Anyway Cafe — Restaurant in New York

Very happy for the support of live music and artists... BUT

The establishment itself, sadly has very little to praise. The food was mediocre at best, and the service was abysmal!

I attended to see and support one of our live performers along with a friend on Wed night. As soon as we arrived, we were told that we could not sit where we originally wanted to because of social distancing. Fair enough. But not only were we basically placed in a corner under a tarp, THEY SEATED A COUPLE AT THE EXACT PLACE WE ORIGINALLY WANTED 3 MIN LATER!

I'm pretty easy going so, no big problem so far (I was there to support the musicians anyway). My friend ordered a drink and a potato pancake. I asked for a gin & tonic. The waitresses said "No food? You MUST order food! It's a state law! I'm sorry! You must have food" And stormed off without me even looking over the menu to see if I wanted something. Keep in mind that we had just come from "Red Lion" (Highly recommended! ) and I had one drink, no food- no problem...

She brought our drinks and my friend's pancake... (which I did not taste but was told it was a mushy soggy mess...$13).

She finally came back and asked what food I wanted. I ordered the Mango chutney ($11) if you want an expensive order of chopped mango with cayenne pepper on a bed of soggy spinach eaten plain with a fork you'll LOVE this!

After I finished my dish she returns with "I'm sorry. I forgot bread. Did you want bread? " 😑

She brought the bread, but I had already finished my meal...

They close the bar at 11, so about 10 min before, I decide to use the restroom, order my last drink, and ask for the bill. I was told. " NO.NON NO! IT'S 11 o'clock no more drinks." I said fine asked for the bill and proceeded towards the men's room. I was stopped for the waitresses to explain " Its policy, I'm not at fault that's the rules!" I explained I understand and there's no further explanation needed. "No no, it's because we are closed, it's not me, it's just that's the rules... etc". I just walked away because I was already upset at being forced to sit in a different area, forced to order food I didn't want, was served overpriced diner grub, denied a drink, and now being explained to as if I were 4 years old.

No matter.

My friend and I got separate checks and placed our cards on top of them.

Guess what? "NOO NO, NO NO. No cards only cash. No Venmo nothing, only cash!"

Well a sign, or a warning, or common reminder when giving the check would have been nice... so I walked a few blocks to a deli and paid an ATM fee to withdraw cash. I still tipped 20%.

To top it all off, we asked our musician friends once they began closing if they needed our help to pack up their equipment or store any of the restaurant's equipment.

As we're striking things, THE OWNER IS SHOUTING AT US to " Move! Out of the way!! People are moving tables! "

Geez...

Horrible staff. Sub-par food. Expensive drinks, expect to order food or face the authorities...oh and bring cash.

Great...

I used to admire the food and atmosphere this place provided, however yesterday’s experience completely shattered the warm feelings that I had towards this establishment. The dining experience was horrible, starting from the waitress who could not get the order straight, to the extremely long times we had to wait for the food to arrive. We had to remind the staff about the order quite a few times and correct the deficiencies, yet the impression we got was that they simply did not care. Additionally, there were very few patrons inside, roughly six, not including the three of us, yet the wait time and overall quality of the service was extremely lacking! To make matters worse, the food did not taste authentic, the drinks were watered down and it took multiple trips for the staff to finally bring us a meal. The overall wait time between the order placement and the first plate appearing at the table was over forty-five minutes! Would anyone agree with me that such poor service is completely unacceptable?! Once again, the place was not busy at all and the food we ordered was nothing extravagant and therefore did not require thorough preparation. To top it all off, the neighboring table was filled with a group that were extremely rude, loud and constantly using profanity in front of other guests, taking away from the enjoyment of other patrons! The “icing on the cake” was when I asked that my meal be reheated and the staff refused to satisfy my simple request, all because their chef was under a pitiful impression that his “masterpiece” creation should not be subjected to the customer’s desire to consume a decent-tasting meal. When we made several complaints regarding the subpar service to the manager, not only was the matter was not taken with the appropriate degree of concern, the attitude of the staff took on an even more dismissive tone. It was almost as if our patronage to their establishment was a nuisance and we were treated as pests. The final straw was the forceful addition of a sizable gratuity to the bill. When I asked for a replacement and the removal of the sum, I received the same exact copy, forcing me to manually write in the total amount, which I will ensure that the credit card company processes. It was almost as if they were mocking us! The ill-mannered and completely unprofessional attitude of the staff, coupled with poor food quality left a bad taste in our mouths in both, a literal and metaphorical sense! Do not give these folks your time and money, I highly recommend that you take your...

What an amazing hidden treasure by Belt Parkway! Was stuck in the traffic for 2 1/2 hours, Needed so badly for the restroom stop and food around 10:45 pm . Doing Google map randomly research find this charming place open till 2 am . First I thought it probably just a regular diner . When I walked in, it’s more like a beautiful bar , and Pleasantly surprise there are some gourmet delicacies serving till midnight. I ordered skirt steak with a glass Malbec. Reasonable price. What a beautiful dish with Absolutely the most of flavorful skirt steak I ever had . While I was busy taking pictures and share my experience with friends my discovery , here came super friendly chef Alex ! Alex making sure the steak served perfectly and I really enjoying my steak . We end up making friends 😄

He promises he will fix me a very nice Traditional Russian meal next time I stop by if I text him ahead of time. Alex is that cute young man at 2 of the photos I took . The beautiful bartender Alina is another treat of Anyway Cafe . She is an very experienced bartender not only making great drinks also knows how to engage with guests. Love the special Ginger infused shot she made for me . I have been in hospitality business in New York City for over 20 years. I highly recommend this charming café. Anyway Cafe is one of my favorite stops after I drop off my clients at JFK now. It’s Literally by Bell Parkway exit 7B and subway station near by. If you stuck at belt parkway traffic. It will be a great place to refresh yourself. BTW , Anyway Cafe is Cash only , just be aware of it. There is a ATM inside Maybe see...