Eisenberg's Sandwich Shop — Restaurant in New York

Eisenberg’s used to be a regular stop for breakfast for me. Over the past few months I’ve experienced a decreasing quality of service from their counter employees. Perhaps they think they’re above giving good service because they’ve been around for a while, but I’d like to share my personal experiences with them over my last three visits.

About 2 months ago I visited them and sat at the counter as I typically do. This time I sat right behind the area where they finish the order (you know butter bread, add bacon to the order, etc). As I sat waiting to place my order I watched the guy working the station. I watched him put on the plastic gloves, then proceed to grab a counter rag, wash the counter, then grab a pile of toast and begin to butter them, He then piled bacon on an order, all without removing his dirty gloves.

The next time I sat at the counter, a different person came over, set a place for me (silverware, napkin, etc) and ask what I’d like. I told him my order, and proceeded to watch him walk down the counter and begin removing dishes from the counter, talk to other employees, and take other customers orders. He never placed my order with the line cooks, and made no attempt to get the tea I had ordered. When he walked by I repeated that I’d like a tea and he said he would get it but proceeded to not. After 15 minutes of waiting for a simple tea I was forced to leave as I would be late for work.

The latest attempt, this morning, was my last straw. I sat at the counter, again near the order staging area. The guy asked if I needed anything, so I gave him my order. He proceeded to put on gloves, clean up the pile of used plates and silverware (by handling the business end of the fork) and piling them on the counter. He then proceeded to take freshly toasted bread WITH THE SAME DIRTY GLOVES and butter the bread, all without ever telling the line cook my order or getting the drink I had ordered!

TL;DR : Eisenberg’s employees routinely handle dirty plates and fresh food all without changing their gloves, they are also terrible at taking and submitting food orders.

Do yourself a favor and go to Malibu diner around the corner. I have been going there with more frequency lately and they give much better service and don’t handle the food with...

I've been wanting to come here for years and I finally made it - twice in 2 days! My son who lives in NYC eats at this spot almost 1 time a week, and over the years, I've heard about how great everything is - including the atmosphere!! Well, my son hyped this place accurately! I loved sitting at the counter next to my son in this very busy, very bustling place! We were able to watch the cook make a bunch of things, and this guy was amazing! Getting to our food, the first day, Saturday, the 10th of Feb., 2024, I had a cheeseburger. It was the perfect thickness- not too thick and not too thin. It still had some pink in the center, and it was on a griddled bun. The French fries were special! And the kosher style pickles on the side finished everything off perfectly! My son had a bowl of chicken soup. The soup itself tasted like real old fashioned Jewish chicken soup, but the matzo ball was way too dense for his or my liking. The next day we went back. I ordered pancakes, which were good, but a little too thick and sort of mealy or cakey on the inside, rather than fluffy. I also ordered a side of their hash browns, which I loved! I also got a tuna sandwich with lettuce on rye to go , which turned out to be delicious. My son got a fried chicken cutlet sandwich on toasted rye with mayo, lettuce, and tomato, and it was absolutely delicious. Something else that was extremely memorable and amazing about this place is how incredibly nice every single person is who works there. The place is a little cramped, with all the people waiting behind the counter where customers are sitting, and all the workers have to manage within that space. They could easily be in a cranky mood, but it's the opposite.Every single person there has a smile and a kind word for every customer and every coworker. It's very impressive. I think the prices are fair, and I was motivated to leave a big tip for these great people who work so hard to make sure people like me and my son have a great meal and a fun time at their one of a kind, yet quintessential NY City restaurant! I will go back soon because I want to try everything...

We were really looking forward to eating here, after reading reviews on TripAdvisor and Google. Unfortunately, our experience of Eisenberg's was memorable for the wrong reasons. Although it is not the worst place I've ever eaten, it's actually not far off. The service was nearly as bad as the cooking. Dropped tea-bags were scooped back off the floor and back into the jar; table was sticky; floor looked like it had not been cleaned for a long while - shelving etc. an even longer while; had to change some cutlery as it wasn't clean; "boiling" water for tea was cold - second lot of "boiling" water was only lukewarm; table and chairs might be described as "quirky" by some but "old, cramped and squeaky" by others. We ordered 4 Eisenburgers - all medium rare - with French fries and trimmings. The French fries were mostly black, some were dark brown. When questioned about this, the waitress said that most people like their fries "crispy" ! When I pointed out there wasn't any potato left in most of the fries, as it had been burnt to a frazzle, she simply shrugged her shoulders and walked away. The 4 "medium rare" burgers were all cooked differently, despite us being the only customers in the place on this Sunday morning. Parts of 3 burgers were burnt - even on the inside. All 4 had a bloody side and one was even raw on one side. This traditional burger joint could be a goldmine but it needs a thorough clean, repaired furniture, working coffee / hot water machines, properly-trained waiting staff and, most of all, cooking staff that know how to cook - even if only to a very basic level. In short, the service leaves a lot to be desired, the cooking is incompetent, uncomfortable seating... a waste of time and money. It's not easy to find good food and good service in NYC (to date, I have made at least 44 trips to the NYC area) and we were hoping our Eisenberg experience would be "an exception to the rule". Unfortunately,...