Green Cafe

Pretty good place for lunch time deli. Sushi, bimibop, sandwiches, salads, food bar, they have it all. I’m not a huge fan of these types of places for lunch but in a pinch I would say this place is very consistent and the food quality is there. Staff keeps the line moving so you can get in and out, and back to the office quickly on your oxymoronish lunch break.

I got a salad here, the tofu was old, and the chicken was too rough. Bleh

I ALWAYS get a salad and soup at this place when I work in midtown. It’s a good deal! 7.57 for a small salad with five toppings of your choice and a small soup combo. The people that prepare your salad are fast and efficient my salad always comes out great. Be wary of the crowded lines during lunch time but just be patient as that is the norm in this part of town!

Your average deli. Get’s you through a weekday… at least when your hungry. Highlights: salmon is suprisingly good, and the chicken teriyaki is terrible. Tuna sandwich is also good, but the tall dude who makes them has major ‘tude! Get over it buddy, you make sandwiches!

their fruit in the morning is stellar, WAY better than delish next door, but everything else is just not really that great. It’s exactly like every other «sneeze buffet» around the city. typical pay by weight food, salads, but NO SOUPS. well, maybe one or two if you’re lucky. for sandwiches, salads, or food go next door to delish.
BUT, get your fruit for breakfast here. Way to expensive, but at least it’s really fresh.

I get three things here, all good:
1. Crispy chicken wrap
2. Texas sandwich
3. Chicken Capri
Also — their chicken Udon is pretty amazing as well. recommended for a good way to switch your lunch options up.

This is only in regards to their bibimbap. Unfortunately, it is not bibimbap at all. Correct name would be stir fried vegetables with sriracha sauce over rice. While this isn’t terrible, it is misleading. False advertisement and customer exploitation. Hate to give a Korean business only 1 star, but it is well deserved in this case.

Ive gone into this deli on a few occasions and while my most favorable experience has been average at best, it usually falls short of mediocre.
On my last visit, I was waiting at the sandwich counter, and the only person on line. There were 3 workers behind the counter that felt it was more important to have a conversation among themselves rather than to help a customer. After waiting for 15 mins (and keep in mind there was no one else on line) I decided to leave. The bright side to waiting that long was that I noticed the hygiene and habits of the folks behind the counter. One employee ripped off a piece of turkey from the carcass in the carving station area with his hands, stuck it in his mouth, licking fingers, then went right back to making sandwiches. Eww, seriously??. I know there are a lot of shady things that happen in a deli, but if it happens right in front of patrons, I can only imagine what else goes on there when no one is around.
I’ll never be going back to this establishment. I wish I could give negative stars.

I come here about once a week to grab lunch since my office is right around the corner. They have a great selection on their menu and the food, in most cases, is very good.
I normally will get a small sald for $ 6.95, which comes with a free 8 oz soup. The place is pretty packed and busy, which is always a good sign. There speciality sandwichs are awesome.
Definitely a fan, and would recommend.

I like them mainly because they’re right across the street from my office so on those cold winter days, I don’t need to run far. They also usually have a deal with free soup with a salad or sandwich, and their salads are pretty good.
Whatever you’re craving, they usually have something to fulfill that desire. They even started carrying gourmet cupcakes, which I haven’t yet tried, but look quite yummy.
Breakfast is pretty on-​point also.
I don’t know what the other reviewers are talking about, this place is not pricey. You’re in Midtown. Either bring your lunch or deal with Midtown lunch prices.

Of all the shitty Midtown delis, this is one of the shittiest.
My office orders from this place about once a week. Why? I do not know.
That being said, I’ve eaten a lot of different things off their menu, and haven’t actually liked any of them. I figure a place with this large a menu can’t make everything well, but they actually make nothing well. My real beef is that any time I order a sandwich they mess it up. I order a turkey sandwich today and I got a turkey wrap. It’s either a wrong order or they leave out an item or give me something I didn’t order at all. Get it together, guys.

So, here’s the thing about the Green Café. It’s not bad. The variety of foods means most people can find something to eat. And it’s pretty reliable (i.e., same stuff, same taste, etc.). Consistency — Great for when you need a quick lunch and can’t risk it.
But then there’s the other thing. 1, it’s pricey. Always has been but I went there regularly for the lunch buffet. Lots of choices, hot and cold, and could easily stock up on veggies and lean meats and fish as I pleased (I’m not into grains and dairy — to each their own — they have a few types of rice, potatoes and you can usually count on mozzarella balls too). Except this past week they changed the whole buffet! And now, every single piece of meat I could find was slathered in teriyaki. Now, I get that some people like teriyaki — but I mean, why does every piece of meat need the same sauce? ALSO, and herein lies my particular problem — I can’t eat gluten! So yay — no more meat options for me. Now, I don’t expect the majority of patrons to care about the gluten thing but I do think they might wonder why there is an entire buffet of teriyaki-​flavored food. Of the few remaining options I saw, everything included breadcrumbs. Though I supposed kudos to them for putting a sign with those ingredients up so I didn’t accidentally kill myself.
In agreement with other reviewers, the cashiers are awesome. However, due to the lack of foods available that I can eat, I won’t be going back anymore.

Nice place in a great location !
They have a great selection of breakfast food at the buffet. Tons of choice for coffee. Everything seemed fresh. The place is clean, they have nice seats on the second floor. The regular coffee is so cheap! and it is good. I had the french press regular. There are no servers so you basically help yourself out…
Staff are busy but always helpful. Great place if you want to have coffee, something to eat, and have a seat after walking around for so long. ahhh their bathroom is so clean and it has a big mirror! perfect to retouch your makeup hehe

Standard, no frills, lunch spot in midtown east. I happen to work in the building next door so this is a logical choice for a quick/​cheap lunch. They have a wide variety of foods. My favorite is the stir fry, ramen/​udon station, and the buffet. Lunch is around $ 7 and the food is edible.
If you’re on a time crunch and you need a cheap lunch in midtown, this is a good bet. Get there slightly before 12 to avoid the lunch rush.

I only tried this place as a last minute lunch order before my company shut off my Seamless Web lunch account for the day. I’m SOOO glad I lost track of time and tried these guys out!
I ordered the Beef Bibimbap. It arrived beautifully packaged, asthetically plated, and still warm. I was able to eat and enjoy it right out of the container instead of the usual replating and microwaving routine I have to go through for delievery orders. All of the ingredients looked and tasted very fresh, which I wasn’t expecting at such a low price. And the fried egg on top was a very nice touch (thanks to Daniele D. for convincing me to try that option)!
I also ordered a meat lover’s omelette and western croissant to take home (yay for low prices and a lunch stipend giving me breakfast for the weekend :-). I haven’t eaten them yet, but they both looked and smelled really yummy! I can’t wait to wake up on both Saturday AND Sunday :-)

I only go here on days like today, when there’s a snowstorm going on.
Overpriced.
Grill guys think they’re waaaaayyyyy better than they are. Please learn how to make a decent sandwich…

Just around the corner from my office and I have never stopped, bothered or ever though that I would ever stop to eat. To me these places are always overpriced, for no good reason, hence I pass by. Call me right or wrong, who cares.
However after a colleague came into the office with a plate of asian looking chicken/​veggies that looked very nice I decided to give it a try.
I ended up having bibimbap, a korean specialty. You know what? Fresh vegggies, raw meat all cooked from scratch and with the special sauce, and an egg on top, actually quite nice.
I will be back. So tired of Grand Central food court!

My office is across the street from Green Café, so when my boss and I are jones-​ing for a bagel, this is where we go. In terms of bagels, I think they’re pretty decent. A toasted bagel with plain cream cheese is $ 1.50. In rating bagels alone, I’d give them a 3.5.
Recently though I’ve been having some issues with this place. I’ve been going here for a long time (mostly based on proximity to the office) and they’ve recently replaced their cream cheese spreader employee. Where did the other guy go? I’d like his contact information so I can beg him to come back. He made spreading cream cheese an art form.
The new guy makes me so mad, I had to Unilocal.First let’s note his cream cheese distribution; he’s so light I have to beg for extra cream cheese. If, in fact, this schmear campaign has been orchestrated by Green’s management to try to save some money by instructing their workers to use less cream cheese, all I can say is, I think it is a monumental mistake — many a bagel vendor has lost my business due to this very issue — which means they also lose my business for lunch, drinks, coffee and snacks. I know my fellow bagel lovers feel the same. Lots of choice in NYC and we go where we get what we want.
Secondly, Mr. Cream Cheese Spreader is gruff and never smiles. I try to be as polite as possible (despite the fact he makes my blood boil) yet I receive no reciprocation of any sort of pleasantries. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not looking for a new bestie, but common courtesy would be awesome.
Also, what’s with their inventory management these days? They’re always out of everything bagels. By 9:30am is everyone and their mother ordering solely everything bagels?
On a positive note, I’m going to second Susan L’s comment — the standout of this deli are the wonderful check out clerks. They’re so friendly, I almost forget about everything else. If I could rate them separately, I’d give them a 5.

So due to my new jobs lack of kitchen i had to venture out.
It’s 1 pm the place is packed so a take a quick spin around the buffet bar, lots of veggies on one side and lots of greasy happiness. Longing for a happy medium i got a chicken wrap with avocados and peppers. Paired that with small pack of cookies and a diet Snapple.
This meal cost me $ 12.25, to me those are Whole Foods prices. Ehh me no likey. But i did love my wrap so i’ll be back pennies in hand.
There is a second floor just for seating, very clean and huge. There are about a million different options. So if your on the diet or off this place works. But its a bit pricey and gets crowed quickly.

I got a late lunch there today from the salad/​hot food bar. It was the standard fare, but the most expensive I’ve ever encountered ($ 7.99/pound!). The selection wasn’t overly-​impressive, although everything looked fresh and clean. What really stood out, however, was the wonderful friendliness of the two clerks at the register.
I got the food as take-​out, so I’m not sure if they have any seating — but it didn’t look like they do.