Restaurants around W. 57th? (Parker Meridien)
 

I'm looking for quick restarant reviews for an upcoming trip to NYC. We're staying at Le Parker Meridien. I know they have a restaurant there, but I would like to know of an "affordable" breakfast option... nothing fancy needed, just eggs, toast, pancakes, etc. Last year we stayed at Sofitel and ate at the little diner close by-- that sort of thing is fine. Can you help? THANKS!

There is a diner on the corner of 55th and 7th Ave. that serves a decent, cheap breakfast. Sorry, cannot remember the name.

You will find delis in the neighborhood for bagels, coffee, etc., and there is a MacDonald's nearby--at 47 W 57th Street.

I would walk toward 7th and 8th to scout for a diner.

fluffy's bakery, 7th ave. b'twn 55th and 54th. and if your looking for lunch, don't miss the burger joint in the parker meridien.

Hi,

The McDonalds at West 57th Street has closed. Mangia offers a nice breakfast. It's on W. 57th between 5th/6th Avenue... closer to 6th. You can also get a reasonably priced breakfast at Luciano's on W. 56th between 5th/6th... closer to 5th. Rue 57 offers breakfast.. but it might be more expensive. I believe Europa does too... on the corner of W. 57th/7th Avenue. I can't think of any diners nearby... except for the Brooklyn Diner on W. 57th... near 7th Avenue. It's an "upscale" diner... so I'm not sure how the prices are.

the brooklyn diner isn't a diner at all, it's a fancyish restaurant ($$$) with just the name. astro diner on 55th and 6th is decent as well.

As mentioned, there are typical NY coffee shops all over.

We really enjoy Rue 57 for breakfast, and especially for brunch on the weekends.

Cosmic Diner is at 8th ave & 52nd, good diner breakfasts and reasonably priced.

There is also a Le Pain Quotidien at 7th and 58th. Excellent coffee, artisan breads, eggs, waffles, fruit, granola etc.

When we stayed there, we at The Park Cafe. That might be the diner Jiminso mentions.

http://newyork.citysearch.com/profil...park_cafe.html

Thank you Kaycarl. That's the place I was thinking of.

Thanks so much for all of the ideas. I'm going to add them to my "list" that I take with me. My rule when in NYC is NO CHAIN restaurants... nothing there that I could find here. I can't wait!!!

GwenB, keep in mind that Le Parker Meridien, besides having one of the most expensive brunches in NYC, also has one of the great bargains in their Burger Joint, located behind the curtain off the lobby. Great burgers for not much money (although they just raised their prices a bit).

If you can't find it, ask one of the security guards hanging around the lobby where it is...

or follow your nose! ;-)

GwenB - Hands down the best breakfast option is the diner on 8th Avenue off the corner of 49th street - Olympia! best best in town!

We would sometimes eat at the coffee shop that was on the corner of 7th and 56th that was actually connected to the Wellington Hotel, but has its own entrance on 7th. It is a great little quintessential NY place and closer to the Meridien than Cosmic---even cheaper if I remember correctly! We were also staying at the Meridien when we would eat there. Don't know the name, but just watch for the Wellington.

PS....no offense intended to anyone, but hell would have to freeze over pretty hard before I would ever consider breakfast at McDonald's when in NYC. One of my many fond memories of being in NY is the plethora of great coffee shops to choose from for breakfast! :)

I second that Socialworker.

and I third! :) :)

I think there is also a Pick-a-Bagel at 57th and 7th. At least there used to be ....

McD's breakfasts don't <i>taste</i> that bad (not that I've had one in 20 years), bur when I see pictures, I feel my arteries hardening!

HI---no casting aspersions here and no elitism re: mcd....however, it would be like going to the Olive Garden when in Boston. You have all of the North End there and you go to Olive Garden?? Just makes no sense on every level. The same for brkfst in NY. You have all those wonderful, personality-laden coffee shops and you go to Mc Donalds?? So it is not just about the food, but rather the whole experience, as is often true in any and every aspect of eating while traveling.

You should all calm down...only one poster recommended McDonald's!

GwenB asked for &quot;affordable&quot; breakfast options, and McDonald's came to mind when I read the nearby Redeye Grill menu and noticed that the following is $18.25--not including tax or tip: croissant, eggs, potatoes, bacon or sausage, juice, and coffee or tea.

And, in case you don't know, at the McDonald's on 57th Street, you can sit at a window on the 2nd floor overlooking the street for one of the great NYC views at breakfast of New Yorkers on their way to work. My idea of a good time, but then that's me.

Those who would rather no rub elbows with the natives should, by all means, dine elsewhere.

My curiostiy was aroused, so I researched a little...the coffee shop connected to the Wellington is called the Park Cafe....the website for menu is below, but it appears that you can get 2 eggs/bacon, toast, and homefries for ~7.50.....a bargain for such a location and great NYC ambience, IMO.

http://www.menutopia.com/GetMenu.m?vendorId=2521

Socialworker thanks for mentioning the Park Cafe - I had forgotten about it! We've eaten there before the food is good and the wait staff was friendly &amp; outgoing. Priced reasonably too!

I'm not going to get into the MacDonald's argument, but for those who want that kind of quick and convenient breakfast -- the Cosi places which are all around are great. They do an almost instant prepared to order &quot;breakfast egg sandwich&quot; on great choices of bread that beats the hell out of an Egg McMuffin at about the same price. And you can get real espresso drinks instead of the scalding plain coffee if you want. They also have great fresh fruit, real orange juice, and super baked goods. You go to a line, and get your stuff, pay for it, and it is very quick, cheap, and convenient.

Also, I've noticed the worst time to go to those &quot;quick&quot; places is between 15 minutes and 5 minutes BEFORE the hour as they are packed with people grabbing stuff on their way to work in the neighborhood. Go at 5 minutes after the hour and it will be like night and day -- only a handful of local workers who are late for work.

I do not spend much time on 57th Street but every Manhattan neighborhood has many little palces that offer breakfast specials where you get an egg on a roll, french toast, etc for far less than $7.50 and preapred by people who are not younger than the food.


There is also a Piatti Pronti on Sixth Ave that makes wonderful buttermilk scones. It is an expensive cafteteria style place but the quality is very good.

Hi All,
We just got back and I am still full from all of the yummy food. The hotel was located in the middle of so many awesome choices. This was different than the last time when we stayed at the Sofitel. For breakfast we ate at Fluffy's-- quick and yummy (but really crowded, vulture diners were circling for our chairs as we put the last bite into our mouths) and at Cafe Europa-- fine but STALE bagel-- in NYC there is just no excuse for that! For dinner we ate on the upper east side at S'Mac (our child loves mac and cheese) and at Blossom, an amazing vegan restaurant. We also ate lots of little &quot;noshes&quot; here and there-- the almond horns that are dipped in chocolate at all of the bakeries and the glazed amonds and coconut on the street cards almost do me in evertime I am there! No intention of insulting anyone about McDonalds, we just love trying things that are unavailable here. (We DO live in Boston, and recommend the North End over Olive Garden). :) Thank you again for all of your help-- we can't wait to go again.

Hi Gwen---did not realize you were a fellow Bostonian when I used my North End analogy! I have a question for you. We used to stay at the Meridien b/c we would get wonderful week-end package rates. These last several years I have not seen anything that I would consider a reasonable price. Would you mind sharing how much you paid and how far ahead you reserved? Thanks! :)

gwen...i miss fluffy's! i was a regular there for 4 years, now i work in a different neighborhood.
:-(

Hi GwenB--
Just thought I'd throw in a diner recommendation for something really basic. I like the omelettes at the MoonRock diner on 57th at 8th avenue. And who knows...you might see a celebrity--I saw Kurt Russell there a few weeks ago.

One small caveat... the coffee is not great.

Katie, you just mentioned a sore point with me. Coffee in diners. Now that I've gotten used to espresso drinks or really good coffee, it's just amazing how bad the regular coffee is (which is often all they offer) at many diners. I like the Cosmic diner for cheap and good breakfast, but I won't even order &quot;dishwater&quot; coffee there!

Hi Social Worker,
I don't mind sharing my rate, at all. We paid $255 a night as a prepaid, nonrefundable rate (found on their website). While I don't think this is a bargain, and I was a little anxious at the nonrefundable... it was MUCH less than any of the other rates I was finding for hotels in that area, and since we were with our 5 year old, it was worth it to be close to everything. I believe that I booked it about 5 weeks in advance. We also took the train out of South Station and had $59 one way seats (29.50 for our kiddo)-- on the way down, it was great we had a big delay on the way home, but all in all it was a pretty stress free trip.

Agree, agree on the coffee. My husband went out to one of the MANY (my goodness! there are a LOT there) Starbucks everymorning BEFORE we went out to breakfast. We learned on a recent trip there to not drink the diner coffeee... an aside:In the Museum of Natural History there were signs everywhere encouraging people to drink the NYC water... they might have to take on a similar ad campaign for the diner coffee if something doesn't change about it!

Speaking of coffee...Gwen..sorry we have sidetracked this a bit. But if you'd like 5 minutes in Rome--- be sure to have an espresso or cappuccino at Zibetto Espresso Bar on 56th and 6th ave.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrew_hyatt/138751322/

You should definitely go to Le Pain Quotidien on 58th and 7th. Wonderful breads and delicious coffee, and a European feel. Crowded, but worth it, and very affordable - I spent less there on breakfast than at Europa, which is really no more than a fast food type place.

I think you got a great price, Gwen. When we were looking last year, the best wknd rate they were offering was &gt;$400! I guess that the &quot;recession&quot; has possibly hit them too? Back in the 90s I used to find wknd pkgs that included brkfst for ~$200/nt, so you paid about what we paid then, minus the brkfst, of course, but still a great buy. I like that hotel a lot. I remember it as being one of the quietest in which we have ever stayed.