Category: | Coffee Shop |
Address: | 29 Union Square W, New York, NY 10003, USA |
Phone: | +1 212-243-7969 |
Site: | thecoffeeshopnyc.com |
Rating: | 3.6 |
Working: | 8AM–11:30PM 8AM–11:30PM 8AM–11:30PM 8AM–11:30PM 8AM–11:30PM 8AM–12:30AM 8AM–12:30AM |
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O Tomas Bell
Having lived in NYC for over 20 years, this was my first time stopping into this restaurant. It will also be my last. This is a great example of how a little customer service can go a long way. We had a 9:30p reservation through OpenTable for 2. Our order was simple. Spicy Sweet Chili Wings for an appetizer, Entree #1 Coconut shrimp, Entree #2 Three sides - black beans & rice, sauteed spinach, and sweet plantains. The problem started when it took almost 20 minutes for our waiter to take our order. We overlooked that because once he came we had water and drinks within five minutes and our appetizer within 10. Great. But then we waited... and waited... AND waited. Finally the waiter comes over (after a busboy comes and attempts to clean our table thinking we were finished) and asks if we were still waiting on our food. We tell him yes and he hurries back to the kitchen. A few minutes later, he heads back over to us apologizing profusely about an issue in the kitchen and says our food should be right up. By this time, we had been waiting for over 40 minutes. When the food did come, my friends coconut shrimp was burned. Not crispy. Not well done. Burned. The coconut was black and he couldnt even cut it with a knife. My food was cold. Not luke warm. Cold. After waiting so long and receiving food that was burned and cold, my friend and I lost both our appetite and patience. I called the waiter back over and asked him to return the shrimp and wrap up the other food for me to take home and eat the next day. He kept apologizing and saying it wasnt his fault. He also said he told the manager no less than 5 times. But do you think the manager presented himself? apologized? offered some concession? Having been a restaurant and health club manager, I wouldve personally gone to the table and apologized. But not this manager. Instead, we were handed a bill by an overly apologetic waiter and left to our own devices.
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Harold Levy
Usually an establishment is rated based on the quality of food or service. In this case, the travesty that is personified by this crappy little coffee shop is based on its management. Arriving there at 8:30 pm on a weekday evening we noticed that nearly 90% of the outdoor tables were empty. Seizing an opportunity to dine alfresco on a perfectly wonderful evening we inquired as to a table for two. We were told by the brusque waitress that there was a waiting list. In utter amazement, looking at over 50 empty tables we asked to speak to a manager. The manager (who turned out to be a maitre d ) was equally brusque and told us there was a waiting list of people in the bar; all of whom had dibs on these tables. We dined elsewhere. However, after finishing our dinner around the corner we walked by the Coffee Shop again and there were still several tables open. This time we inquired of the manager and he continued to maintain there was a waiting list. We have been eating in NY restaurants for over 30 years and lived in this neighborhood for the last 20. A "waitlist" means that the tables are full and you are put on a list to wait for the next available. Either the management here was attempting to bilk customers out of their hard earned dollars by forcing them to first order drinks at the inside bar (a practice that went out decades ago) or they have totally lost a sense of their purpose in life which is to make money by seating and serving people. The attitude they took along the way was enough to swear us off this establishment in perpetuity. For what its worth, we have eaten in this restaurant in the past and its nothing to write home about., STAY AWAY!!!
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Sarah Phoon
I ordered the seasonal seafood burger (from their special menu) and it was delicious. Real seafood patty served on a perfectly textured bun. Along with the sweet seafood taste, it was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. However, I think the burger seemed to be a little undersized, even for a typical Asian girl appetite like mine. I wanted my burger with a salad. Yes, salad instead of fries and the waitress granted such request with no substitution surcharge. No regret with that choice because the salad actually tasted better than the fries which my friend had ordered with his dish. My friend had the 1/2 pound char grilled LaFrieda hamburger served on a toasted potato bun. I tried his and it was good but whats so special about the LaFrieda meat? Tasted just like an ordinary beef to me... He liked it but he also had to agree with me that my seafood selection is WAY better. In fact, the hamburger was overly greasy for sure! I cannot say any positive thing regarding the herb fries because there was really nothing special going on with it. Tasted like McDonalds French fries with sprinkled dried basil and other herbs. But for more money! Look, if you really wanna go for some authentic Brazilian dining experience, choose elsewhere. Theres nothing Brazilian at all about the food and drinks. If youre shopping around the area and wanted a break, this shop is the best bet for a quick and painless bite.
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Viera Bishop
Im not quite sure where to begin with this review.. My two coworkers and I wanted to grab lunch to go at Coffee Shop, and almost instantly our experience was negative. As someone who works in hospitality and restaurants, I completely understand the stress one can encounter while busy. Unfortunately, the attitude we were given was completely inexcusable. Upon asking a server about placing a take out order, we were quickly dismissed with a scoff and a wave of her hand. As if we were a burden to her. Before we could even turn around or walk away, she was talking to one of her coworkers about us. Talk about rude.. At that point, one of my coworkers decided she didnt want to stay and she left. Fortunately, as we turned around, we had a rockstar of a bartender greet us with menus and a smile. Honestly, Kate was the only reason my coworker and stayed to eat at Coffee Shop. Im not sure who the male bartender was, but he was great too. Coffee Shop, your bartenders are on point.. Your servers need to check their attitudes at the door and learn a little more about hospitality. The bottom line is, I will not be returning here for any reason.
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A Private User
Frankly anyone rating anything above 3 is completely delusional or has been content with the marginally passable food that is available in New York. Nothing about this restaurant deserves anything but "passable". This is a place you go to to eat late at night to soak up the liquor in your stomach, nothing more nothing less. To be avoided during normal business hours. The staff is usually nice but as in most restaurants in New York, the waitstaff is handpicked from New Yorks finest service industry fodder. Given a minor position of power (maitre d.) seems to imbue said service industry fodder with megalomania. Its sad when the host thinks he or she is Naomi Campbell on the set of Americas Next Top Model...really? You just manage tables and a dinning room. Snap out of the delusions. The nice thing about this restaurant is the bar and the layout. It does have charm after you get past the theatrics of the door/host and wait staff.
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Anastasia K
Fun bar-restaurant that has serves good food and delicious mojitos! This is a rather spacious restaurant centrally located just on the border of the union square park. There are plenty of tables and seating areas, including 2 rooms in the front, one of which also has a spacious funky-shaped bar, as well as an equally large area in the back. This place has lots of food items on the menu, ranging from your typical bar appetizers, pasta, salads, fish, burgers, sandwiches and even steaks. The desert menu is also really good, listing items such as brownie, sweet crapes, flan, etc. I loved the Coffee Shop meatloaf, which came with giant onion rings in addition to mashed potatoes and steamed greens. The mojito I ordered was absolutely delicious, a must to order, especially during the summer. Not too sweet and plenty of refreshing mint!