Bluestone Lane Upper West Side Café — Restaurant in New York

BEST COFFEE IN MANHATTAN, NEW YORK ! My wife and I were in Manhattan, New York for an 8 day vacation staying at the Hotel Beacon on Broadway not far from this cafe. Good coffee shops are hard to find..exceptional ones even harder ! After very average coffees on Saturday and Sunday in Manhattan we knew there had to be better. My wife found this Bluestone Lane location online and this place was going to be our first port of call early on Monday morning. In fact it was just a 10 minute walk here discovering fun new places along the way like a French bakery we later visited. When we arrived around 8.30am the staff were all wearing facial masks ( in New York City it was mandated to wear facial masks in public etc during our stay ) but we still felt their happy smiles. We were offered to sit at a table inside the very cosy cafe. A happy very interesting server named Matthew ( we assumed he was the manager ) came over to say hi. There was a QR Code menu stuck on the table top but these guys also had a very sophisticated online ordering system off their own website. We were still getting used to some East Coast terminologies as we discussed with Matt the type of coffee we should order...a Flat White ( Aussie term we don't hear in Southern California ), a Latte ( always our fav back home ) or a Cappuccino ( which Matthew recommended as the model they made which suited our tastes the best ). We went with 2 x CAPPUCCINOS ! Sticking with their digital ordering system displayed on our iPhones my wife went with SCRAMBLED EGGS, BACON & TOAST with Jam ( thick multigrain gluten free too ) while I wanted HARD POACHED EGGS, BACON & TOAST with VEGEMITE ( that's when we realized there must be an AUSSIE CONNECTION here ). Of course Matthew had earlier introduced himself as an expat West Australian and a working theatre actor. We were informed that an Aussie ( from Melbourne ) named Nick Stone started Bluestone Lane on the East Coast a few years ago. HOW COOL ! After further research on Wiki we discovered that Bluestone Lane has cafes & coffee shops at 51 locations all over the USA. Our incredible looking Cappuccinos arrived courtesy of Matthew who made them perfectly. WOW there was something special going on here...our cappuccinos tasted as good as anything anywhere anytime ! So good we later bought a 12oz bag of Maverick whole roasted coffee beans ( their house blend ) to take home. Our breakfast order arrived thanks to Meriel the food runner and looked so cute...plated individually ( because every item was ordered as a side ). WHOOPEE...I had been having VEGEMITE withdrawal symptoms after just 3 days away from home. BREAKFAST WAS SENSATIONAL...my hard poached eggs were perfect, the delicate delicious strips of bacon were like prosciutto. My wife totally enjoyed her perfect texture scrambled eggs and loved the wispy bacon like me. The thick multigrain toast ( 2 slices ) was delicious with vegemite or jam. We came back here every morning for breakfast or just coffees. All the staff we interacted with here ( Matthew, Rachel, Matt, Sylvie, Amanda..an Aussie from Sydney, Bryan & Meriel were SUPER FRIENDLY and provided EXCELLENT SERVICE every visit. Most coffee shops in the USA which we have encountered copy the Starbucks dumb down model..take your order at the counter and then yell out your name to come & get it in a paper cup...not Bluestone Lane who know how to pamper you at your table. It's like going to see your personal coffee therapist...you leave feeling REAL GOOD...

GOTTA LOVE IT ! But seriously where do you get a top quality fresh cooked hot breakfast and a fabulous coffee ? We first discovered Bluestone Lane 3 years ago during our vacation in Manhattan, New York. My wife found this location online and it was just a short walk from our apartment at the Hotel Beacon. HOT BREAKFAST ! We enjoyed a hot brekkie here every day and it was spot on every time. WE'RE BACK ! In early Sept 2024 we arrived in New York, NY for 2 weeks to take in the US Tennis Open. OH NO ! We weren't very close to any Bluestone Lane location at our Upper Manhattan address...essentially Harlem. On Sunday, Sept 15h we took the subway to the Downtown area and headed straight here for breakfast. This was our 2nd visit this trip having been here the day before for morning tea. Blake and Joseph the friendly servers gave us a warm welcome when we walked inside around 9.30am. FIRST UP ! We ordered 2 x Cappuccinos with 2% milk, 1 x BL Big Brekkie ( Avocado smash on toasted multigrain with two poached eggs, smoked bacon, roasted tomatoes, field mushrooms & baby kale )...with hard poached eggs and sides of Bacon, Scrambled Eggs and Toast Bar with Vegemite & Jam plus a bottle of Orange Juice. Our well made Cappuccinos arrived promptly and tasted fabulous...thank you barista Pamela. My BL Big Brekkie and my wife's order of sides of Bacon, Scrambled Eggs and Toast arrived together. TOTALLY DELICIOUS ! My hard poached eggs tasted perfect and I loved my Aussie Vegemite on toast. BACON ! The amazing bacon we get at Bluestone Lane Cafes is the best anywhere...delicately light and crispy. ONE...

I don’t have an issue with the restaurant itself, but I do have a serious concern about the front desk staff, specifically Ariana. She was incredibly rude and dismissive, which leaves a terrible impression of the café.

We had put our name down for a table and, upon returning, noticed that our table had been given to someone else right in front of us. When we asked her why, she just responded, “Unfortunately, they came, and I had to give it to them,” without offering any further explanation or apology. I asked again for clarification, but she just repeated the same statement over and over, making no effort to address the situation.

When we asked her to call the manager, she bluntly refused, saying, “I’m not going to call her; you can find her inside the café.” I was shocked by her lack of professionalism. Instead of apologizing or offering us the next available table, she left us standing there with no resolution.

This level of service is unacceptable and not at all what I expected from a place like this. The restaurant deserves better representation at the front desk. The manager of the restaurant was super nice and arranged for a table for us after this happened. But this front desk person “Ariana” is something else. I always wonder that why does people have the audacity to be so rude in such a customer...