Open Kitchen

quality food and very convenient in FIDI area. i would like to try their healthy smoothies and juices next time!

Get the buffet/​pay per pound. Be careful though, as always, your eyes are bigger than your stomach. I think I did pretty good, and only paid about $ 5.60 with tax. Everything was pretty tasty from the items I got, minus the rice and beans. it was a bit dry. They also have plenty of other options like ramen, meat sandwiches, and greek options. So if you want something different come here for lunch.

This is going to be in my FiDi lunch spot roulette.
Easy to get to on Williams St. and a very nice interior too with some seating available near the entrance.
Smoothie /​Juice station on the left and a dessert station on the right upon entering. Salad, burgers, tacos, noodles, rice continuing on the left side, cashiers on the right, and the hot food per pound station at the back.
The line formations were a little tricky so be sure to ask if the group /​line of people have ordered yet.
Tried the stir fry bowl (steak and all veggies) approx. $ 11 and the bibimbap (steak) approx. $ 12 [approx. $ 10 w/​o protein]. Both were plentiful and tasty.
Rice bowl was drenched in mild spicy sauce, white rice looked light red.
Bibimbap was good w an egg (yolk runny when poked), all seasoned veggies divvied in a circle, plus choice of rice on the side.
**note** white and brown rice are same cost
To pay, head to the cashiers who zip through the line. Very efficient and fast w one at register and other neatly bagging the purchase.
Will be back to try the stations for noodles, rice bowls because the two orders before were portioned very well and hefty in the bag.

At Open Kitchen I like the wide variety, convenience, and easy customization. There are many vegan and vegetarian options. Example 1: In the Mediterranean section you choose pita or platter, then a protein (vegetarian option is falafel), a salad, and lastly a spread or sauce. Example 2: In the Stir-​Fry section you choose noodles or rice, then 3 veggies, then a protein (vegetarian option is tofu), and sauce. From the East Asian section I ordered ramen noodles, fresh vegetables and grilled tofu in «original» broth with a splash of spicy broth added for flavor. It was tasty but very salty, and easy, fast, and affordable. It’s odd that this cafeteria-​style place doesn’t have cafeteria trays. That’s a problem. Everything you order you have to manage to hold along with your handbag/​tote/​briefcase/​shopping, etc. My soup was way too hot to carry from the counter to the cash register, so I got a larger container from the salad bar to hold it in. I didn’t get charged for the extra container. All the staff I dealt with were super polite and helpful. Seating is limited but most tables turned over quickly except of course the few that were being hogged up by laptop users.

Great option to pick up a healthy lunch in the area. Lots of choices available and plenty of seating to enjoy eating in or for takeaway. The environment is nice and in my experience the areas were clean.
I opted for a spicy pork stir fry with brown rice. The portion was HUGE, I was so full afterwards. The food was delicious and was a great option for a quick stop while in the area. The prices are fairly steep, but are fair considering the portion size.

Every time I have an appt at the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine I look forward to stopping by the open Kitchen right across the street the salad bar and buffet is awesome, with really fresh, wholesome, deliciously prepared foods. They have really spoiled me as it’s my gold standard for this kind of fare it’s ‘best to get there early as the local work force knows which dishes are the tastiest, and they go quickly!

Open Kitchen
NY Manhattan FiDi
12pm Monday 16^th November 2015
Four Stars
They have espresso, salad, ramen, bibimbap, stir fry, and $ 9.50/pound buffet plates. I opted for the by the pound section since you can try a lot more. I got approximately a pound of food.
–The spicy cold seafood mix had nice plump mussels and not too chewy octopus morsels.
–The mozzarella and grape tomatoes needed salt and a drizzle of olive oil.
–The fried chicken bites were well seasoned but became too soft in the steam table.
–The well cooked alfredo pasta was filled with juicy shrimp.
–The Roasted carrot had nice crunch but the roasted zucchini was way too soft.
–The roasted broccolini was a bit tough.
–The sweet corn was standardly good.
–The pureed potatoes were creamy, buttery, and hopelessness delicious.
–The salmon had a nice sear but had some dryness issues.
— The spinach casserole was vastly unseasoned.
–The rice with mushrooms and edamame was under flavored and undercooked for my taste.
–The Korean short ribs were the best thing. They were sweet, salty, and cooked well.
–The meatballs were moist and seasoned well.
–Most of the other poultry and pork were brined to maintain their moisture and flavor.
Next time, I will try their bipimbap.

I was in the area for a seminar and decided to stop here to grab something quick. Loved how clean this place is, I decided to go with a green drink ($ 9) which was super tasty and filled me up during my four hour seminar.
Apart from juices they also sold sandwiches, salads and coffee from what I saw. If I’m ever back in the area I will make sure to stop by to grab something healthy to eat.

$ 9 for stir fry. It was decent. 3 stars because it was solid, but a bit way too salty.
They have other stuff there too though, including breakfast. Maybe will try some of that stuff.

Great variety of fresher food options made to order in lower Manhattan.
Had a chance to visit here on a Monday just before the lunch rush.
Cafeteria-​like ordering from several grills. My wife and I were able to share a chopped salad where you choose your greens (one of spinach, romaine, kale, mixed greens, etc.), 5 toppings (cut up cheeses, olives, carrots, other fresh veges, etc.) and a protein (chicken, salmon, egg, bacon, falafel). Finally, you choose your dressing. Total cost was $ 9. Not bad given the size and quality of the salad itself.
Limited seating, but we were able to grab a table given we got there early (around 11:30AM).
Recommended for a variety of healthier food options that you can see before ordering. Also gets props for being a way to grab a quick lunch.

A surprising amount of Asian food selections down here in the Financial District, and Open Kitchen offers some quality Asian bites as well as a few western options (burgers & fries… all day breakfast…). I appreciate the sheer breadth of the variety of option that this place has. Salads for you healthy folks, a per-​pound buffet for you people who don’t care how you look (do you boo boo), breakfast you people who are still hung over at 1:00 — 2:00 in the afternoon, burgers and fries if you don’t feel like walking to Bareburger (it’s literally a block away), and a variety of Asian inspired flavors/​foodstuffs.
Cafeteria style eating is the name of the game, this place makes me feel like I’m in a big kid high school cafeteria (I went to Catholic school, so the oxford shirts and ties there aren’t too big a leap); and while high school often evokes feelings of bitterness and disdain from this particular writer, I then think of better times I’ve had in a cafeteria (such as elementary school and college cafeteria time… those were the best cafeterias). This spot would be more akin to those mentioned in the latter category. Super clean, brightly lit, tasty food, the popular girls in the corner with their greens and coffees… some things remain the same.
The love for Asian food is palpable though. The stir fry line has the longest wait, with the preparation process making this reality understandable; despite the wait, I’d say its worth it. $ 10 gets you a mess of a carb and protein of your choice, all the veggies, and a spicy or not sauce option. They’ll even throw in a miso soup for you. Non-​stir fry options (soups or rice/​noodle bowls) run a buck or so cheaper and don’t carry a long wait time with them… but good things to those who wait right? I’ve been waiting a long time for a good thing… it’ll happen eventually.
At any rate, a decent place for a lunch meet with a buddy, or another place for a pick up option.

I’m a frequent lunch customer here and I have to say, the food is really great. I get the stir fry rice bowl with chicken and the works. It’s fast, fresh service for an affordable price. The bowl is deep and normally costs $ 10 but with a student discount it comes out to $ 8. I haven’t tried their buffet area but they have a large selection. Definitely recommend!

Great little space that opened up in FiDi. It’s set up like a little marketplace with a variety of options, including stir-​fry, burgers, asian, coffee, a juice/​smoothie bar, a taqueria, mediterranean, sandwiches, and a salad bar. My favorite are the acai bowls and smoothies from Pure Green… in particular the mocha cold brew smoothie, which is make with coffee, cacao, almond butter, banana, whey protein, nectar, almond milk. Even if you were starving for lunch, you’d be completely full after this smoothie. Delish!
Oh, and they also sell Dough donuts at the coffee bar.

Open Kitchen is awesome!
They serve literally everthing. The first time i went inside I felt like a kid in a candy store (partly because they sell tons of snacks).
In the front they have a sushi bar, in the back a full buffet, and to the far left they have a grill area where several cooks make dishes made to order.
I’d love to go over all of their bagillion options but I’ll just mention a few of my favorites:
–Korean BBq
–spicy Udon Soup
–ribs
–chicken and rice
–cali rolls.
The best part about this place is students get %20 off everything (it used to be %50 in the summer) so take advantage of this.

Found a burnt black rubber band in one of the veg dishes by the buffet section. Needless to say, what a horrible after taste. I can still taste the burnt rubber band as I am writing this review.
I never posted on Unilocal before. This is the first time I felt the urge to post my experience.

I love this place! Come on a Saturday morning, and the most friendliest guy is working the breakfast grill. Breakfast sandwiches are super tasty and all fresh ingredients. I love NYC’s classic egg on a roll, but the rolls has to be fluffy and soft — and this place delivers!
Really fantastic hot sauce station with like 10 different kinds of sauce. As a hot sauce fanatic, must give them big ups on this.
This location is really REALLY spic-​and-​span clean and tidy every time I’ve come (granted I’ve only been here early in the mornings before any rush). And the Asian dude working the register is always prompt and efficient at ringing you up.
Also, the coffee/​sweets guy suggested a lemon green tea cookie which we didn’t really like much, so he gave us the chocolate chip we were originally considering. But their cookies aren’t very good overall, so be advised to skip them. Go for the monster donut instead — looks sinful.

Got a spicy miso soup with mushrooms, cabbage, carrots, scallions, chicken, and spinach. Yuuuuuuuummy
Also got fresh fruit (which was delicious papaya, pineapple, blackberries) a cold pressed juice and a chia pudding.
I would eat here every day if I worked around here. Lots of high quality options but they need to stock organic.

Quality is great and worth, specially for a pace student discount. Clean and comfortable environment with huge space.

FINALLY! a delicious, clean and affordable lunch spot that has many options each more delicious than the next. I love their salads and their hot food options, healthy options for a good price! This will be my go-​to lunch! Their roasted veggies are very tasty and fill you up!

I really appreciate the Open Kitchen concept-​blend of bodega-​deli posh-​casual fresh-​prepared ethnic-​local. And this particular location has a whole lot of choices, just in case you can’t make up your mind; which is perfect for me, because today I walked around clueless for about twenty minutes before finally «choosing» to try a couple bites each of about a dozen different things between the hot buffet and cold buffet, all of which were beyond delicious and very reasonably priced for such high quality ingredients… I’ll definitely be back soon and frequently, hopefully…