I was sat at the bar by a pair of clowns, one bald, one with white hair, that don't smile or have a clue what a first impression can make. I ended up getting sat next to a drunk and annoying man who wouldn't shut up. I ignored him, but if it wasn't for the two charming lady bartenders and the good food and service, I would've made a scene and the scene would've involved the drunk man. I ordered the Seafood Gumbo and the Chicken Nantua, followed by their famous Bananas Foster prepared right next to me. They talk so much about a dress code, yet I saw people in t-shirts in the main dining room. This establishment needs to focus more on who they put welcoming guests at the front door. First impressions always go a long way
Gianna Nebbia
Inexpensive lunch salads. Fresh and tasty ingredients and dressing
Gianna Nebbia
Super quick, good breakfast sandwich, friendly staff. Salad bar looks good too
DJ G.
I give the "Epicure" five stars because of what it was...a while back. In the 90s there were a few places in the Flatiron district that really excelled. Marino's on 5th and 23rd ( now a Duane Reade ), the 5th Ave Epicure, LA Cafe, Seattle Coffee and a few others, now all gone. The Epicure maintained a certain quality and style, probably lost when the pressures of this recession and an overabundance of eateries, good and bad, flooded the areas. The enourmous rents now asked in what was once a familiar mom and pop neighborhood had to prod its demise. It was a great place, along with the others, and Im sorry to see it go, and the times change...
Rob V.
The Fifth Ave Epicure has been closed. Used to be a great spot when I first started working in the neighborhood. Its closure is no surprise considering the falling quality of food and dismal customer service.
Cory G.
This place is going downhill fast. The new staff is completely unaware of customer service and let you wait while they fool around in the back of the station. Twice I went in and was charged the wrong price so asked for them to change it. The first time they did, the second time they told me the price went up even as I was standing there looking at the price card! The cashiers are very nice but the rest of the staff needs to be either trained or fired.
Annmarie M.
Had a good salad there... they were really nice about swapping certain ingredients from a set-salad I wanted but I didn't want croutons so they swapped them for sprouts etc... However I recently had their vegetarian chili and it had this absolutely terrible medicinal after taste... I felt like i was eating vapor-rub or cough syrup. I actually threw it out. I'll be back because it's convenient and there are a lot more things to try, but i found it overall a bit pricey.
yuri m.
soups and salads are decent. Cheap ingredients overall. The overall feeling i get from this place is that they cut corners wherever possible. Stay away from the hot food. It's gross. The rice I got on a monday had the texture as if it had been left out over the weekend.
Kei Sha
just ordered a spciy chicken salad lunch
Sally Acevedo
Salad & Pasta Bar. Sandwich & fruit yogurt. Cuban Panini. Good prices.
Free small bottled water with a salad bar order! Awesome!
Karen B
Friendly + cheap = win
Anastasia C.
Went here for the first time after working two blocks away for a couple years. A lot of selection; soup guy was amazingly friendly; food was okay; I got a burrito - pretty decent, nothing to write home about. I would go there again and try the soup or the sandwich.
East V.
The food and prices are fine -- especially for the custom tossed salad -- but the service is so frustratingly inefficient that I almost never come here because I don't have the time. A breakfast-and-lunch place in a work neighborhood needs better systems in place and staff that are efficient and quick. - Almost every time I get a salad, even if one of the 20 people who seem to be working there is ready to help me (which is maybe half the time), they're out of something really basic (like olive oil) and have to leave to go hunt for it. - The women at the front counter are incredibly slow -- so slow you almost wonder if they're messing with you. Their very languid, cat-like style and indifferent attitude would seem to disqualify them for working the counter at such a busy place but maybe it's a family operation? - Despite how slow everything is and the fact that almost no one (except the friendly soup guy) seems very dedicated to service, the (mediocre) coffee is behind the counter so you have to ask them (if you can find them) to fix it for you. If this were amazing coffee, or they were making espressos and cappuccinos, that would make some sense -- but it's no better than the kind of coffee you can pump into a cup yourself from a big thermos at other delis ... and it seems cruelly ironic that one of the only places you have to wait for them to fix it for you is also one of the slowest lunch places in the city. So again, I can't fault the food -- and even prefer it to similar places in the neighborhood -- but I always leave wanting to pull my hair out because they're so slow and inept. Would love to see them fix that.
Bethany P.
I've run by here for a breakfast sandwich a couple times but only in a pinch. Unfortunately they make their egg whites all at once (scrambled) and then have them sitting out all morning until you request them on a sandwich. ick. No flavor and I prefer freshly made eggs for sure. The staff has always been kind but I don't go back there anymore.
I was sat at the bar by a pair of clowns, one bald, one with white hair, that don't smile or have a clue what a first impression can make. I ended up getting sat next to a drunk and annoying man who wouldn't shut up. I ignored him, but if it wasn't for the two charming lady bartenders and the good food and service, I would've made a scene and the scene would've involved the drunk man. I ordered the Seafood Gumbo and the Chicken Nantua, followed by their famous Bananas Foster prepared right next to me. They talk so much about a dress code, yet I saw people in t-shirts in the main dining room. This establishment needs to focus more on who they put welcoming guests at the front door. First impressions always go a long way
Inexpensive lunch salads. Fresh and tasty ingredients and dressing
Super quick, good breakfast sandwich, friendly staff. Salad bar looks good too
I give the "Epicure" five stars because of what it was...a while back. In the 90s there were a few places in the Flatiron district that really excelled. Marino's on 5th and 23rd ( now a Duane Reade ), the 5th Ave Epicure, LA Cafe, Seattle Coffee and a few others, now all gone. The Epicure maintained a certain quality and style, probably lost when the pressures of this recession and an overabundance of eateries, good and bad, flooded the areas. The enourmous rents now asked in what was once a familiar mom and pop neighborhood had to prod its demise. It was a great place, along with the others, and Im sorry to see it go, and the times change...
The Fifth Ave Epicure has been closed. Used to be a great spot when I first started working in the neighborhood. Its closure is no surprise considering the falling quality of food and dismal customer service.
This place is going downhill fast. The new staff is completely unaware of customer service and let you wait while they fool around in the back of the station. Twice I went in and was charged the wrong price so asked for them to change it. The first time they did, the second time they told me the price went up even as I was standing there looking at the price card! The cashiers are very nice but the rest of the staff needs to be either trained or fired.
Had a good salad there... they were really nice about swapping certain ingredients from a set-salad I wanted but I didn't want croutons so they swapped them for sprouts etc... However I recently had their vegetarian chili and it had this absolutely terrible medicinal after taste... I felt like i was eating vapor-rub or cough syrup. I actually threw it out. I'll be back because it's convenient and there are a lot more things to try, but i found it overall a bit pricey.
soups and salads are decent. Cheap ingredients overall. The overall feeling i get from this place is that they cut corners wherever possible. Stay away from the hot food. It's gross. The rice I got on a monday had the texture as if it had been left out over the weekend.
just ordered a spciy chicken salad lunch
Salad & Pasta Bar. Sandwich & fruit yogurt. Cuban Panini. Good prices.
Restaurantji Recommends
Free small bottled water with a salad bar order! Awesome!
Friendly + cheap = win
Went here for the first time after working two blocks away for a couple years. A lot of selection; soup guy was amazingly friendly; food was okay; I got a burrito - pretty decent, nothing to write home about. I would go there again and try the soup or the sandwich.
The food and prices are fine -- especially for the custom tossed salad -- but the service is so frustratingly inefficient that I almost never come here because I don't have the time. A breakfast-and-lunch place in a work neighborhood needs better systems in place and staff that are efficient and quick. - Almost every time I get a salad, even if one of the 20 people who seem to be working there is ready to help me (which is maybe half the time), they're out of something really basic (like olive oil) and have to leave to go hunt for it. - The women at the front counter are incredibly slow -- so slow you almost wonder if they're messing with you. Their very languid, cat-like style and indifferent attitude would seem to disqualify them for working the counter at such a busy place but maybe it's a family operation? - Despite how slow everything is and the fact that almost no one (except the friendly soup guy) seems very dedicated to service, the (mediocre) coffee is behind the counter so you have to ask them (if you can find them) to fix it for you. If this were amazing coffee, or they were making espressos and cappuccinos, that would make some sense -- but it's no better than the kind of coffee you can pump into a cup yourself from a big thermos at other delis ... and it seems cruelly ironic that one of the only places you have to wait for them to fix it for you is also one of the slowest lunch places in the city. So again, I can't fault the food -- and even prefer it to similar places in the neighborhood -- but I always leave wanting to pull my hair out because they're so slow and inept. Would love to see them fix that.
I've run by here for a breakfast sandwich a couple times but only in a pinch. Unfortunately they make their egg whites all at once (scrambled) and then have them sitting out all morning until you request them on a sandwich. ick. No flavor and I prefer freshly made eggs for sure. The staff has always been kind but I don't go back there anymore.