Café Chelsea Reviews

Superb coffee brewery in this historic hotel. Warm atmosphere whether you choose to dine in the dining room or at the bar (beautiful traditional pewter bar!) Welcoming service

The room has a true busy feel that makes it echo like a NYC concert. Loud calls from service and laughing while eating from the diners and drinkers. Somehow it marches forward and the the food is good. Cold Artichoke was as it should be with a creamy Saffron Mayo My Salade Frisée aux Lardons was lovely with the deep yellow egg yolk as the center. Pasta with Chèvre and Roast Chicken were simple and satisfying leaning on French ways and seasoning. Wines by the glass seemed to suit as did a new Clausthaler NA - IPA. The Warm Pear Tart was served, I think, with a true Crème Fraiche that was lovely and sharp. Much fun and pretty good service with a back bar to explore. Worth a trip and will make it again soon. Vive La France

Appalling. Easily the worst hotel dining experience I’ve had—rude, petulant service from both waiter and manager, even by NYC standards. What should have been a relaxed lunch at a French-style bistro turned into 30+ minutes waiting for a sandwich that never came. When guests clearly aren’t the priority, you know you’re in the wrong place.

The cafe had an atmosphere reminiscent of English and French cafes. The hours worked well for me as I wanted to eat after my session and were quite convenient. Both the host and waiter were friendly and welcoming. The food was delicious and I would definitely go back. The prices were typical for New York City.

Tucked away in the Hotel Chelsea, is the bustling Cafe Chelsea, home to an all dayparts French cafe & bistro. The eatery space is structured into 3 components: an inviting bar, the Petit Cafe ideal for brunch and the vibrant, focal point Grand Cafe. The brilliant deign of the Cafe incorporates pieces of historic art in keeping with the hotel, has decorative millwork, an abundance of mirrors to add spaciousness, elegant marble floors, deco-styled fixtures, vintage chandeliers and sumptuous banquettes........an assembly that provides a dazzling dining environment. The classic French menu offers a precisely engineered collage of culinary masterpieces the likes of Croquette de Chevre and Tartare de Boeuf. For my part, I selected Loup de Mer (seabass) ..........and I couldn't pass on dessert (in a French restaurant) in the form of Chocolate Souffle..........both exceptional items. The are splendid cocktails and the wine cache offers a diverse array of vino types for the uninitiated to wine enthusiasts. The Cafe Chelsea provides a memorable dining experience without boarding a plane to France.......everything is phenomenal.

Loved the decor and location. Servers were great. Food was wonderful. Cocktail menu needs to be more delicious. But overall I would go again.

Excellent in every respect. Coffee drinks, fresh squeezed lemonade for kids, food outstanding, service attentive but not annoying. Great atmosphere, cool look. We ate a lot of touristy food during our visit and needed something fresh and healthy'ish and Cafe Chelsea delivered. Would absolutely go again with any type of group. They treated our kids great and the waiter was even astute enough to offer the 10yo a simple syrup for her French toast as opposed to the fancy high-brow option it came with.

An excellent breakfast venue in the heart of Chelsea! Highly recommended for families and visitors. It may be a little noisy indoors for a business breakfast, but the garden venue would probably be best, depending on the weather. The food and service were excellent, and I would go again. Weekends are busy, and booking is essential.

The Chelsea Hotel is obviously an historic, iconic location, but is that enough? We didn’t know there was a French-style cafe there but decided we’d stay for a quick coffee. The rather snooty receptionist looked us up and down and decided we could stay, then demanded our mobile phone number without explanation. Things improved considerably when we sat down and a genial member of the serving staff, a natural in customer service, and clearly skilled at what he does, brought us menus. My husband had a cortado and a pastry while I decided to try an ‘Arnold Palmer’. Our server patiently explained what it was and how it was it was made (iced tea with lemon and sugar, since you ask). It was refreshing and delicious and his friendly welcome and professionalism more than made up for the dodgy start to our visit.

Our party of seven people had an early dinner — which stretched out to nearly four hours — at Cafe Chelsea last night (March 25, 2024). Overall, a great time was had by all. Ambiance, service, food and drinks: all top-notch. In particular, I have to commend our server. We were having a reunion of sorts — our son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter were visiting from LA… two friends, who who have known the kids since the ‘90s, had just repatriated to the US following several years in Milan… and my wife and I just returned from several months in Madrid. Lots to catch up on, stories to tell, laughs to be had. And so, I told our server as soon as we were seated that we were going to have a long, very chill evening, and probably order food and drinks in a rolling manner, as things progressed at their own pace. And we proceeded to work our way through the menu, in waves of orders… and she kept up, was onboard and friendly every step of the way, etc. While it’s of course normal for a table full of people to order everything at once, and a wait staff and kitchen are set up to handle things that way, we sensed no frustration on our waitress’s part. Everything rolled out seamlessly, with many rounds of drinks — cocktails, wine by the glass, wine by the bottle, and after-dinner amaro — along the way. When I say we ordered our way through the menu, that’s precisely what we did. We had the tapenade, the chickpea fries, and a few orders of the chèvre croquettes, and grazed on that and the bread basket for a while. After a bit, we put in orders for tuna crudo, multiple shrimp cocktails, and the decadent Ossetra caviar, served with potato chips and creme fraiche. And eventually we got around to ordering multiple main-course plates: three of the black bass, the miatake au poivre, and a couple the loup de mer, with side orders of frites and haricot verts. And then, the fantastic little fresh strawberries. And the Ferrero Rocher ice cream with gold leaf. And the molten chocolate soufflé (ordered 30 minutes ahead of time). The place was humming, with people having a good time left and right. Our table certainly did. And when we finally emerged into the night, outside the historic Hotel Chelsea — where so many music and literary figures had visited and lived, including Bob Dylan — 23rd Street was lined with vintage cars as a movie crew prepared to shoot a scene for the upcoming Dylan biopic, ‘A Complete Unknown.’ We saw photos online this morning of the actor Timothee Chamelet, in character as a young Dylan, crossing the street there. Pretty cool — a perfect ending to a wonderful evening at Cafe Chelsea.

2.5 stars - disappointing. We notified the restaurant when we made the reservation that we were coming here to celebrate a special occasion. Honestly, I regret coming here for that purpose as the service itself was poor. Our reservation was for 7:30 on a Sunday night - we wear seated immediately and the restaurant was packed. It’s beautiful inside, absolutely loved the vibe. 10/10 ambiance. Tables are really close together but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The food - sourdough bread and butter was great! Ravioli was just tasty but mine looked a little drier than I’ve seen in photos. Small portion but it is an appetizer not a main course. My boyfriend got the steak frites and he liked everything about it. His only complaint was that the meat portion itself was a bit lacking. The dark chocolate soufflé was the best part of our meal, it’s absolutely worth it. We also ordered the Vanilla Cognac Ice Cream which paired perfectly with the soufflé. Ravioli: 7/10 Steak frites: 8/10 Dark chocolate soufflé: 10/10 Vanilla Cognac Ice Cream: 8/10 The service was poor. Our server was friendly but seemed very disinterested in us. Maybe because we weren’t looking to buy a bottle of something?

Great ambiance, food and drink but we ate at the bar and the bartender acted like he was doing us a favor merely waiting on us. We waited probably 15 minutes before he even made eye contact with us to order a drink, and then was slow to do anything for us, including further drinks and food orders, and acted like he was doing us a favor. Plenty of places to go in New City, and had been a few times before. Won’t return until this place gets a bartender who at least acts like he cares. If I owned this place, I’d fire the guy on the spot.

An absolute MUST when in NYC! The restaurant has such a cozy, French vibe. It's located inside the historic Chelsea Hotel and exudes all things Parisian. The breakfast itself was amazing! I can not rave enough about the Pain Perdu (French toast filled with mascarpone, served with cognac maple syrup). Such an incredible experience!

Located in the historic Hotel Chelsea it has old style charm. Food was excellent and service was friendly and attentive. It’s Christmas and the hotel was very festive and warm The squash soup done with roasted pumpkin seeds was outstanding. The burger not so much small meat patty and too much bread. The mussels were good. Dark chocolate soufflé is a must. Expensive

On a busy Saturday night, we were able to walk in and get a table for 2. The Cafe is part of Chelsea Hotel. It has a nice bar and several rooms with tables. Our small table for 2 was very close to our neighbors' table, but we were able to have a conversation without overhearing anyone else. The atmosphere is nice but I found our waiter very pushy. When we were first seated he came over to suggest sparkling water and when we said tap water was fine, he seemed to give off an attitude. What many New Yorkers may not realize is that tap water in New York City is fed by the Schoharie Creek in the Catskills. The water is not just fine, it's amazing. Next came our menu. The waiter didn't know the specials and had to go check. I hope he just started his shift, because the special was only one item and to not know it at a time when dinner starts, did not make a good impression. The food menu is very limiting, compared to the cocktail and wine menu which was much more extensive. We opted for the Beef Tartare which was nicely prepared and large enough for 2 to share. Both of us had the Ravioli du Dauphine, which sufficed although once again, our waiter told us the plates were small. I didn't think so, especially since we also had warm baked bread and butter. We decided not to have dessert. Our bill for the 3 items came to $72. I thought the food was decent although I really disliked the attitude we received from the waiter.

While this is a beautiful space, it offers a very limited and unimaginative brunch menu: Basically the tired variations on eggs Benedict. Service is adequate but not exactly attentive or smooth.

Best yet expensive breakfast I had in years. The service from seating to dining was perfect. My server was candid and honest about the selections… he guided me through ordering a filling and nutritional breakfast. I had eggs over easy with salad and chicken sausage…topped the meal off with a wonderful cappuccino 🤗

Super nice place with great snack options. The drinks are super well made. Sitting on the counter is an attraction apart, given the frenetic climate of NYC. Location frequented by local people.

I came without a reservation and they gave us a table and the service over all was great. The atmosphere is beautiful……..

Heard some buzz about it so had to check it out. I recommend making a reservation before at the Hotel Bar/Lounge, they make good cocktails and it's a good scene to people watch. We had a reservation at the dining room and yet we got seated in the bar area. I didn't make much of it. The food was very good and so was the wine (they have a good wine list) but the server messed up our order and the service in general wasn't very good so at some point we complained. Immediately Thomas the Manager took ownership of the incident and fixed things to make it up to us. We felt heard and cared for. I understand sometimes things go wrong but it is how you approach the issue what leaves a good or bad aftertaste in the costumer. In this case they did the right thing and made me want to go back.

We thankfully secured a reservation at 6:30 on Mother's Day eve. The Maitr'e D seated us immediately and we were able to request a table a bit further from the door of the cafe although the room was nearly full. The server, Natasha, was accomodating, friendly, and always had our comfort foremost in her mind, assuring we had a pleasant experience. Much of the menu is ala carte so be sure to ask. We opted for the Salmon with butter beans and potatoes which arrived on a metal plate ensconced in parchment paper ( which works to assure a well-cooked fish without dryness!) Coffee, drinks,wine and desserts (bourbon glazed ice cream with nuts on the bottom) were first rate and never did we feel rushed or neglected. Be aware, if you're not familiar with the European-sized portions so common in major American cities, you may say the portions were too small; Bear this in mind and you won't be disappointed AND you'll still have plenty of energy to enjoy one of the greatest cities in the world. Prices are commensurate with any other high-caliber NYC restaurant and the subdued by adequate lighting and the fine furnishings provide an atmosphere that puts you at ease. In short, a fine dining experience that leaves you wanting to return. FIVE STARS+

Excited to go there given the Cafe’s connection to the newly renovated Chelsea Hotel. Unfortunately the cafe decor did not seem updated like the hotel . The food and menu were also pretty mediocre although the pricing was reasonable for NYC. Certainly better places to go in the neighborhood.

Good location for a breakfast meeting - nice ambiance, sold granola and green tea, very slow service but it was a day after a big snow storm.

We like very much the atmosphere but less the menu: not interesting. The artichoke appetizer is served cold and we asked to warm up but the chef didn't want as he said it will become mushy. I don't agree and I also think they should fulfill the client wishes. The ravioli was not worth one dollar. The drinks and the services were very good.