The Picnic Basket

Love this place! Get lunch here everyday. Nothing disappoints. Lattes, salads, sandwiches– all super freshy and super yummy! Better than your average NYC lunch place.
Breakfast is great as well.

The Picnic Basket is like having someone to cook for you at lunchtime and breakfast. The food is not only interesting but healthy and diverse. The owner who is happy to introduce himself by name (Nir) will take any suggestions you have.
Let’s break this down:
The soup is always fresh and consistently good. The lentil, mushroom and turkey chili are OUTSTANDING.
The bread is always fresh and makes for a serious sandwich.
The Mediterranean, crunchy tuna, the panini and the chimi chicken are outstanding and those are just the ones I’ve tried.
The selection of middle eastern food is fantastic. The Shakshuka I would put up against any in the city and Israel and the fluffy pita on the side takes it over the top. The meatballs are fantastic and have real flavor.
The selection of iced teas are all really fresh and naturally flavored.
I don’t have breakfast but I’m seriously tempted to by the interesting middle eastern styled menu.
And, just when you think you might have tried everything, the owner is always up for giving you new suggestions.
I would recommend The Picnic Basket whether you work in the building or don’t. Its worth the trip.

This has become a go-​to for lunch. If I want a sandwich, this beats any of the cafes around. Picnic Basket is hard to find though because it is the basement of an office building, but it makes for a happy meal.
Sandwiches (4.5÷5): Roast beef, chimi chicken are both amazing. The meats and fresh greens & tomatoes that they use all taste very fresh. The only complaint here is that these sandwiches are on the small side, although that’s not to say they will leave you hungry. — $ 9
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How food scoring works (very subjective, and relative to price)
1 — Given the price, no
3 — Worth, taste is on par with price
5 — An absolute steal, amazing taste and great value

First breakfast in New York and this was everything I wanted. A small shop selling eggs and bacon in a croissant. Highly advised if you’re in the area (:

I got the breakfast sandwich with turkey bacon and it was delicious. Their house dressing really added great flavor and the staff was very friendly.

Hands down one of my favorite places to get a sandwich. I’ve gone 4 – 5 times now, trying something different every time, and have yet to be disappointed. The quality and taste is fantastic, and just the right portion. The staff is very friendly and helpful, and the vibe of the place is awesome.

When I finally found the place I was in a much better mood. I had a great lunch today. I had a crunchy tuna sandwich. Thank you. Great place to pick up lunch if your in the area.

This place has been hidden downstairs in the building, so there’s no way of locating it outside. Having said that, it was definitely worth a visit, with the great selection of salad and sandwich.
People were suggesting the crunchy tuna sandwich and the Mediterranean bowl; however I felt like some chicken so ordered the chicken edamame salad — really loved the roasted edamame, so crispy! The multigrain bread was another plus.

Solid option for a healthy, reasonably priced lunch in Midtown East. Ordered the Halloumi sandwich and lentil soup, both of which were hearty, delicious and satisfying.

Came for breakfast before the job interview. Ordered morning maker and Med egg sandwich.
Food: 5 stars
Staff: 5 stars
Service: 5 stars
Owner thought they gave me the wrong order so he ran out to find me, but I had the right order. The other stores could’ve just ignore this. It was nice of him. You also get free cup of coffee with Unilocal check-​in. Would love to come back.

This place is ok. The only thing that is extra-​exciting about this place is the bread. Other then that, nothing special. (I’ve gotten a pastrami twice from here and ended up taking out the fillings and eating just the bread). Wish they used better quality ingredients. Runs be about 11:75 for a sandwich and an iced tea.

Ordered online about an hour ahead of time for pickup and they didn’t send me the second email the initial said it would to confirm it was ready, but it was waiting for me by the time I got there.
I got the Hot Press Pastrami Sandwich — don’t let its flatness or size deceive you into thinking it won’t fill you up. I may have liked an extra slice of pastrami but all in all pretty solid, the jalapeños make it nice and spicy. The one drawback was the orange-​colored mayo-​based spread… May have been Russian dressing? Personally I would’ve preferred a grainy mustard.

You will not find this place just walking down 3^rd Ave. You need to walk into the 805 Atrium building and take the escalator down.
The Good…
— Everything my colleague and I had tasted very fresh and flavorful.
— There is free infused water (which I didn’t notice until after paying $ 1.50 for my bottled)
— Seating is nice within the Atrium. Piano, high ceilings, nice ambiance
— The Classic Mediterranean — I love eggplant and hard boiled egg and hummus in a sandwich, however I strongly recommend ordering this spicy and pressed/​toasted
— The Fresh Mozzarella — I ordered with chicken just to get some meat but it would have been good without it. Mozzarella tasted really good and fresh.
— Mushroom soup — had sliced mushrooms throughout as displayed in pic, a big plus.
— Hummus snack — decent size, hummus was delicious but pita seasoning was a bit salty for my taste
The (not too) Bad…
— The «combo» listings aren’t necessarily a great value but considering we could not finish our lunches, it was not a rip off either.
— The wait for just two orders was at least ten minutes.
— Order taker did not solicit preferences (bread, dressing, spicy or not)
Would I go again? YES

Still hard to believe that I just recently discovered this place after having worked in the neighborhood for over 3 years. This is now my go-​to spot for lunch and everything from food to service is perfect.
For sandwich there is the choice of cold sandwich/​pita or hot pressed Panini. You can also choose the kind of bread — ciabatta, whole grain, or pita. I have been repeatedly eating the hot pressed Mozzarella sandwich with added chicken — mozzarella, pesto, roasted red pepper and chicken go perfectly together. The staff take their time to press the Panini until the bread becomes crispy and extra tasty, and they never rush to give you something less than perfect.
For salad I had the Mediterranean many times — greens, chopped salad, chickpeas, eggplant, hard boiled eggs, and olives. It comes with freshly toasted hot pita bread, and tahini dressing. I think this is as good as salad gets at a café/​diner.
The ingredients are really high quality which is impressive especially considering how fair the price is — the bread is fresh and chewy with lots of seeds, and the pesto is only made from cold-​pressed extra virgin olive oil. Having tried every diner/​restaurant around the neighborhood, I assumed in the beginning that the pesto was made from canola oil, but after talking to the owner, I was proven completely wrong! There is no canola oil in their kitchen and everything is made with the best olive oil.
Service is really friendly and the staff even remember your name and always try to make sure everything is perfect for your order. While waiting you can have fresh mint water on the house which is always a pleasure.
Highly recommend to anyone looking for a healthy and hearty lunch — wish they had a storefront above ground so they get more traffic. Having tried many cafes in the city, including trendy ones around Union Square or Flatiron, I have to say this place is one of the best.

The Picnic Basket is located in the basement food court of the 805 Atrium building (the space where Sophie’s Cuban used to be).
Delicious breakfast items (egg on brioche, oatmeal) and lunch items (sandwiches and salads).
They also have a salad and soup combo (not listed) which costs $ 13.75 with tax.
Recommend the chicken edamame salad (the edamame is salted and roasted).
Expect prompt, friendly service in a clean, bright space.
Complementary fruit flavored water. :)
Picnic basket does delivery.

Wow, the bread! So how good can a sandwich get? I think I’ve said this on a review before, but sandwich is a sandwich is a sandwich. I always feel like there is a ceiling to how «good» a sandwich can be, with most of them falling in that «very average» category. However, there are «excellent» sandwiches. It could be that they use in-​house made meat (e.g. prime rib, roast beef, ham). Or has stuff between the meat & bread that enhances the taste drastically. Or has outstanding bread to wrap the meat around.
In the case of The Picnic Basket, it is the last one. Their baguette, honestly, is one of the best I’ve ever had. To a point where I sort of wished the pastrami & veggies inside it wasn’t there. Just spread a dollop of butter, or dip it in olive oil with basil, and this could be heaven. It is really that good. At $ 8.25 for just the sandwich it is a tad pricey, but well worth it.
The reason I give them 4-​stars is a couple of things: 1) I’ve only tried this one sandwich, but I’ve heard their breakfast is amazing so reserving a star until I try that, and 2) their service could use a bit of work — «too busy to smile» cashier coupled with what appeared to be shortage in staff. Plus, as I said, it’s a sandwich…
No table-​for-​1 on this one since it is located in the terrace level of an office building along with couple other places, and seating is public for all of them.

review is for catering only. My co-​worker said ordering was a breeze, and everyone with whom she spoke nice. The order arrived on time. Was plentiful. Really nice presentation (ready to go right into the meeting without re-​plating), and plentiful. An order of salad, quinoa, roasted veg, and four varieties of sammies for 60 people was around $ 1K. Very fresh ingredients. Great, healthy flavors, and people coming back for seconds.
Could have ordered a little less… but the office staff appreciated the leftovers :-)

Very nice. Came here with my boss and got the Crunchy Tuna after he recommended it. Service is really quick and efficient here and they’re also very kind! Food is unbelievably fresh and I can definitely see why they’re busy around lunch hour. It’s located in the basement of The Atrium for those who cannot find it.
Although I loved the tuna, the bread was a little hard to eat in my opinion. Perhaps it’s because I just suck at biting bread but if it were on a panini or something easier to bite, it would be my all time favorite sandwich. The tuna is perfectly mixed with veggies like carrots and peas giving it that «crunch». It helps to break up that tuna-​y taste that sometimes gets old pretty quickly. Portion is also pretty filling and it’s $ 8.75 for fresh ingredients. What else could you ask for? Try this place now!

I love it when it is very obvious that someone genuinely cares about their business, and genuinely cares about serving their customers.
You can tell when they take pride in what they do. The Picnic Basket is that kind of place.
Okay, admittedly we were a little skeptical when we arrived. The Picnic Basket is a simple looking place in the basement of a typical NYC office building.
But the food was fantastic… delicious… fresh and flavorful… with some of the best bread we’ve ever eaten. Service was incredibly friendly, and the prices were really good, and the place is incredibly clean.
If you’re in the neighborhood and need breakfast or lunch, we highly highly recommend The Picnic Basket.

I have popped in here several times for lunch, and this is a great Midtown East spot. It is located in the basement of the Atrium and there are a handful of tables out front should you want to sit down. The inside of the «restaurant» is just a counter front where you can basically order breakfast or lunch. The menu is small enough that you don’t waste any time making any decisions but also provides a lot of variety.
If you are looking for a good lunch deal, for about $ 13, you can get a soup and sandwich which I feel is more than enough. They have different menu choices, but all are made fresh to order which I enjoy and you can definitely tell. The place is kept very clean and I have not had to wait longer than 10 minutes during the lunch rush.
Buon appetito.