I came looking for a glass of wine and I was 1.5 hours early. I was still served a fabulous glass of white wine and able to view the menu for the evening crowd. I was also given a chance to taste some of the wines offered in the evening, as well as meet Eli Zabar himself. Fabulous wine menu and impeccable service. I'm rarely on the UES but will return.

Great selection of prepared foods and fresh baked items and a deli area. I had the caprese sandwich and I will be looking to recreate it at home. The caramel macarons was perfect, so crisp and light and buttery.

An absolutely incredible experience. My wife and I stopped in here to burn 2 hours between dinner and an event we were attending. They didn't have a table immediately, so they gave us some complementary champagne, and from there... The dessert and wine selections were amazing. The service was top notch... If we didn't love the wine we were tasting our waiter wouldn't let us get a full glass. We only got a glass when we loved the wine. Excellent experience, highly recommend!!

I had an AWESOME time here with my date 😁. I definitely recommend for anyone going on a casual or somewhat fancy place to dine at! The waiters here were super nice and respectful, and I would definitely recommend their company. Thanks Bar 91!

Had a lovely Sunday brunch, listening to music and sitting under cover outside. I ate goats cheese and spinach omelette recommended by our very nice server Derek. We also had roast beef hash which was equally delicious as were the very well made, tasty cappuccino’s. Would definitely return.

Love this place Food is delicious and it’s comfortable to grab a glass of wine and a bite or to have a full dinner . Staff is always so nice and accommodating.

We had such a great time at this place - soft shell crab, ravioli (corn amazing), calamari, and more. They accommodated our large party before they were about to close. They sold out of about half their menu because of how fresh and limited their dishes were but those that remained were delicious. The wine selection was perfect. Wish they had a few more beers though but whatever, all good. Highly recommend

Best chicken I’ve ever had hands down. Great service great wine great desserts too. Everything is cooked perfectly love u see u next time

we've been to this spot for dinner many times now and really enjoy it.. Especially nice in warm weather when you can eat outdoors but upstairs in the dining room is nice, too. Oddly, there are no French wines, but we've loved all the wines we've had her. Tasty food, too. And probably the best fried zucchini I've ever eaten.

Perfect for breakfast when you want to grab a quick bite to eat of high quality food or take something home to guests visiting from out of town. You can trust the consistent quality and broad selection will leave you with something above average for everyone. Only downside is that it is a bit pricey.

We stopped here for a drink while our kids waited in line for hot chocolate next door. The service was great. Everyone was friendly. We didn't have time to eat, but the food looked delicious. The live jazz was a nice touch too.

Ulyana Shikaloff

Delicious food. Definitely try the French onion soup if you get a chance. The server was a little distracted, but overall this is one of my favorite places.

Masa

We walked in late night after last call. However, the staff let us in. The kitchen staff apologized and managed to provide us some dishes, french fries and tarte with ice-cream and so on. The staff took care of us very much. Thanks to staff, I could spend good cozy time that I wanted be a repeater. 🥂Kind of apple cider was tasty. I would like to see friendly staff and have dinner next time.

Thomas Everyman

Stopped in Eli’s Bar 91 for Friday night live jazz. Ensemble played great smooth jazz. Menu and wine list is impressive. Dessert was worth the calories. I went with the Chocolate Pavé, excellent.

Ariyada Vadasz

I got a large cappuccino and a Parisienne croissant for $10. Yes. It's deli style. Yes, it's on Madison. The staff were professional and prompt. I don't expect service workers to lick my boots. I have been on the other side of the counter.

Colleen Logan

The Google entry is misleading. The Eli's Essentials little store closes at 6 pm, but Eli's Wine Bar 91 stays open and doesnt close until 9.30 or so. We had a great meal after walking in Central Park.

Sree Sreenivasan

The best egg sandwich in New York - and maybe the world. The brioche used is amazing! Every chance I get, I try to get one.

+2

Nice outdoor seat for coffee and breakfast after a run in the park

Pretty good pastries & sandwich, convenient outdoor seating for self-serve customers, just expensive.

Selection is interesting, prices are a bit high. This large macaroon was $6.50usd - worth it & delish

Expensive but decent coffee, good pastries, nice vibe and decor and great location

Nice two level shop. Coffee, wine, bagels, treats, breakfast, and lunch items make for a great stop.

Cute little place, although obviously overpriced (thus one star down), but the food is delicious: french toasts and oatmeal for breakfast, soups for lunch, you name it. Also, conveniently located for clients (or should I say victims) of the nearby Russian consulate. This place brought be back to life after hours of wait at the consulate on a cold winter’s day.

My kid told me that this place have very good macaroons! At my opinion, a little bit overpriced, but taking into consideration location, probably ok. Buffet is nice.

As all Eli Zabar venues are, this place is shockingly overpriced. However, the food (for its daytime incarnation, Eli's Essential) is of high quality. At night, it becomes a wine bar, of which I know little.

Love the music on summer weekends. Crowd is very local and regular.

Really friendly staff and good service. You can either dine-in or have a on the go lunch. The options are really broad. You can either buy a prepared meal as a sandwich salad or other options. There is also a self service option were you fill a tray with your preferred options. The prices are a little high for what you expect but you'll want to leave a tip

Bradley C

It’s a nice, clean, and organized bakery/deli/restaurant. I have been shopping at Eli’s for years, but for some reasons, I haven’t had chance to visit the store that’s the closest to me. The foods looked fresh, and smells nice. I looked around even though a challah was the only thing I needed today. They have all sorts of pastries, breads, and cookies. Some soup and cold cuts. They also have freshly made food and a small salad bar. I’ll come back and try their other items. I believe they also offer dine in options.

+16

Kierlyn Seeley

Good, but the Parisian Croissant is not almond, but filled with custard. 7/10. The croissant was great but the custard was a bit surprising and didn’t really fit.

Laura Terrero González

I loved it! I came to New York for only a day (working) and I finally found a real place with real people and real food.. so yummy! And good price too. Normally close to the main touristic attractions u find just "touristic food". I'm so happy I found this place and I'll definitely come back

Food is good but not worth the money. Ambiance is.. not very memorable. Kinda cozy I suppose.

Super expensive. Not so organized, not clear who's in charge of what. The cashier lady told me that my credit card declined, so my friend had to pay on me. 2 days later I saw in my bank's app that my credit was charged with the full amount, so eventually I payed twice. Food in the bottom line is ok, does not worth the value for money. I had a duck breast that was super dry, but had some potential.

The food is actually good. Avocado-mango salad, wild rice, fried chicken is great! BUT $3 for a small bottle of water is too much! Plastick utensils - is very low. You are eating good food with plastick fork which is so uncomfortable to pick. Plus is such a waste, just to toss so much plastick.

Food was tasty buy not worth what you pay. Nice to come for lunch or brunch if you dont mind paying a fair bit. Lots of variety. Nice ambience. Overall ok.

Overpriced Buffett food. Nice neighborhood

#1: Expensive. #2: The food does not justify the expense. There is no jolt in the espresso and not much flavor, either. The raisin danish was dull and well below average. The staff are friendly and efficient and the environment is about right.

Zeldie Stuart

Was good during summer months w corn ravioli and seared black cod but now pathetic. menu still the same from august w green beans/corn it’s OCTOBER! get with it! brussel sprouts! root veges! same old same and boring. decent jazz friday and Saturday evening. brunch sunday is good. dinner? NO! even the steak was rubbery. not going anymore

B. Saszare

HERE WAS MY EXPERIENCE SEVERAL TIMES Staff: Seemingly “grocery store” type staff with no customer service skills and no smile. Food items: Cooked rice $23.90 a pound? LOL, $5.50 for a cookie, $5.00 a donut, $15 dollars for a small soup, $7.00 small jello, My goodness! Lol. Holy Cannoli Batman!! Ok yes, this is on Madison Avenue, and I’m sure they need to charge more their to suit the rent and overhead, but in my view it is a gross disrespect to everyone because it is taking advantage by charging “Restaurant served” prices for grocery items. I do indulge from time to time and I do not skimp on gourmet items, but I would never recommend this place, as it does feel to me like a deliberate rip-off.

+9

jack Rohan

Great pastry and Cesar salad disappointing frittata and egg sandwich Nice atmosphere

Rochelle Lebovitz

This place has all the makings of a great little Cafe style restaurant but it was definitely a miss for me. The deli side is cute and a lot to choose from but the restaurant side is lacking and not necessarily the food. It could have been an off day but what made this experience awful was the fact that they were having work done, inside, 5 feet from our table. Not small unobtrusive work. They had a grinder saw with sparks flying and then continious hammering on metal. The noise was deafening. It wasn't apparent upon our seating that this would continue throughout the meal. At any time the hostess or our sever could have said that it might have been better outside, which we didn't realize they had, or even upstairs. The salt in the salt shaker was clumped together in such a way that when opened, the salt just spilled out. It was really more of the ambiance than the food but really...have work done before you open or after hours. Very disappointing experience.

Taina O

The pastrami sandwich is the smallest I have ever seen. Too expensive for the size and the taste was ok. Katz deli is a far size for the cost.

Nicolas Jacobi

I had a roll with egg and coffee for $16. The food was ok, but not worth the price. Their prices are generally extremely high and intransparent. The coffee cup lids do not fit well. Mine popped off and i spilled everything over my shirt.

Amrita Patnaik

The service and location were great, outdoor seating is a huge plus! However, the food is expensive for what it is. I ordered the sandwich which was pretty good, and my fiance had the eggs Benedict. He was pretty disappointed overall, specifically noting that the hollandaise had no flavor and that the brioche was a bad pairing for eggs Benedict. Overall for eggs Benedicts and an egg sandwich and two brunch drinks, the bill came out to $63 before tip. I've definitely had better brunch for that much elsewhere. The service and location were great though! But probably not coming back here.

Pricey pastries that are drier than my sense of humor. Nice staff, but I’d grab my coffee cake elsewhere.

The lady that "greeted" us didn't want to be there. Yes Janet you. Our server Kevin was really good and very courteous. My tip better have went to Kevin and not Janet. The food was good and the manager also didn't hesitate to accommodate us.

Salmon bagel was 20$ and pretty bad. Tea was pretty cheap and weak. Place was busy so maybe we made horrible choices. Many people were doing the cream-cheese your own bagel option

I met a new friend for a drink there at 5:30pm on 4 March 2020. My most recent wine bar experience had been in the Columbus Circle neighborhood. Perhaps I should have been prepared for the "sticker shock" but I was not. Two glasses of white wine cost almost $40 at Eli's Essentials. (!!!) For contrast, the Columbus Circle area place (Bar Veloce) charges $28 but has a Happy Hour discount at the same time of day of 50 percent. Upper East Side vs Columbus Circle should not (IMHO) mean paying almost $40 vs paying $14 at 5:30pm. Posted to educate other wine bar customers.

very expensive for a meal that has nothing special, and tasteless

Have been wanting to try this place for months on a night when they had a jazz band. Showed up and was told they don’t have tables outside available (many were) so I came back 45 min later after making a patio reservation, I showed up and was told they didn’t have any outside tables open still despite making a reservation. Later after we were seated I saw a party of 3 walk in asking for a table outside and they were immediately seated. Wait staff was extremely un-attentive despite the place not being full. Had to flag down everytime to get anything. 15 minutes after we ordered we were told they had only 1 more burger left…. absolutely ridiculous. We went to eat dinner elsewhere. Food was quite overpriced. Very disappointed in this establishment

The Band was amazing. The food was delicious. The downside was the restaurant staff and management intentionally ignored my table for over an hour after I tried to order more for my table. I ordered a second drink for myself. After an hour of waiting, I never received it. I waited for my server or a manager to come over to my table. To either close out my tab or at the very least check on my table. The staff never came back to my table. The restaurant staff took care of every table around me except mine. Even after the restaurant cleared, the restaurant staff still didn’t come over. I did my best to wait patiently and give them the benefit of the doubt. I had to get up from my outside patio table and close my tab at the bar since my server and the manager refused to speak to me at my table. Every other table received their check delivered to them at the table by the server/manager on duty. My server “forgot” about me and my order several times. I was alone. This wouldn’t be as bad if they didn’t check on every table around me except mine. I made eye contact several times and was ignored. It doesn’t help that I was the only African American patron in the establishment. After seeing the other reviews this is not the first time someone has complained about unkind service from this establishment. This was disheartening because the atmosphere, entertainment, and food were so good. The quality of service really put a damper on my perception of this place. I hope the servers and managers take the time to work on providing their patrons with kind/quality service. I paid $40 for an appetizer, a drink, and poor service. I guess that’s the upper East Side for you. *I updated this post to clarify details*

I was here for breakfast. A small plate and a small coffee cost me $14. And I had to eat with a plastic fork. Also, the coffee tastes horrible and they charge you $3 for small coffee in a paper cup.

Incredibly expensive and overrated for what it is. Not worth it. Don’t do it unless you want to be spending $30 for a small salad that you serve yourself. They’re out of touch with reality with how mediocre it is

I was walking with friends to a different place for lunch, but Eli's caught my eye from the street so we went in. Once inside, I found the place confusing. There were no menus and it seemed unorganized. The baked goods in the windows looked great and they had many nice pies and things for sale, but in terms of fresh food for lunch it was limited. The premade sandwiches looked good, but the cold bar was $16.95 a pound and lacking. The person behind the register seemed slightly confused and definitely unenthused. It was too expensive and they were out of many items so each of my friends had to settle for things they didn't really want to eat. The atmosphere is super cool and the upstairs tables and seats are nice to sit at with a coffee, but I don't see myself going back for food. It is also a wine bar so I might give it another chance in the evening sometime.

Horrible service. Forgot to make two of our lattes and then also forgot to make one of our sandwiches. Then they had to ask us again what type of sandwich we ordered. They did refund us for the sandwich. There is no system or organization at this business. Overpriced as well. $19 for a basic veggie omelet—no presentation, garnish, or side.

Well… I don’t think it’s the best … :/ Also, overpriced and your staff is not welcoming

Expensive not sure it worth it. Cozy place for quick food. Expected more even a real spoon and forks ( there was only plastic - they said nobody wants to wash dishes really??? )

I have bought a tiny cookie at their coffee shop for $12!!! It was super dry and overbaked. Sorry, but so much money for bad tasting bakery is not ok. Service was good tho.

Sheldon Weinbergenstein

Reasonably good food but, buyer, be aware!! Owner is a cheap skate, taking advantage of customers Example: I order French toast - the cheapo owner charges TWO EXTRA DOLLARS for syrup 😵‍💫😩 How low is that? I asked the staff, and they said “Eli’s orders” Sad he’s so desperate to make a buck Makes me not want to return because he really does not care about customers - TWO DOLLARS for syrup for French toast? Sad

Tax Professional

I would have given this place 5 stars because they let people use their bathroom. In NYC, that's worth 5 stars. We decided to eat there after the museum. It was a chilly day and we asked them to close the front door. Unfortunately, the staff told us that the owner requires them to leave it open!!! We left. To me that seemed cruel to employees who are forced to work their many hours in all kinds of weather, and a not nice to customers. For those who choose to stay, I wonder how comfortable they are in the cold.

$14 egg sandwich is a disgrace! $3 for a single peice of bacon...

$20 for two cold french toasts from their buffet (literally just buttered slice of bread soaked in maple syrup, no fruits, no icecream). Are you okay even?!

if here is option for O star i definitely give tham O today i went that store and take small box and put some stuff OMG i socked they charge me $50 i never saw that type of over priced placed

Ugh! The most overpriced inedible meal I’ve had in NYC. The chicken was so dry I had to spit it out.

Ribs and chicken incredibly disappointing and expensive, do yourself a favor and don’t come here

Way too overpriced. Not worth it. Expect to spend a fortune if you want any normal sized portion of food.

Its not a clean place. There are mice in the building. Eli needs to do more to keep the building and the basement cleaner. It is getting worse.

Stay away from the food. Had a mediocre burger for $20. The waiter asked if I wanted cheese although he didn't tell me it was an extras charge for a slice of cheese.. I shouldn't be surprised as everything from Eli is over priced.

Unfortunately there is nothing good to say, focaccia with tomatoes and mozzarella wasn’t fresh even after they warm it up, and it was too oily. It took much time to get my order, I barely thought they finally done with it.

Update. March 2021. Still an unmitigated disaster. The sole redeeming characteristic of this place is its location. Could someone please buy this place and operate it well? Consistently the worst service of any restaurant in the neighborhood. Every few months I think I’ll try it again and my disappointment, like a Phoenix, rises again.

I had a cup of afternoon coffee with my wife while she had a quick cal with the office. The guy that was cleaning the tables supposedly getting ready for sth almost kicked us out. I called the manager, his names was Robert, I explained the nuisance. He claimed it is ok , he needs to clean. Well at the end , he said he will talk and take care of it. My image is although this institution has good food the team needs training how to handle criticism and feedback without attitude. I would avoid this place if I have alternatives.

They've mastered the art of making things look fancy, but the flavor is so bland, everything I tried was flavorless and dry and stale or soggy and unfresh. As an avid baker and cook myself, I was greatly disappointed, it looks good, but they clearly don't taste the food they make, they just make it look nice.

Fraud insane high price, and low quality food. They don’t show the price in advance. Just one lunch box was 50 dollars. They should know what is the proper value price. Wish you guys don’t go this restaurant.

Totally gone bad. 30 minutes wait, nobody came to take an order. Had to go call a guy inside. Incompetent waitress, and waiter. Saturday morning laziness? Not even cold water is cold. An insult to an establishment that used to be ok. Thought I was being a bit unfair but just read some other comments so thought I'd explain how it went to get ice in my water. She took my glass away, added ice somewhere in the kitchen and bought me the glass back stacked with ice. Duhh? How about a jug with water and ice like even my local deli can manage.

Please PLEASE don’t ever get a bagel from Eli’s! In the past several months they’ve gotten smaller and also so much more tough. They are not only inedible, they’re dangerous. Dangerous to your hands because they’re so challenging to cut in half because they are so incredibly hard and also dangerous to bite into because you could potentially break a tooth, as I did. Big Warning!

I was shocked by how rude the manager on Monday, April 29 at 11:30am was to me. I pointed out how unsanitary the bagel service was and he literally yelled at me and said ‘I don’t care’. Awful treatment, ridiculously expensive and dirty. Don’t go here!

Young girls waiting tables inside absolutely terrible. You need something you have to flag them down and then deal with them acting like your bothering them.... had to order twice, and I just wanted a scone...cute place but wow I’m completely underwhelmed.

The people here are rude and disgusting 😠 I saw a worker drop a sliced grapefruit on the floor and she just put it back out so someone to eat it. The manager had a horrible attitude. I wouldn't recommend anyone to eat here

I had to ask the total 3 times to make sure , 1 grilled cheese sandwich , 3 croissants, 2 teas, 1 French fries, 1 cookie = 72 $ Crazy expensive , only one person spoke English . I couldn’t find anyone to ask where sugar was.

Stay away. The fruit bowl is $7, the salmon bagel is $20 and dry, and the Eggs Benedict are $18 and tiny.

I just tried to ask to reserve the left upstairs section for a sketching session with a small group of high school students at 1:00 on a Monday when the place is normally empty. We would get our own food from downstairs and draw. After a month trying to get in touch with people with no luck and after being sent to voicemail and calling back to get the manager who had sent me to voicemail, the manager told me that there would by a $100 reservations fee and a demand of a minimum of $300 for food. These made-up charges in the public area upstairs with no table service when we could just walk in on our own and sit up there without even doing the restaurant the courtesy of calling ahead. Disgusting fleecing and poor behavior. Not only will I not spend $400 for pastries and a completely public place to sit, but I will not return on my own accord with my adult friends in the future.

So disappointing that this place occupies prime real estate in my hood. Their deli prices are absolutely absurd to the point of being disrespectful to their customers dumb enough to pay $18 for half a sandwich or $26 for a Caesar salad with no chicken. And that’s the to-go selection! I felt insulted just walking in that place. The only saving grace is the guys behind the bar pouring wine are generally agreeable sorts. Avoid and pray they’ll be replaced

Highly disappointed from the experience. Nothing is visibly priced, so when our 5 items were rang up we were shocked to find out that we owed a total of $72. That wasn't even the worst part! The seating area was littered with trash and the food tasted several days old. After lunch I was sure that I was going to get food poisoning because the food was so bad.

Obscenely overpriced; disgusting bathroom in basement. Food is priced by weight as in a hospital cafeteria. Visit a food cart instead. Manager possesses that sense of humor that is thinly veiled hostility, and he mocked an employee when I was there. My NYC-raised mother taught me not to be a sucker. Sorry, Ma.

Stay away! On September 19, 2024, at 4:15, I went there for a cappuccino. I was the first in line, and after me, there was a young girl. The guy at the counter told me to go around and asked the girl what she wanted. Even the girl said that I was first in line, but he couldn't care less. I went back after the girl left and ordered a cappuccino. The guy at the counter was so disinterested and dismissive that I couldn't understand what he was saying. Then, a lady made my coffee, and when I asked for some water, she pointed at the sink and said: "That's the only place we have water!"

We were so upset by the service here, it seemed like almost everything went wrong. Where to begin? The music was loud, yet only amplified in one corner of the room. We ate inside, and the whole place was filled with the smell of food wafting in from the kitchen. We had to wait at least thirty minutes for everything, from getting menus to being served with snacks at the table, which is not even to mention that our waiter seemed to disappear as soon as we informed him that we only came for dessert and a glass of wine. When we gave up on trying to find him, there was no one else to help in sight. We ultimately ordered four glasses of wine. However, after the bill seemed to add up too high we discovered we were charged for three extra glasses! None of us enjoyed ourselves that much, and afterward, we did not even receive an apology from the wait staff! Well deserved one star...

Had food from the salad bar and a sandwich. Food overall is overpriced. Sandwiches are not made fresh but only selling premade sandwiches. Staff was unhelpful

Horrible service at the tables.My Central Park walkers meetup group has been going there a few months because it's convenient. They never treat us well. However, today was the last time. Their policy is not to give separate checks, so for a party of 5, we got 1 check for 3, and 1 for 2. The first 3 of us got our breakfast, and then the second waited for over 20 minutes. The explanation was absurd. They also overcharged us because there was some new "system" that the waitress didn't seem to understand. After that was corrected, I gave her the cash for 4 people and my credit card, after which she returned some cash to me and asked me to pay for the rest with my credit card. She had divided the check in 2. Made no sense. When I complained to the manager, a very young man, he got impatient and told me maybe I didn't understand English. I have a doctorate and teach English. This was nuts. Never again.

Idk what these people are on but I'd like a hit of it because you have to be on another planet to think you can charge those prices for that quality of food. I walked in and was looking at the sandwiches (mediocre at best looking) and I chose the worst looking of all of them the tuna sandwich. I go to the cash register, 16.88!? They are tripppping, when I tell you this tuna sandwich looked like it was made at a Cumberland farm gas station, that would be doing it justice. This sandwich was literally only bread and *A very thin amount* of tuna. 2 ingredients. No celery bits in the tuna, no lettuce tomato cheese or anything in the bread. I don't mind spending money on food if it's good quality, my favorite place that makes a fire tuna melt, gracie mews on 81st and 2nd, charges 18 something but it's a lot of tuna on giant bread with melted cheese, lettuce, and tomato. Love it and get it all the time. As the review below me says, they are deliberately ripping people off, what a joke

Ashley V

The food was terrible and over priced. If you do dine here be prepared experience stale rice , cold chicken that has not seen any seasoning, shrimp that tastes like expired ocean and your money never returning to your wallet.

Renée L.

RIDICULOUSLY OVERPRICED. 2 large cappuccinos, 1 plain french toast, 1/3 of a breakfast burrito, 1 serving of scrambled eggs, 1 serving of frittata, & 1 serving of potatoes = $50!!! None of their hot items have prices marked & the barista seemed annoyed when we asked about the service process. $50 for a small breakfast for 2–& its self-serve at that. Also, one of the employees straight up pushed me out of the way while I was paying so she could get to a basket that was under the staircase behind me. Completely rude.