Hudson River Cafe

I planned a dinner party for 10 on a Saturday (6/18/11) and stayed for the club with about 30 people on guest list. I spoke to Nick over the phone and he sounded like our experience there would be wonderful. He offered our party a free bottle of champagne, b-day cake and free guest list b4 midnite and said if there were any problems to just call him. On the day of we went to dinner. The dinner was just OK. I enjoyed the appetizers (guacamole & buffalo chicken fingers) more than the dinner (steak & shrimp). The dinner tasted a little burned and for $24 plate I expected more flavor and more food (small portions). We spent close to $400 on dinner. For the club the service was apsolutely HORRIBLE!!!. We brought 3 bottles. None of our friends got in free like Nick said because they didn't start letting people in till after midnite. I had to hound the manager and our server over 4 times EACH to get the champagne and cake. They finally brought it to us around 2am from 11pm that I asked!...They looked like we were bothering them even though we spend another $450 on bottles plus tipped the waitress $50 bucks! We had to eat the cake with our fingers because they refused to give us plates or utensils (they just said yes and would never bring it). And to top it off, a few young kids (barely 21) next to us brought just 1 bottle, got a table/couch and the same waitress got their stuff within 15 minutes. So to end this review...we spend close to $1000 and the food was sub-par and the service was even worse. Ohhhh and you'll be blinded by the massive neon red moving advertisement beaming over the club! more

My Wife and I had the pleasure to work with Angela Ortiz The Event planer of this place. We had a big group about 19 people and they were very caring and hospitable taking care of all our needs. Our expectations in every way were exceeded . Thank you very much for everything and we do recommend this place for any event or casual reasons. Ed & Crys more

I was here this Sunday for a brunch with a good friend of mine. We are booth in the the hospitality business,I am a Director of Food & Beverage and my friend is a Director of Sales & marketing for a very big hotel chain. We had no reservation so it was a 20 minutes wait for table,its ok we had no problem with it.So we go to the bar to wait for table but the bar is closed inside,(they were short handed,the Manager was bar-tending the outside bar)Its supposed to be a $ 21.00 brunch pricey for the area.Service very slow we had to beg for our drinks to be refilled.I had Eggs Benedict with potatoes roasted burned to crisp over cooked eggs Hollandaise souse a drop only.Save your self time and money go somewhere nicer but not here. more

Service is horrendous. I will never ever enter this establishment again. I thought I was going to a place to get some fine dining and a relaxing evening only to discover the place turns into a nightclub in the evening where staff are incrediably rude and brute. If you are a young female looking for a fun safe environment, THIS IS NOT IT. Stay away & consider yourself lucky. The horrible things I saw the staff do to the patrons is unimaginable (violence). This place should be shut down. more

I was just recently at Hudson River Cafe for a friends birthday party and it was AWESOME! There was a live Dj playing great music and the vibe was very cool. The food was great and the drinks we're even better. It's even open Late Night on the Weekends till 4 A.M. more

I have been here for brunch on a Sunday, and I had a very pleasurable experience. I live in Hell?s Kitchen, and I don?t normally venture out beyond 96 St. mostly out of habit I would say. On a quest to discover new restaurants, my husband and I have have set out to visit new eateries other than the ones we normally frequent in our area. We searched for restaurants serving brunch on Sundays, and we decided to try the Hudson River Caf? uptown and leave our area of comfort. This place was definitely a breath of fresh air for us. We love the place in its entirety. The food is fantastic, the service outstanding, and the place just gives you an all-around good feeling. The setting is modern yet has a very homey simple classic look that is very appealing and comfortable. The volume in the restaurant was perfect and inviting: there were muted and captioned multiple TV screens showing sports and news, low light jazz playing in the background, and a relaxing serene ambiance ? perfect for an early day meal. The floor was full and yet the waiters managed to give swift and graceful service without the commotion that we usually experience in other full places. I tell you that after eating we felt we were enjoying the place so much that we stayed for nearly a good 2 hours ordering mimosas. I ordered the crab cakes with poached eggs along with cilantro grits. This meal was delicious. I?m a big fan of crab cakes, but I have never seen it served along with eggs which was an interesting and savory choice. The cilantro grits was amazing- very tasty and creative. My husband ordered the arepa with smoked salmon which he loved. On top of that, the service was very pleasing. The unlimited mimosas are fantastic. Hudson River Caf? gets an A in our book. more

This is my favorite restaurant in New York. The atmosphere is fun and trendy. Tuesdays has the greatest bar scene, But the restaurant is also very family friendly, i love the mix of soul cusine because i can have lill bit of everything, from Guacamole, guava b.b.q. Back Ribs to Branzini a la plancha, and the cocktails drinks something to die for,,,, more

I love Hudson River Cafe, late afternoons there are always amazing, love the big umbrellas acompanied with the new frozen patron margaritas.....to start i order jumbo lump Crabcakes, main dish i always have to order the same plate is delicious Hudson Paella, mi friends order some shrimp and beef taquitos, coconut filet and Churrasco.. we end it out with more margaritas and as dessert Flourless Chocolate cake and cream panna cotta... i really recommed it :) more

We went there for a nice Sunday girl's brunch but after the frustrating, unsatisfying experience, I wished I'd stayed in bed with a bowl of cereal. I ordered the cajun shrimp and grits - what a mistake! How is it that a place in Harlem has such disgusting grits?! The grits were horrible and the the shrimp had the same disgusting seasoning. Did I also mention that we had to wait over 40 mins for this disgusting dish? Someone needed to send our waiter to charm school. He disappeared for long periods of time, kept promising our food was coming soon when it didn't and just didn't seem to care. What a ruined Sunday brunch! Pros: Cool people and free valet parking Cons: Bad service and worse food more

Not a bad place to start your Friday nights. The outdoor lounge is cool and the people are friendly. Pros: Atmosphere Cons: Only 1 bathroom down stairs more

This is by far the worse lounge ever. For starters the crowd is tacky! If your looking for an even semi decent crowd do not come here! You would think you entered a cheap ""Gentlemens Club"" Everything from the majority of women's dress style, in their cheap polyester outfits & no underwear to some of the perverted looking men with their unbuttoned top shirt buttons, hair chest and gold chains sticking out. A good friend of mine was celebrating her birthday there. We were seated by the Dj where we had a couple of bottles. There was ""Female"" that wasnt with us by our table, but paid no mind. Suddenly we notice about 3 security guards approach our area & they were tending to this now frantic ""Female"" we again paid no mind. Then a lady security guard a dark skinned Spanish lady w/black plastic framed Prada Glasses approaches us & tells us we have to leave. We ignore her, we thought she had us confused. She goes to tend this same ""Female,"" that is catching a DIVA fit, then lady security guard comes back and tells us again we have to leave. We ask her why and she says ""come with me and ill tell you."" It turns out this lady security guard was the ""Head of Security,"" At this point while extremely confused but not stupid for whatever reason this lady was going to walk us out and not let us back in. So we walk out and the security guard tells us that that ""FEMALE,"" that was mysteriously by our table, was the OWNERS WIFE and that she was accusing someone from our party of trying to steal her purse while she left it on the couch/table area where WE sat. Another friend explains that one of our friends was simply trying to collect all our purses and in the effort of not taking the wrong one she was checking to see who it belonged to and left it there. So it was an obvious complete misunderstanding, yet they wanted to hear nothing of it, nothing was stolen or misplaced yet our whole party was rudely kicked out. The guard then tells us ""oh okay now i understand, but you have to understand my position shes the owners wife so i have no choice."" The lesson to be learned is if you go to this lounge and accidently cross roads with the owners wife she will get you kicked out!! And my advice to the owner is: Make a VIP glass enclosed area so that your PRINCESS WIFE will not in any way cross roads with your GUEST! The same guest that keep your lounge in business!! Pros: NOTHING Cons: POOR MANAGEMENT more

I was looking for a great venue to celebrate my bday next may. I had to call the Hudson Cafe 3 times, I first spoke to the hostess, then the event planner to whom I sent an email with my request, she never replied to my mail.. I then finally spoke to the Manager who said that he will make sure to send me a a quote. I am still waiting for it!!! Pros: Great Space Cons: Wrong Staff more

Well I must say that I was alittle apprehensive about this place because of some of the negative reviews but I had brunch here yesterday with a few friends and I loved it. The Jazz music was great. The Host Javon was very pleasant, professional, and very knowledgeable about planning an event at their venue. The food was great and so was the wait staff. Very attentive. Oh and lets not forget the Bellini's & Mimosa's....GREAT. I will be back!!! Pros: Food, Service, Ambiance more

There is something fantastic about being in a place for the first time that exceeds your expectations. It's delightful. This place has a special quality to it. It meshes modern sophisticated decor with none of the pretentious attitude of most places of the like. The restaurant is structurally beautiful. It's a hot combo of dual level indoor space, adjacent ground level outdoor courtyard, and upstairs patio. Its a gorgeous structure on a lone strip canopied by steel arches of the riverside drive as seen on the picture on their website. The staff is friendly and accommodating; the setting welcoming and pleasant; the food is genuine with a pan-Latin American flair. For taste buds like mine that have an erratic craving from day to day, their menu would offer an option for every palate. The menu includes seafood, churrasco, chicken, pasta, paella, empanadas,macaroni and cheese, exotic salads...a varied and excellent mix of options. I believe this is the new best fine latin cusine in town. 5 Stars! I saw their menu for brunch, and I'm looking forward to that next time around. Pros: great latin cusine Cons: Didn't experience any drawbacks more

Hudson River Cafe is the best to me!!! I love hanging out their!! The food is great & it isnt expensive at all. Being their on a friday nite or saturday nite is over the top. I recommend it to everyone. You don't have to travel far to get to here thats the best part of it. Its local, fun, inexpensive, & friendly. The staff are exquisite, their friendly & they take care of you the way you need to be. I GIVE IT 5 STARS!!!! Pros: Best Party Life!!! Cons: Their are no draw backs!!! more

Hudson River Cafe has great food, great staff and is a great place to unwind after work. Check out Happy Hour and Brunch on Saturday and Sunday! more

Besides the food being very good the staff makes you feel like family. Love the brunch because of its eclectic menu. Pros: Delicious food, very attentive and caring staff. Cons: Unavailable patio...but I could wait 'till summer. more

Everytime I go to the Hudson river cafe, I am greated and welcomed with friendly smiles. I have never been dissatisfied on any visit, and the drinks are exceptionally well. The servers are always attentive and keep the abmiance warm and pleasent. Overrall the place is great. Pros: Best paella in town! Cons: Bathroom wait can be timely when the place is busy. more

Hey checked it out for the first time on Sunday 9/6.. Im new to Harlem, I enjoyed it, the food was ok, the manager was very helpful and engaging with my wife and I. The staff though they were understaffed worked really hard to make us feel welcome. Will be back again! Pros: Manager was really nice Cons: Was really busy more

I've been here several times for drinks, once for brunch and once for dinner. It's sad because I wanted to spend money in Harlem for my birthday but I won't be doing so. I have really wanted to have my 30th birthday party in August here and I was in Hudson River back in March and asked the manager and he told me to come back - like he couldn't answer my questions. I was ready to pay then...Then I was in there for brunch this past Sunday and told the waiter that I want to have my birthday and asked if I could make a reservation. He came back with an email address and told me to email. I then asked the hostess if I could just reserve the table I wanted and she told me to go to the website. I emailed with the specifics of my request. A day later I received an email saying that I should email the party promoter, who, I think, is the same person that I spoke to in March. I called him already incredulous to the legwork I'm having to do to spend my money. I told him that I wanted to reserve a table for my birthday and he said, ""How many bottles do you want?"" Ok. How much are the bottles? Do you have any packages? ""Well for a group of 6 you'll have to get at least 3 or 4 bottles at $200 a piece. Really? Because I've priced way fancier places in the city and they have established packages for $400 plus tax. ""I'm not trying to be cocky but the party is really popular and you have to buy at least 4 bottles and then I can see if I can waive the door charge."" I'm sorry but you think I'm spending $800 in this dump and you were considering harassing my friends at the door? I just hung up the phone. This place is disorganized, overpriced, and the food is gross. I just wanted to have it outside in Harlem but now I'll have to scramble to find another place - probably downtown. I'm really pi**ed because I've been trying to plan this for months! They should do a better job of working with their customers or they're going to be out of business really soon. Pros: Nice atmosphere Cons: Horrible disorganized no appreciation for customers more