Le Gourmet

This post is meant for Carlos who works at Le Gourmet.
Carlos makes an incredible Tuscan Pesto Chicken with mozarrella sandwich. He cooks it perfectly every time and adds just the right amount of ingredients. I have never been disappointed by the sandwiches he makes. I never get anything else when Carlos is there.

Came here for lunch and pleasantly surprised by all the options in this place. They have a panini, pizza and hot food area, a salad bar, and a self-​serve area with other food options. They also have gourmet desserts which I did not try but looked reallyyyy appetizing. I ordered the Italian panini which was pretty good. They serve it to you with potato chips and a pickle. Great spot for a quick lunch.

Good spot near MSK. I love the salad bar. The selection is interesting and tasty. They also have sandwiches, pizza, pasta and salads made to order.
They will steam the milk for your coffee — always a plus!!!
Don’t like the yogurt parfait.
Very clean. There’s not much seating. Probably better for take-​out.

This place has it all! A little grocery store for drinks, a cold salad bar, a hot pasta/​meat bar, a pizza area, a sandwich area, premade salads, dessert up front, coffee bar, seating area. It’s a one-​stop shop!
I was starving on a Sunday night and decided to stop in to escape from the cold. I got the Bolognese pasta and chose to have it with fettucini (spaghetti and penne were the other two pastas available that night). They heated the bolognese sauce and the pasta, so when I got it, it tasted freshly cooked. It was $ 8.95. Near the register, they have a bunch of muffins left over from the morning. Apparently, after 3pm, they all become 99 cents! That is crazy cheap. I was eyeing the chocolate chip cookies though, which looked great.
Seating area is cozy, and the décor overall is pretty nice. I think the attitude of the people working there could have been a little more enthusiastic, but it wasn’t terrible I guess.

For the most part, I’ve had a decent experience getting food from here during my lunch breaks as I work nearby. They have this eggplant/​tomato thing at the cold food bar that I am completely addicted to (I’m generally a sucker for anything with eggplant). I have heard their flat bread is pretty out of this world according to my coworkers but I can’t eat it, so I’ll just take their word for it.
They are also remarkably efficient for how busy they can be and how crowded it can get inside during the lunch rush. The cashiers have the payment process down to a science, and the line moves fairly quickly most of the time. Space is still pretty cramped, and the line to pay often runs into the salad bar, which makes things confusing. Also, the seating area is very small, and even if I come later around 2:00pm, there’s still nowhere to sit.
I do have a substantial gripe, though: I now question their food handling procedures and cleanliness because I found a hair in the food I got from the cold food bar. Gross. Apparently, their current grade is an A for health/​hygiene, but the hair was pretty disgusting.
Also, they have A LOT of toppings for the tossed salads, far more than most other places with a salad bar. Some of the toppings taste great and are fresh, but some taste like they have been sitting around for a while.
I’ve also noticed their bags of Soy Crisps (and presumably the chips and other packaged snacks, but I’ve only purchased the Soy Crisps, and on multiple visits) are covered with some dust or dirt, which makes me wonder how long they have been sitting there and how clean the place is if you were to look more closely.

good salad bar, fair prices, I ordered a romaine salad with avocado, buffalo chicken, tomatoes, onions, black beans, and croutons. there’s also a wide range of beverages: I picked the diet peach Snapple. I also got a bag of jalapeño chips, which were SO spicy! the only complaint I have is that they don’t wash the salad tongs and bowls in between customers so there’s a lot of cross contamination between the salads (I’m allergic to shrimp). hopefully I don’t sprout hives in a few hours

I have heard such great things about Le Gourmet and their delicious salads that I decided to check it out for myself. I did not go during lunch hour but around 5PM when the crowd has died down considerably from the rush.
I go toward the salad bar and tried to get the employee’s attention behind the counter. I said «excuse me» three times before he left the salad station and answered «five seconds» very tersely. I also got a glorious dirty look from him, it was magical.
As I was naming toppings for my salad, he continued to make faces. Seeing him so grumpy kind of made me feel a little grumpy! I just wanted him to turn that frown upside-down…but that didn’t happen.
He handed me the salad without even looking at me. Okay… I understand that stressed out and frowny people probably go there for lunch all the time and the employees are sick and tired of it, but come on! Seriously? I have been in new york for 14 years now and I know this is not just «how new yorkers are». I have never been treated worse at an establishment.
The cashier lady was not too nice herself, just an FYI.
That sh** cray is all I’m saying. The salad was good but needless to say, I will not be returning there. Womp.

I eat here at least 3 times a week. The salad bar is very fresh with lots of options and the soup is always fresh and delicious. Their fresh grilled sandwiches are very good. If they were not so high in calories I would eat one every day. My favorite is the buffalo chicken and tandoori chicken sandwich. The hot buffet is hit or miss although on Fridays they have the most delicious fried fish filet that I have ever eaten.
The downside here is the line to check out, it is always crowded and you get elbowed constantly while in there. The ladies at the front check out are very efficient but I would not say the friendliest. The owners I must say are always there and if there is an issue have always been happy to fix it.

This is a one-​stop shop for pizza, hand-​tossed salads, sandwiches, a pasta salad bar, a hot food bar, a hot pasta bar, and desserts. Whuut? It seriously has everything.
This was my first visit and I got a hand-​tossed salad. The men behind the salad bar are salad masters. I was mesmerized by how deftly and quickly they added each ingredient as I listed them off. The tossing was seriously an art form. So precise and perfectly executed. But seriously, delicious salads, fresh ingredients, and an unexpected show.
I’ll definitely be back to try the rest of their extensive menu, especially the delicious looking sandwiches!

We ordered cupcakes and brownies from this place. It was seriously disgusting!!! All of the cupcakes except one were stale and old. The frosting didn’t even move on them, meaning they were days old. The m&m brownie looked like the m&m’s were found in the garbage. The Oreo brownie was even worse. This totally ruined my cheat meal. I never will try this place again.

Stopped here because I wanted to pair my wine with a dessert and I picked well. They have great desserts! If you want something delicious for a good price this is the place to go!

I’ve been working around this area for 8yrs. Even though Le Gourmet is pricey, I still come here for some good food. Now why the 3 stars? Yesterday I really wanted a burger with tsaziki sauce on it. Came here for lunch and ordered the burger. The guy said it would be ready in 10 mins. Got my burger and went back to work to eat it. Cut the burger in half and noticed that the middle was pink. No. Not medium. Medium RARE. DISGUSTING! i called the place and asked for a refund. You better believe that as soon as I came out, i went straight over there. I asked if he wanted to see a pic and he said, «no I believe you». The other 2 stars are for the other good food. But never again will I order a burger from here.

«Sandwiches and more!»
Aside from the name, this place is a very affordable eatery to grab lunch or a quick dinner. It has over 20 different flat bread sandwiches. I personally like #20, the grilled salmon with yogurt sauce, tomatoes and cucumbers. However, this place has all types of food including a salad bar, hot food bar, various greek dishes, flatbread pizzas, and an amazing spread of desserts. Plus, it has free bread while you wait for your food to be prepared.
Le gourmet is a kind of small with about 10 – 12 small tables, so if you during the lunch rush you probably will not be able to get a table. The place is a little small and cluttered i.e. there can be some confusion with the salad line versus the cashier’s line. Also, the guy that make the sandwich sometimes can be a little grouchy (one of the reasons why I deducted a star in this review). The last time I was here he yelled at a woman to «RELAX»; however, the woman was being annoying. I wanted to tell her to relax.

There are only but so many places you can repeatedly go back for the perfect salad. This place is that place. I try and try again to order a different salad but I just can’t. Their Greek salad is the best. I do get a side of their awesome teriyaki beef with their (free) fresh bread to dip in the teriyaki sauce. Another winner by the way. Thank you Le Gourmet!

I had expected this place to be expensive and pretentious but it actually turned out to be not that bad! I always pass by Le Gourmet while walking to work but never made my way to come here. But, because I had no idea where to go for lunch today, I decided to stop by here to try it out. I didn’t really like the arrangement of the café because it seemed kind of cluttered. The salad/​hot food buffet options are located in the back and depending on the amount of food that you get, they weigh it to determine the price. Tip: The food containers are located under the food! I literally spent 5 mins perusing the whole café trying to find the containers lmao… The cashiers are in the front. The sweets/​baked goods did not look appetizing…
Hot food buffet:
Teriyaki beef– This did not taste authentic at all but I didn’t hate it. The beef was not bad and the sauce was actually alright, just not teriyaki.
Chicken teriyaki– Again, did not taste like teriyaki but it was sour so I liked it.
Penne alla vodka– The sauce did not taste legit at all but again… it did taste good and didn’t mind it.
Chicken francese– Disgusting… Avoid this at all costs. The texture of the chicken was gross and the sauce was all wrong.
Overall, the food here tastes really generic and not authentic but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t taste good. It was alright. I ended up paying ~$ 5 for the hot food buffet which I find very reasonable, especially in the UES. If I can’t think of any other place to go to during my break at work, I’ll probably come back and try the other buffet options.

I got a Panini and a salad. The salad bar has a ton of delicious and healthy options including: cold pastas, green salads, veggies, crab, pesto chicken, lentils, and cous cous.
The panini was very good and large enough for two meals.
Only downside– the price. A panini and small salad was $ 15.

This is a fairly good lunch spot. They have a sandwich station, made to order salad station, hot and cold food bars, and a dessert case. I actually prefer the hot and cold food bars over the salad station; they have some really flavorful and varied offerings and I leave feeling satisfied. The salad station, for me, can be hit or miss in terms of freshness and I think it best to visit it earlier in the afternoon/​lunch hours rather than later. All in all it is a solid business for a tasty lunch.

I don’t remember exactly but I think this is the 2^nd time I’m writing a review for this place. I have a suspicion that they the business took off my review. In any case, I’ve tried practically every pannini here since working long hours on the weekend. My favorite pannini is the eggplant one. It seems to be the one that is least dry. I’ve also tried their oven baked goods such as the tandori chicken sandwich. The tandori chicken is terrible. The sauce sucks. It’s quite sour and no in depth flavor whatsoever. The oven baking part is just using the oven to heat it up and make the bread crisp as opposed to using the microwave, but it doesn’t help. The staff is fairly friendly. I only come here because it’s a cheap lunch under $ 6. Halal cart everyday is too much and too unhealthy.
I’ve heard decent reviews about their salad but I’ve never tried any and it seems kind of expensive.
I would not recommend this place but people still come here because there’s nothing else better for cheap.
Last thing, they finally put a minimum amount ($ 10) before they’ll let you use your credit card. That sucks!
I will definitely keep track of my reviews on my own word document from now on so I know if any restaurants take off my reviews.

What a great place for lunch! Le Gourmet has a pretty big selection of foods: sandwiches (only $ 6.95 and no extra charge for additional toppings), salads, self-​serve food station and more. Everything here seems extra fresh and it’s great when you want your meals customized. This placed gets packed during peak lunchtime. All the doctors flood in here, so get there early if you don’t want any lines.
I’ve gotten the salads before which were very good. As for the sandwiches I tried the Roasted Turkey with Cranberry Sauce with Spinach. I know what you’re thinking… it’s not Thanksgiving! But hey, it’s delicious and tastes great year round. Highly recommend that one. Just as a note… all sandwiches come with a free soda/​seltzer.
Overall, it’s an affordable place on the UES and great for lunch.

Probably your best option for a takeout lunch near New York-​Presbyterian Cornell and the other hospitals in the area.
Whatever you want, they’ve got it. Sandwiches (premade and custom), freshly made pizza, soup, salads, snacks, sweets, and a steamtable of entrees. Get a sandwich made on their first-​class bread if you need to be pampered – and who in this neighborhood doesn’t?
Pretty café seating (not a lot of it, though) is undermined by blank-​faced staffers who will do their best to ignore you.