Reviews of Union Square Cafe (Restaurant)

Monica Chang

We spent a birthday brunch there. Atmosphere there is modern and refresh. Those detail decorations at the entry and corners are well done!!! All girls loved their brunch choice!! Service is great.

Lucy Roberts

The best staff of any restaurant I've been to -- calm, organized, friendly & knowledgeable. Food was delicious and well-portioned. Will certainly be back!

Grace Hung

We had lunch here. Love the restaurant interior. Spacious environment. Tried the duck liver spaghetti and the favour is rich and delicious. The tres lech cake was good as well. Service was good.

Evelyn Alvir

Those entrance doors are for body builders...too heavy for petite women! no tipping yippee!!

Cindy L

Had brunch there today, had the omelet, it was good. Also had a glass of their red herring, like a bloody Mary, it was really good! The food is good, pricy though, but definitely a treat.

Brandon Ajamian

Fantastic food, drinks, atmosphere, staff, and anything else you can ask for. Came in for dessert and found a new place I'd love to come back to!

Charles Lamb

Sat at the bar and had a great meal with dessert. Wine list is standard Danny Meyer: extensive. Sommeliers are knowledgeable. A great go to restaurant for me when I’m in NYC.

Barbara Sebiri

Had a fabulous fabulous dinner last night...wonderful creative menu...everyone’s dinner was perfect!! Desserts were over the top! Try a few. Will definitely go back!

Mark Talavera

Food is always stellar ! Consistent service in a nice atmosphere . We travel to NYC 10 times a year from Houston for business. It is one of our go to restaurants in NYC ! We tell everybody traveling to NYC to go there.

Niki

Great food and friendly staff!!!

David

Brilliant food, drinks and service. We went for a late lunch and shared an appetiser a pasta and a entree. All the dishes tasted excellent and were well presented. Servers couldn’t do enough for us and we’re extremely friendly.

Rodney Smiley

Fantastic lunch at Union Square Cafe. Pictured are: corn and arugula salad and trout with spinach and fingerlings. So tasty! And with NY Restaurant Week it was a great deal!

Leon Carson

My first time to this old favorite since they moved from the other side of the park. Did not have a reservation so just had cocktails and a burger at the bar. Both excellent and very friendly bartenders. Coming back for a sit down dinner next week.

Paola

Visited twice during restaurant week and both times food and service were excellent.

william skody

We came last night (early) without a reservation and was able to get a table. We immediately were greeted by Monique the Sommelier, who first had us taste USC's brand Tassin by the glass. It was a very delicious start to our night. Then Monique led us to a vintage Billecart-Salmon Cuvee which knocked our socks off! For the end our evening she recommended the best Madeira I have ever had. For dinner, Michael walked us through the menu and made some amazing suggestions. Remember to try the Gnocchi... Then at the end we were greeted by Chris the manager, who made sure everything was perfect. Thanks USC ! Will & Phyl of Whitestone

Ayushmaan Sethi

My favourite restaurant in New York City! Amazing service and unbelievable food. This place is just the best.

Shauna Santare

We came in for a pastry and lite bite and had wonderful service- food was delicious too! We found out when closing out that tips are included in menu prices so is not as expensive as you think!

Roman Grinblat

This place is just insane food is perfect and service is impeccable.

Brett Thorson

Yum yum yum yum the food. I took some work colleagues here to celebrate a great customer deliverable and no regrets. We couldn't get a reservation so we put our name on the list and went across the street to the watering hole to wait 45 min for our table. It seemed as though spots at the bar are able to be reserved. The food was delicious. Certainly one of those places you can fill up on the bread, soft and crusty. Got the steak for two. It's a hearty portion with the sides, but if you have two hearty and hungry gentleman and can be easily consumed by 2. Walking around it seemed like there was a lot of dates going on. So if you need a home run date place, go here. But watch out, plenty of attractive people there and you or your date's head might be swiveling!

Allison Kim

Classic NY institution. USC 2.0 is beautiful with high ceilings and a revitalized menu. Always using the best of the farmer's market.

iostmol

amazing food and great staff. The cocktails are out of this world. Also no tips!

Karol Gawrych

Beautiful restaurant with food that is to die for. It is simple and the portions are small (normal people size), but it is packed with flavor and ingenuity. The service is beyond anything we’ve experienced in recent history which is a testament in how the group treats its staff. A must go if in NYC.

Thierry M. Chemouny

Good. But not great. Wanted to test the USC burger which was listed in a best burger list. Had it redone with not much more success. They just don't understand what "rare" means. Nothing really under medium, though it was juicy. Burger was good though, good ingredients, tasty and the side salad I took to replace the fries had fresh herbs which I really like. USC is a non-tipping restaurant and as a European, I cannot insist enough and how respectful that endeavor is. The service is included, meaning you don't have to bother with ridiculous calculations. Cappuccino was well under par. Too hot, not much foam. Complimentary sparkling water is a double plus.

Steve Muller

The best food AND service in NYC

Lisa Cratty

Great food, great service!!

AnnMarie Johnston

Amazing experience and incredible staff. Will absolutely be back.

Jason Kennemer

Always attentive and friendly service and great food and wine.

Michelle Mazzarella

Amazing ..Melissa , Andrew, Hally & staff went out of their way to exceed our expectations. The customer service experience combined with the wonderful array of food and personal touches makes me craving for a do over!!

Cardell Graham

I delivered some flowers for a party a very nice place

Connor McNulty

Immediately, the service stood out. Employees anticipated our needs, from recognizing we needed more time to decide on our meals to noticing we were looking for the bathroom. We felt welcome and special. The duck breast was delicious, as was the whiskey and sherry cocktail. Did not disappoint.

JD Lee

Very attentive and helpful wait staff. We held an event in the Alcove which was perfect. We chose the shared menu and had more than plenty of food. Of note... the gnocchi was OUT OF THIS WORLD!!! Amazingly light and fluffy. Great venue and find food our group.

Martha Pavao

This place is fantastic. Delicious food, impeccable service, great table for two near the bar upstairs. It gets crowded by 630, but every great place does. No tipping. Outstanding ribeye and brussel sprouts. I enjoyed our meal except for a few loud tourists on the first floor.

Tracey Duffy

Great service, delicious food, amazing dessert. Space is open and doesn't feel crowded.

Howard Beaton

Danny Myers knows how to create the perfect dining experience.

jacquiwolf

Perfection! The menu was enticing from first glance but the prices seemed a little steep. Then we noticed that it was a "no gratuity" restaurant. From our first interaction with the hostess, their attentiveness while we waited for our friends who were running late to a superbly prepared meal, we were impressed. As the wait grew we ordered a Danish made with pears and goat cheese that was an amazing combination. Our friends appeared and were pleasantly, familiarly chided by the hostess for their late arrival which disappated any anxiety.. Ricotta Gnocchi, Merguez w/Lentil Rice, Quiche Lorraine and a Shrimp Salad were all wonderful. I could have made a meal of the homemade sourdough bread and marinated olives. They added a complementary appetizer of Crispy Brussels Sprouts. My one and only critique would be the nearly raw "poached" egg which was served over the lentil rice. All the flavors were spot on! If this food and service are the future of gratuity free dining I have no reservations

Pepi Ross

Really top notch food & service in a great space.

Austin Baker

Incredible service and incredible food.

Cameron Rodriguez

Cute and amazing date idea. Well worth the price! The servers here are phenomenal and attentive, the decor is cozy. It's fancy but not too fancy. I went for brunch and had a great time

Birgitte B

Delicious food and superb service

Cleve Hildebrand

Homely and welcoming place, tasty oysters and calamari, also serves great tasting coffees. Excellent customer service! Deserves 5 stars!

Patrick Traughber

Excellent meal! Really friendly staff and great menu.

Austin Song

Sat in the bar area and loved the experience. We decided to sit at the bar area (5 of us at the table) vs. the actual dining room since I have an energetic 2 yr old who occasionally yells and screams. :) Bread was delicious and butter was amazing (complimentary). We ordered lamb skillet, burger, grilled shrimp, pancakes, and calamari (appetizer). From what we ordered, I have to say the pancake was the best. It was so fluffy and good! Burger was also good, but it’s not the best and would not go there just for a burger. Calamari was fresh and flavorful. Coffee was also very good too! It was bright and bitter. Service was also very friendly and attentive. Gratuity is already included.

Daniel McDonough

Have loved this place for a long time, but this was my first visit to the new location. It is just as gorgeous as the old spot, but with more space. Had a delicious salad, phenomenal steak sandwich, and the honey roasted carrots were fantastic. Service was top notch and very friendly. While it definitely is expensive, it is on par with NYC prices and this is as good as it gets, so I'd consider it good value in that context. Perfect for special occasions or when you just want an exceptional meal.

Cheryl Mancini

Had an absolutely delicious dinner here. Great atmosphere and Fred was a fantastic waiter!

Anthony Muljadi

Above average food and good service. Nothing groundbreaking.

Richard Maxwell

Server was great. Soft shell crab was the best.

Barbara Webster

Delicious scallops, perfectly cooked, lovely presentation. Popped sorghum sprinkled around the sticky toffee cake dessert was a unique salty contrast.

Miki Yamada

Solid food, great service, no upsell. Always enjoy eating here.

Mark Ryan

Excellent food and service !!!

Marianne Culver

Recommendation by Smitten Kitchen food blogger Deb Perelman. We were not disappointed wonderful food! Service was excellent and the desserts especially the s’more molten fudge cake .

Sherry Saccoliti

As always, exquisitely perfect service. This remains one of my favorite restaurants in New York City. The staff is gracious an knowledgeable. The wine list is exceptional.

Paul C

Drinks a good a little on the high side though bring a credit card no cash

Nick Yeager

Great food with an equally great atmosphere and staff.

Susan Morrow

Service and food extraordinaire. Our waiter was attentive but not intrusive. The food was excellent and their cocktails are world class. I love the art around the restaurant and the fresh atmosphere of this new location. Definitely keeps to the great reputation of USC.

Jim Aldridge

Tempted to go full five stars in first visit. Creative cocktails. Excellent and properly cooked calamari. Fantastic service from everyone.

alan warren

Still perfect! Ok, there is a bustle to the place so there is background noise, but not so you and a friend can't talk comfortably. Food is tremendous - had grilled shrimp over arugula - atmosphere very nice but not stiff. I'd forgotten how great this place was!

marianne gonzalez

This establishment deserves 5+ stars. Everything from the food to the staff was amazing. They are constantly checking to see if everything is ok and extremely polite. You really feel like you're out of Town while dining there.

Dan Quick

This is an amazing restaurant in every sense of the word. Danny Meter really delivers on this gorgeous space, quality staff, and delicious daily menu. The prix fixe option is a great deal and this is a non-tipping restaurant so what you see is what you'll pay. Honestly, this was one of the finest dining experiences I've had in a very long time.

John Pozar

Always predictably excellent.

Ben Carter

This is a great restaurant with great food and great service! They welcomed us in and led us to our table immediately and then a waitress came over with water right away. They are also very good with food allergies. The one thing I would say is that the food did take a little long but it was packed so I understand.

Ronald Foster

Another of NYC's wonderful places to eat. Classy but a relaxed environment

Robert Tortorelli

Yesterday we had lunch, and the staff at Union Square Cafe accommodated our every request. From respecting our table preference, to accommodating our meal choices, to searching for a lost scarf, everything was handled in a courteous and professional manner. And of course the food was delicious!

Jordan Opre

Lovely experience, everything I hoped it would be! Everyone was very friendly, and the food was amazing. Will definitely be back soon.

Vince Poil

I really liked this joint. Friendly service and a warm atmosphere. Never felt rushed and would have been happy to hangout here all afternoon. The lamb chops were a tad overcooked, but still delicious. Some lovely cocktails on the menu and the beer selection was good with some rare IPAs

Paul Yoder

Some of the best oysters in the city.

David K.

Great food, service and decor. Nice vibe.

Andrew Haynie

Phenomenal! The food was exquisite and our server Roxanne made our experience one of kind. It's clear to see why this is a NY classic. All the appetizers and mains were amazing. I am not typically one for sweets but the S'mores Pavlova won me over.

Joshua South

We recently celebrated a family event at USC. From booking to the end of the meal we were well taken care of. The food was as well executed as I remember from the old location, the staff were friendly and professional without hovering. Never felt rushed and they were very accommodating about one of our party who was delayed. I would not hesitate to recommend.

Matthew Tedesco

My brother and I went here for dinner and the food was excellent! You have to try the tater tots with caviar, so good! Staff was also very friendly and attentive. Highly recommend this place.

Simone Collins

I love absolutely everything about this place: the service, the decor, the ambiance, the fact that tips are included in prices, and definitely the food. I had the chicken milanese, and it was JUST the right size; not one of those honking fried meat pancakes one sometimes gets and feels guilty about scarfing down in its entirety. The salad with which the chicken came was one of the best salads I have ever tasted, which is great considering that most dishes of this sort time with some uninspired roughage and some sliced cherry tomatoes. The bread and butter they serve is also divine. There is nothing fancy about it, but the quality is top drawer, and I love that the butter comes at room temperature, sprinkled with a dash of sea salt. I would definitely recommend this place to (non budget sensitive) friends and enthusiastically return myself.

Edna Banks

We went to Union Square for lunch. We reserved several weeks in advance, you need to at this restaurant. Our reservation was at 1:00 and we, (four of us), were seated promptly. After a few minutes, we ordered. It took close to a hour to get our food. We questioned our server several times about the delay, only to be told the kitchen is backed up. The food was up to their high standards. The tuna burgers were excellent, as well as the fish special. On the way out, I looked for the manger, to express my frustration with the delay, but could not find one. I did call and speak to an assistant manager, who responded to me via email. Her response, was simply your server was upset about the delay, and that I should contact her, the assistant manager, and she will help me when I return to the restaurant. This is not what I would expect from a high quality restaurant.

Kristine K

Beautiful new space, food delicious but not the "over the top amazing" that I remember from visiting the original location years ago. Service is impeccable, staff friendly. Had the USC burger, cooked perfectly to medium well and garlic house chips. A bit disappointed in the chips, not very warm or garlicky. Interesting to note, they are a non-tipping restaurant, already built into the price ($19 for what I ordered). Would have been good to know this when placing the order and not just when the bill arrived

Alan Chan

Food was great. Atmosphere cozy. Service was also very nice. Def a great spot for a chill high quality meal

Dan Aprahamian

Absolutely wonderful. Went here for an Anniversary. The food was fantastic, and the service was wonderful. Everyone was a delight.

Patricia Ishmael

My boyfriend took me here for my birthday yesterday, food and service was amazing, wasn’t sure I would be happy with the new digs since I loved the old place, but it was beautiful. Service was five star, just have to get accustomed to the no tipping rule even at the bar. Really hope they take care of their staff especially the back of the house staff. Check them out for lunch or dinner, they are also part of restaurant week.

Kelly Carbonaro

Great food and tremendous service!

Phil Keegan

Good food great service

Debra Nuss

First time there since they moved. Huge Danny Meyer admirer. Been going to all his places for a very long time. Front of house is always delightful. And beautiful. Apparently they use the same floral service and it’s stunning. Prize fixe menu was great. Reasonably priced cause of tip inclusion. Waiter was really nice and service was good, however, we were TOTALLY rushed. We were stalked while enjoying our appetizers and we knew they wanted us to be done. We were even asked if we wanted to keep our plates while our duck was served. REALLY? Were told the duck would get cold. In a place of this stature shouldn’t the kitchen know how to hold up a dish or two? That was surprising to say the least. That’s why a 4 star rating instead if 5. I really hope Union Square takes note of this. I can’t believe we were the first this happened to. Being rushed is not acceptable. But everything else was splendid.

Jon Arnold

Love this place. I should really come here more often. The service is great and the food is amazing. Try the smore meltdown dessert. It's to die for.

Ryan Michael Cheung

Top notch burger but a bit of a stuffy spot if you're looking for a scene. Parent/visitor friendly and the service is very good. It’s another Danny Meyer classic. If you’re up for just a small bite, there’s a cafe next door called Provisions which has a great brioche sandwiches.

Leesa Yim

Always friendly staff with good food and drinks. It's one of a few no-tip restaurant and service is excellent all around from walking in, talking to the hostess, the wait staff, all supporting wait staff, bar staff, and managers, all around fantastic. If something isn't right, I'm not afraid to tell them because I know they'll make it right one way another. Noticed they had $1 oysters during happy hour, which is pretty good deal.

Rye M3

Excellent pleasant. Service a bit slow. No cheese offered with the pasta? Finally came when I was half finished. Perhaps a sign as service is included in the bill. Appetizers, pasta, dessert and 2 beers, over $100 each. Pretty stiff even by Manhattan standards.

Tobi Bear

Really liked the ambiance of this place. Though it's not in the theater district we went there before seeing a show. They asked if we were going to the theater and assured us we would be out in plenty of time. Even pointed us to the best subway station. Our group shared a large simple salad which was very fresh and delicious. We each had a different pasta dish and liked them all. Service was spot on. Will definitely be back.

Bernie McCarthy

I have followed this place on Twitter for a few years and finally made it to NY from Australia. It is as good as its reputation. A very good dining experience.

Amanda Neufeld

Recently held private event. Service was impeccable. Marci was an absolute delight to work with from planning to execution. Thank you! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ All the way!

Chiara Paz

Came to Union Square Cafe for a birthday dinner and had one of the best meals I’ve had in NYC so far. Staff was incredibly nice and food was amazing. Definitely coming back.

Nick Cashan

Great food, amazing hospitality. The menu isn’t that inventive but that’s not why you come here. You come for classic food done super well. Love the bar area as well!

Kathy D

Spectacular dining experience. Service was top notch. Contacted me before our reservation and did everything as I asked. The food was delicious. We shared several appetizers and brunch entrees. The gnocchi melted in your mouth. Polenta is a favorite of mine and this one did not disappoint. Pancakes looked a little dark when served but ended up being perfect. Will definitely return, next time to try dinner.