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Cafe Notte
1626 2nd Ave
(between 84th St & 85th St)
New York, NY 10028
Neighborhoods: Yorkville, Upper East Side
(212) 288-5203
(between 84th St & 85th St)
New York, NY 10028
Neighborhoods: Yorkville, Upper East Side
(212) 288-5203
- Nearest Transit:
-
86 St (4, 5, 6, 6X)
77 St (4, 6, 6X)
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 5 pm - 2 am
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
17 reviews for Cafe Notte
17 reviews in English
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Review from Kat I.
1/13/2009
Man, the other reviewers are tough!
The service was excellent, this is what service in New York should aspire to. People were friendly and got the job done at the same time. Ahhh, service.... remember that? yeah...
The place was cozy, spacious and had a lush yet comfortable vibe to it.
I agree it does have an extensive wine-list, yet also cafe options.So you say it has an identity crisis?? I kinda liked it.. I don't think it's conflictive, but rather versatile.
This is a plus cause sometimes you have friend who already ate, others who didn't, some who don't drink, some who are lushes.. hey, this way you can please every one of your buddies.
My friend and I were able to catch up at our leisure. I enjoyed the desserts. I have to come back to try their other food.
I think it sets the mood for a casual date but can also just be a friend get-together. The music was just right, you could hear it but it wasn't overpowering. You can still have a real conversation.
Don't discount this place before you try it! -
Review from Chris J.
11/11/2008
Going to Cafe Notte made me remember why I sometimes think about staying home and sticking my d!ck in a warm apple pie. Then I remember that my social life is quite challenging without these thoughts.
There's a reason this place is consistently not busy.
Go to Uva. -
Review from Sienna K.
Philadelphia, PA
1/27/2008
"Crap," I thought as I entered Cafe Notte, "I shouldn't have brought my reading. I should have worn heels, a dress, and have some boy next to me."
A friend and I were commenting on the rarity of quiet places to read in New York, and she said of Cafe Notte, "It's real quiet, real classy. It's a real laid back plush feel." I took this to mean it's sort of like an overdone library reading room with mahogany bookcases and other cliches.
What she meant was, the place is a nice wine bar that also serves coffee during the day, and since no one really comes in during daylight hours, it's quiet.
Of course, it would be wrong to judge a wine bar by cafe standards. But the place wants to be both, and that's its largest flaw-- it tries to satisfy both cafe and wine bar needs, but really compromises the two ends.
The wine list looked impressive enough, but had nothing too special. The coffee (with meager selections) was actually pretty bad-- the acerbic awful kind. The identity issue of the place is also felt in the menu. Some of the foods are wine bar appropriate, but it was mostly cafe items-- paninis and such. But at higher prices. To be fair though, the autumn panini (with bacon and molasses sauce!) was the best panini I had in a long long while.
The service was prompt, but also felt forced. Probably because the two owners were sitting in the same room watching their every movement. It was a bit awkward.
Bad coffee aside, the place was just.. simply awkward. The "plushness" in my friend's words seemed overdone. Cafe Notte tries to sell its cafe image, even providing free wi-fi, but it just feels overdone and odd as I tried to read.
And it might be a nice wine bar, but I wouldn't have been impressed either, as it's a little bland on that atmosphere.
I guess in short, I agree completely with the guy who wrote before me. Except, I just took a really long time to say it. -
Review from Cara A.
Updated - 10/13/2008
Went on a recent weeknight (despite statement in my previous review) because two friends were having a bottle there and asked me to join. Who am I to refuse lil' Valpolicella?
Bear in mind, I'm sure I could have a good time with these guys in just about any place / situation, but still, it was a fun night. The extra star is for the bartender -- I think her name was Jennifer -- who was really sweet.
I still don't know what the eff kind of hybrid Cafe Notte is -- or is trying to be -- but I gotta give credit where credit is due. Even if it's just a weeee bit of credit.Listed in: The ubiquitous "wine bar"
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/25/2008
Quiz:
Caffe Notte is
a) a wine bar
b) a coffee shop
c) a restaurant
d) a lounge sans atmosphere
e) none of… Read more »
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Review from Jesse S.
Brooklyn, NY
1/19/2008
For those of you who cried yourselves to sleep when DTUT closed its doors, a little comfort is now back in the neighbourhood, as Cafe Notte has succeeded the erstwhile DTUT as the go-to place for coffee, wine, and snacks. And lots of kids.
But wait, this is a wine bar now! And the relaxed, low-key coffeehouse atmosphere has been replaced with a sleek, loungy ambiance, filled with low light and dark colours. You walk in, and everybody working in the place gathers around you to welcome you, and to offer to explain just what is going on here. They must be used to it, because there was a near-continuous stream of people coming in off the street to ask if DTUT was back, when is story hour, whether they can get take-away coffee, and generally what is going on here.
What is going on here is that DTUT is having an identity crisis.
The place looks great, but it just isn't the kind of environment you'd expect if you wanted to pull out your laptop and send some e-mails. But that's what they want you to do (during the day), because it's a free Wi-Fi coffeehouse by day. It feels strange. The lights (all energy-efficient, I was informed) are really too dim for you to read by unless you walk to the back room, where the lights are almost oppressively bright. You're sitting in a posh-looking bar with your laptop, and kids are running wild all over the place, just as they did at DTUT. But now you're in a bar, and seeing children in a bar just makes me feel a little uncomfortable. (And not just me, I take it, as Union Hall apparently has a rule that the stroller set must clear out before 8pm.)
In sum, Cafe Notte is an exercise in incongruity, and although the idea in theory sounds interesting (change from DTUT, the coffeehouse cum wine-bar, into Notte, the wine-bar cum coffeehouse--all with Wi-Fi), I really wonder how long they'll keep this up. When I asked the hostess about the concept, she suggested that the place still had a few kinks to work out, and that the place would evolve into whatever the community wanted it to be. Great!
Still available are a full range of fantastic coffee, although the prices seem to have been adjusted slightly upwardly, as if to keep up with the wine-bar motif. The menu is small, focusing on light bites and cold snacking foods. The staff are very friendly and seem genuinely interested in explaining what the place is about.
I'm really curious to see what will happen with this place. When they figure out what it is they are going to be, I have a feeling this will be a very solid place to look to for great coffee or wine. At the very least, you can't say they're not trying. -
Review from Liz B.
10/4/2008
I still can't find a wine bar better than Uva!
Cafe Notte is one of those places I always walk by and think "that place looks cute" and then keep on walking. A friend had a birthday party there and as far as party goes, they hooked us up pretty well. We had the whole front section by the big open windows, and our one waitress was as attentive as she could handle. There were lots of different seating choices; tables, benches, pillows, etc.
The wine list is very extensive; the menu is not. There are a couple of yummy, interesting, options... such as the "paninis" which are really small pizzas without any sauce.
The bar is pretty big, but I don't really like the way they have the dining and seating area set up. Its hard to explain.
Go to Uva. -
Review from C J.
San Francisco, CA
5/24/2008
We live above this place and this is the second Friday in a row woken up by HORRIBLE music at 3:30am. I am talking freshman year of college in the basement of a frat house drunk on Natty Light bad. Oh, DTUT, how I miss thee.
Crowd is along those lines as well. Makes me wonder how strict their carding policy is. Also how these kids can afford to pay such astronomical prices.
Having been inside during the day, the food is lackluster at best and absolutely is NOT up to par for the pricegouging charged.
Cafe Notte should NOT be allowed to to keep DTUT signage outside, seeing them make me sad every single time I walk by, making me miss one of NYC's best coffeehouses. :(
Bad music, annoying crowd, expensive food and wine... thumbs way way down all around. Wish I could rate negative stars. -
Review from fred s.
New York, NY
6/30/2008
The place is aways too dark, music too loud.
The seats are uncomfortable.
15 bucks for a bagel with half the usual portion of salmon, onion, tomato as an $8 one.
Apparently the waitrons just got their first job. They always want to "help" when you least need them.
I can't imagine who would think this place is cool.
I've tried to sit with my laptop and be as productive as I was when it was DTUT but I just got depressed.
I hope this place dies soon.
Sunday morning brunch and only a few people came in. When it was DTUT you'd be lucky to get a seat at noon.
Suggestions: quit trying to be a restaurant. Self service is so much easier and this place is (still) built for it.
I'll overpay for wine, desserts and coffee (not the crapy food). Just leave me along and let me work. -
Review from Anna A.
Brooklyn, NY
4/6/2008
Judging from the interior, the place is trying for the sophisticated wine-bar look, but the disparity of form and content create a loud dissonance instead. The ridiculously overpriced wines (a glass starts at $10) are rivaled only by the truly terrible food: bland and sloppy panini, meat-and-cheese plate containing tiny amounts of each, and tea selection that is just slightly worse than your neighborhood's greasy diner could offer (cheap herbal blends and black lipton - at $4 a pop).
On the upside, the service was friendly, but who cares - I'm never coming back. -
Review from Juliet S.
10/15/2008
Underwhelming.
From the outside, and even the inside, lots of possibility and potential. My friend and I walked by the other day and she cooed saying, "We should try that place sometime!" to which I replied, "Um, been there, done that, give it at pass."
I was there for a birthday gathering - we took seats near the front windows on chairs, bar stools, and the couch. Everyone loved the wine choices...which, I guess, is only to be expected at a wine bar (slash cafe?). The food, however, was not so great. A friend and I split the cheese plate - choice of 3 cheeses ($13) with bread and honey and fruit. The fruit was more of a garnishing than a part of the meal, and there wasn't a lot of bread provided (maybe I'm just a carb crazy...). A couple other friends tried the paninis (I think around $10 each), which looked promising, but their reviews weren't too high. -
Review from Jack N.
Astoria, NY
3/25/2008
Roomy, good service, but ridiculous prices
I went here for a mixer/panel discussion yesterday. I like that they have back room that is multi-functional. It can be converted to a discussion area like it was yesterday, or it could be used for other private events. The wait service is nice and friendly, you get a smile from everybody.
But the prices, $13 for a glass of wine and then $11 - $12 for a panini, that's quite expensive for average food.
Like the other reviewer mentioned, its not quite a cafe, not quite a wine bar. -
Review from Marissa J.
New York, NY
8/9/2008
looked like a great place for a nightcap in my hood.
turned out to be a really poor use of a good space that doesn't know what it wants to be.
also i can never go back because my unfunny, unattractive blind date told the manager (who walks around trying too hard to schmooze with everyone) that we were newlyweds. ugh.Listed in: Peace out, Upper East Side
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Review from Ryan R.
Denver, CO
4/12/2008
Walking past, Notte looks like an enjoyable lounge for low key entertainment and quite conversation. Unfortunately it falls woefully short of what one would expect. As mentioned, the drinks are a bit overpriced, and the service is extremely poor as well. The back had a live band (private party at the time) which looked like fun, but the music didn't really fit with the rest of the bar. In all, I'd recommend going to Vero or one of the dozen other newly opened wine bars in the area instead.
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Review from Micaela L.
Brooklyn, NY
5/15/2008
I've been to Cafe Notte a few times, and it has never quite lived up to expectations. I was truly disappointed with the food on my first visit, but that was during its first week, so I decided to give it another chance. I went back about a month ago, and the food was still "meh." The cheese plates were good, but how hard is it to make a bad cheese plate with delicious cheeses? The panini, on the other hand, are not good at all. The wine list is decent but overpriced, and the service varies wildly. The biggest draw is the atmosphere, but even that doesn't make the experience worth it, in my mind.
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Review from Lovet O.
1/22/2009
Cafe Notte had a $6 wine special and the wine was good. I also ordered the Salmone Panini with the mixed greens. It was ok. I thought the salmon would be baked like an actual salmon sandwich but it wasnt. It reminded me of lox with cream cheese. Overall, the atmosphere was great and food was ok.
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Review from Katie H.
New York, NY
5/4/2008
I agree with the rest of the reviewers. Cafe Notte just falls short of what it's trying to be. I went on a Saturday night for a little birthday get-together. We had a table in the back and the wine was good yet something was missing. It was soo hot in the back that it was uncomfortable. For what it is trying to be, which I believe is a wine bar, there are many better options in the area. Don't waste your time.
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Review from Bing S.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 7/2/2009
my friend called this place in advance to see if they had wifi we could use while we drank some beer and wine and they said 'yes' and we said 'we''ll be right over' and they said 'okay'. and when we got there some triad meeting going on and they denied ever talking to anyone on the phone and looked at us like we were crazy for even mentioning it . this is the second poor experience I've had here. what kind of cafe isn't open at 5 pm? i went to starbucks after and got some real wifi. in yo face notte.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/2/2009
my friends and I sat here for like 1/2 hour before someone came and took our orders. then after we… Read more »
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