Worth Cafe

Ordered online via Grubhub. Order suddenly got cancelled because of technical difficulties on the restaurant’s side, which is fine and understandable. Subsequently Grubhub called — somehow they managed to get the order through and re-​charged my card for the delivery amount. Delivery guy shows up and asks for cash. I hand him a $ 20 (order amount is $ 12) and he doesn’t have change. If you can’t accept online orders with credit cards, at least have cash change for your deliveries.

Pretty good food, it’s worth the money.
The italiano panini ($ 6.50) with chicken, mozzarella, and pesto was delicious.
The chicken wrap ($ 6.50) with lettuce, red peppers, avocado, and tomatoes was a little bland. Needs a little more sauce. I liked how they used a whole wheat wrap though, and how the wrap was filled with chicken.
What I like the best is their Craft-​your-​own salad bar, where you can choose a small salad ($ 7) or big salad ($ 8), choose a base (mesclun mix, lettuce, spinach, arugula), choose unlimited toppings, and a sauce. They have a wide variety of toppings and most of them are free!
There’s also a seating area. I love the atmosphere. The people here are very nice and are fast at taking orders. Would definitely come here again!

Bought the $ 10 for $ 20 worth of food Groupon, I figured I would try it since it was a good deal– and if I liked the place I would obviously go back.
I had the chicken with mushroom sauce, the linguine with a sort of garlic butter herb sauce and steamed veggies. It’s just under $ 7 for a pound of food, so I was able to get more than a decent amount of everything.
The chicken was actually VERY good. The pasta was what you would expect, but the veggies might as well have been just served up raw for how cooked they were.
The one thing that totally killed the entire experience was the girl behind the counter, who I had to practically wave down as I was standing in front of the counter to get her attention. She was sitting behind it. Right in front of me. She seemed absolutely miserable about having to be there and although I was super patient and polite/​nice it was basically like she had a big pile of **** under her nose.
Having worked in customer service for a long time in different areas, I can tell you right now that who you have doing the necessary interactions with your customers will affect your business, especially if you’re going to have returning customers or just a bunch that come in once and never step foot in your establishment again. Eventually you run out of new customers but the returning ones will be your bread and butter.

I pick up lunch here once in a long while. I used to visit more often to have the taco bowl — a tortilla shell filled with chicken, brown rice, black beans, corn, salsa, and guacamole — but I’ve been disappointed repeatedly by the quality. I tried it again today and it just wasn’t to my satisfaction. They have a nice fresh salad counter which I’ve enjoyed on a couple of visits. Desserts by the register are pricy.

Never again. My friend purchased a $ 10 for $ 20 Groupon for this place. Since it’s close to work, and we enjoy eating out a lot, we were excited about trying it, with the hope of eventually returning. Ummmm… no.
Our total was around $ 14. The cashier did not indicate that the entire $ 20 needed to be used all at once, and it does not say as much on the website, as you can see here:
So, after we gave the cashier the Groupon voucher, via her iphone, we sat down at one of only 4 tiny tables in the place. She realized that there’d been no receipt/​discussion about how to redeem the remainder of her $ 20 voucher, so she went back up to the register and asked how that would be done. We had NO expectations, but really just wanted to know the policy, since there was still around $ 6 left on the $ 20 Groupon offer. The cashier’s response was «Uh…what happens to the rest of it? I don’t know. I guess you have to use it all in one visit… I don’t know.» Okaaaaay… so we sat down, and contemplated what else to buy. Ideally, since there was nothing stating that it had to be used at one time, in the offer, we had planned to carry over the remaining $ 6 to another day, when, obviously we’d spend even MORE money.
After we sat for a few minutes, my friend grabbed a water and some granola bars, and went back up to the cashier, to use the rest of the voucher. She once again encountered the rude cashier AND owner/​manager, who said that she could not use the remaining value, since it needed to be used all at once. She explained to him that the cashier NEVER mentioned that to her, AND that the fine print does not indicate such restrictions. Even still, all we wanted was to use the rest DURING THE SAME VISIT, since we sat there and did not leave the place, while we ate.
The response from manager/​owner: «The Groupon says you have to use it all at one time.» Even after my friend offered to show him the voucher and read to him what it said, he was rude and dismissive, saying «You don’t have to make a federal case out of it.» That’s funny, cause we work at the federal courthouse.
Anyhow, it was the rudest, most uncomfortable lunch experience we’ve ever had, and she’s worked in the area for 12 years! It’s really unfortunate, because the reason she even bought the Groupon was so that we could try the place out, in hope that we’d go there again. Instead, we were treated like THEY were doing us a favor. Just… wow.
We won’t be going back here again, ever, but will definitely make it a point to eat at Civic Deli, Albella’s, Lil’s Chinese, McDonald’s, and Sazon.
Not every customer who purchases a Groupon deal is trying to «get away» with something. Now, we feel forced to share this experience with anyone who asks.

A more personal and better quality takeout lunch place than the usual cavernous self-​serve place. Food has a bit of a middle eastern flair, and the hot food selection is better flavored and more unique than the typical place. Good soups too — and they’ll give you a free sample if you want to taste before buying.
Crowded and small, but the checkout line moves fast. Not a place to eat-​in. My favorite non-​sushi take-​out option in the neighborhood.

A GREAT spot. I love stopping there for breakfast whenever I can. The food is always great and you can tell they really take pride in what they do there.

Food is average and prices are ok. The cashier was rude after I explained to her that I did not order two egg and cheese sandwiches. Just one with two eggs. She made me pay for both… They say they are customer friendly but it doesn’t feel genuine.

I’m surprised by all the negative reviews for this place, but perhaps I’ve just been lucky enough to order the right thing and keep going back for more. First off, the staff is really nice. I think staff this nice is hard to come by in the city. Secondly, the kebab wraps here with their «white sauce» are really yum. The kebob platters are also great, huge portions. I’m also a fan of their little salad bar, which is always packed with really flavorful and fresh middle eastern salads. The reason why I’m not giving it a higher score is because it’s pretty hard to get an entire meal here for less than $ 10, and I like my cheap eats. This place hasn’t let me down though.

Staff is really friendly, so don’t be afraid to try new things and customize. I recommend getting to know the staff and making this place a regular lunch/​mid-​day stop. I’m slightly biased in that this café is close to work, but the service and overall quality of the place is quite good.
The food is your typical deli foods (sandwiches, salads, soups, etc), but they have great specials like their lunch salad special with unlimited veggies and choice of a protein (i.e. chicken). Sometimes they have unique specials like a pizza (which was really really large) for $ 4.99 with one topping.
This café is really close to another café that is two doors down. I like this café better because it doesn’t have a self-​serve component so I know my food is only being exposed to the staff rather than anyone who walks into the café. The staff is super friendly, which can make your quick lunch on a stressful day all the more enjoyable. I definitely recommend. (Try the BLT on a croissant with honey – absolutely delicious!)

This place is great for a quick, healthy lunch. I work across the street, but would come here even if I worked a few blocks away. They have great, relatively affordable options. Their hot and cold salad bar has a decidedly Mediterranean flair. Their made-​to-​order salads are what you’d expect, but they are very well priced. Plus, they sell fun-​sized candy, which is the perfect way to satisfy an afternoon sweet tooth.
Service is friendly and fast!

This place sucks. I ordered a Cobb salad and asked for tuna instead of chicken and I was charged $ 2 extra so my salad ended up being $ 11. When I asked about it, the guy at the register said tuna is more expensive than tuna. Really? Because last time I checked the tuna is $ 1 a can.

Is it worth it to eat here? Well, maybe in the future, if you’d ever plan on going back to it! The future can be delicious, it’s all about how you think AND feel about it.

I am only speaking for the cold and hot bars, but OMG this place is awesome!
Everything tastes homemade, the spices are perfect, and if you’re a vegetarian (or not) who’s looking for more than the usual salad option, give this place a try. The food on the buffet is laid out in small batches, so nothing ever sits out for too long. Everything I had was amazing, which has never happened for me. At other salad bars, I always select at least one dish that sat out too long or tasted a little rancid. Not this place. Delicious roasted brussel sprouts, fantastic eggplant (and usually I’m not a big fan), amazing grape leaves, spinach & feta, battered/​fried broccoli, and my absolute fave: the green salad I tried had the best hint of mint flavoring. I’m in love.
I usually go to Whole Foods and drop at least $ 12 for lunch, but not anymore. Whole Foods is now dead to me. At Worth Café, I had a huge take-​out container (I tried a little bit of everything) plus an iced coffee for $ 8.
The kebabs looked really good, but I was already carrying a pound of take-​out.
On a side note, I noticed a few reviewers who were underwhelmed with paninis. I didn’t try the paninis/​sandwiches. Honestly, I never order them here or elsewhere because they’re pretty standard & don’t appeal to me. Nitrates and carbs. I’ll pass.
BUT if you like mediterranean and middle eastern flavors, hit this up. So. Freaking. Good.
I left with a smile from the food, inexpensive price, and friendly staff. Now I’ve finished my lunch and am glowing at my desk while writing this review.

Clean looking small «café». It’s more of a deli with about 4 tables and a few chairs. The food looks very good actually, and fresh. I really just stopped in for some coffee to waste a bit of time. I’d definitely return though.

I am shocked at the negative reviews of this place! I have worked in the neighborhood for over five years and this is my go-​to lunch spot. Fresh, speedy and affordable. Not to mention clean! In addition, the staff is super friendly, and for an indecisive Libra like me that’s very important, as sometimes it can take me a while to make up my mine on what to order.
The falafel is one of the best in the city, which you can get in a platter, in a wrap or in a pita. They offer whole wheat wraps and pitas, and the cold salad bar is delicious. While also open for breakfast, I really love this place for their wonderful sandwiches and strong coffee. With a rotating menu of kebab options (chicken, lamb, beef, even salmon), and sandwiches in the $ 6-​$ 8 range, this place can’t be beat.

Got lunch here but definitely nothing special. The line goes quickly and there are a variety of basic deli options.

Jim’s Rule for choosing the name of your restaurant: don’t pick something that is so easy to mock in a review. Is it worth it? Um, a starving Peace Corps volunteer would turn their nose up at this tripe. This was my worst Seamless Web order ever.
The high end for the delivery estimate was 30 minutes. That seemed kind of long for lunch given that I only ordered a panini and the place was a few minutes away. After an hour, yes HOUR, I called the phone number for the restaurant. I learned that the number was not valid for voice mail messages. Are you serious? So, I then called Seamless Web. After being on the phone for a few minutes, my doorman called and informed me that delivery person finally made it. I was handed my sandwich with nary an apology.
I opened up the tiny takeout container (suitable for a side order), and saw the two halves of my sandwich squished inside. Each half was noticeably charred black with grill marks and pressed very thin. All I could taste was burnt. If I could pick up anything in the background, it was way too much salt. Yeah, burnt salt. Yum. God awful. Just avoid.

The Worth Café is one of the best lunch places around — I have never eaten there but they have good fresh food. It’s only been there about 3 years but I’ve worked in the area for 5 years. The owners are mediterranean and have a cold salad bar that has a variety of things like stuffed grape leaves, giant fava beans, orzo salad, tuna salad, lentil salad, etc. I love their soups — they vary daily, but you can always get a free taste.
They also have entrees that vary from day to day — I had the tilapia last week with vegetables and it was real food — not like something warmed over in a salad bar that you pay for by the pound.
Their salads where you choose the ingredients are pricer than Civic Deli next door, but better ingredients — kalamata olives, feta, etc.
If you are a city/​state/​federal govt employee you can get 10% off by showing your ID. They take credit card with a minimum of $ 7.

For my 50^th review, I decided to get my «first to review» stripes and write about this place. Since I used to live in an apartment building on Worth Street, it seems appropriate that I’d be the first to review Worth Café.
While I can attest to the fact that this place is located on Worth street, I wouldn’t necessarily say that this place is worth visiting. And, it’d be more appropriate to deem this place a glorified deli than a café. There are very few tables inside and only one table outside. As for the food, it’s typical deli fare with sandwiches, paninis, and salads. There are also a small number of dessert options such as cannolis, which were actually pretty good. What was horrible, however, were there milkshakes. Actually, calling what the attendant made a «milkshake» is an affront to the word. It was, hands down, one of the worst drinks I ever tried in my life.
Still, if one doesn’t happen to be working in the Civic Center, this place isn’t worth walking more than a couple of minutes to get to. Even for those people who live in the area, there are better places to go for a quick lunch. I ended up giving this place 2-​stars instead of 1-​star because it’s in close proximity to me, the prices are decent and the people there are pleasant. I guess that I am feeling particularly nice today.