Food is over-priced but there is no tap water, one has to buy water too? The cashier who seems to be the owner is also not the friendliest person. The place is just conveniently close to the Hilton. read more

The place is very busy and employees & management don't have time to be courteous to their customers. Fresh fruit is a plus but the rudeness of the employees ruined my day read more

WOW spoilt for choice doesnt come into it.....amazing and all looked so delicious. Wish I had more days to eat there after I discovered it....never mind definitely the place to eat next time I visit. We had a burger (massive) and wrap (also massive) both were delicious and also too big! Advice is to share a meal as the portions are ...massive Wished I had tried the multiple hot counters, the chopped salad counter, the dessert counter and the icecream - next time also. Place was spotless and so well organised. Cannot recommend it higly enough and cant wait to try again when I go back. read more

I love the concept and the store layout. It's at an ideal location, clean and has AC. It's a cafeteria style place where salads are self-assembled and weighed, and hot food served by the portion. The service was mediocre and the employees aren't quite the nicest folks. I came here looking for desserts after wandering around Times Square. It was a huge mistake because ended up paying $9 for a dinky container of Haagan-Dazs ice-cream. It should be no surprise, given the location, that this place is overpriced. read more

Too many bad experiences here. The owner is rude!!!! I go for the convenient location, but enough is enough. I do not need attitude when I get lunch. Their food is overpriced and not cooked all the way through. I got sick when I eat their chicken and I will never go back !!!! read more

Fantastic little cafe/grocery in midtown. Breakfast is very good and cheap. Always crowded and open 24 hrs a day.

My stomach hurted crazily aftr eating the chinese buffet food here. I will never stepped into here again.

Clean, "new" (as in, recently renovated) deli/restaurant. They have a smoothie bar, a salad bar, a pasta section and a grill. They also carny snacks, incl healthy packaged snacks like dried peas and fresh fruit. Place is very organized and they move the line quickly. Ample seating for dine-in customers. I had their pasta and it was pretty good - the sauce wasn't too filling and the ingredients were fresh. The only issue I had with the taste was that the sauce tasted a little bland, as if there was no salt in it but I guess that's to keep it healthy? The food portion was good for the price - only $9 for a large dish of fresh-cooked pasta. Will be going back to try other items. read more

The cashier here was so rude to me. I've come here a couple of times when I still lived in NYC for snacks/coffee and they're usually okay but I had the absolute worst experience today. The cashier (a middle aged Asian man with glasses) was so dismissive and rude with me. He kept acting like he didn't hear me when I tried to ask him a question yet 30 seconds later he starts smiling and being extra friendly to the next (non-minority) customers on line. I left the store with such an awful feeling, I'm never coming back here. The owners here are hiring workers who give good customer service to only select people. That's just not how you run a business in one of the busiest parts of NYC. Unless you really need to buy something that is only available at cafe 53, I'd suggest you give your money to a business that actually values ALL their customers. read more

Just checked into the Hilton across the street. I had a little bit from the hot and cold salad bar. The fish I had was tilapia. For a salad bar it was perfectly cooked and seasoned. All of the vegetables were tender but not over cooked. The Oriental salad flavor was just right. I will be back again during my stay in NYC. read more

I work in this building so I'm here very often. Kudos to the guys on the grill who prepared a tasty chicken pesto sandwich-it was today's special and very good. My favorite thing here is not available everyday any more but it's their tacos (pollo or carnitas)--classic corn tortilla, lots of cilantro upon request - simple and delicious! Also the Italian lentil soup is good. The hot food bar is only a once a week thing for me because all the food is incredibly salty. Enjoy. You won't leave hungry-they have everything read more

My daughter & I were in New York for 5 days staying at the Hilton & we had been looking for a spot just like this. We thought we got lucky since it was so close to our hotel. It has fresh fruit, sandwiches & a variety of different things. We were excited we accidentally found this place. We began to browse & then I asked if I could use the restroom. As my daughter was picking things out to take back to the hotel I was told by a rude Spanish woman I had to be a "paying customer". I told her we were definately buying things as we were excited to have found the place. She rolled her eyes & started speaking Spanish very loud & rude & said I was another tourist trying to get something for nothing. I grabbed my daughter & walked out of this place. After reading the reviews, apparently customer service isnt their strong point. Would they have made a million dollars off us, no but this definately would have been our go to place for 5 days. read more

Ugh i have never been so embarrassed like this before. 02/17/2017 it was Friday night, my hisband and I wanted to come and eat in here and on our way we picked up Halal guy's food. As my husband And I enter the door, 5 employees came and screamed at us saying we can't bring outside food here. i tried to explain them we will be eating here, we just picked up food that was on our way. But i saw all the customers looking at us trying to see what was the big commotion. I opened my mouth only found out my voice was shaking. My husband got pissed and we left immediately. My husband tried to explain me those people judged us differently they probably get customers who bring food from outside often and eat there. But not knowing and attacking fist thing is not how you gain customers. From now on we will not even step into there place. They need to learn how to serve their customers if they want to keep them. Ohh yeah they also have grade B plastered on their entrance. Meaning they are pretty unhygienic. McDonald's around the corner is better then this shitty place. read more

Had a really great turkey sandwich and it was a nice, quiet environment which was a refreshing change of pace from the din of midtown Manhattan outside. My only complaint is the prices are astronomical. 10 dollars for a turkey sandwich and a can of coke. I mean does anyone actually think that's reasonable read more

Giving it one star but doesn't deserve that. Mediocre at best food at ridiculous prices. Tourist trap. Have given it multiple chances as it is nearby but never again. read more

After eating at cafe 53 I waited in line for the restroom, the manager came up to me and said I couldn't use the washroom, saying it was for customers only. I told her that I had just eaten she made me go to the front counter to be identified by the check out lady. Will never been returning to Cafe 53 due to this rude treatment of customers. read more

If you're staying at Hilton or Sheraton hotels in midtown and want to skip the overpriced breakfast buffets ($40 per person at the Sheraton), walk around the corner to this little gem which is well-stocked and crowded at all hours. It's clean, prices are decent for NYC and the food is fresh. It's a 24-hour establishment, so you'll always find something ... sandwiches, sushi, soup and much more. My wife and I had quick breakfasts here three mornings and even grabbed two sandwiches for our mid-day flight home ... half the price of the god-awful sandwiches I've picked up at airports. It beats all the chain restaurants up and down 6th and 7th Avenues. read more

Cafe 53 is a gem! We found it on 53rd right behind the Hilton. First of all, it is extremely clean!!! Secondly, the food is really good with so many choices. They have a hot bar, a cold bar, a juicing station..... Basically anything you need or want, you'll find it here. Don't stress out with all of the NYC dining choices, hungry headaches and hangry family members. Just hop into Cafe 53. Listen to some cool music. Enjoy the friendly staff and the vast selection of basically.... everything!! Our go to spot until we go home! read more

This place looks good from the inside but the guy up front near the register I guess he's Asian in his 50's really didn't have any respect he was very rude and grumpy and I didn't understand why! What happen is I asked to use the bathroom and he simply said you had to buy something I replied yeah not a problem at all I looked around I honestly didn't see anything I liked so I asked how much was this item and he says you can't buy that it has to be a price of 2 dollars and up I was a little socked but I said not a problem in my mind since I really had to use the restroom I kept looking but didn't find anything so I told him sir you can have the 2 dollars I don't want anything so I gave him the 2 dollars without buying anything ( which I didn't really mind even if he asked for 20 dollar I would've gave it to him ( money is something that simply comes and goes it's never valuable ) so he threw me the keys in a very disrespectful way and honestly I was really shocked of how a human being can be very cruel. I went and got to use the restroom but before I left I had to tell him it's always very nice to be polite to people that are being polite to you and it's very good to smile as well even if you have to fake it it's something that looks good white in a person !! read more

I grew up in NYC and I am a big fan of the Halal food near this deli, so naturally I end up buying stuff from this deli often. The other night I was driving to PA but had to use the restroom badly, so I stopped by Cafe 53. I saw a sign that the bathroom is for customers only, so I verified with the 50yo Asian man with glasses behind the cashier. Then I made a coffee and waited on line. When I got in front, I asked again if I could use the bathroom - he nodded. I then proceeded to pay and he gave me my change. Then I asked for the key - he ignored me. I asked again politely if I could use the bathroom. He turned around with the biggest attitude and the most condescending look ever and said "no bathroom. out of order." Then he choo'ed me away dismissively and waved for the other customers on line. I never felt so played and disrespected over $2.50 worth of coffee before. He basically waited for me to go make coffee, pay for it and then revealed that he wasn't going to let me use the bathroom. Lol all that dishonesty over $2. Never spending a single dime at this place again and I urge you to reconsider spending money here too. Spend money at a place where they actually appreciate customers and treat all people with respect. PS. The coffee tasted like dirt and I had to throw it out. This is my first bad review on Yelp or any website (Amazon, Ebay, ZocDoc, etc) ever! I always write good reviews, so this place must have really screwed up to motivate me to spend time writing this. read more

Racist customer service. Very rude

After reading mostly positive reviews, we tried Cafe53. We were disappointed. Couldn't find anything at the hot food bar that looked appealing. Everything was overlooked. Maybe bad timing on our part. Went to order a sub sandwich. Several people in line and only one person making sandwiches. After 15 minutes, gave up and bought some packaged beef jerky for lunch. Not a great overall experience. read more

My partner and I took a chance on cafe 53 tonight. Bad idea! First, it was out of the first 3 things we ordered. Ended up settling on burgers. Bad idea! Veggie and beef burger were unappetizing and lettuce very old. Seemed low quality ingredients. Fries were poor. We didn't finish anything. Grill cook was rude. Asian guys were nice. Bathroom is there but hidden. Good but out of paper towels. Oh, and coffee was very weak. Prices were decent. Wouldn't go back of course. read more