or was that the huge pints of Gösser we downed?
We came up for my boyfriend's birthday dinner after finding Blaue Gans was closed for an event, and could not be happier with the way it turned out. We were seated right away at the only open table, and the staff is just SO sweet, attentive, and cute as a button. We never felt rushed.
I'm normally not one for rich foods, but we stuffed ourselves SILLY, and I have zero regrets. I had the Austrian meatballs, which I couldn't shut up about between each bite, and the winter vegetables were just buttery perfection. Birthday boy is Austrian, born and raised, and said the goulash/spätzle was better than his oma's. Yes, he went there--sorry, oma!
For dessert, we had palatschinken (a sort of thick crepe), with schlag (whipped cream), quark/topfen (a creamy cheese), and caramelized apples. YUM! And the waitress had overheard me mention it was a birthday dinner, so it was on the house. I almost cried.
I could go on and on, but suffice it to say I'll definitely be back. -
Review from Alex R.
Jersey City, NJ
3/19/2012
Katja is a lovely tiny Austrian restaurant in the Lower village. I've been longing to go there for a while. Couple of times I stopped by but they were full. This Sunday I got lucky - the place had all tables taken but there was ample space at the bar.
Service was wonderful, we were promptly greeted and seated, waitress at the bar was extremely nice and polite. She took care of us really well.
"aufschnitt teller / cured meats / spreads / home-made pickles" starter is good for two people and is tasty with a pint of Austrian Stiegl.
"austrian meatballs / potato puree / spring vegetables" were super-good. A sizable portion of excellent quality.
I am going to come back soon! -
Review from Ben G.
Santa Rosa, CA
5/25/2012
Cute, quiet little closet of a restaurant. Amazingly tasty Austrian food. Great atmosphere and service. The price, portions, and quality were just right. How do they make such tasty food in such a small kitchen? The beer selection was delightful, too. YUM.
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Review from Adam F.
New York, NY
5/25/2012
Unbelievable beer selection and great food. The owner is extremely nice as we waited for our table.
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Review from Sasha B.
5/20/2012 1 Check-in Here
The goulash was awesome. Great Austrian beer selection.
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Review from Shannon W.
Manhattan, NY
5/14/2012
Absolutely love this restaurant. Great food, atmosphere and staff. Definitely worth trying if you're in the LES area.
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Review from Lissa V.
2/6/2012
I went here with my Cuz on Friday and before we walked in he said "are you ready to embrace your German heritage??! Actually, this is Austrian, but you're going to embrace that too!"
"Umm... sure" ...Oh boy, did we ever embrace it - holy spatzle!
The place is small to begin with, and it was packed. Plenty of energy, but all good vibes, so check your attitude at the door.
Be prepared to wait a bit (we were so busy googling Aaliyah lyrics we hardly noticed... can anyone even think of any other song of hers besides 'Are You That Somebody'? Yea, that's what I thought...) but the wait will be well worth it. I never realized how much I liked Austrian food.
We started with the meats and spreads plate - the highlight being the liverwurst and the pickles. The I had the special which was Pork Belly with spatzle and sauerkraut, nom nom nom! Cafe Katja is a great place for guzzling down brewskies. The cider is great too, but goes down a little too quickly... not that that's a bad thing. -
Review from Dave B.
4/24/2012
Excellent. Excellent place.... great casual vibe but with perfectly made and tasty central european ( Austrian , German) food. Great beers. Good prices.
Highly recommend it. -
Review from Sumito A.
Manhattan, NY
Get to the Chase:
Pros:
1) OH MY DAM! This place is floggn deeeeeeeeelish! Authentic German style food...hearty and generous portions, very well cooked, meaty, and perfect with cider and beer
2) Their homemade ciders are absolutely a must. The apple flavor is punched with a little alcoholic kick and some spices I have yet to figure out what they were.
3) Don't waste your $ on appetizers, sides, or salads go for the main dishes
-Austrian meatballs / potato puree / spring vegetables 17 (YUMMO!)
-Berner würstel / cucumber potato salad / rye bread 12 (nothing special but tastey)
-Cheese spätzle / caramelized onions / chives 14 (German Mac Cheese)
-Beef goulash / spätzle (THE BEST HANDS DOWN) use bread to wipe up the sauce! MMMMM
Cons:
1) Bit pricey, but not unreasonable (4 people, 4 main dishes + 1 dessert, +2 ciders = $32 without tip)
2) Really cramped and don't take reservations -
Review from Jon L.
12/31/2011
I don't think I can say anything that other people have not said yet. Space is small and cozy so probably not the best place to bring a big crowd. Just as a random note, I came here at 9 pm on Wednesday night and it was not hard to find a seat for 2 at all.
Food is very tasty, the beer and drinks are great, and the service is friendly. CHEESE SPAETZEL IS AMAZING!!!!!!
I will be here many more times. -
Review from Tyler L.
Manhattan, NY
2/20/2012
I've spent a total of 2 weeks in Germany, but I have some very good memories of the it so I was excited to get a taste of it here. This place delivered in not just the food and drink, but also the atmosphere and culture of the staff.
I'll start with the food- excellent. I ordered the emmentaler sausage which had cabbage and dumplings. The cabbage and sauce were perfect. The portion was generous too- just barely finished. They have a good beer selection and the one I chose randomly was great.
The place is intimate and very well decorated. They had evergreen garland reminiscent of the conifers of Bavarian woodlands and making it feel like home in the winter. The staff was excellent. When we first came in there were no empty seats so they offered a spot near the bar with a ledge to rest drinks. As I was taking off my coat one of the staff took my coat and scarf and hung them up for me. It's my understanding that when you get a table at a restaurant in Germany, it's yours for the night and the wait staff doesn't give you a bill to move you along. This place was just like that. My table, and the tables next to us stayed for a long time after finishing our food without feeling rushed at all. Oh, I almost forgot- they refilled the water all the time. Awesome. -
Review from Michael L.
Brooklyn, NY
1/17/2012
Ate: Pretzel, Emmantaler sausage and Goulash with spatzle
Drank: Kolsch
Liked: Friendly staff, decent food
Disliked: Really cramped, kind of expensive
Chicken: None that I could see
Would mom like it?: No, not enough rice on the menu.
Wait: 5 min. They promised to put us at a table, but never did it, so we had to eat at the cramped side table, which made it hard to talk.
Would I go back: Maybe for just the beer.
Recommend: Getting a table and the pretzel. -
Review from Dan T.
12/26/2011
There is just a wonderful feeling to this place, where you know that the food will warm you to your core on a cold, blustery day.
First of all, the beer is cheap and the pours are generous. Second, whatever butter-laden sauce it is they pour over their food just soaks into your bones and transports to you to what I can only describe as your "happy place".
The meatballs are a great pick, but I was a big fan of the emmentaler sausage and the plush, tender quark dumplings that came with. Granted, I waddled my way out and could quickly feel the food coma settling in more rapidly than usual, but hey - who ever said that was a bad thing? -
Review from Pam Z.
2/1/2012
The ambiance is right and the food is delicious. I am normally not a huge fan of German food, but I actually loved everything. Portions are nice and big. Bills are small.
The only complaint is the weird man who we suspected might have been the owner. I think he got into an altercation with my friend, who had arrived slightly early for our reservation (we called ahead). Apparently he was nervous that the rest of us would not show, even though it was not even the time of our reservation yet. In the end, we all were there on time and everything was settled. He then proceeded to be unusually gracious and kind, perhaps to make up for his freak out? When we got the bill, he included gratuity of 20% for himself, which I found to be a bit unusual. I usually leave at least 20% tip unless the service is terrible, but I still don't like it when the house does it for you... kinda defeats the purpose right? -
Review from Pinky And The B.
Manhattan, NY
1/30/2012 2 photos
We were pretty excited to try this. But we were let down given the rave reviews.
Perhaps they have gone down hill in the past 2 years since my Yelp friends reviewed it.
The first time we went was 4 PM on a Saturday afternoon and it was closed. There were no hours posted on the door and one of the employees answered the door and said go away come back at 5 and left.
So upon the second visit they were not in any rush to seat us or give menus or to take our order. But they were in a hurry to give us our check. Sorry if you are going to be slow at least be consistent!
The sausage was really a glorified hot dog. (see picture) The pretzel was pretty good. But not worth jumping through all the hoops we had to go through to get it. The tables were cramped as was the entire space. There are too many better restaurants like this to put up with that!
Radegast Hall & Biergarten was better much better on every level and you see Radegast Hall & Biergarten didn't blow me away. But I would go there over Cafe Katja any day! And there are so many other places if you just want a pretzel I see no reason to go back!Listed in: All The Critics Love you in…, Don't believe the hype
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Review from Valerie L.
New York, NY
11/4/2011
How do you say "This place was freaking delicious but the wait was unnecessarily long and the space is too small but sitting at the bar was fine and the dessert was amazing!" in German?
Aside from drunkenly devouring bratwurst on sidewalks, my experience with Austrian/German food was pathetically nonexistent. But once you go German, you can't really go back, right?
I took my friend here for her birthday. The wait was understandable given the tiny space but I saw more than one pissed-off group. I would suggest going early so you can lock down a table and avoid going on Friday/Saturday night if you absolutely hate waiting.
The restaurant is a warm, dimly-lit space with a few small tables and seating at the bar. An ideal spot for couples and solo diners, not large groups. Very intimate and welcoming. The poor waitress was scrambling to appease everyone and was yelled at and spilled a few glasses -- my heart went out to her.
An hour and 2 cocktails later, we were sitting comfortably at the bar scarfing down quark dumplings, cabbage, and a generous portion of emmentaler sausage. Actually, that was just me. My friend had the smoked salmon with kale and it was great! We ended with the warm chocolate cake and cherry compote (good contrast of sweet and tart).
PS. Huge pints of Austrian beer were being circled around the restaurant. Will definitely need to try it next time! -
Review from Diana C.
1/22/2012
i've been here twice and i enjoyed thoroughly it both times.
keep in mind, it is a TINY place. prepare to wait, or get there early.
we sat at the bar, which was fine. it is cramped no matter where you sat honestly.
i can't pronounce half the things on the menu so i'm having a hard time trying to remembering everything i ate (all of it was good). two dishes that stood out:
liverwurst: never had this before, but boy was it good. nothing like what i imagined it to taste like. it was so sweet and just perfect as a spread. nom nom nom.
katja's ruben pork belly sandwich: oh my god, it was so delicious. the bread was toasted to perfection. the pork belly was a perfect portion of lean and fat. comes out as 4 pieces so it was easy to share, and it was a huge portion.
and the boys were obsessed with the stiegl in the big 1 liter mugs for $11.
definitely will be back again. -
Review from Paul H.
Service: 3/5
-average
Decor: 3/5
-Beware that there isn't much seating and it is usually packed
Food and Wine: 4/5
-Helmut Gangl dessert wine was god awful. Go with their beers instead
-Cheese spatzle was great! This was my favorite of the two dishes. Caramelized onions and chives, oh my! I cleaned the whole plate.
-Beef Goulash: think of how tender beef is from beef stew, combined with spatzle. Yum. -
Review from Kara M.
Manhattan, NY
11/3/2011 1 Check-in Here
OMG!!! The best comfort food ever is Spaetzle and the best Spaetzle I've ever had in NYC is right at this charming little place. The goulash ain't so bad either!
Get here early if you want a leisurely meal as it tends to pack up by 7. We came here on a disgustingly rainy day and the narrow little space filled up quickly. -
Review from Shadi H.
Hoboken, NJ
11/15/2011 1 Check-in Here
I have been coming here for a while now ... and i love it each time !!!
Small but cozy .... Food gets 10/10 ... curedmeat sampler = banging
Pretzels are absolutely the best ever ....
Dinners are amazing
If you don't try this place out ... its your loss -
Review from Monica J.
8/12/2011
A good friend that I met while we were both studying abroad in Vienna, and who also now lives in New York, found this place during a search to find Ottakringer, the delicious Viennesse beer we have been missing so much since our return to the US! She found a website that listed all of the places in the city that carried it (all of 2) so we called both but neither seemed to carry them anymore. Sad day.
After a glance at the menu for Café Katja, however, we decided this place might still be worth a try for some authentic Viennesse food that is so hard to find here. And what better reason to go than for my birthday dinner!
We planned to meet there around 8 pm but when we arrived, with no reservation in hand (and they don't take rezzie's anyway as we came to find out) the place was packed and the wait was too long - as I had friends that would be meeting me at a bar in an hour and a half for birthday celebrations. Instead we ended up trying out the Jamaican restaurant across the street (Spur Tree, which was AWESOME, and I just remembered I never wrote a review for it! Oops, will have to correct that). Anyway, since then my friend and I had been planning to return to check out Katja but one way or another over half a year passed us by! Such is the consequence of living in NYC.
So the other day, my friend asks me if I want to grab dinner, and where else could we go? This time around we were prepared and headed down there super early at 6pm! It was near empty when we arrived but about 15-20 min after we were seated, the place was alive and buzzing!
Unfortunately for me, the timing was a bit off as, for personal reasons, I had decided to forego alcohol for the month of August. Gah! What a test of my self control! It must say something about this place that I thoroughly enjoyed my meal here despite the dry-ness.
It's a very cozy little place and, though I can't quite explain why, I find it to be very distinctly Austrian rather than German -maybe a lack of gruff waiters? I felt like I was back in Vienna, sitting in some small café enjoying the day - worry free- with a good friend.
Initially, neither my friend nor I were very hungry and decided we could just share a plate. However, after hearing our waiter describe the burner wurstel and the emmentaler sausage we realized that we had to try both! Though both items had aspects that we really enjoyed, I think the winner was definitely the emmentaler sausage! Mmmm, so delicious, sweet, and the perfect amount of melted emmentaler cheese inside. The quark dumplings that came with it were also yummy - not sure what it's made of or what's in it, but I loved the flavor and texture. Oh and that cabbage! I kept going back to search for the satisfyingly crunchy bits of cabbage. My friend enjoyed the creamy sauce that pervaded the entire plate so much that she ended up sopping up ALL OF IT! That plate was completely clean by the time she was done with it.
While the burner wurstel was good, at the end of the day it was really just a hotdog with bacon wrapped around it. Though I did really like the refreshing cucumber salad it came with!
At the end of the day, we probably would have done well to just order the one emmentaler sausage and an appetizer but I'm glad we tried both.
For that feeling of being home again, you can't beat the price either! I highly recommend this place if the craving for Austrian food strikes and I hope to return once I am off my alcohol ban to soak up some of that delicious Gosser Dunkel that I spied on the drink menu. In the meantime, I am giving it 4 stars because any real Austrian restaurant really should carry the beer from the only remaining large brewery in Austria. Also, no wienerschnitzel?! -
Review from Kathy L.
Brooklyn, NY
10/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
The pretzel was soft and warm. I got the Emmentaler Sausage which was pretty good, but I'm not a fan of quarks (aka dumplings). The sausage sampler comes with these sour vegetables at the bottom which I did not like. My friend said he really liked the cheese spatzle. I think it would be best for everyone to share the cheese spatzle and the sausages because the spatzle doesn't have meat in it.
5.0 for the service
4.0 for the overall food quality -
Review from K P.
Manhattan, NY
2/28/2012
I had something and it was damn good.
Alright, I will be more specific, but this is going to mean that I have to tap in to the deep recess of my aging feeble mind.
It was a bratwurst, and it was like no other. The juicy flavours of both the flesh and sauce were very unique and amazing.
Will definitely venture back. -
Review from Brandon Z.
Ridgewood, Queens, NY
11/27/2011
Totally nice little Austrian restaurant. Definitely a more finessed take on this style of cuisine compared to the usual Gottscheer Hall or Zum Stammtisch experience in Queens.
I was still sort of full from lunch so got the liptauer sandwich, which was light but satisfying.
Small selection of Austrian and German beers available in 3 sizes (including enormous steins). Pleasant service. -
Review from Sarah G.
6/24/2011
We were ready for some German food. Something about German food was calling our names and we saw this place online and it looked to be pretty good!
We walk into this smaller, long narrow restaurant/bar that is dimly lit which just felt like a pretty cool beginning. Their beer list definitely was german and they offered beer in different sizes too which we definitely appreciated! Plus in case you don't know german (I sure don't) they are nice enough to provide a translation of their common food terms on the back of their menu to help you out with ordering!
We split the cheese spatzle which is basically like tasty German mac and cheese. Their menu said that they make the spatzle in house, so that's pretty cool, definitely a little more authentic than some of the other spatzle I've had in my day! Would have liked a bit more flavor in it though--some spices or something?
But then there is the euro techno house music that this bar simply could not get enough of. I know europe loves their house music and all that, but that music didn't really seem to fit into this laid back, dark, relaxing beer drinking bar ha ha I was pretty distracted by it actually, but maybe that is to make us drink beer faster like the Germans? -
Review from Jon C.
10/25/2011
I came to Cafe Katja on Friday with an appetite for beer and brat. To kick off the German feast, I had some homemade pretzel appetizers. To die for - simply incredible. I also decided to quench my manly thirst with a stein of beer. Yeah - it's pretty much served to you in a pitcher!!! Exactly what I needed.
For my main course, I deviated from my original plan and went with a beef goulash. It was very good (but can't say it's the best I've had in the city).
Overall, a great place and one I'd certainly be back to. However, Yelpers beware - this place is tiny and with no reservations taken, it may be a bit of a wait. I can assure you, however, that the food (and the beer sizes) makes up for the lack of physical size. -
Review from Graham G.
Manhattan, NY
10/2/2011
- Amazing German food - so much flavor.
- Great service (which surprised me, because they could be snotty if they wanted to)
- Reasonable prices
Had a lunch for two here and a dinner for four. Both times I was very impressed with the whole experience. -
Review from Vivian X.
Franklin Square, NY
2/20/2012
When I think of Cafe Katja, I can't bear not to give it five stars.
I just love this place.
I love it even when it's crowded and cramped and you have to sit at the counter.
I mean, I went here the first time with someone I was infatuated with (and boy did that infatuation end up like a train wreck), and despite whatever happened there, I still repeatedly returned out of love for the food.
Out of their standard menu, I've had the aufschnitt teller, austrian meatballs, emmentaler sausage, bratwurst, sausage sampler, and the hickory smoked salmon.
Maybe its the company I go with, but it has always been a blast. To share, I think the aufshnitt teller and sausage sampler are great choices (although I prefer the aufshnitt teller, since the sausage sampler gets salty realllly fast for me). If we are talking about personal plates, I am quite taken by the austrian meatballs and the hickory smoked salmon. While the proteins are both delicious, especially the addictive smoked salmon, the vegetable accompaniments are not to be overlooked! Both these dishes have at separate times presented things I typically abhor (carrots and kale respectively) in really unexpected and wonderful profiles.
Cafe Katja may be an Austrian establishment with a heavy emphasis on their sausages and meats, but they are no slouch when it comes to vegetables either.
... I still dream of their tender summer white asparagus with ramp sauce. Truly drool worthy. -
Review from David H.
New York, NY
4/7/2012
My first time here last night and it was great. It is a small place and they do not seat your party until everyone is present. I only had a party of 2 and was lucky to be seated as soon as my date arrived. The food was delicious. We had the Austrian meatballs and the pork belly special. Both dishes were very tasty and good portion sizes. They have a nice variety beers. I had a couple of the light beers and even though I am not much of a beer drinker, I did like them. Also their cider cocktail was pretty good. It was mixed well because I could barely taste the alcohol in it. Our waitress was very attentive and had a nice energy about her as she was flowing from table to table. Great experience at Cafe Katja and can't wait to go again. :)
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Review from Chad T.
10/10/2011
If you're looking for some down-home Austrian food, this is definitely the place to go. Far removed from the craziness of the east village, you won't have the crowds that build up around Zum Schneider. Also, you can get Stiegl by the liter here.
You can't go wrong with the food. Austrian meatballs, Spätzle, cheese Spätzle (wow!), sausage platter, goulash, everything is awesome. -
Review from Elizabeth L.
New York, NY
7/15/2011
Continuing on my German adventure, I dragged my German/Austrian cuisine-skeptic friend to Cafe Katja one Saturday evening. I think I converted her though.
Although I was disappointed that Cafe Katja's sausage sampler is for a minimum of two people, I was quite happy with my Austrian meatball dish. It was heavier than I expected, and the sauce far richer, but it made for a satisfying meal. My friend ordered the emmentaler sausage, of which she could hardly finish half. The sausage was delicious, but she especially liked the cabbage and wasn't as big a fan of the quark dumplings.
Also tasted a sip of her elderflower lemonade. Seems like elderflower is quite the trend lately, but it was a nice drink - not overly sweet, and the elderflower flavor is quite subtle. -
Review from Rachel T.
1/31/2012
Came here with two friends for drinks and sausage. The sausage was incredibly hearty and the portions were very generous. I loved the sweet potatoes and dumplings. It can get pretty cramped and they don't take reservations so I recommend going on an off night if you want a chance to get a table. The menu is pretty reasonably priced for the quality of the foods. The mustards were also fantastic!
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Review from Kyle W.
5/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
Brought a date here a few weeks ago because she was craving some sausage, (oh HELLO) you dirty bastards.
Real quick side story first how we ended up at Cafe Katja. A few days earlier I met my date at a mutual friend's bday dinner and I told this story about this random German woman lady on the bus in London. Long story short, German lady was angry at a friend of mine on the bus for talking too loud. Chilled California girl says something back, German lady says America's past is filled with stupidity and that we voted for Geroge Bush twice. I quickly retorted to German lady, "how'd the Holocaust work out for you?". I win, she got off the bus.
We enjoyed that laugh and decided that on our date we'd get German food because although we laughed at my joke at the German lady's expense, we deep down really love Germans.
Anyways I digress, we get to Cafe Katja around 6:45 and got a table immediately and just beat the crowd.
The atmosphere is cozy, with the tables pretty close to each other and are located on the left side. Service was super quick and responsive.
On this night, I got the Emmantaler sausage. Hella juicy and plump on the inside and nicely cooked outside. The cabbage has tiny bits of pork/bacon in it. The dumplings are the way to go if you're going to get some carbs. How can you ever go wrong with cheese dumplings?!
Definitely worth another visit! -
Review from Eric C.
Updated - 9/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
I first discovered this gem of a restaurant in March '11. Fast forward to my next trip to NYC, and I decided I just HAD to return. Yes, it lived up to all my expectations. Liverwurst platter, beer, austrian meatballs, mmmmmmmmmm.
Very affordably priced.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/13/2011
Wow, Cafe Katja is really awesome. My friend and I came here on a Saturday night, and the place was… Read more »
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Review from Atousa F.
4/12/2011
I can't get enough of this place.
I'm one of those types that likes familiarity, comfort, and the KNOWN. I hate surprises, the unexpected, and shitty food. ESPECIALLY WHEN I'M HUNGRY.
But oh man, Katja delivers.
Cafe Select used to be my old standby for familiar, tasty, and filling foods. But alas, Katja now fills that void. And I WILL NEVER TURN BACK.
I first came here with my manfriend. We're small people, but we order a ton of food whenever we try new places. We got the cheeseplate, the beet salad, Austrian meatballs for me, the emmentaler sausage for him, and a side of kale.
OH MY GOOD GOD. The sauce with our meals was DELICIOUS. What's in there?? My meatballs were PERFECTION. But what's this???
THE ROASTED VEGGIES.
holy shit ya'll. I've never had a roasted carrot or parsnip that tasted so fucking good.
SO GOOD, that I thanked the owner for such a divine combination of flavors.
And the owner is awesome. He's always around, DEEP in the mix, like taking orders and talking with everyone. Super friendly guy. He always makes sure to say goodbye, and if you're already outside and walking down the street, he'll holler after you. So friendly!
I come here about twice a week and fucking love it.
Get the Austrian meatballs, BEET SALAD (sweet, savory, and DELICIOUS, but without the caraway seeds. shit gets in your teeth), and for a cocktail, drink the cocktail with the Cel-Ray and cider. Shit was light and delicious. PERFECT summer drink! -
Review from Hank C.
Updated - 4/9/2011
Stopped by here again to enjoy a cheese sausage & the liverwurst spread, an excellent choice that was reminiscent of BBQ pork, oddly enough.
The service was better this time, and the food was good, super-filling, and they worked hard to get our table of 8 seated together (took about 30 min for enough tables to leave).
Steins are pretty much the way to go - huge and filling for the drinkers in the group. We also tried out the appetizer of a pretzel... so-so, but the spreads were decent (though I'm not entirely sure what else was in the butter spread, it was good but oily).
Overall, a solid place. I'll come back again to try the beef goulash.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/28/2010
Well, I stopped by here.
Apparently, they're Austrian, not German. That's a bit of a misnomer when we… Read more »
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Review from Eric K.
Kirkland, WA
3/5/2011
I randomly chose to go to take a date to Cafe Katja. I'm not sure what I was thinking since I should have gone for something "safe" for a first date, but I wanted to try something different and Cafe Katja fit the bill.
We started with the aufschnitt teller and then had the sausage sampler. I have to admit that by the time I left here I was definitely on meat overload. But it was all so good that I really didn't mind.
I'll have to be in a certain mood to stop by Cafe Katja but when I'm in the mood for some incredible Austrian food this will be my first stop.
One star off because it is tiny and the food being so heavy I couldn't really eat here regularly. -
Review from Jin C.
New York, NY
4/3/2011
Loved how big the plates were. Loved my 7-8 inch emmentaler stuffed (i.e. cheese) sausage with quark dumplings (kind of like cheesy gnocchi?) and savoy cabbage that had bacon bits in it (I think.) It was also served in some buttery sauce which was delicious.
My friend's meatballs were great too. Vegetables grilled right, and lots of good crustiness on the outside of the meatball.
Good value + great ambience. Can't complain! -
Review from Roberto B.
New York, NY
3/13/2011
Austrian cuisine: a mystery wrapped in an enigma.
Other than the obvious references to wieners, beer and Josef Fritzl, I am happy to admit that I was blissfully ignorant about Austrian cuisine. And by extension, I had never been to Cafe Katja. But my friend suggested this place after we poked our heads into Schiller's and ran out with our heads in our hands, horrified by the masses of shrieking girls.
We were welcomed by an uber-friendly man, who sat us opposite a large mirror and took our drink orders. I started out with a delicious cocktail involving absinthe, gin and some other inspired ingredients I can't recall. By the end of our cocktail we were upgraded to two seats at the bar, and while the place is indeed tiny it was easy to get our food orders going.
We ordered the epic sausage sampler, and a side of spaetzle. Red wine to go along with everything. Clearly this is not a "hot July evening" sort of place, unless you enjoy eating ten pounds of meats and sauerkraut in a bikini. It's a rich experience, but not nauseatingly heavy.
I am not a sausage aficionado and can't point out the difference between an emmentaler and a bratwurst to save my life. But what I did notice was that the sausages were perfectly cooked. Crispy on the outside, steaming hot and tender on the inside. The sampler was a serious endeavor, and came with little buttery dumplings (delicious) and a bed of sauerkraut. Mustard on the side. The spaetzle helped the meat go down- as did the wine.
I think that when reviewing a restaurant the main question should be "did it achieve what it set out to do". That is true of any critique, be it in art or film or music. Sometimes the intention is there but the execution falls short. Other times the intention is unclear, which leaves us with the benefit of the doubt.
In the case of Cafe Katja, it succeeds at serving delicious sausages and other assorted Austrian fare in a low-key, friendly environment. I suspect that's exactly what the people involved were aiming for, and they achieved it in spades.
The only blemish on an otherwise fantastic experience was that the bar waitress made a boo-boo on our cheque and over-charged the schnitzel out of it. We noticed and she fixed it.
Overall a great little find.
Dankeschoen, Katja
