Union Square Cafe

Came here for a pre theatre meal, time was limited and so we were only able to enjoy main courses. I had the cod spaghetti dish (appetizer size) and my husband had the steak. The complimentary bread was delicious, I ate way too much of it!
We both really enjoyed our dishes. My pasta was very flavorful and just the right size, apparently the main course size is 50% larger. My husband was pleased to get potatoes with his steak, which you don’t always get, but would have liked more vegetables. He loved the steak.
I wish we had more time for dessert as they all sounded so good. Normally there is one or two on a dessert menu that I’d eat, and here I wanted to try at least 5 of the desserts! But time wouldn’t allow.
Our server was very friendly and attentive. I would definitely like to return for brunch and to try the desserts!

This place is delicious. I hope it retains its fabulous reputation when it reopens. I went here for a group lunch and they stayed open to accommodate our party lingering and continuous ordering. The cocktails are killer here. I look forward to my next visit.

Union Square Café is changing locations due to their lease expiring, and this is this last week in the original location where they’ve been housed for 30 years. I decided to try this place and originally wanted to come for dinner, but they’re doing a pricey, fixed menu for their last week so we opted for brunch instead.
The restaurant was packed. Our group was four people so we reserved two tables for two. The host was fantastic and found us a four person table to sit at once another party canceled.
Our server was very nice and friendly. The only issue I had was that everything felt like it was taking a while — refills on water, ordering, etc. That being said, every table was full when we got there, so they were definitely busy. Everything was a little hectic. I don’t fault the restaurant for this, but the child at the table next to us screamed for most of our meal, so it didn’t feel as relaxing as it otherwise might’ve.
They give you complimentary bread and olives to start. I ordered the ricotta gnocchi. I really liked this dish — the gnocchi were big and pillowy and the sauce was sweet and flavorful. My only problem with this dish was that I was still sort of hungry after I ate it, and I had paid an extra $ 10 to upgrade it to a «main course». A $ 27 bowl of pasta should fill someone — especially a small girl. I wonder what the original portion would have looked like.
My friends ordered the burgers and the French toast. I tried the French toast and the French fries — liked both of them. We also ordered bacon which was spot on. Thick cuts that were lightly glazed.
I felt that my experience at Union Square Café was mostly positive and I’d be interested to come back and try their new location once it opens next year. My big take away after talking to the host and to our server was that the people who work here really care about the restaurant, which I could really appreciate.

Yet another amazing experience here. I made a reservation through open table a month in advance for a saturday night; we were seated pretty quickly. I am OBSESSED with the ricotta gnocchi (that my previous 2 visits here I ordered it and would have again…) but we made an agreement that we would each order something new. I got the butternut squash tortellini (looks more like ravioli though) — which SOMEHOW turned out to be equally if not better than the gnocchi– my mouth waters looking back at the picture I took! We got the pumpkin cheesecake for dessert (same as last visit) but I believe it looked different than it did the first time — wouldn’t be surprised if they change their presentation often. I was pretty disappointed that though the dessert had «happy birthday» written on the plate, they charged $ 10 for the dessert… you’d think we’re paying enough they could toss us a bone for that but guess you can’t assume at a top $$ restaurant.
The service here is always fantastic– we happen to always get great waiters/​waitresses that want to engage us rather than rush us in and out of the restaurant. I also realized now that I“ve been here 3 times, that though they have a room with spaced out tables and another room with tables much closer together, I prefer the tighter room because it’s more intimate. Not that it matters, since they’re moving :(but I hear their new restaurant will be bigger! I can’t wait to go back when it re-​opens — and this time, I’ll easily trust it’s okay to try something new — you can’t go wrong here.

It’s a good thing that USC will be closing soon and moving to a new location because the overall impression I got from my visit here is that this place is in desperate need of a facelift both physically and among the spirit of its staff. The last time I came here was more than 10 years ago when this restaurant was a destination. Now it just seems tired. We came on a Sunday night for a 5:30 reservation & I was very surprised upon walking into the restaurant to see a long line and many people waiting to be seated. I thought, this is not a Danny Meyer’s restaurant or at least this is not how he would want his customers to be treated. There seemed to be no coherence to the line, so I just walked to the front and let the staff know that we had a reservation and we were shown to our table. If I hadn’t done that, I think we would have been waiting for a long time. The staff at the front desk kept staring at the computer monitor and talking among themselves. There was absolutely no attempt at making eye contact with the people waiting in the growing line.
Everything took a while, from the time it took for our waiter to take our order to getting our bread basket refilled to our main course to arrive. The food was lukewarm, not hot, and generally very good. The rib eye was amazingly tender, the rack of pork tasty. My order, the pesce mista, however, reminded me of Arthur Treacher’s lookwise. The 3 sauce it came with salvaged the meal. There was nothing wrong with it; you just expect better at this price point and restaurant.
In some ways, it felt like amateur hour. The mussels were missing from my dish, and it was just one of four ingredients. A staff dropped a tray. Another staff knocked over some glasses to the floor. Our waiter, while perfectly nice and relatively attentive, seemed tired and subdued. It’s not easy, this restaurant business, and I felt for him.
I was also sorry to see people dressed like they were going to a tailgate party or Shake Shack. I remember when going to USC used to mean something, and people would dress accordingly. I think this move could not come at a better time. Being a fan of Meyer’s, I hope he can restore the energy, charm, excitement and service of the USC I used to know and love. Because believe me, when you’re paying over $ 350 for three people and that doesn’t even include any alcoholic beverages, you deserve better than this. Much better.

This place does not disappoint. I’ve been here for brunch and dinner a few times and the food is always amazing and the service extraordinary.
In terms of the food, you can’t go wrong with the soft scrambled eggs and the mimosas for brunch. In true USC fashion, the bread that accompanies your meals is always a hit as well. For dinner, I’m a personal of the gnocchi and the polentas (especially the blue cheese). I can often get bored of gnocchi since most places aren’t very creative with it but USC’s execution is always on point.
The service here is ridiculously attentive, especially for dinner and even if the entire restaurant is jam packed. Some of the best service I’ve had in the city so far.
If you haven’t been to Union Square Café yet, you’re missing out.

Very good food, service and atmosphere are highlights of this long-​term icon.
Entrée prices were a little higher than I thought they should be and not seeing a white wine bottle below $ 55 was a disappointment. Bread was varied and uniformly excellent; a wide variety of very attractive desserts are offered.

The restaurant was packed with every seat already taken at the bar and very few empty tables on both floors. The modest exterior matched the interior with the food and guests adding to the casually refined ambiance.
Somehow, I managed to get the best seat in the house, despite having to change my reservations last minute after my sister got stuck in traffic in her travels to the city. The banquette seating was spacious despite the generally cozy quarters.
I studied the menu as I munched on the proffered bread basket, served with butter, black olives, and an utterly delicious olive oil/​chopped pistachios/​sunflower seed blend (duqqa/​dukkah).
For the appetizer, I had the refreshing chilled melon soup, topped with sweetly-​pickled, thinly sliced baby cucumbers and a splash of Prosecco. The seafood mixed grill included charred octopus, sea scallops, and langoustine. The octopus was well prepared, crispy and tender. Equally well done was the langoustine. Unfortunately, I did not like the scallops, which were not as large or tasty as expected.
A separate side, the crispy polenta (I’ve been on a polenta kick lately) with hot chili oil was amazing. The texture of French fries, that is, crispy on the outside with a tender inside, was tasty, flavorful and spicy.
Service was okay.

4.5 stars but I’m nice. Top-​notch dining establishment in the city.
Went here with my family for a birthday celebration on a Sunday evening. The restaurant is very pretty (although it’s moving to a different location soon) and the service was fantastic throughout.
The cocktails were great. I had a bourbon and prosecco concoction that was terrific. Also a very good wine list.
The tomato salad appetizer was perfect. I was blown away by how fresh it tasted and it was dressed with the perfect amount of oil. This was one of the best tomato dishes I’ve ever had. So simple yet so delicious. I also tasted the ricotta gnocchi which was dangerously good as well as the calamari which was nice and crispy.
The lamb chops I had for my entrée had a very good flavor, although they came out rare when I ordered them medium. When they came back from the kitchen, the flavor was definitely there. Could’ve used a 4^th chop though :(
I tried several of the desserts and they were each very different. You definitely tasted the blueberries and peaches in their respective dishes. The chocolate and salt cake was very good, but a bit too salty for my taste.
Overall, a great experience!

Having previously gone to USC with exceptional service and food, I was fairly disappointed with the service this time around. Not up to par for Danny Meyer or USC, but maybe it was a one-​off. To keep it short:
— Menus were placed on our laps for over 15 minutes before anyone even looked at us. That is a long fucking time. Our waiter brought water and beers and was soon replaced by a brooding tall bald guy.
— Our wine order was taken by a different waiter and brought out while there were still menus on the table (no fucking room anywhere to put 4 wine glasses, dude). She haphazardly shuffled around all the plates and menus and bread basket to tightly squeeze in 4 huge wine glasses. Very annoying.
— Then we continued to sit on our menus for another 20 minutes until Brooding Tall Bald Guy came and asked «so… any questions with the menu orrrrr?» UHH yeah dude, we’re ready to order.
— When we ordered dessert, he was just plain rude. Just saying.
Bread basket refilled 3 times was nice, though. But try munching on bread and red wine for 40 fucking minutes???
Memorable end-​of-​summer must-​get dishes (perhaps for next year) — heirloom tomato salad, burrata salad, grilled peaches with cream cheese ice cream for dessert.
Not so memorable — the NY strip steak (I could cook a better one myself). Marrow mashed potatoes were very forgettable. Beets with Maytag blue cheese, yawn. The swordfish was extremely over-​salted.
I’ll round 3.5 stars to 4. I think I’m done with USC.

Danny Meyer’s Union Square Café has received quite the collection of accolades since opening in 1985 — five James Beard Awards, Zagat Survey’s #1 ranking as New York’s Most Popular Restaurant for nine times, just to name a few (but no Michelin star!).
I came here for brunch on a Saturday, and got the Huckleberry Buttermilk Pancakes with peanut-​bacon butter and berry compote. The dish included four stacks of medium-​thickness pancakes that were perfect balance of moist without being too doughy. The combination of sweet berry compote and savory peanut-​bacon butter was really interesting. If I wanted a sweet bite, I would smother the pancake in the berry sauce; if I wanted a savory bite, I would dip it into the peanut bacon butter. The pancakes also had powdered sugar on top.
My friend got the Grilled Lamb Chops Scotta Dita ($ 33). Even though this menu is not typically offered for brunch, she is a frequent visitor at Union Square Café and the chef accommodated her special request :) The dish had three racks of meaty lamb legs on bone, and served with creamy potato confit and swiss char on the side. Personally this meal would be way too heavy for brunch… thus the reason it’s only served for dinner!
We also got two desserts ($ 10). The Lemon Mousse with grapefruit and grapefruit sorbet was too sour. The lemon mousse basically tasted like cheesecake, but perhaps not as cheesy and creamy. A trio of sorbet was a good way to sample their selection of sorbet. I tried the grapefruit (too sour…), mango, and coconut (my favorite!). The sorbet was topped with two pieces of biscotti. I don’t typically like biscotti because they are too dry and hard, and these were no different.

Union Square Café is an institution. I’ve always wanted to go here, but finally was compelled when I heard they would be moving locations. Union Square Café not in Union Square? The very idea!
It has a nice old school vibe despite the huge modernist paintings on the walls. We were seated at a table tucked away in a cozy nook, which made it both comfortable and private. Our server was efficient as well as entertaining. Started off with this really nice bread basket that came with butter, olive oil, and olives.
For food, we ordered the crispy soft shell crab and crispy pig tail for small plates and had the grilled lamb chops and cod and mussels brodetto for mains. The crab was split in two halves and nicely plated in a light creamy coconut milk broth. Really delicious. The crisy pig tail was a much bigger portion than I anticipated and was served with lovely warm peaches. The tail itself was very fried and greasy and meaty.
For the mains, the lamb chops were cooked perfectly juicy and tender. Still, they were slightly overshadowed by the potato gratin, which was so perfectly creamy, cheesy, crispy, and delicate. I wish I could make potatoes like these. The brodetto (or broth, rather) had nice portions of both the cod and mussels, but once again, were overshadowed by the meatballs that were in the broth. I’m not a big meatball person and even I loved these.
Finished with the USC banana tart, which has been a staple on their menu and exactly what I wanted, since I love banana desserts. It was so, so fantastic. All those warm gooey mellow banana flavors melding with the rich, buttery macadamia nuts and the cold sweet creaminess of the honey vanilla ice cream. Let’s just say, my sugar-​addicted self was sated.
Seriously that was a top notch meal. Looking forward to dining at their new location!

Life is all about milestones.
For example, Union Square Café celebrated its 30 year anniversary this year, shortly after announcing that it was going to be moving.
Another example — this is my 1,500^th review. So y’know, both equally historic moments.
Anyway, enough about me (at least for this sentence). Union Square Café has been on my radar for a few years, but it took the announcement of their impending move that finally brought me to the highly revered Danny Meyer establishment.
We were seated in the back nook, which gave us both booth seating and a great degree of privacy (not that I participate in any activities that aren’t above-​board…). Our waiter was a super helpful, funny guy. Didn’t get his name, but ask for him by not-​name!
Has this review been unhelpful enough yet? I hope so. Let’s move on.
There’s a sommelier who walks around newly seated tables asking if you need a recommendation. I told him I was just going to order whiskey, and he abruptly took away our menu. Umm, okay.
Good thing I already made my drink choice before then. Yes, they have a wonderful selection of whiskeys, both domestic and imported. I judge all whiskey menu prices by how much they charge for Blanton’s, and USC is actually on the lower end, which was surprising. So take that as you will.
I think I’ve blathered enough. Onto the food!
Started out with two small dishes. The first was the crispy soft shell crab, which to their credit was actually a reasonably sized portion. It was two deep fried halves of a crab in coconut corn broth. Creamy and crunchy in every bite.
The second starter was from their bar snacks menu. We did the crispy pig tail served with their seasonal fruit (which was peaches!). Let me just say that for a «snack», this portion was big. It was the entire tail cooked like it was a chicharron. Yes, there was bone in the middle, but the portion size was ridiculous. Salted perfectly, and the peaches offered a nice contrast to the crispy, totally not healthy pig tail. Oink.
For mains, we shared the grilled lamb chops and the cod & mussel brodetto.
Pro-​tip: I asked the waiter what brodetto was, and he just said it was a type of broth. At least I didn’t ask the types of questions the older gentleman at the table next to us was asking (he didn’t know that rocket = arugula, or that burrata was a cheese…).
Anyway, the food. The grilled lamb chops were tender, cooked perfectly medium rare, with a nice char on the outside. Real grill marks? Fake grill marks? Who cares. It was delicious. The star of the dish was actually the gruyère potato gratin. It was unlike any gratin potatoes I’ve ever had. They were supremely thin crispy slices of potato, layered with creamy potatoes and cheese… kind of like a potato lasagna. Amazing!
The cod & mussel brodetto was actually a bit heavier than I imagined, but delicious all the same. It came with these spicy pork meatballs, which were probably some of the best meatballs I’ve ever had. Not even exaggerating. The fish was a respectable portion size and the broth with the peppers was great.
Lastly, we closed out our meal with the USC Banana Tart since our waiter told us it’s been on the menu for 30 years and has always been a crowd pleaser. If you like bananas, get it. If you like macadamia nuts, get it. If you like desserts at all, get it. Maybe I’m overstating millennia of food cuisine, but I think it was the apotheosis of both banana and macadamia. The flavors were just so in-​your-​face, and they went together so well. Oh, and there was honey-​vanilla ice cream on top. I’m tempted to return just for another go at that dessert.
I usually end five-​star reviews with a small complaint of some sort, but honestly, I can’t think of anything to fault Union Square Café. I guess the location of the men’s restroom is weird? I’m really at a loss for criticisms here. It was just a great meal, and I look forward to seeing USC thrive in its eventual new location.
edit: Just realized another milestone! I’m the #800 review for this place!

I have been wanting to try this place. The 5-​star service surprised me given the price is not like those crazy expensive restaurants…
We had the Tagliatelle, as good as what the other reviewers described. We also had the mixed seafood grill. We were a little disappointed with the portion. This should be advertised as an appetizer. It had like a piece of scallop, a piece of shrimp and a piece of octopus leg. For dessert, we shared the blueberry pie. The blueberries tasted really fresh.

3.5 STARS
I came here with my friend D. for lunch.
I had high expectations for a Danny Meyer restaurant but it was only mediocre.
At least I can finally cross this off my list.
PROS:
— USC Burger $ 17 — very big; burger contains bacon, pickles and comes with fries. Worth the price? No. As, the burger is very big, its probably best to share it with someone if you are not a heavy eater. I still like Shake Shack’s burger better.
— SERVICE — Waiter was super nice. He overheard me contemplating on getting the calamari. I didn’t order it but he gave us a free mini Calamari dish to try. Of course we made it up to him in tips.
— Calamari — It was pretty good however it’s quite a bit for one person to finish even for mini size. Its good to share for 2 or 3 people. The spicy anchovy mayo dipping sauce was quite good.
— Soft Shell Crab $ 18 — mmm soft shell crab was delish but the asparagus that came with this dish was cold/​clammy and stringy. I wish the asparagus was warm and fresh.
THE OKAY:
— Tagliatelle $ 21 (Wild Mushrooms, Brown Butter Egg Yolk) — The pasta was decent but it was kind of one dimension tasting. It was good for a couple of bites and anything more than that you kind of don’t want to eat anymore. It was also very oily. My favorite thing about this was the brown butter egg yolk on the top. Very filling however.
CONS:
— PRICEY — especially the Saratoga Spring water $ 6 a bottle.
NOTE:
— Bathroom is super small and narrow so it wasn’t that comfortable. It’s located down the stairs on the left. Only thing I liked about it was that it had nice quality towels to wipe your hands.

USC lived up the hype for me at least. I thoroughly enjoyed each dish and the service was good as expected. According to our waiter, they are moving at the end of Dec. 2015 reopening in March 2016 (if all goes well), still keeping the name.
Bread — Make sure you try the olive oil and pistachios with the bread. Never had such good olive oil with my bread before.
Entrée:
Tagliatelle (Wild Mushrooms, Brown Butter Egg Yolk) — Too bad their menu changes because this pasta was phenomenal. The wide egg noodles were coated with some butter sauce. The brown butter egg yolk was the centerpiece. Too bad the yolk was so small. It needed about 5 more egg yolks. Who cares about cholesterol.
Side:
Roasted Cauliflower and Brussel Spouts — I don’t know what made me get this. Probably b/​c I gained too much weight recently so trying to be health conscious. The side was tasty with the onions, bits of bacon, and butter, but skip this. Overall kind of boring compared to the other dishes.
Desserts:
USC Banana Tart — Classic for a reason. The banana had a perfect crunchy, caramelized exterior with soft banana inside. It wasn’t so much as a tart as half pieces of bananas sitting on some kind of crust. I liked the macadamia nuts on the side.
Honeycrisp Apple Cobbler (Chipotle-​Cheddar Biscuit, Brown Butter Ice Cream) —
The apple cobbler is topped with the cheddar biscuit. Te biscuit felt very savory, overwhelming the sweet honeycrisp apples a little bit.
Pecan Pie (Dark Chocolate Anglaise, Espresso Crème Fraîche) — Delicious, but not as special
Milk Chocolate Mousse (Mass Hysteria Ground Espresso, Cocoa Nibs, Mascarpone Ice Cream) — Super luxurious dessert. Spoil yourself by getting this. usually not a fan of mousse because i think it’s too creamy, but this was really light and not too sweet. The espresso flavor was prominent but not overpowering.
Glad I got to try this place before they moved from this iconic location.

INTERIOR
Arrived for a friend’s birthday on a bustling Saturday afternoon in the fall.
I was a bit surprised that the staff chose to have a senior in the party climb a steep + narrow set of stairs up to our table. On the plus side, it was one of the quieter spots in the restaurant.
The layout of the restaurant is interesting, and I wish they could somehow expand the bathroom as it is very tight. Onto the food…
FOOD
The food was tasty, everyone in the party agreed. A bit pricey for me to return pay for something that doesn’t say it’s organic/​hormone-​free, but it is appreciated that some of the items on the menu do change and the food is well prepared & well presented.
We ordered the:
_​PAN-​SEARED SKATE ($ 29) w/​fingerling potatoes, sunchokes, spinach sauce
_​FILET OF SOLE ($ 29)
_​WILTED SPINACH side ($ 8.50)
STAFF
Our waiter was a bit on the serious side, but it turned out to be a pleasant birthday lunch overall for these 3 reasons:
_​As we ordered dessert, I leaned towards to waiter to tell him that it was my friend’s birthday and he was very attentive, he already knew,
_​they brought my friend’s dessert out with a candle and birthday message written in chocolate (see photo),
_​and to top it off, he brought us a complimentary plate of their delicious cookies (worth $ 9.50) (see photo)!
Would return for another special occasion.

{3.5}
The Union Square Café is supposed to be iconic, right? Hmmm… well this gal was treated to lunch last week at USC and left slightly underwhelmed by the experience.
Don’t get me wrong — lunch it was lovely, truly, I don’t actually have any big complaints. The staff was really great, we had a nice table setup in the back, and there was a nice buzz throughout the entire place. The food though — didn’t blow me away and for that price point*… well, I’m glad I wasn’t paying for lunch.
The Fried Calamari was a-​ok. Nice light crunch to it… but missed a little oomph.
We also passed around a dish of Ricotta Gnocchi (large size for $ 27). Those were good! Little puffy pillows that literally melted in your mouth. There were enough pillows for everyone in our group to try a few of them but I think if I were to order it for my main meal I’d want a small salad served with it…
For my main course I selected the Chicken Milanese ($ 21). The dish is basically a flattened piece of chicken breast covered in breadcrumbs, fried, and then topped with some leafy greens and veggies — aka a salad — tossed in an oregano vinaigrette. The salad was good… nice combo of sliced sweet red peppers and nutty sharp pecorino romano cheese. The chicken again lacked that oomph. It was very very basic. Did they season the flour before they fried it? I didn’t even taste any salt and pepper. The dressing on the salad is also very very light., I could barely taste anything and ended up asking for the waiter what else he had. And the only other thing he had was a dijon vinaigrette. It took the salad to a new level and really helped to add some much needed flavor to the dish.
Dessert was ordered all around. I selected a trio of ice cream/​sorbet. The Vanilla Honey was amazing. The Stracciatella and Pear were both good.
I’m intrigued by their ever-​changing menu… but I think its going to take something super spectacular to get me back anytime soon.
*I guess when you’re an icon you can charge that much?!

Where did the magic go?
I haven’t eaten here in a few years but went back this week for a work dinner. Service was friendly but surprisingly mistake-​riddled. The food was fine but nothing that made me want to tear my clothes off and run screaming down 16^th Street shouting about how I don’t need to eat again because I just had the best meal of my life.
Food-​wise, I had the bibb lettuce salad with bleu cheese which was actually quite excellent. That was one of the best salads I’ve ever had. My entrée was the NY Strip with mashed potatoes. There are several steakhouses in NYC that I feel have better steaks, there was nothing else on the menu that appealed to me so that’s why I ordered it. The steak was fine, the potatoes were very sticky and dense, it was like eating rubber cement (I have a frame of reference… let’s just say I was a strange kid).
For dessert, I had the smores ice cream sandwich, which was pretty good. Marshmallow ice cream between two graham cracker flavored macarons. The ice cream was good, the rest was okay.
Back to the service. Our waiter was nice but three times he messed up my drink. People to my left and my right were drinking wine. I ordered a cocktail (Gold Rush, not bad… kind of like a whiskey sour). So both times he brought my cocktail, he put it in front of the guy who was sitting to my right. What’s even weirder is that both times the guy had a full glass of wine. Then when I said «oh, that’s mine» he just looked at me like I had made a mistake. Both times! Then after dinner, a couple of people ordered coffee but I didn’t, so then I get coffee and one of the people who did order it didn’t get any. I know it’s not that big a deal but when you’re paying $ 100 for your dinner (or when someone else is paying that), can’t you get my drink order correct at least once out of three tries?
So this was fine, but it’s not like I remember it and there are places that are equal or even less expensive where your experience will be better all around.

IN SHORT: An enduring, always relevant Manhattan establishment whose uniquely adored atmosphere can be attributed to a commitment to a casual brand of fine dining. Even years later, peak brunch and dinner hours necessitate reservations in order to experience the genial accommodations and flavorful creations for which Union Square Café is famed.
THE STORY: Like so many people, I have a corner of my heart reserved for Union Square Café. I also have a standing arrangement with friends for brunch every Sunday, because God forbid I don’t make it in at least once every week.
But the magic of Danny Meyer’s so highly acclaimed, cozy, barn-​like classic is that a meal at Union Square Café is just as perfect for a special, celebratory event with family as it is for an ordinary Sunday morning with friends. Much of the credit can be given to Danny Meyer’s superhuman staff, who manage to make every diner feel exactly like they want to feel throughout the entire experience.
For any meal of the day, the light and creamy Ricotta Gnocchi gratifies, with tomato-​basil passatina and pecorino romano making it easily one of the best in the city and entirely worth the larger portion. At dinner time, the Anson Mills polenta with gorgonzola and walnuts should be ordered as a (heaping) side whose plentiful rich creaminess becomes impossible to resist. Much of the menu does change seasonally as well, lending a new excitement to a seasoned dining experience. Most recently, the Mushroom and Spinach Frittata with an irresistible taleggio fonduta cream sauce topped with shaved white truffles has won the title of my ideal brunch, elegantly showcasing top ingredients in a truly accessible, and never overpowering fashion.
With nearly 30 years of service behind it, there will of course be moments when the coffee isn’t hot and when the appetizers come out a little sluggishly. But at the end of the day, the smell of the warm, woody space, coupled with exquisitely crafted dishes served with outstanding hospitality are all part of Union Square Café’s tried and true recipe of ease, refinement, and home all in one.

Fuimos a almorzar y fue muy agradable. El lugar no es nada especial pero está bien, las mesas no están muy juntas, es tranquilo y el servicio es excelente.
La comida es de buena calidad, empezando por las aceitunas que sirven junto con la manteca.
La lasaña y el risotto que pedimos fueron sabrosos y con sabor original aunque las porciones no son abundantes. El browny con helado estuvo bien pero no espectacular.
Es un lugar que recomiendo, sobre todo por la calidad de la comida. Voy a volver.