Uptown Cafe

I have gone to this café out of mere convenience to my office and many times I am not impressed. I’ve gotten a breakfast sandwich and coffee, bagel w/​egg & cheese was good, coffee was awful. Stopped by for lunch and it was fair; average sandwich you could make at home. Any snacks that are factory-​packaged are safe but those wrapped in plastic wrap… be prepared for some staleness. Any type of drink is expensive and there are no refills on fountain drinks. I suggest stopping by here if you are desperate for a quick breakfast sandwich or a quick lunch, but otherwise… keep moving.

Breakfast is average. it is $$$ for the value. Needs better ventilation. Less expensive than across the street at hotels.

Skip it. I ordered a sandwich and it was in front of me (in all it’s thin nothingness) before I even pulled out my wallet. $ 10 for a $ 2 sandwich, if that. Eat somewhere else.

Uptown café has a clean environment but the service is horrible. Sometimes they can be nice, but during slow hours they can be rude. Food is over priced for mediocre taste. The Korean food they service is very poorly made, probably to cater to more Americans but if so shouldn’t be that high in price. Now the big flag is the stinginess of the owners. There is a few things if you go you’ll find out, they nickel and dime you on any extras.
There are pros and cons like any restaurant, but the current management practices are extremely off putting.

We ordered four breakfast sandwiches here, and they were just what we were looking for: fresh ingredients, with plenty of options for the picky eaters to choose from, and a total bill of $ 15.60. The sandwiches were tasty too. Service was fast and efficient.
We definitely had to pay attention to prices on the menu, since some of the prices were strangely out of proportion. 60¢ for a slice of cheese… really?
Overall, it was a solid breakfast option.

WARNING: Extremely overpriced but so-​so food!
I don’t know why this business establishment still has customers. It is expensive to eat here.
I forgot my lunch at home one day so I ended up ordering a chicken caesar salad ($ 6.99) and bought a bottle of Gatorade (!.97) plus taxes, the total was about $ 9.97 (almost $ 10).
Now, I understand eating in this area can get expensive but the portion was small. It looked like someone grabbed one handful of lettuce, added a several thinly sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, put chopped chicken on top (I doubt those even an entire chicken breast) and threw some croutons on top. Honestly, I had more salad dressing than the salad itself.
They sell Korean food and other specials everyday but not all of them include drinks and/​or chips. The Korean specials do not include any drinks or kimchee. You have to buy those separately. By the way, the kimchee comes in individual plastic containers for over $ 2 (almost $ 3). Guess what size that container is — the same plastic container that you use to put your ketchup in. Yes, it is that small.
I’ve tried their bulgogi, jap chae, bi bim bap and stir fry specials. The prices just keep going up. Unfortunately, the portions or the quality does not. While the food is tasty, I wouldn’t say you can’t find similar good food in the surrounding areas.
I laughed the other day when they posted their hotdog special that comes with chips and soda — $ 6.99! Really?! With taxes, that’s $ 7 for a hotdog combo!!! I wonder what kind of hotdog comes with that order — is it even all-​meat, Nathans, Hebrew National or Coney Island? But I digress.
If you work in that building or staying at one of the hotels in the area and think that you’re going to save money eating here, please save yourself the disappointment. There are other places to eat nearby and around the area that serve better food for about the same price or good food and cheaper.
I’m new on Unilocal so I don’t know how to post pictures yet but as soon as I learn how to, I will post photo of my overpriced meal.

I can appreciate the charm of a Korean-​owned-​and-​operated «universal» café with the requisite and appropriately grumpy, penny-​pinching owner/​manager. That being said, this place is mediocre in the sea of similar establishments and the impertinent owner is reason enough to end my once-​to-​twice-​weekly patronage.
Bibimbap is their best offering and they do a decent job at it, though hardly worth the $ 8.99 +tax. Other noteworthy items? None. Memorable? Well, Caesar salad consisting primarily of cucumbers. Bizarre mystery-​meat teriyaki — a dish presented as chicken teriyaki… yet it is actually beanie weenies — sans beans — plopped over a pile of overcooked white rice. Two bites (to discern the asianbeanieweenie flavor) and decided to share that one with the trash.
I should preface this next bit with a note that aside from the owner, every employee at Uptown is exceptionally friendly and has consistently provided delightful service.
Incident 1. Credit card was charged twice for the same lunch purchase at Uptown. These things happen. Call my bank and verify that I was indeed charged twice before heading over to discuss with the owner. Explain to him what happened, show him the statement, and ask him to contact his bank. The owner thrusts his index finger at me, saying repeatedly, «No! You eat twice!» Try explaining again, more yelling and finger-​pointing (literally). Return the next afternoon to discover he called his bank that morning — they mistakenly charged me twice and the amount would be refunded. Maybe he was having a bad day.
Incident 2. Head to Uptown for a cup of joe — as I’m on my way out with my scalding hot cup of Costco coffee (which I doubled up on cups in an attempt to make it back to my office without first-​degree burns) I hear someone yell, «Hey! Hey, you! You!» Me? Turn back and walk to the register. Again the owner’s angry finger jabbed in my face accompanied by, «You take two cups! Why you take two cups? I charge you double price!» I can feel my face flush as his voice raises, still pointing, and half a dozen customers are now staring at me. Okay, I return the extra cup. #ridiculous
Incident 3. It’s Uptown for lunch. Look up at the overhead menu and see an employee updating the menu prices. Look down and notice the employee standing on the food prep counter… barefoot. Naked toes curling over the side of the Subway-​style buffet of sandwich and lunch fixings, the other foot nestled beneath an open bag of spinach wraps. Watch as the employee dismounts and crouches down — presumably to put her shoes on — before asking for my order. And, I’m done.
Avoid this place. Plenty of far superior alternatives within a block — and without absurd, indignant owners disrupting your meal.