Cafe 22
“Make sure you tell him Brian sent you, he will make sure to add extra toppings for you!”
“Normally go here when I don't feel like leaving the office, or have a meeting around lunch.”
Cafe 22
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
3 reviews
Rate and write a review Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
A Restaurant Associates cafeteria with five stars? You've got to be kidding. While I agree that Cafe 22 is a better than average cafeteria (and I've tried plenty), people need to be pickier about their five star reviews.
Cafe 22, due to their deal with E&Y, offers a very affordable meal in an otherwise terrible neighborhood for food. Be wary o overloading your container at the salad bar or global table – it can add up quickly if your eyes are bigger than your stomach. Crowding and seating can definitely be an issue, especially in the winter months and rainy days when the hipster staffers decide waiting in line for Chopp'd isn't worth it. But the view of Times Square is pretty sweet if you can stand the high noise level.
Cafe 22 is broken out into several sections: the Illy coffee bar out front, the sushi bar/smoothie bar in the AM, the global table, the main grill (burgers), the main course (changes daily), the action station (which changes each week), shaker salads, sandwiches, salad bar, soup bar. The salad and sandwich lines are usually ridiculous. The grill and sushi lines take forever (unless you're like my colleague who gets in line at 11:30 am). I tend to stick to the global table, action station, or main course due to the lines alone. The global table is the most hit or miss. With the majority of the staff coming from Latin America and the Caribbean, the cuban or jamaican days are fantastic. NEVER ever get the indian food or thai food – its just really terribly not authentic. Even the fake chinese food is terrible. I do like the sandwiches and all the options they offer, but I only get them if the line is short. The soups are iffy – sometimes they can be salty.
For the vegans or vegetarians, there are usually plenty of options. If I'm looking for a balanced lunch, I always can find something in Cafe 22 that makes my tummy happy.
I dislike Cafe 22 because Restaurant Associates forces you to cater if you use a room on 23 or 22 and the food offerings for these meetings isn't quite as good. The mini sandwiches tend to be dry and nobody eats those little danishes packed with sugar. They also have shameful mini bagels considering we're in the middle of NYC.
Are these other reviewers high? This place is terrible! Only crowded when the weather outside is bad but you are better fighting the crowds of tourists to eat.
Cafe 22 has been on point recently. The variety of options and flavors is well above average for a corporate cafeteria.
The hot food options are very tasty, and more satisfying than the typical sandwich or salad. The hot buffet changes everyday and focuses on international cuisine. The hot entree stations have good options; today was made to order steak, and chicken Milanese, all with sides included. In addition to the hot sandwich, salad, standard grill, and soup stations, they make a pretty solid lunch option.
Finally, with high cost of living, can't beat the inexpensive prices.