NYU Torch Club
NYU Torch Club
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
7 reviews
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Considering that NYU occupies a huge chunk of Lower Manhattan, it shouldn't be hard for you to find an NYU employe or graduate to take you to this private campus dining room. Nothing particularly unique about the interior but it's pleasant in a generic upscale campus kind of way — stuffed chairs, a fireplace, dark wood and mirrors. But visitors are always impressed to be inside NYU's "private club."
The meal to go for here is the $11.95 all-you-can-eat luncheon buffet. Sometimes, the main course meats are overcooked (one time, the beef stew was dry as clumps of paper mache) but all the salads and pastas are lovely. So are the cooked veggies and side dishes. Soups are usually good. Desserts and bread basket are boss!
Beverages are extra.
Update: The fall semester 2010 brought a major change to the club — the $11.95 buffet has been eliminated! As an adjunct prof on a budget, I wasn't happy to hear that. But tried it the other day anyway. Brought a guest speaker to try the a la carte menu.
The good news is that you get a whole bunch of free appetizers. A sampler of about half a dozen items came out. The olives were great, the fried onions okay and the rest were fun to try. The bread basket was good as in the past.
My guest speaker has a delicious salmon and my I really enjoyed my skirt steak ($17).
The bad news is that the dessert was horrible. Up until now, the sweets have always been a highlight of the offerings here. Nice moist, dense cakes, good cookies and fresh fruit salad. Well, we ordered a chocolate ganache ($5) that was dry and stale. I sent it back and insisted that the chef try it. To the kitchen's credit, the waiter came back and said that the chef agreed that it was bad.
The dessert charge was taken off the menu. Plus the club was running a special discount to introduce its new setup. The price for two entrees and one glass of very good red winecame to $55.19. With a $12.94 discount, the check came to $42.25 before the tip.
Even without the discount, I will go back at least one more time. Give the kitchen a chance to adjust to its new menu. The room is still nice and my guest speaker was quite impressed!
The Torch is definitley one of those establishments that if you are a student feels like it has a barrier to entry. I'm glad to say it actually does not as a recent alumni event I went for there proved. While the food was just decent, I found the staff and service to be excellent. And the ambiance is perfect. I definitely look forward to returning
I never even knew this place existed until I had lunch with a professor here! It's really pretty (pics attached), and the service is amazing. The prices really aren't bad, either!
I had their risotto, potatoes on the side and cheesecake for dessert. The main dish didn't really look like risotto and was a bit bland, but their desserts are good. I'd probably check out their other, meatier food next time!
I've had breakfast here for an event, and YUM! I've also been here for lunch, double yum!
The service is wonderful, the food was great and the desserts were also yummy! I believe they close for the summer, so get in if you can. It's really nice and just tasty. And I was surprised that it was this good for a buffet!
Check it out!
I came here with a voucher. To be honest, I didn't realize how fancy the decor was. You feel like you're eating in a country club. However, the lunch buffet is pretty self explanatory.
The mashed potatoes were surprisingly tasty – garlicky and creamy – and the lemon chicken was moist. The salad bar is pretty decent; I appreciated that the Caesar salad wasn't doused in dressing.
I recommend the coconut cake. The frosting is very, very good despite the pretty standard white cake.
My water glass was kept full, and I enjoyed the basket of bread I was served, even though I was by my lonesome.
Located in a building that has multiple levels for dining, often professors and students end up here, although alumni and outside others are welcome to come. Appetizers and dishes that have a nice touch, but nothing outstanding here – the steak was medium-rare, but wasn't more tasty than what I could make at home, so I can't really recommend this more than anything else.
Still, service isn't bad, at least.
According to NYU's website, the Torch Club is "a private facility where New York University faculty, administrators, staff, alumni and NYU affiliates can gather socially over a meal, buffet selection or cocktails." Given that I am neither a graduate or an employee of the university, it's pretty ridiculous that I've been here a couple of times to enjoy some really good food .
This isn't an actual restaurant or anything, though the decor might suggest otherwise. It feels like a fancy joint with some quality University catering. The food is quite decent by catering standards and would be considered a god send for school food. Depending on the occasion, they'll whip up a variety of food from lunchables to ethnic bunches. There isn't a lot of junk food available on any of the menus, which is a good sign for health freaks. The lunch buffet is of decent daily variety and at $11.95 is cheaper than some of their salads on their lunch menus.