Café Minerva

$ 4 for a very small orange juice glass. Cappuccino was cold and jam had no taste. Other than that, scrambled eggs were tasty, bacon was good and the 4 pieces of potatoes that came with it were OK. I don’t know how good this place is for lunch or dinner, but I would skip it for breakfast.

Hopped in here for dinner with my BF while strolling the hood looking for a new dinner spot. We ended up finding 2 window seats, eating and drinking for over 2 hours, and stumbled out after 11p on a work night (we’re crazy, I know). So, overall, I would say it was a really great experience! Lemme break it down for y’all…
Location: Awesome.
Charming West Village spot with cozy window seating. Perf for people watching and staring into gorg brownstone windows across the street.
Ambiance: Great.
Not a loud, packed hot spot, but a nicely done space with good Pandora playing, great lighting, and a chill neighborhood-​y crowd.
Vibe: Unmarked, no website, low key.
Food: Creativity is a little lacking, but overall it’s good for the price point. We got the Chopped Cobb (very good, but fairly standard) and the Paglia pasta (the caramelized shallots are what sold me, but this was still fairly basic — however, add salt and parm and you have yourself a tasty lil dish). But onto the good stuff — the menu has a couple unreal standouts…
They have 20 different bottles of wine for $ 20! Literally had to re-​read this about 5x before I realized it was for bottles, not glasses. Granted, you’re not going to drink the best bottle of your life, but you can’t beat that price for a nice wine buzz out.
And now for the real star of the show… THE BURRATA. OMG this is that good shit. Seriously the best burrata I’ve ever eaten. Also, you MUST splurge for the $ 2.50 side of bread to eat with it. I have no idea what kind of bread it is, but I think it fell from heaven onto their warm grill, got slightly charred and drizzled in olive oil and somehow I was blessed enough to have it find its way into my mouth. Order this combo. You will be happy.
All in all: nice spot, good vibes, decent prices (esp for the neighb) and some totally worthwhile hidden gems.

terrible service. horrible food. a very rude owner and waitstaff.

I was told today that I could not sit at a small table at 3 pm because I was not eating brunch, which would have been understandable, if I were not the only person in the café. There were literally 15 empty tables and I was told that I had to sit at the bar in order to drink my coffee.

Took around 40 – 45 minutes for our simple food to arrive, which killed the experience for me. Ordered $ 3 tea which was served to me as a small teacup of warm water with a teabag on the side, and the water wasn’t hot enough to brew a strong cup of tea. Our food tasted nice, but the French toast was pretty small and I was still hungry after eating it.
The ambiance is great though, so this place may be better for just coffee than for food!

Can’t beat $ 20 bottles of wine all day every day. Good food and attentive service. Monday night at Café Minerva is wonderful. Love, love, love the music too.

Every bottle of wine is $ 20…what could be better? This is the quintessential west village neighborhood spot; so easy to miss as a coffee shop by day and quieter bistro by night. Highly recommend the branzino! For a nice dinner with reasonable prices, def give it a try!

Oh gosh… where to start… 4 years ago this was one of my personal fav cafes in west village. Wow, has it ever gone down hill. They treat their customers badly and the quality of their coffee/​food is terrible. It’s no wonder the reviews are now so bad, it reflects exactly how this place is run. Be prepared to feel unwelcome and extremely disappointed. Save yourself time and energy and do not go here. Ugh, such a waste of a gorgeous space in w village. :(

Definetly NOT a place to go get some work done! I went there and the place was empty, they didn’t let me sit at the tables. I had to sit at the bar because I was just having coffe.
After awhile, my friend arrived and she wanted to have lunch, then they let us sit in at a table.
I had to work for a little bit longer and the waitress told me that they have a rule of no laptops after 3pm at the table. Then I could’t use my computer anymore. I saw some people with their laptops, then I pulled out my laptop (3:56pm) and they came to apologize, a told me that the rule started after 4pm! I basically lost an entire hour of work… Anyway, a very bad experience!

Terrible service, waiter was slow, gave attitude when asked questions about the menu, didn’t really know what he had or didn’t have available. ‘Brunch’ menu had all egg dishes, nothing on the menu for lunch at 2pm. Used to love this neighborhood spot but will not be coming back.

This place doesn’t even deserve a star!!! It is very dirty and I would eat something that comes out from the kitchen.

Cute place, cheap price, good coffee.

When I first moved here 5 years ago Café Minerva was my go to. In the past couple years the quality of the food has nose dived much to my dismay. Don’t even bother coming here for more than a coffee and a pastry.

Dinner on a Thursday night. The crowd was thin, which was both inviting and concerning (having never been there before). I’m very happy I made the decision to go through the door!
Quiet and cozy, with a menu of 20 wines at $ 20/​bottle. I was a bit disappointed that my first choice of the 20 was unavailable, but hey, there were 19 other options at the same price.
I didn’t have a full meal from the somewhat small menu, just an appetizer and salad. The burrata appetizer was fantastic. Just the texture you expect with nice flavor, served over pesto, and with slightly crisped prosciutto on top. I would’ve preferred more prosciutto, but I always do. Excellent dish, particularly with the flavorful toast along side (which was sold separately). I thought I ordered the Mixed Greens, but was brought the Farmhouse Salad instead. The server immediately offered to correct this, but I declined and enjoyed the combination of fingerling potatoes, green beans, and red beans. Some of the other comments mentioned the salads here being on the small side. It certainly wasn’t large, but seemed appropriate for the price (and for my appetite).
A flavorful espresso to cap the meal was most enjoyable. I’ll be back.

I really don’t want Café Minerva to go away. I’ve feared that possibility for a very long time now, and I’ve been coming here for more than 3 years now. I really don’t want it to stop being a place where I can come and spend an hour whiling the time away, reading, looking out the window, having what is no doubt the best cappuccino in the village, and some of the best homemade pastries.
But what on earth has happened to the service? I used to know the servers by name, and they used to be attentive, friendly, fun and part of a community-​like feel. My bills were never large and I lingered, so I tipped a minimum of $ 5, even on a few coffees. Sometimes $ 10 or $ 20.
Now, you have to beg to be served by really, truly awkward people. The service is not rude, it’s just like dealing with awkward teenagers in the bodies of 30 to 40-​year-​old men. The new waitstaff are some of the most antisocial people I have ever seen in the hospitality industry. How do they find them? My coping mechanism is only sitting at the bar, where the owner (when he’s there) will serve you.
I keep coming back because the positives still outweigh the negatives for me, and because I can’t imagine things can get much worse.

Chouette café où j’ai eu l’opportunité de passer près de 3h, somnolente le premier jour de mon arrivée à NYC.
Il faisait une chaleur étouffante, le décalage horaire né me réussissait pas du tout et je venais de marcher plusieurs km. Il me fallait donc un coin calme et au frais. Nous tombons sur ce café par hasard et décidons de nous y installer.
Je prends un thé glacé ainsi qu’un scone pour commencer qui sont très bons.
Je somnole un temps puis je me décide à commander un café pour me réveiller (ils en ont de plusieurs sortes en fonction de vos goûts) qui s’avèrera vraiment bon.
L’ambiance est agréable: des habitués, des travailleurs nomades, dans le calme.
Ce jour là le serveur était très sympa qui plus est !

The service is good — I have been coming here for years. The coffee is delicious and the pastries are a delight.

Incredibly rude staff. Used to come here regularly; will never again. The place was not even half full, we wanted to sit and have coffee for a little while before ordering food, but were rudely hassled by the waiter, who said that we must order food immediately if we wanted to sit at a table. I would understand this if it were busy, but there were no fewer than 5 tables open the whole time we were there.
Please do not support this behavior and take your business elsewhere.

I had high hopes for this location. It’s located just off Bank and 4^th and has a very cute storefront and interior. I was looking for a quiet place to have some coffee, get some work done, and maybe have a mid-​afternoon snack. I wasn’t greeted upon entering — I wasn’t looking to be seated or anything like that… maybe just an acknowledgement that I existed? It wasn’t until I sat myself at one of the tables that someone interacted with me and informed me that the tables were only for parties of two or more. So, without complaint, I moved to one of the bars facing the street… which is where I sat for a good five minutes. Thinking, surely I must misunderstand how this café does things I went up to the bar ordered a coffee and water and, shortly after, it was brought to where I was sitting.
The coffee was fantastic… like, REALLY good, but, alas, no one came by the check if I needed more coffee or water.
Eventually, I moved to the bar area as I was looking for a snack — bringing with me my empty water glass and coffee cup. After a few minutes of the barista walking by and not paying me any attention (despite the next-​to-​empty café tables), I had to prompt him for some more coffee and water.
I want to come back. It’s comfy, there are a few outlets at the streetside mini-​bars, the coffee is great but I can’t get past the lack of attention paid by anyone who worked there. I don’t expect to be seated and waited on, just an occasional check-​in to see if I need anything.

Went for lunch with my fiancé and was extremely disappointed. He waiter was extremely rude, my silverware was dirty, $ 10 for about five pieces of spinach they call a salad, cappuccino was one of the worst I have had. Don’t waste your time, there are so many other great places in the area, I’m surprised this place stays open.

I’m not sure how one of my favorite spots in the neighborhood can suddenly within a few months deteriorate to such an extent. this used to be my default for great coffee and a quiet work space in the summer. i loved the light filled interiors with a bar in the center. service was also great. it was a nice and relaxing place to have casual meetings as well. to be honest, i haven’t personally experienced the horrendous service other reviewers complained about. However, the last two times I was here, the food was completely burnt and inedible. The coffee which was originally the reason why i was drawn to café minerva also decreased in quality — cost cutting measures, perhaps? The two stars are for the memory of a once beloved café.

You’re absolutely paying for the décor and the neighborhood. Attitude, bitter coffee in a baby sippy cup size for $ 4.35? Screen that.

Unilocal reviews don’t lie — the service here is absolutely terrible. My friend and I came for a post-​museum coffee. We waited ages for someone to take our order, even though they definitely knew we were ready to order. No milk or cream came with the coffee, and my friend asked multiple people for cream and no one wanted to do it. They were huffy whenever my friend asked. The only thing that came out quickly was the check when we asked for it. I don’t know if they don’t have enough staff or there are issues with efficiency but I won’t be returning, and recommend you try another place for your caffeine fix!

I was there today for brunch with my girlfriend and we had some expectations, since she was there previously for coffee and she liked the vibe.
The place is nice and clean, with an adult west-​villagy vibe.
Unfortunately we were not really pleased with overall experience. The food was average, if that. My eggs Benedict were bland, and the potatoes were not flavorful at all. The dish had 7 spinach leafs and probably 5 pieces of potatoes. My girlfriend’s order arrived incomplete. She is celiac, so heavily gluten intolerant, and she made it clear to the waiter, that had absolutely no idea what celiac means (he spelled it wrong on the order for the kitchen). Toasted bred (for me) was a bit soggy and her sausage was half and literally miniscule.
On top of all that, it took them almost 45 minutes to got us the food.
We will not go back.

Very disappointing experience.
Waited at the door to be seated. Male server passes by me, doesn’t acknowledge me.
Female server aproaches, I ask if the kitchen is opened, she says YES and that’s it, I practically have to seat myself.
Kitchen takes almost half an hour to serve me cold potatoes and a very stale arugula salad.
Male server gives me condescending attitude telling me kitchen was actually closed and said he’s sorry I didn’t understand. What?
Seriously, worst service I had in NYC.

I used to love this place for its atmosphere, simple but interesting brunch menu and great value wine deal.
But the service has gotten progressively worse… extremely slow and inattentive. To the point where it is unbearable.
When you wait 10 minutes to get served and the first thing someone tells you is that you can’t sit at a table if you are on your own… It’s a bit much. Especially when the place is half empty. He didn’t even attempt to take an order or apologise for the wait.
Oh, and the wine seems to have disappeared. Maybe they lost their lisence. But it means dinner at this place is a bit dull.
Its a shame when a neighbourhood favourite gets complacent and loses its way, I’m sure the food and coffee is still fine but if they don’t care about customer service then I’m done with this place.

I can’t speak to whatever service issues others have noticed as I only went in for a mid afternoon cappuccino, and, it was one of the best cappuccinos I’ve had outside of Europe in recent memory. I rarely compliment the quality of a cup of coffee to management but had to in this case. The coffee bar service was fine
Charming, classic NY looking neighborhood joint on one of my favorite blocks in the city. The café was about 75% full and just about everyone, to a person was cranking away on an Apple computer. Could have been filming an ad.
Love the U shaped coffee bar and large windows facing out into the brick and brownstone townhouse lined street.

Great view — lovely place to people watch and work. However, food was only okay. Iced chai tea latte tasted like lukewarm milk in ice, and orange zest cake, albeit beautiful, was too sweet for my liking.

Very authentic coffee house with very sexy baristas… Definitely worth a visit when when in Soho! Definitely the best espresso in New York!
The setting is stunning like the rest of Soho!

A friend introduced me to this place within weeks of moving to New York, I can’t count on one hand the number of times I’ve been back here. Located in a beautiful neighborhood where it is actually nice and quiet.
The place has a great ambiance and the prices are amazing. It is low key at the same time as it is modern. It has never been an issue with any of the staff there. They provide great service and are very friendly and helpful. I have tried out a few different things while I’ve been there but I can absolutely recommend the panini menu, the lasagna and the meatballs. And the $ 20 wine bottles are of course the best part. It makes it great for a group to come in, share a bottle while enjoying some great food at a reasonable price.
They also have great coffee, during the day it is less busy and a great atmosphere to get some work done.
Whenever I have people visiting, I always take them here, and I will continue to come back!