We've hit this Eli's location many times after a morning run or race in Central Park as it's convenient and has indoor and outdoor seating. The go-to meal is their special egg sandwich which I must admit is pretty darn tasty. Along with a hot coffee or cold iced tea. It's a nice post run refuel. As with other Eli's locations it's not cheap but worth it for a splurge meal. They also offer many pastries, prepared foods, a small hot buffet, and snacks. At night its more of a dinner and wine spot. read more

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We enjoyed the raspberry thumbprint cookies (expensive, but the price was on the package and we know what we were getting ourselves into. However, we were blindsided by the price of a normal-sized shortbread iced rainbow cookie once we got to the counter. It was $17, which is so far outside the realm of pricing we'd expected. Unfortunately our 4 year old had already been told she could have it, so she experienced great disappointment/heartache as we left without buying it. Overall prices are outrageous, but these cookie prices are obnoxious. read more

I walked in after parking for the Greek parade last Sunday and had a decent "Russian" cinnamon danish as I walked to the parade. After going to some uptown gallerie,s, I thought I'd have it again with coffee while sitting inside to write. (You know, people often write or use a computer at a cafe.) It was chilly outside. I had just taken my boot offm and walking up the stairs would be contraindicated. Upstairs had just been closed. I approached the bar in the restaurant, separated by the cafe by a black curtain. I asked if I could sit at a small table. At least two others were empty. I was told I could sit at the bar, presumably with cafe things I said I'd buy. The bar was too small to write. I went outside to eat and write. It was chilly. The danish was DRY. I could easily have gone to any of thousands of NYC or Queens places, or gone home to make a cappuccino, have a snack, or cook even something simple to taste brilliant as my food does. I asked after some minutes to sit at the bar to write for a while. I observed, and told them that no one had sat at that small table. I know they need restaurant seats. I would have sat for about half an hour, an hour the most, and moved (after half an hour) if it had been the only table left and dinner customers were waiting. I had finished eating. The man, maybe the owner, said that it is not a SHELTER. He said they were different businesses. They had not told me that earlier. So build a wall between them! I will not return, or even buy a coffee again from there, or suggest it to anyone. You know how often restaurants close. read more

Was walking around the neighborhood and decided to stop in. Wasn't terribly hungry but when I saw the chicken pot pie soup, I definitely wanted to give that a try. It was on the hot bar side, not the soup bar so the pricing was different than all the other soups but for half a small container full it was $16. The soup was good but nothing crazy special and had huge bay leaves in it that they never took out after cooking (which are inedible and highly unpleasant) but the price was insane. I was honestly in shock when the lady told me how much it was. It probably was 2 ounces of soup, most likely less cause it was only about six bites in total. Besides the price, I asked one of the employees about them being involved with too good to go, I saw they were on the app so I asked what they might they usually give. The woman working told me that they always give a variety of items but usually prepared foods. I went twice, both times were just bakery items and the price of that I didn't think it was worth it as pastries here don't really sell well and they were all basically stale. She actually took them right out of the display so if I was given a stale pastry from the display case just coming in, I would've been pissed. read more

Eli's Essentials and Wine Bar - Chicken pot pie soup - Cafes Near Me - New York, New York

Great corner spot for overpriced glass of wine in the evening or bad coffee during the day. But I thought Eli had GREAT breads? The bagel here tastes like one of those mass produced breakfast bagels they serve at a Holiday Inn or Howard Johnson's. Come on Eli, you can do better with the bagels! read more

Amazing wine selection, great food, beautiful presentation, local neighborhood spot, very friendly staff. read more

Eli's Essentials and Wine Bar - Soft shell grab sandwich - Cafes Near Me - New York, New York

A friend & I stumbled upon this spot after attending an event in the area on a Saturday evening! There was a Live Jazz band playing which was lovely while we enjoyed a glass of Rose and munched on zucchini fries which were yummmy! read more

Eli's Essentials and Wine Bar - Cafes Near Me - New York, New York

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We visited the bakery and thought the pastries were just OK. They were a bit on the pricey side and looked beautiful but nothing out of the ordinary. read more

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I got amazing pastries warm, fresh, and high quality by too good to go apps at Eli's. AMAZING. Thank you- you made my day. * carrot cake bread * croissant * donuts with raspberry compote Just so good. FYI- paid $5.99 for $18 worth goodies read more

Eli's Essentials and Wine Bar - Cafes Near Me - New York, New York

I have mixed reviews about Eli's. I do not come here often as its not really by me and I know how the prices are pretty high for their food/ drinks. I stopped in though yesterday as I was in the area and was hungry for a bagel. It was prob if not one of the worst bagels. You get to pick your bagel after you pay for it. You go around the and there is a little bagel area with a few diff types of bagels and butter, cream cheese and jelly. My bagel felt very hard not sure if it was stale or what. So I asked one of the workers if I could have another one. Maybe a more fresh one. So, he got one for me. To be honest that one was still pretty hard too. I was soo hungry so I just ate it. This place has been in the neighborhood for a long time and there are always people inside or in the outdoor seating area. The three stars is because of the amount of diff outdoor seating there is. Some are covered / enclosed fully and they have an area in the street too. read more

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Stopped here to pick up lunch and a sandwich for the plane, plus coffee and a muffin for my mother. Ready-made sandwich selection was awesome. Much better variety (and pricing) than the outpost at LGA. There's seating indoors and out, although we got everything to go. Coffee is self-serve. The poached salmon and cucumber sandwich on thinly-sliced "health bread" was DELICIOUS. And so was the chicken salad sandwich that I had for dinner on the plane. I was happy to see the cookies for CSH (Convent of the Sacred Heart) and St. David's :D I went to CSH, and my brothers went to St. David's. I wanted to buy them, just for fun, but refrained. Maybe another time. read more

Eli's Essentials and Wine Bar - Poached salmon and cucumber sandwich - Cafes Near Me - New York, New York

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This is a review having inlyntried two things from here: "breakfast sandwich" and babka. Ok but pricey... it is in Madison ave so... About the sandwich: priced ~$7.5 or so, brioche bun, eggs and either bscon or ham with cheese. I seriously loved it and would give 5 stars in terms of taste but it is pricey, so 4. About babka: I was pretty excited to try it (I am on a babka challenge lately trying as many as I can from different places) and I was quite disappointed... first, it is quite pricey and the babka was sasly dry. I must say I was a bit hesitant because it's a chocolate raisin babka (and I hate raisins) but it came pretty well together. Tastewise was ok, butbagain, too dry and just to top was too much ingredients for me. Not worth the calories Service was ok. Nothing special. read more

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Meh! The pastries I picked up were just fair and certainly not worth the price or a return visit. For example, the cinnamon roll had decently flaky, buttery pastry -- the minimum threshold for any cafe. But where was the cinnamon flavor? I could see what one might have thought was cinnamon, but what appealed to my eyes disappointed my palate. Beautiful, but bland. Also I don't expect food workers to take on the emotional labor of projecting false cheer, but Eli's apparently has a particularly cool transactional culture that wears down workers. Get real Eli! read more

$39 for wings and a celery stick. Help us all. Fortunately I had the sense not to buy them. read more

(91st and Madison; dining side 12/23/23) The prices are mind-blowingly offensive--*particularly* given the small portion size. The balls of whoever set the restaurant's prices have got to be so colossal that they belong in the Guinness Book of World Records. The four-dip appetizer for $20 (not an unreasonable appetizer price in NY for what touts itself as fine dining) came out with literally--and I mean fucking LITERALLY--*1 Tbsp* of each dip. No, that is not a typo. The small bowl of pasta with shrimp was $39; the halibut special (perhaps 2"x4") was--I shit you not--$48 or $58 (can't find the receipt). We got only one appetizer because my date wasn't that hungry. Final bill for one appetizer and two entrees, and tip? $148 and change. This has nothing to do with me being cheap. I've happily spent more than $200 on dinner for two at upscale restaurants in Manhattan and elsewhere, but had at least 2 apps, 2 entrees, and dessert and/or wine/cocktails, and/or maybe coffee for the meal. And each time the food was spectacular. Here, the food (what little there was of it) was just ok. I don't care if the chef is world-renown or how good the food is, $148 for one joke-size appetizer and two small entrees borders on being criminal and is absolutely not acceptable. Don't waste your money here. As for service? We sat outside in the heated tent, which was nice to be able to do, but the waiter checked on us once. Had to hunt him down to get a check. He dropped it off and then disappeared. Ten mins later I had to him down again to be able to pay. Gave him my cc at the outside door to the kitchen. He takes it inside to process, comes out to hand it to me to sign, and while I'm doing that he disappears again and there was nowhere for me to put it down, so I had to bang on the kitchen door *again*. For the first time in thirty years I actually considered leaving a crappy tip. In case you're wondering why I bothered to order at all: It was a first date and my date chose the restaurant (even though she'd never been there, but picked it bc it was close to her apt and they had live music). read more

It's cool that Zabar's has a covered sidewalk café set up here during the pandemic. We passed by on our way to the Cooper Hewitt museum and noted to come back here for brunch. We had our choice of sidewalk tables and our server was nice and brought a bottle of tap water for the table, before taking our orders. Sandwiches are on the pricey side, but hey, this is uptown Madison Ave. But when our plates came, I thought I had ordered the kid's meal. Though my Porchetta sandwich on a mini baguette was tasty good, each half was only about 2"W x 3"L. It came with cheese, which wasn't listed on the menu, pickles and potato chips on the side. My sister had the BLT on toasted sourdough and liked the sandwich but was not a fan of the potato chips. My wife's Roast Beef Hash was also on the miniscule side and came with one medium size fried egg. She wanted to share some with me, but I felt guilty taking what she had. It could have used another egg and maybe some toast, but that would have been a la carte. All the plates were proportional to the food portions, which is why they looked so much bigger in my pictures. Truth be told, I was kind of hungry when we left and was thinking about hunting down a $1 slice when we got back downtown. read more

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I have seen these locations around Manhattan but never tried. They have all sorts of stuff so if you are looking for variety you will find it here. The other thing you will find is overpriced food. $5 for a scone?! You will go broke in here and the food didn't look spectacular. It is good for breakfast and lunch so it is convenient. They do have a dining area if you want to eat in. I like that aspect of it. Come for the options and convenience but look out because you will pay a good amount for it. You better enjoy every bite! read more

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The food was amazing (tastes like my mom's cooking but with better ingredients) and the service was way better than what I am used to even in most restaurants way above this price range. It is a very low key place and I was lucky enough to find out about it from a recommendation from a barista at Noglu. read more

Very good food. Huge wine selection, even by the glass. Onion rings, steak and deserts terrific. Service genial and competent. But, went at 6pm read more

Staff is SO rude! Food is overpriced and service is beyond rude and pushy for you to pay, eat and leave. read more

I sadly but fully concur with the loud chorus of 1-star reviews here. My husband and I live in the neighborhood but had never been to Eli's for breakfast. We are never going back. 1. The self-serve breakfast hot-bar has a sign that says "1/2 LB for $11.95". THIS IS WRONG. Why? Because when we took our filled food containers to the counter, the lady proceeded to pull items out and charge separate prices for those! It turns out that only some of the items are priced by weight while others are priced per item! I complained to the manager, who told me that MANY people have complained about this and that she has asked the owner MANY times to put accurate signs there - but he still hasn't! 2. Not only is there a bait-and-switch with the pricing, but we ended up paying almost $80 (!!!) for 2 containers of average self-serve hot-bar food, 2 small coffees, and a scone! My husband and I are used to UES prices, but this is INSANE. I told one of the waiters, and he said, "I know, I'm sorry" - like he's heard this many, many times before. 3. We sat down to eat at one of the indoors tables and were told we had to go eat upstairs because those tables were for dine-in only. Mind you, there is NO SIGN that indicates those tables are dine-in only. Also mind you, as I said to the staff member, "My husband's in a wheelchair!" They let us stay at our table. But then we repeatedly saw them telling other self-serve patrons to get up from their tables and sit somewhere else. This is AWFUL not just for the patrons but also for the staff who keep being put in that awkward position! All in all, this location needs to take these terrible reviews seriously and make some changes. But sadly, the fact that I'm seeing terrible reviews going back several years, something tells me the owner DGAF. ‍ read more

4 of us had dinner for the first time at 7:45pm and enjoyed a casual dinner and sitting and talking till 10:15pm which we could do as the place emptied out as we sat there. We each had something else and everything was terrific............good for you Eli. Friends who live in the neighborhood eat here all the time and love it. We'll be back. read more

I went to bar 91 this past saturday with my nephew at around 1:30PM. We decided to swing by to grab something to eat real quick after cleaning-up one of the community gardens in the LES . We were in the area to check out GLACE (which is located down the block from Bar 91 - to try out their Bad Roman x Glace frozen hot chocolate) Upon arrival we asked for table service and we got seated in one of the tables inside. As I went to the bathroom and returned to the table more people started coming in and got seated . The servers kept going to the other tables to check on them and taking orders. As we waited - I tried to flag down one of the servers and I got completly ignored . We tried getting the attention of multiple servers at Bar 91. There was this man who was sitting next to us who flagged down the server and directed her to take our order . My nephew acknowlegde the man that was sitting next to us to say thank you for getting the servers attention but he completly ignored him , not once but twice . I told my nephew that he must be a regular at Bar 91 . I odered a Pastrami sandwhich and my nephew ordered the burger. Both items were not good . The sandwich was small for its price and the burger was pathetic , the patty was so small and dry - The fixings took over . We were so hungry that we ate it regardless ...well my nephew only ate the patty of his burger. As we sat there observing the ambiance we noticed that the people that were getting seated were getting 100% customer service and attention , meanwhile we didn't. I asked for the bill and we paid (eventhough the customer service and the food was terrible I still left a tip ) When we went over to Glace to get the frozen hot chocolate we noticied the man who was sitting next to us at Bar 91 behind the counter making frozen hot chocolate beverages . My nephew once again tried to get his attention to say thank you for sending the server at the restaurant and once again he turned his back and didnt acknowledge us at all. I will never come back to Bar 91 , it was such a horrible experience . Not sure if it was because we weren't "dressed" eventhough it looked very casual in there or if we just didn't belong in the neighborhood. read more

So I ended up popping into this lovely place by accident. I saw that they had really bad reviews but honestly the hot chocolate and a mozzarella and tomato sandwich were really good. They have Jazz music on Fridays and Saturdays and I might stop back again to grab some things for a picnic in the future, maybe there a sit down menu may not be what people are looking for but they definitely have a lot of the supplies to build your own charcuterie board or picnic lunch when you're in the area I think people should really give this place a try. Maybe even get your hot chocolate here if you don't want to wait an hour for the popular hot chocolate, please a few doors down. read more

This cafe has an average rating of 2.5 stars for a reason. It's pity because the location and interior of it is great. But that's what happens when the management is so poor. The staff is rude, they are not trained to care about customers (main asset of any business). The Bar 91 is probably owned by Eli Zabar (at least that's what stamped on their coffee cups). By the way, coffee is too pricey (3 bucks plus tax for a small coffee with self-service). read more

Eli's Essentials and Wine Bar - Cafes Near Me - New York, New York

It is a charming place and the location is great. We went for breakfast. I got the spinach and goat cheese omelet. I asked them to substitute toast for salad (I know, I know, but I wanted their bread, butter and jam!). My friend got the smoked salmon plate that came with salad and a bagel. The food itself was great even though a bit pricey. Coffee was okay not great. Service was good. Our biggest gripe is that their minimum prices for a glass of sparkling wine is over $20 ~ I think $24 if I remember right. So we ended up forgoing that. read more

I've reviewed so many Eli's locations it's getting boring! This location is big with more offerings than the fresh bread and pastries. I go for the pound cake and other treats. I love the bread. Some would say over priced but the what isn't on Madison Avenue on the Upper East Side! If you're in the neighborhood go in and take a look. I guarantee you won't leave without buying something! read more

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I wish I could do 0 stars. Horrible service and breakfast pricing was arbitrary to say the least. Two identical plates charged at different rates. One was twice the price of the other. When we dared to question the pricing, he took away the maple syrup that he had already given and said he would charge us $6 more for syrup since we asked questions. One plate with a small frittata, bacon, and home fries was $35. While the other identical plate was $18. Both exorbitant for mediocre food. read more

I visited your restaurant yesterday late afternoon. I am highly disappointed in the service, price, and quality of food at your 1270 Madison Ave location. My husband and I stopped into the establishment hungry after coming from Central Park. We were tempted by the food at the salad bar because it looked quick and easy, but now we know that was a huge mistake. Within the store front, hardly anything is visibly priced which left us to be shocked by the $72 amount we had to spend for a light lunch, cookie, and two juices. Not only were we turned off by the price, when we sat down to eat, none of the tables outside were cleaned. There were still cups and alcohol bottles from the previous customers scattered throughout the area. The worst part is that the food was terrible. I picked out an eggplant lasagna and meatballs. The eggplant lasagna tasted slightly sour like it was starting to rot, and the meatballs were not much better and could probably serve better as dog food. Even the cookie and drinks were subpar and they were pre-package. After lunch my husband and I felt cheated, and the experience really damped our day. I am normally not one to complain, but our experience was so terrible that I felt it was necessary to leave a review. read more

Food was cold and wasn't appetizing. Took long time to get food because it seemed they were short staffed. Waitress was ok but just overwhelmed. read more

I had a fantastic time here at Eli's. Went on a lunch/dinner date with my mom (it was 5pm so whatever you consider that) and our server Marcos really made sure we were well attended. He recommended us some wine that were great in flavor and easy to drink. Ultimately I ended up drinking my usual Riesling which was great since we ended up getting a cheese board. The wine was very good and pleasant which I loved since I'm more of a Prosecco or even moscato kind of girl. The cheeseboard was so good! Every cheese was high quality and tasted great and I was even pleasantly surprised by the blue cheese (I didn't catch the name of it but it looked like blue cheese.) I honestly normally dislike blue cheese but this one was quite flavorful and not in a moldy way if you know what I mean. My mom and I shared a hanger steak entree which was honestly one of the best steaks I've had imo especially considering that I ordered it medium and it was served to perfection. Sometimes I order medium and it's not prepared properly but this one was excellent. The chimichurri was also delicious and the veggies (haricot verd and fingerling potatoes) were also very good. The restaurant itself was very cozy and clean and had a chill vibe. I loved my servers professional demeanor and the fact that he had an accent. It really felt like he knew a lot about the wines which I love since I am not a heavy wine connoisseur. Will return for the steak, it's a must try! read more

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Way over priced breakfast buffet and poor service. We stopped in since we live nearby and thought it would be easy but they have an over complicated system of adding up "buffet" items as individual items. When I found out how much it really costs I wished I had not stood there and just left. And when we complained to the staff they said ask the manager and the manager says it's the owners fault. And if the food was any good maybe I wouldn't be upset... But it's not that good. Never coming back. read more

Today is the day that the straw broke the camels back. My girlfriend tried to do me a solid by ordering me breakfast while she was out of town. The bagel was hard as a rock. The staff was rude AF as the told me to move while I was eating then to throw my garbage out. They have no idea about customer service and I will never give this place another cent, not to mention the ridiculous prices that are completely shocking for subpar food. read more

Go here if you're willing to spend an insane amount of money on the breakfast/brunch hot bar. In trying different breakfast spots around the UES, I was SO disappointed in how much it cost for some self serve food for two people (over $40?!). Also, the food was nothing to write home about. I now feel annoyed every time I walk by. read more

It's Sunday morning 10AM zero customers sitting inside it's 45 degrees outside I ordered oatmeal and large latte and sat down in a small table inside. The counter girl walks to me says you can't sit here must order from menu only please go outside. Well I will stay outside. I have been here over 100 times. There won't be a 101 time. read more

I would give this place a 0 if I could. They are too overpriced like 25 dollars for max and cheese that's only a cup full! They also charged me for stuff I didn't order like the chicken tenders and still made me pay for it. read more

Great pastries and sandwiches, coffees is a bit bitter for my taste, and it is expensive.

I just paid $7 for 5 pieces of bacon. $5.50 for a cold old ham and cheese. Place is massive over priced. The quality of food doesnt merit the price. Staff is unfriendly. I would AVOID. this place. read more

Total chaos, disgusting and expensive food, poor employees who do not really know how to manage or give good service. I really recommend not stepping in this place. read more

Was here for Sunday brunch. Good food, Service was friendly. (Whoever was playing music has taste btw)