They should consider changing the name: "Reliable Food." Solely based on the name, I thought it's a shady deli. It turned out to be quite the contrary: it's is extremely clean and organized. The organization is actually an OCD level (e.g., all the labels of the packaged products are facing in the same direction!). The section of their hot and cold food is rather impressive. Although everything is very fresh, when it comes to the quality of their food (i.e., taste), it is average. Everything seems reasonably priced (e.g., breakfast panini go for $4~$4.50; they are big enough for lunch). If you're staying nearby and want decent breakfast or lunch, this is a good option. I would not take the subway to come here. ****************************** If you found something useful in my review, please hit "useful" so that I can improve my reviews. If you love food and traveling, follow me, or better yet, let's become friends on Yelp! Thank you and happy Yelping! read more

Pros- Great sandwiches (best hero bread too) Fast service Friendly sandwich makers Spotless store Decent hot food buffet Fast checkout Best deli in the area Cons- A little pricey, of course being on Madison and 54th does't help. read more

Reliable Food is my go to spot for breakfast and they never disappoint. The staff does a terrific job and the ingredients are always fresh. Good bang for the buck as well in midtown. read more

If I could give them zero stars I would. They have MANY cleaning products in their window, so I went in and asked how much for Lysol cleaning spray and she said, $19!!! Shame on you for price gouging customers when people are in need of these cleaning products. read more

Reliable Food - Notice all the cleaning supplies in the window. - Delis Near Me - New York, New York

Worst place in the city. Rude cashier's, bad management and disgusting food. The great reviews are from 2013 - the recent reviews seem more accurate to what I experienced. I will not go here again. read more

The rain had me rushing for cover. As a nearby option, this was the only reason I gave this place a chance for lunch. FYI- It is Korean run if that means anything to you. $6.49/lb gets you buffet food choices that range from spaghetti and meatballs, fried chicken and collards, sushi and imitation shrimp to traditional salad bar fare. The silver lining, if any, were the veggies. They weren't overcooked, which is a rarity at any take out place. I would refrain from everything else though. I doubt I will give this place another chance, despite the lucrative $5-$6.50 sammich specials. Those budget conscious will swoon over the decent prices, but for me this was one of those meals I was dying to put behind me. A distant memory it shall be. RELIABLE, despite its namesake, it is NOT. Total came out to $6.29 after everything Pics to follow... read more

This place is indeed RELIABLE. The food and prices were excellent. The salad bar was amazing and so was the sushi. I'll be back again. read more

Reliable Food - Salad bar and sushi - Delis Near Me - New York, New York

RUDE staff. I don't care how clean the place is or how good the food is. RUDE staff! I'll spend my money elsewhere. read more

Reliable Food - Delis Near Me - New York, New York

This is a deli. I only buy their "crispy salad". Ingredients are fresh, service is fast and cost is reasonable. I probably get it 2-3x per week. Friendly staff and management! read more

My go to spot for lunch! They have good hot served food with decent price. I love the fact that they have some korean food as their dishes. Choices of many different kind of rice including brown. The cashiers are always friendly and the service is fast! The salad bar is a food price as well, but only 6 toppings. Sandwiches are very good too. They have kimchi philly cheese stake which is pretty good. Will keep going. read more

Not what it used to be! They're starting to seriously skimp on the sandwiches, the tuna especially. You wind up getting a salad on a roll with a little bit of tuna in the middle. It's too bad, too, because the food is still very very solid by midtown deli standards. The cashiers are vaguely hostile, as well. read more

Well, they are def. reliable and have really great prices, especially for the neighborhood. !!! I've been eating my breakfasts and lunches from here for the past 3.5 years they make delicious buffet food (lots of healthy veggie options), amazing sandwiches (Philly cheese steaks and grilled chix sandwiches and wraps). I also love their Pico de Gallo (perfectly spicy) and Italian tuna salad on EVERYTHING. They will sell you a side of it. I have ordered catering from them as well for in office casual meetings they are timely with deliveries and the food delivered is always hot and tasty. They will also make off menu items. Head chef cooks really good quality foods. Old manager is gone but still really great service! read more

Ever since D&S closed, I have been searching for a suitable "real" deli as a replacement. And when Delissimo closed a few months after D&S, the situation looked ever bleaker. It just seemed all of the food joints in this area were the same old quasi-chains with pre-made sandwiches or salads with a hefty overcharge. Backstory aside, I was delighted when on the way back from a business meeting to stop by Reliable Food - and YES - THIS IS A REAL NORMAL NYC DELI. And for those who know, normal in this case is a huge positive - especially for the plaza district. The guys behind the counter know many a custom sandwiches, and they are done without flaw. Hefty portions, fresh bread, hot and cold options, and I should add the chicken and tuna salads do not look a week old in the displays. I do not generally try salad bars, but this one does appear to look fresh and tasty as a general observation. Cost wise, they are more than appropriate (~$8 for a non-hero sandwich and a soda). And the final kicker, its those little things that count - they give a pickle with all sandwiches :-) read more

A lot of things here are very overpriced. Food bar is okay. Pretty standard items and they're not bad. I've come here for both breakfast and lunch--breakfast selection is small but okay, and lunch selection is generally the same day over day. Sandwiches are pretty good. Really like the pastrami one. They have a very strict $8 credit card minimum so keep that in mind. read more

you might as well just ask for you paychecks to be directly deposited into this money pit. Seriously. $12 for pretzels and a bar of ice cream? WHY? Also, they are incredibly rude and change prices based on their mood. TERRIBLE. read more

I'm only giving this place two stars because the poor woman who answers the phone must have really thick skin and is always pleasant and accomodating. I cannot even recall how many times my coworkers and I have had call and dispute our orders because one or everything about the order is wrong. Literally they must spend thousands just replacing and re-delivering food to their customers...they definitely need to change their name because they are anything but reliable. My recommendation is that they stick to their hot bar and give up on taking online and over the phone orders. The food is OK once they get it right but definitely not worth the headache !!! Get it together or give up & CHANGE THE NAME AND STOP FALSE ADVERTISING ! read more

Great alternative for a fast not fast food cheap lunch. Try the soup fresh, homemade and only $3.54 for a large selection changes daily. My office mate gets the roast beef sandwich and it looks like really nice meat. Also for 7.50 you can get a massive salad with 6 toppings of your choice meats, cheese, veggies, legumes whatever! Staff is nice 4 stars for what it's meant to do. Good, fast, cheap lunch get there before 3pm when they start breaking down the salad, soup and buffet weight bar. read more

Used to go to this place purely because it was close to my office and the lines were considerably shorter than Dishes, down the block. Even though the food was not as fresh or tasty in the hot/cold bars, and the sandwiches were only so-so, I'd often find myself sacrificing quality for a quick meal (by the time it's lunch, I'm starving at work and just want to get in and get out with food in hand!). Though, they recently hiked up their prices and for what they're charging now, no way they even compare to the equivalently priced, yet significantly better quality and tasting, Dishes. read more

The two women at the register are EXTREMELY rude. Management needs to re-train these ladies on how to treat customers. I will not return to this establishment. read more

This is the best and cheapest deli in the area (surrounding 50s on Madison). Location is on 54th between Madison Park. Korean-style buffet lunch is great and they rotate several of the meat dishes throughout the week so you don't get sick of items. They don't skimp on the quality either - I've seen seafood and roasted duck on occasion. read more

Whatever you want and need food wise. Always good and fresh. The buffet turns over so it changes. I'm never disappointed.

The food here is really good... Always fresh and tasty.... Staff is fast and friendly...

I, like other reviewers, work nearby and have become a regular over the years. I do order the same thing nearly every time but the quality is consistently good, the staff friendly and fast, pricing is great for a big sandwich fresh off the grill. By no means expert cooking, but it's a deli. And a good deli at that. read more

This was my go-to lunch spot for years. The salad bar was actually one of the healthiest and cheapest options I could find in the nabe.

Good food with fast service. Right next to my work so can always count on them when I wanna grab a quick sandwich for lunch

I wanted to know where I can go to get a good Philly Cheese steak sandwich and someone at my job had mentioned going to Reliable deli. I was a little worried about buying it again in this area because the first one I purchased was so terrible. It was so bad that I threw out half the sandwich. I'm glad I listened to my co-workers.... Not only it was the best one I've tasted in NY but it was also affordable. I will recommend it to all my friends!!!! read more

I get a craving for a bialy with scallion cream cheese and this is where I will go. Good service by the staff and clean environment.

True definition of hidden gem. Would never have thought to walk into this place but my coworker mentioned that it was really great so I decided to give it a try. AMAZING. I tried the salad bar- large salad comes with 8 toppings. Literally huge and absolutely delicious. They don't charge extra for "premium" toppings- 9 dollars including tax. Never going to chop't again. Amazing service. The gentleman behind the salad bar was extremely friendly and helpful as was the lady ringing me up. Try this place you will not regret it read more

This place is my go-to for workplace delivery. I order from here at least 4 times a week. The sandwiches are delicious and pretty big. Everything seems very fresh and the customer service is outstanding. The cooks remember my order and they will make anything I get a hankering for. Anything! I highly recommend it. The prices are decent, too! read more

Staff is extremely friendly and efficient... have had breakfast and lunches from the deli counter and everything has been fresh and tasty.

used to be a great spot for egg sandwiches in the morning, however, then most of their kitchen staff left (maybe deported), and the service has suffered. My order is constantly incorrect and the line moves way slower and it takes way longer to get your sandwich after you order. Moving back to bistro on 51st for breakfast read more