Very casual. Got there right before it closed so the place was pretty empty. Nothing too special. Kind of tucked away from everything else. The chicken sandwich was delicious! My husband got the burger, which was good but if you are torn, the chicken sando is the way to go! read more

Little River - Buttermilk Fried Chicken - Cafes Near Me - New York, New York

Food-5 STAR Ambiance-5 STAR Service- 5 Star Communication between management and staff needs a tiny bit of improvement I love, love, love LITTLE RIVER CAFE RESTAURANT. It is a glass enclosed oasis away from the hustle and bustle of this great city. THE FOOD WAS DELICIOUS. The staff is very nice. Hard-working and helpful. Little River Cafe, With floor to ceiling glass walls, makes me feel like I'm on vacation. I love it!! I love the light and airy feeling. I'm able to see outside while I'm enjoying my food inside the cafe. I attended a December 2024, two-day seminar nearby, and that was why I used YELP to see what was close by, because it was cold outside. WHAT A GREAT DISCOVERY! I can tell you that my friends and I will definitely visit in warmer weather too, because there are beautifully designed outdoor wood and metal tables, so cool looking. Similar to a picnic table, but I would describe them as more of an elegant cousin to the average picnic table. See my photos. We enjoyed 3 meals here, in two days! 2 Lunches and 1 dinner/hearty snack, and, we even had fun decorating holiday cookies!!! My first lunch was a FALAFEL SALAD. I thoroughly enjoyed it. On day two, my lunch was the Fried Chicken Sandwich. The sandwich comes with your choice of a bag of chips or a piece of fruit . I chose a bag of chips. Yum!! See photos. The fried chicken sandwich had a melted white cheese, which was a pleasant surprise to me, and boy was that good. My beverage of choice on both lunch occasions was the green can of dragon green iced tea. On the evening of day one, we enjoyed decorating holiday cookies, but since we were all hungry, we got an assortment of goodies to eat. I enjoyed my shrimp cocktail. My friends had the fruit plate and a charcuterie plate, and a shrimp cocktail, too. All was delicious. At our first lunch visit, there was a sign on each table about a box of Holiday cookies, and decorating the cookies that evening!! WHAT A LOVELY, WONDERFUL, CREATIVE IDEA!!! The three of us decided to indulge in cookie decorating, and it was a fun time. We returned to Little River that same evening, after our seminar. We simply bought the box of cookies, and everything we needed was inside the box . You could choose from the Christmas cookie box or a Hanukkah cookie box. We had both at our table. When was the last time You decorated cookies?! So much fun! And in the evening, the restaurant looked lovely with candlelight at the tables. Since December is holiday time, I was overjoyed that the restaurant had some of the most delicious eggnog. I had been wanting to have some eggnog for at least two weeks, so this was another wonderful surprise at Little River Café. Yay!! The STAFF IS VERY NICE, VERY HELPFUL, and you can see that everyone is working very hard to make the experience a pleasant one. It is an open kitchen so you can see everything that's happening. My only suggestion for this beautiful restaurant would be that management make sure they improve on their communication with the staff. For example, on our first visit, each table had a cookie decorating sign, but there was nothing about the price of the box of cookies. The staff didn't know whether you had to buy the box of cookies or whether it was part of dinner. There wasn't enough information. The staff did try to make a phone call to find out, but they did not have any luck in getting information. I would respectfully suggest that each day, the people running the restaurant talk to the people dealing with the customers, and inform the staff about what's happening, what's new, what's changing, and some of the details. This will certainly help to make everyone's day run smoother. I'm really looking forward to my next visit at Little River Café . It's a beautiful place. The food was delicious. read more

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Cute spot right by the River Park. Prices are reasonable. Love the open space and vibes for lunch. Services were fast for the most part but didn't like recently how a table of 8 people got their food before me (while my table already had their food & was waiting for me) and no apology was made when there was clearly a mistake. Other than that my experiences were good and the food was good as well. read more

One of, if not the best part of this place is Steven. He is so friendly and warm and just honestly makes your day better. I can only speak to lunch, but the food is solid, albeit pricey. My go to's are the kale salad (surprisingly delicious and I love the combo of spicy peppers, grapes, fennel and pistachios) and the salmon poke bowl. The sandwiches in my experience have been a bit underwhelming, but that is no fault of the kitchen, they just have common/expected ingredients in them unlike the kale salad. The space itself is nice as it is all glass so light comes in. read more

really beautiful all glass near the water and NYU hospital but the staff r not the nicest (it feels like i am bothering them when i go to order) and i got a $6 flat white that was the size of an espresso read more

Sister to River Park with similarly fresh elevated food albeit much less expensive. Meant to write a review ages ago for this place. One of the better lunch deals in the city and certainly for this culinary desert. Portions are very large for both the solo meals as well as the combos. Staff here is very nice. Sandwiches are all quite good though my preferences are the chicken bahn mi, the butternut squash sandwich, and the turkey reuben. In terms of salads, the grain salad is easily my favorite and I tried the kale salad from someone else which was good also. I would say the only thing I didn't like much here were the tomato soup (way too spiced, almost salsa like,) the mushroom broth (too strong an umami flavor,) and the salmon bowl (fresh and a good portion though a bit bland outside of the apples and wet.) I usually stop here once a week. It's elevated American lunch grub with much fresher vegetables and nicer staff. What's not to like? read more

Little River - Custom salad with grains/spinach base, grilled chicken, grilled corn, stone fruit (apricot I believe,) pecans, lemon vinaigrette. Excellent - Cafes Near Me - New York, New York

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The food is fine but nothing special. The "bowl" of soup is a cup. As an employee in the area, I can confidently say the NYU hospital cafeteria food is equal in quality but far cheaper. Don't bother with this place. read more

Food: Since I work close by, I come here frequently. I absolutely loved their salmon bowl! Even though the salmon pieces may seem a bit small, the guac and bok choy brings the dish together. They have an assortment of soups, sandwiches and salads, all great and flavorful. Truly farm-to-table as they grow their herbs/greens in the same place! This is my favorite local go-to spot for lunch. Drinks: Coffee is great! Always fresh with an assortment of variety of juices. FYI they have happy hour daily 3-4pm where all coffee/tea drinks and baked good are 50% off! Also, in the summer they have a beer garden just next to the FDR/East river which is a great place to chill with your friends. Service: The people working are always perky and happy to help! Vibe: All glass cube next to the East river. Could you ask for anything better? Very chic and boutique decor and love the plant assortments they have. read more

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Came here for lunch with a colleague a few weeks ago. This is the lunch version of the more upscale dinner spot "Riverpark" next door. Both restaurants are located behind Alexandria Center on east 29th street. I got the half Greek salad and half tomato basil soup. The food was delicious! Really fresh, great quality, and much more gourmet than your average soup/salad lunch combo. Knocking off a star for the long wait, as we were on lunch and it took nearly a half hour to get our lunch, and the food wasn't really complicated to make and the place was nearly empty. Would come back for sure! 8/10 read more

I LOVE Little River. I don't know why this place isn't more popular. It's my all time fav place to grab lunch in the area. Granted, Kips Bay is kind of a dead zone, but I'd be happy to eat here wherever it might be located. Delicious, high quality, reasonably priced food in a beautiful environment located next to the Alexandria building. This is the casual sister restaurant of River Park, which is much fancier and has gorgeous views of the East River. Both are in a lovely cul de sac off 29th and 1st. Food comes out within 10 minutes making it the perfect place to grab & go or have lunch with a friend. Everything is priced around $8-10 which is very reasonable for Manhattan. I like to go for the sandwiches or the sandwich/soup combo. Most of the soups I've tried have been pretty good. I've had a few of the sandwiches and my favorite is the turkey with bacon on sourdough. But really, everything is fresh and tasty. The workers are also very friendly, which isn't always the case in NYC. If you're in the area and looking for a bite to eat, definitely check out this place! Or maybe not, since I should probably keep this on the DL so I won't have to wait forever to get lunch... read more

Little River - Cafes Near Me - New York, New York

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Little River Beer Garden is a cute hidden little gem behind Alexandria and the more upscale Riverpark restaurant. Great atmosphere that is usually shaded and with a nice river breeze. Giant Connect Four and Jenga to play. Food and beer are good, and doesn't take too long to come. There are usually three beers on tap by the LIC Beer Project, this week there was a kolsch, saison, and IPA. $7 a glass and in my opinion better than getting a pitcher which looks smaller than the usual. You can also get a $25 bucket of 5 cans of Narragansett. read more

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I had a lot of issues with this place (see previous reviews) until Steven came along. He has made everything perfect with his professionalism, efficiency and awesome personality. The food is pretty solid, too! read more

Litter River is opened today and starts servicing public. It is used to call Cube, and was owned by the same owner of River Park near by. The chief remains the same as well. After months of revenovation, it is opened to public today. The exterior remains modern style of huge opened glass cube, with tall curtains. The front dinning area has little change while the back kitchen was redone. The menu has changed. You can tell the chief has put effort on this simple list. During today's taste event, I love the toasted bread topped with sliced cucumber and smoked salmon. The steel cut oat meal is well cooked with options of brown sugar and dry fruit. The bakeries are outstanding, especially these mini pumpkin cupcakes. The staffs are still rusty dealing bigger crowed but I think they will get better over time. read more

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Little River's outdoor patio behind Riverpark is a fantastic hidden gem in Murray Hill. It's never been crowded when we've visited and the prices are reasonable-ish given the food quality ($10 burger, but it's small and sides are extra, around $7-8 draft beers). I almost didn't want to write this review to help preserve this back patio of picnic tables as a little secret. Granted, you are right next to FDR and the view of LIC isn't amazing, but you do get to see the occasional sea plan take off and land. The food quality is great, highly recommend the fried brisket and burger, although smaller portions. The mint hummus and fries are also worthy snacks. They have giant jenga and connect 4 across a bunch of tables, making it a nice spot to hang out with a group or go on a date. As a warning, I have heard from friends that they showed up twice and the patio was closed with no explanation, so I recommend calling first. read more

Little River - Cafes Near Me - New York, New York

I have only been here for lunch The good: Place is super cute and clean with plenty of seats. Staff is super nice and attentive. They either re-made a dish for me because I was absent minded and ordered the wrong thing. Service gets 5 stars. Food: All of the dishes I've tried taste good. My favorite is the Peruvian sandwich. Their veggie sandwich is also good. The salmon bowl is yummy but they're cheap with the veggies. The bad: Salad portions could be bigger or prices should be cheaper. Service can be slow but the food is made fresh. Verdict: A good place if you're in the area (which I am all the time) but I wouldn't go out of my way to come here. read more

Why has it taken me so long to eat at little river? I can't answer that question but what I can tell you is that they make THE BEST BLT ON EARTH. No I'm not exaggerating. My friend and I stopped in after visiting Riverpark for event planning and didn't expect to be blown away at lunch. Corn chowder has also been our go to. This is the perfect lunch and establishment in a food desert we live in on 1st avenue. read more

Little River - Cafes Near Me - New York, New York

This outdoor bar is hidden in the new biotech complex at the east end of 29th street but it is a nice spot to play games and sit outdoor after work. The prices seem to be on par with mid-range city bars. There is also a fairly swanky restaurant directly next to Little River. It is my understanding that as well as being a bar in the evening, it has a cafe during the business day. The bar feels like something much more upscale but the prices don't necessarily reflect that. The giant Jenga is fun and the beer pint glasses are plastic so they won't break if it falls on your drinks. The bar itself is small and could easily be overwhelmed but it did not strike me as a place that was often swarmed. The beers on tap were both local but there were only two options, and IPA and a saison. While that satisfies most beer drinkers, there was not a lager or something easier on offer to balance the others. Over all, a fine spot for a drink. Nice views of the river despite some FDR noise from below. I wouldn't seek it out but I may come back if I was nearby. read more

They're under new management now so their menu has changed substantially and I have mixed feelings. While there are a lot of nice new things on the menu, I can't help but really miss some of their older basic staples, for example their tomato soup, oatmeal, and Greek salads are no longer options. They also used to have options to do half soup+salad, half sandwich+soup combos as well, which gave a lot of variety. I know a lot of people who work in the next door building truly miss the soups, and if they can somehow resurrect the previous tomato soup recipe (especially as it gets colder) it would be greatly appreciated. By the way, the coffee is extremely delicious! read more

Cute eatery near NYU medical buildings and by the East River. On a wintry day, it's a awful to get to because it's a few avenue blocks from the subway. The food is quite good here. For lunch you have many healthy and delicious options. I went with the reuben and it was really good. But next time, I would opt for the half sandwich half soup combo. The half sandwich is a good size, and the soup is a solid bowl-ful. read more

Great atmosphere - bright, spacious, quite, staff are so friendly...love love their little cactus sitting on table. I can spend a whole afternoon here. Gonna try their lunch next time, so many healthy options and price is very affordable! read more

Little River - Cafes Near Me - New York, New York

Food is good, people are nice but it's always UNBEARABLY cold inside. Please turn the heat up or the AC down!

They are supposed to cater to everyone who works in Alexandria but they have basically no vegan options. They used to have a grain bowl vegan salad that just disappeared from the menu last week (now it has cheese). None of the sandwiches are vegan. It's really not a big ask to have vegan food available, pretty standard these days. And by vegan I don't mean portobello because literally every vegan and vegetarian is sick of that. read more

The food is decent when they get your order correct. For the past month, the service has been TERRIBLE and it just keeps getting worse. I ordered a salmon bowl and once I returned to work to eat my lunch, the salmon was missing. Needless to say, my coworkers and I will not be returning due to constant disappointment with the quantity and quality of food. read more

If you have all the time in the world for a sandwich ... this is the place for you. Took them over 30mins to make me Grilled chicken sandwich. There goes my lunch break read more

We had dinner outside last evening at the Beer Garden part of River Park, not Little River. We have eaten at River Park and love it. The Beer Garden food was so disappointing. The only thing that we liked were the french fries. We had the chicken and pork tacos. Taco shells almost tasted stale. The nachos looked like velveeta cheese dribbled on top of the chips. The fried pickles were coated so heavily that you did not taste the gherkin pickles. I NEVER write reviews and am a food lover. We live close by and it is the perfect spot to hang outside for a casual meal. Sorry, I just had to write this review because I know it could be much better with Tom Colicchios name behind it. read more

Some of Little River's food is quite tasty but my two biggest complaints are that there is no consistency and the descriptions of the food are occasionally grossly inaccurate. There is no consistency to the amount of food that they give you and there is no consistency when it comes to the way it tastes. I've ordered the same taco dish and gotten three tacos one time and two tacos another. One day the sandwich is sublime the next day it's mediocre. Also, on a couple of occasions I've ordered something and the ingredients listed on the menu are substituted or eliminated entirely. For example, I ordered the quesadilla special and it was supposed to come with sour cream. When I bit into the quesadilla there was no sour cream but guac instead. I'm allergic to avocados and had I known that guac was in the quesadilla I would have requested it be left out. This was the second time that Little River did that...switched out sour cream with guac. Switching ingredients with no notice is a dangerous practice. If you're going to list the ingredients the item is being made with than stick to the list don't just switch things out as you see fit. The counter staff is great though and always very helpful. read more

The food is WAY overpriced. The staff are rude. I would recommend walking 1 block up to the deli on the corner. Better selection and reasonably priced. read more

This is my go to spot for lunch 5 days a week. This is a hidden gem. The food is outstanding. The prices are quite reasonable. The service is fantastic and the staff is ultra accommodating and friendly. The best lunch spot around. It may be hard to find but once you do you'll be in on this "secret" location. read more

Food is decent. Extremely slow service, but the staff is very nice. A bit pricey for what they offer.