Madison Restaurant — Restaurant in New York

I called to place an order for delivery. I saw there was a lunch special for grilled chicken, bacon, lettuce and tomato on a hero for $16.95 that comes with fries, coleslaw, soup, and hot tea. We ordered a bowl of matzoball soup, tomato and Swiss on rye, a small side Caesar salad, and the lunch special mentioned above. The woman on the phone stated that the lunch special only includes the fries for delivery and not the soup, tea, and coleslaw. I quickly repeated this to the person who wanted the sandwich to make sure she still wanted it, and the woman on the phone asked me to please hold.

I held for over 2 minutes just to complete my order and said we would not be doing the lunch special and just wanted to do the grilled chicken sandwich a la carte. Before I could ask for the price or have the order confirmed, the woman hung up. I had to call back, be placed on hold for another 7 minutes, just to ask what the total was and to confirm the order.

When the food arrived, the total was $48.60. The soup had 0 flavor. I had to add salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder just to have the soup be somewhat edible. The salad was nothing more than lettuce and croutons with an absurd amount of dressing. The Swiss and tomato on rye was soggy. When we looked over the bill, the amount seemed much larger than it should be for 2 sandwiches, a bowl of soup, and a side Caesar salad.

The copy of our bill was difficult to read and when we added up the numbers, it added up to $28. When we called the restaurant to inquire, the woman was rude, blamed us for “putting her on hold” when she was the one who had put us on hold three different times, and stated that although the lunch special for the grilled chicken bacon lettuce and tomato on a hero sandwich was $16.95, we chose not to do the lunch special (aka, not get fries with it) so it was $18.00. She also said the fries would have been an extra $6.00 (so is it listed wrong in the menu then? We are confused), and she stated that in fact, they under charged us by $1.30.

Overall, this was the most overpriced restaurant for terrible food and had awful customer service. If I could give 0 stars, I would. Do not waste your money or your energy. You will hate the food, be frustrated by rude service, and pay an exorbitant amount of money for what I could only describe as water with mush disguised as...

The highlight of my recent late breakfast at The Madison was the attentiveness of the staff and the buttermilk pancakes. There's not too much that varies from one scrambled egg to another, so breakfast in Manhattan often must be measured on other factors. The servings are average, and the prices typical of the UES and location. The buttermilk pancakes were fluffier than most I've seen ANYWHERE in the past year and they were easily the size of my face. With whipped butter and a cup of pancake syrup, the three delightful discs were enough for breakfast and lunch together and it was fortunate that I had a pancake to share. Across the table, a plate of blueberry blintzes disappointingly lacked the same quality and flavor. I sampled one of the tiny rolls and was surprised that the same chef could have sent out both breakfasts. I'm used to blintzes (perhaps it's a Montreal thing) that begin with a fresh eggy pan-sized crepe stuffed and folded with fresh blue berries. The key to a great blintz, however, is the finishing saute in hot butter that gives the stuffed crepe a rich warm coating and brings the juice from the berries. Next time I visit The Madison, I'll know to get the buttermilk cakes, but add the blueberries to the pancake and skip the blintz. What I'll really go back for, though, is the friendly attentiveness of the staff...a smile here, a greeting there, and a reheat on the coffee go a long way in a city where cold isn't just the winter weather. Thank you, friends, for making breakfast a...

Classic and reliable diner fare, but at geriatric midtown east/UN Delegate pricing.

Today I ordered a spinach and cheese (T)omelette with nothing on the side—no hashbrowns or toast, just coffee.

The bill comes, and I notice it's $18.50, which is the price they charge for their "deluxe omelettes" with the aforementioned customary sides. I, perhaps naively so, figured my price would be closer to the $14.50 realm the other (T)omelettes were priced at considering I didn't order anything but 3 (Gr)eggs, spinach, and cheese.

However, that wasn't the case as the manager explained to me sans any sense of tact or awareness—everything is priced the same regardless if you got the sides. I explained that this is a ridiculous policy, and that many places would normally amend the price accordingly, to which he shrugged. My coffee wasn't even comped or anything.

I gave up, vowing never to come back to this predatory establishment again, and paid my $22(!) for a 2 ingredient (T)omelette and got the rock outta there.

Dishonest pricing, but generally nice employees...