Variety Cafe
“- Hot Bar
– Make your own salad/pasta bar
– Pasta Station
– Mexican Station
– 'Southern Foods Station'
What else could you want?”
“I used to intern in the McGraw Hill building (on Ave of Americas) and came here nearly every day.”
“I love this place because a salad with 6 toppings (regardless of weight) is $6.99!”
Variety Cafe
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Under $10
8 reviews
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Decent buffet spread that covers Italian, Chinese, Japanese, American, Korean cuisines. It's a chain (I used to frequent the Variety Cafe down in FIDI). However, this particular franchise is run by Korean people (not Chinese, as mentioned in Ben Y's review).
The food is purchased by the pound, which means it can get expensive.
Here's a little tip: DON'T WEIGH YOUR FOOD DOWN WITH EXTRANEOUS SAUCES.
Here's a second little tip: If you're stopping by for lunch, try getting there between 11:45am to 12:00pm. That's when the food is first placed out. For example, the salmon is incredibly fresh because it just came out of the broiler. There's also no one in the store at that time, so you're guaranteed to get your choice cut of the salmon.
One word closely associated with this place would be variety of food offered. Tried it a couple of times since it's close to my workplace.They have a very good salad bar, very extensive one indeed. They also have Mexican, Hibachi,Italian and Sushi offerings.
I tried the veggie sandwich which was Ok, nothing great. I was hoping to get a great meal when I tried Hibachi station, I was proved wrong. First of all it is peak lunch hour make sure that all the Hibachi ingredients are available at the bar. I called the guy and told him that brocolli and mushroom were missing from the bar, he answer was I don't know. What the f***k dude it's your duty to make sure that the bar is carrying all the ingredients.
I then moved on and gave my Hibachi selction to the chef for cooking.The meal cooked was way too bland, this is even after telling the Chef to make it spicy. The meal was for $14 which I think was very steep in terms the way food tasted and it's quality. Definately one can give a miss to the Hibachi station at this cafe.
Ya know, the lines are bad, the people are crazy, it's a bit of a hassle and hectic… BUT THE FOOD WAS SURE CHEAP. Granted, it really helped they were doing their anniversary sale, so something like $5-$6 PER POUND (vs. the normal $7.99) plus variety so I'm not complaining.
The seafood was super fresh, especially considering a) buffet and b) price.
As the name indicates, there is a LOT of variety here. In terms drinks (bottled/made), food (ethnic/typical lunch fare), and buffet (fast food, slow food, cooked food, cold food), fruit/fish/veggie/meat/grains, you name it, you will most likely get it.
Stumbled across this place in my quest to find a creamsicle in midtown. If you know of any places, msg me as this journey is starting to tourn into an epic saga.
Variety Cafe is a staple for my coworkers and came highly recommended. So far, I can vouch for their soups and chopped salads- which were both great (the add-ins for the salads are a better deal than other salad places). As other reviewers mentioned, there is a Mexican food section (my coworkers love the burritos).
The last time I went with a group, we were overcharged by $9- so I would say pay close attention with the cashiers, as an FYI!
their sandwich area is really bad (eg, panini's and pre-made stuff). the guy burnt my panini and just ruined my lunch. how do you burn a panini? there were no other customers in this area and he pressed the hell out of my sandwich! I have never seen long lines in this sandwich/soups area and the panini's look like they haven't sold in days. Selection is also somewhat limited. I'm sticking with the wraps. and to boot, they forgot to give me chips for this purchase.
Went in for breakfast as it was down the street from where I was staying and was pretty happy with the selection. This was by far the cheapest meal I had in NYC. Had a breakfast sandwich with egg and cheese on a bagel and a large coffee and my total was under $4. I mean, coffee for $1. Good coffee for $1! Lots to choose from too. Additionally, although i didn't partake they had a fruit bar where you pay by the pound and get any fruit that you want.
'Ended up here'. Visiting the city…had the kids..getting hungry and everything was super busy so the first place that had availability for all of us we went to. Pretty dirty. Bathrooms overlflowing. Lots of variety of food but tht doesn't make it good. My vege panini actually had a big thing of tin foil IN it! Tired and hungry ths place served its purpose.
Amazing breakfast spot.
Love the egg whites omelet, the bagel sandwiches, the scramble eggs. Toast perfectly toasted, nice flavor.
yum yum yum. Great for breakfast, not sure about what else.