Cafe R

Two stars for the lack of Air Conditioning, we were sweating as soon as we sat and began to eat. Could not wait to finish my meal to get out of here. Word of advise do not eat here if your getting food, don’t believe the owner believes in A/​C. I was sweaty and uncomfortable as I know you will.

Was introduced to this place by a co worker. We went after work to pick from the buffet. The Salmon is extra tasty and it’s good to dibble and dabble in other entrées… Yummy in my tummy

Love this place! Such a varied selection of food!!! From breakfast to dinner, whether you are getting food to go or dining in. There’s something for everyone!

This place is great, especially for lunchtime on a workday. You can get a made-​to-​order salad for $ 7 — that’s for the small size. The small size comes with 6 toppings of your choice — that includes meats. I got a small salad today with chicken, shrimp, chunks of fresh mozzarella, celery, and more — it was filling and cost efficient. Very cheap compared to other places in Manhattan.
The buffet area is also awesome here. They have so many options — from salmon to breaded shrimp, from spare ribs to spring rolls, from linguine to chicken tenders. So much variety. It’s $ 8.99 a pound — not too bad. It’s really worth it for some things in their buffet, like the salmon, which is usually much more expensive. They also give a free bottle of water for buffet if you get over 1 pound.
I haven’t tried out the other stations yet, but I’m looking forward to it! Like the sushi station, the grill, breakfast, etc. This food court like place is a must go!
They also have live music here which I thought was strange but pleasant. Plus, if you’re coming from around the area for lunch, ask them if your company has an employee discount! :)

Place did a 180 since it went under new management! I work nearby and now get breakfast here every day. I LOVE that lately they’ve had salad greens out in the buffet in the morning – I can get some fresh spinach, scrambled eggs and turkey bacon for less than $ 5. You also can’t beat a large salad with eight toppings for less than $ 10 – Guy & Gallard, Fresh & Co, and Europa are all more expensive.

This place is convenient, but the food isn’t great. The curly fries were stale! The tuna sandwich had way too much celery and it was soggy (even though I ate it right away). The shrimp tempura roll was not fresh, even though the guy claimed he has just made it. The only things worth getting are the ramen and udon. Pretty big portions and very filling.

Enjoyed the variety on the buffet. Price seemed very reasonable for all the options and weight. I ate from the lunch buffet and was not disappointed. The place appears very clean and well-​maintained. There was constantly a person checking to refill any empty food items from the buffet, which is always nice. We really enjoyed it.

I have to give this place a great review because for our group of nine (included five kids) it was the bomb.
We were doing the tourist thing and it was hard to agree on any one type of food and prices are out of this world of course… It’s Manhattan! Café R saved the day. It has something for everyone… Buffet style. Most of us love ethnic cuisine and it had a variety of options.
It was $ 8.99 a pound if I recall correctly, so you have to watch little ones so they don’t heap heavy stuff into their take out box that they won’t eat.
Every so many pounds you get a free bottled water, too, so with that we were able to just spring for a few extra sodas so it did not end up being too pricey either. (It’s usually the drinks that get ya when dining out with a big family group).
It was clean, spacious and food quality was good. I personally loved the prepared salads. It was not overly crowded for the few days we were there (which included both weekend and week day.)
You do have to walk your own tray to the table but we found seating in the upstairs. The hours are great.
It also doubles as a grocery store so that’s handy. If you are visitors and your hotel is near there (Madison Square Garden area) it may occasion a few trips.
Also next door to Jack’s… A deep discount store. Sooooo good for forgotten toiletries and cheapest souvenirs. So a trip to this block is doubly worth it!

I like that this place has a lot of variety. I can get anything from fruit to salads to pizzas. This place is also 24 hours, which is great for all the night owls. I do think the fruit is extremely expensive, I got a big box and it cost me $ 20. But there are a lot of other items that are more fairly priced. When I went, there was a funny Korean man working the cashier. He was very friendly, I wasn’t sure if he was the owner or just a worker but he had great service.

Went here with a friend who works in the area. We were famished after a few hours of shopping, us girls always have something to buy. In any event, we decided to check them out and it was great because I was in the mood for Udon noodles and my friend was craving a salad so we were able to satisfy our cravings. I was able to get a vegetarian broth with my noodles and a big veggie selection and it was very tasty. I was very surprised that a place like this that’s open 24 hours would have such fresh and tasty food. It was nice to be able to unwind and devour my soup in a clean, well lit environment. It is great if you’re in a particular mood for basically anything as they offer foods from different regions and fast food like pizza, burgers, etc. They also have a freezer section for anyone who is interested in purchasing a frozen meal to go.
Overall space is great, roomy and clean.

One of my colleagues Brad B. mentioned about Café R and I just had it bookmarked for a week or so. I came here for my lunch hour. Its so convenient on the same block as Jack’s. Woah baby what a spacious food court with stations on both sides of different varieties of food from Pizza, Burgers, Chinese, Mexican, Sushi, and so many more of which I took a quick glance. I went for the Hot & Cold Buffet and I remember to take a plastic container than styrofoam. Definitely a lot of more choices for the Hot Buffet than I have seen at as the cashier agrees with me as it was her 4^th day hehe. I showed her my Unilocal check-​in 10% off for Cooked Food but wouldn’t it be everything since they have to cook the raw ingredients… am I right? lol There’s more seating upstairs as well some tables by the cashwrap area. I noticed a live band going to perform as I was leaving Café R.
If you are around the neighborhood and starving, come here since its open ²⁴⁄₇!

A delicious find a few blocks from Penn Station. International food stations with cuisine from around the world. Order fresh made or help yourself from the never ending and abundant salads and hot foods, pay per pound. We had sushi, Korean, salad and fish. Munched while listening to live jazz. Fabulous must stop. We’ll be back

When you first walk in all of the food choices you have to choose from are exciting. I decided to go for the buffet. Horrible choice. Almost everything I filled my container with was hard and/​or cold, but I hadn’t realized that until afterwards. Mashed potatoes=cold and hard. Mushroom and chicken dumplings=cold. Roasted vegetables=cold. The turkey was the only thing I got that wasn’t cold, however it was very dried out. Definitely won’t be back for the buffet. I’d only come back here to purchase a candy bar. Next please.

This place is just a few doors down from where I work. I have to give it a low rating because the prices are so high for average to below average food. I tried the spicy wings and curly fries combo and by the time I got a drink, I had paid over $ 12.00 at the registers, which just didn’t seem right.
The place is really confusing when you walk in. If you try browsing the plethora of food options they have, the chefs behind the counters start asking you what you want to order, without really giving you a chance to look. The portions aren’t that big, especially for the price, and there is really no line management. The service at the checkout isn’t that great either. You’re treated as a transaction and not really a customer. The amount of homeless people that are just using the place for warmth and harassing paying customers is a bit out of control too.
If the prices were lower and value for the portion was better, this would be a great place. Sadly, it is not.

Review for the korean station and sashimi salad:
Great price! Food was great, but not phenomenal, but for the price and speed you can’t beat it. Ordered the kimchijiggae and spicy pork belly — overall, the pork belly was pretty oily :(but the spice level was perfect! The sashimi salad bowl had a lot of sashimi! excellent portions :)
Portions were also a huge plus — and the upstairs seating was great for a later evening dinner. Would go back for something quick, but overall, it’s right near Ktown, that if I could, I would end up just eating at one of the restaurants there instea.

I work right across the street and have never stepped foot inside until after the recent renovation due to the numerous warnings from my coworkers (food isn’t fresh, they’ve had rats, it’s dirty, etc).
Last week I took a chance when I was strapped for time and was pleasantly surprised by the new space. Seems much brighter and more open, live music is a plus or a minus depending on your taste. I would still never stay and eat here since I end up smelling like food even when I don’t linger, but I am shocked to say Café R is now in my regular rotation of Herald Square lunch spots!
Mainly because you’d be surprised how hard it is to get a simple meal of meat and veggies in this area. If all you want for lunch is a small amount of protein with some roasted veggies, your best bet would be to go to Dig Inn and pay $ 10+ for a plate of food that, while tastes very good, isn’t always what you expected nor is it the best value considering I can get some rotisserie chicken and roasted brussels sprouts for about half that much at Café R. By the way, I don’t mess with the stations, I always go for the self-​serve buffet.
Not to mention it’s sorta kinda also a bodega where you can grab some food essentials like snacks and drinks on your way home. Café R! Who knew!

This is a pretty bad place, though not without some redeeming characteristics.
Let’s just focus on breakfast, since much of what goes on here is similar to lunch.
This place is a maze, it’s huge and it’s difficult to figure out where to go to get what you need.
In the morning, the hot breakfast area is definitely hidden. And no one working there is going to help you find it.
When you do get there, the staff are mostly disengaged. You’ll put in an order that they kind of understand. Then a minute later they’ll say «what roll?» You’ll repeat: an onion roll. Then a minute later they’ll say «egg whites?» Wait, you still haven’t started my order yet? No they haven’t, and it’ll take another five to ten minutes for you to get it after that. Many times you’ll wait around a few minutes to find they are out of feta cheese and you just wasted a ton of time.
Another issue is price. This place is near Penn, so of course they’re going to gouge you. It’s not disgustingly expensive, but it’s definitely not cheap. (Lunch is more reasonably priced than breakfast, though.)
The people at the checkout aren’t exactly peppy, happy people either.
Here’s the positive: It’s a very clean space. The redesign went well, and you can grab a table and eat in peace in a pretty choice location. That’s worth one star above the lowest level.

Caught a whiff of the buffet as I was walking by and was super hungry. They have so many choices from international cuisines to hot/​cold buffets to a mini market.
The buffet is $ 8.99/lb, but unless you’re getting light stuff like salads and small fruits, you’re not going to get much food.
I enjoyed their kimbap, some kind of chicken, and the fried shrimp (it was really tender). The place is huge and even has a second floor and very clean.

Under new management with rating of «A,» I came in here because I just couldn’t help myself as the aroma of delicious smelling food filled my nostrils. I walked in and was overwhelmed by the many choices they offer from cold to hot buffet, korean, chinese, italian, mexican food and much more. There was a lot of people in the buffet area, I ended up getting bi bim bob which was decent.
Good service.
Different choices to satisfy whatever your palate desires.
Would I come back? Yes if I am around the area. No complaints here.

I was craving a pad Thai and the restaurant I usually go to closed down so I came here. The chicken pad Thai was not good! It tasted of curry, I asked for it to be spicy so they added siracha while cooking but it wasn’t even spicy at all.
I can’t believe i ate a curry chicken noodle. Not satisfied, not happy and will not order from the Chinese station again!