Essen Slow Fast Food
“Delicious, clean, and efficient – everything a midtown lunch place should be, plus points for the kombucha selection.”
“i love that they provide every means of breakfast/lunch and even dinner items.”
“They have very fresh ingredients and a big fan of their build your own salad station.”
Essen Slow Fast Food
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
8 reviews
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I love places in Manhattan serving lunch. Salads, sandwiches, soups and smoothies are my thing. Went to this place after a physician's appointment who just happened to be across the street. Read all the reviews on yelp but was kind of disappointed with the food. There were skimpy vegetarian options and whatever they were, they had a strange stench. Although I will try the salad bar next time!
Disclaimer: I only like the salad bar and this review is mainly for the salad bar.. I think everything else is overpriced and would not recommend.
I love the salad bar. It's precisely $9.74 after tax for a small salad with unlimited toppings. UNLIMITED toppings. So yeah, it becomes a healthy large salad after I have my way with it. Here's how it usually goes:
Me: Small spring mix and baby spinach please
Him: What toppings?
Me: Broccoli, onions, grape tomatoes, ummm… carrots and umm.. spicy chicken
Him: *gives me a LOT of chicken*
Me: Spicy shrimp, hard boiled egg, turkey, ham
Him: Chopped?
Me: Mozzarella, corn…..
Him: Chopped?
Me: Roasted red peppers, chickpeas.. and cauliflower please!! Sorry yes, chopped! Oh can I also have avocado???
Him: *starts chopping* What kinda dressing?
Me: Spicy sesame please, and can I have some bacon and walnuts too?
Him: *finishes chopping and has to push my salad down in order to fit inside the small container*
Every time I come here I feel like a little kid again. The thrill of choosing everything as part of the unlimited deal is so incredibly enticing.
They change up some of their toppings so there's sometimes steak! I love steak in my meat salad. Also, avocado is included as part of the unlimited at no additional cost? Marry me!!!!
I hate crowds and love having fresh and plentiful selections so I make it my mission to either come here at 11:30am or not at all.
Okay.. a slight update a couple months later: it's not the freshest and they kinda skimp on the greens, but definitely still bang for your buck for all the protein you can add on.
This place gets the job done for me. If I'm ravenous and forgot to pack my breakfast, I usually run in here for a quick trip to the breakfast buffet. Now the food itself is bland and there is nothing exceptional about it. I like that there are different varieties of eggs, so I can have my choosing and drizzle with a gallon of hot sauce at work. Anyway, it's not exceptional, but it's better than eating no breakfast.
The iced coffee is tasty (although I digress that sometimes I worry they don't clean those things), and the staff is friendly.
Doesn't break my wallet to come here sometimes, sad that there isn't more variety in this part of midtown.
Loved the unlimited topping salad station. Great value and selection
Saying this place offers a wide selection of food, is quite the understatement. It is like a deli but a lot bigger and "homier". Each "cuisine" has it's own station and many of them you are able to customize your food to your liking. For example at the soup station you are able to pour your own soup and add as many fixing such as scallions, tofu or seaweed for free on top. The salad bar you are able to create your own salad at flat rate with unlimited fixings which is quite rare to find these days. They have huge selection for the pay per weight food. While the lines look crazy long, they go by pretty quickly.
I liked this place a lot, not only because it is so close to my company, but also because it offered so many options. Their beef soba is definitely a must try. Besides, they have good soup and good buffet. The line is not long also if you come early in the morning or at noon!
This is where I come to get my Korean fix for quick sushi and soba & udon noodle soup (pho).
This is quite the lunch rush spot, so it's always good to call ahead if your in a rush and just want to pick up. Also they deliver, but be sure to give them about a 60 minute heads up because this is quite a popular spot for local businesses.
The prices are on par for Midtown lunch places, but are generally higher than similar locations downtown. Location, location, location dictates price.
They also have a large selection of hot and cold sandwiches made to order, daily soup selections like fresh chicken noodle (with big chunks of shredded chicken and veggies), turkey chili, or miso. These always hit the spot on a cold winter day.
The salad station is always very popular, but if your in a rush they also have a hot and cold table with plenty of daily options to fill your To-Go box with.
TIP: The freshest time to get from the hot and cold table is 11AM. After 2PM stuff tends to sit longer and longer till it's gone.
Great spot for setting up a corporate account !
This is my go-to spot to pick up pre-made sushi, healthy snacks and other office-food items (yogurt, bottled fancy juices, etc.). They also have this great "do-it-yourself" Miso Soup, where you can add as much seaweed, tofu and scallions you want to your Miso Soup.
Nothing much else to write except that I'm glad it's right across the street from my office. Sadly, this means that I rarely leave my office for lunch these days…except for a quick scurry across the street.