Cafe 101

I so badly want this place to do well because the food is delicious and the staff members are very pleasant. Unfortunately, the utter chaos that prevails during lunch hour threatens to make the business collapse in on itself and has me increasingly taking my business elsewhere.
Upon entering the restaurant, one must try to navigate their way through the soup, salad, sandwich, and payment lines that converge in a confused gaggle in front of the one working cash register (of three). Before selecting a menu item, however, one must push one’s way to the front of the mob to peruse the menu that is now printed on a sheet of computer paper following remodeling (there used to be large TV screens displaying the menu). Meanwhile, cashiers scream out unheard orders or calls for «next customer» over club music played so loud that the glass walls threaten to shatter. An attentive customer might be able to escape with a sandwich in 20 minutes. He needs only to reach the front, read the menu, fight his way through the mass of people crowded around the registers, place his order, stand back out of the way and read the cashier’s lips until she calls that his sandwich is ready, and watch as his order emerges triumphant through the plastic construction drop cloth that is hung in the entry to the kitchen, ready to be enjoyed in the chaos of tthe office rather than in the chaos of the restaurant.

I used to go to 101 every single morning and often for lunch as well. Lily and Crystal, who work the registers and prepare coffee and smoothies are absolutely awesome. My issue is that the kitchen would consistently get my order wrong. I once ordered a Veggie Breakfast Wrap and got a Denver Omelet with a side of bacon. While delicious, so far from what I ordered I might as well have been in Denver. After an entire week where they messed up my breakfast order every day… seriously, Monday — Friday, wrong every day I took a five month hiatus. Granted, one of the days it was as simple as not putting ketchup on my egg wrap, but when paying $ 10.00 for a cup of coffee and an egg wrap I expect it to be correct. Tomorrow I am making my un-​triumphant return to give them a 2^nd chance. In reality, the 2^nd chance is because their soups are the bomb and not because I am a good guy… plus, they cannot mess up a soup order! I highly recommend the Portuguese Kale as well. One of the best soups Midtown, if not the entire City has to offer.

I love theirs veggie wrap for breakfast. It’s inexpensive and delicious. The stuff is very friendly. It’s great to have them in 101 Park Ave.

Fast, inexpensive and high-​quality salads, sandwiches and juices — one of our lunch go-to’s!

Relatively inexpensive for breakfast and lunch. Highly recommend the good morning or angel’s wrap for breakfast!

This place is horrible. I work at 101 and the building is huge with plenty of money to be made. I just walked in there on 5÷1÷14 at 3:20pm grabbed a drink and a bag of chips while the cashier is watching me. I walk up to order my sandwich and she tells me no we are closed. I said closed what happened she then says we are on break. I was shocked so I said everyone and she said yes and rolled her eyes at me and then walked over to the tables in the back where the whole staff was just hanging out. I will never step foot in that place again and I am going to tell everyone I know in the building the same.

The service here is extremely horrible. The 3 out of 4 times I placed an order it was incorrect when I got it. In addition the customer service is lackluster. They make you feel as though they are doing you a favor by taking your order. Find your breakfast or lunch elsewhere or suffer the consequences of overpriced food with subpar service.

Update to previous review:
They’ve since removed the word «crispy» from their buffalo chicken sandwich description, so at least they are not false advertising now. And the demeanor of the staff has changed for the better, most of them smile now and they get my orders more accurately than before. I haven’t tested them on their muffin knowledge yet, so I don’t know if that has improved, but the overall experience has become more positive than it was earlier.
Initial review:
I am constantly frustrated with this place.
The manager (or one of them) — small, thin Asian lady, with long dark hair — does not have a strong knowledge of the food they offer, and it comes across to me as if she doesn’t care to. I asked her which muffins they offer, and she said «we don’t know», and laughed, as if it’s funny that they don’t know what the food they order in is. For me, it was important to know, because I am allergic to nuts and I didn’t want to pick a muffin that has nuts. I told her this, and she laughed again and said, «sorry but we just don’t know». I literally put my head in my hands in frustration, because she has responded that way to me in the past. One time, when I asked her what one of the meats in their sandwiches was — i.e. is it beef, pork, etc? (it had a foreign name, like a french meat or something), she had the same response, «we don’t know», with a laugh… and made no effort to find out for me. It’s as if she doesn’t care to lose my business, which is insulting, but more importantly, I am forced to leave because I can’t get the information I need to put in an educated order. It is so frustrating and just horrible customer service, not to mention the lack of professionalism.
Finishing up on the muffin story… finally, the girl next to the manager pointed to one of the muffins and said «oh that one is banana chocolate chip». So I took that one to go. Come to find, it was not banana chocolate chip. It was something completely different. So, the manager has no clue, and the employees are giving out wrong information. It’s so ridiculous and borderline enraging.
Also — general note — their «Crispy Buffalo Chicken Sandwich» is not crispy at all. The chicken meat comes in the form of deli slices… ew — and it has a disgusting taste. Why put the word «cripsy» in the description when it is a blatant lie? I was so disappointed with this sandwich, but it is such a pain to feel compelled to run downstairs and return my order each time I feel I have gotten something other than what I intended to get.
I hope someone who has power at 101P café reads this and improves the quality of service, because I would really love to be able to enjoy the convenience of a café in my work building.

The quality is OK, but for the price nothing special. For the money they charge the staff could at least be friendly and quick, but unless there is a manager or owner standing there the staff is rude and dismissive, not to mention incredibly slow. If it wasnt for proximity I wouldnt bother

Decent enough food, but WILDLY overpriced. $ 3.75 for a large iced coffee (pre-​tax)!!! You’ve got to be kidding me. The old Café 101 may have been a bit on the dingy side, but at least the prices were fair. Until they find a way to keep the prices down, I (and many other colleagues who work in the building) am going to keep going to the many more affordable delis (my god, they’re more expensive than Pret!) for lunch.
Note: review just downgraded from 2 stars to 1. If I ask you if something you sell contains a particular food, please be sure before answering no. There was a reason I was asking. Now you’ve got me pissed off.

For a deli, Café 101 is one of my favorite spots to pick up a bit during lunch. Yes, convenience has a lot to do with it, but so does Bistro Marketplace, and their food is subpar in comparison to Café 101.
Let’s start with sandwiches. I LOVE their chicken salad and tuna salad. Freshly made, they are outstanding, and you get a very decent sized sandwich for $ 5. And you must try the Mexican Tuna Salad when available, as well as the Waldorf Chicken Salad.
Then there’s the soups. The Italian Wedding is out of this world, and so is the cream of mushroom. I am salivating just thinking about either.
And there’s the salad bar. Build your own and top it the way you want. And with a bit caesar salad dressing, you can’t go wrong.
And if you do not have a Café 101 card, get one. Recharge with $ 25 and you get 10% off every time you buy with the card.