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Although this place is not ideal for nice lunch/dinner appointments, the food here is hands down amazing! A must have is the classic chicken salad sandwich- made of organic chicken it's so delish!

I can't speak for the quality of the lunch or dinner fare since my comments relate to a breakfast I recently had here. I'm typically loathe to order omelettes at NYC establishments because they so often have absolutely no clue how to make them. Thus it was with trepidation that I ordered an omelette, as did my wife. We were wonderfully surprised, as the omelettes were executed to perfection. You won't find the omelettes to be glorified frittas here, nor will the eggs be burnt, browned or singed. The eggs were cooked just so, and the ingredients properly folded into place. To boot, the pancakes we ordered were nothing short of delectable. I daresay it would be hard to find the quality of the breakfast meal I had at Fairway Cafe anywhere else in NYC, the fancy upscale restaurants included.

The greeting was mechanical. We asked for seltzer,they had none,nor any sparkling water. FAIRWAY the biggest,best stocked grocery store in the city? The portions of french fries and broccoli rabe were half what any cheap diner would give. They never came by to check on us once during the whole meal, nor even to pour water...from the tap. It's not cheap. No one said thank you or even seemed to care through out the meal. I will not go back. The burger was OK but you can get that many places with a glass of soda water for half the price.

My wife and I considered the Fairway Cafe a real find a year or so ago. When we heard rumors that it might close we signed the petition to keep it alive. Last night (5/6/2011) we decided to visit for a steak (after all, the Cafe is billed as a Steakhouse). Big mistake, the steak was easily the most unappetizing I've ever been served -- not cooked to my order and about a third of it was pure fat. At about $100 we were billed for one appetizer, two entres, one dessert (uninspired) and two glasses of wine, the Cafe is not exactly cheap and we left thoroughly disappointed. Perhaps the thought of using the Cafe's space to expand Fairway's retail space was not such a bad idea...

Wherever you are thinking of eating today, don't! GO TO FAIRWAY. The food is always fresh/clean, of the highest quality, and delicious. Prices are so low it is unbelievable how this place does not have lines around the block. Just try it. You will thank me.

I have had a very nice piece of salmon for lunch with several vegetable sides. I think the price is about $13-15. Very enjoyable. At night the room seems too "grocery store restaurant" for the prices. The chairs and tables are cheap, the lighting is lame and the staff is not attentive or knowledgeable. My dinner was FINE but the prix fixe out the door was about $40 and it was certainly not that.

This is a restaurant in a grocery store. It must make money, otherwise Fairway would lose the café & expand the organic grocery store adjacent. Shopping in the tiny, cramped space of Fairway's organic store is something akin to visiting the airport of a war-torn, developing country: the aisles are cramped, the quality of the produce is erratic and the consistently angry workers are in bad need of sensitivity training. Despite the EXORBITANT price-gouging regularly employed by Fairway (e.g. a recent 200+% price hike of mustard, from $1.89 to $3.29) one can only guess that the wages earned by these workers may account for their consistently sour moods. Management is no better, a fact that one phone call placed to the store will confirm. Curiously, this average diner rarely offers any vegetarian options or utilizes any of the organic produce it's parent company sells right next door. So why does anyone continue to shop at Fairway? Because it's one of the only comprehensive groceries within walking distance on the Upper West Side, and their selection IS excellent if you can afford it.