Café Sabarsky

5-​star for the food, 1-​star for service.
Stopping by after the viewing of famous portrait of «Adele»; wonderful food, bratwurst is delicious with perfect mixture of sauerkraut and potatoes.
However, the service is cold and rude even in New York City standard; we were seated in the middle of the room and expressed the intention to be seated by the window when it becomes available. It is not busy in any sense as a summer weekend afternoon. In less than 10 minutes, two window areas were emptied just when the waiter approached us for food orders. We went ahead with orders, then also immediately gestured the maître d for moving out seat if possible, politely. She raised her voice from three tables away and refused: «once you placed your order, you cannot ask to move your seat.» She could have let us know before we ordered or when we first expressed our intention.
We still enjoyed food and dessert, as well as drinks.

We began our week in NYC with Café Sabarsky and a promised «Vienna coffee house» experience. This was to be the beginning of a fabulous NYC experience! True, the art at the Neue Galerie was exceptional. Alas, nothing about Café Sabarsky proved exceptional in any way, Service deplorable, food portions small, ordinary and very expensive, no coffee refills. The crepes came,.two small crepes filled with plain jam and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Two of our orders were delivered with incorrect eggs, and each of us received one half a piece of toast! I know museum cafes aren’t always tops for fine cuisine but this was definitely the bottom of the barrel.

Classy café. A little overpriced and touristy. But the food is not bad. I had weiner schnitzel and the wife had goulash. I’ve had better schnitzel elsewhere. The goulash was good. Probably won’t return unless going to the art gallery.

This place is fancy and pretentious as hell. I’m not sure what I expected from a café in a museum, but my friend took me here since he’s a regular. With how much you are paying, you would expect everything to be amazing, and for the most part it is.
The baked goods are the highlight of the experience, and my only real complaint is that the time to get some of the food was rather long. You should sort of expect that and the cold service as well. It’s New York after all. Don’t come here to impress any foodie friends, but if you just want to feel fancy, get your pretension on here. There were equal numbers of people taking photos of food and overdressed patrons making us look out of place in our jeans and sweat pants.
Overall, I like Café Sabarsky but wouldn’t come here again unless somebody I knew wanted to go. That isn’t to say I didn’t like it. I feel the same way with several Michelin star restaurants. Some places are just like that. Meanwhile, my friend’s family almost always comes by when in the area.

Beautiful café tucked away in a museum. A great place if you are crazing Austro-​German cuisine. The food is presented artfully and the café décor is so authentic you feel like you are actually in Vienna. The food is ok, the service is kind but slow.

Although the Café’s is pricy you can’t beat the selection. You are guaranteed a wonderful meal. The spread of deserts is fantastic.
There are very few places I do not feel comfortable taking photos. This place is one I need to photograph when the time is right. I do not want to spoil the experience if my friend or family member feels uncomfortable with me Unilocaling my way through the meal. :-)
When my one cousin comes to town we have a full meal. I never remember what I had when I go for lunch. I usually get a sandwich. I always remember my desert. The Classic Viennese Dark Chocolate Cake!
You must arrive early or go at off peak meal times. The line wraps around the building. The security is tight. Be prepared by leaving unnecessary belongings at home.
The main suggestion is enjoy every bite. The food is delightful and delicious!

As close as one can get to a traditional Viennese café in New York.
The atmosphere is great, the food, drink and coffee selection is very good (definitely recommend the Sacher cake if you want a traditional Viennese cake) and the service was efficient if unfriendly (kind of fits with the place though).
If you want to come for dinner you should taike advantage of the reservation system, if not during the day you’ll likely have to wait in line for a while as they don’t take reservations (but it’s still totally worth it).

Good hot chocolate. Very cosy atmosphere. Service was a little slow.

This place is gorgeous! It’s small so you probably need to wait a long line just to get in, but ai’d still go back. We had the classic Viennese dark chocolate cake, which I guess their signature, and I was amazed by how it is not so sweet but delightfully tasty. We had Assam tea and that was a great combination. The space is pretty packed so you might think it’s too loud, but the cake is really worth trying. I want to go back to try other dessert menu–

This is a small cozy café in the Neue Gallery. I specifically came for coffee and a small bite to eat after museum hopping for a few hours. I ordered the Sacher Torte and a cup coffee. Their coffee is made on the espresso machine so refills will not be forthcoming, but that wasn’t an issue for me. The Sacher Torte was fine, but nothing remarkable. If you’re in the area and want to sit down and rewind and refresh Café Sabarsky is good choice. Would I go out of my way to come here, no, but it filled the bill for what I needed and when I needed it.

Transported to Vienna in this beautiful space and European atmosphere and menu. Engaging wait staff and delicious desserts!

I visited for my Austrian hubby’s birthday. We’ve been living in NY for a while, but never visited an Austrian restaurant — so this was my bday treat for him.
We Really Really REALLY wanted to like this place. We would’ve come here on a regular basis as long as it was okay.
Unfortunately, we experienced the most disappointing service we ever had in NY. I was repeatedly shocked how the servers were so unattentive, especially from a place where they claim to be authentic Austrian. My Austrian experiences were all about superb service, friendliness and satisfaction. But Café Sabarsky has miserably failed to capture that Austrian atmosphere (their décor, and food was great. Kudos to the pianist who was playing live music. But the terrible service was so bad that it just nullified it all), and actually had tainted the Austrian spirit and dedication for service.
What happened specifically?
— I had a reservation; we waited for 10−15min to enter. No complaints about this since it happens frequently in NYC, and I understand that restaurants can’t kick out customers at their will to clear tables.
— Waiters didn’t seem to be assigned to tables. We had about 6 different waiters serving us during our dinner.
— Some waiters were friendly and was willing to chat to brighten up the atmosphere. I felt like these were mostly newer waiters (they looked younger — personal judgement)
— HOWEVER, the waiter took away our beer before we finished the bottle. (WTF?)
— After finishing dinner, they promptly cleared the table, and I asked for the desserts menu. But no menu came.
— After 15 minutes of constantly raising my head trying to make someone notice that I want the desserts menu, I gave up and started raising my hand to ask for the check.
— We were a table of 4 and ALL FOUR OF US has tried to get the check, or at least get a waiter to come over. 3 of us were pretty sure we’ve made eye contact with the waiters, but no waiter responded.
— The blond male waiter with tied hair: You saw me, turned around to face me then turned away and started organizing cups. Why would you do that? Why does it have to be so challenging to be served???
all in all,
I was extremely disappointed. My husband was very sad.
Kurt Gutenbrunner,
Please train your waiters up to the Austrian standard!!!

Café Saborsky is elegant, the food delectable and the atmosphere right out of Vienna. It is a classic extperience, one I lose myself in.
The celery root salad was so delicious and very savory, every bite, a delight as was the selected Chardonnay. The coffee — double espresso with steamed milk — the perfect accompaniment to the Klimtorte of chocolate and hazelnut.
Central Park framed by wooden walls, the idle chatter of NYC aristocracy; «I hear the sachertorte is quite good», forced cherry blossoms above the marble fireplace, the periodic ‘whiz’ of the coffee maker frothing all the chocolate laced decadent coffees. Ah yes, I feel right at home, back to my Czechoslovakian roots.
Now, off to see the are at the Neue Gallery!!!

I went to this café with my friend on Saturday afternoon. There was a line to the café standing in which we spent about 20 minutes. When we came in I was amused how beautiful it was inside and how much this environment resembled European places. But it was
the last pleasant impression at that place. I took a coffee with almond milk ($ 6) and Fruit Tart ($ 9.5). The tart wasn’t bad, but I it was too fattening. I got my coffee with curdled milk chunks, and the waitress was unwilling to exchange it. She brought me the pack of milk and asked me try it as she supposed it wasn’t spoiled. But we both saw the chunks in the coffee!!! More importantly, she was extremely unpleasant in general and other waiters looked arrogant and unfriendly as well.
To wrap it up, this place is too expensive, has very poor service, so I don’t recommend it at all.

Always very good. Whenever I come here I feel transported. I always bring my out-​of-​towner friends here.
I also eat at Wallse and actually met Chef Kurt Guttenbrunner. Some menu items are similar with the Michelin-​starred restaurant that I would rather come to Sabarsky whenever I am in the mood for spätzle or schnitzel because it’s more affordable here :) plus the museum is always a dear!

Food is fantastic. Portion is small and price is high. But flavors and finesse of the dishes make them worthwhile. My friend and I shared the crab avocado salad, trout-​stuffed crepes, and celery root salad. The salads here are rich and hearty and come doused in mayo (as salads should be), yet look refined and taste refreshing and boast a myriad of textures. I especially recommend the celeriac salad and petition to replace all bad cole slaw with it. The menu has German and Austrian influence but goes beyond the few dishes we usually think of as coming from that region. Also I was surprised to see garden cress as garnish since I haven’t found it anywhere outside Germany.
PS the barista is currently doing a fantastic latte art resembling Munch’s The Scream during the Munch exhibit at the Neue Galerie.

I felt my German/​Austrian heritage go up about twenty ticks.
This is a great place for a snack after visiting the Guggenheim, or to bring a date for coffee (the Viennese do a great Latte) and incredible pastry. The soufflé pastry was amazing.
Beautiful setting, would be easy to imagine eating here at the turn of the last century. Spot on service. I love New York

Delicious and authentic Austrian /​German cakes. Absolutely love all of them. The slices are a bit small and the place is not cheap though. Beautiful space. Definitely a must-​go after a museum visit.

I came here with my daughter who studies design and visited Neue Galeri several times before saying I would like to love this place to have cup of coffee or something to eat for the breakfast.
This belongs to the Neue Galeri which gained fame for the Klimt’s Potrait of Adele Bloch-​Bauer. This building also located affluent 5^th Ave. sates the need of the wealth residents. The name «Sabarsky» is named after the collector, Serge Sabarsky. This café is on the first floor on the right side of the entrance. Even though this is the gallery, there is no need to pay the entrance fee at the first level.
We came here at noon. There’s line already formed. But shortly after we were to be seated. The waitstaff is very formal, her attire was black and white, no smile on her face. Inside the café very crowded with tourist like us. Some people wore heavy coat and some backpacks beside the table. Unlike the building this café doesn’t have nice ambiences. Just overlooking the Central Park through the window seats but we were seated on the middle of the café.
But I really loved the coffee and cake we ordered. The coffee beautifully crafted coming out with foam on top like Vienna style. The cake was an art, so beautiful and melt in my mouth in a second. And the table also deliberately set. We had a tad of glimpse of Austria culture in here. Even though this place might be tourists point or not, I really liked and enjoyed the time with my daughter.
PS: I also love the down stairs. They have the point of taking pictures where the copy of the Klimt’s Potrait of Adele is.

A great Viennese café inside the Neue gallery. I got the illusion that I were back to Vienna. It offers authentic lineup of Viennese sweets, like strudel and Sacher torte in combination with European style coffee.
Although we just had coffee and juice there after being reunited with the portrait of Adele upstairs, their lunch menu looked wonderful. Many people were having breakfast or lunch and others were enjoyimpng cake and drink.
I found a real relaxing place for me in the upper east side. I will be back.
There was a long line when we left. Having breakfast might be better considering the crowd.

Este café foi a melhor surpresa que tive em NY. Obrigada, Unilocal!
Este café é alemão/​austríaco, e tem sobremesas e bebidas típicas do país. Eu provei o apfelstrudel (torta de maçã), a klimttorte (bolo de chocolate e avelã), e o kaffee (café preto). Tudo maravilhoso! Especialmente a klimttorte!
O ambiente é refinado. Os atendentes estão todos bem vestidos e tem um pianista no local, tocando música clássica. E o não é muito barulhento. Simplesmente uma delícia!
Recomendo para uma pausa do tumulto que é Nova Iorque. Tem uma fila para entrar, mas não demorou muito para que conseguíssemos um lugar.

This is the last restaurant that needs a positive Unilocal review, but I couldn’t resist because I had such an awesome dining experience here. The service is phenomenal and the food is extraordinary. Nestled in the neue galerie, the dining area overlooks Central Park and hearkens to an older time. I highly recommend the spaetzle, apple strudel, and chocolate cake! Enjoy!

Good food, good cake, but terrible attitude by one restaurant lady. Obviously her order mistake, but no apologies and unreasonable excuse.
I may not visit again.

My cake was really good, but the overall environment was just okay, and service was underwhelming. 4 stars for the refreshments though. My boyfriend and I came here after a walk in Central Park. I’ve heard of this place as being really classy and pretty, but after waiting in a short line to be seated, it was just alright. The waitstaff was dressed in nice black and white outfits, and it’s way nicer than your average café, but I think my expectations were probably too high. The high ceilings and art on the walls were nice, but overall it came off as pretty tourist. However, it was nice to be able to sit and relax without feeling rushed at all, even though there was a line to get in.
My chocolate cake (with cherries and cream) was delicious. I normally don’t like whipped cream, but this one was not overly sweet and really good just by itself. The presentation was really nice, and everything had the Café Sabarsky print on them. I asked for a glass of milk (I can’t help it when I eat cake!) and the waitress didn’t make a fuss about it even though it wan’t on the menu. My boyfriend got the peppermint tea, which came in a little pot. It was nice and hot and refreshing.
Expensive for what you get in return, but this is to be expected at an art gallery café on the UES.

What a beautiful space to enjoy some sweets mid-​afternoon. An upscale ambiance is the feeling in this café at the Neue Galerie. The Viennese pastries were delicious and so was the latte I sipped. It was crowded and there was a wait to get in (about 20 mins). There is another space downstairs in the basement offering the exact same food– and less crowded with no wait. But it’s not nearly as nice as eating upstairs in the café. We opted to have a slight wait and sit upstairs. It was a nice stop for an afternoon snack while touring the museums in NYC. We headed to the Guggenheim next which is in very close proximity.

The desserts were delicious and so was the coffee. It was crowded and there was a wait to get in. (about 20 mins) A nice stop for an afternoon snack while touring the museums in NYC.

A friend and I went here on a Wednesday morning and ate both breakfast and lunch here. I loved it here. The ambiance is definitely classy as this place exudes wealth and prestige.
For breakfast, I ordered the eggs, potatoes and bacon and a sparkling strawberry Apple drink. For lunch, I ordered bratwurst and roasted potatoes and rosé. My friend ordered the smoke salmon and the eggs and Bavarian ham for breakfast and liverwurst for lunch. She also order the apple strudel and another dessert. I enjoyed everything I got. Perhaps because it was my first time tasting Austrian food. My friend, who has eaten Austrian/​German good before, enjoyed her selections as well. She also noted that the apple strudel was the best and freshest she’s tasted. Overall a good experience.

We’re exploring NYC and saw this café and it looked very nice so we decided to check it out.
We got seated, but no one comes to take order, had to call someone.
This blonde guy with curly hair comes and he looked like he was in a hurry, didn’t even greet us. He took the menu and almost left when I didn’t finish ordering. He was super rude.

Ate here for breakfast before viewing the gallery. We shared the apricot crepes and the breakfast sampler with eggs and ham in addition to a selection of breads. Everything was delicious. I especially very highly recommend the crepes. They were the right combination of soft, savory, and sweet and were probably the best apricot crepes I’ve had. The sampler dish was also great and I particularly enjoyed the selection of breads. We also had the house hot tea which was fantastic. Service was fair but it was extremely busy there and we were in no rush. I’d love to return and try their non-​breakfast food and their cakes which looked unbelievable. What’s great about eating here is that you can eat here before the gallery opens and then you don’t have to wait in line once the gallery opens. Highly recommend checking out this place and then venturing to the gallery above!

Oh how I still love this place.
The desserts are still some of the best to be had in New York. Every torte is fantastic. The room continues to impress with its beautiful details and focused elements.
The sausages are quite good as is the spaetzle. End the meal with an espresso or excellent coffee. Dessert is still the star for me.
Yes the prices are getting a bit up there but it’s still possible to navigate the menu properly and not spend a ton. It loses a star for that.
Try to avoid the crazy hours like mid-​day on a weekend as it does get busy. Expect lots of tourists now. It still technically is a museum restaurant and also caters to people coming from the Met down the block so it isn’t too surprising.
I continue to always leave with a smile on my face.

PROS:
— Mozarttorte (pistachios nougat chocolate cake) — Cake was really good. Presentation is A+ especially the green colors which are really vibrant. 4.5 STARS
— Kaiser mélange (viennese coffee with whip cream) — coffee was good quality 4 STARS
— Bratwurst mit Sauerkraut & Rosterdapfel $ 18 (bratwurst with sauerkraut roasted potatoes & dijon) This was surprisingly really good probably because this was the only hot dish we ordered and it was pretty cold in there. The bratwurst was delish. I was expecting it to be like the humongous German sausages that I didn’t like when I went to Germany but this was sweet and it wasn’t overwhelmingly big. Roasted potatoes were a plus. I could definitely pass on the dijon and sauerkraut. 4 STARS
THE OKAY:
— Apple Strudel — It was cold and chewy. I had high expectations for this. 3 STARS
— Celery Root Salad — Nice Presentation but taste wise it was like cole slaw with celery root instead. This was not worth $ 16 2 STARS
CONS:
— Chilled Smoked Trout Crêpes & Horseradish — I do not recommend this. It was cold and it didn’t taste that good 1 STAR.

Came here with my partner before we went to the Klimt exhibition at the Neue Galerie — he had told me it’s his favourite place to hang out in New York, so I simply had to see it. The restaurant is like something out of late 19^th century Vienna, with wood panelling, tortes and strudels on display, and a more European approach to dining (as a English tourist, not having a glass of icy water thrust at me as soon as I sat down was appreciated, and I felt much more relaxed — I hasten to add, there was still drinking water on offer!).
The wiener schnitzel was delightful — light and tender — and my partner’s meal (nicked a bite — couldn’t resist!) was also very good. Apparently the wine was good too.
I’m not as bowled over by the setting as my partner is, but it was a very nice place to have lunch, and a lovely start to our tour of the Galerie.

The restaurant exudes wealth and upper class. Don’t be intimidated by the line. And oh, make sure you confirm with the security guard (they’re quite friendly) that you’re on the right line, there is a line for the museum and another one for the restaurant.
I always hope to be seated by the window for a direct view of CP but we didn’t get lucky. They’re pretty much just all day since people come here for lunch, afternoon tea and then dinner.
I really enjoyed playing pretend for an hour or so ordering fancy grapefruit beer and toasty pretzel. It’s a great place to go to for the whole Upper east side experience while you’re museum hopping. Guggenheim is just a few blocks away.

One star is too high.
Even it’s 2015. Even it’s in NYC. I still can’t believe how terrible the service was.
I was waiting at the front door to be seated (I was the first one in line) and reading up the menu. The hostess came and asked the group of white people behind me to get in. YES SHE TOTALLY SKIPPED ME and it’s like I didn’t exist. When I tried to talk to her, she just ignored me and walked inside.
I didn’t know that hostess before and I didn’t say anything at all before she asked that group of people to come in. Frankly speaking, there were a number of empty tables inside and there’s nothing wrong with my outfit either. I still don’t know why she just ignored me and rejected me. The only reason I can think of is because of my race (I’m not white).
What happened is serious and I am asking the manager to come forward with an explanation.

Over priced mediocre food. In a adorable setting and very nice neighborhood though.
This is one of those places where you go to brunch/​lunch if you’re just looking for a quick bite before your gallery/​museum adventures (a bunch in the area including the MET and Guggenheim) and you’re willing to spend lots of dolla dolla bills for food. Tip: don’t be frightened by the long line and definitely don’t wait in it, which is usually for the gallery. So if you’re planning on going to the Café, just ask the security at the entrance and say you’re there for the Café.
It is mostly German cuisine so you’ll have your liverwurst and sausage and pretzel options but dishes range from $ 16-​$ 30 for lunch (which is crazy for something that isn’t even fine dining)! The green tea matcha almond latte was smaller than Starbucks tall size but literally double the price. The sandwiches aren’t actually sandwiches, just spread on a slice of bread (maybe that’s what the Germans call a sandwich?) I got the liverwurst one and it was very rich and almost tasted like mashed up spam. It comes with some salad on the side. The dessert was good though; the chocolate hazelnut cake was very rich. The service was sub par, waitress was not helpful with suggestions and was yawning when we were placing our order and didn’t even bother to hide it.
Overall cute vibe but not worth the $ 40 bill a person for a very small and not satisfying lunch.

I would say it was more of a 4.5, I really enjoyed my lunch. The décor was fantastic and the atmosphere couldn’t be beat. Going in, I was super skeptic to eat inside a museum since I thought they would only be offering cheapo hotdogs and burgers and stuff. Oh nooooooo, not this place. This place serves up classic Austrian food in a wonderful classic European environment, the only reason I actually considered this place was from all the positive reviews on Unilocal,thanks Unilocal!So the restaurant is located inside the Neue Galerie museum, to get inside, there is a line for the museum on the left and a line to get into the restaurant on the right. Once inside the museum, after you pass security, the restaurant is located on the right hand side. The restaurant is on the pricey side and the portions are a tad small but the quality of food more than makes up for it. I have spent two weeks in Vienna and I was very pleased with the food I had at this restaurant, I thought the flavors were very consistent with what I had in Vienna. Quick tip, if you dine at the restaurant, you can just go right to the cashier for admissions to the museum.
The food:
Housemade Liverwurst spread with onion confit. The Liverwurst had really nice flavor as did the onion confit. I really liked the Liverwurst, but I really loved the onion confit. The creamy flavor of the Liverwurst and the sweetness of the onions balanced perfectly. The only criticism was the bread, it was just OK, it kinda felt lifeless, wish it was toasted.
Smoked Bratwurst stuffed with Cheddar Cheese, Riesling Sauerkraut, roasted potatoes and Dijon. It was a very good sausage plate, it had a nice outer casing and texture, the cheese was a nice addition. The kraut and Dijon were very nice additions to the sausage. The sausage alone had a great snap, nice flavor and a really good smooth filling.
Mozzarttorte– pistachios, nougat, chocolate cake. Austrians are masters at desserts and the ones here should not be missed. The pistachio flavor was great from the filling to the nougat. The cake had a very nice smooth texture but the cake was a smidge dry but still a very good cake.

My wife is of Hungarian descent and I wanted to find a surprise for her for our last night in Manhattan. Café Sabarsky exceeded our expectations. It is situated in a museum on the upper east side. The café is quaint with only about 10 small tables. The menu was very authentic. I went traditional with Bratwurst sauerkraut and potatoes. The topper was an excellent Apple Strudel with a perfect very hot cappuccino. My Wife was very surprised and excited and enjoyed her Goulash.
My first thought was to discount the dining experience because of the Server who was stoic but functional, but after reflection I believe that he supported the Eastern European flair and ambiance.

I love love love Café Sabarsky!
My ultimate fave is the hot chocolate and pistachio cake! Beautiful ambiance great service always a pleasure going there for a nice treat!