cafe 45
“The guys are great cooks, The two ladies at the register are super nice to me and they have the best udon soup EVER!!!!!”
“It's similar to the other delis around but it's new and clean.”
“Wifi works, place is clean, lunch looks awesome but haven't tried it because I was only here for breakfast.”
cafe 45
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
8 reviews
Rate and write a review Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
It's similar to the other delis around but it's new and clean. Soups aren't very good and salad bar is okay. Sushi, salads, and sandwiches are good.
Ok, so this is your standard Midtown Deli owned by Koreans, but serving American Salads & Buffet options and Japanese Udon & Sushi. Needless to say, you don't come here for exceptional and tasty food, but rather edible lunch food at a decent price. Food is nothing to write home about, but not terrible either, just ok in my opinion.
So here's my review for:
Salads: meh, go to Free Foods a few doors down instead. It's more expensive, but the quality is 10x, yes 10x, better. If you get a salad here at Cafe 45, it's cause you can't afford to spend an extra $4 for better quality vegetables, or you're just down right cheap.
Buffet: my Life Motto which has served me well has been to "Never Eat from a Buffet and Never Go on a Cruise". They basically go hand-in-hand…lots of ill-mannered people touching & sneezing on everything, increasing the chance I contract the Norovirus…pass.
Sushi: actually not bad, even though it's essentially fake sushi, being prepared by a Korean guy who I see constantly chain smoking outside the storefront – otherwise known as "cigarette sushi" at my work. Not the best name for a sushi spot, but look, I've been to plenty of 5-star sushi spots in the city, as well as in the Tokyo fish market, but given the horrendous sushi options in the neighborhood (Azusa, Cafe Zaiya, etc.), I've resorted to eating at the "White Castle of Sushi" – at least it's edible and I haven't gotten sick (yet), and cheap – $12 for 4 large salmon sushi pieces and a sushi avocado roll.
Udon and Stir Fry: actually very good noodles, especially in the winter time, and the broth has a good flavor and good additions (beef, chicken, shrimp, etc). This is what you come for, don't bother with anything else, unless you need a sushi fix, which like I said, is not bad.
So, come here for the Udon, Stir Fry or Sushi (if you have to), as well as any other convenience store items you might need, but don't come here expecting to be blown away or saying, "that was amazing, I'm coming back again"…more like, "that wasn't bad, I guess I could do it again sometime if I have to".
I just don't understand the appeal of places like this. They have lots of options. None of them are very good. I suppose that they're somewhat convenient..but so is the street food and much of it is a whole lot better than this stuff.
I can't complain about this place. It gets the job done.
This place is not much to look at, but there is tons of seating upstairs and their wifi usually works. I am loyal to the chicken caesar wrap and the dollar chips (back towards the buffet bar). I work i the area and it a perfect grab-and-go lunch/dinner place.
Check it out.
Sure really good food stop. Two of our group in today. Nice selection and large selection. We very much enjoyed. Sat upstairs. Just right sample of New York
Not a bad lunch spot, I come here once or twice a week usually. They have wide variety of food, buffet style, udon station, and regular salad and sandwich station. They also serve sushi. They also have a dumpling section. Food is average priced $4.39 per pound. Average lunch normally runs me around $12 with a drink. Their sushi is a bit pricey, its decent but you get much more rice then fish.
Its kept clean also.
Over the years I have been here they did reduce the amount of buffet offerings, and they do change them up few times a week. Try to avoid on Mondays. Usually the selection isn't good.
Decent amount of space to sit down and eat on top, free wifi is also available.
Real good UDON for $9.
You get 32OZ with a TON of mix-ins, and can choose to get it with or without spice.
The broth with spice is delicious.
Credit card minimum $5
Cafe 45 is your typical Manhattan Deli (with seating upstairs). You'll find your usual assortment of snacks, drinks, and living necessities. In addition to the norm they also have a large selection of real food. Sandwiches, sushi, and even ramen. I decided on this visit to try their beef ramen. As a ramen lover I cannot say that i expected too much. Setting my expectations to "realistic" i was not disappointed. The ramen was ok, especially for the portion I received.
The location is convenient, they have wifi (big plus), and the management is very very friendly. I was here for a board game meetup and they were super nice to me and the rest of the group. I would def recommend to stop in and patron their establishment.