Review Fairway Cafe - New York City

youtom33333

Very good breakfast for a great price. Fast and friendly service and a great Broadway view. Breakfast potatoes with eggs and bacon 🥓 were delicious 😋

Ken Bruder

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.

Jeanne “beanso6” Waxman

Love to shop and see their new products or foods,spices,beer alway fun to shop. Bsguettes are the best

ELIZABETH FRENCHMAN

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.

Suzanne Merrill

Great place for a relaxing, quick snack or meal break while shopping at Fairway. Located on the second floor, you can look out the windows at Broadway.

Francois D

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.

Seán Hassett

I used to live nearby, and also lived nearby the now closed 125th Street store, and always loved shopping here. The food was always fresh and varied. When I moved to Long Island, which was like a foreign country after living most of my life in Manhattan, I was glad that there were two Fairways within easy driving distance. These stores closed with the bankruptcy and I was so bummed. So last night I walked about two miles from my office in East Midtown just to shop here. Special thanks to Jerome who helped me out and stayed with me for a chat. I was very happy to hear from him that their premium balsamic vinegar will be returning in a few weeks. I bought some other stuff, enjoyed walking around and left happy. I can't wait to go back and get some of that vinegar!

Ina Li

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

Alvaro Hoyos

Food is good, prices are somewhat fair, coffee was good, and a nice little window view if you are lucky. Food was a little slow to come out, but it was still a great spot.

Gustaaf Jan Heinhuis

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

Herbert Fox

The store is layed out out well and I was able to find everything I was looking for and more...

Jamie ODell

Great place to grab a lunch or brunch. I had an omelette and my partner had the chicken shwarma. Both were great. Service was a little slow but it was busy. Fun spot above the grocery store. Window seats are nice to look out over the hustle and bustle of Broadway.

Michael Delugg

This gem is on the second floor of the famous Fairway Market on the Upper Westside. Definitely one of the best markets in NYC, the cafe serves wonderful dishes using produce, meat, fish, etc. you can buy throughout the store. I just had the Truffle Shuffle and it was a great burger. My wife had the avocado toast which is topped with a generous amount of their smoked salmon. She loved it! Service today was great at about 1:30. That's the only bit that is sometimes off. When they're packed, you can settle in for a long wait. I almost hate reviewing the place 'cause it's our neighborhood secret!