Cafe Hestia

Worst customer service I have ever received. The cashier gives a bad name to New Yorkers. Super rude, yelled at me for not being as fast as he wanted me to be at checkout and when I called him out on his rudeness he yelled even louder. No self control from this man. They have a good selection of things but I would never return simply because of the way they treat their customers. Epic fail on the service. Don’t eat at this place.

This place has a great deal of a tell-​them-​what-​you-​want salad bar for $ 7.57 including tax and they churn you out the door in an impressive count of under 30 seconds from when your salad is done.
They are not cheap with the toppings. Your choice of four can include avocado, sauteed portobello mushrooms, eggplant, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, and all of the normal toppings you’d expect. The only add on is shrimp, which will run you an extra $ 2.
They’re efficient and the salads are good.

Ordered a smoothie and juice to be delivered via the seamless app to my hotel. Never showed, and I was never contacted. When I called them 4 hours after the would-​be delivery time, the man answering yelled at me and said I would have to take it up with the manager tomorrow O. o
I fly out to return home tomorrow.

Beyond horrible place. The quality of this place has decreased dramatically in the last few weeks to the point that I cannot go anymore. Come 2:00pm the custom salad bar runs out of anything but arugula and refuses to make more bowls of spinach or romaine: I’ve been coming here at 2:00pm and getting spinach or romaine for over a year but rarely anymore because they run out. Today I finally got my romaine but they ran out of cut up avocado and refused to cut me more. I asked the guy to cut some and he almost gave in and then decided he was too lazy. When I went and got some gauc from the salad bar they tried to charge me for an extra topping even though I didn’t get the 4 allotted that is included with the salad, only 3. When I questioned it, they gave me an attitude and said too bad. Needless to say, I left without the salad and will not be returning. Who runs this place?! No customer service, running out of food at lunchtime, and because of this, they will no longer be receiving my money. I’ve spent over $ 500 in the last year there but they won’t get that from me now.

I work in the building next door„ their Food is Amazing! the prices are STEEP after all we are in Midtown, with that said, i have a lot of choices to pick from at Hestia they have the Grand Buffet, Soup Stations, Stir fry Stations, Salad stations. etc, i spend an average of $ 8 — $ 14 for Lunch give or take EVERYDAY!
I will review by each station. its unfortunate that because of some staff they insist on keeping they could make more money, not that they need to.
i’m sure they make enough with all the tourist. they have steady loyal customers despite of how bad we are treated by some of the staff mainly the grill staff!
Grill Station:
00 BIG ZEROES STARS, On the rare occasion i want something from the GRILL station ! watch out !!, they totally ignore you, when you do have the HEAVY Fat Guys attention, he gives you dirty looks and NEVER smiles, he is impatient with your order, i like to be specific with what i want so you dont have to talk to me as you go along, not that i think he would, he could cares less. Asking for Ketchup on your fries will causes him to berate you and let you know that Ketchup packets are in the front of the store, WELL GUESS WHAT BIG GUY! ??? I want them squirted from the bottle! i wanted my sandwich toasted on the grill like a panini type, i wouldn’t dare ask.
Breakfast is the same deal, Nasty attitude and that can cause anyone to have a bad day, so i just avoid him and any breakfast sandwiches at HESTIA. i’m giving them a 00 Star rating because of him! He needs to get an attitude adjustment or quit! and try to get a job without dealing with customers! maybe working in a pit hole or something. he makes me want to throw my food back at him!
Salad Station:
1 STAR, I have yet to get a grip on the other big guy that tends the salad bar, he stresses out over the smallest thing, so i avoid that station,.
Sandwich Station:
5 STARS, Now the sandwich guy is very nice and deserves a 5 Star, always has a smile when i want a sandwich. you ask him anything as well and he will make it happen.
STIR FRY Station:
5 STARS, for them as well! I just LOVE! those guys, they is the nicest accommodating guy .ask them anything and they get it, do it! add it! all with a smile and thank you!
Buffet Attendants:
5 STARS, ! buffet attendants are super nice!
Noodle Soup station:
5 STARS, Guys there is also Super Nice. and accommodating even when its super busy.
Cashiers:
5 STARS, they are all very nice!
at the end of the day, everyone needs their jobs, BUT honestly they should have a serious talk with this guy, i’m sure if he hates his job or doesn’t appreciate it; there are 50 more guys out there looking for a job.

They got all kinds of food here! Great for lunch. It’s like a mini food court. I would definitely recommend this place. I got the Cali burger with fries and egg salad sandwich. Both were good.

I came here on a Saturday night and they were open until midnight. They had a full buffet of all sorts of different hot foods, salads, and soup. The variety of food was assorted and plentiful. They also had menus posted on the wall of foods made behind the counter. They have tables where you can sit down and eat, or you can package your food up to go.
The establishment was very clean. The bathrooms were mostly clean, but could’ve been better. The employees didn’t seem too friendly and some had a difficult time speaking English, but when I asked a few questions, they made an honest effort.
There was a steady flow of customers, but staff handled it and there were no lines to wait in.

Great place to go for a very good variety of choices… it is quick and tastey… you can sit in or take out… definitely a good stop for lunch… the salad bar is excellent… with a whole lot of choices.

I usually go here because it’s near work for lunch, and the hot bar has a great variety.
Well, today I decided to try to get a sandwich from their grill and had an absolutely HORRIBLE experience. I won’t say I «got in line» because there was NO LINE. I went up to the place where it says «Order here.» and proceeded to be completely ignored by the staff for more than five minutes. Five minutes in which they managed to give orders to two other gentlemen standing and waiting, which means they were taking other people’s orders… but not mine. No one made eye contact or even bothered to tell me that I needed to wait because they were busy (which, again, they were not). I loudly asked one of the other gentlemen if his order had been taken and he replied, «I got my food.»
Trust and believe, I will NEVER return to this restaurant. This was an absolutely horrible experience.
Plus it’s overpriced anyway!

The buffet by the pound has a decent selection, although variety has much to be desired. I come here everyday for lunch and sometimes for breakfast and dinner. I usually get the same meals on a daily basis like clockwork. The prices are steep. That’s Manhattan for you, but the food isn’t bad and doesn’t seem to be cheap. In terms of «healthy foods» it’s generally my first pick over others in the area!
My one gripe about this place is that on one occasion, someone picked up 2 boxes to have their meal weighed. (This was after 6:00pm by the way, so there was only one cashier on shift.) The cashier took out the extra box, placed it to the side, weighed the customer’s food and sent him off. It was my turn and curiosity got the best of me and I decided to see how much an empty box weighs.
The same extra box that he put to the side, I picked it up and placed it on the scale. It’s weight totals over $ 1.00 based on the price the food price, which is utterly ridiculous!

Great variety. Good food if you’re not sure what you’re hungry for you’ll find something here!

I gave this a five star without even trying the food. (Panini currently tucked in my bag for the bus ride later) however the space is squeaky clean, lots and lots of variety to choose from.

This is literally the only place that I ever eat lunch when I go to work because there is so much variety that I can have a different meal every single day! I’m a college student so I don’t often get vegetables and fish for cheap prices, but when I go to Café Hestia, all of the prices are set by weight rather than by item type so I always stock up on salmon and vegetables. The food is extremely fresh and I have never had any issues eating any of the food. It’s delicious, cheap, and really quick! I’m able to get in and out of the store (I eat there) in around 15 minutes so it’s great if you need to get a meal quickly.
Also, these are the most efficient cashiers I have ever seen on the planet. Seriously. I admire how quickly they’re able to have customers pay. They have all of the bags with napkins and utensils prepared and they just take your food, put it on the scale, and ask for payment. Once they take your credit card, they signal for the next person to come and it’s an endless cycle of customers paying. It’s quite beautiful actually. Anyways, this place is great and I’d definitely recommend you come here for lunch if you have work and need to get back to the office quickly (basically our entire office goes here everyday).

3.5 stars.
This relatively large establishment offers various American and ethnic cuisines at its different stations. There is a large pay-​per-​pound buffet as well as stations for tossed salad, Korean and other Asian entrees, pasta with choice of toppings and sauce, hot and cold sandwiches, and perhaps others I may have missed.
Its sheer size and myriad of options is actually this oversized deli’s weakness; as a result, chefs and food preparers have the need to specialize in all sorts of options, which is sometimes difficult when trying to push quick turnaround times. For a restaurant, these options might be easier to handle, but they instead end up leading to the chaos that plagues Hestia during peak lunch times. In fact, I attempted to order food here twice before 1:00pm, only to be turned off by the crowd. I usually do not have the time to wait 15 – 20 minutes for food.
However, after 1:30pm, there are significantly less people frequenting the store, and most notably, there are usually at most one or two people waiting for pasta or rice entrée orders. That station is the one I usually hit, as there are not many places that offer reasonably-​priced, Italian-​style, customized pasta in the area. My usual is whole wheat penne with grilled chicken, zucchini, broccoli, and mushrooms. At $ 8, the price is not bad for the portion size, especially for the Midtown area.
I have also tried the cheese steak and grilled chicken sandwiches, both of which are a level above many of its smaller competitors. However, at $ 7, I would instead opt for Village 38, Port Authority Food Court (across from the bus station), or Blue Rose deli.
The verdict: try to come here during non-​peak times. You would have a greater probability of being more satisfied with your food rather than half-​satisfied with something rushed.

Came here for lunch on Sunday. The set up is kind of confusing, but if you just ask someone where to order they’ll tell you. There’s too many options here (which isn’t always a good thing) so I got wings and fried bananas from the salad bar. Overall the food wasn’t bad. This is a good option in the area if you need something.

The go-​to place when you don’t know what to get for lunch. It’s very loud and the I don’t think it’s for tourists, but the food is delicious! The staff rush you along so as to get as many people ordering and paying as possible. I was there when a woman was trying to speak with the manager because she felt harassed as she was moved quickly through the process. I think she waited longer to see the manager than I did to order and pay.
I highly recommend this place for good take-​out!
Try the chicken teriyaki, Brussels sprouts, grilled vegetable selection, and everything else in that delicious hot salad bar!

3.5 stars
This review is purely for breakfast — I tried both a BEC and lox bagel sandwich from Hestia, and while certainly not the best, it is a good value. For $ 7 you get a bagel with lox, cc and the works, while for only $ 3.50 you get a decent BEC. Like many large, multi offering food venues such as this in NYC, friendliness and customer service certainly isn’t a priority. If you don’t mind spending the extra cash for more generous portions and superior quality, check out Best Bagels and Coffee on 35^th between 7^th and 8^th.

Great place for to grab a bite, hang with friend abs figure out what events you will enjoy in the city that day or night.
Café Hestia has a large buffet style section, the closer the the main dining times (breakfast, lunch & dinner) the more of a selection. But regardless of time they always have a pretty good selection of Italian, America and Chinese cuisine offerings, hot and ready at a great price.
Especially great after a long evening at work, come in, grab a bit and just relax.

This place blows. I was talked into comin here. Ugh. The place has no organization AT ALL customers, including me, were asking other customers if they were waiting to order or not. People were on the wrong lines and so was I. I didn’t know I was on the wrong line until i placed my order. I waited 15 mins just to be told i was on the wrong line. Waited on the right line for another 5 mins to order. When i ordered, dude didnt know the difference from my sandwich (cheese steak) vs the chicken cheese steak. I had to point out a number «H1» — then he knew! Do you not know your own menu… after ordering, I didn’t know where to pick up my food. They just scream out orders. Its just chaos in there.
The food is consistent to the other location I’ve been to and that’s why they’re getting at least the 1 star. They’re really unorganized and chaotic in this one location. This was a terrible experience for me. I won’t be coming back.

With the bright lights of Times Square emanating into this locale, I can’t believe that I forgot I was in NYC.
I was the only person in the entire café with 5 associates just dilly-​daddling. I didn’t really understand how that happened. And they definitely knew I was there as well. The salad guy told me that kale costs $ 3 more than the other greens. what?! Okay?! I gave him my box-​o-​romaine and then he put gloves on to manually unload the guacamole from the blender.
Hi! 5 minutes buddy. I got places to be.
Furthermore, they don’t chop salads and my lettuce was literally a leaf. Which, is always cute when you’re eating on the go. I looked like a horse. No big deal. Me? I don’t care (yes I do.)
Then, as for mix-​ins, you only get 4, yet it’s the same price at Gigi’s and they have like…8?! Mix-​ins.
This place is a rip. The service is horrendous.
Check please.