Cafe Select

This place is super busy. We made a reservation but we still had to wait around 10 – 15 minutes to be seated but it wasn’t a big deal. The décor and the lights were so pretty which was a major plus!
My friend and I shared the MuesIi pancakes and Fried Halloumi paired with our brunch cocktails (Hugo & Pimms Cup).
Both dishes were delicious but I definitely enjoyed Muesli pancakes the most, hands down. The Hugo was also light and refreshing!

Hey Café Select, I think it is a great thing that you are at vanguard of a movement to have the 20% gratuity included in the bill. It’s the European way and restaurants across America should follow your lead. What is NOT ok, and makes you look like a thief, is that you only put that in the fine print when the bill comes (for two people) and that you also include a space to include additional tip. As if anyone in their right mind would want to tip you anyone over 20%. It’s deceitful. Period. Get your act together and get rid of that extra tip section of the bill.

We kept ignored and waited until everyone came in behind us got served with food. The pancakes finally came burnt.

We got in to the city pretty late and very hungry. We threw our bags in our room and headed out for food. Our hotel guest services recommended Café Select. We got there around 10pm and it was packed. The menu looked good and we went in. We were greeted by one gentleman who said he’d make sure we were taken care of right away. The hostess was right behind him. She told us that she did have a table for us — in the speakeasy! We didn’t know there was a speakeasy! Score! Through the restaurant, then through the kitchen, and there you’ll find yourself in one of the coolest little hidden bar/​restaurants in the city. We had planned on getting Risotto until we saw a burger come out for another guest. Trust me — get a Truffle Burger with Horseradish Sauce! The service was fabulous. The food was delicious and the cocktails are strong! Try it and enjoy!

Definitely a cool place to stop in for a drink. My fiancée really enjoyed the cocktail the bartender suggested.
It has a little bit of a hipster vibe but overall it is cool.
I did not try the food but next time we will.

Visited this place because of the «must» visit review in a recent issue of In-​Style magazine. The menu selection was underwhelming, and dishes ridiculously overpriced, but we were hungry and decided to tough it out. The food was fine, nothing special, and portions were small. Music was too loud, which forced customers to talk loudly. If this is a «gratuity free,» restaurant, why did the bill have a section on it to place a tip. Probably adequate for trust fund twenty 20 somethings.

Stumbled onto this little café by accident because the line for a table at Jack’s Wife Freda was so long. We (luckily) got seated very quickly on a Friday lunchtime (there was three of us) — it’s fairly busy but the turn over of tables is quite high.
Lovely décor and a good, french inspired menu. The only downside is the lack of seating area outside. It’s not the cheapest place in Manhattan, but as a European I really appreciated the kind of cross over restaurant/​café vibe, and I feel like it would be a great place for both light lunches and also cosy dinners.
Also, they’ve got a ‘gratuity free’ policy, which means the servers tips are built into the price of the meals and you don’t have to worry about that pesky 20% after the bill comes! Love it, more cafes should use this.
However, had to deduct two stars from the rating because when we came to pay we wanted to split the bill onto three cards, and the waitress told us we couldn’t (which is odd, because I’ve been able to everywhere else in Manhattan, and rarely pay with one card when settling the bill). Then, whilst we debated how to settle it, she walked a very very short distance away and promptly started complaining to her fellow waitress about us and how we wanted to settle the bill. As a former waitress, can I just say– take it in the back ladies! Customers can be annoying, but do us all a favor and don’t complain about us where we can hear.

Sometimes you just want a cheeseburger and a martini, you know? That’s my go-​to order at Café Select, and it’s never done me wrong. The martini (I get mine with Ketel, dirty) is well balanced and the olive brine is high quality — none of those cocktail olives that, while fine, don’t lend a lot of nuance to the drink — making it one of my favorites in the city. The burger, which I get with cheddar cheese, medium rare, is juicy, well seasoned, and not too big. While I’ve sprung for the truffle burger in the past you don’t really need it, the original holds its own without any weird truffle oil (I also just don’t really trust truffle oil in general). I opted for the side salad but the housemade chips are delicious as well, I wish you could have both. I also order my burger with a side of horseradish sauce, which gives the meat a little extra kick that I can’t get enough of.
While the price is a little extravagant to make it a super regular thing, when you want to have a nice, cozy dinner in the neighborhood and are up for shelling out a few more bucks than your typical Tuesday night, Café Select is a good way to do it.

I’ve been here twice now. Every time I try to go to Jack’s Wife Freda, I just end up going here. Every time I go, I always get seated really quickly.
The first time I came here, I had the Norwegian rosti. I have to say, the rosti here is pretty awesome. The second time I was here, they had a special — I wish they had it all the time. It was probably one of the best brunches I’ve ever had: rosti, with burrata, avocado, and prosciutto. It was AMAZING.
Love going to this place.

Reliable for a decent meal in soho with a great ambiance. Must have: the zucchini chips! Also if you have a work event the raclette room downstairs is sweet! Heard it turns into an oyster bar in the summer. I’ll be back!

Great place to have coffee and sit to chat. It is a little cramped and small (as everything in NY) and there were people waiting for a long time to have a sit and enjoy the coffee.
But overall it’s nice and with a good ambiance.

Café Select
NY Manhattan SoHo
12pm 25^th December 2015
Four Stars
There are few options open on Christmas Day. We decided to try this Swiss restaurant. It was pretty great. The coffee ($ 2.5) was made fresh and served in a brown cappuccino mug and «café select» coaster. $ 1 refills so I only had one cup. I had the Croque Monsieur ($ 14) + Fried Egg ($ 3). The pugliese bread was super fresh, rustically soft with a healthy crunch. The prosciutto cotta was salty and delicious. The melted Gruyère cheese had a good bite. The egg was overeasy with the whites just cooked and yolk running. The housemade chips were perfectly golden brown ranging from crispy to potato-​y.
The hanger steak with hollandaise, eggs, and asparagus looked ridiculously good.

A reservation was made for our group of fifteen. We were promptly seated.
The complimentary iced water was served with the menu. The service was efficient and courteous.
This restaurant had a A sanitary rating.
The $ 15 octopus salad was tender and flavorful. The vegetables were fresh and paired well with the seafood.
There were two bathrooms.
The bathroom located at the left had a defective soap pump. I notified the staff. The latter told me they were aware of the matter.

Café Select reminds me of the cool-​kids table in middle school. There’s nothing really special about it, but the people lead you to believe that you should *want* to belong there.
Drawn in by the ambiance (cute lights on the ceiling and a nice décor) I have now been to this location twice, once for drinks and once for brunch. The biggest win has always been that there’s no wait for a table!
Despite the half-​empty restaurant on both occasions, the servers seem fairly disinterested. Averting their gaze and returning infrequently. It feels as though the server always thinks I’m ordering the worst/​cheapest thing on the menu.
Why don’t you think that I’m good enough to give you my money?! All I want is your approval.
The commenter below named Lindsey said it best:
«I almost expected the servers to be dressed in all black with turtlenecks and as I ordered they quickly retort „Your story has grown tiresome“ in true Dieter fashion.»
Spot. On. Description.
—
The food is good but falls short of «spectacular.»
I’d recommend this to someone who wants to read their paper outside alone with their coffee and a small plate.

This place used to be a bit better. Service is lagging, and food is lagging as well.
We were told that the wait would be a few minutes. We waited, and told the host that we’d be outside. 15 minutes later I asked how long the wait was and we were seated immediately to a completely empty section with a bunch of open tables…
We ordered the lobster blt, pancakes, tropical bowl, and the polenta and egg bowl.
The BLT was alright, nothing mind blowing. I’ve had it before, and it usually wasn’t as mayo-​heavy.
The pancakes were amazing, smelled amazing, tasted amazing, and were by far the best thing on the table.
The tropical quinoa bowl was whatever. It was fruit, something syrupy, and some plain quinoa.
The polenta and egg bowl was nothing different than the frozen polenta at Trader Joe’s, topped with cheese and an egg.
The service was friendly but we were charged for drinks that never came, and didn’t realize that we were even being charged for refills because 99.5% of places in the US will not charge for a refill. This place does. So when you casually ask me if I’d like a refill on a 3 dollar iced tea, before my drink is even done, you shouldn’t assume that I know that you charge for refills. It’s the polite and right thing to inform your diners that they will be charged. It’s not the $ 3 that threw me off, it’s that it was a hot day, the cups were small and filled with ice, so I had racked up 1.5x my entrée with iced tea because I was chugging them down.
Overall this place used to be cool for brunch, and the food was a bit more inspired and German/​European. It’s slowly turning into an uninspired cliché brunch spot with nothing crave-​able.

Cruising on a Saturday afternoon can make anyone hungry for brunch and booze… Right?
So off on a mission I Unilocal away looking for some bottomless brunches in the Lower region of Manhattan. Called Calle ocho. Packed. Called Agave. Packed. Bagatelle even recommended to skip the trip all together, they were overbooked and wanted to save me the hassle of trying. I was getting impatient so I looked up this place I heard of, Jacks wife Freda.
Packed a few blocked down I walked on a beautiful mid summer afternoon, temp great and sun out. As we approach the place, the wait is ridiculous. But wait. a few doors down, Café Select!
This little hidden gem was there for perfect convenience. The food was excellent from start to finish. Although the brunch was on the expensive side, at this point I just needed eggs in my system. The table ordered and I went with the Steak and Eggs ($ 20) and a Bloody mary. Both came out excellent. The steak was hanger and super tender. I asked for medium rare and it came just that.
The service on the other hand, although kind, was not very attentive. We had 2 – 3 different servers take our orders. We all know thats always bound to screw something up when communication lacks. And I was correct! Although not a huge issue, after repeatedly asking to have the hollandaise on the side… well you can guess where I’m going with this. Thankfully it was delicious and complimented the steak well.
The first server recommended we start with an avocado toast… Man oh man that toast blew our mind. I mean it was genius. how can u make a piece of toast taste so good with some smashed avocado on top. Although one piece comes in an order, it was worth the $ 11. The bill was unexpectedly high for brunch on a quiet street, but the meal was great. Highly recommend. … I still don’t know what type of restaurant this was though. Swedish? Spanish? yo no se… but its something in the bread they use… wow!

Fuimos unos días después de navidad, así que no estoy segura si mantienen la decoración todo el año. Si no lo hacen, deberían. El local está repleto de luces en el techo que le da mucha calidez. En sí no es muy grande, pero tiene muchas mesas. Efecto tetris. Igual es muy normal de NYC y no es para nada incómodo.
Estábamos con ganas de un brunch así que nos pedimos un café con leche cada uno, unos huevos benedictos (benedict eggs) con salmón, y unos pancakes con frutos rojos. En las fotos no se entiende lo buenísimo que estaba todo.
Estaba bastante lleno y todo demoró un poco (para los tiempos americanos, en Argentina lo que tardó no era una demora la verdad), pero por la eso mismo nos regalaron los refill de los cafés así que estuvo más que bien. Son unos amorosos totales para atenderte, no tengo ni media queja del lugar.
Se puede reservar por OpenTable, lo que nos salvó las papas porque cuando llegamos había mucha gente esperando. Y la reserva la hicimos casi 1 hora antes.

To start let me say this review is only based on coffee. I was here to grab a drink with a new friend.
Select was packed with an after work crowd of professionals socializing.
This is not the largest establishment so much so that while trying to sit I knocked down our adjoining table’s drink with my butt ooops so sorry.
This would be a good place to come hangout with a friend or two and enjoy the outdoor seating and good conversation.
I will be back and then update the review

«Café Select,» I told the driver. «Boulevard Montparnasse.»
He looked at me, bewildered.
«Just take me to Kenmare and Lafayette.»
This charming little café is located right on the Petrosino square, a short walk from SoHo, home to most of the regulars. I am perpetually in love with this crowd – there are always models, artists, yuppies and even some tourists, but nothing to overwhelm the senses. If you ever fancied to meet duke Zizi or Count Mippipopolous in the flesh, this is definitely the place.
Nomenclature notwithstanding, I thought this restaurant makes for a worthwhile dining experience. The cramped dining space strikes again, but that is nothing new given the commercial rents in the neighborhood. You can sit outside looking over the square, an added bonus.
I ordered Anthos’ Fizz, a gin concoction consisting of raw egg white, rosemary and citrus. It was as tasty as it was aureate. I opted for the burger on this occasion sans the fries (the place offers only chips anyway), but I wish I had the polenta with poached eggs as I did previously. My companion ordered the Quinoa Salad: sweet peppers, grape tomatos, avocado with lemon-​thyme dressing on the side and had devoured it post-​haste. All hearsay, but it was rumored to be quite tasty.
While perfectly edible, you do not come to Café Select for the food. You go there to hang out, to become the expatriate you had always wanted, to lose touch with the soil. You go here to peep the empty smiles of the model patrons that you are nary guaranteed to find here at dinnertime. You go here for lively conversation. You go there to be in love, always.

Found myself at Café Select because our first choice for brunch had a ridiculous wait time. Café Select was thankfully almost empty. But when we went in they told us we weren’t allowed to sit in the front tables for some reason… super weird since there was almost no one else in the place. But fine, we posted up at a table in the back.
The ambiance is nice — a few outdoor tables and a European vibe inside. Alas, I hate to say this, but there was an awful odor in the entire restaurant. I can’t find a better way to describe it other than that it reminded me of throw up. It’s not really something we could have complained about because it was the whole place, and not coming from anything specific that we could see.
When it came to the food, it wasn’t awful by any means, but not a brunch to knock your socks off. I got the lemon French toast with caramelized berries which sounds amazing but when I got it I couldn’t really pick up any lemon. I ordered a side of sausage and I wish the server had let me know it was a very specific kind of German pork sausage that was white and a bit slimy… it kind of reminded me of a huge Vienna sausage. I’m sure this is an authentic version of a German breakfast sausage but I just couldn’t get with the texture and color and left most of it.
This area has so many brunch spots to choose from — sure, some of them form lines quickly, but I’d rather wake up early and beat the crowd at another spot then get a mediocre brunch for the same price!

Saturday brunch plans were quickly halted when we arrived to Jack’s Wife Freda (that did not take reservations) and had a 30 minute wait. I had read great things about this place online, but I could not allow my life to become a Portlandia skit, and seeing that the restaurant was extremely small and cramped with patrons sitting shoulder to shoulder, we opted to look elsewhere and found Café Select on the same block in this Nolita neighborhood.
Much quieter, roomier and relaxed with a European vibe. Described as a casual Swiss spot with European rail-​station-​restaurant vibe whatever that is suppose to mean. I almost expected the servers to be dressed in all black with turtlenecks and as I ordered they quickly retort «Your story has grown tiresome» in true Dieter fashion.
That did not happen, but my iced coffee was terrible and remained untouched other than the few sips we all shared to confirm my initial horror. At least the other coffees ordered did not share the same misgivings. The food more than made up for the coffee misstep.
I had a generous portion of delicious avocado toast and a quinona chia seed bowl with fresh coconut, mango with some other mixed nuts and berries. It was so good I paid close attention to it so I could try to recreate it at home. I would recommend this place to anyone that doesn’t believe in standing on the sidewalk waiting for a table to eat eggs.

Excelente surpresa no SOHO. Clima super descolado, comida deliciosa. O pato com ovo e de comer chorando.

Après de longues heures de marche, nous avons énormément appréciés nous détendre dans ce bar. Nous n’y avons pas mangé, juste pris un verre. L’ambiance était très agréable et la musique très cool.