Sidewalk Cafe

Another great old school NYC legend that continues to know just how to change and how not to. Unspeakably great music even on their open mic night on Mondays. And Latch isn't even in the country.

Perfect mix of cool and cooler with some old time appeal for old fougie's who remember the NYC of the 70's and beyond. Bring your axe and get up on stage.

Apparently, Yelp removed my review because they said it didn't provide enough information about my experience, so here's a revised review.

Sidewalk Cafe has racist employees, in that they have spoke down to and refused to provide proper customer service to to my black friends, and even referring to a black child as an "it," but will serve you with a smile if your skin is white. This isn't an isolated incident, it's a recurring theme that Sidewalk Cafe treats black patrons with no respect, let alone quality customer service.

Simply: Sidewalk Cafe is racist. Does that provide enough information about my experience or does Yelp ignore and condone racist venues?

Classic east village spot that stands the test of time. Good place to see free music and entertainment. The food is adequate and inexpensive. Nothing to write home about, but good for lining your stomach or for soaking up alcohol.

I was invited to perform at a show at this venue. The venue itself is nice. Well decorated if cozy, a little bougie for my taste but the stage area is nice.

The place bills itself as Mediterranean yet at the same time boasts their delicious burgers with meat ground on site. I ordered their chicken shawarma dish, billed as "Mediterranean style grilled chicken served over a bed of herbed basmati rice & green tahini sauce".

It was out and out revolting. Seriously? I live in West Philadelphia. I have had chicken shawarma at LEAST a hundred times in the last 7 years. It's my favorite dish. THIS was NOT chicken shawarma. It was flavorless chicken on rice pilaf. Worse, somehow they managed to burn the outside of the chicken while undercooking the inside! The green tahini was nowhere to be found.

I have only once before in my life sent an entire dish back and re-ordered. I can even remember when and where: 1998, in Wheaton, Maryland at a seafood restaurant. I say that to make a point of the fact that I am not a picky eater.

The server was gracious as hell, and I felt bad sending him off. The strawberry milkshake I'd had before the meal was quite good, and the burger and fries I ordered as a replacement was also good, but truth be told I could not get the taste of the disgusting first meal out of my mouth so I ate two bites and the rest went into the trash.

The reason for the three stars is because I'm legitimately hoping this was an exception and not the rule.

I extremely recommend this restaurant. Sidewalk Cafe (Or bar & restaurant) is a great restaurant if you want to sit and have a quick, enjoyable dinner. The menu is chock full of flavourful, diverse and quality food, including the Moroccan Chicken Flatbread. The atmosphere is nice, as there is a nice open window looking out on Avenue A, great music plays and the staff makes it feel real, not like they are there for the money. The walls are covered with wood and interesting things that complement the Seattle type atmosphere.