Eli’s Market At The Vinegar Factory
“I've been in love with Eli Zabar's establishments since I was little and went to E.A.T. on Madison Avenue.”
“Definitely not your usual Manhattan brunch scene, the vinegar factory provides somewhat of a suburban atmosphere…family friendly and spacious!”
“There you find a massive open space of simple wooden tables and metal chairs, and the smell wafting to your nose is just glorious.”
Eli’s Market At The Vinegar Factory
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range Moderate
8 reviews
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Brunch, only available upstairs on weekends, served up the best spinach-and-mushroom omelette I have ever had. The kitchen was very generous with ingredients. Plus, the free bread basket and butter are outta this world.
I liked the raw, saw-dusty warehouse feel of the room. As for the main floor, it's chock full of goodies. The olives I took home were fabulous. And while I had doubts about the small $7.95 eggplant pizza that I bought, it turned out to be scrumptious; great quality cheese. Would make for a great appetizer at a small dinner party. Or, a hearty small pizza for one or two people.
Unique local spot for a weekend brunch.
The Vinegar Factory is off the beaten path in Yorkville. It takes up most of 91st Street between 1st and York Avenues, as it includes Eli Zabar's bakery operation, a gourmet market, and an informal café. The reason why I make it over here is for their brunch, which is served on Saturdays and Sundays from 8 am to 4 pm. Walk through the market and you will find a sign to head upstairs for the, "VF Restaurant."
The seating area is cool. It is the top floor of the factory in a wide-open space with a casual setting. This is a good place for families – I have noticed many birthday celebrations for the younger ones in my past outings. It is equally as fitting for those without children (like me) considering the size of the eating area.
The food is great! Make sure you indulge in their delicious breadbasket and jam. I have also enjoyed the blueberry pancakes (most recently on 11/15), eggs benedict, cheese blintzes, French toast, and cheese & tomato pizza.
I recommend this to anyone living in the neighborhood, looking for an adventure, or visiting nearby locations such as Asphalt Green or Carl Schurz Park.
Above The Vinegar Factory is a fantastic restaurant that does a great brunch on the weekends. The loft space is huge and open and lets lots of sunlight in and gives the space a warm and airy feel. On each table there is a basket filled with different kinds of fresh Eli's bread, a little crock of butter, and a jar of the most delicious raspberry jam. The service is friendly and speedy. My roommate and I came here and were starving – we nearly ate the entire bread basket – but our eggs came out very quickly! I had a fabulous farmer's omelet with bacon, cheddar, potatoes, and onions. I definitely should not have eaten the whole thing, but it was just so good. After you scarf down your amazing brunch, you can lazily wander downstairs for pastries, cheese, and other treats!
I stopped here for lunch on a cold, drizzly summer day. Although the prices were high, this place was DINGY and all of the tables were covered in crumbs. It was sort of depressing. My soup was tasty, but the extra-large macaroon I got wasn't particularly good (the little ones at the westside Zabar's are infinitely better). Don't think I'd come back!
Great brunch!! OMG I wish I knew this was here sooner. The service was great and the menu was even better. We had:
Bagel, cream cheese, capers & lox – every bit as good as you would expect
Omelette, potatoes, cheese & onions with home fries – delicious
Macaroni & cheese – delicious
Bread – very yummy
We would definitely come back.
This place is not only a ridiculously overpriced "gourmet" grocery store, it's also a ridiculously DIRTY "gourmet" grocery store. Seriously… this place is DUSTY.
It makes me chuckle to even write that because I don't often offer commentary on an establishment's cleanliness but I feel obligated while describing this place. As soon as you walk in, you'll notice the unfriendly staff who rarely flash a smile or a "good afternoon". Yeh, real mood dampening. As you continue to walk about the store you will find pastries thrown in a murky container that I'm assuming is suppose to be transparent (?) but sure as hell isn't. Their specialty items are definitely priced as if they're specialty items but they seem to have been sitting on those shelves hoping someone will be silly enough to buy them, for quite some time. The salad bar looked extremely unsanitary, fully equipped with sad-looking wilted lettuce. Ehhh.
I gave them 2 stars simply because (when it's fresh) their bread is AMAZING. I've had a loaf practically straight out of the oven hot with some butter and it was heaven in my mouth. But the unfriendly staff and the overwhelmingly dusty environment makes it difficult to buy anything from this place..
I've never had brunch here despite living like 2 blocks away (I'm a big fan of cooking) so I'm simply reviewing their gourmet grocery store aspect.
Store downstairs is SO pricey it's ridiculous. Food upstairs is SO average it's a waste of time.
The sandwiches are tasty, and the baked goods are especially so. But the prices are outrageous, especially for grocery items like bottled iced tea. Regardless, I'll still come here, as it's convenient, and it's not like you're paying double what the competition charges, but man are they catering (literally) to the Hamptons clientele.
One thing that irks me is that Eli Zabar puts his face in damn near every photo associated with his businesses. Get over yourself Eli, you're looking kinda scary.