Hemispheres

Food here is either hit-​or-​miss.
Meat is consistently on the dry side, I think it’s because they go for leaner cuts that they can easily cook in bulk. You will have a good day when they decide to serve one of the fattier meats (e.g. pernil, porchetta, beef brisket).
I’m a fan of their cold soups (e.g. gazpacho, vichyssoise, chilled pea), but the other soups are generally not very polished.
Vegan/​vegetarian selection is great but the food tastes a little off sometimes. They usually overcook/​char the tempeh and the tofu is really dried out most of the time. Cooked vegetables typically have too much salt applied or are undercooked.
Super busy at night especially on Mondays, the overall experience can be considered unpleasant.

Screw La Place!!!
Hemispheres remains the gold standard in cafs!
The lines in this place are always very fast moving (except for the grill station, but who the hell wants that nonsense?).
The 600-​calorie bowls make for a wonderful side dish, perfect for accompanying the many raw, cooked, vegan, fat-​guy-​meat, and awesome buffet items, that really do accommodate all the different flavors that googlers come in nowadays.
I will concede that Hemispheres does lack La Place’s wonderful juice bar, but it has something arguably better: if you really know what you’re doing, there is coconut water available in Hemispheres.

This is my second favorite Google café (the first is La Place). The reason why is the salad bar is amazing!

OMG, I am truly on «cloud 9» when I make it over from the Chelsea Market! There are so many farm fresh, salads, and appetizer bar options! Not to mention Hemispheres has three main entrée stations to choose from, that offer hot and unique dinning options for lunch and dinner. It’s hard to name exact dishes since they change the menu every week, but in the past their fish/​seafood is spot on, pork loins are tender, and their soul food side dishes are exactly that… food for the soul! Even though, they have this burger station available everyday, they are something not to miss when you visit! They have like 4 different bread options to choose from, three types of cheeses, and a vegetarian option. I love mine on Pretzel Bread and topped with pepper jack cheese!
Another tip for my fellow Unilocalers lucky enough to dine at this private paradise is… LEAVE ROOM FOR DESSERT! It’s almost overwhelming how many options they provide every day. From cheese cake and apple crumb cake, to freshly baked/​prepared cookies, pastries, and parfaits!
Something to consider as well is, the adjacent café «Truck Pit». Yes, there’s a legitimate food truck that they’ve transplanted to the middle of the 8^th Floor cafeteria! You must try the frequently original FroYo flavors that they churn out through the week. Simply addicting and heavenly!
Overall, Hemispheres, combined with the Truck Pit, on the 8^th Floor of Google’s NYC office location, is hands down one of the best-​kept secrets in the Chelsea area!

Bring Your Fat Pants (and some tupperware).
Sure I’ll take some of that salmon/​augratin/​bass/​turkey/​ham/​sausage/​asparagus/​squashrisoto/​tacos/​nachos/​sushi/​sushi/​sushi/​truckcookie

best cafeteria food. hands down… not to mention its free and comes with a view!
Hot, cold, fish, meat, Asian fusion. salad bar. burgers. juice. ice cream. frozen yogurt. lots to choice from and lots of flavors at this buffet style cafeteria.

This is the best food I ever had in any corporation cafeteria ever. And the best part is that it is free. The only other cafeteria that serves great food is TIAA-​CREF but you have to pay a low cost for it.
The selection at Hemispheres is vast and many offerings are organic. Their fresh fruit sections seems to be the best as it offered cherries, apricots, and other expensive fruits. In addition you can dine outside when the weather is nice. After your meal you can enjoy a nap at the sleep pod or play some ping pong in the game room.
I wrote a detailed review
as the entire review is too long to post here and not necessary for those who are not interested.
Just beg a friend who works there for an invite and go.

If you ever want to be depressed about your job, just visit a friend at Google’s Cafeteria. Unbelievable.
Located across from Chelsea Market, you need someone who works at Google (a «Googler» as they call it) to get you in. So buddy up with someone over there cause it’s a great culinary experience, and you’ll feel like you won a golden ticket from Willy Wonka after walking the Google halls.
Guest chefs from all over the world are flown in to show off their skills. My biggest dilemma, «Should I get the lamb shank with goat cheese polenta or the tiger shrimp salad?» Well, I had both. And don’t even get me started on the desserts.
My friends and I took our trays, overloaded with as much food as we could handle without embarrassing ourselves, and sat on the deck overlooking a gorgeous Manhattan skyline. As we ate, we were surrounded by hundreds of smart, good looking international 20 – 40 yr olds… and that’s exactly when we started hating our job.
After your lunch be sure to take a tour of the office. It’s so cool. While the food was great, walking the halls is really what made me speechless. Guys will be flying by you on scooters, there’s actually a Lego room to spur creativity, a massage room for those achy muscles, and food stations within 100 feet of any desk. Seriously, the founders made a rule that no employee can be farther than 100ft from food at any time.
4 stars just because I don’t work there. Can’t wait to go again.

I am pathetically ignorant of the area restaurants, and it is all Hemispheres’ fault :). Everything is free, the chefs are inventive enough to devise 15 completely different menus every week (29 if you count 5 Borough Bistro downstairs), there’s outdoor balcony seating with an amazing view of Manhattan, and the food beats out typical restaurants on all but its worst days. Welcome to Google.
It’s hard to find any fault with unlimited free food, and the concept alone merits at least four stars. Irrespective of the «value per dollar» (which is technically undefined), the food on its very worst days would merit three stars and on its best a definite five. Finding the «right» station to eat at is a daily challenge, as one typically tends to have better food than the rest on a particular day.
Hemispheres’ popularity is its own greatest fault: It gets very crowded from about 12:15 onward with thousands of geeks talking about the sweet stuff they coded that day. One would think it easy to socialize in such an environment (if you also have a burning desire to talk about your code :)), but realistically, it tends to get so crowded that you can barely hear others speak, much less form conversations. Lines begin to queue up at the various stations, often becoming absurdly long in the presence of sushi. Popular items tend to run out before 1 PM, and there is no guarantee they will be replenished. For maximal enjoyment, aim for the 11:30 — 12:00 window.
If I had to pay, I’d still give Hemispheres four stars. The fact that all of this is free makes it a solid five.

Holy mother of!!! If you want to be jealous of someones job, be jealous of all 2000+ that work at Google NY.
Ridiculous. I didn’t know their cafeteria had a name, but I ate here today as I was visiting all day for training. These people never have to go food shopping again, they can get breakfast lunch and probably dinner.
I was scared because I had no one to talk to so I made a salad with disgustingly delicious fat free balsamic vinagerette. I don’t know what they put it in but it was goooooood.
They also had a sandwich station with about 10 different flavors of mayonnaise. Everything was so fresh and clean and nicely presented. You name it, they probably have it.
Oh and don’t try to sneak in. I flew in earlier that day and really wanted to use a bathroom, but they won’t let you unless you are glued to someone.

I’m so glad we have Hemispheres in New York.
In general, all of the food here is pretty good. But the vegan/​raw bar really stands out. I felt compelled to write a review after enjoying one of my favorite raw dishes here: the basil ice cream with strawberries and balsamic reduction. It was phenomenally good… I would’ve never imagined trying basil flavored ice cream, but now I want to buy an ice cream maker and try making it myself. The cool, creamy ice cream and fresh strawberries glazed with balsamic… The flavors and textures were perfect. It was awesome. Big complements to the raw chef! She rocks!

Great food. Great free food. Great free food with friends who invited you. Great free food with friends that invited you and an awesome view. And an air hockey table.
On one hand I lust after working at Google because I’d get to eat here all the time and be fat and happy. On the other, this would significantly cut into my Unilocaling, so I guess I’ll take it as a silver lining.
If I worked here, it would be an unquestioned five star review. But since I don’t, and I’m jealous, it’s four.

I’m always so excited when one of my Google reps invites me to their digs for lunch in Mountain View, but here I am in Manhattan and my DoubleClick vendor invited me to lunch. He said we’d do «sushi» but then we wound up in the Google cafeteria.
Disappointed? Hell no. This place has the typical fabulous Google fare: fresh, delicious, and the variety is to die for. I could eat here every single day and never tire of the ever rotating selection of food. I tend to do the «low carb» thing and the selection of fish and meat offerings never disappoints. Desserts range from fresh berries, to decadently moist brownies, organic cookies, tiramisu… the possibilities are as endless as they are delicious.
To boot, they have a killer view from the patio outside.
When are you guys going to hire me so I can eat like this everyday?

Desperately hoping that one day I meet a new Google friend in the elevator on my way to the lowly Sixth Floor (Nike). Our office too boasts huge windows with views from the Empire State building to a neighbor’s lovely roof-​top garden. However, aside from the copious amount of scooters, Wii and other amenities, the most glaringly obvious difference is a haute-​gourmet lunch vs. leftover chips from a meeting.
*Sigh*
Many is the time a co-​worker has come back to the office with tales of fresh strawberry crepes, truffle risotto and sushi-​to-​go.
One day… one day I vow. My memory is still fresh from a legendary trip visiting a friend at Mt. View. Shoe discounts ain’t got nuthin’ on free chow. Have you tried eating rubber?

The husband works at Google in Mountain View so during our recent trip to New York, visiting the New York Google cafeteria was a must. Unfortunately he forgot the address to Google, but he at least remembered the intersection. He figured when we got there we’d just start looking for Google badges. Thankfully it all worked out and after going through a lot more security than in Mountain View we made it inside (the stickers for guests also include a picture taken on the spot).
Google in New York isn’t like Google in Mountain View. Instead of a campus, Google in New York occupies a couple floors of a huge building. We wandered around those floors looking for the cafeterias. The corridors were so long we ended up riding razor scooters.
This review is for Hemispheres not 5 Borough Bistro. We first stumbled into 5 Borough Bistro and it was pitiful. It resembled a salad bar restaurant instead of a Las Vegas buffet, which let’s be honest, Google’s cafeterias (at least in Mountain View) are like (the Vegas buffet I mean). So after 20 minutes of searching we finally ate at Hemispheres.
Hemispheres has big pictures lining the walls of guest chefs that have come to cook at Hemispheres for the day. The menu is divided into different sections like grill, spa, flour, Home: Midwest (maybe just for that day’s menu?), earth and water, raw, antipasti, and 4 wells (a.k.a. soup).
The salads and side dishes and the desserts at Hemispheres were particularly good. They also do the fruit infused water thing like in Mountain View. My favorite dishes were the feta potato patties and the chocolate raspberry torte.
The menu changes daily but here are some of the dishes we ate:
–tomato salad (with heirloom tomatoes)
–hummus with toasted pita
–jumbo lump crab cake sliders (much better after I removed the overwhelming giant bun)
–roasted salmon
–low fat orange julius
There were two different watermelon salads, sesame watermelon and watermelon/​feta/​mint/​honey. The one with feta opened a can of whoop ass on the one with sesame watermelon.
My favorite things about Hemispheres other than the food:
–The view of the Meatpacking District from the 8^th floor balcony of the cafeteria
–The framed and labeled pictures of the different Google cafeterias in Mountain View
Google Café Rankings (all in Mountain View unless noted):
1) No Name Café
2) HEMISPHERES (New York)
3) Andale
4) Slice
5) Café Moma
6) Oasis
7) Charlie’s
8) Fourteen
9) Lunch Box

I work in Chelsea Market (across the street from Google) and thought I had it good. I mean I’m in the same building the food network is and the same building as Amy’s Bread and Ninth Street Espresso.
But
When my gf came to work for a few days — she’s based out of the Mountainview office of Google (but is in London for three months) and invited me over, I, of course went.
It’s totally unfair, not only is all the food free. They also have a fabulous view of NY, huge, HUGE outdoor patio, main cafeteria is on the eighth floor… and as we walked down the hall, I started smelling yummy smells. Inside, it’s beautiful. All that food! They even have a raw bar!
I had tomoto soup, stuff from the raw bar and salad bar and theme was Morocco? Had cous cous and lamb.
The piggies that we are, we ate on the eighth floor then went down to the fourth floor where the sushi/​asian food was for take out.
and then on the way out I grabbed some chips.
Seriously I would gain at least twenty pounds if I worked there but everyone at Google seems to be fit. The offices are just OK looking, cubes, play things everywhere. Red scooters everywhere (but why? Google in NY isn’t THAT big)
My gf says the food in London is the tastiest…

Earth and Water rules the world. Kevin makes the best seafood known to man and I hope he never ever leaves. However, he’s far too good to be kept in one place where the world cannot experience his awesomeness. *sigh*
Chelsea Grill will be the cause of my premature heart attack and the Home Station is to be blamed for my Google umm…15. Err. yeah 15, thats the ticket. If you happen to know a Googler, ask them to bring you in the next time we have the Mac –n– Cheese bar on the menu. You will not be disappointed.
Danita and her desserts make my tastebuds sing. The different varieties of Hot Chocolate on cold winter days were pure heaven. So rich, so good, but oh so bad. *sigh*
I love my job.

Oh Google Cafeteria, how I love thee.
As a non-​Google employee, I treasure the special occasions on which I get to eat here. It’s literally heaven on earth for a vegetarian — there are tons of options, all which are helpfully labeled with the ingredients.
Though the cafeteria on the higher floor has a wider selection, I personally like the cafeterian on the lower floor, because it’s quieter, calmer, and you can get sushi. Really good, really fresh sushi.
I also have to add that they often offer fresh rambuten, which happens to be my favorite fruit in the world — I had this fruit for the first time when I was visiting a wild fruit farm in Queensland, Australia, and since then, have only found in the depths of Chinatown. Who would have thought I’d find heaps of it at the Google Cafeteria? My Google representatives always have a good laugh when they see me come back to the table, plate piled high of these strange-​looking fruits.

Oh Hemispheres and 5bb, you make me so fat that even riding my bike into work from Brooklyn every day (yes, even in the rain) I still gain tons of weight.
The food here is so good that it’s jading me for eating out in restaurants. I go out and I think «Damn, that was allright, but we just had that for lunch a week ago, and the plating was better and it was free and I could customize it to my heart’s content.» It’s really annoying.

That’s right! You think you’ve been everywhere there is to be in New York to eat; you have thought wrong my friend.
You see I ate at the World Famous Google cafeteria, and NO, I did not have to «SEARCH’ for my food. Google doesn’t look too kindly upon such infantile jokes.
In order to break into this heavenly sanctuary you must know an employee of Google, preferably one with balls enough to demand that they let his +1 in. Rather than put up a fight, more often than not Google will let you stroll on in as an honored plus one, like Charlie in Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, you are the lucky chosen one to bask in the multicolored fantasy land that is Google NYC.
Chef’s from round the world are flown in for weekly stints in Google kitchen, busily preparing entrees the likes of which will have you salivating.
Once inside there are candy stops, salad bars, drinks a-​plenty, home-​cooked stands, exotic Thai delicacies, and full blown dessert carts. Google is a very business 2.0 company, and this is mirrored in their appallingly large selection in their free buffet and huge/​convenient dining space.
This is an office like no other.
And once you are stuffed be sure to poke around and find the Google playroom, a glass box with electric massage chairs, Wii games, and ping-​pong tables.
God I hate my job!