Cafe Manhattan

My Mom used to go to Cafe Manhattan back in the day, and we were catching a movie at the AMC nearby, so we decided to step in for a bite to eat. This is a cute cafe for sure. It gives 40’s diner vibes with black and white flooring, jukeboxes and other retro knick-knacks. The service was middle of the road. Our waitress was sweet when we saw her, but it wasn’t often. At times, she seemed annoyed by us. Like, when I asked for a shake, she complained that it takes a while to make a shake. I will admit, my Cookies & Cream Shake was good (but rather heavy). The food was also, meh. The Toasted Ravioli were heavy. I appreciated that they are house-made, but wow. These things are FRIED and crunchy to the maximum. Our burgers were pretty good though, and the fries were served with some of the best ranch I’ve ever had. We would maybe come back, considering the pretty low prices. Keep in mind, this place is a greasy-spoon. Don’t expect healthy food, and I left feeling a bit more “full” than I was hoping for. Definitely not your everyday food.

This manhattan inspired cafe in St. Louis has such a cute interior with nice NYC decor. We sat at the bar for about 10 minutes before getting a table. Our waitress was super friendly and efficient and got our order out really quickly. I went with the turkey sandwich and soup combo and it was solid. My friends got sandwiches with fries and seemed to really enjoy theirs too. It feels like a hidden gem on a busy street. Parking can be tricky but there is usually street parking. I would recommend this place for a quick bite, a chat with friends, or even a casual date night.

Atmosphere is cool because of the nostalgic feel. Makes you feel like you're in a time capsule from 1950s or 60s (compliment). Friendly staff. I ordered the spaghetti with meatballs which was ok. I would give it a 5/10. Meatballs were decent, but spaghetti was a bit bland. Red sauce and noodles, not much flavor. I ordered the toasted raviolis which were better. I give them a 7/10. I'm a huge fan of toasted ravs, so it's hard to mess that up. They did pretty good. Lastly, I had a Ceasars salad which was actually my favorite item I ordered. It was very good and presentation was cool. I give the salad a 9/10. Overall experience, I'd say Cafe Manhattan is 6.5/10.

Cafe Manhattan has the best toasted ravioli in town! The veggie pizza is nice and crisp with plenty of fresh veggies. We also enjoyed the milkshakes! It is back to being as good as I remember it being when I went in the 90s!! So happy to see it back to original quality and delicious diner food. The service was also fast and friendly.

What an amazing place! It’s like stepping back in time! I cannot say enough of how excited I was when we walked through the door. If you’re looking for nostalgia, delicious food and excellent service, look no more! Do yourself a favor and check this place out! I cannot wait to go back!!

We absolutely love coming here! The service is always great. Everything we’ve tried has been delicious! The white chicken chili is soo good! The shakes are the best! Thank you for great food with a 1950’s feel! This is our go to place!

First time customer and it sure won’t be the last! The food was AMAZING! I had the Patty Melt, delicious! The potato soup, excellent! Dad had the milkshake, wonderful; along with his grilled cheese and tomato soup special! 👍. Mom loved the pizza! Kathy is infectious! So friendly, welcoming, and on point! Love the atmosphere! HIGHLY recommend!! Thanks so much for having us!! You’ll be seeing us often! 😀

I used to work in Clayton and ordered from here frequently. However, after covid my office closed. I am not moving back to Clayton and had to get Cafe Manhattan. Normally, they do not deliver but since we had a large order they were able to accommodate us. We had several pizzas (favorite three being an all meat, margarita and gluten free everything), cheese garlic bread, salad, toasted ravs, mini desserts and donuts. All of these were amazing. Most of the people in our office had never had this pizza before and said I was getting "fancy Clayton pizza" until they tried it. Everyone was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. I am glad to be back in Clayton to get to have this pizza again.

It's all good at Cafe Manhattan, great food, great ambience. It's like a diner in the '50's

The vibe of this diner is soooo 40s. From the juke box to the bright red tables and checkered patterning, the ambience is so fun. You walk in and seat yourself, and the waitresses are quick to casually take your order. My boyfriend and I split two sandwiches: -Reuben: 8.510 - What a lovely reuben. It was warm, packed with corned beef, the sauerkraut was fresh, and there was a perfect ratio of meat to cheese. The coleslaw I got on the side was also really good, very creamy and VERY flavorful. -Soho Chicken: 7.5/10 - We really liked the banana peppers in this sandwich and the lemon pepper mayo was a good addition. The only thing is that this sandwich was a bit lackluster/unexciting. A good way to get your protein, though! Also, the chips LOOKED good, but they didn't taste great. A bit stale and unsalted.

My Mom used to go to Cafe Manhattan back in the day, and we were catching a movie at the AMC nearby, so we decided to step in for a bite to eat. This is a cute cafe for sure. It gives 40's diner vibes with black and white flooring, jukeboxes and other retro knick-knacks. The service was middle of the road. Our waitress was sweet when we saw her, but it wasn't often. At times, she seemed annoyed by us. Like, when I asked for a shake, she complained that it takes a while to make a shake. I will admit, my Cookies & Cream Shake was good (but rather heavy). The food was also, meh. The Toasted Ravioli were heavy. I appreciated that they are house-made, but wow. These things are FRIED and crunchy to the maximum. Our burgers were pretty good though, and the fries were served with some of the best ranch I've ever had. We would maybe come back, considering the pretty low prices. Keep in mind, this place is a greasy-spoon. Don't expect healthy food, and I left feeling a bit more "full" than I was hoping for. Definitely not your everyday food.

Stopped in at Manhattan Café in Clayton and couldn't resist a classic sundae. Vanilla ice cream layered with hot fudge, whipped cream, and crunchy nuts--simple, old-school, and exactly what you want from a great diner dessert. Cozy atmosphere and a perfect sweet finish. .

Loved this place!! They're one of the top rated for their toasted ravioli. I like the breading/crust, the flavor was very mild & I honestly feel like the toasted ravioli's are over rated. My husband got a St Louis style pizza & it was delish. My sandwich also was SO GOOD!!! To top it off, the restaurant was clean & our waitress was an angel!

This manhattan inspired cafe in St. Louis has such a cute interior with nice NYC decor. We sat at the bar for about 10 minutes before getting a table. Our waitress was super friendly and efficient and got our order out really quickly. I went with the turkey sandwich and soup combo and it was solid. My friends got sandwiches with fries and seemed to really enjoy theirs too. It feels like a hidden gem on a busy street. Parking can be tricky but there is usually street parking. I would recommend this place for a quick bite, a chat with friends, or even a casual date night.

Cafe Manhattan was a good spot to visit for lunch. The inside has a retro vibe and classic diner feel to it. I thought the food was about what you'd expect for a diner, but nothing out of the ordinary. There's lot of options, and if I come back I'd love to try out one of the floats. The location isn't bad, but parking is almost nonexistent, so we ended up visiting while on foot.

I don't think I had been here in 30 years. I met a friend on a weeknight for an early dinner. My friend ordered the salad/pizza special for $11.95. I ordered the same but asked for the NY style crust. The server came back after a moment and said the special only comes with St. Louis style. I said then I'll have the same salad with the smallest NY style pizza available. I wanted this because I figured they use a premade shell for St. Louis style but probably make the NY style. I was incorrect. The dough was premade. Both pizzas were fine. The salad was fine. Nothing I'm going out of my way for. The place is still cute and the location is still good.

Cafe Manhattan is so good! I had the seasoned beef sandwich and it was amazing--super flavorful, and dipping it in the jus made it even better. I think it's one of the best roast beef sandwiches I've had in the Lou! I also got the house salad with chicken as my entrée and it was the perfect Italian-style salad. Fresh, tasty, and just the right amount of everything. The people here are awesome. The servers were super friendly and really on top of things. You can tell they care about making sure everyone has a great experience. I'm already planning to come back with my family. Highly recommend if you're looking for a great meal and a welcoming vibe!

I purchased some milkshakes and Dads cookies for dessert. It was a treat. We also dine in once a week. The service and food are always good.

I have been coming here for over 30 years. Tonight my husband chose Cafe Manhattan for his birthday dinner! I LOVE the SoHo Chicken Sandwich and my husband loves the seasoned beef sandwich as well as the shakes! Tonight I have the Wall Street sandwich for the first time and it did not disappoint.

Classic diner style atmosphere with super friendly service. Small with limited seating, but you can call ahead and request a reservation if you have a larger group. Kids think the grilled cheese is the way to go, and although the food is pretty basic it's convenient and the checkered floors, juke box, and Coca Cola decor make for a nostalgic sentiment that we enjoy.

Stopped in after the Art Fair in Clayton. I love this small and colorful restaurant. A soda fountain where they make real cherry cola and egg creams. The service here is awesome. The food is even better. I've never had a bad meal here. Last night I tried a chicken salad sandwich. It was huge and delicious. Very fresh. They have great pizzas , burgers and a menu with lots of options. Great place for takeout. Right on Hanley just past Wydown. If you like nostalgia, then this is your place!

I love the ambiance, '50's malt shop feel. I ordered the BLT it was the best! Also ordered an old fashioned chocolate malt. It brought back memories of a forgotten era. Service was friendly and prompt. I plan to go again.

The atmosphere here was so fun and exciting to be around. The fun knickknacks and pictures of many different things was entertaining to spot out and talk about. The food here was perfect! The pizza here is AMAZING! The services here was perfect, the servers were very kind and respectful. They came by often to check on us for anything that we needed. Definitely a perfect spot that is family friendly!

Good food. Great service. Neat stuff to look at. Old time feel. Lots of items to choose from.

Great service! Wonderful decor! Good food, too. One of the few places that my picky eater granddaughter also enjoys.

This is a great diner with some unbelievable food! The kitchen is hustling and the service is really fast. We ordered the Wall Street and the Empire State BLT. Both were fantastic sandwiches. We will have to stop by here again for breakfast.

Me and a good friend of mine came here for one of the first times, and apparently we were flagged for being disruptive, even though we never came here before, and they threatened to kick us out before we even sat down Extremely poor experience and I am never coming back and nor should anybody else

Stopped here later in the evening because they were one of the only places open. I thought the interior was very nice and the retro feel made it seem like a cool diner. I was shocked at the prices however. They seemed on par with a fancy sit down instead of a fun diner. We ended up just getting a sundae to share instead of pizza like we initially wanted because of the steep cost. The sundae was good but nothing amazing, and I think the prices here probably don't justify a return trip.

The food here is homemade and delicious. My parents eat here every lunch and they love the menu. I had the turkey club which was fantastic. Salads are delicious as well.

Walked over for dinner when we couldn't decide what sounded good to eat and figured there would be a little bit of everything on the menu. Very much a classic diner feel when you walk in the door to this seat yourself establishment. The staff was kind and prompt. I had the Wall Street which was delicious. Perfectly toasted bread, crispy bacon. I upgrade to onion rings for my side because when else do you get to eat onion rings. They were nice and crispy and a good size serving.

Always great service and good food! Fun, casual, diner style place to eat! I always get the potato soup and this time I ordered the Ruben. The bread was crispy and this was one of the best Ruben's I've had!

I love cafe Manhattan. It's the perfect little neighborhood spot! I come here a lot for milkshakes. I usually get strawberry but I also like the vanilla and having them mix chocolate and vanilla together. It's also a great spot for a greasy burger, fries and pizza. When we were here Saturday night it was pretty busy. We were able to get a seat at the bar but lots of family at the bigger tables and a lot of Togo orders. The staff was great, even during a very busy time. We normally come on the weekdays and have never had a problem getting a table. There is a little parking lot on the side of the building which is nice because a lot of Clayton businesses don't have parking sports

This is 5-Star diner gives you everything you want from a classic American establishment. The service is great--friendly, quick, and accommodating. You can see the kitchen bustling with orders and the food comes out hot and fresh. The sandwiches and fries are exactly what you want when you come to a diner and the toasted raviolis are an A+. Seriously some of the top T-Ravs in STL and I don't say that lightly! Prices are good and portions are nice. It would be a great place for a business meeting, fun date, or just a chance to catch up with old friends. You get that nostalgic feeling and can't help but enjoy yourself.

I've been here several times and just love the old school feel. The food is always good, even when picked up, and I love the fresh bakery items. Classic as you can get

This is a real sleeper - much higher quality than the average restaurant and better than a lot of places that are more well known. . Do not mistake it for a greasy spoon. The food is really outstanding - freshly made and delicious with very large portions. Our server was terrific - friendly, accommodating, and very capable. The atmosphere is a 50s diner, but the food is modern. The booths are very comfortable. I will definitely go back often for the bison burger, tuna sandwich,, salad and chicken chili. And I'm sure there are other menus items I'll want to try.

Nice hole in the wall decorated in vintage Coca Cola & Elvis collection. This diner has booths, tables & a barstool counter with classic oldies music playing. The servers were friendly and efficient. The Classic Cheeseburger was freshly hand-pattied. It was hot and juicy, but could have used a little more seasoning. The Empire State BLT was loaded with fresh crispy bacon. If you love the feel of a classic diner, this is the place for you.

Great food and friendly service. Going there for dinner tonight. Feels like a neighbor cafe.

Second time ordering. Today I had the liberty melt, fries, and pepper cheese t-ravs. The toasted ravs are perhaps the best in St. Louis! This was my second time ordering and I will continue to order them. I'm a vegetarian and I think my non-vegetarian friends would love the t-ravs more than other t-ravs. They're a not overly large, are perfectly crispy, and have great flavor. The melt is pretty good (I sprang for avocado), and the fries are above average for crinkle fries. (I wouldn't have ordered the fries has I known they were crinkle, but I'll eat them.) Cafe Manhattan uses styrofoam containers, which is a bummer. I probably won't order for delivery again for that reason.

Staff is always friendly, food is always good and hot. They're always open when you need them to be!

amazing service, wide variety of food the the theming is perfect, staff is very very nice and it is pretty affordable

I enjoy visiting this place, conveniently close to the gym I work out at. The menu offers a variety of options, but my favorite is the cob salad - it's delicious and satisfying. The soups and sandwiches are also tasty. Considering its location in Clayton, it's reasonably priced. Give it a try!

Always friendly service, great food in nostalgic, diner setting. Also very family mobility accessible friendly.

I ordered the Wall Street and it was a great investment! the bacon was cooked perfectly, the bread was toasted perfectly, and all the flavors combined really well. The side of kettle chips were good too. I needed something decently fast and my order was ready under 10 min. And they pack nice napkins in the to go orders.

I used to be a fan of this place: decent food, reasonably priced, and good service. I'm sad to have to say that something has changed - I don't know if they have been sold to new owners, or maybe hired new management, or whatever, but the food quality has taken a DIVE! A hard dive! Inedible food, presented in the most unappetizing ways imaginable, and brought to you by surely, outright hostile waitstaff. The highlight here was always their beef sandwich (grinder I think was their description). It was a decently sized sandwich with good sides and "drippings" (au joux?). The last two times we took the kids here, the food was salted beyond belief: it was difficult just to chew it because of the crazy salt load! The sides were equally bad, both salty and smelling a little weird (I actually took the sides away so my kids wouldn't get sick: I was genuinely worried what would happen if they were to eat the obviously old, nasty looking sides. The french fries were salted AND dusted with some kind of taco-like seasoning, and it was AWFUL!. The icing on the cake was the check: they've raised prices by an outrageous amount. Goodbye Cafe Manhattan: you have lost the plot!

Nice retro diner! Food was good, premises clean and staff was matching to the time period.

Arrived a little 1 pm on Monday; their small parking lot was full but diners were leaving so we circled back. We already knew what we wanted so we told the guy who took our water order that we were ready to order meals. Took a while for the lady server, who seemed to be the only one working the front, to come take our order. There were some to-go orders and one guy came to eat the diner's bar. Took a lot longer to get our food than it did last time (around the same time on a Tuesday). We did have 1 additional person with us, and it seemed as if the server was waiting on something before she could bring all of our orders together. Son got the same Ultimate burger that he ordered last time, with fries. Daughter ordered the Empire State sandwich with potato salad (included as side). I ordered the Wall Street sandwich, added (extra cost) onion rings. I had overheard her talking to the kitchen staff about no onion rings BUT SHE NEVER CAME TO TELL ME and give me the option to pick another side. Instead she assumed I wanted Fries (which I didn't), and brought those with my sandwich. I would've rather had cole slaw if I couldn't have onion rings. Everything else was good.

The staff is always cordial. I like the fact they take pride in their takeout. The pizza was great. The wrap was not over dressed.

I like the place, it has a great atmosphere. I had the Wall Street sandwich with fries, neither were all that. The sandwich was okay and the chips were covered in salt,so much so that I just let them be.

Great diner and food! Service was good, and fun to look at the pictures/scenery they have hanging up!

Love this place. All the food is homemade. So accommodating with requests. It is always busy but you don't have to wait around for food or drink orders. The servers are great and really hassle. Very cute inside with the vintage decor

Be sure not to plan a weekend brunch from their website, it shows breakfast foods but they serve none.

Ordered pizza and toasted ravioli and the pizza was cold and there was hardly any toppings on it. 3 inches around border had no cheese or anything. Trav's were burnt. Got home and of course pizza was ice cold too i was early For pick up time. Boy that answers phone etc was not very bright. This was my first visit in years. VERY DISSATISFIED.

This place is pretty good overall... but the true tipping point that's making this review a 5-star is the service! All of the waitresses here, and even the cooking staff, were top-notch. The joint is very unassuming from the outside when you walk or drive by. But take a step in the door, and you'll feel like you're back in the era of Elvis Presley and juke-boxes. The red plastic chairs, square tables, and soda fountain counter all scream 1950's in a very cute and classic manner. The food has some variety - sandwiches, salads, soups, pasta, etc. I got a small St. Louis style pizza on my visit here, and it was just as I expected. Thin crust, provel sticky cheese, and light tomato sauce. The prices are super reasonable, too! I'd definitely pop in here again when I'm in the area in the future.

My family loves this fun, friendly diner. Soups, salads and sandwiches are all really good. I had the spinach salad and it was excellent. Pizza and pasta look great too. Our favorite place for a tasty lunch.

Service is great! Greeted right away. Love the old feel of the cafe. Menu selection a little of everything. Wonderful first experience.

Service was excellent; food was very tasty; and, the ambiance was straight out of the 60's - lots of fun!

This cute little family diner had some really nice waitresses. They interacted with my son so well and as far as the food selection it was a great variety. Only thing is I wish my lasagne was cooked a little bit longer but it was definitely good. We all walked away full and the apple pie was nice. Will go again