Fairway Cafe

Update: Two weeks later, I tried the Cafe again, and it was much improved so I am upgrading my review from 3 to 4 stars. The food was much better prepared. The pancakes were much lighter, not fried in oil, and the eggs were done perfectly. The service was great too. Jivan was quick, efficient, and wonderfully friendly. The prices also are very reasonable for NYC. My only complaints are that they served fake maple syrup (when the menu specifies real maple syrup), and the temperature in the restaurant was quite cool (<65 degrees). I am hoping the next time is even better. Old review below: This place needs much improvement to get to its former glory before the pandemic. I was thrilled to see the cafe reopen. It previously was by far the best breakfast spot in Manhattan. Now, it is a shadow of its former self. Though, I think it could improve. Let's start with the coffee. They are serving a traditional diner urn swill. Before the pandemic, it had great-tasting coffee served with proper half and half. Now it rivals office coffee that has been sitting on the burner for three hours. Please upgrade your coffee. (And serve it with a spoon, not a swizzle stick). Now to the pancakes. Get rid of the oil!!! The pancakes were cooked in oil and were not the fluffy, angelic ones of yore. The chefs use oil as a shortcut to cook the pancakes faster. Go back to the old ways. Now the eggs. I ordered eggs over easy. They came like rubber. I had to send them back. They were adequately done, but again, the oil! Please use butter and less lubrication. Service. The service was friendly and accommodating but a bit slow, given that few people were in the restaurant. I asked for fruit, but they brought me potatoes. They finally brought the fruit, some of which was frozen. I still hope that some of these problems will be fixed. If they are not, Fairway Cafe is just another ordinary NYC diner. I hope they can restore the quality of the food to its "Sure, I'll wait in line for a half-hour" glory.

It’s back and better than ever! Try the challah French toast and tell me what spices the chef adds to the egg mixture. SO GOOD. No need to bring your own bottle of real maple syrup either; just ask for it. Excellent service and we love our window seat… last occupied in March 2020.

Finally the Cafe is reopened after being closed during the pandemic. The classic breakfast is even better than it was before with fresh high quality ingredients and cooked to perfection.

Unpretentious hidden gem for espresso beverages. $4.9 for latte that’s comparable with hip coffeeshops. They use their own coffee beans from downstairs.

Good food, good and friendly service, very reasonable prices.