Cafe Olympia

I work very close to Olympia and like it, however I stopped coming here because I feel bad about the wasteful plastic/​styrofoam containers they use for the buffet and all other food. Then they got recyclable cardboard clamshells and I was so psyched, I came here for fruit, dumplings, salad, etc. then as soon as they appeared they were gone again replaced with styrofoam again. Wth Olympia?! At least give those of us who care about the environment a choice. I will pay more for the recycled cardboard. If you bring them back I’ll come back to Olympia and give you more stars.
Ps I tried to find a manager to tell them this but there didn’t seem to be one.

I found a worm in my salad, did not have time to go back to complain, but I´m NOT returning to this place.
A warning: beware of cashiers, they are always in a hurry, check what they charge you and check your change before leaving the cashier´s place

This place is OK for a quick lunch but it’s not particularly cheap and not particularly tasty. Got a number of things from the hot foods section, sushi and some soup. Think the tastiest thing by far was the soup– the hot foods were so greasy they left a sheen on the container! The good thing is the variety, you can get anything here. If you aren’t sure what you want for lunch this may be the best place to go.

Huge place with a large selection of food.
I love the endless array of choices: do I want a quesadilla today? Hot sandwich? Hot buffet bar? Soup? Udon? Noodles? Ramen?
Gosh, so hard to decide because of all the options! I recommend coming here for lunch if you aren’t really sure what you want, but know you want to each something.

Perfect example of great location and they are busy enough that they can allow the staff to be rude. It was like The guy cooking my breakfast sandwich was doing me a favor. The only saving grace was when I brought this up to the manager he was very apologetic

I work around this area and i love that they have a large selection to choose from. The food is always fresh. My only complaint is the over price bottled and package items.

I use to live in Midtown east and would come here all the time for a quick bite. I’ve only tried the hot food bar/​salad bar so my review is only for that, but they also have a udon area, a sandwich bar and made-​to-​order food bar.
There is a wide selection of food in the hot food bar. In the morning they have breakfast items such as sausage, 3 different types of omelettes, hash browns, etc. By lunch/​dinner, these options are removed for other more lunch/​dinner-​like foods like beef and broccoli, noodles, fried rice, etc. Their salad bar also has a pretty good selection of salads, from shrimp asparagus salads to avocado tomato salads to grilled chicken salads. Lots of variety if you get there early or during off peak times! By 9PM, your choices are a lot more limited.
There’s a credit card min of $ 7. Sometimes the staff can be a bit cranky but this is deli~

I live across the street, so end up here as a desperate /​lazy move some weekends.
Every time I do, I stand as multiple people order normal breakfast deli fare (like a bacon egg and cheese) only to be told they can’t make that after 11am.
This is New York City. Mind boggling how much business I’ve seen them usher out the door with this policy.

5-​STAR Lunch Option– This super clean place runs like a well polished machine! Everyone working there is on fast forward and the $ 6.95 sandwiches or pasta/​grill are awesome. Additionally, there is a hot buffet with about 3-​dozen+ types of food, by weight. Amazing drink selection as well. Carry out or stay and eat at a pleasant window table.

This place has a ton of variety, but none of the food has much quality. I’ve gotten food here on a few separate occasions: sandwiches, salads and desserts. The sandwiches can be good if you pick one of the simpler combinations. Bread is usually hardened and dry. Salads are okay, but their balsamic vinagrette tastes like gravy and the mixed greens were far from fresh… Cheesecake is overly sweet and dry as well.
Overall a good place if you’re in a rush, but everything else is very mediocre. Oh and if you don’t enjoy being rushed, stay away from the cashiers.

I looked around and i was like waw this is a great spot, great selection but apparently stuff dont really enjoy his work.
I went for bagel bar, and told the guy i want cream cheese, egg and smoked salmon, there was no more smoked salmon and i changed it to ham… he didnt toast the bagel even that i asked, and he forgot to put the egg.
I will probably go back cus the lunch section looked great but im done with the bagel part!

I have been here a few times since it opened and thing I can say about Café Olympia and the surrounding cafes/​restaurants of its kind is that is it CHEAP!
The prices are pretty good, I got a pretty good steak burrito for under 7 bucks which would be $ 10 at chipotle. I’ve also had a bacon egg and cheese which was pretty good for $ 3.
The only thing I was disappointed with was a Deli Sandwich I ordered where they really skimped on the Roast Beef. I would probably come to Café Olympia again but just not for Deli Sandwiches.

I get a basic ‘Healthy Wrap’ from this spot every second day or so. Its simple and good. My man Pablo hooks it up. Their prices were really good when they opened but went up a bit post-​opening. I knew getting a breakfast wrap combo under 5 bucks wasn’t possible in the area. The real issue they have here is that the hand protectors on the coffees are terrible and you’ll burn your hand. They should fix this. A good tip is to ask for two. Trust me.

I come here often since it opened. They are working out the kinks. The food is never dissapointing. I love the beef stew or the meatloaf. Everything is fresh and very tasty.
My favorite is the buffet table. Everything looks wonderful and appetizing.

The Quick: For an in and out lunch, or a quick lunch eaten at the long wooden tables, this is an obvious good choice. The food is reasonably priced, local discount, and lots of options. It also seems very clean.
The Details: For strictly the salad bar, this place had plenty of options. One protein plus 4 toppings (any toppings including avocado, egg whites, etc) for one price. There was also ample dressing choices… The options are limitless.
I found the salad very fresh and the ingredients very flavorful. I also enjoyed the communal long wooden tables that overlooked Lexington Avenue, perfect for people watching.
Obviously you would never go here on a date, or for a big night out. It’s perfect for what it is, a quick lunch and a break from the office with healthy options
The Damage: after my company discounts my salad came to ~$ 6.50. So much more reasonable than other options in the area
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Although I haven’t tried the other food stations, I find the buffet area full of variety and always find some way to fill up a small container only to wish I’ve gotten a bigger one. the price per lb is a little bit cheaper than café hestia on 3^rd avenue and there’s a lot more options. I got the penne alla vodka here once and remembered not being able to finish it. They also have macarons here but you’re better off just walking a few blocks to macaron paris store.

I’ve had a chance to visit Café Olympia again, and I am happy to say that I have noticed a change for the better, in terms of both food and service. If I could, I’d add a half star.

This is the review for Korean Section of this International café. I wanted to rate 1 star, but my experience was only from Korean section, so it would be cruel to give this entire place 1 star.
Okay, I have been working kind of near this place for almost 8 years, but this place is not very close, and pricig and food was just okay, so I rarely used there. However, they closed for renovation for a while and reopend early this year, so I decided to give this place another try. I didn’t feel like eating sandwich or something cold, so I went to Asian section and ordered Bibimbap. Bibimbap is popular Korean food even in Japan, so I know what good bibimpap is like. It is usually hot and some delicious ingredients comes over hot rice. However!!! Their bibimbap was served over FROZEN salad. Yes. Icey cold frozen salad. Even hot rice was served over it, the salad was not thawed and the rice got colder and colder. It was not only the worst bibimbap in my life, but the worst food I had ever had in New York.
I know there are more choice of food in the café, but this experience discouraged and traumatized me.
I don’t feel like going back to the café anymore.
Maybe someday…

Typical lunchtime deli with several stations to suit your varied taste buds. I came here one day after realizing that I had been walking a bit too far to another similar shop when I had my lunchtime craving for udon once per week. The udon wasn’t spectacular, but this place wasn’t bad. Sandwiches, buffet style offerings, a Korean station, a few soups, lots of open cash registers with workers that move quickly.
Again, standard midtown deli lunch spot.

Do not eat here the cook that served me is very nasty. He did not wash his hands, touched the garbage can and then touched food. I witnessed this with my own eyes. The guy making my sandwhich touched the garbage and then he touched my bread for my sandwhich. After I asked him to change his gloves. He got an attitude with me and asked me if I was special. And said he should not have to change his gloves. Because all he did was touch the trash he didn’t do anything wrong. I asked him if he would have done the same thing if it was his food and he said yes. Imagine what they do when you are not looking!!!
If this is what they do in the open, imagine what they do behind closed doors. Why would you ever eat from the buffet bar at this place? Can you imagine how the food is cooked! Becareful everyone you might get sick eating here.