Conde Nast Cafeteria

I like hanging out here and watch the fashion zoo.

I was fortunate enough to have a Conde Nast employee friend for the better part of the last year and she’d often invite me up for lunch in the cafeteria.
The food: pretty much all hits and no misses. The salads, the meats, the pastas, the veggies, the sushi… Everything is astoundingly fresh and satisfying.
The price: not bad, considering the quality. It’s mostly charged by the weight, so my eyes-​bigger-​than-​my-​stomach affliction can get me into trouble here. It’s also a bit of a bother to have to use a «money card» in lieu of real cash or credit. It helps guarantee that only Conde employees and their guests eat there though, so I guess I can’t complain.
The layout: a bit crowded, especially during the lunch rush as everyone’s jostling around to grab their food and run back up to their desks.
The staff: always always always friendly and helpful.
The dining area: MAGNIFICENT. I believe it’s Gehry-​designed. All soaring, curved glass, clean tan booths and tall windows looking out over 42^nd Street.
I’ll honestly miss eating here. I’ll have to find another CN friend to invite me over some time…

Decently priced food, surprisingly good for being a cafeteria, with a variety and a convenient weekly menu. Contrary to what some may think, this place is not a salad-​only place for anorexic people (though they do have a decent salad bar).
They now serve sushi four days a week, and it’s usually decently fresh. You will hear a lot of people asking for «less rice.» That is to be expected. There is also this thing called «Meatless Mondays» which I think is a good concept but with a name that’s way too easy to make fun of. They also serve entrees like «ricotta-​stuffed french toast with applewood smoked bacon.» Just repeat that entrée name to yourself and salivate the concept. And they regularly feature recipes from Bön Appetite, Self, Epicurious, etc other CN publications (though I did try an Epicurious cookie once, and was disappointed… hmph. Their cookies ARE only $.65/​each though; I suppose it’s nice to provide some incentive to up the average BMI).
My one gripe is that they do not have a sandwich press. You can’t get a panini because they have nothing to press it with. Which is kind of annoying, but for what it is they make decent sandwiches and they’re not expensive. Also, they used to get their mini cupcakes (at least on Valentine’s Day this year they still did) from Carousel Bakery in NJ, but now get it from somewhere else with kind of dry cake and mediocre frosting, and for $ 1.25, it’s even more disappointing than Baked by Melissa (which messed up its frosting-​to-​cake ratio – you can read my diatribe here:
)
I did see Anna Wintour here twice though, so bonus half star for bragging rights. Also, cool billowy glass Frank Gehry design. Win.

i have been frequenting this cafeteria for years now and we have gone through many ups and downs, but i have recently realized how lucky i am to have it around. love the sushi, especially with kwan. love the salad bar and the special regional cuisine and love the guest chefs! it’s really very solid. i have been to time inc and hearst as well and it’s better than time and equal to hearst, but hearst has a better view. sorry frank gehry.

this review is dedicated to erin.
poached salmon + gorgeous architecture = WIN.
not bad, not bad at all. i may have to visit pals at allure magazine more often.

i met a friend here for lunch midweek.
yes, it was all lunch cards but they did have machines for visitors.
my friend relayed that the dessert special was always what was on the cover of bon appetit. he added that wed was the most scene-​y with people trying to avoid the craziness of matinée time square.
but it was a tuesday, and the fashionistas were crowded around the salad bar as there was no sushi chef that day. not surprisingly, there was no line at the grill where we ordered some waffle fries and grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches.
sectioned off with gehry italian blown glass at millions a piece, this place was quite fab for a cafeteria. the exit though was less to be desired with an odd house of mirrors feel as you leave.
perhaps a taste of warped body image? i’ll take my grilled cheese any day.

While interning for Self Magazine, I couldn’t wait to take lunch! and why not save time and use the Cafeteria!
Pros: Great Food,
Always well-​prepared
Hot & Steamy
Very Diverse… meaning on random days will be selected lunch from a particular country. I think that was a great idea because there are many of closed minded people who dont want to try something new, and that was a way to do it!
Breakfast was my favorite meal of the day of course
and how could i not forget my lunch! Japanese Stir Fry Extra Spicy!
The Deli also makes crisp and fresh sandwiches!
Cons:
Long Lines! If u have go to lunch at 12pm… try n get there by 11;55 or something! trust me its worth it!
Waiting for a patiicular dish to be put out and every rushes for it
ICE COLD CAFETERIA… Please be prepared and bring a cardigan!!!
Making sure you have money on your LUNCHCARD!
But overall, I enjoyed interning for Conde Nast and the food!

oh nasty nast. how i long for your caf. after i left your cold bosom i realized how spoiled i was by your sushi, stirfry, sandwiches and bizarro international stations. when i was forced to work in the 30s and eat at subway every day i yearned for your micro crème brulees and your fancy pastas. seriously, that salad bar! i know you pale in comparison to the hearst caf but shit, we go back. way back. way back to when i spilled that entire gigantic coffee and damn near splashed the pants of graydon carter. i miss thee and your fantastic workers. seriously, the caf staff was sometimes the only proof of a human soul that i encountered in all of 4 times square. thank you for being a friend.

The cook asked me if it was okay to put oil in my pad thai.
…
yeah man, it’s cool.

As far as company cafeterias go, it’s great. Compared to the Hearst café? It’s laughable.
My biggest beef with it is the size. It’s tiny and cramped, and between 11:30 and 2 p.m., you can barely maneuver around the stations without bumping into people. It’s a real nightmare. Considering the size of Conde Nast and the number of people in the building, they should’ve had a better design to handle the volume.
But the food is also better at Hearst’s Café 57.

Designed by Frank Gehry, the Conde Nast Cafeteria is a uniquely beautiful room unlike any other. Billowing glass and sheets of titanium partition the space into separate eating areas. Every detail from the tables and chairs to the lighting fixtures were designed by Gehry himself.
Conde is one of the largest publishers of magazines in the world, including, Vogue, Details. Architectural Digest, Vanity Fair, Gourmet, Bön Appetit, Conde Nast Traveler, Wired, The New Yorker and many others. All of which dine together at the cafeteria. At any time you may see Anna Wintour dining with Sy Newhouse or Grayson Carter meeting with a photog at a table side by side with geeks from tech. Perhaps a famous model or two, not eating.
The Conde Nast women are always dressed to the nines, click clacking along in their Manolo Blahniks, grazing over the salad bar to ensure that they continue to fit into this seasons fab-​wear.
The «Glam-o-teria’s» food is contracted out to Restaurant Associates who do a better than average job, though many of the dishes fall short. No garlic is ever used as the owner is allergic.
The basic lay of the land is, in the center you have a very decent salad bar and a section called the «international table», which is usually chicken with some type of brown sauce. There is a grill area with sub-​par cheeseburgers and other typical grill items. There is a sandwich/​soup bar that makes very good sandwiches and very bad soup. We have sushi on certain days that looks and tastes like plastic. Also there is Pasta Day (no garlic), stir fry, make your own salads and on occasion a Chef’s Table with a guest chef.
We all complain about it at some point because we get tired of it, but having seen other companies cafeterias, we are blessed.
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