Penelope

Call me old-fashioned (for a 25 year-old) but if I come to a restaurant that's packed with people at 11 am on a Monday, I'd expect the place to be somewhat respectable. The food and decor were solid, typifying a nice little brunch place one would expect to find on the east side. However, it is nothing remarkable, nor is it worth any wait at all. What really irked me was the shoddy service, especially given the fact that the restaurant was slightly above average at best. People, if you work at a restaurant and serve others, part of your job description includes some sort of courtesy and politeness. Why is this a lost art? The staff who served us at this restaurant acted as if we didn't even have the right to be served, let alone eat at the restaurant. I ordered a penny sausage sandwich (or something like that). 15 minutes after I ordered I was asked what type of bread I had requested. 20 minutes after that I was told that there were no croissants left and that I'd have to choose another bread. Another 10 minutes go by as we watch tables around us being served plates. This wouldn't have bothered me except for the fact that these parties had all arrived after we placed our order. Considering it was only my girlfriend and I ordering two dishes, this definitely pissed me off. Then, I noticed that those same tables around me were being served dishes which had big, fat, delicious (looking) croissants. I was pretty irate. When asked about what happened to our meals, the waiter offered no apology. This place definitely lacks in service, friendliness, class, and honesty. Will never come back.

This place is the cutest place for a casual weeknight dinner. Great food and very reasonable prices! One of my favorite places in this big city!

I absolutely love this place! The atmosphere is very cozy and nice with delicious and cheap food. The service is not the best but it's good enough.

The wait staff is way too arrogant for a subpar restaurant. My friends and I went for Sunday brunch, and waited nearly 2 hours for a table. We got passed once because the group before us left and suddenly came back. Shouldn't it be first come first serve; if you miss your chance, back of the line you go? Why should we wait an additional 30 minutes because you decided to go out shopping? After we lost our table, we asked the hostess several times what's the hold up. During the second time my friend asked, the hostess walked away and just ignored her. We didn't get seated until 3pm and the food was just as poor as the service! I had the worst French toast ever. The baguette was chewy, and I could barely cut it with my knife. The portion was small, and the orange juice that came with the prix fixe menu was warm! At $14.95, this was voted as best cheap eats, but I still thought it was overpriced. I can spend the same amount elsewhere and receive better service and food. This place is completely overrated, rowdy, and rude.

Best brunch in Murray Hill; cozy, cute place; but the dinner menu is extremely limited. I don't understand why Penelope doesn't add more large plate items. Until then, I'll stick to the brunch.

Had the cheese steak special and strawberries/nutella dessert. Both were pretty damn good. Very inexpensive too. Definitely would go back.

The dishes are fresh, inexpensive, and unique. The Penny Egg sandwich with the soy-sage and pesto is fab and so is everything else we've had - both brunch and lunch dishes. Everything seems homemade from the fresh squeeze OJ to the fries. The service is not always attentive since they're always so busy, but this is by far one of our favorite restaurants in the area.