Cafe Sabarsky

nice place

Perhaps I can help resolve the back and forth between those who say this is the best coffee in New York, and those who say it's overrated:

If you like strong, rich, tasty coffee that tastes like the espresso from good European coffee houses, you will love the coffee at the Cafe Sabarsky. I do, and I do! I could live forever on the Weiner melanges (German cappuccino...God, I want one now!).

If you like lighter, milder, American drip coffee, the coffee here will be too strong for you. You might want to consider ordering the Milchkaffee (sort of a German latte, but with a lot of milk) or just skip coffee and order tea or the hot chocolate. There's no shame!

That said, Cafe Sabarsky is like a slice of Europe in New York. I list it, along with the cafe at Maison du Chocolat and Payard as the best places for coffee in the city.

Pros: The food, the ambiance

Cons: It can be pricey

Went to Cafe Sabarsky after attending the Neue Galerie to see the Van Gogh(highly recommend) one Friday evening. Waited for about 10 minutes for a table for two at that time(~7:30). It really is a cafe, where one can get anything from a drink, to coffee and dessert, to a full meal, and not feel rushed or uncomfortable about lingering. We went for all three options after ordering a beer and seeing the food that was coming out of the kitchen. Yes, per some of the reports here, the food is a little pricey, but it's certainly in line w/ costs for an experience like this, and one can easily work around the menu to not spend too much. Furthermore, the food is very good, a modern touch on traditional German food. Particular standouts were the spaetzle and the salads. Ironically, the desserts were only pretty good, but maybe we ordered th wrong ones. Go check it out.

Pros: Good Food, Great atmosphere

It was a great experience. I love desserts and I must say this is one of the best places for a cup of coffee and dessert. Desserts for Undder $8, can't beat that.
Go on a Sunday afternoon, like at 6Pm.. eat dessert while listening so piano playing.
Highly recommended!

Pros: Great dessert

Cons: The dessert wine is a bit pricey $100 bottle

What you get - tasty authentic Viennese food, BEAUTIFUL atmosphere, live piano, and the illusion that you are living in early 20th century Viena - is what you pay for. If you want cheap, there are places for that too.
I had great service. The waiter was just attentive enough, the food was what I expected it to be - tasty, authentic, small and expensive. I felt like someone special when I was there. It's good for a special occasion - an anniversary or birthday for example. The apple strudle was AMAZING.

Pros: absolutely beautiful space, good service, romantic

Cons: expensive, but it's that kind of place, you know? pack your lunch this week

I want so much to like Cafe Sabarsky but the brunch line is long, the prices are expensive for what you get. Its a lovely setting and a friendly staff. The food is prepared well and presented nicely but the portions, even by New York standards, are diminutive. I think there is music on Thursday nights, or at once time there may have been. Neue Galerie has certainly a fine collection, but have lunch somewhere else in the neighborhood.

Pros: Newu Galerie

Cons: Expensive

The food was a complete disappointment, right down to the highly touted coffee and desserts, with the exception of my scallops entree which was passable. Unfortunately, the worst insult came after leaving the restaurant: the inept waitress charged me for our meal and for someone else's, and the unbelievably rude manager refused to acknowledge the error or approximate an apology! Truly awful experience - what a waste.

Pros: Beautiful dining room in a great museum

Cons: Bad food with worse than bad service

I was very surprised at how mediocre everything at the cafe was. The only thing hinting at a
posh, highly-rated cafe was the attitude. Everything looked pretty, cost accordingly and the service was polished. But the food didn't live up to any of it. Best coffee in town? Hardly? Bitter espresso, good but not great cafe latte. All hype, no satisfaction..feel cheated when that happens

Pros: good location, polite service

Cons: mediocre food, so-so coffee, expensive

We went to Cafe Sabarsky last Sunday. We got there at 1130am, and were seated immediately. Service was good, unintrusive, and we never got the feeling that they were rushing us, even though there was a line of like 35 people waiting to be seated. The coffee is great by any standard, but at $5 a cup it can get pricey. The savory food is ok, but the desserts are to die for. We shared a chocolate, pistachio and apricot cake that was simply amazing!

Pros: Coffee, Desserts

Cons: Lines, Pricey coffee

I went to Cafe Sabarsky this past weekend. The wait was long. Very long. But I had heard so much about this place that I couldn't pass it up. After being seated by a very kind, but quite stressed, young lady, we took in the room and menu. Beautiful room. Our waiter was superb. He suggested a unique and wonderful wine I had never heard of called a "Rotgipfler"(he wrote it down for me). We were so happy with the wine, that we let him pick our meal. Squash Soup and Avocado/Crab Salad to start. Lamb Loin and Wiener Schnitzel second. And two cakes to die for. Best coffee I've ever had. I plan on comming back often. I just hope the line is shorter and my waited is there.

Pros: Service, Food, Coffee

Cons: Long Line, Long Line, Long Line

Maybe it was the weather that day, but something about my whole experience chilled me to the bone. I remeber the desserts there being better than Vienna itself, but I didn't remember the service being an abomination. With a sea of tables to chose from, we were seated at an open table next to the booths. Alas! Within moments a booth opened up and we requested to move to it (no silverware or water at this point). We asked the waiter and we were informed that "the second [his word] you sit down you may not move again." The manager was requested, of course. "This is not a dancehall" the manager informed us three times. Dancehall? (It's not 1952 either and this is one slow dancehall.) They made "no exceptions" to the rule and we made no exceptions but to leave to the click of his heels toward the kitchen.

Pros: food

Cons: service, service, service

Don't make the mistake of dropping in on the weekend during lunch hour...the 40 minute wait was more than an hour and by the time we thought of giving up, we had already invested too much time waiting...price you pay for visiting a museum cafe on the weekend (they handout complimentary brochures to pass the time !) The food is German/Austrian/Eastern Europeon...you know meat/potatoes/soup/salad or in this case sausages which were good, the egg salad sandwich was interesting... but skip the main course....the desserts are exquisite. Must try the peach cheesecake.. (light, fluffy, and nothing like the cream cheese variety you get everywhere else) the chocolate hazelnut cake was heavenly... the coffee was very good too...a little pricey for a cafe, I loved the ambience and the waitstaff is very helpful ( and opinionated!) if you can't make up your mind...

Pros: Desserts

Cons: Wait time

I go here often when I'm up at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, since it's just a few blocks away. The food is quite good, the location is great, and the place has a nice atmosphere and feel to it. Service is friendly also, but beware of one thing. While the desserts are very good, they can run out of a certain dessert at times. This happened to me, and while it's easy enough to pick some other tasty dessert on the menu, it is something to keep in mind.

Pros: Quality, Location, Atmosphere

One of my favorite places for brunch on the Upper East Side, Cafe Sabarsky has delectable Austrian treats in a beautiful atmosphere. You'll think you've been transported into a chic coffeeshop in Vienna, with the elegant decor and polished service. Don't miss the streudel and the tasty sandwiches, or the coffee treats. Great location across from Central Park and also conveniently on the ground floor of the terrific Neue Galerie.

Pros: tasty food, great location, beautiful decor