Le Pain Quotidien

I hopped in here after meeting my wife after her workday. The place was clean, and the service was perfect. She ordered a cookie, and I had a French cream doughnut to hold us over until dinner. I can't wait to come again in the morning when they are fully stocked. Great location with inside and outside seating.

This place is across from my job so I thought it would be a convenient place to meet a friend. There were only 2 tables when I got there to join. I sat for 10 minutes before the waitress came close to my table. I called her over and asked for a latte. 20 minutes later I still had not received my latte. Finally found the waitress and she went to "find it", no apology or anything. After a while she came and put the credit card reader in front of me to pay, and it read $8.17 for a coffee????? so with a $1.50 tip I paid almost $10 for a cup of coffee. Such a waste of money. After working in the service industry for 25+ years I find it so disappointing going out anymore, at least if the service had of been great it may have taken the sting of the price away a bit.

I work around the neighborhood and like this place for lunch. The food is good. Some of the waiters are great, like Molly. I try to go there on the days Molly is around, so i can get served. I don't have unlimited lunch hour during work day. This weekend i decided to go in. the server was very polite asked me to take a seat, then there is no one to give you a menu /water or take your order. It took them nearly over 15 minutes to show up. I am not sure this is related to shortage of workers or just common hospitality. Maybe to skip this place all together.

I visited this place at around March 31, 1:30 pm. I ordered 3 drinks and payed with cash. There were 3 employees, and I felt they were ignoring us from the moment I placed the order. 1. My wife ordered a de-caffein coffee. The employee pretended not to recognize the pronunciation and asked her several times, and took the order with a sneering look. 2. When I asked if there was a straw, she said, 'If it's not behind you, it's not there.' (Eventually I found the straw in front of the door myself.) 3. When I asked to put syrup in a glass of drink, she said with a distorted expression on her face, adding syrup and ordering an extra dollar. 4. I was very upset and I paid a dollar. If I hadn't taken my parents with me, they would have routinely given me a drink. I think they though I was one of the tourists who traveled far away because I went with my older Asian parents. It was very unpleasant, and Asian Racism at a serious level. I never had any experience with this kinds of racism in NYC.

The perfect oasis in the big city!! Maria, the manager operates this coffee shop with excellence and such kind hospitality. In the morning you’ll see staff setting out tables and sweeping the street in front of the store, the coffee is the BEST that we’ve had in the city, the location is pristinely clean and perfectly situated by the Christmas markets at Bryant park. And smells of freshed baked bread and croissants are heavenly!! It’s a perfect go to stop while visiting New York. My hubby and I wished we would have found it on our first day not our last. Wonderful staff, kind and very hard working. You can tell they are a great team! Mercedes helped us and was so sweet and kind.

Autumn is a pleasant place. I ordered from the brunch menu and did not regret it. The food was delicious and fresh, cooked in 20-25 minutes. I would also like to note the very pleasant staff. We had one of the nicest waiters I have met. He helped to decide what to order, recommended a dessert, made delicious coffee. Big guy with black beard if you're reading this - you've made our day!

I didn't really have a good experience at this location, there were only like two waiters for the whole place. Or waitress tried her best I have to say, but the food was just okay, not as it used to be. Our boiled eggs were super overcooked, the coffee was super watered down. The almond croissant was good.

I feel bad when I order coffee with my parents. During my recent visit on March 31, 2023, at around 1:50 pm, the server's attitude towards me was unpleasant right from the start. When I ordered 'decaf coffee,' the server asked me 'what?' and repeated the word 'decaffe' in a condescending manner. While I understand that not everyone may understand my pronunciation perfectly, (because I’m not native English) most servers can comprehend it in the USA. I know it because I live in the USA for 13 years. This kind of treatment felt like racism, especially since I have been here for a long time. Most Asians who have lived in the United States for a long time understand whether someone is asking for genuine clarification or discriminating based on race. After receiving our coffee, my mother asked me to add syrup to her coffee. The staff seemed to view us as ignorant Asians and treated us rudely. Additionally, they instructed us to 'order first next time,' as if scolding a guilty child. Instead of providing information politely, they adopted a teaching attitude. I'm not usually sensitive; most of my Google reviews are positive. You can check my other reviews. I’m also runs restaurant in Manhattan I know how to restaurant is working so I try to write good review. However, this experience left a negative impact. I've encountered many situations in New York City, but this level of disrespect was unexpected. It seems there's a difference in how young Asian couples and families with older members are treated. When I'm alone or just with my husband, I never experienced the discrimination I faced several times while being with my parents. Because this store is located in the heart of Midtown, it will attract many Asian tourists from around the world. If employees treat Asians rudely because they do not speak perfect English or because of their Asian appearance, their rude behavior will tarnish the image of Le Pain Quotidien as well as that of New York City and travel in the United States. My parents' special day during their visit to the United States was ruined by the staff at this store.