New Wave Cafe

«Two? Put ‘me over there…» is how we were seated in this true diner experience. You will appreciate relative lower prices, and all the warmth of the Greek diner immortalized on Saturday Night Live by John Belushi and Bill Murray. If you expect any more than that, you’ll be disappointed. The Belgian Waffle was soft like a pancake, served with little cold hard packets of butter and a squeeze bottle of maple flavored high fructose corn syrup… you get the drill. They do a good job with a griddle and a carton of scrambled egg protein or prepared egg whites, plus the usual list of stuff you can add. It’s fast and under fifty bucks for two.

This place looked like a dump. When we sat down, the service was slow. It was all uphill from there. The food was better than expected. The service was above average, full of unexpected courtesy and kind surprises. In the middle of Manhattan, this place was down to earth.

Man oh man. Do I LOVE this place. Great food, a bit pricey but the quality and service are stellar. I love the atmosphere. It’s very cozy and on a nice day the doors are open to the seating area so you get a nice breeze. Makes you feel like you’re in the old NY.

I love this little place. I try to go at off hours when it’s quieter and it’s totally worth it. Nice wait staff, solid diner staples, cozy ambiance. You could easily work your way through the paper here and not be disturbed when they have free tables. They also have a small counter area with seating as well. Given how much the UWS has changed and lost a lot good spots that can’t afford the ever-​rising rents, New Wave Café feels like a throwback. It’s sort of overlooked by people seeking out more upscale spots in the neighborhood, but that means you don’t get the stroller mafia or large (and loud) groups seeking Sunday brunch.

Who knew it was possible to make a bad grilled-​cheese sandwich. Greasy and soggy, and the worst pickle I’ve ever tasted. Lesson learned: make sure the Greek diner is really a Greek diner.

Giving this a four stars but it’s a bit less than that tbh. Very good service. Simple, classic diner food. Not particularly healthy, but it’s a diner after all. I enjoyed breakfast there and would go back.

Typical prices for typical no frills fare. Great sweet potato fries, though omelet was lacking a certain savory, satisfying quality.
Solid 3.5 stars!

Really slow service, the chicken gyro had paper thin chicken. The fruit salad was just a pile of cantaloupe and it took them 10 minute to bring the banana.

I took my 12 year old daughter to see Alton Brown at the Beacon Theater. We wandered the blocks of Broadway looking at menus to see what we might want to eat before the show. Most places in this area are either stupid expensive or cheap take out.
And here was this little diner with about twelve tables and a bunch of pictures on the windows. A regular diner. WE LOVE DINER! We knew we’d both find something to eat. I with my tender tummy and Duchess with her persnickety preferences.
You enter in the doorway to the left of the dining room. It’s a small «take out» case entry that I’m sure is wicked busy in the mornings. But at 5pm on a Saturday, the dining room was more than half empty. We were told to sit wherever we wanted. There was one waiter. Water was brought by him quickly enough, as were the menus.
Big menus.
Duchess picked out the open faced steak sandwich. She asked for the roll to be plain rather than have garlic on it and that’s how it came. I had the Gyro sandwich and coffee.
It’s a diner, so I wasn’t concerned with presentation. But the plates that arrived were orderly and cleanly presented. My gyro was nicely wrapped. (I would have liked a larger plate, because I use a knife and fork rather than pick the whole thing up, but that’s not going to detract from their performance.) The meat of her sandwich was neatly laid over the bread. The french fries were a wonderful state of crispy.
She ate as much as she could of the meat in her sandwich and I finished it off. Lemme tell you, this was some terrific london broil! Unlike most places I have had a london broil something or other, this place SEASONS IT! It’s not just plain meat tossed onto the bun. It was tender enough to pick up with my hands and bite into. It was delicious and barely even needed a sprinkle of salt. If we hadn’t been so full already, we’d have gotten dessert. But we were stuffed.
The bathrooms are tiny (of course, but there are two of them) but they were tidy and clean. The prices are reasonable for NYC Diner, and especially for the Upper West Side neighborhood.
Seeing he was the only waiter, I wasn’t going to fuss about service being a little slow. But I only had to make eye contact and point to my coffee cup for the waiter to come get it and refill for me.
Best of all, he didn’t hover over the table like the wait staff does in so many other places. I hate it when they ask «how is everything» every time they pass the table.
This place is in my permanent «go to» list.

My husband I spent a week in New York for our 25^th wedding anniversary. We are from San Diego, California and this was our first time ever to New York. We used Unilocal to find a place to eat breakfast in upper west Manhattan prior to entering Central Park with our Citi bikes. The New Wave Café ratings looked good so we tried it. I had the Banana Foster Waffle and 1 scrambled egg. It was delicious! The service was quick and employees were friendly. I chatted with the owner who definitely cared about his customers being satisfied. When we return to New York in the future we will return to New Wave Café.

WHERE IS THE MANAGER? Bad service…
Wandered into this little neighborhood place on a rainy morning for some breakfast. Put in my order– simple enough– Two eggs over, bacon and rye toast. Waitress disappeared, finally brought me scrambled eggs and whole wheat toast. Took them back to the kitchen and brought me my correct order. There were at least seven filled tables in the place and two waitresses. One of the waitresses decided that this would be a good time to sit down (with a full station) and have her own breakfast. The other one was on her cell phone. (Hello???) Of course, had to ask for more coffee– was never checked up on again. When the check came, I think they got the amount wrong (in my favor), so I left a good tip. But hey– If I was the manager and saw the customers being ignored like this, someone would be out of a job– or two. That said, atmosphere is great (old UWS) and the food and coffee was good. Still, I prefer Utopia, where they never let your coffee go cold or needs untended.

Overly expensive, oily af

We went to New Wave for a quick breakfast, but were disappointed by the results.
The food came out together, but it looked like some of it was cooked and sat out because it was cold by the time it arrived. We flagged down a worker, who happened to be the owner, who offered to reheat it, but did not offer an apology.
Sadly, when you microwave food it becomes rubbery and the omelet wasn’t as good as it should have been, but at least it was hot.
Afterward we were never really checked on, which was a shame because we could have used refills. The staff seemed too busy in the other room watching TV or hanging by the counter.
NYC is a diner city and I won’t be back to this one with so many other (better) options.

Perfect place for breakfast. The service was quick, without any extra small talk. The food came out quick and was great. I ordered a traditional plate of fried eggs, bacon, toast and home fries. There was plenty of crispy bacon, the home fries went well with the tangy hot sauce keeps on the table, and the eggs were cooked as ordered. The coffee was good too!
I can’t wait to come back and try the eggs Benedict (if I can resist duplicating today’s order).

Pros:
— Portions were quite large
— Ordered the fruit waffle and the fruits were fresh and tasted delicious on top of the warm waffle (had syrup on the side to add an extra sweet kick)
— Server was friendly (rare in NY when everyone’s in such a rush)
Cons:
— It was HOT in the restaurant. Felt kinda sticky being in there…
— Prices were a little ridic ($ 10.50 for the fruit waffle)
— Waiter wasn’t very attentive to our needs. I had to get up a few times to get his attention
Overall, I will probably not come here again since I’d rather try out a different brunch/​afternoon snack place.

Great Breakfast and Lunch menu. We have eaten here four times in the past week and we will keep coming back.

Just had breakfast here with my dad yesterday. Solid service, speed, vibe, and food. The menu is surprisingly expansive. I had the Challah French Toast with Bacon — solid overall, but the Challah Toast could have been a bit more tender. Bacon was cooked to perfection. My dad had a veggie omelette that looked healthy, and he liked the way it tasted. I’ll be back for sure.

Seems like a friendly, neighborhood diner and I thought my typical omelette with hash browns and toast was fine until I found a hair in the potatoes.

Have been coming here regularly now for a while — never disappointed! The owner is very sensitive to his customers, and will do just about anything to please them. You can experience this fundamental caring about his customers in all of his foods — it is a step up from most Greek diners of this type. I prefer breakfast at the counter, and have tried most of the options — my favorites are the Irish breakfast and the pancakes surrounding escalloped apples which contains raisins and walnuts. Since I don’t care for raisins, I simply pick them out and I’m ready to go!
The service is attentive, and they treat you like family from the very beginning — one of the main reasons I started coming back. The main counter waiter, Severino, is good at suggesting options for me, although I generally settle for the same one. It’s a friendly, sort of «Cheers» atmosphere, where it is normal for everyone at the counter to randomly interject comments in conversations with the waiter.
I can’t wait to return this weekend! I take all of my out-​of-​town friends here because it’s an extension of my home!

Our server was very friendly and food was pretty good.
No one at my table complained about their food. I got the french toast that had the bananas, walnuts, and whipped cream on that. That was yum. Their french toast is good, and they didn’t skimp out on the toppings.
I’d say, if you’re ever in the neighborhood and looking for a breakfast place, give this place a try.