Dishes

I love Dishes, yes it’s pricey but you get what you pay for which is great quality and different choices! Friday is Sushi day and it get’s so crowded but just be patient, there’s always more food coming out. The line is sometimes long to pay but it goes by so quickly and there is a register in the back too. I’ve been here for breakfast and lunch and it’s all amazing! This location by far is my favorite because compared to the others, it’s not that crowded haha… People might laugh but it’s true!

Good midtown lunch option. As other said, it’s incredibly crowded during the lunch rush, but the line moves swiftly. I’ve always somehow managed to find a seat, but obviously the selection is limited so please don’t be a table hog. The food is consistently fresh and tasty, with some interesting options.

I love this place.
Practically every morning I eat their over priced cream of wheat and when we order for the office I eat their turkey and avocado with spicy mayo hot pressed sandwich it is yummy!
The food is pretty good, the people that work there seem bored or miserable most of the time, and it is really expensive even for suit central.

This place is fantastic. The sparse, bright white interior gives the impression of clean and healthy food. This place is a bit pricey,(it’s a by the pound place) – but Everything looks so delicious, one can’t help but to pile the food on. They have so many healthy items too. Eat to your hearts content with the guilt.

Just placed my second order at this location.
Incredibly delicious… and so is the carrot cake!
Delivery takes way over an hour so don’t place an order whilst already hungry.

Ridiculously expensive and bad food. The only edible thing was the sesame noodles and biscuit. Best known for catering lunches at the office, I think it’s gone downhill.

I work across the street from DIshes and have been coming here for 3 years now. Dishes in my mind never makes mistakes. The best well seasoned broccoli I’ve ever had. The coconut chicken fingers, japanese rice pilaf, tuna penne pasta are by far my favorite. The salad dressing better than perfection. For 3 years that i’ve been having lunch at Dishes i’ve tried different things here and there and they never seem to get it wrong. i read bad reviews of long lines etc, of course they’re going to be busy they’re the best self serve restaurant in NYC.

Dishes is one of the best healthier eating options in the area for lunch, but it is pretty expensive so it’s not an everyday thing if you are looking to save. I definitely recommend going before the peak lunch rush because lines here get crazy long. While the lines often stretch out the door, the middle hot bar line moves pretty quickly and there’s a ton of great food to get there. The menu is available online in the morning, so you can check beforehand if the hot bar is something that you want or if you would prefer something else that day. I personally love their caramelized sweet potatoes and would go just for those. Their other fresh vegetable options are delicious as well. I have also tried their salad bar, and their asian dressing and seared tuna make for one delicious salad.
Also in the morning they make a yogurt parfait with strawberries that I am almost positive is made with goats milk and like whatever you should get it because it tastes like you are eating whipped cream and strawberries and it is fantastic.

Line are crazy and the place is always crazy packed. Came around 12:20 and most of the hot food was almost gone, so not sure when they replenish stuff.
Pricier than Mangia. Would rather go there because they have more options.
Probably won’t be back to this location for lunch, but will likely still order catering (sandwiches, salads, desserts) from here for the office.
There’s also limited seating. I think less than 10 tables.

I love their breakfast eggs bar, and smoothie & espresso bar. Everything is fresh and yummy and efficient, in & out. When you pay at the register is the time to ask for plastic utensils, napkins, and ketchup… salt & pepper and sweeteners are self serve. «Aruba» smoothie is my favorite… strawberries, pineapple, coconut, orange juice and a little ice… amazing.

I eat here often, probably too much, only off the breakfast buffet. I get a few things depending on the day: egg whites, kale/​sweetpotato/​quinoa mix, brioche french toast with strawberries, ham/​spinach/​egg quiche, or turkey apple sausage. All good, hot and fresh. They are overpriced, but are you really surprised, it’s Midtown!

This location has the best bacon I’ve ever had. Maple-​glazed and the right crispy texture.
Get the Bacon&Egg special. With extra bacon. Every morning. Trust me.

Long line during lunch hours, but it moves fast. My favorite lunch buffet place in midtown.

Almost 2 hour wait for food. An hour into the wait, I get a call saying they ran out of everything, but the egg (I called at 9am to order, but I get a call at 1015am saying there’s no ingredients for my platter). I got bacon instead and was told it was the best. I am not impressed. Totally disappointed, cold and really soggy eggs, cold bacon.
I highly doubt I’m ordering from this place again.

I’ll admit — my opinion of Dishes has improved quite a bit since my last review so time for an update!
I’m not sure what happened, but this place has stepped up its game. The food I’ve gotten the last few times I’ve been were actually fairly tasty. Take today, for example:
— Moroccan braised salmon with poblano and red peppers — was the salmon dry as hell? Yes. Does it taste anything remotely like Moroccan food? Not really. But at the end of the day, the salmon was quite flavorful and seasoned well and honestly, that’s all you can hope for in this desert of good food options that is Midtown East.
— Honey balsamic Brussels sprouts — this would be soooo delicious if it weren’t for the fact that half of the Brussels sprouts were burnt to a crisp and tasted like charcoal. Putting that aside though, the half that wasn’t burnt was really tasty and struck a great balance of sweet and sour.
Yes, it’ll still cost you about $ 12/​lb at the buffet bar, which I still feel is atrocious, but because of the improved quality of food, I think Dishes deserves one more star.

Tried the hot/​cold buffet food for lunch today, which offered a mix of Asian/​American dishes. There wasn’t anything terrible about the food, but there was nothing too exciting about it either. I had rice, baby bok choy, sweet potatoes, vietnamese chicken (which was a little dry), and the coconut chicken (not too much flavor). The food was fresh though, and the service was fast.
Not cheap though — my lunch (buffet + drink) cost about $ 25.

Dishes is a bit pricey for that typical lunchtime fare but the food is quite good, and they can apparently cater for meetings with little notice.

I think I have to boycott this place. I swear I dont want to, but I think I have to. I have been here twice this week, my wallet hates me, my blood pressure hates me, my stomach now hates me and I have decided, if I go one more time, I will hate me. Its just that bad.
Pros: Food is slightly better than most delis in the neighborhood. That making it the tallest midget (no offense to any midgets reading this). If you’re tall for a midget, you’re still… you know, a midget.
Cons:
The layout of this place is the worst. What the hell are these tables for? Seriously? Who is eating there? Why or why are you wasting valuable space on these tables? Walking through this place is like walking in the third ring of hell. No flow. No organization. Being going every which way. Horrible. Figure out how to get streamline people before something happens. On this day a woman proclaimed, «This is a fire hazard» and you know what? it is!
The sandwich line. Wait here, order, go pay, come back and wait? All of this while 2 of the 4 guys behind the counter are preparing catering orders? Why? start those orders before lunch, or make those in the back, like every other place in midtown.
The food bar. There are signs on the top of the bar saying, «we encourage you to jump in and out» so why do people line up to the door and stand there when they know they want 1 or 2 things? Because this place is organized so poorly, thats why.
The prices. Good golly ms molly this place is expensive as all get out. Bring your wallet, know it will be expensive and still ask the guy if you broke a window when he asks you for $ 14 for a sandwich.
The staff. The staff appear to be overworked and sluggish. Very few smiles. Very little urgency to do anything quickly. I dont blame them. This place is hell in midtown.
I wont be going back. But there will be a thousand people there already so they wont miss me.

Long lines but they move quickly. Not enough tables but lots of people get their food to go. Watch out for the guy working the Asian noodke station. I ordered Seafood Tom Yum noodles and he gave me Chicken Tom Yum. I didn’t ask for to go but he packed it as such so I couldn’t see the ingredients. I stood there staring ar the cashier because I didn’t get me a receipt. I had to ask for one before she reached below the counter for it. The food underwhelm and the service not great. This will be the first and last visit.

Best possible version of the Midtown salad bar. Most expensive too.
The food is quality, with plenty of variety. (I don’t really understand the obsession with the coconut chicken, which was ok, but not memorable.) They were still bringing out fresh platters long after the lunch rush. Staff works hard to keep things clean and running smoothly; they’re a little brusque but in a nice way.
Not an affordable option for everyday, but a good choice for an above-​average hour away from your cubicle.