Alex Cafe & Deli

Do not order for delivery. They told me my food was on its way and never sent it. Waited for a while only to find out they did not make it yet and they could send it but my brake was over.

The best grilled cheese sandwich I’ve ever had. Grilled bread not flattened. Good service and great prices given the area.

Super quick delivery, they consistently beat the time I’m quoted. They always get my order correct and the food is great.
My go to lunch spot on the UES.

Stopped by this deli for lunch break with coworkers one day. Very conveniently located near where I work and plus the seatings are great. I ordered a chipotle panini, which was good and filling. They have a wide variety of sandwiches, salads, panini’s and more to choose from. One of the servers was really kind to me, and even asked me to take a seat and they’ll bring the food to me when it’s ready. I gave it minus one star because food was. ordinary and rather pricey, and it took awhile for them to acknowledge me in the beginning. Nonetheless, I would recommend this deli if you’re nearby.

I had the «Meatless» panini and it was great. Warm, toasted bread, great melted cheese and veggies. Was toasted-​to-​order, not sitting under heat lamps. Very fast service.

Alex Café is one of my go-​to lunch spots on the UES (where I work). To be honest, the lunch options in this area aren’t that plentiful, so finding a decent deli was a relief. Their delivery service is insanely fast. I once order a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich that arrived at my office 5 minutes after the order was confirmed. I realize this isn’t the most amazing place in the world to eat, but it’s perfect for a quick, decently healthy lunch and it’s very affordable.

Alex Café is great for a quick in and out (or delivery) breakfast and lunch. The team is always very welcoming and very efficient.

Nothing but great experiences here. Breakfast, lunch or even a late lunch the food has been fresh and tasted amazing. Glad to have found this decently priced deli in the middle of the most expensive places in manhattan.

This place not only wasted my money, but also my time. I never write a negative review unless I am absolutely dissatisfied, and I sometimes disregard ranting reviews when choosing food, so I understand how I might sound, but I had to do it. I am writing this as I eat their subpar panini simply because I am starving after dealing with them for nearly 2 hours now. I ordered the Specialty Grilled Chicken Sandwich, only one sandwich, and they couldn’t get it right… twice! I ordered this particular sandwich because I wanted the fresh mozzarella and arugula it says comes with it. What I got instead was grilled chicken with no cheese and regular lettuce. I called right after it was delivered and the man on the phone could not remember my order and didn’t bother to look it up. Instead he asked me detailed questions about what I ordered vs. what I got, as if he didn’t know his own menu! So, after spending way too much time on the phone telling him these details, including my name, phone number, and address, he said I would get the proper sandwich in 5 minutes but asked me to please send back the mistake sandwich.
So in about 15 minutes, a new sandwich arrived, this time covered in the mayonnaise I had asked to be not added and with regular mozzarella (not fresh) on it. I do not eat mayonnaise and could not even wipe it off because there was too much, so I left work to walk there and explain to them their mistake in person, since they didn’t seem to be able to get it over the phone. To wrap this up, when I arrived and complained, they looked at me dumbfounded and didn’t offer me anything for my trouble. Frustrated, in a hurry, and hungry, I just grabbed an already-​made panini with what they describe as «fresh mozzarella» on it (a thin slice of deli mozzarella) and rushed back to work to write this review. I refuse to ever give a place with such poor skill and customer service my money again.
To update: The food also upset my stomach after I ate it. I hope you find this review helpful!

My wife went to get us a couple of sandwiches. For $ 30.00 we received dry and stale whole wheat roles, hard unripened avocado and dried out turkey. If that was not bad enough, the guys behind the counter we saying inappropriate things in Spanish about my wife — making her feel very uncomfortable. The only good thing about the experience (besides it being over) was the guy at the cash register was nice.

I’m not sure when these guys popped up, but I do know that I am relieved to have a consistent, reliable deli in the no man’s land of lunch spots in my work neighborhood. I’ve gone twice since I discovered them, and been quite pleased with my two meals (the lentil soup was hearty and delicious, and the caprese panini with grilled chicken was delightful). I will definitely be back soon and am relieved to have found this spot. Prices are as good as it gets in this area, and their candy selection is modest but has got the essentials (this is a major rating criterion for me). The staff is extremely pleasant and kindly opened a bottle of iced tea for me while I played a sheepish damsel in distress.
One weird thing: Alex Deli is eerily identical to the nearby Hunter Deli in terms of how they’ve laid out their equipment and even the specific food stations. I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone when I first entered.