The Pump Energy Food

They had the best sweet potato pie! It was made with all healthy products, including protein powder. What else could you really expect from a health food restaurant? So I came here to find out if they were still in business and, of course not! :(

BLAND
Bland, bland, bland.
I understand this is a healthier place, less salt, less fat, less everything that makes food delicious, but it’s seriously as if these people have never heard of seasoning. One thing that irks me more than the others: «braised lean beef»… turn on the food network at any random 5 minute period on any day and you will witness somebody braising something full of fat and connective tissue. You don’t braise LEAN meats! They become chewy and dry and weird… like the braised lean beef.
The do it yourself plates are made up of flavors and ingredients that seem to have nothing to do with each other… the good news being that the flavors are really too bland to clash, so you’re left with something vaguely at odds with itself, but still kind of impossible to taste. Meh.
On the plus side, it makes me feel physically healthy, the line is never too long (I’m looking at you, Chipotle across the street), and it definitely makes me feel a whole lot less guilty for eating filling lunch. Even though I never feel that guilty.
Some advice: load up on the hot sauce, ask for extra cheese (because it’s the only thing that will remind you of a not-​desperately-​healthy meal), and try to feel good about yourself.
It’s absolutely «health food that tastes exactly like health food» but if you’re dealing with a 5 minute lunch «break» as many in the area surely are, it’s a good choice, surrounded by a ton of slightly less-​good choices.

I have been wanting to try The Pump for a while since it’s so close to my office, so when a coworker suggested it yesterday I was in. The line was kind of long, but it moved really quickly. I went with a spinach salad with turkey, broccoli quinoa salad, Brussels spouts, and hummus. Everything was really tasty, especially the Brussels sprouts, which I highly recommend. The $ 11 price tag, however, was absolutely ridiculous. I’m sure I’ll be stopping by here every now and again, but until The Pump gets its prices under control I definitely won’t be a regular.

Some of the ingredients are high quality and well-​prepared. If you are highly selective about what you order, you might enjoy your Pump experience.
However, don’t order the falafel. I’m not a purist or idealist, just someone who has tasted falafel before, elsewhere. Pump’s falafel is to any other competent falafel what a vegan cupcake is to a regular one: a bland, grainy, tasteless impostor. (Apologies, vegans, ask your omnivore friends.)
And I understand it’s tough to keep salad mix from wilting in the summer heat — as my brown-​edged lettuce can attest. However, what I expect to pay for at a place promising quality ingredients is the effort to do so in order to justify the exorbitant price of my meal.

The food is clean, but the service and the taste of the food leave a bad one in your mouth. I attempted to order things several times here. I was surprised at how many things I had to repeat. It was a very odd experience. I have had better at other locations.

Call the NY Dept of Health!
Former frequent customer –
our co-​worker displayed his to-​go salad with a cockroach crawling through it.

we come here for lunch quite often and i love it! everything tastes so fresh and healthy. it can taste bland for someone who is not used to eating less salty foods. i would recommend the bison meatballs or beef stew and add roasted red pepper sauce to give your dish more flavor if you find it lacking. the chicken and turkey are good but a bit dry for me. i have only gotten the super charged plate, but would love to try a wrap next. the best part is i can eat as much as i want from this place, since everything on the menu is healthy, and not feel like crap afterwards.
there isn’t much space to eat in, and the seats are uncomfortable, but it’s clean. the staff is kinda bleh and can be rude especially when you ask them what sauce they have. you are in the service industry, act like it.
one huge complaint i have is they are NOT getting with the «green» program! they really need to switch out their plastic containers for more environmentally friendly ones (like whole foods paper containers) and stop giving dine-​in patrons their meals in brown paper bags, it’s not necessary and a total waste. for an health food place, i am surprised at their lack of effort on this end. in fact, i just sent a complaint to through their website. please do the same.
EDIT: I literally JUST emailed them and the CEO, Adam Eskin, shot me back a long email response, talk about great service! fyi, they will be launching their new (green) packaging in january! yays! 5 stars for you Adam.

I liked the food here. Do I know where the chicken, bison, or turkey originated from to validate it’s healthiness, no. However, it’s healthier than a deli sandwich or, dare I say, McDonald’s.
The problem that I have with each and EVERY LOCATION of The Pump is that they are pretty stingy. If you’re going to charge me an extra .50 cents for additional veggies then can you make it so that its worth it to the customers.
Also, what the f*** happened to the tobasco hot sauce that you used to have? If you are that stingy with things like this, how do I know that the meat is as «healthy» as you say it is… exactly — I made you think about that. I hope the managers/​owners read this. I don’t think I will be coming back.
I started coming to the Pump 6 months ago and things have changed quite a bit since coming. Menu options have changed, sauces have changed, and pricing has changed. How do I know that you will start looking to purchase different types of meat that tends to be unhealthy. Is this a trial and error thing for this company… because you are starting to look like a bunch of amateurs at running a business.
Go back to business school!

My boy Spike suggested this place. He was like bro, «Obviously squats are important, but if you want glutes like these, you gotta supplement the workout with ill amounts of protein.» He suggested this place «Pump Energy Food.» Spike does have some shredded glutes, so I looked up the joint and gave them my digits. Meal was sick homie. I ordered the hot bison balls, and boyeeee, I don’t care if they be bison testicles, the ish was legit. Spicy like J Lo’s thighs homie. Nothin’ like hot guac and spicy balls in my mouth bro.
I’ve been eating the Pump for two months now. You gotta see this bod bro! Chicks be trippin’ when they walk by me. Triceps bulging like they be herniated, abs harder than LL Cool J’s. I ain’t like those fools who juice… what you think… I’m gonna watch my junk get more shriveled than my grandma’s arms. Hell na. I’m all natural sweetness.
Upper body in the morn, lowers at lunch, and Pump for dinner. That’s how you get yoked like Sly. That’s how girls be creepin’ on you like its Y2K homie.

I go here everyday, literally.
It’s really good and everything is fresh unlike a lot of to-​go places.
There isn’t that much seating here so I don’t suggest going in a group. But if you’re alone or with one or two other people i’m sure you will find somewhere to sit.
They have menu’s at the coffee counter which will make it easier for you to pick what you want on your plate then staring at the wall display.
LOVE IT!

Even though this one is bigger and cleaner, I still like the one on 38^th St better, because the menu’s more focused. Here, people take a bit longer than they should to decide what they want (though the staff could speak more clearly about what the options actually *are* and help the customers along a bit).
The set-​up is very Chipotle-​like — you watch the assembly of your meal and are asked some questions along the way.
One plus to this location — the spicy, marinated bison is a lot less dry than the bison at the place on 38^th St.
The crowd here tends to be a little better looking than at all the nearby mega-​delis, too. Nice plus.

Is it my imagination or is this place getting better? They started making banana walnut, apple carrot and another type of muffin that I don’t remember. Tried the first two for $ 2 something each. Better than expected considering they don’t look very appetizing. Might even like them better than those of Wildgreen Café on the UES. I get them when I feel like having a virtuous breakfast carb.
Plus, I’m all for getting a salad for lunch here even though I don’t normally get salads. Load it with baked tofu, sweet potato, mushrooms or marinated tomatoes, marinated cucumbers, a little cheddar cheese (this cheese is soooo good! mild) and a little balsamic vinaigrette. Gotta watch the person with the dressing though. Once the person doused my salad — not so tasty. Kinda pricey at around $ 9 but super-​filling. Usually end up eating rest of it in the late afternoon.

For lunch this always the guilt-​free bet.
The food is filling, healthy and inexpensive (for NYC).
Sure it isn’t the the most flavorful thing out there– but sometimes lunch is about filling your belly and getting back to work– Pump does the trick well.

Tried to grab a quick bite after work and despite there being a sign hanging on the door that said they were open till 8:00 pm, they were locking the door at 6:00. lame.

This is one of my favorite places to have lunch at. It is great food after a workout at the gym, or even a shake before the gym. The menu is chock full of items that will boost your energy. They also make their own chicken salad with fruit in it (amazing).
The ingredients are extremely fresh, and you don’t feel like passing out immediately after you finish (which happens after eating at most of these lunch spots in the area). The chicken and spinach twist, Hercules, twisted chicken and guac, and the NY sandwich are my favorites.
If you feel like eating healthy, and feeling full, check it out!

A good lunch selection if you’re looking for a healthy alternative. To be honest, I’ve only been here using free sandwich cards I got from a coworker, and don’t know if I could get used to paying $ 10 on the daily for a sandwich.
In any case, if you need something different that doesn’t involve the mid-​day-​itis, check it out.

OK I am going to go and disagree with the reviews below. I loved this place. Working on 42^nd and Madison for almost 3 years, we are limited to choices for lunch. While our local spots are all great, it is nice to see some new joints around the area springing up that offer more than a Caesar salad wrap or a panini press.
Enter The Pump. My colleague put her business card into the raffle for a free lunch (don’t want to do it? this is the 3^rd colleague that has won at a lunch spot. Trust me. it works!) We headed over for a free «New York Sandwich» which meant our choice of protein and veggies in a healthy wrap. Tuna hummus with hummus (I love hummus) and loads of veggies were superb. Plus, the guy who made my sandwich started yelling in excitement for my friends and I to smile and get excited about our great lunch.
While there were many times I felt the urge to yell about Hans and Franz and how they could (clap!) pump (clap!) you up! — I resisted and checked out the menu for future orders.
I’m sold and will be back soon to try out the breakfast sandwiches/​wraps that include NON FRIED eggs and veggies.

This place is a huge disappointment for me as well. The 31^st street located is closed for renovations so this being the next closest is really a shame. All of the salads I used to order are no longer on the menu and now need to be ordered as a «make your own» — salads no longer come with a pita. Pita needs to be ordered on the side which is not a big deal but I didn’t realize that until I got back to the office and realized there was no bread :(
The prices are definitely a bit higher, not a lot but a little. And I also found that the turkey burger just does not taste as good. This place kind of bums me out cause I am a huge fan of the others.

Food for the gym rat. Pump’s mantra is food simply prepared using simple ingredients. I had the Popeye Jr which had brown rice, steamed spinach, and unseasoned chicken in a little bowl ($ 9.59 including tax). Pump’s take on food while laudable, is overpriced for what it is. and is not. Perhaps if the ingredients were organic…
review 7÷31÷2008
I.M.Y.

I have been frequenting the Pump for about 8 years now and was very excited when a new location opened close to my office. I was psyched not to have to walk the 10 blocks to get my fix. This new location has no right to carry the Pump moniker. Featuring a slimmed down menu and higher prices, the place is a shadow of its former self. The favorite sandwich of many New Yorkers, the classic chicken, spinach, cheese and tomato sauce pita, has been destroyed. No longer served in a toasted whole wheat pita, it’s packed into a funny tasting wrap warmed in a microwave. What little tomato sauce was on the sandwich bled through the wrap and left of pool of red water on the tin foil. Gross. The sandwich ultimately fell apart, which is funny, because I was told pitas are no longer used due to their inability to hold together.
Also gone are the punch cards for a free 11^th meal and $ 1 Crystal Light with meals. On the plus side, service is much faster now that meals are made in assembly line fashion. No more waiting 20 minutes for meals, which I have had to do before.
The love affair is over, at least for this location. I dread the day when the new menu is rolled out to the rest of the chain.