Cafe O 42

The hot food is decent, specially if you come early before it got a chance to sit there. Soups are good, too The guys manning those stations are nice, friendly, and efficient. I am guessing they are the owners.
The sandwich part of the deli is a whole different story. If you come at 11:30 — most of the time they will ignore you for a few minutes while standing around and doing nothing. I guess that’s their way of telling you that you are early and they don’t really feel like working quite yet.
I usually ignore that station for the above mentioned reasons until making the mistake of going there today (it’s cold and I work next door). I ordered a special and got handed something else by the partner of the guy with whom I placed the order. When I told him I ordered something else, the other guy walked up and tried arguing with me. Now I know I didn’t misspeak because my coworker clearly heard me. I didn’t feel like arguing nor would I want some extra ingredients snuck in by that suspect duo while redoing my order. So I just took the sandwich and walked off.
So, the star is for the hot food/​owners. I won’t be back — plenty of others options all around and I don’t feel like taking a gamble with my order.

A very busy location. Apparently a rushed staff is a rude staff. I haven’t seen such indifference from any commercial establishment in memory. As I had to promise the staff today in the store, I’ll simply stay away.

We were finishing our walking tour of NY and were getting hungry. We found this place and decided to try it. Good choice. Tasty sandwiches, homemade soups, and people watching. Nice end of the day. We will stop here next time we come to NYC.

Sure it’s your standard overpriced café. The kind you see on every block in New York City. But Café O is my overpriced little café.
It’s the place where I’ve been guilty of going to more than twice a day at times (in my defense, it’s right across the street from my office). It’s a place where I’ve gotten hungover breakfast sandwiches (these are delicious, get them on a toasted everything bagel), toasted peanut butter jelly sandwiches, cones with gelato, froyo with fresh fruit, boxes of cereals, bowls of soup, bowls of oatmeal, mozzarella sticks, quesadillas, tacos, milkshakes, normal sandwiches, hot food, fresh fruit, boxes of cereal, boxes of almonds, bottles of coconut juice, salads, omelettes, scrambled egg whites, luna bars, cookies, candy, gum, muffins, yogurt, beers, everything, really (okay, there is no wine or sushi here but there used to be ages ago). It’s a place where they know my name, are always open, deliver super fast, are friendly, are consistent, and are there for me… always. Thanks Café O, I love you!

Food was awful. Ordered a Burger, I asked for it Medium Well and it turned out being Raw. I also asked for no Tomato, and instead they gave me a plain burger. I wanted the Lettuce. The fries where stale, and cold when arrived. Also Ordered was a Tuna Melt, it wasn’t the best.

This is your typical «little bit of everything» food store that is so prevalent in the city. I’ll come here before work for a bagel or a breakfast sandwich and the food has been good. We recently ordered corporate catering for a lunch meeting and the food was generally ok, but the potato salad wasn’t that special and they gave us some bologna sandwiches which confused me! Sandwich platters (to me anyway) are usually comprised of ham, turkey, and maybe some roast beef or chicken/​tuna salad. The bologna made me laugh but I hadn’t had bologna since I was a teenager so I ate one of the sandwiches and it quickly brought me back to childhood.
The place isn’t anything special but if you’re in the area and need something quick to eat/​drink it’s not bad.

I go for the salad. All the good things other have said are true

Quick, clean, yummy & nice… even during the weekday peak lunch hours. I don’t believe, but it’s true. Because I got a salad and soup on a weekday and was out in 5 minutes.
I got the mixed green salad with pesto chicken, avocado, beets, cucumbers, tomatoes & mozzarella balls drizzled with the mango pineapple dressing. Very fresh and generous amount of… everything. It also comes with a small soup, which you get to select from 6. I got the turkey chili, very spicy! But very flavorful with corn, beans and pieces of turkey. Super deal for under $ 8!!!

Great location, right on 42^nd between broadway and 6ave in the middle of the block this place is great to eat at anytime of the day. Its open very early and stays open until very late.
When you arrive in the morning the morning they have a huge amount fresh bagels in a wide verity surely to satisfy anyone’s preference. They cream cheese selection is also very large and they don’t skimp out either. Usually i have to tell them to give me less. French toast as well as hot food is also made fresh on the grill toward the back of the café and again you will get a huge amount of meat on your sandwich. Normally you get 1 or 2 strips of bacon, these guys will make sure you aren’t hungry till dinnertime rolls around.
Lunch buffet is fresh and good, however they don’t offer a large variety of buffet foods available. The Sandwiches are also large and they have a rotating naming menu with numbers to make it easier to order a specialty sandwich which are put out on the counter daily. There is also a regular sandwiches on the wall if you prefer something more standard such as an italian sub.
Everything they offer comes with a soup, which one would think they are trying to get rid of, but in fact its quite the opposite, their turkey chili is one of the best ones I’ve had around, also they other soups which are made fresh daily are always excellent and never too salty which is a rare find these days.
In the summer they have a gelato in the front which looks good, but I’ve never tried it yet.
So, if you are looking for a quick bite to eat in the park or just taking out lunch or dinner to go look no further then this place.
The seating area isnt big but if you want to stay there, which i don’t as I love eating outside when weather permits you can grab a table and eat there.

I stop in here whenever I take the F train to work. Not the best sandwich spot but it’ll do. Today’s experience was no worst than previous experiences. Ordered a toasted bagle and cream cheese. Bagle was barely toasted and they did not skimp on the cream cheese (although I wish they did). Overall a mediocre breakfast in Times Square, just the way I like it.

I walked by Café O the other day, and noticed that it’s grade has been updated to an ‘A’. They also changed the decore a bit. There’s no way I’m planning to try this place again (except maybe to use the toilet when hanging out in Bryant Park — which requires a purchase, and possibly even proof of purchase in the form of a receipt, prior to being allowed access), though in the interest of being responsible, I felt that this change should be noted. I hardly think the food has changed, however, which demands continued caution…

This place is great.
The staff is incredibly friendly, including the lady that takes catering orders.
A good sized salad (with 6 toppings, including avo, no charge) or a sandwich comes with a free small soup of choice… for like $ 8!
For catering orders, they give you a really generous amount of food and they are always on time. The delivery guy we always get is really nice and helpful too.
The only criticism I would have is their paninis… the shredded meat they put in them is kinda gross and the pita bread or whatever they use isn’t so good either.
But if you avoid the paninis, you’re in for an overall great lunch experience :)

I’m just here to review the salad deal. 5 toppings and a small soup for 7.89 including tax? I am all for it.
They have so many options for toppings– my favorites are edamame, portabello mushrooms, and bacon. And I am huge fan of the peppercorn parmesan dressing.
Its a lot nicer now than it was a year ago, and my thinking is that as long as a lot of people go (for the salad, can’t vouch for anything else) then it must be pretty fresh!
The location is a brisk 3 minute walk from the office, pricing is decent, service is relatively quick, and the salads are good. What more can you ask for?

After ordering from the same places, thought I’d try something new and definitely a fan so far. Relatively inexpensive and great.
Have only had a few sandwiches, but bread is nice and soft and enough fillings to make it a good bite.

This is my go-​to place for lunch– you get a salad with five toppings (including avocado and meat!) and a free small soup for under eight dollars!
The hot food is also a good deal– The Chinese food looks just like Panda Express! It isn’t the best quality, but it is a bang for your buck. I would recommend the soup and salad combo over anything else.
This place can get very busy around lunch time but the line moves fast.
If you get the soup and salad combo ten times (with stamps), you get the tenth order for free!

OK, I admit, we really just came in here due to being in need of a bathroom. I ordered a gelato, the guy went to take care of business. When he came out, a minute later, the guy told him that the gelato stand was now closed. (This was around 10:30pm). Hmm. Well, we shared the gelato. It was perfectly acceptable.
The décor here is bright and colorful, and overall the whole place looks like it was very well-​intentioned.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite live up to those intentions. The buffet food looked pretty inedible. Admittedly, it might have looked a good deal nicer around lunchtime, when it was probably set out.
There’s a possibility that around lunchtime there aren’t quite so many homeless-​ish characters hanging around, as well, and it might be cleaner.
In addition to the gelato and hot food, which you can eat at café tables, they also have basic deli selections — candy, drinks, snacks, etc.

Burrito and soup every time I come here with y midtown lunch partner, he speaks Spanish so he puts a little pep in the chefs step and they hook us up with plenty of guac and sour cream. I just wish the seating area was kept cleaner. Its small and feels dirty.

Café O may seem like your typical tourist trap deli. The prominently displayed gelato, the bright green and orange, the bank of computers for pay by the minute email, abundant steamtables, and naturally, high prices are key tips to stay far away. If you choose to ignore all the glaring signs, however, you find that Café O is actually quite nice. The food is better than average. They have Yolato frozen yogurt. And they have this great «new yorker» smoothie with espresso, chocolate and banana. Can’t go wrong there! I’ll be back for the smoothies and soup and emergency runs for fro yo in the park.

I give this place 4 stars not because the food is Jean-​Georges level, but because it gives the best value for your money of all the similar midtown lunch spots. If you come here looking for a mixed salad, sandwich, or something from the grill, you won’t be disappointed. This is now my default lunch spot because it’s quick, affordable, and the workers here are so nice. A mixed salad costs $ 7.60 with tax, and it includes 6 ingredients (ANY 6 ingredients, too!), plus it comes with a free cup of soup. which can be a lifesaver if put in the fridge and heated up later on days when I end up working till 8pm. Sandwiches are about the same price and come with chips as well as a free cup of soup. It’s a much better value than Café Europa a few blocks away, where a similar salad would cost at least 2 bucks more, and doesn’t come with soup.
Café O also offers smoothies which is a good option in the morning. They also have a small hot bar and cold salad bar, but in my opinion, the salads and sandwiches are their strong suit.

The last time I walked into this place, I was not particularly impressed. It seemed run down and a bit sketchy. However, passing by recently and on the hunt for a sandwich, I saw they had done some renovations to the front and interior so I dropped in to check it out.
Boy, they’ve changed a lot. Some of the seating area is now dedicated to a salad bar, a buffet bar and some goods like nuts and snacks. A salad bar can be found by the deli, filled with fresh looking ingredients. The deli section is quite extensive (they have three different types of tuna salad alone) and towards the back is the cooked food. The whole interior also feels a lot *cleaner* now than it did the first time I went (which I confess was at least two years ago).
I needed a tuna sandwich and the deli guy was really nice. Fast, efficient, pleasant and he didn’t spare the tuna. My big surprise came when I looked at the menu and saw it was only $ 4.95! I’m so used to sandwich prices being in the $ 6 – 7 range in Manhattan this was a pleasant surprise.
The cashier was very friendly and rang everyone on line up quickly. The best part? The sandwich itself was tasty, the tuna didn’t taste like it had been sitting around for days and the bread was nice and chewy (in a good way). The lettuce was crisp and the sandwich was wrapped in a nice double layer of wax paper.
Now when I’m on the west side I’ll know where to go to get myself a nommy sammich for cheap. Hurray!