Fairway 74th Street Cafe — Restaurant in New York

Update: Two weeks later, I tried the Cafe again, and it was much improved so I am upgrading my review from 3 to 4 stars. The food was much better prepared. The pancakes were much lighter, not fried in oil, and the eggs were done perfectly. The service was great too. Jivan was quick, efficient, and wonderfully friendly. The prices also are very reasonable for NYC. My only complaints are that they served fake maple syrup (when the menu specifies real maple syrup), and the temperature in the restaurant was quite cool (

DO NOT GO HERE. I went for the first time last week, and my experience was terrible. When I arrived, I walked up to register. The woman behind the register couldn’t be bothered to greet me and kept her head down (I assumed it was just the typical “rude person” in nyc). I asked if I was supposed to order here or find a table. She says “Go sit down and someone will give you a menu”…… Okay so I go to sit down. The restaurant is partially full, but there were plenty of open tables in the middle, so I sat at the table right in the middle of the restaurant. I want to emphasize that everyone could see me. When I sat down, I noticed I was the only person of color there. As a Black woman from the South, I KNOW when I am unwelcomed somewhere because of my skin color. I sat down and wait….and waited…..and waited. No one came to my table. In fact, I locked eyes with some of the servers, and they continued on as if I was not there. Some even adjusted the empty tables NEXT TO MY TABLE. Again, the place was not packed, so you can’t get away with the “rush hour excuse” After that and some glares from the other customers, I got my things and left. I will not service trash...

Everything about this place is awkward. The food is okay (their corned beef is probably the only thing to go out of your way for if I had to pick something). It used to be cheaper I think the prices went up about a dollar or two since they introduce new menus(I know we're going through inflation but it felt very sneaky). I really go here cause it's quiet, low-key and has free internet. The staff always looks miserable it doesn't help that the restaurant is always empty when Im here. It's very dull and not very inviting. It doesn't feel like a place that's being looked at with any kind of care. I'm curious as to who is actually running things here, It's completely night and day from the employees that work in the supermarket below. You'll get much better service and quality food at the Viand Cafe across the street. I'd really keep my expectations low if you're trying this out for the first time it's very grey. I was told that the restaurant closed during the pandemic and it had only just came back last year. It really just feels like history will repeat itself...