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Cafe R
Category: Restaurants Food Stands Food Stands [Edit]
119 W 31 St116 west 32nd street
Manhattan, NY 10001
Neighborhood: Midtown West
(212) 695-9550
- Nearest Transit:
-
34 St - Penn Station (1, 2, 3)
34 St - Herald Sq (B, D, F, M, N, Q, R)
28 St (1, 2)
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
41 reviews for Cafe R
Review Highlights
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"seriously, this place is huge and they have lots and lots..." In 3 reviews -
"This place has almost every kind of food that you can think..." In 3 reviews -
"...friend as well since there are so many chairs and table." In 5 reviews
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41 reviews in English
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Review from Seiji N.
4/27/2012 2 Check-ins Here
Cafe R happened to be right next to the office building I was working in for several days. The good thing about this place is that it's a reasonable price and whatever you're in the mood for, you will probably find it.
In the two times I went, I had the smoked salmon kebab wrapped in grape leaves and their philly cheesesteak. Both items were enough to fill me up for lunch. Out of the two, I liked the smoked salmon kebab more because the philly cheesesteak was difficult/messy to eat.
The checkout lines pretty quickly and if I'm at this office again, I wouldn't mind going here for lunch. -
Review from Vanessa S.
New York, NY
3/27/2012 9 Check-ins Here
This place is a great cafeteria smack in the middle of midtown, that isn't geared for tourists but for everyone that works around the area.
It has a good selection of international delights and ok price for being in midtown. I just wish they would have discount cards for people who work within the area. -
Review from Stephanie F.
Brooklyn, NY
2/2/2012 2 Check-ins Here
I've passed this place numerous times going to work. Finally I took the plunge and tried it out. Without knowing it, I walked into a Korean run cafe. They serve normal Korean fare cafeteria style, but also have sandwiches, burgers and a salad bar.
One thing that Cafe R really has going for it is the huge selection. Udon, soup, ramen, sushi, burgers, salads, wraps. You name it! I had a veggie udon. My meal cost $7 all together but the portion was pretty big.
However, their udon wasn't that good. They didn't use miso in their soup and something about the veggies tasted off to me. It wasn't THAT BAD, just not very authentic. Oh well! What else can you expect from a Korean cafe when ordering Japanese noodles? -
Review from Kellin B.
Manhattan, NY
5/9/2012
If you don't know what you're in the mood for. Walk into cafe R, you will find anything you could desire in there. It isn't the best food, but it is good, it is cheap and it is plentiful. And it is huge!!!
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Review from Michelle M.
New York, NY
1/6/2012
I've only been in here twice, despite walking past it every morning on my way to work. A few months ago I stopped in for an egg and cheese wrap, which was delicious.
This morning I stopped in because I noticed they had fresh-made juice. I tried the apple, carrot and orange juice. It was really good -- sweet, not bitter and good flavor balance.
My complaint, which isn't really a complaint is that it cost $5. But, if you're looking for a healthy, vegan and gluten-free breakfast the juice is great. -
Review from Brian Jin M.
Manhattan, NY
Cafe R I used to be a regular of yours but you are slowly pissing me off
Things to NOTE:
Before, if you had the corporate 20% DC card that the Cafe issues to your boss and company, you were able to get 20% dc on anything (even the Lunch Specials they have). Now that is NO LONGER the case according to the cashiers. Used to get the burrito for under $6 with tax included, now that's not the case.
The prices have gone up for the burritos from $5.95 to $6.95 and the guys who make them have become rude, annoying, now put only a small amount of ingredients onto the burrito and threatens to charge you extra if you ask a bit more of an ingredient like a humble lettuce. This really pisses me off cuz I am a BIG eater that can take on a guy 10 times my size when it comes to eating. Not having enough ingredients stuffed onto my burrito is a BIG SIN for me (this is why I stopped eating Subway sandwiches especially here in the city where they will charge you $0.50 extra for 2 slices of extra tomato).
I'm Korean/American/Hispanic but your buffet selections SUCK except the Teriyaki Salmon which is exceptional. Oh yeah, btw STAY AWAY FROM the KOREAN FOOD Station at this particular deli cuz it sucks as hell and its an embarrassment to even call it Korean food when Koreatown is just an avenue away on the same street that serves Lunch Specials accompanying with 5+ side dishes for only $9.95.
Anyways, I really think you are actually reading my reviews cuz last time I complained about the minimum card purchase of $7 and lowered it to $6 the week after. But nah, I'm pissed and will not frequent you as I used to. I'll stick to Peruvian Chicken Lunch Special 6 blocks away from work from now on!2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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6/28/2011
I would say maybe 3.5 stars out of 5 now.
*NOTE* They changed the minimum credit card purchase to… Read more »
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Review from Lans S.
Brooklyn, NY
12/8/2011
OK, so here is the deal. I can go down the street to Fresh & Co and get premium service to go w/my food. At a premium price, of course. Or, I can go around the corner to Cafe R, and get traditional NY piss-poor service w/my order, and pay a few bucks less.
I really can't tell if it's worth it. As far as the food is concerned, I can only speak for the salads, and you can't really mess that up, right? I'm willing to bet the rest of the hot buffet food and fake Japanese food is mediocre, at the very best.
But, really, I am conflicted. We're still in the midst of a recession and I am all about saving my scrilla for a rainy day, but I don't understand why some of these people working in the service industry have absolutely no idea what it means to provide decent service.
A smile and/or a "thank you" wouldn't hurt. In fact, one might say it's imperative in most industries, not to mention most human interactions. Instead, the chick ringing me up closed the sale coldly uttering "here" as she shoved my salad and change back to me. -
Review from Michael B.
Manhattan, NY
10/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
Cafe R is basically a food court that has quality, tasty food.
Their main selling point is the incredible DIVERSITY OF FOOD. I mean, it does all tend to be some type of American food (salads, burgers, stir fry) ..... but there's still lots of options. Even the refrigerator-wall has like 50+ different bottled drinks (Coke, green tea, Vitamin Water, fruit juices, etc).
Also, the place is quite spacious and has a clean, modern look. I particularly enjoy the spaciousness, which is obviously rare in NYC. -
Review from Gregory C.
Holliswood, Queens, NY
3/8/2012
Huge selection of freshly prepared food (breakfast sandwiches, cake & cookies, burgers, pannini, salads, sushi, soup, pizza, pasta, Korean, hot & cold buffet, etc...), plus bottles of chilled wine. Prices are average for midtown.
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Review from Rima C.
Manhattan, NY
8/11/2011
Cafe R is a recently opened establishment, and when you step inside...you literally stop to gaze at the plethora of (cost-efficient) options you have before you. Mind you, there are not many places for those working around this neighborhood to grab lunch.
Cafe R is just a dream come true. This place has every kind of dish you could hope for - from pizza, sushi, udon, kebabs, ramen, mexican, breakfast, ice cream, you name it. FRESHLY MADE! On top of that, there is a whole section for groceries! The prices? Seriously, unbelievably low at times. And the quality, pretty darn high for the price.
Very excited to try out all the options - highly recommend you check it out! -
Review from Shannon O.
NY
11/17/2011
This place is fine if you want to grab packaged foods like hummus or yogurt or a beverage. There is also bottled beer here. But stay away from the prepared foods! All of them would be much better at a restaurant specializing in sushi, Chinese food, etc.
This should go without saying, (and I should have known better) but stay away from Cafe R's sad attempt at fried rice. I poked and prodded at a large gray lump in mine for half a minute before determining that it used to be a green bean. It was the grossest thing ever. -
Review from Ness L.
Brooklyn, NY
4/14/2012
whoa ho ho! get a load of this place...it's like a food amusement park! lunch buffet for 5.00/lb and includes a free drink, pals! and the food is actually good. there's designated areas with specific food too, like sushi, fried stuff, breakfast foods, etc. good amount of seating upstairs and down. they also have a live band come in during lunchtime. kooky! so, if that's not your thing,eh, just go upstairs. this is a great place in herald sq area for workers (or not)...just opposite direction of k town on 32nd st by jacks discounts store. don't know what the R in cafe r stands for. maybe it's for Right on.
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Review from Rich T.
Bellport, NY
10/26/2011
Cafe R is an interesting place that features a huge selection of prepared foods that one has to literally circle to get a fresh perspective on every item. I noted the food court element previously mentioned and I was surprised by the good quality food served there ranging from Korean and stir fry to Italian. All of the raw foods, such as fruits, were cut very large and it made for bigger plates.
Normally, I wouldn't go near a hot food buffet anywhere, but this was okay and the quality food preparation was apparent. -
Review from Jonathan N.
New York, NY
6/15/2011
This is my "current crush" when it comes to lunch spots near Herald Square. Why? Let me tell you...
Cafe R is huge. The space is cavernous and the options are plentiful. At Cafe R, you can get everything from Korean to burgers to pasta to salad to burritos and just about anything else you can think of. And everything I've had so far has been at least pretty good. The burger and fries was satisfying, the salad bar is fresh, and the burrito was tasty (though impossible to eat without a fork and knife). The chicken Caesar wrap needed more dressing and the lo mein wasn't that great. I also once got a flat Coke from the fountain. That was sad.
But perhaps what makes Cafe R worthy of four stars is that it's pretty cheap, at least for this Godawful neighborhood. Even if it's only $2 cheaper per day to get lunch here, that adds up to $10 a week ($40 a month) ($120 a quarter!) ($520 a year!!). The lines are often long but the cashiers are so fast that they move very quickly. And though this may not apply to you, it's also right across the street from my office building, so it's quite convenient.
For the reasons stated above, Cafe R is my current crush. Will it go beyond that? Only time will tell. -
Review from Jessica L.
New York, NY
8/12/2011
Many evenings I have a gym appointment at 7 or 7:30. I get out of work around 5:30. There's no way I'm going to kill an extra hour and a half in my office every night, and if I go home I'll just have to turn around and head back downtown after 20 minutes, so I need someplace quiet to chill out and maybe have a small bite.
Cafe R has every kind of food you could possibly want and a vast, generally nearly empty seating area upstairs. Their sandwiches and wraps are delicious and almost all of the employees are friendly and do their job efficiently. It is a giant improvement over the creepy discount store that used to be in the space - seriously, that place made Jack's 99 Cent Store look like Saks Fifth Avenue.
Also, there are entrances on 31st Street and 32nd Street, making Cafe R ideal for shortcuts. -
Review from Vanessa O.
Brooklyn, NY
12/26/2011
This place is great if you need to pick up a lunch while at work, and have no idea what to get. There are lines a bit here and there, but they move very quickly. There is so much choic - rotisserie chicken, sushi, udon, sandwiches, korean, kebab, burgers, pasta, mexican, breakfast, whatever. They have it! I introduced two coworkers to this place and they absolutely loved the choice. There is a bit of seating upstairs and near both doors. They also have different lunch specials daily so you can look for deals. Portions are also quite big as well!
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Review from Rose G.
Bayside, NY
2/2/2012
I love salad places and I saw this place offers more toppings for less so I ordered broccoli, chick peas, romaine lettuce, corn, sunflower seeds, walnuts, celery with rasberry vinagrette. It sounded so good but it was very disappointing. The only thing I'm ever getting from this place is soy chips and lychee pomegranate juice q:
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Review from Roni S.
Brooklyn, NY
6/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
This is the kind of place that should appeal to large groups of tourists. A one stop shop for nearly everything under the sun, sushi, mediterranean, burgers, mexican, pasta, a food bar, the list goes on and on.
Really though, when a place offers this many different types of food, they can't really excel at any one particular item. Depending on the time of day, some of the food at the buffet could be so dried out that it looks like some exotic far eastern delicacy, until you realize that what you just scooped into your plastic container was good old mac'n cheese.
As a whole, I thought this place was okay, but I really wouldn't come back here again. Although the variety was great, I felt that the quality of the food was mediocre at best. For the amount of money I spent, there are over a dozen other restaurants in the area that I would rather eat at.
Sure, places like Cafe R have their place, but it's definitely not the place for me. -
Review from Paul K.
New York, NY
6/17/2011
Cafe R is a good concept that suffers from flawed execution. While I was hoping for a good neighborhood super-deli, the food tastes like it belongs on an airline.
Though they have a wide variety of food, most all of it hindered by hasty production and poorly thought out cost-saving decisions. For example for speed they microwaved the panini's, transforming them from a sandwich into a cheesy goo. They have a good Boar's Head meat, but use cheap store bought bread which has that musty/dusty taste of preservatives. The meat itself was pre-cut making it stale & tough, a waste of Boars Head cuts. Similar flaws can be found in every dish. -
Review from Craige M.
4/25/2011 3 Check-ins Here
The last thing this neighborhood needs is another deli. But this one does have ample seating, which you can't say for many of the others nearby. There is also an upstairs seating area by the 31st St. entrance. Sometimes a girl just wants to get away from the office and sit and read her book while eating for a half hour or so.
I had the bul go gi and it was pretty delicious for deli fare. The meat was tender and devoid of fat.
The paninis are made with that fake panini bread, but people seem to like that stuff, so I guess that's why so many places offer it. Except that it's not a panini! It's a pressed sandwich using thick pita bread. I'm not a fan.
There's a Bella Ciao gelato station and plenty of drinks of all types (including a whole seltzer and water section, which a previous review could not find). There are even some household goods.
Each entree seems to come with a 16 oz. soda. I'm not sure if that's a grand opening promotion or if it is there to stay. I also got a sample of a red velvet cupcake. I was not expecting much, but, in fact, it was really good.
What there is not, however, is a Mongolian stir-fry section. I really expected a deli this large to offer that.Listed in: Penn Station area lunchtime…
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Review from Albert W.
6/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
The idea of this place is great. A food court that sells all different types of cuisine. I imagine the cooks/ staff of all these different stands get the same rate of pay as when you order from any of them, you only pay at one counter. Convenient for us, but it's somewhat evident that some counters are better than others.
I came in for the shish-kabob special for $4.99. Free 16oz soda/ water is included w/ every lunch. A picky customer had apparently ordered a lamb platter but noticed how much "nicer" mine looked after they've already made hers. Picky woman wanted what I ordered instead.
Rice was mushy, but Chicken was flavored decently. Won't be coming back to their stand again, but I'll still try the others. -
Review from Chrissy C.
Hoboken, NJ
4/19/2011
Just what we needed across from where I work. It's an amalgamation of everything....grill, smoothies, salads, salad bar, sushi, market area, huge drinks case...!!!
I usually jet in here for a drink and some sort of protein to go with the salad/vegetables I bring in every day. It's very crowded during lunch, and the lines can get a bit long. But the prices are very reasonable and the variety honestly cannot be beat.
I also can't complain because I can run down at anytime to grab a snack and be back at my desk in under 15 minutes. -
Review from Martin P.
Eastport, MD
12/13/2011
What a bargain, and a culturally diverse dining experience! With great hours, and a fantastic range of menu items, including vegan, there literally is something here for everyone!
We were impressed with the variety of hot foods, pre-packaged prepared foods, desserts, bakery, drink coolers and even a market for guests lodging with a kitchenette!
From pizza to Bi-Bim-Bop, Korean BBQ to Falafel, Ramyun with Egg to Curried dishes, Udon with Fried Bean Curd to gourmet prosciutto sandwiches, Kim-Chi Stew, Bulgog, Ramyun with Chicken, and breakfast from the grill this place is simply the epitome of diverse for the eater on the go, or looking for a place to chill out for a bit.
Give it a try! -
Review from Edgar S.
Extremely overwhelming...seriously, this place is huge and they have lots and lots to choose from. They have 2(!,?) entrances, one on 32nd and one on 31st.
It reminds me of one of those ghetto stores on Fordham Rd that is a jewelry store/ tattoo spot/ sneaker store/ CD spot/ perfume store/ palm reader spot, except this is the food version.
There are plenty of stations with pizza, Mexican, Korean, salad, sandwiches, etc, etc, etc.
I chose the Mexican station and had me 2 chicken tacos with nachos. Not bad for $5. Its definitely a cool spot I'm fortunate to work above.
I think they sell used cars in the back too.Listed in: Good for Groups
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Review from Richard L.
Manhattan, NY
5/20/2011
Holy smokes...So much food...this place is huge....
Seriously Immensely huge, spanning from 32nd to 31st street straight across! Everything is set up in stations which is good b/c if you know exactly what you want...you can run over to that station and get what you want. But if you are like most other people - you'll be wandering around bumping into people while you decide what you want (which is bad).
Usually overcrowded places don't bother me. I'm usually fine being shoulder to shoulder with people waiting in line to get some amazing food. Only, this place...the food isn't amazing...It's only ok at best.
I had a philly cheese steak that was on sale for 50% off since it was their "grand opening special". Needless to say - the meat was already sitting on the flat top already cooked - they grabbed some and put it grilling on the hot side, then put some precooked onions and precooked peppers - slapped some cheese on top with the bread roll and took it off quickly.
Maybe it's that they had a lot of orders since it was the special - but the meat wasn't hot, the cheeze was barely melted, the onions and the peppers were super soggy - it was a disappointment.
BUT for $3.51 cents as part of their Grand Opening Special - a mediocre cheese steak and a free 12 oz drink. Not a bad deal, but i'd rather pay an extra few bucks for much better food.
TL;DR: Huge place, no clear cut focus on food, food is mediocre at best. -
Review from Louise T.
Brooklyn, NY
8/10/2011
LOTS of space, and LOTS of selection!
Amazing burgers with all of the platters with fries only 6.75 even if you have tons of toppings! Pizza, fresh sushi bar, fresh smoothie bar, fresh mediterranean food, udon noodles, even more ethnic 'sections' I'm not mentioning. PLUS the normal buffet stuff. Tons of really really delicious baked goods. Beer too!
Quick cashier service, staff overall very friendly. A+ -
Review from Laura P.
4/19/2011 3 Check-ins Here
Large space full of duplicated drink stands? yet no full bottles of sparkling water which is a big minus in my books.
Great assortment of milk products. Have not tried the deli stuff yet but will report back if i ever try them. Let's see how long this place stays open. totally unnecessarily big -
Review from Sara U.
6/7/2011 2 Check-ins Here
I thought this place was pretty good compared to what we have in this area. Between 6th and 7th, it's come down to this, a tiny deli (does that place even have a name or is it actually called Free Wi-fi upstairs?), and like Roy Rogers (people still eat there?). As many of the other reviewers said, we pretty much have gotten shitted on in terms of decent food places in the KTown area: korean, crappy tourist food, and overpriced delis (ahem-speedys).
The thing I like about this place is the variety: any cuisine you could possibly want. It's nice to actually have a choice in what you want to eat. When you go to Speedy's, your choice is usually whatever you can grab without getting physically assaulted by a foreign tourist or a mean and slightly overweight businessman. This leads me to my other praise - space. I can practically do a somersault (yea somersault.. I'm not so great with cartwheels) without hitting another person.
Lastly.. the prices are pretty on point. I was able to spend less than $8 for 2 chicken tacos and a drink. My only gripe was with the mexican station - they had one and a half guys (yea i know thats weird) working so it took awhile.. not exactly a chipotle-speed taco making service here. AND he purposely crunched up all my tortilla chips to better position my soft taco tortillas. Whoa whoa whoa.. this is #1 in taco making etiquette. I WILL cut out a star if my chips get crushed again. -
Review from Sung K.
Fort Lee, NJ
10/18/2011
Got tons of choice but none of it is that great.
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Review from Dave K.
New York, NY
6/28/2011
I used to go to this place 1-2 times a week at a minimum when it first opened. The food here overall is average. I would like to put it above average because it's cheap, but the food is just average. I can't get myself to give it more than 3 stars. 2 stars for the food, the price makes it a 3 star place.
I would give this place 4 stars but I had an awful experience at the pasta bar. I used to get the pasta once a week because basically, you get 4 toppings for under $7. Great deal in my opinion. So I order my usual. Penne with meatballs, chicken, and shrimp....and another order of meatballs. yes I love meat if you can't tell. Then I proceeded to ask for alfredo sauce.
I wasn't really paying attention but when I looked up, the guy put this huge slab of butter on the pan he was mixing the pasta in. Then he put milk over the pan. I was like ok....maybe he's just adding flavor to the pasta. Apparently it's their version of alfredo. I swear they didn't do that before and it tasted pretty good. But after getting back to my desk at work and trying it, I couldn't take another bite. It was awful. Who puts a lot of butter and milk in a pasta and say it's ALFREDO SAUCE!?!?!?!??! The guy at Cafe R does. Argh, now that I'm writing this review, I"m giving it 2 stars instead of 3. Sorry. -
Review from John M.
Brooklyn, NY
1/4/2012
This place is a giant, modern-look food court (2 entrances?!), with all kinds of food that you can imagine...pizza, burgers, sushi, mediterranean, korean, japanese, west indian, mexican, frozen yogurt, etc...and the prices are relatively cheap when it comes to getting something to eat in midtown manhattan. I've been around the different cafe's around midtown and nothing comes close to this place in terms of the wide range and diversity of food that is offered.
They have "weekly specials" which are usually 4 different things on sale per week, some of them are pretty damn good deals and comes with a free drink with the specials (they have a sign out in front of the place that shows the specials for the week). Huge fan of that, something to take advantage of!
The food itself is very good, especially the pasta, pizza, buffet, and mexican food. If you haven't tried the korean food here, you must, as it's freakin' delicious, especially the Bul-Go-Gi. Burgers is delicious as well.
Overall, a great place to eat.
John -
Review from Tabitha X.
Floral Park, NY
12/22/2011
I absolutely hate this place. Hate hate hate hate hate. Expensive AND the people making your food are rude as all hell. Seriously though, I understand the price thing -- it's right by Penn Station, tons of tourists -- but those guys making your food are so ridiculously beyond rude, I never want to go back there. My friend says that their coffee is pretty good, but as for me, I get my coffee somewhere else.
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Review from Sue W.
Cranford, NJ
1/24/2012
i like the ham & egg w/cheese omelette. it's pretty good. the platter includes home potatoes (or hash brown) and toast. the hash brown always seems burnt tho. :( i stop by when i'm in a rush to get a quick breakfast before i head to work since i work nearby. i have yet to try the other stuff offered during lunch. maybe one day soon i'll try the lunch.
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Review from D. D.
Phoenix, AZ
8/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
Cheap and tons of food options for all your picky eaters.
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Review from Jason P.
Cafe R is one of those massive one-stop delis that serve everything from fried chicken, burgers, pizza, salads, buffet table, sushi, Teriyaki, noodles, kebab/gyros, pasta, sandwiches/wraps, seafood, and specializing in Korean dishes. It's a behemoth of a deli and takes getting used to navigating around, but you'll soon adjust after a couple visits.
As part of Cafe R's recent grand opening, they are still having specials. Today, their grilled chicken platter and hamburgers were 50% off. I decided to go with the Grilled Chicken Platter ($6.25). Two pieces of grilled chicken that were precooked with huge grill marks and sitting in a tray, were thrown on the grill for a couple minutes and then on top of a bed of salad consisting of lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumber. That's what they call a platter, I suppose. I walked around and noticed their steam table which had a nice assortment of foods that looked all pretty fresh. There is also a mini glass counter of pre-made Korean dishes ranging from kalbi, jap chae ($2.50 for a 16 oz. container), soups, and a few other items. And then your usual deli stations. I went to pay for my meal, $3.12 + $0.28 tax = $3.40, and I got a free small cup for the fountain soda, score!! I had asked for dressing and the cashier had directed me towards the salad bar which has a variety of ~15 dressings.
The verdict? As I noted before that the grilled chicken was precooked, that's exactly how they tasted. Just warmed up enough, but dried out and tough to cut with the flimsy plastic knife. It was even hard biting into because of how dry it was. The Asian ginger dressing that I had lathered on top as well as the hot sauce definitely helped to make things smoother, but overall, the grilled chicken was very disappointing. The salad was fresh but again nothing to rave about as it was simple ingredients. For $3.40, it was worth it, but for a platter that would normally cost almost $7.00, I would feel a bit ripped off.
Cafe R didn't really leave the best impression but I will definitely have to return to give their steam table and fried chicken a try. It's new and they are still learning the ropes and just getting their operations down, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. -
Review from Kevin Z.
Staten Island, NY
6/9/2011
This place is amazing!!! Custom made pasta is a must try which is like 7 bulks. That's cheap for midtown standard.
This place has almost every kind of food that you can think of in a catering shop. From Korean to Japanese and steam seafood. If you think of eating healthy, I suggest this place for lunch.
This is a great spot to gathering up with friend as well since there are so many chairs and table. -
Review from L. N.
Brooklyn, NY
3/2/2012
The food is mediocre. The service is soooo rushed. For example: today I was standing SEVERAL feet back from one of the food counters, viewing the menu, and the man serving food aggressively asked me 3 times in a matter of a few minutes what I wanted. I kept telling him I wasn't sure. There was only one person ahead of my so I am not sure what his rush was. When I got to the checkout, the women was giving me my total and suddenly a man came out of nowhere from behind the counter, started bagging up my stuff and yelled out a total amount to me, which wasn't even the same amount the woman had told me. Had he been there from the beginning of the transactions he might have known. Every time I go there I feel like I am be rudely rushed out for food that is highly over priced and service that is incredibly poor. The ONLY reason I gave two stars is because the Korean food is not that bad and the ladies who make the food are REALLY nice. Everyone else...meh.
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Review from Bratty K.
New York, NY
4/23/2011
This place is by far the biggest Deli/Buffet I've ever seen. I walked and was amazed how huge this place was. As previously mentioned by other reviewers, they have the hot/cold buffet where you can get into a lot of trouble since they have so many different kinds of meats and carbs, and they also have different stations for salad, sandwich, etc! They also have the Korean and sushi station with high stools so you can eat it right at the counter. I've seen these types of setups in foodcourts at department stores in Asia and the food is unbelievable. I have to say their grilled chicken in the sandwich section looked delish . The mexican station also had chicken that looked marinated in brown spices and also looked good. I would have ordered a burrito if the line weren't 6 people deep.
The food at Korean and sushi station looked good. Kind of like restaurant type fare at very low prices and you can see all the action in this huge deli.
This place is new so they're probably still in the getting settled stage hence the shelves of softdrinks, but they do have a good selection and it is nowhere as chatoic like Sunrise Mart in midtown was the first week it opened. I think in a few weeks, the layout would probably change and improve.
Great place to entertain out of towners for casual and inexpensive lunch since they can try little of everything. I walked in around noon and saw few touristy folks digging into some hot buffet... we New Yorkers are so jaded.
If you prefer Korean hot buffet alone, then walk down the street our Our House. If you want Gimbap, head over to E-mo. -
Review from meghan p.
Manhattan, NY
5/24/2011
I'm officially a fan. It's so convenient and easy to find something to eat in this place. There is a lot of variety and the place is huge. There is a feeling of spaciousness in this place that is kinda hard to find in nyc delis, etc.
So I've eaten here 3 times already and I think I can say that the quality of the food can depend on who is working that particular station. Since they're new, I'm going to give them a little time to work the kinks out and develop some kind of level of consistency. The first burger I had was decent. The second burger I had was fantastic. So again, maybe it just depends on who's working that station.
I've gone on a saturday and it was a bit crowded and hard to find a seat. This wouldn't be such a problem on a sunny day when you can just take the food out to Herald Sq, but on a rainy day it's a bit of a problem. Otherwise, it'll probably become my go-to spot for an easy meal. It's all about the convenience of getting so many things in one spot. -
Review from Edward I.
4/14/2011
This is more of a giant food court than a restaurant, so I don't know what to use as a category... It's where they have Sushi, Korean, Noodles, Mediterranean, Sandwiches, Grilled this, Grilled that, etc. stands. The place is pretty large, formerly some kind of government office which stretches from 30th street to 31st street. The servers still need more time to adjust to the busy hours and amount of people that visit. Whats good is that you can get what you want, may it be veggies, the grilled chicken wasn't bad. Since it's close to work, I can easily go there and you can walk right through the place from 30th street grabbing food and pay on the way out on 31st street. Downsides are: the menu and prices are placed on the glass which is blocked by people who are in line, you don't know how much an item will cost! Another is that they need someone to inspect what the servers do. We noticed that some raw meet kabob in the Mediterranean section was actually touching the rice that they put into the containers. There's no organization on where the line starts and ends, etc. I think they should have someone who just go around during the busy time and tell people where to go, ask what people want, etc. Sort of the "front" person who checks on the servers and cooks and tells people where to go. Needs a few more visits but it looks promising.
