Cafe Clover
“OMG is all I can say about the Ivory Lentil risotto, it is so good, I practically licked the bowl clean.”
“Next, we had a beautiful spiral sliced celery root salad with cumin and pistachio.”
“And it comes with these olive oil mashed potatoes that are amazing and way too small portioned (again, fancy restaurant thing).”
Cafe Clover
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Dogs Allowed: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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The decor inside this adorable restaurant is Parisian Cafe meets modern restaurant. Everything is done in bright, clean colors that just bring a joy to the environment. The service was pleasant and efficient. My friend and each got a cocktail; I got a Hot Toddy and she got the Winter Cocktail. Each were made beautifully! We shared the burrata appetizer which was lovely, although a very small portion especially for the price. It seemed to be about a quarter of the size of what a burrata is typically. We each got the truffle and mushroom risotto, which was absolutely delicious. Great flavors and the truffle was used perfectly; it did not overpower the dish but complimented it perfectly. We also shared two desserts: the crepe cake and the apple tart. The apple tart was interesting. It was served in a crust that was almost like a cracker. It was quite good. The crepe cake was unbelievable but the crepe pieces were a little too thick. The flavors were perfect, however. My friend and I had not seen each other in a while and spent a lot of time catching up. Our waitress had to come several times to see if we were ready to order, but was never pushy when we were not (which happened a few times!). I really loved this place and can't wait to come back! Everything was made with fresh, sustainable ingredients. So good!
Cafe Clover, visually stunning, swanky sanctuary in the village.
Beyond the visuals most things taste like you are eating props on the set to a play rather than real food.
The meal starts with a complimentary gluten free, pepita, flax seed lavash style cracker with hummus/dip. The dip tastes of self-loathing. It's watery and flavorless. Maybe it was embarrassed to be a a lowly chickpea dip competing with a fancy lavash. It would be better with a lot more olive oil and flavor.
The flax lavash is foul. Who actually enjoys the flavor of flax seeds?! Also, because of whatever preparation or lack of preparation, one bite coats your entire tongue in this flax flavor. And, you cannot get it to go away.
Appetizers were forgettable. The octopus was sort of ok. It was a bit chewy.
My medium rare steak was tough, tough, hard to chew, flavorless tough. This was on top of a tablespoon of an equally uneventful potato purée accompanied by a few crispy bitter asparagus.
The side of Brussels were ok.
My friend enjoyed the salmon. Although, disclaimer she may have been just off a cleanse or practicing breatharianism that evening – so anything would taste good.
The halibut was simple and mild tasting. I didn't get any coconut or what the point was except maybe as a substitute for butter or cream.
Mille cake made of buckwheat was soft but dry and dirt tasting. I'm sure there is some part of the flavor f buckwheat that is good, but Cafe Clover didn't find it.
The box of chocolates were enjoyable if only for the presentation in a large, elegant wooden box. The contents were ok. Mostly dark chocolates, gelees, nuts. A nice assortment but nothing spectacular.
Martinis were perfect and wine was divine.
Farm to table is not a literal thing.
If you like hippy cafe / juice bar meets granny's kasha varnishkes flavor profile at Manhattan fine dining prices in a gorgeous environment then Cafe Clover is your jam.
Went into the city for a Mother's Day celebration with my wife and spend the day Ruth my youngest daughter who lives in the city. Since she lives in the city we rely upon her for our good options.
This is s nice little place in the West Village with some healthy food options. Our reservations were for 12:45 pm and the place was pretty crowded when we arrived there. Your promptly given s bottle of water. It may have been tap water but it was presented in a nice bottle with a flip top cork. Our server was very pleasant who gave us time to chat before we finally ordered.
I ordered a grass fed burger. It was prepared to order. Although it was on the smaller side it's what you expect in the city. My wife ordered the market vegetable omelet which was filling. My daughter ordered a salad which was typical for her but it was filling and gone.
Definitely Sn option when heading to that part of town.
I had such a pleasant time here catching up with a girlfriend. Reservations were easy to make online (recommended), and we're really glad we made one, because the restaurant filled up rather quickly after we sat down at 7pm on a weeknight.
The menu features a lot of intriguing pairings, I wish I was able to try more of it! I definitely loved the sunchoke soup. If there is anything on this menu that you are not familiar with, GET IT! It's such a great way to try new ingredients and foods, and for sure you are guaranteed that it will taste amazing. My friend's salmon entree was cooked to perfection. I ordered the burger because I was very hungry, and it was so fulfilling and rewarding. The patty was an artful medium rare, melted in my mouth, and paired beautifully with the potato rosemary bun. There's this feeling that there exists an extra touch/twist on all the menu items here that elevates each dish above its seemingly simple description.
I must give a shoutout to our waitress, who did such an excellent job at verbally describing the menu in the most enticing way, and answering our questions with such accurate adjectives! I could hear her talk about food all day 🙂 🙂
I was in between 3 and 4 starts with Cafe Clover and here are the reasons:
Had reservations at 8:45 pm. Party got there on time and wasn't seated until almost 9:45 … what was the point of even making a reservation !??! Once we got seated they gave us flax seed "Chips" with pea hummus which was very interesting and tasty.
Since the party waited so long we were starving and ordered the chick pea hush puppies, burrata, octopus, brussel sprouts to start. Everything was pretty good but the burrata was super tiny and hush puppies lacking some flavor. I really did enjoy the octopus and brussel sprouts though, both very flavorful !
For our mains we tried the salmon, cod, beet salad, and quinoa tagliatelle pasta. The salmon and the the quinoa tagliatelle were the highlights and the reason Cafe clover gets the fourth star. All in all everything was good, and once we got seated our server was super friendly and tried to get everything out fast since we mentioned we were starving from the beginning.
Also, i find it important to note that I ordered a martini here and the olives were SO DELICIOUS and fresh. I order many martinis at different venus here in the west village and I must say this place was a highlight in my recent bar visits. I also really liked that they have a lot of healthy options, I would come back and try brunch for sure!
Great atmosphere, sexy west village vibe. Service was fantastic.
Now to the food:
The complimentary crackers and dip were yummy!!
Octopus – good
Cauliflower "steak"- we had as an appetizer to share. It would not be filling as an entree. Overall it was ok. The pickled cauliflower on the plate was a nice touch.
Sweet potato wrapped cod-fish was excellent!Brussels sprouts- tasty but a little sweeter than I expected.
Teff cake- delicious and a "must try".
Salmon – delicious!
monkfish special – great!
The place is nice and breezy, light colors, equally populated with couples, families, groups of friends for brunch. Bloody Mary was on point and their hamburger was frickin' delicious. I was so surprised in fact – my expectations were blown away. The patty was cooked to perfection, crisp on the outside but juicy on the inside, and the bun had something going on that just made the whole thing explode. Note: the burger is served with a salad by default, which goes with the whole healthy theme here.
More than the food, I liked the open, bright space at Cafe Clover. You get more space at your table than you would at a typical New York spot. I believe there have been several celebrity sightings here, too.
I went for brunch for four and ordered poached farm eggs, which I almost always get for any brunch. It was tasty but nothing out of the ordinary. It's a good for a group brunch.