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Home > Restaurants > Union Square Cafe

All Reader Reviews of...

Union Square Cafe

21 E. 16th St., New York, NY, 10003
nr. Union Sq. West
212-243-4020

6.2 "Mixed Reviews"
Average Reader Rating
on a Scale of 10		 Write Your Own Review
60% Would you go back?
60% Would you take a date?
40% Would you take kids?
60% Would you go on business?
40% Would you go on a special occasion?
Food: 7.4
Service: 6.0
Décor: 6.6
Value: 6.4
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  • Showing reviews 1 through 5 of 5

Here your top ten for union square cafe..teria

tonnacchiello from 10012 | Posted on 10/7/09

Overall Rating: 1 (Not Recommended)
Would you go back? No
Would you take a date? No
Would you take kids? No
Would you go on business? No
Would you go on a special occasion? No
Food: 1
Service: 2
Décor: 1
Value: 1

10 - The hostess shakes at 6 pm, was caffeine or.. 9 - The other hostess is even worst 8 - Here comes the clueless waitress 7 - Its the busboy turn, he drops the bread on the table.. 6 - Is there a manager in this cafeteria? 5 - I am 50 and i am the youngest, is it NYC or West Palm Beach 4 - The runner/clown and clueless waitress bump into each other 3 - Is there a manager in this cafeteria? 2 - The ingredients are fake, is this a joke? 1 - They asked me to leave at 7.52 because the 8.00 party is arrived, i just spent $260 for two, what a waste of time..

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3 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Good, but not great

amelialocks from Upper West | Posted on 5/5/09

Overall Rating: 7 (Recommended)
Would you go back? Yes
Would you take a date? Yes
Would you take kids? No
Would you go on business? Yes
Would you go on a special occasion? No
Food: 7
Service: 7
Décor: 8
Value: 6

We've been to this restaurant several times as we have some friends that love it. Having had multiple meals here, I have to say the food is always consistently Good. It's never once been Great (or really awful for that matter). The bartender made a great martini, but I had to wait a solid 15 minutes for it. The waitress was efficient and helpful, but didn't smile once and I found myself continually trying to be more and more polite to garner a kind response from her (never happened). We were the last to leave the restaurant however, and no one rushed us from our table. It's hard to love the place, but hard to hate it as well.

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4 out of 10 people found this review helpful.

Saintly Service sent me to heaven

KCosta from 92103 | Posted on 4/16/09

Overall Rating: 10 (Highly Recommended)
Would you go back? Yes
Would you take a date? Yes
Would you take kids? Yes
Would you go on business? Yes
Would you go on a special occasion? Yes
Food: 10
Service: 10
Décor: 9
Value: 10

You can't train people to be this authentic, such a wonderful staff. Cozy space (small) and dated decor, but delicious well prepared food. I could eat my last meal at the Union Square Cafe and call the experience heaven. Loved the calamari appetizer.

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4 out of 12 people found this review helpful.

bad new management

RachelZ3 from 10003 | Posted on 11/26/08

Overall Rating: 3 (Not Recommended)
Would you go back? No
Would you take a date? No
Would you take kids? No
Would you go on business? No
Would you go on a special occasion? No
Food: 10
Service: 1
Décor: 5
Value: 5

Two hostesses discouraged my Nov 1 booking. This time I stopped in personally a day in advance to go over the seating arrangements for my son's stroller. We've been to USC with the stroller twice before- no issue. Jesse, a male host, apologized for the rude reception we received at the door. Just as I began to forget the trouble during the meal, Asst Mgr Jill came up behind me, put her hands on my back and told me that I would have to move the stroller to accommodate a male diner at another table. I tried to sort it out with Jill- she turned her back on me. I stood up to confront her. The male diner interceded to say that he has a child and he was quite happy with the stroller as it was. Jill's bizarre behavior explains the dismal performance of the blond hostesses. Our meal was wrecked, we cut it short, paid the bill, thanked the kind gentleman diner and left.

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7 out of 16 people found this review helpful.

Consistently excellent

MsVicki from 78023 | Posted on 1/5/07

Overall Rating: 10 (Highly Recommended)
Would you go back? Yes
Would you take a date? Yes
Would you take kids? Yes
Would you go on business? Yes
Would you go on a special occasion? Yes
Food: 9
Service: 10
Décor: 10
Value: 10

I've been to Union Square Cafe several times and have never been disappointed. The food and service are consistently above expectations, although some dishes tend to be on the salty side. Don't have a reservation? Sit at the bar. You'll get to see all the action to and from the kitchen, make a new friend, and the bar tender will help you pick out a great meal if you can't make up your mind. If you're there at lunch time, order from the appetizer menu. Serving sizes are certainly big enough for a hearty eater. Not from New York? Skip Sardi's or Tavern on the Green (overrated) and stay away from the "pre-theater" restaurants. Take a short ride down to Union Square and enjoy a REAL meal. As a former New Yorker, I would not visit Manhattan without eating here.

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235 out of 498 people found this review helpful.

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