When it comes to New York City restaurant institutions, there are just a few that remain as bright and shiny as they did the day that they opened and Union Square Café is one of them. It’s pretty remarkable that a restaurant that opened in 1985 can still be firing on all cylinders; can be as packed on a Thursday night in 2025 as they were 40 years ago.
We come to this place for magic and magic is what you will receive here. For starters, there’s the room which feels like the chic dwelling of a sophisticated art collector. The servers are all trained via the Danny Meyer handbook: accommodating, thoughtful, real. And then there’s the food. It’s all stellar; starting with the garlic potato chips, that you see above.
For my appetizer, I ordered the peculiar-sounding broccoli salad:
What arrives is an inventive tangle of flash-fried broccoli served over yogurt with pomegranate seeds. May not be as sexy as a Caesar, but it’s way more novel and fun to eat.
For my entree I had the “Black Sea Bass with Ruby Red Shrimp, Vegetables Provençal, and Saffron Aioli”:
I could imagine eating something like this at a bistro in France; but here in NY it’s just a 6 train ride away to Union Square.
For dessert, I had the apple cake which was truly sublime and unlike any apple cake that I’ve had before:
It almost tasted like sticky toffee pudding, it was so dense. I’d love to know how they made it. If someone from the Union Square Café is reading this, please send me the recipe!
That said, mom picked the winner dessert-wise: “Sweet Corn Sundae with Sweet Corn Gelato, Blackberry Compote, Caramel Corn.”
It speaks to the integrity and seasonality of the place that they’re soon taking this off the menu to offer something more appropriate for October. Just another reason to keep on coming back.
Union Square Café / 101 E 19th St, New York, NY 10003 / (212) 243-4020
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